George Essex, Senior Vice President of Branded: Building Bright Ideas into Multimillion-Dollar Brands
- George moved from London to Miami at the age of 26 to establish Branded’s US presence. With no office, no clients, and a single hire, he was driven by opportunity, responsibility, and the trust placed in him by his team.
Podcast
Overview
In this episode of The Brand Called You, host Ashutosh Garg speaks with George Essex, Senior Vice President at Branded, about building a brand business from the ground up in a new market.
00:00:47- Starting from Scratc
- George moved from London to Miami at the age of 26 to establish Branded’s US presence. With no office, no clients, and a single hire, he was driven by opportunity, responsibility, and the trust placed in him by his team.
00:02:15- Adapting to the US Market
- Despite a shared language, George discovered that business culture in the US varies widely by region. The scale, complexity, and diversity of the market demanded greater travel, deeper relationships, and highly personalized client engagement.
00:03:44- Evolving the Vision
- Branded initially relied on cold outreach but quickly shifted toward relationship-driven growth. Trust, collaboration, and patience became central to its North American strategy.
00:05:25- The Power of Personalized Persistenc
- George shared how researching GameStop stores and sending a thoughtful LinkedIn message—rather than generic outreach—helped open doors. Persistence works best when it is informed and personal.
00:07:28- Scaling Challenges
- Loneliness, rejection, and managing expectations were some of the toughest aspects of growth. Resilience and learning from setbacks proved essential.
00:09:23- From Ideas to Execution
- Branded focuses on executing ideas seamlessly across packaging, digital, and retail touchpoints—paying attention to emotional nuance and brand consistency.
00:11:22- Brand Positioning Mistakes
- Many brands lose focus by chasing trends and abandoning their core identity, often leading to inconsistency and loss of trust.
00:13:04- The Essence of a Brand
- A brand is both visual and emotional. The strongest brands combine great products, distinct design, and emotional resonance—like Coca-Cola or Apple.
RESOURCES:
Learn more about George Essex: LinkedIn
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What’s it like to move from London to Miami at 26 to build a company from scratch?
George Essex did exactly that—alone, no office, no clients. What kept him going?
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Profile
- George moved from London to Miami at the age of 26 to establish Branded’s US presence. With no office, no clients, and a single hire, he was driven by opportunity, responsibility, and the trust placed in him by his team.
