Brand strategy and brand building, start to finish.
For companies at a turning point. A sale, a raise, a merger, a new market.
20+ years building brands for CVS Health, Estée Lauder and owner-run companies. I find where the brand is leaking. Then I fix it.
What it’s like to work with me.
Read the five steps
- 01
We meet.
Owners, their advisors, or both. Coffee first. No pitch deck.
- 02
I listen.
Where the business is headed, what people say when you’re not in the room, and what’s harder than it should be.
- 03
I read the brand.
Enid reads what’s already public and shows me where the brand is leaking.
- 04
We make the plan.
Then we decide who does the work: your team, your agency, or talent I bring in.
- 05
We build. I stay.
Name, logo, messaging, site, signs, sound. We launch, watch what’s working, and adjust.
Two kinds of people call me.
Pick the one that sounds like you.
Enid™ finds it. DLB fixes it.
Every project starts with Enid, my brand read. It looks at what’s already public the way a buyer or investor would. I review every finding, then we decide what’s worth fixing.
See what Enid finds →What people say.
“Doug started by showing us what wasn't working before he built anything. Eight weeks later we had a website our own team can run, and a LinkedIn presence that finally looks like the company we are.”
COO, CORE Long Term Care Services
“I shared it with our marketing committee and we're going to make some of the adjustments Enid recommended. Really helpful!”
Partner and Managing Director, Copacino + Fujikado
“You have a very calming and even keeled demeanor in good times and in bad. And that... matters when you're partnering and collaborating with somebody.”
Client Experience Strategies
Start with a 20‑minute call.
20+ years in brand and creative. DLB Creative since 2010, seven of those years leading creative for SweetRush. Now I do this for owners and their advisors. You're talking to me, start to finish.
The short answers.
What does DLB Creative do?
DLB Creative is Doug Belding's brand practice in Nashville. I build and rebuild brands (strategy, naming, identity, messaging and websites) for companies heading into a sale, a raise, a merger or a new market. Every project starts with a first look from Enid, my brand read.
Do you build brands from scratch, or only fix existing ones?
Both. I've built brands from nothing, like Micro Boutique Living, and rebuilt them from the name up, like Choice Health Centre. Sometimes the answer is smaller, a tighter story or a cleaner site. I'll tell you which.
Is DLB Creative an agency?
No. It's me, start to finish. You get 20+ years of senior brand and creative work without an account team in the middle.
Who should I talk to in Nashville about brand before selling my business?
That's what I do. I work with owners and alongside their M&A advisors and exit planners, usually two to three years ahead of a sale. How brand affects the sale price
Do we need a rebrand or a refresh?
Most companies need less than they think. The first look shows what's actually costing you trust, so we fix that and leave the rest alone.
What does a Chief Brand Officer do?
Makes sure what the market sees matches what the business is. I look at how a company shows up, find where it's losing trust, and fix it.
Is this marketing?
No. Marketing is the party. This is the house. If the house is right, the marketing you already pay for starts working.