The Extraordinary Strategist

Over the last decade, nearly 1,000,000 people have searched for answers to questions about purpose, trust, branding, and messaging and found the answer on Aespire.com.It's rare to find two organizations that align on common usage, definitions, and application of the principles of purpose, mission, vision, and values. In this episode, Brian unpacks each of these important principles of brand strategy and shares how a well-known company puts principles into practice.Be sure to leave a five-star review for this podcast to help others find and enjoy it!Buy Brian's books:Raise Your Voice: A Cause ManifestoThe Gift of Small PotatoesBooks by Brian SooySubscribe to our Substack at https://extraordinarystrategist.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're changing the name of this podcast from “Everybody Brands,” to “The Extraordinary Strategist.”If you're a listener or subscriber, you’re already member of The Society of Extraordinary Strategists.I share interviews with marketplace leaders, you’ll hear my insights more when we publish, and maybe we will find some new music to celebrate our name change.Thanks for listening and following. You can subscribe to receive our content directly in your inbox when we publish. Look for the link in the show notes or visit extraordinarystrategist.com. And, of course, please leave a five-star review!Subscribe to our Substack at https://extraordinarystrategist.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Schurrer was the COO at StoryBrand, where he worked alongside Donald Miller, and in a previous role, he worked alongside one of my heroes, Steve Jobs. Tim just released his new book, “The Secret Society of Success: Stop Chasing the Spotlight and Learn to Enjoy Your Work (and Life) Again”Click here to buy "The Secret Society of Success now.If you want to know how you can live a life of significance and success and join the Secret Society of Success, visit Secretsocietybook.com, which has everything you need to buy the book and connect with Tim.Are you worried that you're wasting money on marketing because you don't have a plan? Get a free marketing assessment from Aespire, powered by StoryBrand.Subscribe to our Substack at https://extraordinarystrategist.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Volman is the CEO of Floyd Consulting. Kate and Brian Sooy talk about content, creativity, and repurposing so you can do more with the content you love to create.Floyd Consulting believes an organization can only become the best version of itself to the extent that its people are becoming better versions of themselves. And in order to do that, you have to learn about your employee's dreams, what are the dreams that your team members have for their lives, and if you help them achieve their dreams, they're going show up at work differently and help you achieve the dreams of the organization.We talk about books: "What's interesting about it is when you have the book, you've done the hard work, you've done the work of taking these big ideas, and communicating them in a way that people can kind of bite size, take it and actually understand what you're trying to say."+++It’s hard to know if you’re actually getting your marketing right. If you've ever felt this way, I’m so excited to share a brand new tool with you.The StoryBrand Marketing Report is a new online business assessment that lets small business owners understand where their marketing plan is falling short and what it should look like.Marketing does not have to be complicated and yes, it can work. Take the assessment and get your report now 👉 go.aespire.com/assessment+++More Key Takeaways:I always say we are one idea or connection away from changing the trajectory of our life.Sitting down and writing every day to kind of come up with new ideas and new ways of saying them is about figuring out how are you going to say something different than the millions of other people that have said the same thing before you.The longer you sit and wait for inspiration, the more it's not going to show up. The inspiration shows up when you're putting in the work.Connect with Kate atDo What You Love on YouTubeKate Volman on LinkedInConnect with Brian SooyAespireBrian Sooy on LinkedInBrian Sooy, StoryBrand Certified GuideEndorsed by Donald Miller“I’m Donald Miller, author of Building a StoryBrand. If you want to grow your company, call Brian Sooy and hire him as a marketing guide. You will not be sorry.“ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the secret to creating value, scaling, and growing your business? In this conversation with entrepreneur and author Blair Enns, we learn it’s not about doing more or better, and it may be about doing less.Discover why growing your business requires more than good habits. In this episode, I’m talking with Blair Enns from Win Without Pitching. Win Without Pitching is an organization that runs sales and new business development training programs for owners and employees of design firms, ad agencies, PR practices, and other creative businesses. A lot of what he talks about is also relevant for your business. Blair is the author of the Win Without Pitching Manifesto, (a book I designed through my branding agency, Aespire) and Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour (the second of Blair's books Aespire designed. I suppose you can say the agency is habit-forming).Listen to hear the life-changing lesson Blair learned when he says, "Some lessons take me so long to learn, like the idea that other people could do what I do."Find Blair Enns atWin Without Pitching http://wwp.tv/blog2Bobs Podcast: http://wwp.tv/podcastThe Win Without Pitching ManifestoSubscribe to our Substack at https://extraordinarystrategist.