Humi

Project Story

In January 2024, Humi's leadership team approached me with an interesting challenge. Despite their impressive growth and strong market position, they needed a brand foundation that could support their next five years of expansion.

What we discovered was surprising. While Humi appeared strong from the outside, much of their brand strength came from informal, undocumented practices. Their exceptional culture was being held together by an outstanding leadership team working across the business. They needed to codify this magic into something scalable.

Finding the Core Truth

Working across sales, product, and marketing teams, we began uncovering what made people proud to work at Humi. A clear theme emerged: their authentic commitment to helping every Canadian company become a better employer. This wasn't just marketing speak. It was deeply woven into their product decisions, customer relationships, and company culture.

This insight led to two strategic decisions:

1. Lean into their Canadian identity as a key differentiator

2. Position Humi as the trusted partner in building better workplaces

Building Strategic Alignment

The impact was immediate. After finalizing the brand strategy, Humi's COO noted, "The clarity that comes from this brand strategy is worth the investment alone. The visuals and website will just be a cherry on top."

This wasn't just a cosmetic exercise. I worked directly with their product team to ensure the strategy influenced their UX decisions, messaging hierarchy, and product roadmap. The brand became a filter for making better decisions across the organization.

Accelerating Growth

As we were finalizing the brand rollout, Humi began discussions with potential acquirers. I worked closely with their senior leadership team to refine their positioning and strategic narrative for these conversations.

The timing proved perfect. A month after launching the new brand with a nationwide out of home campaign, Humi was acquired by Employment Hero for $100M. Notably, the acquiring team specifically cited the strength of Humi's brand as a key factor in their decision, seeing it as crucial for winning the Canadian market.

Lasting Impact

The Humi story demonstrates how strategic brand clarity creates tangible business value. What started as an exercise in documentation became a catalyst for organizational alignment, market differentiation, and ultimately, a successful acquisition.

The work proved something I consistently see: when you get the strategic foundation right, everything else falls into place. From product decisions to acquisition conversations, clarity drives results.

"The clarity that comes from this brand strategy is worth the investment alone. The visuals and website will just be a cherry on top." - Chris Wainwright, Humi COO

Key Outcomes

• $100M acquisition by Employment Hero

• Successful nationwide brand campaign launch

• Improved product team alignment and decision making

• Strengthened market position in Canadian employment space

• Created scalable brand foundation for future growth