Proposal
Prepared for
Sam Tidswell-Norrish · Akash Patel · Nick Hunter · Matthew Treuth
June 2026 · Strictly Confidential
01 · The Brief
The Brief
You're launching a new joint venture to take the quantitative value-creation capability Access has built for private equity and put it within reach of the firms that are currently overlooked: independent sponsors and lower-middle-market GPs who can't afford the likes of Accordion and won't build it in-house.
You've asked us to define how this new business shows up in the world, and to build the brand that carries it to market. The work splits into two lanes:
Lane 01
Brand Positioning
- Positioning: where the venture plays in the market, who it's for, and why it wins.
- Product description: what it is "on the tin," defined by what ships at launch.
- Go-to-market messaging: the key messages you lead with in market.
Lane 02
Brand Identity
- Naming: for the new business.
- Visual identity: the visual system that brings the positioning to life.
This proposal covers our approach to the work, the two lanes and what each includes, the investment, timeline and the next steps to get moving.
02 · Our Approach
Our Approach.
As we discussed, the priority here is speed and practicality.
Research. Positioning is sharpest when it's grounded in primary customer data, but that's also the slowest part of the process. You're also pre-launch, with no customers to talk to yet, so a long research phase doesn't fit the moment either. Instead we work from a tight set of inputs (explained in detail in the next section): a team workshop, a small number of proxy interviews, and a team survey.
Framework. All of this is structured around Labs B2B positioning methodology, built on five components:
- 01
Competitive alternatives — the competitive alternatives a customer would otherwise reach for
- 02
Attributes — the attributes that make you genuinely different
- 03
Value — the value those attributes create
- 04
Customers — the customers who care about that value most
- 05
Market category — the market category you choose to be understood in.
The research questions are built around it and the positioning is defined through it.
Output. A tight positioning summary, a clear product description and an actionable messaging framework (not a long academic consulting document).
03 · Lane One
Positioning
Research
Team workshop (1.5 hrs):
a structured 1.5-hour workshop with the four founders/partners to get the business, the proposition and the customer out of your heads and onto the table.
Two proxy-customer interviews:
independent sponsors or lower-middle-market operators who stand in for your future buyer, since you don't have real ones yet. Sourced through your network / ISN.
Wider-team survey:
a short survey to validate the workshop findings with your broader team.
Positioning summary
The five components, resolved for the new venture:
- 01
Competitive alternatives & market category — the frame you choose to be understood in, and where you sit against the competitor products and the customer's default way of doing things.
- 02
Unique attributes & differentiators — what you want to be famous for, and what genuinely sets you apart in a crowded field of service and tech providers.
- 03
Value — what those differentiators actually do for an independent sponsor running a deal.
- 04
Best-fit customers — the priority customers for launch.
- 05
Product description — an unambiguous but clearly differentiated product description.
Messaging framework
Key messages:
the core narrative and the key messages you lead with in market.
04 · Lane Two
Brand
Naming
Naming shortlist:
a recommended shortlist of names that support positioning.
Web domain availability checks:
on the recommended names, so you know what's actually available.
Brand identity
Logo, colour system, typography system:
the core visual system.
Brand guidelines:
including example layouts, so the brand can be applied consistently from day one.
05 · Investment
Investment.
01 Positioning — research, positioning summary, messaging framework
£4,500
02 Brand — naming, brand identity
£5,000
Total
£9,500
A note on pricing
Preferential rates have been applied in recognition of our ongoing work with Sam.
Payment terms: 50% on confirmation, 50% on completion.
Optional add-on
More external signal to pressure-test the positioning before you commit to it: three additional proxy voices on top of the two in the base scope. Worth knowing it adds up to a week to the timeline (see below), since interviews are the hardest thing to schedule.
3 additional proxy-customer interviews
£1,000
06 · Timeline
Timeline
Roughly three and a half weeks from kick-off to go-to-market readiness.
- 01
Week 1 — research (workshop, proxy interviews, survey).
- 02
Week 2 — synthesis, then we present the positioning, product description and messaging.
- 03
Weeks 3 to 3.5 — naming, availability checks, identity and guidelines.
Two things worth flagging
- Proxy interviews. Customer interviews are usually the hardest thing to pin down. Getting the two proxies scheduled depends on your team sourcing them through your network / ISN. The optional three extra interviews add up to a further week.
- Naming. Generating strong options, then running domain availability checks, takes time, and some of it (availability, your decision round) sits outside our direct control. It's a common step that can stretch timelines.
07 · Next Steps
Next Steps
- 01
Confirm scope — and whether you want the optional three proxy interviews in.
- 02
Deposit invoice — we send an MOU and the deposit invoice (50%) to lock the work in.
- 03
Kick off — Baobab to confirm kickoff date and schedule key sessions
Baobab Labs · June 2026 · Strictly Confidential