There’s a layer of abstraction between business and humanity that we all participate in. It has its benefits. But one clear downside is that it makes us forget something fundamental: everything is about people.
A business is people. Its customers are people. Markets aren’t mystical forces or numbers on a dashboard - they’re collections of individuals trying to make sense of the world, assign meaning, and solve problems while spinning on a floating rock.
Somewhere along the way, startups forgot this. And in forgetting it, they also forgot how people build lasting identities.
This is why branding is so often misunderstood.
Many founders treat branding as something you finish: a logo, a color palette, a brand deck, a tone of voice. Once that box is checked, attention shifts to what feels more concrete - growth, scale, MRR, and the ever-growing list of abbreviated metrics.
But that’s not how people build reputations, and it’s not how brands are formed.
In reality, your brand begins when you start repeating - consistently, visibly, and for longer than feels necessary.
Think back to high school archetypes: the jocks, the artsy kids, the teacher’s pets. No one declared themselves these things once and moved on. They became them through repetition - how they showed up, what they did, what they were seen doing, week after week, year after year.
And as simple as it sounds, that’s the entire blueprint for startup branding.
Decide what you are. Say it plainly. Say it over and over and over again. Then do the unglamorous work behind the scenes to support the claim. Over time, that repetition becomes truth in the minds of others.
You can see this play out clearly with Stripe. For years, Stripe has repeated essentially the same idea: payments infrastructure for the internet. Across documentation, product design, blog posts, and talks, the message compounds: reliability, developer-first thinking, invisible complexity handled well.
And not to toot our own horn, but the same applies to us.
When people think about HackerNoon, they think about open access to information, developer-led storytelling, and a platform that meets builders where they are because that’s who we are. But more importantly, because that’s who we’ve said we are consistently, across everything we’ve published since day one.
Summarily:
- Brands are learned behavior.
- Stop rewriting your brand story every time growth slows.
- Decide what you are. Say it plainly. Say it often.
Ready to start building your brand the right way?
Now, let’s take a look at some startups building strong brands in today’s oversaturated market.
Meet Ajaib, TopHire, and rekrutes: HackerNoon Startups of the Week
Ajaib
Ajaib is a fast-growing Indonesian fintech and online brokerage that simplifies investing for retail users. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Jakarta, it offers intuitive, mobile-first access to stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and other financial instruments, all regulated by Indonesia’s financial authorities. Ajaib’s mission is to expand financial inclusion by making investing accessible, affordable, and understandable—especially for younger and first-time investors.
TopHire.co
TopHire is an India-based recruitment marketplace focused on connecting elite tech talent with leading technology and product companies. The platform curates a selective pool—typically the top 2% of software engineers, product managers, and data scientists—and showcases them to hiring managers at startups and established tech firms, enabling companies to find high-quality candidates quickly and efficiently.
rekrutes
rekrutes is one of Morocco’s leading online recruitment platforms, founded in 2006 to connect employers and job seekers across industries in Morocco and Francophone Africa. The platform goes beyond simple job listings by offering tools that help candidates understand themselves better—like personality assessments and company cultural insights—and by supporting employers with recruitment marketing, employer-brand services, and candidate matching technology.
These companies aren’t connected by market or size, but by clarity of intent. They know who they serve and reinforce that identity at every touchpoint.
At scale, repetition is recognition.
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That’s all for now.
Until next time, Hackers!