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8 Steps to Go From a Wannabe to a Powerhouse Brand That People Will Love

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In today’s digital world, consumers are navigating up to ten thousand ads every day. Brands are how consumers decide where to pay attention – they help us make decisions about what products we buy, the restaurants we eat at and where we go on vacation. For this reason, developing a brand is essential for the health of your business. Building a brand won’t happen overnight, but by pursuing the following eight steps, you can create brand values that will help your business stand out and put you on the right path to sharing your story with the world.

1. Answer 3 Questions

Creating a brand should begin by asking yourself three questions about your business: 

  1. Who are we? 
  2. What do we do? 
  3. What do we believe?

These questions provide clarity and help you to focus on what it is you want to talk about. Once you’ve determined your answers to these three questions, you’re ready to take the branding process a step further.

2. Personify Your Company

A fun way to create your brand is to personify your company. There are two approaches you can take. The first is to pick a celebrity. Are you hip and current? Maybe your brand is Bruno Mars. Or, if you’re in a rural part of the country, maybe your brand is Miranda Lambert. The second approach is to answer a series of questions about the type of person your business would be, such as: What’s your age? What car do you drive? What’s your house look like? In doing this, you’ll create a person who represents your business.

“If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.” – Howard Schultz

3. Ask for Input

Getting an outside perspective on how your employees or customers see your business is a great way to refine your brand identity. At this stage, asking for input also enables you to make sure that your notions of the business align with how others perceive you. You’ll know right away if any branding you’ve done thus far has resonated or if you have a lot of work to do in better communicating your message.

4. Consider Mission, Vision & Values

If you have mission, vision, and values, jot them down. Never been through this process? Start with a blank piece of paper. An example of a mission statement is: Our mission is to provide comfort to all through the products we sell and by serving people in our community. As for vision, this relates to where you see your company going. For example: In five years, we will be the number one seller of mattresses in our market. Lastly, values are what you stand for. Examples: Integrity. Honesty. Creativity. Service.

5. Define Culture

Evaluating your culture is critical to defining your brand. To identify your culture, talk to management, employees, and customers to understand how they view the business and the current state of your culture. Another option is to conduct surveys among your employees and customers. Gathering anonymous feedback online can make respondents feel safer, making it more likely they’ll be candid. An important thing to remember while collecting feedback is to listen. Fight any urge to become defensive or disagree. Hearing the views of others is essential to defining your culture in an authentic and honest way.

6. Identity Your Position 

A strong brand position is the first step to differentiating your business. Begin by asking yourself, in what category can you be first or best? Answering this question will require that you evaluate the competitive landscape. You’ll need to consider where your strengths and shortcomings are compared to your competitors. What can you offer that others can’t? Is there an opportunity for you to create the first of something new or to be the best at something that already exists?

7. Create Brand Pillars 

Once you’ve identified your position, you’re ready to create your brand pillars. Think of your brand pillars as the fundamentals of how you want to conduct your business or how you wish to make decisions. Defining your pillars allows you to align your team around ideals that tell you where to go and sometimes what to do. You won’t have to fight to figure out if a merchandising decision or advertising piece fits. Filter those ideas through your brand pillars and you’ll often get easy answers to questions causing you to stall out.

“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” – Seth Godin

8. Bring It to Life 

Once you’ve completed the previous steps, you’re ready for the final stage: bringing the brand forward. All the deep work you just did is designed to bring your brand to life in its messaging and visuals. This process will enable you to create cohesive brand messaging and imagery. Your store and your website will hold hands. Your marketing materials will look like they belong with your website, and your social channels will have a voice that fits your culture. Done properly, these things all work together to form an identity that deepens your connection to consumers.

This article was adapted from the book, “Come Back to bed,” written by Mark Quinn and Mark Kinsley.

Mark Kinsley is President and CEO of Englander, a top-15 US mattress company founded in 1894. Mark Quinn is the Co-Founder of Spink & Co, Farm-Grown Beds, and the VP of Key Accounts and Marketing for Sherwood Bedding. Together, they co-host Dos Marcos,The Galaxy’s Greatest Mattress Podcast, with more than 185 episodes and hundreds of thousands of listens.

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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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leadership tips for new CEO
Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
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When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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