The brand work that feels like coming home
You’ve evolved—but your brand hasn’t caught up. That’s why everything still feels hard.
The Founding Protocol is a brand strategy and messaging intensive that helps you build a brand rooted in who you are now—so visibility, content, offers, and sales stop feeling so forced.
Next cohort running May 2026. Join the waitlist to be first in line for a spot.
If diy was going to get you there, it would have by now
The Founding Protocol isn’t another plug-and-play branding course. It’s a psychology-backed process to rebuild the foundation of your business—your values, voice, and strategic message—with guided support every step of the way.
You’ll walk away with a strategic brand and messaging that reflects who you are now, not who you were when you started.
You’ll have a brand that feels like you, excites you to use, and finally supports the growth you’re working toward.
Filing fee: $2,000 (including GST).
SPOTS ARE LIMITED TO ENSURE PERSONALISED FEEDBACK.
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Mihaela, CEO of Sustainable Sanity™ at Anti-Burnout Labs
This is not the average branding program. It’s a process of remembering who you are, who you serve, and how to say it without second-guessing yourself into oblivion. It gave me language, structure, and confidence, but more than that, it gave me relief. Highly recommend it to anyone building something real.
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Brooke, AI Strategist and founder of Wright Mode
Testimonial
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Sam, Operations Alchemist, Founder of Sam Support Co.
The Founding Protocol is transforming my business. I feel so freaking clear now in how to explain myself. Transformational! This feels like the most authentic version of myself and the most fully realised version of my business.
I don’t even have the words. You’re changing my world. You’re changing my business. I’m so grateful, and I’m so grateful to myself that I said yes to this. Thank you.
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Margaux, Birth Educator, Fauna Care
Things have felt so raw and real since I got down to the brass tacks of what really fuels and motivates me and applied that to my brand values and voice pillars.
My communication about my work is suddenly crystal clear even when I don't have to words for a specific thing, because I feel so rooted in the basic foundation of my work. Now everything I do and say is on-brand! Really gets ya all warm and fuzzy, doesn't it?
Symptoms of
Most DIY brands don’t fail because the founder isn’t talented. They fail because the messaging is messy.
If any of these sound uncomfortably familiar, consider yourself officially in violation.
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You’ve launched, you’re earning, but your words don’t reflect your work.
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You know your website and bios don’t reflect the real you. So you avoid sharing them.
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You’ve tried every Canva doc, Airtable, and notion board—but they don’t work when the message isn’t clear.
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Your content doesn’t sound like you, and your audience can tell. Generic captions, awkward emails, and language that falls flat.
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You’ve built something good—but nobody seems to get it, and you don’t know how to fix it.
If left unchecked, these symptoms lead to missed opportunities, wrong-fit clients, endless spirals every time you need to promote your business.
The Dept’s recommendation: Submit yourself for protocol training
To ensure quality of coaching and feedback, this program is strictly capped at 8 people per cohort.
outcomes
By the end of The Founding Protocol, your brand record will be permanently updated.
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Words that don’t reflect your work. Messaging feels stuck at “past you.”
Cringing every time someone asks for your website or bio.
Wasting hours trying to force-fit your ideas into templates that don’t fit.
Content that sounds generic, robotic, or nothing like you.
Knowing your offer is good, but failing to explain it clearly, consistently, or confidently.
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Your brand finally sounds like you. Across every platform.
You’re proud to send people to your site, pitch, or offer. Not worried they won’t “get it”.
Offers land better because they’re rooted in your voice and values.
You know what you’re selling, why, and how to talk about it.
Content is easy to create because you have something strong to say.
Instead of circling “what do I even say?”, you know how to move forward with clarity and energy.
Imagine this: someone asks “what do you do?” and instead of spiralling, you give a sharp, confident answer that sparks instant interest. That’s the difference brand clarity makes.
DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT
OPERATIONAL DETAILS
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Live workshops + tactical assignments + personalised feedback
Objective: Restore brand clarity and prevent further violations
PHASE
Identity excavation
Uncover your deepest core values. You’re not asked about your values and left high and dry, you’re guided though a psychology-led process to identify the values that you need to build an aligned, fully actualised business.
