Execute or Create. That Is the Question.

The madness of the early days

The first months after launching DARE were the most exciting. Not because of the many client projects we had—our sincere apologies to those reading this article—but because of the madness of starting something from scratch.

When you launch a company, you think about a thousand things:

What are we actually going to sell?
To whom?
How will we sell it?
At what price?
How will we make ourselves visible?
In what way?

So many questions feeding something deeply rooted in human nature: creation.

For months, we built with our own hands. We shaped our brand, its identity, its personality, its strategy—complete freedom, driven by nothing but the desire to create.

Then, little by little, clients started arriving. Very quickly—and to be honest, without putting in that much effort (we sometimes wonder today whether we didn’t struggle enough before getting there)—large brands approached us to support their marketing.

A historic moment: our very first client and first bank transfer came from… Credit Suisse. Then gradually, other companies chose to work with us. In our first year—over just seven months—we had already signed close to CHF 300,000 in revenue.

At the beginning, we did only one thing: marketing strategy. We immersed ourselves for weeks in our clients’ backstage operations and emerged with rock-solid strategies for the years ahead.

But quickly… we encountered a frustration.

Delivering a strategy also meant letting go of the outcome

Once the strategy was presented, our mission ended. Each time, we walked away with the same frustration: not being able to bring it to life or witness the results.

So we made a radical decision—the first major pivot in our strategy: becoming a communication agency.

We loved the world of marketing and consulting, but we also wanted to support our clients in executing every idea and action we proposed.

We hired videographers, graphic designers, and project leads so that we could first design the strategy—and then deploy it. Design and deployment. Those two words echoed constantly in our offices.

This shift led to unforgettable experiences. We supported brands such as Decathlon, Groupe Mutuel, Romande Energie, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, and EPFL.

We visited the former Alfa Romeo Orlen Formula 1 factory in Hinwil, experienced the 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium from inside the pits, traveled to Latvia, France, Spain, and England.

But again… a frustration was growing. At first, we didn’t really listen to it. Eventually, it made itself heard.

Creating vs. Executing

Our need to create and to build was being fulfilled less and less. We had become excellent executors. We received briefs, budgets, expectations—and we executed.

We answered RFPs, listened to client briefs, proposed concepts and ideas, and when they were validated… we followed the plan.

Like a leaf losing its color day by day, we gradually lost our spark. The spark of creation.

Launching a product means creating constantly. But launching a service business—especially in our field—leans much more toward execution.

We found ways to still feel like creators: organizing “DAREx” events for our clients, designing clothing collections, hosting networking dinners, housewarmings…
Historic moment number two: at one point, we even considered fully pivoting our business model into an unlimited marketing subscription.

But none of it truly fulfilled our need to create.

Entrepreneurship at the core of our DNA

We finally understood—and accepted—it: at the heart of our agency’s DNA wasn’t art, creativity, or even marketing. It was entrepreneurship.

Of course, we always proved to our clients that we had the technical skills and expertise of our craft. But what truly made us different was our entrepreneurial vision.

In 2025, we decided to make our second strategic shift: putting entrepreneurship back at the center of DARE.

To do so, we acted on three fronts:

We repositioned ourselves around the core expertise of the 200+ projects we had completed over eight years: strategy and brand creation.

We limited the number of client projects so we could invest in each one as if it were our own brand.

We fully embraced—and freed—our need to create and to build.

We became a Brand Factory: a place where we create brands for our clients—whether for launches or rebrands—and… a place where we create our own brands.

Each year, we now allocate time, resources, and budget for our team to launch a new product or service.

We started in 2025 with the launch of our little brother, Rebrand (www.re-brand.ch
), after surveying the market and our clients. While DARE positions itself as premium, tailor-made, with unlimited iterations, Rebrand does the exact opposite.

We offer only two things: logos and websites.
Our prices are very affordable.
Revisions are limited.
The target audience is narrow: SMEs in French-speaking Switzerland.

Within just a few months, we had already crossed the symbolic CHF 100,000 revenue mark. But beyond financial viability, we had reignited our need to create and to build.

Our next project? Still confidential. We’ve just validated its concept, marketing strategy, and… visual identity.

It will launch in the coming months and, this time, target a B2C market rather than B2B. One clue: woof woof.

Launching our own brands while intentionally limiting client projects has deeply transformed how we work. By creating for ourselves—with our own constraints, doubts, and responsibilities—we rediscovered what continuous production tends to dilute: desire, standards, and true commitment.

The result: each client project is no longer just another file to deliver, but a chosen playground—approached with more care, more energy, and less industrialization.

In our entire history, we have never been as aligned as we are now. When intentions, desires, and actions become one… that’s when magic happens.

DARE is a branding and consulting agency based in Switzerland, in Forel (Lavaux). Since 2018, we have been supporting brands in their launch or refresh through an approach rooted in entrepreneurship, collective intelligence, and real-world feedback.

At DARE, every project truly matters. That is why we only take on one project per month. More information www.madebydare.com.


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