Building BONDE // Brand Creation

A founder lesson in instinct, attention, and letting the right people change the plan

Two years ago, when BONDE was still just an idea, and still without a name, my co-founder Parnian and I were sitting with a single conviction: whatever we built had to feel right if we wanted the right women to find it.

Not overly explained. Felt.

We believed (and still do) that if we cared deeply about something, other women would recognize it immediately. Care is contagious like that.

So we did what any two founders with taste, opinions, and zero formal design training do: we opened Canva and jumped straight down a rabbit hole. Colors, fonts, templates, mood boards. And of course, from there, all roads led to Pinterest.

And while we were pinning our way toward clarity, there was one image we kept coming back to. A logo that wasn’t slick or flat or overly digital. You could feel the care in it. The kind that takes time and intention. The kind that signals someone actually thought about the human on the other side. A simple crest that was sewn, textured. Felt.

That image stuck with us.

the little crest that could

So I did what I do when something matters: I went looking for the source. Not casual looking either. The kind of looking that borders on unhinged. Find-your-college-boyfriend’s-high-school-ex-girlfriend level looking.

And eventually, I found her: Laura Santi.

As we sifted through Laura’s work, and especially after we met her for the first time, we felt the first instinct we’ve committed to as founders ever since:

Hell. Yes.

We started working with Laura (then at EightySeven) to dream up BONDE: brand voice, naming (Savant? Boardroom? Literally forget it. Nothing was trademarkable), and most importantly, the feeling. That exhale when you realize something professional can also be personal. That something like this finally exists.

Then we landed on BONDE. And Laura brought it to life.

But she didn’t just design the brand. She shaped its direction.

We originally set out to build BONDE for as a private professionals club for women in corporate (only) and New York (only). But Laura showed us, without even trying, that she was the member. A multi-faceted woman scaling her career, expecting her first baby, relocating, showing up for others, and using her skill to help people move forward.

So we pivoted. Hard right. For Laura.

BONDE exists for stories like this. Instead of endlessly scouring Pinterest (forever grateful), our members now have a vetted community, a toolbox, to find exactly who they need to make their next move possible.

Just like Laura was & still is for us. Now as Head of Brand for BONDE.

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Most of what shaped BONDE didn’t necessarily come from our strategy decks.
It came from paying attention.

Here’s what this experience taught me:

1. Trust your hell yes instinct:

   When something feels undeniable, it usually is. That instinct has guided more of our decisions more than any framework ever could.

2. Allow yourself to pivot:

   Laura didn’t fit the original demographic we had in mind. On paper, she wasn’t the target. But in practice, she was it. Mid-career. Relocating. Betting on herself and her talents. Becoming a mother while still showing up for others with consistency and care. Working with her helped us see the nuance of who a BONDE member really is and not just who we assumed she’d be.

3. Be intentional about who you bring in early.

   This matters more than most people realize. When you’re still new and in your raw ‘idea phase’, early collaborators don’t just execute along side you, they can shape and influence direction. Good or bad. While Laura was designing the brand alongside us, she unknowingly and quietly influenced what BONDE became. Hiring, partnerships, creative collaborators, whatever it might be… all leave fingerprints on the product whether you mean for them to or not. So be intentional with who you bring in the room.

4. Build what you were looking for.

   Laura was what we needed in that moment. And BONDE is what we wished existed. The strongest products are often answers to real friction things you’re searching for and can’t seem to find.

5. Pay attention to what you can’t stop noticing.

   The image we kept coming back to on Pinterest mattered and the intentional work behind it mattered. Obsession isn’t random, especially when you’re in building/creating mode. I’m a firm believe that it’s information trying to get your attention.

6. Feeling recognition beats persuasion.

   The strongest brands and communities don’t convince people to belong. They make the right people feel seen, almost immediately. So many of our members express that feeling and how much that mattered to them. As founders, this is extra special to hear because it means the thing we cared about most from the start matters.

This entire story is really about attention. What we noticed, what we couldn’t stop thinking about, and who we were willing to go looking for.

So if you’re in the middle of building something (anything) this is your reminder to notice what keeps pulling at you. The collaborators you trust, the moments that feel like an exhale, the things you’d go looking for if they disappeared. That’s often where the clearest signal lives.

Thanks for sitting with me. Cheers!
Meg