How We Decide If We’re the Right Fit for Each Other
We do not take every project that comes in. We work with a specific kind of business, and we are direct about what that looks like, not to be exclusive for its own sake, but because a project that is not a genuine fit rarely produces good results for either side.
Most Agencies Will Take Any Paying Client
We do not work that way.
The projects that produce the best results, for the client and for us, are the ones where the business is ready for a rebrand, the decision-maker is genuinely involved, and the scope and investment are properly matched. When those conditions are not in place, the work suffers. Timelines slip. Feedback loops break. The final brand does not land the way it should. Both sides leave the engagement frustrated.
We would rather have that honest conversation upfront than discover the mismatch three weeks into a project. So here is exactly how we evaluate fit, and what we are looking for.
What We Look For
A service business.
We work with law firms, consultancies, healthcare providers, travel companies, corporate trainers, PR agencies, interior designers, and accountants. We do not work with product companies, NGOs, or government organisations.
This is not arbitrary.
The branding needs of a service business are specific. When there is nothing to put on a shelf, the brand is often the primary differentiator. It is what makes a potential client trust you before they have spoken to you, choose you over a competitor who offers something similar, and return to you rather than shopping around. We understand this dynamic deeply because it is the only context we work in.
The decision-maker at the table.
The person with the authority to shape and approve the brand needs to be present throughout the project. This is not always the founder or CEO. Sometimes it is a marketing manager who has been given genuine decision-making authority by the leadership team. That works perfectly well.
What does not work is a setup where the person we are building the brand with has to then sell the strategy or design back to a vision bearer who was never part of developing it. That is the broken telephone problem. By the time direction travels from us to the marketing manager to the CEO and back, something essential gets lost or changed at every handoff, and the project starts going in circles.
The test is simple: is the person across the table from us empowered to say yes? If the answer is yes, we can work together productively regardless of their title.
A business generating consistent revenue.
We typically work with businesses generating roughly KES 100,000 (~$1,000) to KES 15,000,000 (~$150,000) in monthly profit. This is not gatekeeping. It is an honest reflection of who can invest meaningfully in a rebrand and extract real value from it. A business that has not yet found its revenue footing is usually not ready for the strategic investment a rebrand requires, and we would rather tell them that directly than take a fee at the wrong moment.
A genuine brand problem.
If the business is growing strongly, clients are coming in steadily, and the brand is serving its purpose, we will say so. We are not in the business of solving problems that do not exist. If it turns out, after the Inquiry form submission and the first conversation, that the brand is not actually the constraint, we will tell you. [Who We Work With: And Who We Don’t] covers the full picture of where we draw the lines.
What Makes Us Say No
There are patterns that make a project not viable for us, and we name them plainly so there are no surprises.
The decision-maker is not available or not genuinely engaged. A project where the founder is too busy to participate in strategy sessions or too disengaged to give considered feedback is a project that will drag, stall, and ultimately underdeliver.
The budget does not match what the scope actually requires. We can work within different budget sizes, but there is a floor below which the work cannot be done properly. We will not take a fee for work we know will not produce a result worth the investment.
The business is in a category we do not serve: packaging-heavy product businesses, NGOs, or government procurement. This is a boundary we hold consistently, not case by case.
The timeline is unrealistic for the scope. If a business needs a comprehensive rebrand in two weeks, we will say honestly that the timeline and the scope are incompatible, and suggest either extending the timeline or reducing the scope.
There are unresolved internal disagreements that would need to be settled before a brand could be built. If the leadership team does not agree on where the business is going, a brand cannot be built on top of that uncertainty. We can help sharpen direction, but we cannot resolve a fundamental strategic disagreement between partners on a client’s behalf.
How the Evaluation Actually Happens
It starts with the Inquiry form. We read every submission. If the fit looks likely, we respond within the hour where possible, with a message and, if the timing is right, an invitation to book a first call via cal.com.
That call is a genuine conversation in both directions. We are not only listening to understand the project. We are also evaluating whether this is a project we want to take on, whether the working relationship is likely to be productive, and whether we believe we can genuinely move the needle for this business.
After the call, if both sides want to move forward, we prepare a proposal with three scope options. If one side does not want to move forward, we say so directly. Where we can, we suggest who might be a better fit. [What Happens on Our Discovery Call?] covers what that first conversation looks like in detail.
The Point Is Good Work, Not Exclusivity
We are not selective to protect a reputation or to appear premium. We are selective because we care about doing work that actually changes something for the businesses we partner with.
The goal is to take on projects where we can genuinely move the needle and to protect both sides from investing time, money, and energy in something that was not going to work. When the fit is right, the work is better, the relationship is easier, and the results last.
The Inquiry form is where fit evaluation begins. Be honest in your answers, that honesty is what lets us give you a genuinely useful response rather than a generic one.
Related Articles
- Who We Work With: And Who We Don’t
- Why the Decision-Maker Needs to Be at the Table
- What Happens on Our Discovery Call?