Forget the North Star. Focus on the next step. ✨

A North Star is always a tool, never a requirement and sometimes a distraction.

In branding, the idea of a “North Star” gets a lot of love - a documented, guiding principle, a metaphorical beacon to inspire decisions and align teams.

And it’s a compelling idea.

For millennia, we sweet little humans have looked to the stars for direction. Even the word consider has starry origins:

From the Latin considerare (con "with" + sidera "stars"), which meant observing the stars - before evolving to mean deep reflection. Hinting, maybe, that to think deeply is to align yourself with something vast and luminous. (Cute.)

But - don’t kick me out of marketing for saying this - you don’t need a North Star. Or even a mission statement.

At Medbury, we’ve worked with billion-dollar companies that never formalized brand guidelines. We’ve also worked with startups that had a 10-page vision statement before landing their first customer. Both approaches can work. What matters isn’t whether you have a North Star - it’s whether your team has clarity and momentum.

I think a North Star is most useful when things feel ambiguous or disjointed. If your team lacks shared direction, it can help them rally around something meaningful. But when it turns into an expensive, drawn-out exercise, it’s more distraction than solution.

Instead, the most focused and effective teams I’ve seen have:

✅ Clear, measurable goals.
✅ A bias for action over perfection.
✅ A genuine connection with their customers.
✅ The ability to navigate ambiguity.

If defining a North Star helps you get there, great. Start by asking: What matters most? What are we aiming for? Who do we serve and why?

But if the process feels forced, let it go. The right language will constellate (✨) later - when you’re knee-deep in actually doing the work.

Because no matter how much time or money you spend on a North Star manifesto, brand experts aren’t fortune tellers. We have sharp insights and very good ideas. But we can’t really predict what will be most meaningful to your brand in five years.

Industries evolve and teams change. Empires rise and fall. The Balenciaga Le City bag comes back into style. Inexplicable shit happens.

What matters is nurturing your organization with an eye toward its future self - building on its ability to navigate challenges with intention and nuance, even if the path ahead is still coming into view.

P.S. This episode of This Jungian Life sparked my thinking on North Stars - and it’s where I got that sparkly little tidbit on the etymology of consider. A good listen.

P.P.S. If you’re a founder or marketer who did find measurable success after a North Star exercise, I’d love to hear about it - just hit reply.

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