The Branding Laboratory

This episode of The Branding Laboratory features host Deevo, Chief Experience Officer for The Brand Storyteller and Fusion Creative brands, in a fascinating conversation with Dr. Austin Zelan, a highly successful 27-year-old entrepreneur.

Austin, known for his meteoric rise, tackles the core challenge faced by many creatives: balancing innovation and discipline within structured business systems. He argues that processes don't hinder creativity; they provide the freedom to innovate, knowing that foundational tasks are covered.

👉 Ready to unlock your creative potential? Tune in now to learn Dr. Zelan secret formula for using systems to fuel, not frustrate, your innovation.

💡 In this episode you will hear:

1. Systems and processes allow you the freedom to innovate.

2. The lack of seeing the impact of my work.

3. You have nothing to lose... option except to succeed.

4. I would take a little nap before heading to work. Very crazy schedule.

5. I learned how to pivot at the right time.

6. I want to diversify very aggressively at the beginning.

7. I want to create freedom, not create more jobs for myself.

8. Must have a solid product, solid operator, opportunity for growth.

9. The most successful people are the ones that are willing to take risks.

This episode of The Branding Laboratory, hosted by Deevo, Chief Experience Officer for The Brand Storyteller, dives deep into building authentic, high-quality business relationships over simply chasing high volume. Devo and his guest, digital marketing architect Jason Wright, founder of Intentionally Inspirational, discuss the philosophy that trust is a system, not a tactic.

Jason advocates for a "quality over quantity" approach, emphasizing that one relationship can change your life and business. He details his work helping high-ticket service-based entrepreneurs and coaches optimize their systems—specifically the back end of their funnels, CRMs, and lead nurturing.

In this episode of The Branding Laboratory, host Deevo sits down with Hannah Balliet of Ugly Mug Marketing to dismantle the modern obsession with vanity metrics. They explore a hard truth: why clarity must always precede creativity, and how businesses burn cash by launching ads before nailing their brand messaging.

Hannah reveals why beautiful design means nothing without robust backend sales systems and follow-up processes to support it. Whether you’re a solopreneur or scaling an agency, this conversation challenges you to stop polishing the aesthetics and start optimizing for results. Tune in to learn how to build a brand foundation that doesn't just look good—it works.

💡 In this episode you will hear:

1. Results over everything else" defines marketing success.

2. Draw a line back to dollars in your business.

3. The stories we tell are the brands we build.

4. What makes an effective website an effective website?

5. When you try to talk to everybody, you end up talking to nobody.

6. Your brand messaging should come before anything else.

7. Sales processes and systems handle the amount of leads.

Welcome to The Branding Laboratory! Host Deevo, Chief Experience Officer for The Brand Storyteller and a master photographer/serial entrepreneur, dives deep with Alane Boyd, co-founder of Workday Ninja and Arvo.

This episode explores the critical shift in modern marketing, demanding a strong personal brand united with the company brand, and the challenges of sales in the post-radio, social-media-saturated era.

Alane, a powerhouse in business modernization, shares her journey from selling a social media agency to launching Workday Ninja (services) and Arvo (knowledge-base software).

The core discussion centers on systematizing operational processes—not to stifle creativity, but to create consistency, boost employee happiness, and maintain client lifetime value. They discuss Workday Ninja’s monthly subscription model for process creation and Arvo's solution for engaging, skimmable documentation. This is a no-BS exploration of blending organizational structure with creative freedom to build truly resilient and soulful brands.

Modernizing Business Ops: Workday Ninja's Alane Boyd Shares Insight

💡 In this episode you will hear:

1. You need to have your company brand and your personal brand.

2. Taking those tedious parts out of the day to day.

3. What's the company way? And let's have a process.

4. I'm convinced there's no such thing as retirement for entrepreneurs.

5. We can't see our own label most of the time.

6. Don't over process things because we need creatives.

Welcome to The Branding Laboratory, where host Deevo speaks with Lee Black about building a business driven by genuine purpose, especially within the challenging mental health and substance abuse (SUD) industry.

Lee, who tragically lost loved ones to addiction, realized that many successful businesses "look successful, but somehow they feel hollow" . This drove him to open a substance abuse and mental health facility in Charlotte. When asked when marketing stopped being about "clicks and data and conversions and really start being about saving other people's lives" , Lee responded with a powerful shift in perspective: "I can shift it from a client to and put a face to it, put a family to it, put a story to it" .

💡 In this episode you will hear:

1. Most people don't really have any idea why they're doing any of the things that they're doing.

2. We always know. I mean, we do a lot with with veterans and 22 veterans, you know, commit suicide every day.

3. Every single successful business person... never became successful doing what they started out to. There was always a pivot at some point.

