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My dream has always been to create my own brand.
One of the main reasons I struggled to get into a large company, which I considered my dream job, and then moved to a startup after three years, was because of this dream. However, whenever I tried to start, I was filled with fear. For years, I kept repeating the same worries.
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- 'Can I really do this?'
- 'I don't even have an entrepreneurial spirit...'
- 'I'm already doing well at my company right now...'
With these thoughts, I often ended up putting my dream aside for a while.
Then, five years ago, I quit my job, and now I am building my current brand on my own. Of course, I feel shy calling it a brand. But I am proud that I started something I had only dreamed about my whole life. And I did it alone.
I,
worked as a marketer for the couple app Between at Cheil Worldwide, an advertising company, and at the startup VCNC (the developer of the couple app Between and Tada). Cheil Worldwide was my dream company, and the moment I was finally accepted as the 50th group recruit and the 34th open recruit in 2009 was the happiest moment of my life. Naturally, my goal was to become an executive at Cheil Worldwide.
But then, as if by fate, I met VCNC. While VCNC is now famous for 'Tada,' at that time, VCNC was developing the couple app 'Between.' I was amazed by how talented and genuinely good-hearted my colleagues at VCNC were, and I left Cheil Worldwide to enter the world of startups.
And for seven years, I did my best to make Between the 'Global No.1 Couple App.' Looking back, I have many regrets about myself, but I have no regrets about those days.
"For three years, I gained experience in the Interactive and Production teams at Cheil Worldwide, dreaming my first dream of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Meeting VCNC and the service Between, I dreamed my second dream of Silicon Valley. For over seven years, I worked hard with the best colleagues to make the couple app Between 'the world's best service for couples' through brand marketing. Now, as I catch my breath,I am dreaming my third dream.."
And for this third dream, I am building a brand on my own.
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After working in the industry for over ten years, I was confident in the fields of branding and marketing, and I thought I had learned a lot.And honestly, I thought 'branding' was something grand, cool, and stylish. However, what I realized after doing everything alone from the ground up for five years was not something grand.
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The one sentence I realized is this.
The best branding is,
to survive.
And in order to survive,
I am building a brand by myself.Somehow, I ended up creating not just one, but three brands.
๐ Preview of the book structure
ใI Build Three Brands Aloneใ is structured as follows.
โ First Brand:Block Planner
The process of turning an idea into a product
- The moment I first took action on my desire to create a brand
- What I learned by deciding the name, logo, and slogan on my own
- The experience of finding a factory, producing, and receiving money for the first time
- The process of launching the brand to the world through Tumblbug
- The reason I keep creating without giving up, even when I feel like quitting
- Why "continuing to create" is more important than "creating well"
โก Second Brand:Ayajin Tiny House
Started to survive, but became a brand that changed my life.
- To be honest, this brand was a choice for survival.
- A small guesthouse in Goseong, Gangwon-do, started with my deposit.
- Emotion became not just a preference, but a strategy.
- The essence of basics taught by two hours of cleaning every day.
- The most realistic branding learned through guests.
- How spaces create people, and people create brands.
โข The third brand:Above all,Myself
The most important brand that is the root of all brands.
- My mentality was much weaker than I thought.
- How not to collapse amid anxiety, jealousy, and uncertainty.
- How my standards of life changed after leaving Seoul for the countryside.
- Why routines are necessary for those who work alone.
- What I should have taken care of before my mind: my body.
- What needs to become stronger before the brand: myself.
This book contains these stories.
- A brand is not a grand plan,But the process of surviving until the end. That it is possible
- A realistic record that shows you can create a brand on your own
- The strength that makes you start again even amidst failure and anxiety.
- Honest moments of living as a solo creator and entrepreneur.
Recommended for these people.
- For those who have always wanted to create their own brand someday.
- For those interested in marketing and branding but feel overwhelmed.
- For those curious about Tumblbug Funding, planner production, or starting a business with small capital.
- For those who keep hesitating while working at a company.
- For anyone who feels they have a weak mentality.
