Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Kleinman Phillips.
Hi Jacob, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t grow up thinking I would become an entrepreneur.
I grew up as a maker. My parents were hands-on, creative, resourceful people, and I was always surrounded by building, fixing, experimenting, and figuring things out. That shaped me more than I realized at the time. It taught me to be curious. To solve problems. To care about the details. To make things with purpose.
My path really started in design. I studied industrial design, where I learned how to think like a builder, not just a creative. It was never just about making something look good. It was about understanding people, solving real problems, and creating something that actually worked.
That human-centered approach became the foundation for everything I do today.
I started Touchpoint Design in February 2020, right before the world shut down. Great timing, right?
The pandemic hit almost immediately. Clients backed out. Plans changed. Everything felt uncertain. But instead of freezing, I leaned into the only thing that made sense at the time: helping people.
My family and I started sewing masks. What began as a small act of service turned into a community effort. Friends, family, and strangers jumped in. People donated fabric. Others gave money. We ended up making and giving away more than 2,200 masks.
That experience changed the way I saw business.
It showed me that purpose attracts people. When you stand for something real, people don’t just notice. They show up. They help. They rally.
That became the heartbeat of Touchpoint.
Since then, I’ve built Touchpoint into an award-winning branding, web design, and strategy studio helping purpose-driven service businesses, nonprofits, and small businesses clarify their message, build stronger brands, and turn their mission into movement.
But my work has never been just about logos or websites.
I help people uncover what they really stand for. I help them find the story underneath the surface. I help them build brands that feel aligned, human, and clear enough for other people to believe in.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible clients like Be The Joy Foundation, Pathway Pilates, Game On State, Aneway, and many others. I’ve seen what happens when a brand finally reflects the depth of the work behind it.
People gain confidence.
They raise their prices.
They attract the right people.
They grow their community.
They stop hiding behind “good enough.”
And sometimes, they turn a small idea into a movement.
Today, my big idea is simple:
Brands That Rally™.
I believe the world doesn’t need prettier brands. It needs braver ones.
Brands rooted in purpose.
Brands with clear messaging.
Brands that build trust.
Brands that make meaning and make money.
Brands people don’t just buy from, but believe in.
That’s how I got here. By following the thread from making things, to understanding people, to building brands that help people feel seen, connected, and ready to take action.
And honestly, I still feel like I’m just getting started.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road.
Honestly, I started Touchpoint Design in February 2020, about a month before the world shut down. So my entrepreneurial journey began with a pretty immediate plot twist.
Clients backed out. Projects paused. Everyone was scared and uncertain. I had just taken this leap into building something of my own, and suddenly the ground disappeared underneath me.
That season taught me something that still guides me today: purpose gives you a compass when the map disappears.
But beyond the pandemic, one of the biggest challenges has been learning to trust myself as a business owner. I didn’t grow up dreaming of entrepreneurship. I had to build confidence while building the business. I had to learn how to sell, lead, price my work, handle difficult conversations, and keep going even when I felt uncertain.
There have also been seasons of burnout. Seasons where I questioned the work. Seasons where difficult clients, hard conversations, and personal challenges made me feel disconnected from the joy that made me start in the first place.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to learn is that business is not just business. It is deeply personal.
But every challenge has sharpened me.
It has taught me to lead before I feel ready.
To take action before everything is perfect.
To trust purpose over panic.
To keep building even when the road gets messy.
And in a strange way, I’m grateful for the hard parts. They made the work deeper. They made me more empathetic. They helped me understand what so many of my clients feel when their brand no longer reflects who they are or where they’re going.
Because I’ve lived that tension too.
Today, when I help clients clarify their story and build a brand they’re proud of, I’m not just bringing strategy. I’m bringing lived experience.
I know what it feels like to be uncertain and keep going anyway.
That’s the whole game.
Clarity doesn’t come from waiting until the road is smooth. It comes from taking the next brave step.
We’ve been impressed with Touchpoint Design, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Touchpoint Design is a branding, web design, and strategy agency helping purpose-driven businesses build brands people don’t just buy from, but believe in.
At the heart of our work is a simple belief: branding is not just aesthetics. It’s alignment.
A logo matters. A website matters. Visuals matter. But none of that works if the story underneath is unclear.
We specialize in helping purpose-driven service businesses and nonprofits clarify who they are, what they stand for, and how to communicate it in a way that actually moves people.
In other words, we help turn mission into movement.
What we’re really known for is going deep.
A lot of people come to us thinking they need “just a logo” or “just a website.” But once we start asking the right questions, they realize the real issue is usually deeper than design. Their brand doesn’t reflect the quality of their work. Their message feels generic. Their visuals don’t match their vision. Or they’re struggling to explain why people should care.
That’s where we come in.
Our process starts with BrandIgnite™, a focused strategy session where we uncover the heart of the brand: the purpose, audience, story, message, differentiators, and direction. From there, we bring the brand to life through BrandSurge™, our focused sprint process for building bold, aligned brands and websites without dragging the process out for months.
What sets us apart is that we don’t just make things look good.
We make them mean something.
We build brands with purpose, clarity, story, and human connection baked into every touchpoint. The goal is not just to create something pretty. The goal is to create something people feel, trust, remember, and rally behind.
That’s also what I’m most proud of brand-wise.
I’m proud that Touchpoint has become more than a design studio. It has become a place where people feel seen. Clients have told me things like, “It feels like you got inside my soul,” and that means everything to me. Because when a brand finally reflects who someone really is and what they are here to do, you can feel the shift happen.
They show up differently.
They speak with more confidence.
They attract the right people.
They stop hiding behind “good enough.”
Some of my favorite projects have been brands like Be The Joy Foundation, Pathway Pilates, Game On State, and Aneway. Each one had a bigger story underneath the surface. Our job was to uncover it, sharpen it, and build a brand around it that could grow with them.
That’s the work I care about most.
I want readers to know that Touchpoint is for people who are building something with heart. People who care about impact, community, and doing meaningful work, but need their brand to finally match the depth of what they do.
Because the world doesn’t need more generic brands.
It needs braver ones.
Brands with purpose.
Brands with clarity.
Brands with a point of view.
Brands people can rally behind.
That’s what we build at Touchpoint Design.
And honestly, that’s what I believe business needs more of.
Purpose.
Humanity.
Connection.
And the courage to stand for something real.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way to work with me is through Touchpoint Design, where we help purpose-driven businesses and nonprofits build brands that finally reflect the depth of their work.
Most projects start with a Fit Call, then move into BrandIgnite™, our strategy session where we clarify the heart of the brand: purpose, audience, message, story, and direction. From there, we bring it to life through branding, web design, and strategy.
I’m also open to speaking, workshops, podcasts, panels, and community collaborations around branding, storytelling, entrepreneurship, and purpose-driven business.
The easiest way to support me is simple: refer a business owner who feels stuck, hidden, or out of alignment with their brand.
Those are my people.
Because the goal has never been to just make businesses look better.
It’s to help purpose-driven leaders become seen, trusted, remembered, and rallied behind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.touchpoint-design.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacob.kleinmanphillips/
