Rebranding from the inside out: why in-house teams can build strong brands and stronger teams

There’s nothing inherently wrong with hiring a branding agency. Sometimes you need outside perspective, senior strategy, conceptual muscle, or just pure capacity. But when I’ve led rebrands at high-growth companies, I’ve usually taken a different route: build the brand from the inside.

Not because I’m anti-agency, but because strong internal ownership can unlock something different. It creates deeper alignment, lasting adoption, and a brand that actually works in practice, not just in concept.

At Curve, Flipdish, and now PrimaryBid, I’ve led rebrands with small internal teams, sometimes in close partnership with external strategists or agencies, but always with someone internally driving the vision forward. It’s not always the easier route, but in fast-moving environments, it’s the one that works.

Why internal teams can (and should!) own a rebrand:

🔮 Stronger brands, grounded in reality, not just ambition.

Agencies work with what you tell them. Internal teams work with what they know. They’re in the Slack threads. They’re in the standups. They’re at all hands. They see the real-time tension between what the brand wants to say and what the business needs to deliver. That lived experience matters, especially in early-stage or transforming companies where the story is still being written. In-house teams can reflect the true tone of the business: the founder energy, the cultural quirks, the rough edges. That nuance shows up in the work and makes the brand more relatable and believable.

🤝 Cross-functional buy-in, early and often.

When brand work is kept behind closed doors, whether inside or outside the company, rollout becomes an uphill battle. People don’t trust what they didn’t help shape. By leading rebrands internally, I’ve been able to bring in product, marketing, and commercial teams early. Through check-ins, working sessions, and decision-making touchpoints, a rebrand becomes something the wider business feels part of. That’s when it sticks.

💪 Empower and strengthen your team.

Big creative projects, like rebrands, are an opportunity to build trust internally. You don’t have to do everything in-house, but you do need to give your team a meaningful role in shaping what’s next. Bring in external support intentionally. Agencies, freelancers, and strategists can be powerful partners, but they should complement your internal capabilities, not replace them by default.

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I’ve seen junior designers take giant leaps forward when invited to help shape a company’s identity. I’ve also seen those same processes highlight skill gaps that need addressing. Both are valuable. The key is creating a team that feels empowered, not sidelined.