The Brand of Signalbase

Just under six years ago, I launched the predecessor to Signalbase with an idea to provide a blend of operational and technology consulting focused on Hedge Funds. Like most startups, viability was the focus: how to grow the business and stay profitable. Here are my thoughts six years later.

Signalbase is not a startup backed by millions in VC money which became an overnight sensation. It is a company born from the idea that I possessed a precise expertise that hedge fund firms needed. Our growth has been careful and remarkably steady for a consulting business. Since its inception, we have expanded service offerings, explored product ideas, and hired staff. Some offshoots were enormously fruitful, such as our expansion into Private Equity. Others were not as beneficial. I am relieved to say that while none of our ideas were a total loss but we did learn from some mistakes nonetheless.

The most important lesson that I learned during my tenure at Signalbase is that a unified message and brand is paramount. I never placed much importance on the external facing brand, because that brand was, well, me. Lebron James does not need to run around telling people he is Lebron James; he just needs to perform, and people will recognize his ‘brand.’ For too long I believed that would hold true. But Signalbase is larger than Adam Alesandro. As we grow Signalbase from a company of one into a firm with employees and multiple offices, I cannot be everywhere reinforcing that brand. We need to focus more on the brand of Signalbase. Lawrence Levy, in his book about Pixar, highlights the importance of branding in the words of Steve Jobs. He writes, “We have to change how the world perceives Pixar. Even if Disney gets the billing, people need to know that we made these films. You can’t build a company without a brand.”
So now, six years later, Signalbase is consolidating its vision, branding, and mission.

Refocusing our brand began with a simple exercise: I asked everyone to write down our ‘brand’ as they understood it and their definition of our ideal client. I then collected those (and my own) and derived the starting point for all future discussions. Our brand is now: “Signalbase is a technology firm specializing in the customization and management of software and hardware solutions for Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds, and Administrators.”

Now everyone at Signalbase understands exactly how we represent ourselves to the outside world. They know what our focus is, and who our ideal client is. Presumably, and perhaps most important, it also helps firms looking for our services in feeling comfortable that they have found the right partner.

If Pixar had made terrible movies maybe hiding behind the Disney identity would have shielded any potential stigma. That would certainly be the lower risk, or easy, approach. But we are not here for ‘easy.’ As entrepreneurs, we take risks. We believe in delivering excellence to our clients, and we believe in that so passionately, we give up safe, salaried jobs to do so. So when people need a partner to offer solutions to challenges in the Hedge Fund and Private Equity fund industry, we are working towards them associating that, adamantly, to Signalbase.

Signalbase is a technology firm specializing in the customization and management of software and hardware solutions for Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds, and Administrators.

To learn how Signalbase can help with your business, visit our website at http://signalbase.com or say hello at hello@signalbase.com.