BrandScan | Ditto Design Agency

Before you begin

These questions have no wrong answers. Let your thoughts flow — bullet points, incomplete sentences, and gut reactions are all welcome. You’re not writing a report. You’re starting a conversation with yourself.

Set aside 20–30 minutes. Be honest. That’s where the good stuff lives.

The essential ten

A note for those just starting out:  Some questions mention clients or past projects. If you haven’t launched yet, don’t worry — look for the highlighted prompts beneath those questions. Your expertise already exists; it just hasn’t been pointed at your own business yet.

Question 1 — Where are you right now, and what brought you here?

Everyone arrives at this moment differently. Check all that apply:

Question 1 — Where are you right now, and what brought you here?

You have an idea, a skill, or a dream — but you’re not sure how to turn it into a business.

You’ve been at this for a while, and your experience has outgrown the brand you started with.

Your clients have changed, your market has shifted, and your brand needs to catch up.

Something just feels off — and you can’t quite name it yet.

Then describe where you are in your own words. There’s no wrong starting point — only an honest one.

Question 1 — Where are you right now, and what brought you here?

Question 2 — How do you describe what you do, in plain language?

Not your elevator pitch. Not your LinkedIn headline. How would you explain your work to a smart friend who knows nothing about your industry? What do you do, who do you do it for, and why does it matter to them?

Try to say it in two sentences or fewer. If you find yourself listing services, you’ve gone too far — bring it back to the one thing that matters most to the person you’re helping.

Question 2 — How do you describe what you do, in plain language?

Question 3 — Who is your ideal client, not your average one?

Describe the client you do your best work with. What’s their situation? What do they care about? What are they struggling with? What makes them a joy to serve?

Just starting out? Picture the person you most want to help once you launch. Who are they, and what do they need that you can provide?

Question 3 — Who is your ideal client, not your average one?

Question 4 — What problem do you solve, and what does it feel like to have that problem?

Go beyond the practical. Yes, you solve a specific problem — but what is the emotional weight of that problem for the person living it? Stress? Uncertainty? Embarrassment? Relief when it’s resolved?

Question 4 — What problem do you solve, and what does it feel like to have that problem?

Question 5 — What do you do better than anyone else, and what proves it?

Don’t start with your credentials. Start with your clients. Think about the last time someone thanked you, referred you, or came back for a second project. What did they say? What did they notice that surprised them?

That’s usually closer to your real differentiator than anything on your resume. Name it — then name the evidence that backs it up: results, stories, testimonials, specific moments where you delivered something others didn’t.

Just starting out? Think about the work you did in your job or for others. What did people consistently come to you for? What did they thank you for? That’s your expertise — it just hasn’t been pointed at your own business yet.

Question 5 — What do you do better than anyone else, and what proves it?

Question 6 — What frustrates you most about your industry?

What do others in your field get wrong? What do clients put up with that they shouldn’t have to? Your honest answer here often points directly to your most powerful differentiator.

Question 6 — What frustrates you most about your industry?

Question 7 — How do you want people to feel when they encounter your brand?

Think about the words, impressions, and emotions you want associated with your name. Trustworthy and authoritative? Warm and approachable? Bold and unconventional? What should it feel like to work with you?

Question 7 — How do you want people to feel when they encounter your brand?

Question 8 — What keeps clients coming back — and what do they say when they send someone your way?

Think about a client who referred you to a friend or colleague. What did they tell that person about you? Try to use their words, not yours.

Now think about a client who came back for a second project, or stayed in touch long after the work was done. What do you think kept that relationship alive?

The answers to both questions are usually more revealing than anything on your website.

Just starting out? Not launched yet? Think about your current or past job. Why did people seek you out specifically? What did colleagues or customers come back to you for? The pattern that made you valuable there is the same one that will draw clients to you.

Question 8 — What keeps clients coming back — and what do they say when they send someone your way?

Question 9 — If a past client were introducing you to a prospect, what would they say?

Not what you’d want them to say. What would they actually say — in the way they talk, not the way you write?

That’s the one thing. If you can hear their voice when you write it down, you’re close.

Just starting out? No clients yet? Imagine a colleague who knows your work introducing you to someone who needs it. What would they say about what you do and why you’re good at it?

