Work record / Stories

Branding as a business model at Tellus

Tellus began as a positioning decision, and the substance had to catch up to the claim.

I started Tellus to stand out. We were the first green design-build firm in Orange County, about eighteen months before anyone else. Mostly that was branding. It came from a sincere wish to build cleaner, but picking the green position was a marketing decision before it was an engineering one.

It worked regardless. From that position Tellus went on to more than four hundred projects over the life of the company. The green label is what got us into rooms, not a binder of certifications.

My view has not moved. If you commit early to a brand position, even one that starts as marketing instinct without technical superiority, it can turn into the real differentiator, provided you build the substance underneath quickly enough to match what you claimed. Tell that history honestly instead of polishing it, since the honest telling is what closes deals.

Story details

All stories · Work record