Availability — Q3 2026

Your brand lead.
On demand.

I step in as your brand lead, exactly where you need one — from building the brand's foundation and system to running a single trade show. I own every project end to end, from first decision to launch. No department to build, no full-time hire.

Karolina Szostek
10+ years building brands
Trusted byWhere I've built brands
01 — Challenge

The company grew. The brand didn't keep up.

Every new asset looks a little different. The message has lost its edge, the visuals their consistency. None of it was built on strategy, so today it looks flat — like it belongs to a smaller company.

That's brand debt: the gap between where you actually are and what your clients and investors see. The faster you grow, the more that gap shows.

Read the manifesto: "Brand debt"

3 signs your brand is holding you back

01

Weaker competitors look bigger — and win deals that should be yours.

02

No one owns the brand end to end. Decisions happen ad hoc, and whoever has a free hour makes the next asset.

03

You need a senior brand person now — but a full-time hire is too big a step and too slow to recruit.

02 — What actually works

Marketing only pays off once the brand underneath is solid.

You can pour more into marketing, but on a messy brand that money doesn't come back. Every campaign starts from scratch, explaining who you are, then disappears without building anything the next one can stand on.

When positioning, language and materials are consistent, they reinforce each other. The website, campaigns and sales materials all come from the same base, and every dollar works longer.

You stand out when everyone else blends in

In a crowded category, a sharp, consistent brand sticks. Competitors blur together — you're the one the buyer remembers.

Buyers get it right away

A clear, consistent message shortens the path from "what is this company?" to "let's talk."

Your team stops guessing

Clear brand rules mean fewer debates and fewer revisions. The same hours produce more.

Sales gets facts, not just visuals

Materials that actually help close the conversation — not just look good on a slide.

AI & brand

AI speeds up marketing. Without a foundation it blurs the brand.

AI generates content and creative in an instant. That's a real lever — but on one condition. The tool replicates whatever it gets as input. On a brand without rules, that's usually inconsistency and repetition: every prompt pulls in its own direction, and the brand blurs faster than you can catch it.

With a strong foundation it's the opposite. Positioning, language and system give the tools the same context, so what comes out is consistent and recognizably yours, no matter who is working on what.

I set the foundation so that the team and AI play toward the same goal.

And I help you find the spots where AI genuinely speeds up and improves the work — without losing what makes the brand recognizable.

Up closeThe work, not the highlight reel
03 — What I can do

No off-the-shelf packages. Just what your brand needs.

I take on a chosen area of the brand — or several — repositioning, a visual system, a new website, a trade-show booth. Depending on where it hurts most right now.

Strategy & positioning

Who you are in the market, who you're for, and how you differ from the alternatives — the foundation that lets you move forward.

Visual identity

A logo, visual system and language that consistently express the strategy and scale with you.

Naming

A name that holds the vision and strategy, with room to grow and semantic space to own.

Messaging & narrative

A messaging umbrella, storytelling and rules that let you create consistent content for every channel — including with AI.

Website & design system

A website that sells, plus a system you can use to build the rest.

Sales enablement

Decks, one-pagers and case studies that help reps close.

Trade shows & events

A booth and materials that earn attention where you meet clients in person.

Investor materials

A pitch deck and story ready for the raise — consistent with the rest of the brand.

04 — How I work

From diagnosis to a brand that works every day.

01

Diagnosis

A brand audit, interviews, data. We find where it actually hurts.

02

Direction

Positioning and narrative: where we play and what sets us apart.

03

Spójność

Identity, language and rules — a brand that runs as one system.

04

Rollout

Site, materials, team. The brand lives day to day — it doesn't just sit in a PDF.

05 — Ways to work together

How we can start.

Three ways to work together, depending on what you need — from a quick diagnosis, through a defined project, to running the brand on an ongoing basis.

011 week

Brand audit

You know something's off, but not where — or where to start cleaning up.

·Three priorities to tackle now
·Five areas that need work
·A 60-minute call to walk through it

→ Outcome: a clear 30-day plan — you know what to fix first and where to invest.

You get: a report and a call
Book a meeting →
022–12 weeks

Defined project

You know what you want to do — you just need someone to lead it.

·Strategy, briefs and direction — from decision to finished work
·The right people: design, copy, photo, build — maybe an AI tool
·Feedback and quality control at every step

→ Outcome: a finished, shipped deliverable — on-brand and delivered on time.

You get: a project run end to end
Book a meeting →
033–6 months

Fractional Brand Lead

You know you need to build the foundations and you're looking at this long-term.

·Brand direction and quarterly priorities — what we do, what we don't
·Leading big projects: rebranding, a new website, entering a new market
·Building and leading the brand team — recruitment, agencies, vendors

→ Outcome: a brand run strategically — without the headcount, with quality and direction.

Led day to day
Book a meeting →
06 — Work

From rebrands and strategy to events and trade shows.
Open any project for the story and the photos.

10+
years in brand strategy

“She's a wizard at coming up with strategies, dreaming up creative ideas, and nailing the execution every single time. But there’s more – she's also a pro at shaping a brand's identity, putting together standout marketing events, and rolling out entire campaigns that buzz with energy.”

Konrad Wieczorek · Head of Growth, Growth Engine AI
07 — About
szostek

For 10 years I've built brands for startups and scale-ups — mostly in B2B SaaS and tech. I've worked agency-side, in-house, and as a fractional lead. I know how to connect strategy to the work that actually ships.

I don't work off fixed packages. I step in where the brand has a real problem — and I take ownership of it.

B2B SaaSScale-upyFractionalPL · EN · Remote

Let's talk about your brand.

A short call, a straight read on where things stand, and a first move to make. No strings.

I reply within 24h

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