I ask 1 question before every project starts. "What would your best client say to a friend about why they chose you, in the exact words they'd actually use?" Most founders pause longer than they expect to. The ones who answer immediately specifically, in plain language almost always have the easiest projects. The positioning is already there. My job is just to make it visible in the design. The ones who struggle are usually running better businesses than their brand suggests. They know what makes them different. They've just never translated it into language that works for a stranger. That translation gap is where most brand problems actually live. Embedded in the answer to that 1 question.

The "translation gap" framing is spot on. Founders who can answer that question without pausing already think like marketers, they just don't know it yet.