Most businesses don't fall apart from bad decisions.

They fall apart from good ones made too soon.

A second brand. A new offer. Another location. It all looks like momentum until the original thing starts cracking with confused customers, divided staff, and a message that doesn't know what it's saying anymore.

John Hanrahan, franchise strategist and the man who's 4x'd EBITDA on a multi-billion dollar automotive portfolio, and Amanda Green, award-winning journalist and newsroom systems builder, get into exactly where it breaks and what to do before it does.

We cover:

• The first signs that show trouble (beyond financials)
• How internal communication become a public brand problem
• What it takes to keep things pulling in the same direction when scaling across offers, locations, or audiences.

If you're sitting on a growth decision right now, this one's perfect timing.

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Often, I see businesses hit a wall when it comes to their offerings and brands not complementing or building on each other to the point of brand cannibalization.

So, The Brand Scaling Tool was born to find the best solution for your mix and goals. Get direction right up front based on where you're at today:

https://www.badasserybyb.com/brand-scaling

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04:58 Why Businesses Add Too Fast

08:36 PR And Rebrand Band Aids

11:00 Early Warning Signs

13:15 Franchise Cracks And Economics

16:35 Internal Comms To Public Fallout

24:39 Rolling Out New Offers

30:03 Seasonal Push Planning

37:18 Tool Break And The Fix

38:25 Setting up your ‘Newsroom’ style Content Hub

40:07 Scaling Locations Playbook

45:38 Adding Services Risks

47:51 Training Systems Breakpoints

48:58 Editorial Meetings and getting Team Feedback

51:29 Surveys Versus Conversations

01:00:36 Adapting Brands in New Markets

01:03:49 Where Brands Resist Change

01:08:48 Your ‘Where To Start’ Audit

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5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning to $10M⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Nicole Downer
4. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Business Might Be Unsellable⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
5. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning Without Losing Customers ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with Amy Heidersbach & Melissa Eaton

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Reach out to guest speaker Amanda Green:

LinkedIn | In Your Voice Media Works | Newsletter

Reach out to guest speaker John Hanrahan:⁠

LinkedIn

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Your website gives off a feeling. Your brand has a story. But are they actually saying the same thing?

In this Art of Positioning episode, we go at it from three angles: visuals, words, and strategy, with UX designer Rachel Lee and verbal identity specialist Emily McGregor.

Real client stories, real gaps they've seen, and the tests you can run right now to find out if your brand is actually distinct or just looks that way from the inside.

We cover why hiding behind credentials is repelling the exact clients you want, what happens when your personality and your website are total strangers to each other, why your 404 page and confirmation emails are doing more damage than you think, and how to figure out if your brand would still be recognizable with your name stripped out of it.

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Often, I see businesses hit a wall when it comes to their offerings and brands not complementing or building on each other to the point of brand cannibalization.

So, The Brand Scaling Tool was born to find the best solution for your mix and goals. Get direction right up front based on where you're at today:

https://www.badasserybyb.com/brand-scaling

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03:57 Brand Story vs Website

06:55 Common Disconnect Patterns

15:40 Spotting Misalignment Fast

18:45 Messaging vs Visuals - The Correct Order

23:50 Going Too Zany

30:47 Visual Style Glue

35:35 Cheat Sheets That Work

43:51 Brand Style Guidelines

46:22 Micro Touchpoints Build Trust

53:15 Founder Led Brand Transition

56:52 Case Study Sports Bra Reposition

01:02:50 Quick Tests For Distinctiveness

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5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning to $10M⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Nicole Downer
4. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Business Might Be Unsellable⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
5. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning Without Losing Customers ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with Amy Heidersbach & Melissa Eaton

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Reach out to guest speaker Emily McGregor:

Penguin Cat Creative | Scrappy Ads.Io | McGregor.Cool | Instagram | LinkedIn

Reach out to guest speaker Rachel Lee:LinkedIn | NeoGenesis | Rachel Lee Website | Instagram

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick⁠

Laid off in the middle of the 2008 crash with a day’s notice and no savings cushion, Dave Marciniak did the one thing he could not afford to do: he started again.

That decision led him into landscaping, where he built a reputation for unusual work, the kind of projects that don’t just fill a garden, they change what people think is possible. But after 20 years, he hit the part of business no one likes to talk about: the point where being good at everything starts to work against you.

So he shut Revolutionary Gardens down completely and started fresh with Landscape Design Lab, a fractional design advisory for landscapers who are tired of carrying the whole business on their backs.

