brand story
942 posts
Your Goal Is To Matter To The People You Serve
I once worked with a startup in the financial services industry. The foyer of their office building was all polished floorboards, high white walls and minimal seating. Inspirational magazines were strategically arranged on low tables, next to the espresso machine. The walls were completely bare apar
What Can You Do Now?
Julie has been running her local florist business for five years. She’s built up a reputation with the people in her suburb, who regularly pop in when they’re walking past to buy flowers and plants that brighten their homes and their lives. While new single bunch, online flower delivery services blo
What Did You Do?
A walk down my local café strip shows just how resourceful we can be when we’re in a tough spot. Because of world events and government guidelines around group gatherings, restaurants and cafes can no longer welcome diners into their premises. But they are quickly adapting. Every café has come up wi
Why Should They Care?
The ‘For Lease’ sign attached to the first-floor window of the shopfront is one of half a dozen along Gertrude Street. And the sales copy on each of them does nothing to differentiate one premises from the other. The signs give us dimensions, details about the facilities and ‘good natural light’. Th
Consistent, Persistent And Patient
The slim woman dressed in activewear, in line at the cafe next to the gym, orders a black coffee. As she’s handing over her card when the barista asks her the question he’s asked every single customer who ordered a takeaway coffee that morning. ‘Would you like a glazed doughnut for just $2 to go…
Perfect Timing
An ideal audience isn’t just one that’s available—it’s one that’s receptive. When we say something is just as important as how we say it.
Gap Bridging
What gap does your product or service help your audience to bridge?
Growing Small
I remember landing my first ‘real’ job like it was yesterday. One of the big British supermarket chains was opening a huge store not far from where I lived in Dublin. It was good news for the hundreds of people who would be employed there—more jobs, more choice for consumers—a win-win. At fifteen, I
Nurturing Growth
When we begin to think in terms of nurturing (protecting something while it grows), we are compelled to be more intentional about how we grow—and focusing on how makes all the difference.
Showing Value
We can all benefit from learning to demonstrate, not just explain the value we create. Marketing and sales are about showing and telling.
The Lost Art Of Storytelling
What stories will you tell today and why will they matter to the people who hear them?
Only Human
We need to constantly remind ourselves that we are neither all head or all heart and act accordingly.
Believed In
The one thing all successful ideas have in common is that they spread. But why?
Worthy
The people you’re trying to reach and resonate with are filtering. From the contacts you try to add on LinkedIn, to the clients you’re hoping to attract. They are deciding who is worthy of their permission and their time.
The Value Of Discernment
The better we are at discerning who our right people are the more shared value we can create.
Exactly Who Do You Serve?
It’s easier to build the right business for the right people when you know who those people are.
Immeasurable Success
How we keep score changes the stories we tell, the businesses we build and the societies we shape.
Disappointment And Delight
You can find an opportunity to delight, especially when you disappoint. A mistake doesn’t always have to end in disappointment.
It’s Not For You
When you’re brave enough to put a stake in the ground, you will find your right people—those people who you can help.
Effective Change
Even though nine of her children emigrated to England in the 1960s to find work, my grandmother never travelled outside Ireland. She refused to taste cucumber, even though my English aunt insisted on making cucumber sandwiches whenever she came to visit. Even after her doctor told her cigarettes wer
