Services

Q: Can I pause and resume later?

Yes. The Brand Partnership is month-to-month. Just email hi@thedlkr.com. I'll process your request within 1 business day. No penalties, no long-term commitment: pause or cancel anytime, for any reason.

Stop losing customers to competitors who simply present themselves better. A one-time brand diagnostic and an ongoing partnership for DTC founders, from a dedicated strategist in Tokyo.

Work with me

I help DTC founders stop losing customers, repeat buyers, and margin to competitors that simply present themselves better.

Too many great products are let down by careless brands. A product built with care deserves a brand built with the same intention. That's the belief every engagement is built on.

When you work with me, you work with me. No junior teams. No handoffs. No layers between you and the thinking.

I've been based in Tokyo for three decades, with direct access to Japanese craft, design, and product culture that US-based strategists can't offer firsthand. Outsiders see what insiders miss.

The work itself follows a fixed sequence: positioning, then identity, then storytelling. You can't express what you haven't defined. You can't tell a story you haven't shaped.

Note: If you're pre-product-market fit or don't yet have real reserves to invest in brand strategy, my services aren't right for you yet. Start with the newsletter. It's free forever with optional upgrades for direct access to me.

Brand Diagnostic

A clear-eyed assessment of where your brand stands today. I review your full online presence, record a private walk-through video, and deliver a PDF report with prioritized recommendations. We close with a 60-minute strategy call to talk it through. Everything within 10 business days.

The call is recorded with your permission, and the report is built to share with your team or co-founder.

Best if you want an honest outside view before deeper work, and a clear path forward if you do.

The full $997 applies as credit toward your first month of Brand Partnership if you move forward within 30 days.

$997 (one-time)

Brand Partnership

Your dedicated brand strategist, for as long as you need one. We start with a 90-minute kickoff call, then build your brand's strategic foundation: positioning, then identity, then storytelling, in that order. Most brands move through the foundation in two to four months.

Once your foundation is approved, I stay on as your strategic partner. I produce your brand's storytelling (articles, newsletters, social, scripts) and apply your strategy directly to your website and social profiles (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce, and similar), using AI-assisted tools under my direction to handle execution. Same strategist, no handoff to a content team or developer.

Includes a weekly 60-minute strategy call with follow-up and async access through your client portal with a 48-hour response time. You get your own project board for briefs and requests. I work them one at a time; most are delivered within 5 days. Additional calls available on request.

Month-to-month. Pause or cancel anytime: just email me. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your billing period. No refunds for partial months.

If you're not satisfied with the work in any given month, tell me before your next billing date. I'll revise the work or refund the month: your choice.

Best if you want consistent strategic support without hiring full-time.

Limited to five Partnership clients.

$4,997/month

Credit toward your first Partnership month:

Brand Diagnostic: move into Partnership within 30 days of your Diagnostic call and the full $997 applies as credit.
Atelier: after 3 or more consecutive months, your most recent month's $497 applies as credit.

Is this for you?

I work with premium, founder-led DTC brands, generally $1M and up in revenue with no fixed ceiling. Considered purchases where craft, quality, and aesthetics matter.

This is a good fit if:

Your product has real craft and clear product-market fit, but growth has stalled
You're established enough to invest in getting the brand right, but don't have strategy in-house
You want a strategist who challenges your assumptions, not one who takes orders
You've heard yourself say: 'We sound like everyone else' or 'We've outgrown our brand but don't know how to evolve it.'

This isn't the right fit if:

You're pre-product-market fit (the brand is not your bottleneck yet; the product is)
You don't yet have real cash reserves for premium-rate strategy, whatever your revenue says. Brand investment shouldn't compete with survival.
You want someone to execute tasks while you call the shots (this is strategic partnership, not a vendor relationship)
Budget is your primary decision filter (this is premium pricing for a specific reason: see "Why $4,997/month" in the FAQ)

If any of those apply, start with the newsletter and come back when the brand is the bottleneck.

Not sure where to start?

Book a free 15-minute discovery call. I'll point you in the right direction, even if that's not working with me.

Book a discovery call

Prefer email? Send a message to hi@thedlkr.com. I'll get back to you within 72 hours.

FAQ

Can I see examples of your work?

My published writing (playbooks, articles, and brand breakdowns) is my portfolio. It shows you exactly how I think and work. My recent client work is under NDA, which is standard for subcontracted strategy. Read the newsletter, evaluate the thinking, and decide if it's the kind of work you want behind your brand.

Why $4,997/month?

Premium pricing for a specific structure. You get one strategist, me, for as long as you need one. Weekly 60-minute strategy calls, 48-hour async response, and the same strategist who builds your foundation also produces your storytelling. No junior team, no handoff after the pitch. Month-to-month, pause or cancel anytime.

Who's actually making the changes to my live store?

I am, always. I use AI tools to handle the mechanical execution, the same way I use AI in my own writing process, but every decision about what to build and why is mine. Anyone can get behind the wheel of a car. That's different from hiring a professional driver who knows when to brake, when to pass, and when the smart move is not to drive at all. Routine, reversible work runs without needing your sign-off on every action. Anything live and customer-facing, anything touching pricing, checkout, or customer data, goes through me for review before it publishes. I never automate actual money movement or discount logic that affects your revenue directly.

How quickly can we start?

Typically within one week. If my schedule is full, I'll let you know the earliest start date before you commit.

Do you sign NDAs?

Yes. Client confidentiality matters to me. I'm happy to sign a mutual NDA before we begin.

Can I pause and resume later?

Yes. The Brand Partnership is month-to-month. Just email me at hi@thedlkr.com. I'll process your request within 1 business day. No penalties, no long-term commitment: pause or cancel anytime, for any reason.

What if we need help with more than one brand?

Parent company, subsidiary, product line, collection, media property, founder's personal brand: I work with all of them. The approach is the same regardless of brand type. Bundling is possible; we'd talk first so I can understand the full picture and recommend the right scope.

What about the time difference?

I'm based in Tokyo (GMT+9) and typically work 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. You'll have access to my calendar booking link to choose a slot that works for you. That usually means early morning for me and evening for you, or the other way around.

What countries do you work with?

Worldwide. As long as we can communicate in English and handle payments in USD, location doesn't matter.