Minimum Viable Branding Circle
Cohort-based strategic brand sprint
For seed-stage startups and solopreneurs who know their brand needs deeper roots before it can sustain real growth. Build a belief-driven brand with strategic foundations that hold—alongside founders who understand that the strongest growth starts below the surface.
Next cohort starts Feb 23rd 2026 - Max 6 places
Your business may be complex, but your brand shouldn't be.
You're building something innovative. Something that matters.
But when you try to explain it, people's eyes glaze over. Your pitch changes every time. Your website feels generic. You're not sure if you're talking to the right people, let alone saying the right things. You need a brand, but you don't have £20k for an agency. And honestly? You're not even sure what you'd be paying for.
A tree forced to grow too fast in shallow ground is unstable. One market shift, one competitor, one tough quarter—and you realise there's nothing holding you in place.
You don't need more growth tactics. You need a root system that can support the brand you're becoming.
MVB Circle: Grow from the roots up.
In nature, what you see above ground is only possible because of what's thriving below it. The same is true for lasting brands.
This isn't a design course. It's a strategic intensive that builds what every resilient brand has: deep roots in what you believe, who you serve, and why you exist.
Over 4 weeks, you'll work through Palmer&Co's Minimum Viable Branding framework - the same process we use with our agency clients - in an intimate cohort setting with hands-on guidance.
You'll walk away with:
The knowledge to accelerate your business with brand
Why belief, strategy and storytelling matter more than you think.
Your brand DNA rooted in what you believe, not just what you sell
Your vision, mission, purpose, promise and only-ness clearly defined.
Strategic clarity on who you serve
Why you're different and what you're here to change; Your brand manifesto - an inspiring one-pager that drives action and defines direction.
Your ideal customer profile defined
Understand who they are, what they need and believe and how to connect with them.
Your brand's personality
Crystal clear brand values and behaviours with a visual & verbal style to match.
Your brand story framework
That casts the customer as the hero of your story and makes it clear why they should be a part of your brand.
A community of fellow founders
All building belief-driven brands, and eager to share the journey, collaborate and cheer each other on.
How it works
Four Weeks. One Canva whiteboard. Real Feedback. Lasting Foundations.
Think of this program like the seasons of growth: each week builds on the last, creating layers of strength that compound over time.
Before We Start: Research & Preparation
Two weeks before the cohort begins, you'll get your personalised Canva board, brand book to fill in as you go and pre-work: understand your customers and competitors. Your Canva board contains activities and guidance to carry out this work solo, and share with us before the start of the program.
Weekly schedule:
Monday:
90-minute live call where we dig into that week's strategic layer
Learn:
Core frameworks explained with real examples
Workshop:
Apply the framework to your brand in real-time on your Canva board
Feedback:
Hot seat sessions where 2-3 participants share their work and the cohort responds
By Friday:
Complete your homework—the deep work that strengthens your roots between calls
By Sunday:
We review your board and add written feedback, so you come to Monday's call with clarity on what's working and what needs adjustment
Time commitment each week:
90 mins Monday call
2 hrs homework every week
Week 1: Brand Foundations - your brand's roots
Research review & discussion: We start by examining the heroes and villains in your customers' lives—who they're trying to become and what stands in their way.
Learn the framework: Discover why beliefs, not features, create brands people remember. We'll show you how strategy and storytelling work together, using real examples from our portfolio and brands that have built lasting roots.
Workshop activity: Using the Ikigai framework, you'll brainstorm answers to four critical questions directly on your Canva board: What do you believe in? What are you great at? What do people need? What will they pay you for? We'll share our answers live as a cohort.
Homework: Complete all Ikigai framework activities—filling in each circle until you find where they intersect. That intersection is your taproot. Submit by Friday for written feedback.
Week 2: Brand DNA - Purpose, Vision & Mission, Promise, Only-ness
Hot seat feedback: 2-3 participants share their Ikigai work. The cohort responds with questions and observations that sharpen thinking.
Learn the framework: Understand the difference between Purpose (why you exist), Vision & Mission (where you're going and how), Promise (what you always deliver), and Only-ness (what only you can do). We'll break down each with concrete examples.
Workshop activity: Draft your purpose statement live—just 10 minutes to get something on the page. A few brave souls will share what they wrote. Then we'll pair you with an accountability partner to pitch your manifesto to throughout the week.
Homework: Complete your Purpose, Vision, Mission, Promise, Only-ness, and 1-page strategy. Pitch your manifesto to your partner for feedback. Submit by Friday.
Week 3: Brand Personality & Story - How You Show Up
Hot seat feedback: Different 2-3 participants share their brand manifesto—testing whether their DNA translates into language that lands.
