Most founders think branding is about what they look like. Jill Smith says it’s about how you behave, and most brands have no idea who they actually are. 

Fix that first. Everything else follows!

Andy Walsh sat down with Jill Smith, CEO of Iris, one of the US’s most respected integrated brand and demand agencies, to unpack what actually makes a brand stick.

This isn’t a conversation about logos or color palettes. It’s about identity, community, and why the brands that win long-term are the ones that behave like people, including owning their mistakes.

Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube

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Jill Smith

Jill’s spent her career in two worlds that most people keep separate: the art world and advertising. That unusual path gave her something most agency CEOs don’t have, a real eye for what’s culturally real versus what’s just noise.

Her take: the brands that last are the ones that know exactly who they are, and behave accordingly, consistently, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Insight

This episode sits at the intersection of brand clarity and founder identity, which is exactly where most early-stage founders get stuck. Jill’s framework isn’t theoretical. It’s operational. Know who you are. Know your community. Behave like a person. Own your mistakes before the internet does it for you.

What We Cover:

• Why “being different” is a dead end — and what being unique actually means
• How to find your high-value audience using data, AI, and synthetic personas
• The power of micro-communities over mass marketing
• What Liquid Death, Elf Beauty, and California Pizza Kitchen get right about brand behavior
• How to turn a brand mistake into a 25% sales increase (the mac and cheese story)
• The case for long-form content and experience spend in a world drowning in noise

Who Should Listen:

• First-time founders trying to find their brand footing
• Operators building community around an early product
• Founders who’ve been told to “build a brand” but have no idea where to start

Andy Walsh

2× exited founder and host of Startups Decoded (500,000 downloads + Top 2% globally).

Access All Areas.

• Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube
• Subscribe: Substack
• Connect: LinkedIn
• Web: startupsdecoded.com
• Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X

Music Credit

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) 

The Studio 

​Filmed on location at 28th&Park. A content & production studio for New York’s visionary Builders, Investors, Artists, Musicians, & Creators to amplify their voice & share bold stories. Use the code “Decoded” for 25% off your first booking.