Many small businesses have never had time to think about branding and create a cohesive brand strategy. Many treat it as a last priority and if not completely neglect branding aspect delay it greatly.
Combined with lack of knowledge and eventually poor implementation that leads to significant lost opportunities and harm to the business image and eventually bottom line.
Can you imagine Apple being that successful without its strong and immediately recognizable brand elements such as logo, product design, advertisement, store look?
Now think about what you might be missing by not paying attention to your business branding. Building a band takes time. The earlier you start the better. Read this article that nicely summarizes key points about branding and its importance. It is really not that complicated but requires a bit of knowledge (maybe, professional advice) and discipline.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231966
