Branding Deep Dive with Ahmed Cheema

Chris Blauvelt is the CEO of LaunchGood which is a crowdfunding company based out of Detroit MI. For those that don’t know, crowdfunding is a way for people to fund their ideas through the power of an online crowd, also known as ‘backers’. 

As an Entrepreneur,  Chris saw the power of crowdfunding to help entrepreneurs like himself so he created LaunchGood: a global muslim platform built to leverage the power of crowdfunding to support great ideas. 

In this episode, we dive deep into how LaunchGood broke into the already saturated space of crowdfunding,  why a company might pivot from their original vision, how to attract talented people on a shoestring budget, and much more. 

Key Lessons:

1. The founder nuance - stubborn to external forces, willing to pivot for customers
2. Be relentlessly resourceful - get what you want with what you’ve got

Launchgood website: https://www.launchgood.com/

Amanie Mheisen is the creative behind Not Your Basic Batch in Canton, Michigan. If you are looking for awesome pastries, Amanie has everything you're looking for. She has mouth watering custom pastries you can’t get in your local supermarket. 

In this episode, we dive deep into how Not Your Basic Batch was started, using social media to grow your business, the impact of collaborations, and much more. If you have a product or business that is in the direct to consumer space, this episode is a must listen. 

Key Takeaways:

1. Free samples - people want to try before they buy
2. Understand and Use Quality Cues - think about what signals quality in your space

Not Your Basic Batch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notyour_basicbatch/ 

Sifu Harun Raja, owner and lead instructor of Raja Martial Arts joins the podcast to discuss branding a martial arts academy. 

Sifu Raja has been in the business of teaching people martial arts for over 12 years and he has seen ups and downs. In this episode, we dive deep into his story, pivoting during covid when gyms were shut down, attracting and retaining talented instructors, and much more. If you are a teacher, coach, or providing any type of service to individuals, this episode is a must listen. 

Key Lessons:
1. Actions speak louder than words 
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Raja Martial Arts Website: https://rajamartialarts.com/
Raja Martial Arts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RajaAcademy/
Raja Martial Arts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rajaacademy/

Peter George joins the show to discuss effective communication. Peter is a public speaking coach and trainer, he specializes in helping executives, attorneys, entrepreneurs, and professional speakers be calm, confident, and credible® every time they speak in public — whether they’re presenting in meetings, appearing in court, or speaking on stage. 

Throughout his childhood, Peter dealt with a lisp and a stutter and as a result grew up shy and introverted, avoiding communicating with others as much as possible. 

When he got into the business world he realized how important the ability to communicate was and sought out help. Now he credits his public speaking coaches for much of his business success. 

Over the past 17 years, Peter has helped professionals from around the corner to those in Fortune 100 companies develop into speakers who understand how to craft and deliver presentations that engage, persuade, and inspire, ultimately helping them increase their impact, influence, and income.

We go deep into public speaking, transitions, body language, communicating concisely and much more. This episode is a must listen for anyone looking to build their personal brand and communicate more effectively. 

Key Takeaways:

1. Start with understanding who you’re speaking to and the result you want. 
2. Public speaking is about what you can take away

Peter's Website: https://petergeorgepublicspeaking.com/

Mahir Huq joins the show to discuss the branding of board games. Mahir recently got his hands on a new board game called Machinate and in this episode we get into how this new board game is looking to shake things up in a market dominated by conglomerates. 

We dive deep into the resurgence of board games, building a community, the structure of the board game industry, trading cards, NFTs, and much more. This episode is a must listen for anyone looking to generate word of mouth for their brand. 

Key Lessons:

1. Think about how you can create organic, memorable experiences. Board game creators have reverse engineered how to give their customers unique, memorable, fun experiences every time they play. This is the recipe for word of mouth
2. People buy into brands that they feel reflect their personality. 

Machinate Website: https://www.machinate.io/

Adam Sinkus is the managing director of my roofing SEO, which is a company that works with home services business on building out their digital strategy and enabling them to be found where their customers are looking for them. Adam is also host of the winning tactics podcast where he is dedicated to providing actionable insights to small and midsize business owners from the experts that are using them. 

In the episodes Adam shares the blueprint on how to set up your business’s online presence. We get into SEO, finding your Niche, what a good call to action looks like, how to measure success in marketing campaigns, and a whole lot more. This episode is a must listen for anyone looking to build their presence online. 

Key Takeaways:

    1. Be on all platforms, don’t have to be active on all platforms
    2. SEO strategy starts with figuring out what people are searching to find your competitors. People are searching for answers to their problems, not you specifically. 

Check out Adam:
My Roofing SEO: https://myrooferseo.com/
The Winning Tactics Podcast: https://thewinningtactics.com/

Zar Syed is the owner of Mechanic one, an automotive repair shop in Canton, Michigan. Although automotive repair is not usually associated with good branding, Zar has made a conscious effort to change this perception, and the results show. Mechanic One has been featured in Ratchet and Wrench, a leading magazine that covers the best in Automotive Repair and has been selected four years in a row for the best of Canton Awards for Auto Repair shops. 

In this episode, Zar gets into the nitty gritty of his approach to auto repair, advertising, and dealing with negative reviews. If you’re a small business owner, this episode is a must listen

Key Takeaways: 
1. People are willing to pay for good service
2. Effective Advertising is about reaching your target audience where they are

Zar Syed is the owner of Mechanic one, an automotive repair shop in Canton, Michigan. Although automotive repair is not usually associated with good branding, Zar has made a conscious effort to change this perception, and the results show. Mechanic One has been featured in Ratchet and Wrench, a leading magazine that covers the best in Automotive Repair and has been selected four years in a row for the best of Canton Awards for Auto Repair shops. 

In this episode, Zar shares tons of wisdom about leadership, operating a business, customer service, knowing your audience, and much much more. He’s been running auto repair shops for over a decade and is extremely generous with what he’s learned. This episode is a must listen for anyone that wants to improve their customer service or just grow their brand in general. 

Key Takeaways: 
1. You don't need permission from anyone to provide value to the world
2. Don't be afraid to ask people for reviews

J.D. Power ran a survey seeing how much car customers enjoy their cars and Dodge tied with Porsche as the most appealing brand. Yasser joins the show to discuss what is driving this appeal. 

Article being discussed: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2021/09/15/dodge-porsche-most-appealing-jd-power/8340108002/ 

Key Takeaways: 
1. Stop focusing on stat sheet comparisons
2. Think through all the customer touch points and how you can differentiate yourself from the competitors

Atiq Warraich, Web Program Director at the Department of Energy joins the podcast to discuss website content management. Atiq has been in the web space his entire career and has helped small one person businesses all the way to giant organizations develop their web presence. In this episode we dive into some of the best practices he's learned through his years of experience on understanding what users are searching and creating solutions based on that data. 

Key Takeaways:
1. Take the time to invest in content creation and content management 
2. There is a three step formula for creating a useful product/website: 
Step 1 - understand analytics to see what problems customers are facing
Step 2 - build solutions
Step 3 - get feedback to see if the solutions are working

Disclaimer: all opinions expressed are solely our own and do not express the views or opinions of any employers