Gabrielle Gerbus: Chief Creative, Founder of Incubix Branding

Gabrielle Gerbus grew up obsessed with writing and reading stories. She loved the way that words and images could convey inspiring messages and elicit powerful emotions. She took this love with her to college, where she studied English & Creative Writing at the University of Southern California.

After University, she began working in Marketing for a tech startup company in Southern California. As she played a key role in the company’s re-branding mission, Gabrielle soon discovered her love for the branding process and the similarities it shared with story-telling.

Determined to live her life as a storyteller and dive deeper into branding, Gabrielle began brand strategy consulting in addition to her 9-5 job. After gathering a small team of designers and web developers, Gabrielle began to develop a proprietary branding process and decided to start her own company, Incubix, in June 2019. Since then, she has worked with almost 200 clients from a diverse range of industries including biomedical technology, retail, health and fitness, and finance. 

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to start your business?

After entering the tech marketing world, I loved the idea of branding above all else. I was in the middle of looking for a new job to pivot my career away from digital content creation and into brand strategy. I could not find a job that existed that reflected what I wanted to do for people, so I decided to create my own!

How did you get your idea or concept for the business? 

I began as a brand consultant so I could understand exactly what made branding so difficult for companies. Pretty soon I realized that people try to build their brand’s piece by piece. They hire a designer for their logo, a writer for their copy, and a designer for their website. So many essential aspects get lost in that process, leaving businesses with no solid and long-lasting branding foundation. I wanted to create a process that not only created the “aspects” of a brand (logo, messaging, website), but had the research and creative planning to tie them all together in a way that truly created a solid brand foundation. 

How many people work for you currently?

Currently, I am supported by one all-star designer, an amazing writer, and two incredible web developers. They are involved in the entire brand discovery process so everything that our clients say gets heard and manifested in the messaging, visuals, and the website. 

What advice would you have for other new entrepreneurs?

My advice is to get in there and do it. You can plan, read, and outline all of you want. But experience is the best way to get to know your target customer and their pain points. 

How much potential market share can you achieve in the next 3 years? 

There are businesses everywhere. It’s easier than ever to create an amazing product or service and bring it to market. But we’ve realized that business owners are understanding more and more just how important a solid brand foundation is to their longevity. I anticipate we will continue to grow significantly over the next three years. 

What are the best and worst purchases you’ve ever made? 

Great question! As a writer, the best purchases I make over and over again are reliable moleskin notebooks. I have chronicled the last 15 years of my life in them and they are more valuable to me than any piece of technology. 

Related Interview: Simone Wu, Digital Marketing Specialist

The worst purchase I’ve ever made is tricky. I’m a careful spender. Probably countless pairs of shoes that I never managed to walk in. 

Who supported you the most in your life?

My boyfriend. When I told people I wanted to quit my job and start my own business, he was the one person who encouraged it whole-heartedly. He never doubted I could do it and do it well.  

My other greatest support are my two amazing mentors, Greg and Nicole. Greg is an old professor from USC who taught be everything I know about being a business owner. Nicole is an inspiring entertainment executive who supported me in going away from the status quo and being mindful throughout the process. 

Which books do you read and recommend to get inspiration and motivation?

I believe a big part of owning your own business is a mindset. I love diving into the readings of Eckhart Tolle and Seneca to practice mindfulness and centering myself. I recommend the Power of Now to anybody. 

 I also love to diversifying my skills through reading. One of the best books I read in the past year was Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. If you want to learn the art of negotiation, this book is a must read! 

What are your future plans? 

My future plans are to build the next Coca Cola or Nike, behemoth brands that are recognized all over the world. 

Related Interview: Meet Velma Trayham, A Successful Entrepreneur And Creative Strategist.

We’ve also recently helped more clients in the biomedical technology space and I can’t wait to tap further into this industry.

How people should contact you?

Please visit incubixbranding.com to get in touch and see what we’re all about.

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