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perceptions influence and determine how we experience the world. In this conversation with Rob Meyerson, the creator and podcast host of How Brands Are Built, we talk about how your brand name influences people, and how you manage expectations for all the decision-makers on your next naming projectRob is the principal of the branding agency Heirloom, and the author of the new book, Brand Naming: The Complete Guide to Creating a Name for your Company, Product, or Service.Listen to discover insights into the best practices and techniques you can find in Brand Naming, and the five key aspects of brand naming that every business owner, entrepreneur, or startup should know.Discover everything you need to know about Rob at brandnamingbook.comBuy Brand Naming on AmazonSubscribe to our Substack at https://extraordinarystrategist.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Brian celebrates the five-year anniversary of being a StoryBrand Certified Guide, he invites Dr. J.J. Peterson, Chief of Teaching and Facilitation at StoryBrand, for a conversation about storytelling, your customer journey, and how to tell a compelling brand story.  J.J. is the Host of the Marketing Made Simple podcast and co-author of the book, Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step StoryBrand Guide for Any Business.StoryBrand is fantastic for short-term marketing and for helping companies create coherence and continuity for their long-term brand strategy. You can find success stories and examples of how companies achieve success when they work with Aespire to create long-term brand strategy and marketing that works with StoryBrand framework at Aespire.com.You can find Dr. J. J. Peterson and learn more about the StoryBrand framework when you:Follow StoryBrand on Instagram, Facebook, or TwitterSubscribe to the Marketing Made Simple PodcastBuy Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step StoryBrand Guide for Any BusinessRegister today to create a clear message and 5-part marketing plan for your business at the StoryBrand Marketing LivestreamSubscribe to Business Made Simple University to get a step-by-step plan to grow a business that works, orSign up for the Business Made Simple daily.Brian Sooy is a leading dual-Certified Brand Strategist and StoryBrand Certified Guide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Schwab believes, “Marketing at its heart is starting a conversation with someone who could be an ideal customer.”So how do you start that conversation? If you can’t make it through the noise, how will you drive traffic and leads?The answer is not to add to the noise but to speak directly to your dream customers. There is no easier or effective way than being featured on targeted podcast interviews they already listen to.Tom Schwab is the Chief Evangelist Officer of Interview Valet, the most trusted partner in the podcast industry, and the leader in podcast interview marketing. Tom helps leading brands, coaches, consultants, and nonfiction authors build their brand and business with targeted podcast interviews.Tom’s clients include culture, marketing, entrepreneurship, leadership, design, consulting, and management experts.Tom says, “We’re all adding to the noise. Nobody’s getting heard. If you think you’re going to outyell your biggest competitor, it’s not going to happen. I believe that the best way to get heard is to get in on the conversation.”“I’d say in most companies, the biggest problem today is obscurity. There are thousands, maybe 10s of thousands, perhaps even millions of people that would gladly buy your current product, version 1.0. Right. They’re praying for it right now. The only problem is they don’t know you exist.”Here are some tips and insights to keep in mind if you think working with a podcast guest marketing service is suitable for your personal or business brand.To talk directly with your dream customers, it’s critical to find a podcast guest marketing service that speaks directly to your niche. Interview Valet specializes in placing guests in three verticals, not necessarily where their clients are, but where the client’s target markets are in business, faith and Christianity, and health, nutrition, and wellness.Find out who works with the podcast guest marketing service you’re interviewing. If you own an agency and are recommending your client with a podcast guest service, you want your client to feel comfortable that their name or logo will appear alongside other clients that the company represents.  