[ Heart + Smart ] Blog by Authentic Brand - Marketing content for B2B growth organizations

17 Oct 2017

Denamicon: The Twin Cities’ Conference On Inbound Growth

Mark your calendars and register now for Denamicon on November 14, 2017! You won't want to miss the Twin Cities' Conference On Inbound Growth - hosted by Denamico, and proudly supported in partnership by Authentic Brand. (more…)

17 Oct 2017

We helped build a home for a family of six from Ethiopia

It's amazing what a small group of dedicated volunteers can accomplish in just one day! On Friday, October 13th, the Two Or More community of volunteers helped build a Habitat For Humanity home in Blaine, MN. (more…)

12 Oct 2017

From Bootstrap to Big League: Brand lessons from tech startups, for all startups

Confession: I expected to have to work harder to build this panel for Twin Cities Startup Week. I had a target list of 20 really smart and experienced technology leaders, all of whom have built and scaled really admirable brands and businesses. I was hopeful that, of the 20, I might secure 3-4 who would be willing to carve time out from their very full calendars to participate in this event. (more…)

10 Oct 2017

Worlds Collide: Getting “Perfessional” on Live Video

What do you get when you cross three girlfriends, an inspiring mom-focused startup brand, and an up-and-coming livestream technology platform? Apparently you get the intersection of all facets of my life. And the chance for me to share my perfessional (yes, personal + professional) story on livestream video. (more…)

10 Oct 2017

Authentic Brand Named as a Finalist for TCSW Award

This post brings out all the feels: Thrilled, overwhelmed, honored, humbled, overjoyed, grateful. Yesterday, I learned that Authentic Brand is a finalist in the "Newbie" category of the Twin Cities Startup Week Awards. This award recognizes "a hungry newbie to the local startup scene". (more…)

07 Sep 2017

Podcast with Jennifer Zick: Marketing Second Shift

I recently had the privilege of being featured on the Marketing Second Shift podcast. Chaunce Stanton, CEO Co-Founder of Chronicals Digital - and producer of the podcast - covered a huge range of topics with me, including: EOS / Traction, Marketing Automation, Sales, Work-Life Balance (or lack thereof), and my love of family, yoga, and trips up north. Trust me...it all fits together in the Authentic Brand story. :) These excerpts from my interview with Chaunce are republished here with his permission. (more…)

07 Sep 2017

Everything Marketing Automation: A Virtual Panel of Expert Perspectives

What do you get when you pick the brains of five digital marketing experts, representing partnerships with some of the most popular martech platforms on the market? You get everything marketing automation: the good, the bad, the ugly, and a whole lot of wisdom gleaned from the trenches. Welcome to Authentic Brand's first "virtual panel": a Q&A exchange with five leaders in the Twin Cities digital community. (more…)

25 Aug 2017

We fed 50 kids for a year!

What an awesome feeling. Serving side-by-side with 30 business professionals, representing brands from all across the Twin Cities, gathered together for one reason: to do good work. Yesterday, Authentic Brand had the opportunity to host a second event for Two Or More: a community service movement. And the movement is building! Even on a summertime afternoon in Minnesota, when calendars are jammed with vacations and back-to-school activities, this crew showed up. They served with big hearts, and had a ton of fun in the process. (more…)

15 Aug 2017

There’s no such thing as balance. How life and EOS showed me a better path.

Balance. I once thought it was possible. Until I hit the proverbial wall. My career wasn't moving in the direction I had planned. I had just had my second child. I was spending too much time commuting, not enough time sleeping, and was nowhere near living up to the expectations I'd set for myself as a wife, mother, friend, community member, and business leader. In short, I felt like I was half-assing every category in my life. (more…)

20 Jun 2017

Beyond Buzzphrases: How emerging tech could actually change everything for marketers

For the past several years, there's been plenty of buzzphrase mania around topics such as IoT (internet of things), connected devices, big data / deep data, artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, machine learning, and virtual / augmented reality. And while many of these concepts may still feel abstract and fuzzy, these emerging technologies are taking tangible shape right now in many businesses. In fact, new research just released by Forbes today, based on Salesforce's Fourth Annual State-of-Marketing Report, shows that: (more…)