We turned our own fresh start in Switzerland into a marketing hub – and created the first brands for others
Text: Mariia Baldina, coordinator of MitU – USB’s marketing hub
We create brands that help people grow. That’s the shortest way to describe what we do at MitU – the marketing hub of the USB platform in Bern. Behind that sentence lies a story that is itself a story of growth. My colleagues Svitlana Bielova, Liubov Kulyk and I left Ukraine because of the war, rebuilt our professional lives in Switzerland – and turned that difficult experience into a hub for others. Today, women, entrepreneurs and small businesses come to us to become visible, confident and in demand on the Swiss market. Their tools are strategy, design and digital communication.
How it all began
The three of us met as participants in USB’s programme on civic engagement and social entrepreneurship for refugee women – and quickly realised that our professions fit together like parts of a single studio. I work on strategy and business development, Svitlana creates the visual language of brands, and Liubov designs digital experiences and the customer journey. Instead of three separate freelance paths, we chose one shared idea: a hub where strategy, design and communication work as a single system.
We know what it means to start over – to look for your place in a new market, to build trust from scratch, to tell the world about your value in a new language. That’s exactly why MitU exists. We don’t just make logos, websites or content. We turn ideas into projects, and projects into lasting brands.
Each of us brings her own experience of starting over directly into her profession. Behind every project, we see not just a business task, but a person – their story, their experience, their potential. Moving to a new country taught us to look at every service through the eyes of someone encountering an unfamiliar environment for the first time. That empathy has become our professional method.
What we offer
MitU accompanies the whole journey from idea to a brand that clients can find and trust. Our services cover four areas:
• Strategy and business development – market analysis, brand audit, positioning, marketing strategy, sales channels and business consulting
• Social media and digital marketing – strategies for Instagram and Telegram, content plans and content funnels, targeted advertising, promotional campaigns and personal brand development
• Content and communications – photo and video production, event coverage, copywriting and storytelling, content for websites and social media
• Branding and design – logos and corporate identity, packaging and print design, brand systems, UX/UI design, landing pages and websites
Every project follows the same principle: first we understand the real value of a person or business, then we give them a clear message, a visual language and digital tools to reach their clients.
First results: real brands, real growth
Our first clients are already building on these results. Olha Sabadin, a Ukrainian artist in Switzerland, worked with us on a system in which the artist herself is the brand – from positioning and social media strategy to a content photoshoot in her studio; today she promotes her exhibitions and work on this foundation. Aliona, founder of Palae (a brand of creative candle-making workshops), built her entire customer journey together with us and is now turning new visitors into a loyal community. We’ll tell both stories in more detail in upcoming articles in this series – each through the lens of one specialist’s work.
In every project, we work with more than just marketing and design. We help people see their own value, put their story into words, and turn it into a brand that inspires trust. We’ve walked this path ourselves – that’s exactly why it works.
A social business, not just a studio
MitU operates on a social-enterprise logic. Women with migration experience who have an idea and potential develop it at the hub for free or at subsidised rates: unpacking their professional story, building a personal brand, launching a website, and taking their first steps toward clients alongside a mentor. Ukrainian small businesses and self-employed people order branding and communication services tailored to the Swiss market at supported rates. Swiss small businesses bring us in as a professional creative partner, and every commercial project they commission funds our support programmes. Every brand we build creates value twice: for the client – and for the next woman starting her own path.
Why this matters for Bern
Many programmes for newcomers focus on language and basic orientation. We work on the step that’s often missing: professional realisation. Women with education and experience gain a realistic path to self-employment and financial independence; entrepreneurs strengthen their position in the Swiss market; and local companies gain access to fresh ideas, creative energy and stories their clients value. Every finished website, brand and campaign is, at the same time, part of someone’s fresh start.
Get in touch
MitU operates within the USB platform in Bern. If you run a business and need strategy, branding, design or digital services, or if you’re a woman with an idea you’d like to develop, write to us via the MitU page: [email protected]
We believe that growth begins with confidence – with the chance to be useful and to be seen. Talent that crossed a border together with us should not remain invisible.
