Brand strategy help for Founders & Business Owners in New Zealand and Globally

Make every marketing dollar Count.

Brand strategy is the system that ensures marketing messages and experiences align. Building trust and encouraging customers to choose you first.

BEGIN WITH A STRATEGY WORKSHOP

Or, Request a Free 30-Minute Consultation

★★★★★

30+ years’ strategic practice • Wellington, NZ • Serving clients globally.

Save $25k–$50k+ in wasted marketing. ✔

Turn confusion into one clear direction. ✔

Grow your brand people see truth in. ✔

Why isn’t your marketing building the trust you desire?

Many businesses copy the strategies of others, or have many strategies created each time. Resulting in similar marketing, websites, ads, and promises like the competition.

This approach dilutes your marketing efforts, making it indistinguishable from the competition and failing to persuade or build trust.

Problem explained.

If your brand sounds like the competition, customers won’t see the truth in your product or service.
If every campaign repeats the same clichés, you’re paying more and getting less.
Without brand strategy help, marketing becomes noise instead of growth.

Your problem isn’t effort. It’s sameness. To grow, you need to define what makes you different before you spend another marketing dollar.

How brand strategy helps break this cycle when you do it first

Beginning with strategy changes the result.

I understand the frustration. The problem is not your effort. The problem is the sameness that appears when marketing begins without a strategic foundation.

Without brand strategy support, your activity still moves, yet it drifts. When you begin with strategy, every action compounds. It defines what sets your business apart, then directs every ad, every page, and every campaign to build toward that direction with purpose.

This is the difference between blending into the market and standing apart with intent.

Financial Outcomes

✔ Protects capital: one master strategy. Not re-made strategies.

✔ Gives customers one clear reason to pay more, making price less negotiable.

✔ Every campaign builds on the same foundation instead of starting from scratch.

✔ Reduces risk through precise briefs and defined goals.

Leadership Outcomes

✔ Aligns founders and teams on one story and one plan.

✔ Removes decision friction and accelerates projects.

✔ Equips sales, partners, and recruits with a clear narrative from day one.

✔ Replaces opinion with principle so choices are faster, cleaner, and consistent.

Technical Outcomes

✔ Defines brand architecture first, so every marketing move adds value to the business.

✔ Gives you one set of words and rules so nothing drifts off-brand.

✔ Creates a single briefing tool usable across design, web, and media.

✔ Sets clear measures of brand success for accountability.

Executive Summary for Founders and Leadership Teams.

I operate upstream where identity, direction, and capital intersect.
My role is to define one strategic pathway that removes uncertainty and governs downstream decisions.
I bring critical thinking and original thought to align teams, protect investment, and strengthen competitive position.

If you are part of a leadership team, the natural first step is a strategic conversation before assigning your team to the workshop.

BOOK YOUR BRAND STRATEGY WORKSHOP

Independent Brand Strategist, 30+ years

I work only in brand strategy, not design, ads or media. As an independent adviser, I sit on the founder’s side of the table and deliver practical brand strategy help that ties directly to financial outcomes.

Strategy only. No downstream execution to sell, no conflicting incentives.
Founder-first. Clear, usable decisions that make your brand choosable before any marketing begins.
Proven efficiency. Avoid costs in duplicated strategy fees over 6–24 months.
Two-hour Discovery Workshop. Define your difference and leave with a document you can brief to any supplier.
Commercial impact. Pricing power, stronger margins, and smarter use of capital.
Depth of practice. 30+ years with founders and leadership teams in NZ, Australia, and the US; grounded in master-level frameworks ( Neumeier, Aaker, Kapferer, Ries, Trout ).

Focus • Method • Outcome.

Branding strategy only • Discovery Workshop with a documented foundation • One plan that aligns every decision and compounds every marketing dollar.

Learn more about my approach on the About page.

Four Benefits of brand strategy help

Why getting brand strategy help first changes everything.

Before marketing, you need brand strategy advise. Without it, every dollar is a gamble. With it, founders gain clarity, confidence, and compounding returns.

Every dollar works harder

Without a strategic foundation, every marketing dollar is guesswork. With brand strategy help, spend becomes capital that compounds.

Clarity is capital

When founders can clearly articulate what they stand for, value flows their way through pricing power, investor trust, and customer conviction.

Differentiation is survival

If your brand looks and sounds like every competitor, you’re already on the road to commoditisation. Strategy makes your difference impossible to ignore.

Simplicity is strength

The simpler the framework, the faster you can decide, lead, and grow. Simplicity in strategy creates strength in business.

See how these benefits play out in real businesses in my Case Studies. Most founders begin with a Brand Strategy Workshop as the first step.

Brand Strategy help trusted by Founders and Advisors

Testimonials from clients who chose brand strategy help.

