Brand Builder

This week on Brand Builder, we're talking about one of the most important aspects of your brand, yet one that so often ends up being accidental, un-strategic, or even an afterthought.

The name.

Whether it's your brand or a new SKU or product, a name is the ultimate first impression. And if you do it right, a name can do a lot of work for you - set a tone or mood, impart critical information, or communicate a core value.

To tell us how to do it right, we've got Aaron Hall, the Group Director of Naming at Siegel+Gale.

Aaron has one of the coolest jobs in the world - he's a professional namer.

We talk to Aaron about all things naming, and go deep into his process to find the perfect name.

Links

• Siegel+Gale
• Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn

Recommended Reading

• Aaron's blog on movement and creativity
• Aaron's blog on naming guidelines
• Video: Siegel+Gale, The Power of Naming

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

Our guest this week is Jane Miller, the CEO of Lily's sweets.

Lily's make a line of delicious chocolate bars, baking bits and baking bars that have less than 1 gram of sugar per serving.

Jane represents a slightly different type of guest for us. She's a CEO with 35 years of food business experience... but not a founder.

Jane's background is as a high level executive at places like Heinz and Frito Lay, and she joined Lily's with a specific goal in mind: help scale the business. With a new look, new SKUs, and the rising tide of awareness around the drawbacks of too much sugar, the brand is poised for mainstream success.

This role is a new challenge for Jane as well. She's used to coming in and fixing things that are broken at big organizations. Now she's on a total rocket ship ride - which brings a whole new set of obstacles to overcome.

In this episode, we talk about the Lily's rebrand, Jane's personal philosophy of "running your own race," and the surprising way they use data to find their sweet spot.

Links

• Lily's Sweets
• Connect with Jane on LinkedIn
• Bex Brands
• Check out entrepreneur, photographer, and Brand Builder listener @quinngunter on Instagram.

Recommended Reading

• Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

This week, a conversation with Omaze co-founder and CEO Ryan Cummins.

Omaze is an online fundraising platform that offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences and exclusive merchandise in support of charitable causes.

They've worked with a who's-who of A-list celebrities, including the cast of Game of Thrones, George Clooney, the gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia... and that's barely scratching the surface .

But what Omaze really does is tell stories. Their philanthropic model relies on getting consumers excited, and they do that through their incredibly creative campaigns. They've raised more than $150M for over 400 different charities.

Now that's impact.

If you're a mission-driven brand, you need to leverage the power of storytelling in order to move your mission forward. That's what this episode is about.

Takeaways

• How storytelling and philanthropy inspired Ryan to found Omaze with partner Matt Pohlson.
• Why Omaze practices radical candor when it comes to providing feedback, and an easy tactic to ensure feedback is communicated effectively.
• How to become an effective leader, and how to continually improve your leadership skills.
• How to transform fear and self-doubt into a powerful tool of self transformation.

Links

• Omaze Harrison Ford Star Wars campaign
• The Omaze blog
• Omaze.com
• @ryan_cummins on Twitter
• @Omaze on Twitter

Recommended Reading

• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

If you're a business leader, employee happiness should never be your goal.

Sound strange? That's according to today's Brand Builder guest, David Hassell.

David is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of 15five, software that makes continuous employee feedback simple, and helps drive high-performing cultures.

We talked to David about a wide range of subjects, but what we found most interesting was his belief that the goal of his product is not to make employees happy, but to help them become their best selves, and ultimately to create an environment where they can perform at their highest level.

15five's product and philosophy has been a huge hit with enterprises of all sizes, and they recently closed a $30.7M series B round.

We think you'll find David's point of view highly valuable - especially since we know a lot of you are working with remote employees and need an efficient feedback loop, or just want to empower your team to direct their own personal and professional growth.

Takeaways

• David tells us how he discovered the concept of 15five, and why he decided to create a company around the practice.
• David stresses the importance of having a purpose in one's work, and tells us why he struggled with starting the right company before landing on the idea for 15five.
• David explains why he thinks the term "Human Resources" should be phased out immediately.
• David breaks down the difference between eustress and distress, and explains why discomfort actually breeds innovation.
• David clarifies that the goal of your organization shouldn't be happiness, but high performance, and explains why.
• David tells us the most important trait he looks for when interviewing potential employees, and gives us his strategies to help find people willing to experience personal breakthroughs.
• David explains why he thinks money is a threshold, and tells us what motivates people once that threshold is achieved.