Both your agency’s and client’s reputation are affected by your choice of podcast guest marketing partners.Define your brand awareness goals. If you want to nurture your current leads and your current customers, then have your podcast. If you’re going to go out and get new exposure, if you’re going to get new leads, if you want to get new backlinks, if you want to get new opportunities, you must tap into somebody else’s audience. Seth Godin is an excellent example of somebody who is doing that.Exposure brings opportunity — an opportunity for the person speaking — and people to hear something new about the company the guest or brand represents.Podcast guest appearances can fill gaps for authors. Three to four months before a book even launches, authors can do podcast interviews and then work with the host to schedule the podcast release to coincide with the launch date (plus or minus a week), so they get a boost of exposure and potential sales.Being a podcast guest is a brand-building strategy for individuals and companies. People are looking for help and expertise, and a podcast conversation is a great way to establish empathy, authority, and credibility.Being a podcast guest might be the best lead generator into which you can invest. Develop a sales funnel that you can direct people to after they listen, with an audio feature (since you know the visiting people are in the mood to listen). Check out some practical case studies on Interview Valet.Connect with Tom Schwab from Interview Valet on LinkedIn.Sign up to connect with your dream customers at InterviewValet.comCheck out the resources Interview Valet has for listeners at https://interviewvalet.com/brand/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all have a problem: We’re addicted to busyness. Busyness is a distraction that erodes our attention, drains our energy, and minimizes our effectiveness. Best-selling author and serial entrepreneur Jordan Raynor shares how we can overcome busyness and redeem our time.Jordan Raynor is a serial entrepreneur and national bestselling author who helps Christians do their most exceptional work for the glory of God and the good of others. Through his books, podcast, and weekly devotionals, Jordan has helped millions of Christians in every single country connect the gospel to their work.In addition to producing this content, Jordan serves as the executive chairman of Threshold 360, a venture-backed tech startup that has built the world’s most extensive library of 360° experiences of hotels, restaurants, and attractions.Time is the one resource we never seem to have enough of. Once it’s gone — it’s gone! We can earn more money, but we can never gain any more time. So who can show us how to make the most of our time?The gospels don’t show Jesus walking around with a to-do list or a calendar. But they do show him dealing with distractions at work, fighting for solitude, and seeking to be busy without being hurried. The  gospel biographies show Jesus facing many of the same challenges we face today as we seek to steward our limited time. And because he was infallible God, we can assume that Jesus managed his time perfectly, providing us with the ideal model to follow.In Jordan’s new book, Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive, Jordan shows you 7 timeless time management principles from the life of Christ and 31 hyper-practical practices to help you live out those principles today. Listen for answers to the questions:If God’s grace is sufficient, why does it seem the amount of time we have to be insufficient?What’s the difference between being busy and being hurried?I don’t mind being purposefully busy, but I don’t want to be hurried. What principles and practice can you share with me to speak to that genuine tension I feel every day? Connect with Jordan Raynor:Order the best-selling book, Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive on Amazon.Connect with Jordan at jordanraynor.com The Everybody Brands podcast is hosted by Brian Sooy, certified Brand Strategist and StoryBrand Guide.Everybody Brands gives you insight into branding and brand strategy that helps you focus on your customers and empowers you to outmaneuver your competition so you can achieve your company goals and grow your business.Find Brian Sooy’s books on Amazon.Book Brian to speak or help you grow your business at Aespire Brand Agency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brand owners and marketers can learn a lot from... wait for it... recovering ministry professionals.Why are people drawn to brands that demonstrate credibility and trust? We might not have all the answers, but we talk about that question and more in this conversation between Jake Zufelt and Brand Strategist Brian Sooy.Jake is the founder of Weldwood Marketing, an agency that specializes in marketing for Realtors.  If you're a realty professional, you've got to hear what he has to say about how you market your business.It's not much different than what we say at Aespire.  If you're a frequent listener, you'll know what we say.  