Making Hay & Stashing Acorns: How growing businesses can maximize a good economy, but prepare for inevitable recession

Making Hay & Stashing Acorns: How growing businesses can maximize a good economy, but prepare for inevitable recession

Originally published by Minnesota Business Magazine. Republished here with permission. Those of us who lived through the dot-bomb and 2008 recessions will not soon forget the impact on our businesses, communities and families. Yet, when times are good, it's easy to operate as though growth and prosperity will always be in front of us. Wise business leaders know that - like squirrels hiding away nuts for the winter - it’s always a good idea to plan for leaner times, even while harvesting bumper crops. (more…)
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Brand Messaging Moments: How Your Brand Narrative Evolves as You Grow. Part 1.

Brand Messaging Moments: How Your Brand Narrative Evolves as You Grow. Part 1.

If you didn’t catch my last post, then please take a second and at least skim it. In it, I share what a brand narrative is, how to create one, and the potential ROI for your brand. That said, creating your brand narrative is never one and done. As your company grows, your brand narrative has to evolve. This allows you to keep up with new internal and external challenges that every growing brand faces. What milestones in your growth will affect your brand narrative? (more…)
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Why Create a Narrative for Your Brand?

Why Create a Narrative for Your Brand?

In 1962, the car rental company Avis was losing $3.2 million per year, and consistently losing to their main competitor Hertz. Then Avis changed their brand narrative and started embracing their position as number two in the market. Instead of trying to position themselves as better in the minds of prospects, they admitted they were number two and that it made them work harder. This convinced customers that they were going to get better service by choosing Avis. (more…)
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Lifecycle of a Brand: Building Stories that Start, Scale, Sustain, and Sell Businesses

Lifecycle of a Brand: Building Stories that Start, Scale, Sustain, and Sell Businesses

These Minnesota business owners have years of experience building businesses and building brands. They have perspectives from the "been there done that" side and the "still there, doing that" side. Learn how these entrepreneurs have shaped and reshaped their go-to-market strategies and stories through stages of growth and evolution. Get a founder’s perspective on marketing, brand, and maintaining focus and alignment through change. Gain real-world insights that will help you activate for today and plan for tomorrow. (more…)
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What’s the Difference? Strategic Marketing Consultants and Agencies vs. Fractional CMOs

What’s the Difference? Strategic Marketing Consultants and Agencies vs. Fractional CMOs

Marketing can feel like the world’s biggest experiment. The corner store doesn’t have the same marketing needs as a mid-sized business, and isn’t even playing the same game as enterprise-level companies. What does this mean for your marketing? It means that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, magic pill, or easy button. To succeed you need a custom plan tailored to your business with an expert guide to back it. But, finding the right marketing expertise is often the first challenge. (more…)
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Welcome to the Gig Economy: Talent strategies for today’s growing businesses

Welcome to the Gig Economy: Talent strategies for today’s growing businesses

Finding top notch leaders for your growing business is critical. Having the right people in the right seats is key to the health and sustainability of your organization. But finding ideal candidates can be challenging in our current economy. Unemployment is at an all-time low, and candidates can afford to be selective. Many are choosing to forsake full-time employment for the chance to do meaningful work on a part-time, flexible, contract basis. We're now living in a gig economy, defined by Google as "a labor market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs". This…
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Rethinking the CMO Role for Growing Businesses

Rethinking the CMO Role for Growing Businesses

What’s the difference between a sinking building and a stable building? It comes down to the foundation. How a foundation is laid, and the materials used to do so will have a considerable impact on the durability of a building. In the same way, your marketing foundation will affect your business’s growth, sustainability, and lifespan. The most crucial part of this foundation is having a strong marketing leader in-house. But, when is the best time to bring in a marketing leader? (more…)
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Marketing For Good: A Conversation with Amanda Brinkman

Marketing For Good: A Conversation with Amanda Brinkman

If you've been a member of the marketing community for any amount of time, you likely know the name Amanda Brinkman: Chief Brand and Communications Officer for Deluxe Corporation, and creator of The Small Business Revolution - Main Street. What a surprise and honor to be asked by Amanda - who I have admired for years - to be the inaugural subject of her series featuring interviews with strong female leaders. (more…)
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