Contribution

In storytelling and story listening, there is a mutual benefit. You benefit from storytelling because you have the opportunity to influence. You benefit from story listening because you have the opportunity to learn... not to mention to build trust. 

A conversation about storytelling often leads to the "know, like and trust" factor. Recently I thought, "why aren't I sharing about products and services that I know, like and trust?" (Especially those that relate to storytelling.)

After all, I'm …

When you hear “brand,” what do you think? What conjures up in your mind? I bet it’s something like: brand name, logo, color scheme and maybe fonts and tag lines. But that’s the problem…

Those are just the surface-level (mostly visual) aspects of a brand.

The meaning of a brand – it’s identity and strategy – is what creates a real business advantage.  

After creating a visual representation of their brand, most small business owners stop and switch focus. They may think, “OK, I have my brand n…

I'm a big fan of assessments. It's not that I believe assessment tools are 100% true or because I'm certified in the DISC assessment. I like them because they provide us with a framework for discussing things we normally don't talk about. Things like: 

• How are you being perceived? 
  
• What stresses you out?  
• What matters to you the most?

Assessment tools don't make us more intelligent in terms of I.Q but they do make us more aware and that awareness helps us deal with people more effective…

A few months ago, I was feeling a little stagnant in my business. While progress had happened, momentum felt stalled. There I was sighing loudly while staring at my computer screen thinking, "this just isn't working!" Then, I had an ah-ha moment.

I thought to myself, "Where have I been effective in the past? What has yielded results? What problem do I know I can help others solve?" After pondering those few questions, it dawned on me. "Promotional campaigns!" 

In my marketing career I managed …

As Shakespeare famously wrote, “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This, from Romeo and Juliet, is about the fact that names mean what we make them mean, as they did for the Montagues and Capulets. 

So, what is a brand name anyway? Who decides the strength of a brand -- the consumer or the company founder? And how can you improve the strength of your own brand? 

Let’s break it down.

WHAT IS A BRAND?

As language evolves and perspective widens…