#01_introductions

Hi everyone! I’m Jess. Great to meet you all 🙌

• Originally from Singapore , lived in the SF Bay Area, now based out of Boston.
• (Currently writing this message on a plane back from Singapore.)
• Spent the last 14 years pinballing through strategy consulting, operations, and CX — at gargantuan companies and scrappy startups.
• Fun fact: I’m very invested in 3 ball juggling right now — trying to get ahead of a family Christmas talent show 😅
🚀 What I’m working on:

• I’m the co-founder of Family Style, a micro brand agency developing brands made to share. My wife is my other co-founder — we’ve been long time collaborators, and I’m lucky to have her creative chops on the team.
• We work with maturing startups that are outgrowing their ‘starter systems’, and are caught between stitching together freelancers or paying for bloated agencies.
• We help them go beyond just describing their category to carving out spaces they can truly own*.*
• I’m also decoding and writing about cult brands. For them, brand isn’t just a static layer of design or messaging to be controlled and managed; it’s dynamic, and engineered into the entire business. I find that fascinating. I also believe this is how the next wave of great brands will be built.
🤝 How I can help:

• Brand development: specifically around translating all your GTM pitches, investor storytelling, and product positioning into a compelling brand.
• Narrative framing: got cool ideas but nobody cares? Sometimes great ideas just need the right frame to resonate.
• Demystifying brand building for smaller startups — a lot of branding can feel fluffy or impractical for fast-growing companies. I’ve been designing ways to help cut through that.
✨ Why I was interested in joining Gildre:

• I’ve been looking for an entrepreneurial group that’s diverse in ambition, perspective and challenge.
• I love the problem-solving nature of entrepreneurship and wanted to be around others who find fulfillment in that.
• Everyone here seems grounded, thoughtful, and sharp 🙂
• I came in through Gildre via @Michael J Frank, and found our conversation refreshing from what is typically out there.
🙏 Where I could use support:

• I’m always gathering candid takes from founders on what’s working and what it comes to brand building / working with studios and agencies.
• Connecting with other entrepreneurs building service businesses or lean, micro consultancies like mine — I would love to learn how others are thinking about paths to growth.
• I’m also here to soak up everything I can. Always up for conversations about deep work and productivity, and learning from others how to create rhythm with creation & rest.
Here’s my Linkedin! https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-walker-family-style/

Looking forward to connecting with everyone.