Question 9 — If a past client were introducing you to a prospect, what would they say?

Question 10 — What does success look like, and how will you know when you’re there?

Define it on your own terms. It might be a revenue number, a type of client, a reputation in your field, or something less tangible. What would make you look back and say — yes, that’s what I was building toward?

Question 10 — What does success look like, and how will you know when you’re there?

Bonus questions

Want to go deeper? These questions aren’t required — but the more you share, the richer your analysis.

Bonus 1 — Tell me about your favorite client or project.

What made it exceptional? What did you love about it — the work, the person, the outcome? Are they typical of who you serve, or an exception you’d like to make the rule?

Just starting out? No clients of your own yet? Tell me about the most satisfying work you’ve done for an employer or for someone else. What made it click?

Bonus 1 — Tell me about your favorite client or project.

Bonus 2 — What do you NOT want people to think about you?

Just as revealing as what you do want. Name the impressions, assumptions, or associations you’d most want to avoid. Sometimes the clearest path to your brand is knowing what it isn’t.

Bonus 2 — What do you NOT want people to think about you?

Bonus 3 — Is there a competitor, or any brand at all, that you admire? Why?

It doesn’t have to be in your industry. What draws you to them? Their confidence, their clarity, their design, their tone? What would you borrow if you could?

Bonus 3 — Is there a competitor, or any brand at all, that you admire? Why?

Bonus 4 — What do people get wrong about working with you — before they’ve worked with you?

Think about a prospect who seemed like a great fit, asked good questions, but didn’t hire you. What might they have assumed that wasn’t accurate — about your process, your fees, the type of client you work with, or what the experience would be like?

The gap between what people assume and what’s actually true is often where the most important brand work lives.

Just starting out? What do you worry people will assume about you as someone new to running their own business — and what would you want them to know instead?

Bonus 4 — What do people get wrong about working with you — before they’ve worked with you?

Bonus 5 — What’s changing in your world, and where do you want to be in five years?

Your industry, your clients, your own ambitions. What’s shifting? And where are you headed — what does the future version of this business look like?

Bonus 5 — What’s changing in your world, and where do you want to be in five years?

Anything else?

Is there something we didn’t ask that you wish we had? A detail that feels important, a concern you haven’t named yet, or an idea that’s been sitting in the back of your mind? This is your space. Use it however you’d like.

Anything Else?

If you have existing branding you want to share — a logo, marketing materials, a proposal, anything that shows how you present yourself today — you’re welcome to upload it here. Seeing your current materials helps me give you a sharper, more specific analysis. (Optional, and only if you have something on hand.)

Upload your current branding (optional).

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Accepted file types: png, jpg, svg, pdf, Max. file size: 2 GB.

To send your audit to Rick

Complete the fields below, then click “Send to Rick.” Only your name and email are required.

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What happens next?

I’ll personally review every answer. Using AI-assisted analysis, I’ll prepare a personalized brand audit and send it to your email within 5 business days.

Occasionally, after reading your responses, I’ll have a question or two that could sharpen the analysis. If so, I may email you a quick follow-up before I send your results.

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Before you begin

The essential ten

Question 1 — Where are you right now, and what brought you here?

Question 2 — How do you describe what you do, in plain language?

Question 3 — Who is your ideal client, not your average one?

Question 4 — What problem do you solve, and what does it feel like to have that problem?

Question 5 — What do you do better than anyone else, and what proves it?

Question 6 — What frustrates you most about your industry?

Question 7 — How do you want people to feel when they encounter your brand?

Question 8 — What keeps clients coming back — and what do they say when they send someone your way?

Question 9 — If a past client were introducing you to a prospect, what would they say?

Question 10 — What does success look like, and how will you know when you’re there?

Bonus questions

Bonus 1 — Tell me about your favorite client or project.

Bonus 2 — What do you NOT want people to think about you?

Bonus 3 — Is there a competitor, or any brand at all, that you admire? Why?

Bonus 4 — What do people get wrong about working with you — before they’ve worked with you?

Bonus 5 — What’s changing in your world, and where do you want to be in five years?

Anything else?

To send your audit to Rick

What happens next?

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