Cohort 7

Get executive buy-in, build your long-term brand plan, and connect brand to growth from day one.

Brand expertise from Notion, Brex, Gusto

Later

Notion

Brex

Gusto

Kira Klaas

VP, Corporate Marketing & Global Brand (Later, Notion, Brex, & Gusto)

Brand for Growth-Stage Leaders: The 2026 Playbook

25+ proven templates from hypergrowth startups: Get executive buy-in, build winning campaigns, and prove brand value from day one

Redbubble

The reality most brand leaders face: You're caught between creative teams and executives obsessed with metrics. Brand initiatives get sidelined for performance campaigns, and you're constantly justifying why brand matters beyond "awareness," while watching your competitors build stronger market positions. Where you are now: Getting your founder or CEO to invest in brand feels like pushing a boulder uphill while you balance urgent demands against strategic thinking. Alignment feels far off or impossible. I've been there. Now I'm sharing everything I learned building brands at Gusto, Brex, and Notion—what worked, what didn't, and what I wish someone had told me sooner. Who will benefit most from this course: - Marketing and brand leaders at post-Series A companies experiencing rapid growth- Strategic marketers looking to influence executive decisions and secure resources- Leaders transitioning from execution to strategic brand direction- Marketers who need to connect brand initiatives to business outcomes- Growth-stage operators who need practical templates, not theory This course is NOT for you if:- You're looking for general brand theory or marketing 101 concepts- You want a course focused on creative development or design skills- You believe executives will never value brand—this course is about changing that dynamic- You're at a pre-PMF startup still finding direction- You expect transformative results without putting in the work between sessions What you'll implement:- Apply 25+ Notion templates to drive alignment and streamline your brand operations- Translate brand value into metrics that convince executives to invest- Execute campaigns that drive both awareness and acquisition- Scale your resources from startup to growth stage (50 to 1,500+ employees)- Connect brand investments directly to business outcomes Week 1: Brand Foundations &amp; Opportunities Assess your current position and identify critical gaps and opportunities Week 2: Brand Alignment Learn proven techniques to secure executive buy-in and cross-functional support Week 3: Brand Resourcing &amp; Campaigns Build scalable processes that deliver consistent results without burning out teams Week 4: Brand Insights &amp; Measurement Implement frameworks that connect brand to business metrics executives care about Plus, you'll get direct support: - Two 1:1 consulting sessions focused on your specific challenges- Real feedback on your projects as you develop them- Ongoing Q&amp;A access throughout the program- A community of peers facing similar challenges- Lifetime access to materials and future updates This course requires commitment:
You'll need to dedicate 4-6 hours weekly to get full value from this course. Particularly in Modules 1 and 2, the frameworks and templates are designed for immediate implementation in your current role. My goal is to help you elevate your strategic impact while giving you practical tools to use from day one. You'll make significant progress during our 4 weeks together, and then continue applying these approaches long after the course ends—which is why you'll have lifetime access to the materials.

Insider Look: Building Multi-Billion Dollar Tech Brands 
 

Marketing leaders (Director-level and up) <span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: &quot;Superhuman Adelle Email&quot;, color-emoji-override, sans-serif, &quot;Apple Color Emoji&quot;, emoji-flag-fallbacks, &quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;, &quot;Noto Color Emoji&quot;; font-size: 14px; white-space-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity));">at Series B–D+ companies responsible for brand strategy

Mid- to senior-level brand marketing ICs ready to find your path to leadership and up level your org's brand strategy

⚠️ This is not for you if you want Branding 101—we're going beyond the fundamentals and deep into daily operating rhythms

For marketing leaders & brand operators

What you’ll get out of this course

You'll get total access to my paid and unreleased <a href="https://www.notion.so/@kira" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Notion templates</a>, created from the actual documents I've used over 10+ years of operating brands at growing tech companies like Gusto, Brex, and Notion—plus my in-depth voiceover and context on how to get the most from them.

25+ real-life templates for scaling a world-class brand (that you can use right away) 

Use actionable brand measurement strategies at all stages of growth for insights you can actually use. Learn to proactively navigate conversations with senior leadership so they invest in brand, keeping it front and center throughout organizational shifts &amp; planning cycles.

Create the buy-in & alignment you need to build a loved brand that drives growth

Analyze and level up your team's abilities in developing and executing global, brand-led growth campaigns that involve all key functions of marketing: PMM, social, content &amp; community, and growth marketing—with or without agency support.

