Can you do a good brand on the cheap? (Well, relatively cheap.) Absolutely.

I am very lucky to have a beautiful location where we grow seeds and much of our own food. I am passionate about food sovereignty and a sustainable lifestyle. As part of this I decided to share my experience with moving a house, planting a food forest, and going semi off-grid. So I started an AirBnB. To ensure that guests understand that it is a farm (with free range poultry, mud, poo and some general disarray) I called it Must Love Chickens. We are not in a sought after location, or have waterfront etc. So I was establishing a new business in an area that really had no demand for it.

I did not want to put a ton of expense into the marketing materials but felt it was imperative to have a brand that is engaging and consistent. So I found an iconic image of a Wyandotte hen that was in the public domain and cleaned it up to use as the identity. I then had a stamp made that can be used on the bags of feeds that we gift to guests so they can feed our flock or to stamp on the top of egg cartons. I expanded with a goat image and a rooster that I used on postcards for guests to take as keepsakes or (better yet) send to friends. As well, I designed tea towels for the suite that can also be gifted to special guests.

Within 2 years the AirBnB space has paid for itself and continues to be 80% booked.