Learn the framework: Explore how personality communicates through visual identity, tone of voice, values, and behaviors. Discover why human brains are wired for story and how to position your customer as the hero, not your product.
Workshop activity: Design your brand's special event—if you threw a gathering that perfectly expressed your brand, what would it look like, feel like, sound like? Share your vision with the cohort.
Homework: Complete values & behaviors, visual style direction, tone of voice, and story structure sections. Submit by Friday.
Week 4: The Complete System—Everything Connected
Full cohort shareout: Everyone presents their complete Brand DNA—from foundations through personality to story. This is where you see how all the pieces connect back to your original Ikigai.
Learn the principles: Visual brand identity essentials for non-designers: how colour, typography, and shapes carry meaning. How to build a brand ecosystem where every element reinforces your DNA, not just a collection of random assets. Why consistency and repetition matters.
Leave with a design brief: You'll complete a template that captures your entire strategic foundation—ready to hand any designer so they can create visual identity that means something, not just looks good.
Post-program: Access to our alumni Substack community where the network continues growing beyond these four weeks.
What you get
15-Min 1:1 Intro Call
To get to know you and your business before the program starts.
Pre-Work Research Assignment
Get to know the ecosystem you exist in by understanding your customers and competitors.
Your Own MVB Canva Board
Pre-built framework ready for you to personalise for your brand.
Your own Brand Book
For you to fill in as you go through the program - by the end you'll have a complete brand strategy book that describes your brand.
4 Weekly Live Calls (90 mins)
Strategy workshops with hot seat feedback
Written Feedback Each Week
Detailed comments on your board.
Accountability Partnership
Paired with another founder for manifesto feedback
Design Brief Template
Ready to hand to any designer after the program
What happens
Sign up:
Secure your spot with a £100 deposit. Only 6 spots available.
You'll receive: Course overview, invoice for remaining balance, and start dates.
Two weeks + before start:
Once your invoice is paid, get your Canva board and research assignment.
One week before start:
We review your research and add initial feedback.
During the program:
Weekly Monday calls, homework assignments due Fridays, written feedback by Sundays.
After Week 4:
You'll have a complete brand framework, a design brief, and access to the alumni community.
Next step:
With your brand strategy clear, design becomes a breeze. Commission your visual identity with Palmer&Co or take your brief to a designer of your choice.
MVB Circle is Perfect For:
Seed-stage startups with solid offerings but positioning that changes every pitch
Solopreneurs building something meaningful who need strategic foundations before they scale
Anyone who's rewritten their homepage three times this year because they're not sure what their brand actually stands for, but can't afford agency fees to sort it out.
This Isn't For:
Brands looking for a quick logo design
Businesses that want to copy what competitors are doing
Anyone unwilling to dig deep into what they actually believe
Brands needing a complete visual identity in 4 weeks
(we build the strategy that guides design)
Startups at a later stage or established businesses.
See MVB 1:1 or Work with us if that's you
The Palmer Effect
Palmer&Co specialises in brands that could easily overwhelm people—new technologies, ingredient brands like Gore-Tex, ground-breaking innovations. Through building our own technology company, D3O, we learned how to make the complicated feel intuitive.
We believe:
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Deep roots before tall branches
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Strategy before aesthetics
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Beliefs, not features, build lasting brands
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The strongest brands know what they stand for before they know how they look
MVB Circle is how we've distilled years of experience into a framework that works for early-stage brands—especially when budgets are tight but the need for clarity is urgent.
Led by Ruth & Richard Palmer - each with 25+ years of turning "hard to explain" into "impossible to ignore."
Investment In Your Root System
£1,750 for the complete 4-week program
Includes: 15-min intro call, 4 weekly 90-min sessions, personalised Canva board, brand book template, weekly written feedback, design brief template, and alumni community access.
Secure your spot: £100 deposit, remaining balance invoiced after signup.
Only 6 spots per cohort. Small by design—so everyone gets meaningful attention and the network effect remains strong.
Frequently asked questions
Stop Rewriting Your Homepage. Start Building Roots.
The brands that last don't just reach for attention—they're anchored in something deeper. Something they can explain clearly, defend confidently, and use to guide every decision.
Join the next MVB Circle cohort and build a brand with roots that can support whatever growth comes next.
Next cohort starts: 23rd February 2026 • £100 deposit to reserve your place
Questions? Book a 15-min call with Ruth to see if MVB Circle is right for you.
Week 2
Visual Identity
Visual direction & simple brand guidelines
Week 1*
Virtual workshop 1
Brand & Business Strategy
Virtual workshop 2
Brand Personality & Story
*Subject to availability