PHASE
identity application
Follow the clear process of taking your values and applying them to different facets of your business.
Apply your core values to your prices, processes, packages, and more.
PHASE
Brand voice activation
Step into the your authentic, strategic brand voice– one that feels easy and exciting to use while drawing your target audience into your world. Then apply it to your bios, headlines, and sample content so you (and your audience) can hear the difference immediately.
PHASE
Messaging Strategy
Create conversion-psychology optimised messaging for your hero offer. Your core message, supporting messages, and value proposition will be ready to be used wherever you sell– your website, pitch decks, proposals, socials, and more.
Feedback Protocol:
Show up to the live coaching calls each week to receive recorded notes on your work, plus the chance to learn from your cohort’s progress.
Optional Upgrade:
Require additional clearance? 1:1 intervention available.
Initiative: for the CULTURE
Every cohort of The Founding Protocol includes one fully-funded scholarship place reserved for a minority-owned business.
This initiative exists to ensure access to brand clarity isn’t limited by financial gatekeeping. If you’re a founder from a minority or disadvantaged background, apply for the scholarship.
Selection is based on fit and readiness, not your ability to pay.
Investment
The filing fee for The Founding Protocol is $2000 AUD (incl GST).
3 x early bird spots available at $1600 AUD. First come, first served. Code is on the checkout page.
FOR CONTEXT:
A full-service brand strategy project with The Identity Dept starts at $10K+.
Another year of DIY-ing in circles will cost you more in missed clients, undercharging, and wasted hours second-guessing your message.
With The Founding Protocol, you’re getting agency-level tools, live guidance, and personalised feedback, for less than a tenth of the price tag.
With The Founding Protocol, you get:
Agency-level tools, tailored for small business owners.
Live workshops and personal feedback.
A custom toolkit you’ll use every time you pitch, post, or sell.
Accessible enough for early founders. Serious enough to ensure you show up and do the work.Spots are strictly capped at 8 participants per cohort to guarantee interaction and individual attention.
LOVING WORDS
FAQ
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Courses give you 10 hours of video you’ll never finish. The Founding Protocol is live, interactive, and comes with personalised feedback. You don’t just “learn about branding” — you build your foundations in real time, with expert eyes on your work.
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All sessions are recorded and uploaded within 24 hours. You can still submit homework for feedback and catch up on your own time. Interaction > watching replays, but you won’t fall behind if you miss one.
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Nope. You just need something real to work with– an offer, a client, proof you’re actually in business. If you’re still in “idea mode,” you’re too early. If you’ve launched, made sales, or served clients, you’re ready.
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Yes. Show up to the coaching and feedback calls for personalised feedback. Can’t make it? Submit your work and I’ll address it in the session so you can catch up on the recording.
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You’ll leave with a usable messaging foundation and the tools to keep applying it. No more spiralling at the blank page. If you want deeper custom support, you can upgrade to 1:1 strategy.
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Small enough that you’ll get interaction and feedback. Big enough to benefit from seeing others’ brands evolve. Participants are strictly capped at 8-10 per cohort.
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Live sessions run 75 minutes. Assignments take 1–2 hours. If you can give this process 3 hours a week, you’ll leave with clarity that saves you dozens of hours down the line.
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Yes. The frameworks are psychology-led and work across industries. Previous participants include coaches, consultants, and product founders, all applying the same tools to different contexts.
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The program is built to be hands-on. If you show up and do the assignments, you will leave with a usable toolkit. If you’re worried about risk, start with early bird pricing. The cost of waiting is higher than the filing fee.
This is your moment for clarity. You’ve done the hard part: building something real.
Now it’s time to give your brand the clarity and confidence it needs to grow.
In four weeks, you’ll move from messy messaging to a brand that feels sharp, magnetic, and undeniably you. A system you can use every time you pitch, post, or sell.
The next cohort begins 3 November. Spaces are limited to 8 founders ready to move.
Dept Advisory:
Failure to comply may result in ongoing cringe, missed opportunities, and excessive use of generic templates and AI generated ‘fluff’.