In this episode, Dave explains:

• How he shifted his messaging toward clients who actually value design
• Why so many landscape firms hit the same brutal wall around $3 million to $4 million
• How one client grew from $20K–$40K jobs to $200K–$400K projects after repositioning higher

This one is for the owners who know they’ve outgrown the business they built, but haven’t figured out how to stop being trapped inside it.

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Audit your brand performance: https://www.badasserybyb.com/brand-health-audit

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02:43 Laid Off to Launch

04:42 Design Rules and Weird Projects

07:07 Evolving Positioning and Ideal Clients

09:36 Scaling Past the Wall

19:15 Client Growth Case Study

22:14 Letting Go to Scale

28:53 Positioning Mistakes and Pipeline

33:39 Three Upmarket Moves

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5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning to $10M⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Nicole Downer
4. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Business Might Be Unsellable⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
5. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning Without Losing Customers ⁠⁠⁠⁠with Amy Heidersbach & Melissa Eaton

-

Reach out to guest speaker Dave Marciniak:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick⁠

Wendy Murphy, CEO of second‑generation Timber Tech Truss (started by her parents in 1980), shares what growth really looks like when you go from family-run to private equity-backed, and then acquire two businesses in 18 months.

She shares why Timber Tech sold to align on a new direction, how the bolt‑on strategy led to buying a stair company and a prefab wall/framing company, and why “alignment” beats spreadsheets when picking acquisition targets.

You’ll hear the unsexy stuff that makes or breaks integration: a 90‑day pause to build trust, audits (HR, safety, engagement), change management as an emotional process, ERP assumptions that don’t scale, and why messaging/brand continuity can lag behind ops—without confusing customers.

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Audit your brand performance: https://www.badasserybyb.com/brand-health-audit

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04:18 Selling to Private Equity

08:09 Surprises in Due Diligence

17:28 Guiding Principles That Scale

22:37 90 Day Integration Playbook

34:17 Systems and Org Chart Lessons

41:05 Shiny Object Discipline

52:30 Conduct Versus Performance

56:12 KPIs and Development Hours

01:00:06 M&A Advice for Sellers

01:05:30 Earnouts And Deal Reality

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5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning to $10M⁠⁠⁠ with Nicole Downer
4. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Business Might Be Unsellable⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
5. ⁠⁠⁠Repositioning Without Losing Customers ⁠⁠⁠with Amy Heidersbach & Melissa Eaton

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Reach out to guest speaker Wendy Murphy:

⁠⁠Wendy on LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Timber Tech Group on LinkedIn | ⁠Timber Tech Truss

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick

Taylor Wilson ran a traditional agency. Hourly rates. Custom proposals. It wasn't scalable.

She could only sell so much of herself. Leadership buy-in took forever. Budgets got cut. The model was breaking.

So she repositioned Creative Shizzle to work like Netflix. Monthly subscription. Get what you need. No massive proposals. No six-figure commitments required.

The transition wasn't smooth. Revenue forecasting was a nightmare. She invested in marketing way too late. She had to learn to say no to business that didn't fit.

But now? She's scaling faster, landing clients easier, and serving lean marketing teams who need full creative support without the agency overhead.

This one is perfect for business owners who are thinking about their operational models in a rapidly changing market.

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Find gaps in your brand health and performance in 5 minutes with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Brand Health Audit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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04:05 Launching Creative Shizzle and Initial Challenges

06:32 Scaling and Rebranding to Creative Shizzle

15:56 Communicating the Change to Clients

21:42 Aligning Sales Processes with New Positioning

26:05 Market Response and Unexpected Challenges

32:55 Inbound vs. Outbound Sales Strategies

40:06 Launching a Creative Platform

51:25 The Future of Design Services

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5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning to $10M⁠⁠ with Nicole Downer
4. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Business Might Be Unsellable⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
5. ⁠⁠Repositioning Without Losing Customers ⁠⁠with Amy Heidersbach & Melissa Eaton

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Reach out to guest speaker | Taylor Wilson:

⁠Taylor on LinkedIn | Taylor on Instagram | Creative Shizzle on Instagram | Creative Shizzle on LinkedIn 

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick

Chick-fil-A had a 3M-follower TikTok goldmine. They told her to stop posting.

Merriam Webb was showing staff meals, building massive organic reach. Corporate shut it down. She left and got a Shake Shack deal instead.

That's what happens when you don't understand the difference between employee advocacy and forcing your team to sound like corporate robots.