If not — listen now — for an insight that everybody who brands and markets their business needs to practice.We throw in the usual references to music, too.Find Jake at Weldwood Marketing.Get a poster of the 12 principles from the Aespire Brand Clarity Credo and a year’s worth of practices you can apply to your brand and business when you signup for the Clarity Credo at claritycredo.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not content to leave a pile of brand myths unkicked in the middle of the road, Andy Starr, Managing Partner of Level C, and Brian Sooy, Brand Strategist and Founder of Aespire Brands ask (and answer) questions about brand and branding.People don't understand why differentiation matters. What's the value? Why should someone who works in brand care about the brand being different? “What are the three questions every brand and business owner should ask?How do you know when an idea is innovative?This episode of the Everybody Brands podcast is Part Two of an extended conversation with Andy Starr, Managing Partner of Level C.Andy Starr is the managing partner of Level C, an education program teaching principles of modern brand to business professionals.  Andy co-founded Level C and with international brand expert and author Marty Neumeier.Andy calls himself a "provocateur-for-hire" at the intersection of education, business, and brand. He helps clients outmaneuver competition and conditions in their markets, and make marketing|advertising|PR|content work better, land stronger, and drive real results. Because he's a provocateur, you can understand why I invited Andy for a conversation about brand and business on the Everybody Brands podcast.  We mention Dune, Marty Neumeier, and make a connection between the practice of brandind and music that you don’t want to miss.Connect with Andy Starr atLevelC.orgAndy Starr on LinkedInBrian Sooy is the only dual-certified Level C Brand Strategist and StoryBrand Guide. He is the author of multiple books on brand, communications, and culture, and the agency principal of the Aespire Brands Agency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is brand? What is branding? Why does it matter?This episode of the Everybody Brands podcast is Part One of an extended conversation with Andy Starr, Managing Partner of Level C.“We believe that the brand is defined by and owned by you. Branding is what we do what I as the owner of the business, it's what I do to influence you.”Andy Starr is the managing partner of Level C, an education program teaching principles of modern brand to business professionals.  Andy co-founded Level C and with international brand expert and author Marty Neumeier.Andy calls himself a "provocateur-for-hire" at the intersection of education, business, and brand. He helps clients outmaneuver competition and conditions in their markets, and make marketing|advertising|PR|content work better, land stronger, and drive real results. Because he's a provocateur, you can understand why I invited Andy for a conversation about brand and business on the Everybody Brands podcast.LevelC.orgAndy Starr on LinkedInBrian Sooy is the only dual-certified Level C Brand Strategist and StoryBrand Guide. He is the author of multiple books on brand, communications, and culture, and the agency principal of the Aespire Brands Agency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Everybody Brands podcast, we’re talking with Merrell Sheehan, the Vice President of Marketing, and Cole Godsey, Marketing Manager at Electronic Merchant Systems about how a B2B brand wins trust and earns customer loyalty through exemplary customer service and transparency (with a technique many businesses can do).EMSCorporate.comEMS on FacebookEMS on TwitterEMS on LinkedInEMS on YouTubeConnect with Merrell Sheehan or Cole Godsey on LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephanie Owens is a Certified Brand Strategist and the founder of Gold Sheep Design, a collaborative branding and design studio based in Southern California that helps musicians and instrument makers grow crowds of super fans by cranking their brands to 11.In Part 2 of this two-part episode, we talk about how any business can crank their brand to 11..Stephanie is a self-described Introverted rocker helping musicians grow crowds of super fans by cranking their brands to 11.Get to know Stephanie atGold Sheep Designon LinkedInon InstagramBuild a brand that inspires your fans to listen, trust, and buy with Certified Brand Specialist and StoryBrand Certified Guide Brian Sooy from Aespire, the brand agency that helps family-lead business and ESOPs implement the StoryBrand framework. You can build a beloved brand that engages customers, reduce sales costs, and grow revenue when you work with Aespire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephanie Owens is a Certified Brand Strategist and the founder of Gold Sheep Design, a collaborative branding and design studio based in Southern California that helps musicians and instrument makers grow crowds of super fans by cranking their brands to 11.In part one of this two-part episode, we talk about how businesses in the music world can crank their brand to 11.She's a self-described Introverted