4. People assume everyone in the marketing world around SUD and mental health is a scumbag chasing profit over people.

5. It's not an individual you're targeting. it's a family member or a loved one.

6. Lee's refusal of a corrupt, $150,000/month client because "I just can't do that.

7. Lee’s company is built on "business, soul, integrity, and community" , proving that ethical marketing can achieve genuine, life-saving results.

The Branding Laboratory: Dr Christiane Schroeter on multiplayer brands, scaling growth, and aligning brand strategy with performance marketing.

Dive into "The Branding Laboratory" with host Deevo and special guest Dr Christiane Schroeter, founder of backstory and creator of the Multiplayer Brand concept.

This episode goes beyond surface-level "better branding" to explore how enterprises can achieve real impact and scalable growth. Dr Christiane his journey from marketing leadership to consulting, detailing pivotal moments at BambooHR and Consensus (formerly Demo Chimp).

The conversation delves into the essential synergy between brand strategy and performance marketing, emphasizing the critical role of internal alignment and customer-centric messaging.

Learn how to stop sounding like a sales pitch, achieve clarity (which is king), and use a unique 'message library' to leverage AI effectively while avoiding the "sea of sameness." Discover the blueprint for building a brand that truly multiplies value, not just vanity.

Dive into "The Branding Laboratory" with host Deevo and special guest Jed Morley, founder of backstory and creator of the Multiplayer Brand concept. 

This episode goes beyond surface-level "better branding" to explore how enterprises can achieve real impact and scalable growth. Jed shares his journey from marketing leadership to consulting, detailing pivotal moments at BambooHR and Consensus (formerly Demo Chimp). 

The conversation delves into the essential synergy between brand strategy and performance marketing, emphasizing the critical role of internal alignment and customer-centric messaging. 

Learn how to stop sounding like a sales pitch, achieve clarity (which is king), and use a unique 'message library' to leverage AI effectively while avoiding the "sea of sameness." Discover the blueprint for building a brand that truly multiplies value, not just vanity.

💡 In this episode you will hear:

• The Goal Beyond Better Branding
• Career Pivot to Calling
• Brand vs. Performance Marketing
• Clarity and Alignment as the "Killer App"
• Customer as the Hero (Audience Specific Messaging)
• Balancing Data, Insights, and Intuition

The Multiplayer Brand System

What if the very thing holding you back in business isn’t your offer, your audience, or even your marketing… but your mindset about visibility and value?

In this electrifying conversation, Shayna Rattler Davis, speaker, strategist, and CEO whisperer, joins us to redefine what it really means to be “visible and profitable.” She breaks down why influence is the new currency and how most entrepreneurs are spending it all wrong.

From landing six-figure corporate deals to mastering the art of the “chocolate-covered carrot” (yes, you’ll want to hear this), Shayna shares the unfiltered truth about turning your influence into income — without selling your soul, your peace, or your authenticity.

We talk mindset, monetization, and movement and how to stop playing small when your purpose was designed to lead.

Because visibility without strategy is noise. But visibility with intention? That’s power.

In this episode, I sit down with Dan Fisher, EP, editor, and Emmy-winning storyteller behind Bottle Rocket Media, to talk about the real work of building a creative company that lasts. We get into leadership without ego, why listening is the most underrated skill, how to protect the original idea when clients pull you off course, and what it took to rebuild the business after 2020 (including the surprising role SEO played in saving the company).

If you’re a founder, creator, or agency leader trying to stand out without burning out, this one’s loaded.

What we cover

• Why people fail to do work they love (risk vs. fear)

• The power of listening as a leadership skill

• Audience-first storytelling (stop creating for yourself)

• Protecting the idea when clients want to zig

• How Bottle Rocket pivoted post-2020 (and how SEO kept them alive)

• Personal brand vs. company brand: finding the line

• Best way to earn trust: show up and keep showing up

• Building teams without ego (flat org, best idea wins)

Sometimes the best ideas come from the most ordinary places. For David Ask, it was a simple conversation with his brother-in-law that turned into Stat Guard Plus, a little piece of plastic that locks down your thermostat and ended up in Home Depot, Lowe’s, and thousands of stores across the country.

In this episode, David and I talk about what it really takes to bring an idea to life—the mistakes, the late nights, the knockoffs, the grit. We get into manufacturing overseas, protecting your vision, and what happens when a $20 product ends up saving people hundreds on their energy bills.

But this isn’t just about thermostats. David’s a musician, a writer, and the voice behind Guardians of Grit, a movement about helping men show up with honesty, identity, and resilience. His story is about more than business, it’s about becoming the man you’re meant to be.