Internal comms leader Cassandra Babilya (ex-CIA analyst turned culture expert) and T. Tara Turk-Haynes (VP of talent acquisition and DEI) break down why most employee advocacy programs fail. Your team shares mixed messages because you're asking them to post instead of creating conditions where they want to.

They cover how to build real advocacy, empower employees to share authentic experiences, and get your team aligned on your message.

For anyone who wants their team to actually promote the business without it feeling forced.

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Find gaps in your brand health and performance in 5 minutes with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Brand Health Audit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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02:41 Genuine Employee Advocacy vs. Corporate Posts

03:44 Creating a Culture of Authenticity and Trust

17:19 Recognizing and Incentivizing Employee Contributions

35:30 Hiring for Creativity and Brand Ambassadorship

39:59 New Trends in Workplace Culture

42:08 Internal Comms in Business Success

45:59 Managing Risks of Employee Advocacy

50:49 Measuring the Impact of Employee Advocacy

58:09 Challenges and Strategies for Small Businesses

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5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Repositioning to $10M⁠ with Nicole Downer
4. ⁠⁠⁠Your Business Might Be Unsellable⁠⁠⁠ with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
5. ⁠Repositioning Without Losing Customers ⁠with Amy Heidersbach & Melissa Eaton

⁠⁠⁠

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Reach out to guest speaker | T. Tara Turk-Haynes:

LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Cassandra Babilya:

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick

At $1.2M, everything stopped working.

Landscape company Downer Brothers could add more crews, more equipment, and watch revenue grow. Until they couldn't. Profit tanked. Hours piled up. Same money.

Nicole Downer had to reposition her entire business to break through to $10M. Generalists became specialists. Gut-feel decisions became data-driven. And the hardest part? Helping longtime team members let go of roles that defined them so they could become experts at one thing.

She calls it "ghost org charting" - imagining what the company looks like at $10M, then working backward to reposition today. It forces hard conversations. Especially with people you care about.

This is what repositioning for growth actually costs. Not just new messaging. Your entire operation and your people have to transform alongside the business.

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Find gaps in your brand health and performance in 5 minutes with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Brand Health Audit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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02:22 Navigating Business Growth

05:23 Specialization vs. Generalization

10:11 Implementing Systems for Scaling

22:43 Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome

28:16 Supporting Teams and Building Relationships

34:03 Adapting to Market Trends

42:34 Balancing Technology and Human Connection

51:03 Valuing Employees and Long-Term Commitment

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5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠⁠Your Business Might Be Unsellable⁠⁠ with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
4. Repositioning Without Losing Customers with Amy Heidersbach & Melissa Eaton
5. ⁠⁠The Crisis Management Playbook⁠⁠ with Oliver Aust and Gordon Firemark

⁠

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Reach out to guest speaker | Nicole Downer:

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick

Your brand needs to evolve. But what if you lose the customers who got you here?

Customer experience leader Melissa Eaton and five-time CMO Amy Heidersbach have both guided businesses through repositioning without alienating loyal customers.

Amy led marketing at PayPal and Visa, scaling a business unit to $1.2 billion. Melissa solves complex business problems by seeing patterns others miss.

Most companies treat repositioning like a marketing project. New logo, new tagline, done. But your marketing team can't fix what's broken in operations. Your sales team can't sell a story your product team hasn't bought into.

This episode covers:

• When to reposition (and when to ignore the noise)
• Why product, operations, finance, and HR need to be at the table
• Brand continuity vs. consistency (Amy's controversial take)
• Using employees and customers to carry your message
• Measuring success without optimizing the wrong metrics

This one is perfect for business owners ready to evolve without losing what's working.

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Find gaps in your brand health and performance in 5 minutes with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Brand Health Audit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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06:06 Repositioning Without Losing Customers

10:35 Common Mistakes in Rebranding

32:02 Engaging Customers in the Rebranding Process

43:25 Understanding Core Customers and Personas

46:59 Localized Marketing Strategies Across Borders

54:55 Measuring Success in Repositioning Efforts

59:26 How Digital Transformation affects Brands

01:04:34 Recognizing and Addressing Repositioning Failures

01:10:29 The Limits of Branding in Solving Business Issues

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5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠Your Business Might Be Unsellable⁠ with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
4. ⁠⁠⁠AI, Automation and Strategy⁠⁠⁠ with Leland Best and Chris Troka
5. ⁠The Crisis Management Playbook⁠ with Oliver Aust and Gordon Firemark
6. ⁠⁠⁠⁠What’s your position?⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Beatrice and Elijah

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Reach out to guest speakers:Amy Heidersbach:

LinkedIn

Melissa Eaton:LinkedIn | We Fixed It You're Welcome Podcast

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick

When your team tells different stories about your business, customers notice.