My work in brand strategy help has been trusted by founders, business owners, and advisors across New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

★★★★★

“The results have been exceptional. Dayne brings innovation and clarity to every project.”

Michael Greenslade, Trade Commissioner, NZ Pacific.

★★★★★

“It was a good experience, and the excitement of starting a business becomes even more so, once you see your company brand come to life.“

Liz Williams, Co-Founder, The Pod Rental Company

★★★★★

“I have worked with Dayne for many years, in my opinion, regardless of size or scope of project, the work is unparalleled.”

Jason Gaskill, Business Advisor, US.

Read more stories in the full Case Studies library.

How brand strategy help works

A simple three-step service.

Getting brand strategy support shouldn’t feel complicated. Here’s how we’ll work together to give you clarity before you spend another marketing dollar. Read more about my service

Book Your Workshop

Start with a 2-hour online Brand Strategy Workshop. Together we uncover the difference that makes your business stand apart and put it into a documented plan you can use immediately.

Build Your Brand Architecture

Your workshop output becomes a clear framework: one set of words, principles, and rules that align your team and brief any supplier.

Apply Your Strategy Everywhere

With your strategy in hand, every website, ad, or campaign builds on the same foundation. Marketing stops being guesswork and starts becoming capital.

BOOK YOUR BRAND STRATEGY WORKSHOP

Reasons to choose and get brand strategy help with Dayne Smith

Why work with me.

I bring critical analysis and original thought to every engagement, ensuring direction is defined before capital is committed. My work sits upstream, where identity, direction, and financial risk converge, so that every decision has a stable strategic foundation.

Leaders choose Flying Lizard because strategy is governed independently, without the incentives of downstream execution. The ten reasons below reflect the principles that guide my practice and the commercial outcomes that follow when strategy is completed first.

If you want to see how I approach strategic problems in practice, you can read my weekly Authority Posts here.

Independent: I sell no design, ads, or media. Only brand strategy.

Focused: 30+ years specialising in brand clarity, not execution.

Founder-first: Practical advice from someone who’s built and run businesses, not just consulted.

Financially proven: Save $25k–$50k+ by avoiding repeated strategy fees.

Clear process: A simple 3-step framework. Book, Build, Apply.

Documented outcome: Leave every workshop with a usable brand strategy you can brief to anyone.

Global experience: Work with founders across NZ, Australia, and the US.

Framework-led: Grounded in Neumeier, Aaker, Kapferer, Ries & Trout.

Aligned decisions: One plan guides every supplier, saving time and reducing conflict.

Long-term value: Your marketing spend compounds instead of starting over each time.

Ready to explore how branding strategy solves this problem? Begin with a confidential Discovery Workshop.

BOOK YOUR BRAND STRATEGY WORKSHOP

Features you get with Brand Strategy help

Each feature of my process reinforces the benefits you’ve already seen.

So your strategy is simple, clear, and financially effective because it informs and directs all marketing done after. You are able to get direction, messaging, and trust from your customers.

Independent focus

No design or media execution to upsell. Only strategy.

Discovery Workshop

A structured two-hour session to uncover your difference and document it.

Usable outputs

You leave with a strategy document you can brief to any supplier.

Framework-led

Grounded in Neumeier, Aaker, Kapferer, and Ries & Trout. Master-level methodology, not guesswork.

Scalable clarity

One set of principles and words for every campaign, team, and supplier.

Measured outcomes

Defined success metrics so you can track financial and strategic impact.

Proven methodology. Agency-level clarity without agency fees.

BOOK YOUR BRAND STRATEGY WORKSHOP

FAQs About Brand Strategy

Quick answers to common questions.

Here are some of the questions founders often ask before starting brand strategy help. For a full list, see the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Isn’t this what my marketing agency should already be doing?

No. Agencies sell execution (design, ads, media). I provide independent brand strategy help. The foundation they all need before they can work effectively.

What if I don’t know what my brand stands for yet?

That’s exactly where brand strategy help begins. In just one session we uncover what makes you different and turn it into a clear, usable plan.

Do I need to be based in New Zealand to work with you?

No. I work online with founders and business owners across New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

How fast will I see results?

Immediately. You leave the workshop with a documented brand strategy you can brief to any supplier. So your next marketing spend is aligned from day one.

BOOK YOUR BRAND STRATEGY WORKSHOP

Brand Strategy Help proof in practice

Case Studies showing the impact of Strategic Branding.

These examples show how a defined strategic foundation improves margins and strengthens decision-making. Founders and business owners in New Zealand, Australia, and the US have applied brand-strategy help to achieve clearer direction and commercial advantage.

Past strategic work includes projects for GTS, The Karim Centre for Meningitis Research, Florist Stock NZ, TranSys, and Mainland Poultry.

See complete case studies →