Links

• 15five.com
• @15five on Twitter
• @dhassell on Twitter
• David on LinkedIn
• David's Best Self Podcast
• 15five's core values
• Zoom video conferencing.

Recommended Reading

• Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey
• The Alliance by Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, and Chris Yeh
• Mindset by Carol Dweck
• Start With Why by Simon Sinek
• Simon Sinek's TED Talk
• Unique Ability by Catherine Nomura
• Drive by Daniel Pink
• Give and Take by Adam Grant
• "The Person They'll Become" by Jason Fried

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

How important is my logo? Should I hire a full time designer? Do I need to rebrand? Can I rebrand? What's a brand book anyway?

This week we learn the answer to all these questions and more from veteran Creative Director Eric Wilkinson, who teaches us the secrets of creating an irresistible brand identity.

Brand Checklist (make sure your brand does this if you want a brand that sells)

• Design a scalable logo - your logo isn't your brand, but it does need to do a job, and scalability is the most important factor. Design a logo that is legible at a variety of sizes, including on a mobile screen.
• Invest in high quality lifestyle and product imagery - a picture tells a thousand words. Invest in imagery that tells the right story. It's arguably the most important brand touchpoint.
• Maintain a consistent voice across all channels - in our social media age, so much of your brand is communicated through copy. Nailing that voice is critical.
• Create consistent URLs and social handles/tags - again, because social media is often the primary means of communicating your brand, avoid confusion with consistency across all platforms.
• Create your Brand Book - this exercise ensures internal alignment and brand consistency across all channels.
• Hit the streets! Your brand can - and should - change with your customer. Get that feedback early and often

Links

• Classic Brand Book examples
• Beginner's guide to color theory
• SnackNation Insights
• Connect with Eric on LinkedIn
• EZER Snacks

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

In honor of Presidential Proclamation 5219, this week's featured brand is completely reimagining America's favorite frozen treat.

(Hint:🍦)

Yes, in honor of National Ice Cream Day, we're talking to Dream Pops CEO and Co-Founder David Greenfeld.

Dream Pops is a plant-based frozen dessert, packed with superfoods, but made without dairy, gluten and soy.

Its innovative shape and consistency make it remarkably snackable (which we love), and with a 3-star Michelin chef concocting the flavors, it's downright delicious.

But the appeal of Dream Pops goes beyond even that. The product itself is beautifully designed, and David and the team have worked hard to create a consistent, holistic brand experience across all consumer touch points.

David talked to us about his first entrepreneurial foray (which involved exploding bags of wine), the Latin American culinary tradition that inspired the entire Dream Pops line, and why every Dream Pops employee is required to spend a day making the product in their downtown LA facility.

Takeaways

• The Seven Whys. David shares a really cool exercise to discover your brand's motivating purpose.
• The Power of Brand Collabs. Dream Pops actually credit brand partnership opportunities as the main catalyst of their whole business in the early days. David shares specific tactics on how to pitch huge brands (Like Starbucks, Beats by Dre, and Nike).

Links

• Dream Pops
• Dream Pops x Lokai collab
• Connect with David on LinkedIn

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

It's summer, and hopefully for you that means spending some time in the great outdoors.

And whether you're hiking, camping, or glamping, we've found a new must-add item to your outdoor gear checklist -

Kuju Coffee.

This week, we have brothers and co-founders Jeff and Justin Wiguna of Kuju, a premium, single-serve pour over coffee brand. Kuju is great for anytime you want great coffee on-the-go, but it's really caught on among outdoor enthusiasts.

Jeff and Justin brought the heat, telling us about the inspiration behind their brand, and why they're building a business for the long-term, not for a quick exit.

Takeaways

• Using niche retail as a foothold or launchpad. Kuju started off in places like REI and Bass pro shops - and it's a huge advantage. They were able to demonstrate high velocity, and then bring a customer-base with them to new channels (like Whole Foods).
• Great example of a brand built around a feeling / an emotion. That's the "Kuju moment." If you look at the way they tell their story, they don't focus all that much on the filter - even though it is innovative. They talk about the memories you create, the moments you can experience, etc. I think every brand can learn from their success here.

