Niche down. Find your niche. Focus. There’s no shortage of brand and marketing experts telling you to find a niche. They’re not wrong. Focusing your attention on a specific group of people is key to success, but it’s not easy. Intentionally cutting out a portion of potential buyers is tough. I’ve struggled with niche execution for …
“That dude is hilarious. You’ve gotta hang out with him.” “She’s so caring. I feel like I can talk to her for hours.” “She’s a ball of energy. I just love being around her.” We choose to spend time with people because of their personalities. The same is true with many of the brands in …
You can’t copy a market leader’s strategy and expect to win. Copying what the industry heavyweights are doing is a recipe for getting your ass handed to you. The secret to success as a small company is finding holes in the big players’ strategies. That’s where brand positioning comes into play. Think of it like …
I’m going to share an important lesson about exploiting a competitive advantage, but first, you need to read this true story… “Mike,” Patti said. “You’re going to cut off your fingers.” “No, it’ll be fine, Patti. You just need to know what you’re doing. There are all kinds of safety features on new saws.” Patti and …
Here’s a little secret nobody tells you about building a brand… You can be average in almost all categories as long as you’re ‘The’ best, largest, fastest, or some other …est in one category that matters to your customers. I love the story they tell about this in the book Made To Stick. Southwest Airlines …
Slack is one of the best accidents in history. Stewart Butterfield, the founder & CEO of Slack, didn’t set out to build the fastest growing business app in history, but he did. I’m going to share the origin story (because it’s interesting) and then we’ll dive into what you can steal from their unique selling proposition. …
Did the subhead of this post make you stop and read a little further? There’s a reason for that, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s talk more about, “I Heart Butt Drugs” first. That’s a direct quote from a billboard I came across as my family drove from Louisville, KY into Indiana. …
Every business is looking to acquire more customers and grow. But how? Instagram influencers, Facebook ads, LinkedIn selling, blogging, Adwords, traditional advertising, and all the other tactics out there available are important tools at the right time. But not yet. There’s a much better investment for 90% of us looking to grow sustainable customer bases …
I can go out and ride my bike for an hour, or I can go to the bar and drink two beers. What vote will I cast today? “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes …
Does everyone on your team know what you do? I’ll bet you’d be surprised by some of the answers employees or coworkers give to the question, “What does your company do?” Do you ramble incoherently when you’re asked? You’re not alone. This is the most common problem I come across when I start working with …