rocker helping musicians grow crowds of super fans by cranking their brands to 11.Get to know Stephanie atGold Sheep Designon LinkedInon InstagramBuild a brand that inspires your fans to listen, trust, and buy with Certified Brand Specialist and StoryBrand Certified Guide Brian Sooy from Aespire, the brand agency that helps people implement the StoryBrand framework and build beloved brands that engage customers, reduce sales costs, and grow revenue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the difference between marketing and branding?It's ridiculous to argue about what's more important, branding or marketing. It's important to understand the difference between branding and marketing so you know how they work together to attract, inspire, and engage customers and create raving fans. In this episode, Brian discusses the definition of brand and marketing, and shows you how your brand can align with the principles from Donald Miller's book, Business Made Simple.Read this podcast episode at Aespire.com(I recommend listening to Chris Do discuss the merits of both marketing and branding with Melinda Livsey and Fabian Geyrhalter). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of the Everybody Brands podcast, Cleveland businessman and National Director of WEC, Intl., John Murtha and Brian Sooy have a conversation about faith-driven business, entrepreneurship, and why everybody who works is essential.This episode is different from most others on this podcast — you'll learn about Brian's background, his faith story, and his passion for helping entrepreneurs grow and experience the joy of their faith — whether they are the CEO or someone who pushes a broom.John and Brian dig deep into why work matters, how you can integrate your faith at work, and if Brian's forthcoming book, Essential: Finding Worth in your Work During Uncertain Times, a 30-day devotional, is prophetic for times like these.Enjoy a 5-day devotional sample when you subscribe to Essential: Finding Worth in your Work exclusively from Bible.com and the YouVersion app.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Everybody Brands podcast, we have a conversation with Mind State Group founder Will Leach on how making fast emotional connections with people will help your brand win trust and resonate with people’s hearts and minds.Will knows what it what it's like and how it feels to hold your breath every time you launch advertising, and how crushing it is when the campaign you worked on so hard just crashes and burns. With over 25 years of experience in corporate America, Will has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world and conducted hundreds of research studies. His best-selling book, Marketing to Mindstates generated six figures in just six months of launching, (which makes me jealous). Marketing to Mindstates is one of the leading resources on behavioral and science-based marketing today.Connect with Will atMindstate GroupWill Leach on Twitter Will Leach on LinkedInConnect with Brian Sooy from Aespire atAespire.comon Marketing Made SimpleBrian Sooy on LinkedInBrian Sooy's books on Amazon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Take two for the first international Everybody Brands episode with Eddie Biroun, a copywriter who happens to design. Eddie helps businesses attract more leads, create more customers and increase profits through brand building and sales messaging. Eddie has achieved results across 16 different markets, including financial insurance, real estate, automobile education, entertainment and fitness, and he's worked with brands like Sotheby's, Toyota, and Volvo. Eddie and host Brian Sooy are both passionate about brands and branding. We both approach brands and branding from similar and different directions, with a common mentor in one of the world's leading branding experts. Connect with Eddie onInstagramEddieBiroun.comMentioned in this episode:Marty NeumeierRaise Your Voice: A Cause Manifesto Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Purpose, mission, and vision statements can be confusing. It's rare to find two organizations that agree on common usage, definition and application of the words. It can be even more confusing to understand why each word is relevant, and how each component relates to one another. Some organizations tend to substitute their mission and vision for their purpose. If you want your audience to connect with your mission, you need to communicate with clarity about why, what, and how you are creating value and impact.In this companion podcast the popular article, The Difference Between Purpose, Mission, and Vision, Brian Sooy unpacks the difference between purpose and mission, the difference between mission, and vision, and why impact is ultimately what matters.A good mission statement and vision statement are best suited for internal organizational guidance. Purpose keeps you focused on why you exist, vision aligns you with your goal, and mission empowers how you will accomplish it. Done well, it will inspire and motivate you every day, and just might inspire your audience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.