Life isn't easy. Life isn't perfect. But life is good.

That's the motto that has propelled Life is Good - the lifestyle clothing brand that celebrates optimism - from a $200 initial investment in 1989 to a $100M company today.

This week our guest is Life is Good co-founder and CEO Bert Jacobs. In the interview, Bert shares how he and his co-founder/brother John conceived of the company, and why placing optimism at the core of the brand has helped it reach millions of people.

As Bert tells it, before it was ever a company or a t-shirt, "Life is Good" was a spirit personified by Bert and John's mother, Joan, an eternal optimist who taught her children to turn the music up, enjoy the moment, and always remember to focus on the good things in life.

Ultimately, the pair took her message to heart, and made the spread of positive energy their lives work. In addition to the brand's uplifting message, Life is Good achieves spreads good vibes by donating 10% of net profits to the Life is Good Kids Foundation, and by holding events like the Life is Good music festival.

Bert was an incredibly honest, good-natured, and fascinating guest. He told us why he believes our disposition determines our happiness, why employee engagement is so important to his organization, why work/life is balance is an inherently flawed concept, and why the people who have the hardest road ahead of them tend to gravitate toward the Life is Good brand the most.

Speaking to Bert put us in a great mood and taught us a lot about leadership and business, and we think listening to him will have the same effect.

Recommended Reading

• Life is Good: The Book by Bert & John Jacobs

Links

• Lifeisgood.com
• Life is Good on LinkedIn
• @LifeIsGood on Twitter
• @LifeIsGoodCo on Instagram

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

This week on Brand Builder, how to leverage PR like a boss, without wasting money.

Some brands are a little wary of PR. They're afraid of throwing their money away on something they don't quite understand. They might have even felt burned in the past by an agency who over-promised and under-delivered.

Why does this happen? Because the media landscape moves so quickly. The PR tactics you used 18 or even 12 months ago just aren't as effective today. Each year you have throw out your playbook and start fresh.

This week's guest is Sabina Gault, the CEO of Konnect Agency. She's here to tell you how to design campaigns that succeed in today's media landscape, and how to continually evolve your approach, so that you can make PR work for you without wasting time and money.

Konnect is a consumer public relations firm based in LA, New York, Austin, and Denver that just celebrated their 10 year anniversary. They are change agents for food & beverage, franchise, lifestyle and family brands, reaching Millennials, entrepreneurs, health-minded consumers and moms. Clients include some big names, like KRAVE, Lenny & Larry's, 4505, Kodiak Cakes, Lyft, TEDxLA, Skyzone, and more.

Takeaways

• PR in our fractured media age. Things are just different now - one splashy campaign used to move the needle. Now, you need a multi-channel approach.
• Effective storytelling - and how to connect types of stories you tell with the business outcomes you want.

Building a brand isn't just about the tactical and strategic. It's also about the abstract and esoteric. Things like leadership, culture, personal development, even psychology - they all play a part, and they can all be difference-makers.

That's why we're bringing you this live conversation with Ryan Holiday, a bestselling author, media strategist, and the former marketing director of American Apparel.

Ryan has been in the trenches for years, building brands to unbelievable heights, and today is one of the most highly regarded marketing minds of his generation.

His work has been translated into over 30 languages and has appeared everywhere from the New York Times to Fast Company. His books include Trust Me, I'm Lying, Conspiracy, The Obstacle Is the Way, and Ego Is the Enemy.

In this interview, Ryan focuses on the lessons from the latter, laying out a framework for how Ego can undermine our goals and intentions, and providing strategies for overcoming it.

Takeaways

• The difference between Confidence (a good thing) and Ego (a potentially harmful thing). Ryan explains how Ego can sabotage our goals, plus how to overcome it.
• Life as a continuous training. This simple mindset shift can help you become both happier and more productive.
• Focus on the work. Ryan breaks down why you must separate the work you do from external validation.

Links

• RyanHoliday.net
• @RyanHoliday on Twitter
• Ryan on Facebook
• Buy Ryan's books

Recommended Reading

• Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
• The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
• Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday
• Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday
• Sherman: Soldier, Realist, American by B.H. Liddell Hart
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!

Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.