Build award-winning, recognizable brand campaigns that don't burn teams out

Practice tactics for leading through major disruptions and change, like rebrands, brand refreshes, reorgs, or roadmap/audience changes. You'll learn to how to evaluate when change is needed, how to build the case for it, and how to implement without losing momentum.

Confidently pilot critical moments, like rebrands

Working in a dynamic landscape means constantly shifting priorities and an ever-evolving landscape. We'll orient ourselves in what success means—and how that changes over time. Overview:<ul><li>Define success: The pillars to scaling a brand</li><li>Identify critical brand opportunities in context of the business</li><li>Accessing Notion templates &amp; resources</li></ul>

Pre-work: Brand Strategy Milestones

Are you working on the right thing? Figure out your brand's biggest opportunities by diving into a case study from Brex on building foundational alignment. Notion Templates:<ul><li>Taste-Making Exercises</li><li>Brand Discussion Guide</li><li>Corporate Strategy Summary</li></ul>

Week 1: How to Find the Gaps

You've heard that consistency builds a brand. What builds consistency?Alignment—everyone needs to be on the same page about what you're building. We'll continue the Brex case study that led to their successful rebrand. Notion Templates:<ul><li>2x2 Grid: Brand Differentiation</li><li>Competitive Positioning Framework</li><li>Brand Foundations Framework</li></ul>

Week 1: How to Close the Gaps

The best ideas in the world don't matter without buy-in—or $ investment—from your leadership, your peers, or your team. This is how you get that buy-in. Notion Templates:<ul><li>Persuasive Brand Budget Requests</li><li>Brand Budgeting Spreadsheet</li><li>Pre-Mortem Brainstorms</li></ul>

Week 2: How to Get Buy-In

Build a multi-year marketing or campaign calendar that keeps all GTM teams aligned and informed on what you're putting out in front of customers. ﻿Notion Template:<ul><li>The Ultimate Marketing/Campaign/Launch Calendar</li></ul>

🔓 Bonus: Your marketing calendar needs a makeover

Craft brand-led, industry-leading campaigns that leverage the entire GTM function, with Notion as a case study. Notion Templates:<ul><li>Crafting an Effective Campaign Playbook</li><li>Define Internal SLAs for Cross-Functional Alignment</li><li>The Ultimate Campaign Brief (International, Multi-Channel)</li><li>Strategy Framework Library</li></ul>

Week 2: How to Build Winning Brand Campaigns

There are a thousand ways to measure a brand's impact, not all of them useful or practical. This module emphasizes strategies to glean actionable insights about your brand that help quantify its impact and inform future investments. Notion Templates:<ul><li>Social Proof Survey</li><li>Brand Health Survey Questions</li><li>Sourcing Brand Insights</li></ul>

Week 2: Actionable Brand Insights

Rebrands are often the culmination of all the skills referenced in the syllabus above. This bonus content, based on Brex's successful rebrand, covers tactical resources for maintaining alignment all the way through launch and beyond. Notion Templates:<ul><li>The Ultimate Rebrand Tracker</li><li>Internal FAQ for Rebranding</li></ul>

🔓 Bonus: Leading a Rebrand

My personal tech vendor roster is my rolodex—essentially my shortlist—of agencies and partners I've worked with or been in talks with over the course of my career, giving you an easy resource when you're ready to get work out the door! Even better, it's a Notion template. 😊

🔓 Bonus: Access my tech vendor roster

Course syllabus

Director of Creative & Marketing Operations at New Belgium Brewing 

More from Kira's community

Meet your instructor

Each week features 1-2 modules plus bonus content. Each of the 5 modules includes a mix of projects, lessons (long-form and video), and 5+ Notion templates that you can use right away.

Self-paced lessons

Each module pairs with a handful of practical projects, worksheets, or reflections to help bring the course content to life. Every project is an opportunity for discussion and feedback from Kira.

Practical projects

Join Kira for two live, 1:1 consulting sessions to ask questions about the course or get real-time feedback or advice. Kira also responds to questions and provides feedback throughout the entire cohort. 🕘 Biweekly between 8:30am–12:30pm PT

Office hours

Course schedule

Take advantage of personal, one-on-one consulting with the course instructor to dive deep into specific challenges you're facing

Hands-on, personalized learning

Get real-time feedback on any project you submit—projects are designed to be applied to your real work, right now

Live feedback on projects

Meet a community of like-minded brand leaders who want to learn and grow alongside you

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