Here's What Building The Branding Blackbook Looks Like

Most people only see the finished version. I'm showing you what it actually takes to get there.

If you’ve been wondering who’s behind this, it’s me, Kachi. My name alone probably doesn’t mean much to you right now, but it will soon.

I’ve worked in PR and marketing for years and have spent a lot of time around creators and brands. And I’ve seen enough campaigns go right (and wrong) to know there’s a gap in how we talk about this stuff.

The Branding Blackbook started as a newsletter for essays on marketing. Long term, I want it to become a real reference point, something you actually come back to and use for your career, journey as a creator or brand. Not just skim once and forget or save for later and never actually read.

This is the first piece my ‘Building in Public’ series. It’s about why I’m building all this in the first place and how I’m making it happen with your help.

Why build in public?

Most of what we see online is the finished version. The polished launch. The pivot framed as strategy, when sometimes it’s really about survival or just figuring it out while having no idea if it will work or not.

I wanted to do something different.

Not because I have it all figured out, I don’t. But because I think there’s value in showing the process. The trade-offs. The moments where you’re not sure if something will work but you’re doing it anyway.

Building The Branding Blackbook has meant making decisions I didn’t feel qualified to make. Choosing what to prioritise when everything feels important. Sitting with the discomfort of putting something out before it’s perfect. Hiring people just because I only have two hands and one head.

And honestly? A lot of those moments mirror what I see creators, founders and early-career marketers going through every day. Not knowing how to price your work. Second-guessing whether you belong in the room. Trying to build something meaningful while also just trying to pay astronomical rent prices.

If I’m asking other people to share their messy middles, it felt right to share mine too.

What you’ll see here

Building in Public is where I’ll document what it actually takes to build this platform.

Some of it will be tactical, decisions around structure, format, what’s working and what isn’t. Some of it will be more reflective, the internal stuff that doesn’t show up in analytics but shapes everything you do. And all the amazing successes along the way.

For example, in October 2025 we had 90 subscribers. We now have 700+. With over 4,000 community members across all our platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, Substack and soon TikTok.)

I’m not here to present a perfect roadmap. I’m here to show what building something looks like when you’re in it, not looking back on it.

You’ll also hear more soon about ‘The Blackbook’, a series I’ve launched that centres creators and the real stories behind the campaigns we all see. ICYMI our first issue went live a few weeks ago with Black In Sport, where we spoke to founder Ladi and Joy about building and marketing their latest event.

Why it matters

I think a lot of us are tired of the highlight reel.

We’re tired of advice that assumes you already have access, budget, or a safety net.

The truth is, most creative careers don’t follow a straight line. Most of us are figuring it out as we go. And for Black creators specifically, the path often includes navigating systems that weren’t built for you, proving yourself in ways others don’t have to and doing culturally significant work without the structural support or recognition that should come with it.

Building in public isn’t about being vulnerable for the sake of it. It’s about making the process less lonely. Less opaque. Less like you’re the only one who doesn’t have it together.

If you're building something, a platform, a creative practice, a career that doesn't fit into a neat box, I'd love to hear about it.

Drop a comment and let us know what you're working on and how people can support. Like I said, there are thousands of us in this growing community and chances are someone here has or knows something that might help.

And if you’re reading this thinking “I wish someone had shown me this part,” then you’re exactly who I’m writing for.

Thanks for being here. More soon.

Kachi x