It’s 75 and sunny as we drive up Pacific Coast Highway. The day couldn’t be more perfect for an afternoon in late January. The California coast, it really is a dream. Winding around the canyon crest on our way to Malibu, it’s hard to come to terms with the fact this is just another Monday in the office.
Justin, Daniel and I are in search of one very big answer to all of our start-up ideas… Branding.
We as people are very different, yet we share the similar sense of togetherness in our work. Our number one goal is to remember that we’re not just building an app — we are building a community company… and if we’re gonna do it right, we need to build a community people actually want to be a part of.
Today, we are on our way to meet with a branding agency that specializes in both small and large, known and unknown brands — In Good Co. the name is fitting.
We pull up to the “Soho Little Beach House Malibu” — invite/member only, no photo beach club… you get the point — hop out the car and are greeted by the big blue sea! — no, literally, we are. This place looks like a mix where LA Mag meets Home & Design Decor. The white rolls off the walls creating an open atmosphere where it’s hard to distinguish where one room ends and another begins. The floor plan has multiple levels with private decks that extend over the water. We cruise up for our 12:30pm as Polarized Ray Bans and Garrett Leight stare as you walk by — welcome.
As hard as it is to focus with the waves in the background, our discussion goes well. *Key takeaway* Branding anything is confusing. The color, the font, the logo, the look, and that’s just the aesthetic part… then we get down to the depths of what really matters — mission, motive, theme, story, all the parts that make up the reason behind the brand’s existence in the first place. What is our reason?
Inspire and connect through conversation. Create an app without the bullshit. (Depending on what age demographic you identify with, “the bullshit” of social media apps might ring a different tone. Different times of our lives calls for different measures, and the fluidity in the way we use tech as a whole.)
So much of my personal work derives from the necessity to create something that brings people together for the good stuff. It doesn’t matter what we’re going through in life, the important thing is to know that everything you’ve ever felt, and everything you’ll ever feel, someone else has experienced the same. Unmute offers that escape to people. It gives users a sense of community through conversation.
So here we are, in it — discussing the ins and outs of what Unmute will look, feel and be. It’s an exciting time, it’s a wild journey, but we are inviting you to go on the trip with us. We’ll be posting regularly, documenting frequently and of course talking all the time.
Follow along on the ride.
Start-up based out of Venice Beach, CA. Unmute is your social phone, where calls are broadcasted live, and listeners become part of the conversation.