PR strategist Gloria Chou had a team of seven plus a CMO who couldn't grow her account because everyone was following marketing templates instead of sharing what the business actually stood for.

After letting go of the CMO and taking back control, Gloria discovered the difference between values-based messaging and template marketing. Her assistant went from wanting to quit to being fully engaged. Her business became three times more profitable.

This episode covers:

- Aligning teams around mission instead of just metrics

- Why your team needs to know what you reject, not just what you value

- Building psychological safety that attracts ideal customers

- Moving from "clenched butt cheeks" marketing to authentic positioning

- Creating content that stands for something beyond industry best practices

Hosted by Beatrice Gutknecht with PR strategist Gloria Chou, founder of Gloria Chou PR and host of Small Business PR podcast.

For business owners whose teams are telling different versions of their story.

-

Find gaps in your brand health and performance in 5 minutes with ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Brand Health Audit⁠⁠⁠⁠.

-

02:21 Business Evolution and the Impact of AI

04:21 Personalized Solutions and Changing Consumer Behavior

04:55 Values and Psychological Resonance in Marketing

15:48 Navigating Business Challenges and Personal Growth

20:12 Simplifying PR for Accessibility

22:08 Values-Driven Hiring

24:13 Personal Growth and Business Evolution

5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. Your Business Might Be Unsellable with Allie Beckmann and Alexandria Seydel
4. ⁠⁠AI, Automation and Strategy⁠⁠ with Leland Best and Chris Troka
5. The Crisis Management Playbook with Oliver Aust and Gordon Firemark
6. ⁠⁠⁠What’s your position?⁠⁠⁠ with Beatrice and Elijah

Reach out to guest speaker:

Gloria Chou:

⁠Instagram | Gloria Chou PR - Masterclass

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick

Most business owners think they'll just clean things up when they're ready to sell.

Well, as great as that would be, it doesn’t work that way.

In this episode of The Art of Positioning, M&A attorney Alexandria Seydel and financial advisor Allie Beckmann join Beatrice to break down why 75% of businesses that go to market never actually sell.

And it's not market conditions, it's deal killers hiding in plain sight.

We cover:

• Reducing owner dependence.
• Building a cohesive exit strategy
• The deal killer categories making buyers walk away.
• How business owners can increase their market value.
• The gaps you can't see that cost millions in future value.

Tune in to get a grip on positioning your business as the apple in the eyes of investors and customers alike.

-

Find gaps in your brand health and performance in 5 minutes with ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Brand Health Audit⁠⁠⁠⁠.

-

04:52 Increasing Market Value: Key Considerations

06:48 Brand Valuation and Rebranding Pitfalls

08:03 Exit Readiness and Strategic Planning

14:17 Customer Concentration and Operational Systems

15:19 Personal and Business Financial Planning

18:06 Mindset and Emotional Preparation for Exit

31:33 Nitty-Gritty Actions for a Successful Exit

39:51 Optimizing Business Operations

43:12 Legal and Financial Deal Killers

45:38 Owner Dependence and Succession Planning

50:23 Incentivizing Key Employees

53:53 Brand Strength and Reputation

01:03:32 Attracting Investors and Buyers

5 episodes to binge on:

1. ⁠⁠⁠The no bullshit strategy⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Alex Smith
2. ⁠⁠⁠Brand strategy in action⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Cam Varner
3. ⁠⁠AI, Automation and Strategy⁠⁠ with Leland Best and Chris Troka
4. ⁠⁠⁠Unmasking strategy⁠⁠ with Beatrice and Elijah
5. ⁠⁠⁠What’s your position?⁠⁠⁠ with Beatrice and Elijah

Reach out to guest speakers:

Alexandria Seydel:

LinkedIn

Allie Beckmann:

LinkedIn | Get Liberated Financial

Disclaimer: All content is for education and information purposes only. It is not intended to provide any tax or legal advice or provide the basis for any financial decisions. Nor is it intended to be a projection of current or future performance or indication of future results. Advisory services are offered by Liberated Financial, an Investment Advisor in the State of Colorado and other jurisdictions in which it may conduct business.

Follow Beatrice Gutknecht:

⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Your Podcast Sidekick