THE FOUNDERS' DILEMMA
All businesses start the same way. The founder has an idea: a new product, service, technology and/or approach that they believe solves some unmet need in the market.
The issue? Many early-stage founders are so close to their idea that they struggle to articulate what they’re doing and why they’re doing it in a way that excites potential investors, partners, customers and the media.
Game-changing ideas die every day because the people who need to be convinced of their merit don’t see what’s in it for them.
Engaging an outside resource when you're just ramping up can be a significant drain on two of every founder’s most precious resources: time and cash. What’s more there is zero accountability for the consultants to link what they do to the impact it has on the businesses that hired them.
In short, the system is broken, and we have a better way forward.
Seasoned communications
executives
paying it forward
to next generation leaders.
Pay what you
want.
Access, Impact,
AND Accountability
We've spent decades working alongside C-Suites and Boards to build and protect the reputations of some of the world's leading brands. We want to pay that experience forward by making strategic communications advice and support accessible to those with a dream to grow a business while making the world a better place in the process.
A lot of founders hire (and fire!) several agencies before they're actually ready to engage one as a partner. Our trust-based pay-what-you-want model eliminates the friction and expense of traditional consulting fees, allowing early-stage founders to craft and deliver a narrative that resonates with their key stakeholders without the burden of high overhead.
We operate on the basis of mutual trust and respect with the kind of transparency, candor and speed that founders need to get their stories in front of the people who need to hear them.
SERVICES
lANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT
Map competitors’ narratives, content, media coverage and social feeds so your story stands out on purpose.
sTAKEHOLDER MAPPING
Identify who’s shaping your category’s conversation, where they show up and who they influence.
nARRATIVE & mESSAGING
Turn your “why” into a clear, compelling story and messaging set that sets you apart and breaks through the clutter.
Communications planning
Create an always‑on plan across content, paid, earned, social, influencers and search/LLMs to grow share of voice.
media & presentation coaching
Show up ready—confident, clear and persuasive - to win over whatever room you're speaking in.
Networking & Introductions
Leverage our networks to connect with people and platforms that can move the needle for your company.
MANAGING RISK
Plan for the what if's so any issues that do arise won't stall your momentum and/or do long term damage to your reputation.
STRATEGIC ADVISORY
On-call, candid advice from leaders who've been in the room and understand what's at stake.
Rick Murray
Founder
Rick has served in senior leadership roles for AVENIR GLOBAL, Edelman and GOLIN since 1996. His experience includes leading agency-of-record engagements with countless start-ups, high-growth businesses and publicly traded global brands across all sectors of the economy.
A constant catalyst for change, he thrives on operating at the intersection of culture, media and technology. His special sauce is helping clients translate their dreams into narratives, thought-leadership platforms and evergreen communications programming that hit the mark with each client’s unique stakeholders.
He founded Icon Builders to pay his experience forward by providing founders of early-stage, purpose-driven businesses access to boardroom-savvy communications support on a pay-what-you-want basis, enabling them to focus more of their energy and resources on bringing their dreams to market smarter, faster and more cost-effectively.
LEADERSHIP
As the founder of an early-stage business, you believe and are personally invested in the power of your idea. Now you have to convince others to come on board - employees, partners, investors and customers and you won't have many chances with any audience to sell your vision and your team's ability to deliver on it. Getting your story right with each group will significantly increase your chances of success, and that's where we can help.
FAQs
Who qualifies?
We’re open to working with any founders of early-stage businesses but plan to prioritize those under-represented in the start-up community including women, founders of color and those from the LBGTQ+ community; and those whose ideas and business models are designed to put a dent in a tangible societal issue.
What issues are we most passionate about?
Access to and equity in education and healthcare, as well as protecting and advancing our civil liberties.
How do you define early-stage businesses?
To be considered, a company must have a business plan, a set of milestones they want to achieve within the next 12 months and the team and resources required to help them deliver against those goals. Essentially, we’re looking for the same things any investor would want to see before pulling the trigger on an investment: a clear understanding of the problem they’re solving, the competitive environment they’re playing in, the size of the addressable market and the strategies they plan to deploy to seize the opportunity in front of them.
Aren’t you afraid that founders will simply take advantage of you and pay nothing?
We enter into every relationship on the basis of mutual trust. We’re not asking or expecting to be paid, but we're confident that founders will see the value in what we create together and consider compensating us accordingly.
Do you prefer to meet face-to-face or via Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, etc.?
Some services – research, briefings and one-on-one coaching – are equally effective either way, but we strongly prefer that any workshops or group trainings we lead be handled face-to-face. Any expenses incurred to meet “live” will be billed back to each client at cost.
Do you invest in your clients' businesses?
Great question. The reality is that - as attractive as each client's business may be - we're already investing our time in each, so we've decided not to invest cash in anyone we're working with. That said, we're also open to being compensated in equity if a founder wants to pay something, in some way, for our work.
Let's Talk.
Ready to craft a more compelling story? Reach out today.