Everything in this chapter means nothing if nobody owns it.

Marketing cannot be everyone’s responsibility — because when something belongs to everyone, it belongs to no one. Someone in your business has to be accountable for the brand: for how it’s expressed, how it’s protected, how it’s grown.

In a single-unit independent, that’s probably you. In a multi-unit operation, it’s a designated role with clear authority and clear accountability.

Assign it. Protect it. Hold it accountable. The brand doesn’t build itself.