Founding a startup and guiding it through its early infancy is one of the most stressful and difficult things an individual can do. It is a constant battle for survival where you claw and scratch your way to some kind of profitability before the seed money runs out.
In such a hectic environment, it is no wonder many startups forget or are very late for the party with branding. While a great product/service will still be the very foundation of a startup, not branding properly can also easily become a startup-killer.
But, what does branding exactly do for a startup? How does it help a startup thrive?