Helping ecommerce businesses run viably
Viably and New Kind develop a name and story that makes fintech relatable
Background
Ecommerce business owners have to do it all. When it comes to money, they need to manage cash, access capital, and seek advice. But most banks treat owners like transactions. What if you could bank somewhere that has your back?
Viably’s founders decided to find that answer. Starting with expertise in data collection and forecasting, they set out to reinvent the traditional funding model and become a strategic partner for growth. Helping ecommerce businesses access and use funds to expand their possibilities.
Industries: B2B Technology, Finance, Fintech
Services: Company Messaging, Naming, Positioning, Storytelling
Why New Kind?
New Kind worked with us through a major transition point in our business. As an early-stage start up, it felt almost impossible to determine who we want to be for the next 10 years and beyond. But with New Kind’s guidance, creative thinking, patience, and flexibility, we were able to truly start building a brand with staying power.
Danielle Livy
Vice President, Marketing
The Opportunity
A SOUND INVESTMENT FOR FUTURE FLEXIBILITY
Early-stage companies like Viably build at high speed, juggling multiple priorities at once. They need to raise money, evaluate market fit, define the corporate and product strategy strategy, establish the brand, build the product itself, and develop a web presence. Interlinked decisions and actions need to happen quickly.
The team engaged with New Kind to generate a new name and develop positioning, a high-level brand story, and messaging. And do it all as they crystallized their offerings and company strategy.
We followed a collaborative process that was structured enough to generate lasting results, yet flexible enough to adapt to the team’s evolving product development, hiring, funding, marketing, and sales efforts.
Naming
A HUMAN NAME FOR ECOMMERCE BUSINESS BRILLIANCE
The team wanted a name that was accessible to ecommerce businesses, expressed growth and motion, and would give the brand room to grow as they evolved and expanded their offerings.
Together, we fostered a decision-making space that welcomed ideation, with plenty of room for productive exploration. Defining naming attributes helped crystallize the ideals they wanted their brand to convey: trustworthy, innovative, relatable, partnering, aspirational, and easy to work with.
We focused on ensuring names felt relatable. We looked for names that spoke to an owner’s experiences running and growing their business, with all of its challenges and triumphs.
Viably emerged as a clear favorite and the strongest direction. And when the .com url wasn’t available, we found runviably.com so rich in meaning it became the starting seed for our brand narrative. Viably is a way of doing business, a steady beginning as their clients grow through ups and downs and fulfill their purpose.
Positioning, story, and messaging
HELPING ECOMMERCE BUSINESSES REALIZE REAL BENEFITS
Our teams worked in step to create a clear position, story, and message that offered the company scale-ready agility and evolution. Something we could only achieve with hand-in-hand collaboration.
After gathering insights, conducting a gap analysis, and holding several collaborative working sessions, we positioned Viably as a trusted banking partner for predictable-revenue ecommerce businesses.
Financial services is a crowded space, and most banks use similar language. We needed to stand out without overpromising. Building around a core idea: make managing funds simple, with the flexibility and support small businesses need to grow.
Business owners have vastly different comfort levels with technology, so even the best fintech brand needs to tell a human story. Scaling with soul isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a need-to-have.
Our supporting tech-benefit message doubled down on our audience: The first all-in-one banking, funding, and intelligence app made for ecommerce businesses.
Further messaging expanded on how Viably brings banking to the business owner — with a tailored experience that helps them completely understand their finances. It was distilled in three pillars: Viably is an All-in-One App with Smart Visibility that creates a Personalized Experience.
Our big brand message, Dream Boldly, Run Viably evoked what Viably makes possible for business owners and served as a launchpad for Viably’s continuing evolution.
The Outcome
USING A BETTER BRAND TO BUILD BETTER BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITIES
Equipped with a new name, positioning, story, and messaging, Viably rebuilt their website and crafted a pitch for new investment. It was a success, as they won $21mm in seed funding.
Their success has enabled them to serve business owners in ways banks traditionally can’t or won’t. Helping entrepreneurs get a leg up in becoming viable.