Brands don’t just happen. They’re grown from the connection between a business and its audience. How the brand grows directly results from the conditions it is subjected to. Just because you have a business doesn’t mean you have a brand, and vice versa.
We will be taking this idea from three angles:
I strongly recommend you start by understanding your brand archetypal mix, and we have a FREE quiz for that.
You can join our BAMFam Community dedicated to aligning your brand. We have Free Alignment resources there as well.
Finally, if you find yourself in need of guidance with your brand alignment. We have our BAM Academy, and frameworks to help you with that. I would start with The Big BAM Process, this is the brand strategy framework we have led thousands of clients through and we have a self-guided option as well.
If you would like to be a guest on our podcast you can contact us.
--------------
Read the blog entry:
https://mybam.link/starts-with-passion
Brands don’t just happen. They’re grown from the connection between a business and its audience. How the brand grows directly results from the conditions it is subjected to. Just because you have a business doesn’t mean you have a brand, and vice versa.
We will be taking this idea from three angles:
I strongly recommend you start by understanding your brand archetypal mix, and we have a FREE quiz for that.
You can join our BAMFam Community dedicated to aligning your brand. We have Free Alignment resources there as well.
Finally, if you find yourself in need of guidance with your brand alignment. We have our BAM Academy, and frameworks to help you with that. I would start with The Big BAM Process, this is the brand strategy framework we have led thousands of clients through and we have a self-guided option as well.
If you would like to be a guest on our podcast you can contact us.
--------------
Read the blog entry:
https://mybam.link/starts-with-passion
Welcome to the 14th episode of our monthly podcast, or BAMcast as we like to call it. Once again we've gone live within our BAM FAM community. If you join us for this, thanks for being here. If you're watching us on replay, be sure to watch your community live. The live events space for future events. Okay, so we'll be keeping our format of a discussion around brand related topics. And our goal is to provide you with some key insights, which into this month's topic while staying under 20 minutes. We'll try and keep at under 20 minutes. This month is the similarities between human growth and brand development. It's a juicy one. Right, Joel do you wanna take it away?
Joel Kelly - normal:Yeah. So brands don't just happen. They, they're grown from the connection between businesses and its audience and how brands grow is a result from the conditions it is subject to So just because you have a business doesn't mean you have a brand and vice versa. So as Marty Newmeyer once said, Brand is not what you say it is, but what they say it is Brands aren't unlike people. Some of the traits are naturally ingrained. Your hair are color, for example. Other traits you gain from experiences and the environment around you, your personality and how you respond to things and preferences are your fears. This is the line between nature and nurture. Your brand is like a person changes depending on how it's. So that's just gives you a sum up of what we do, but before we deconstruct what this all means, let me tell you what BAMcast is all. BAMcast is a monthly podcast dedicated to recalibrating your brand, audience and message. All resources, support topics will be around the recalibration to give you the confidence and clarity of the right path for your brand's vision. I am Joel Kelly, co-founder of BAM Align, Big BAM Academy and the BAM FAM. And
André Gagiano:I'm Andre Gagiano, the RAD Relationship Alignment Director here at BAM, and also the owner of Strike North Branding Company, which leverages the BAM frameworks and systems. So we spent 20 plus years recalibrating brands and educating business owners on how to communicate to those who are already looking for what they as a brand are uniquely offering.
Joel Kelly - normal:We wanna teach you the laws we've learned successes and failures to share the wins gained along the way. We didn't follow our passion, we followed the opportunity, which led to our passion. Build the legacy and live the life you always dreamed, but just need a little bit of help. We're here to help.
André Gagiano:So this month's topic is the similarities between human growth and brand development. We'll be discussing three things during this podcast, how the conflict faced in human development compared to brand. How most businesses struggle and fail to grow their brand. How to consistently evolve, grow, and mature your brand. So point 1, how the conflict faced in human development compared to brand growth. Joel, let's begin by exploring how the stages of human development relate to our businesses. How does a business grow from the fetus stage through infancy into childhood.
Joel Kelly - normal:So the basically the fetus is like the daydream or the vision. It's basically about unless owners face enough, like friction enough frustration, they can seize upon the opportunity. And take it. So you have someone who is like, Man, I wish I was my own boss. And, but they don't necessarily do anything about it. It's still on the thought stage, right? And when you get to that fetal stage, it's the conception of that idea, that vision. You're talking about it with friends, you're seeing you're exploring those opportunities, what that's looking and yeah, so that's the fetus days. And then you've got infancy stages. You pull the trigger, you are ready to go. You got your name, you're legally licensed, you're out in the new world. You're bright and bushy tailed, and you're full of optimism and you're ready to go and you are moving forward. Everything is really exciting. Everything is novel and the world itself is just something that you're ready to just go take on, and you're like, I've got this solution and it's for everyone and it's gonna change the world. And so you haven't had enough experience or enough of anything as far as that at that point. You haven't even learned to walk as a business at this moment. You're just in the infancy stages and you get in the childhood and your toddler stage and where you're starting to walk, you're starting to generate some momentum, if you will. You're anywhere from 18 months to three years in business can take longer depending on the maturity of the brand and your industry environment. A lot of different things. Obviously these are speculative timeframes. And and so you're starting to walk. Your environment has been shaping you around you, your audience, and they've been responding and saying, Yeah, no, that's not, You need, We actually, this is actually what we were hoping that you would be for us in that solution and whatever. And so you're evolving and you're growing, you're maturing and in your childhood. And so you're getting it somewhat figured out, but you're not obviously quite there because obviously the impressions of your environment around you as a business you're starting to get your identity. You're starting to understand a little bit. The intrinsic part is taking a little bit more of a backseat at this point. Environmental obviously is more of from that position. So those three stages, I guess you could say, are just the starting points of starting a business and to creating a brand, obviously.
André Gagiano:It's, thanks for that, Joel. I, it's quite a well known or discussed topic that businesses don't really make it past three year mark. Why do you reckon that
Joel Kelly - normal:is? A lot of there's quite a few different reasons that can happen. One is the fact that there isn't really that focus and clarity as far as running with their vision, right? Yes, your vision can evolve and test, but it can still go in a similar direction, it's just how you attach it, in a different way, I think is one way. The other one is that you think you know what's best for your audience, And your audience is like, Oh, I didn't want Superman, I wanted Clark Kent. And so they needed someone to help and guide them, they didn't need someone to rescue them. And so a lot of brands sometimes that they create a product and they think they're trying to rescue someone from a bad situation, not always, but it's happened and that's not what they want. They just need someone guide because they believe they're the hero of their story in that regards.
André Gagiano:how much of honesty comes into that? We all think we're being honest or I guess authentic or maybe we don't, but how much does that play into it?
Joel Kelly - normal:Authenticity plays a huge factor into success as far as you knowing what you are and what your audience says you are one in the same. Then there's no broken brand trust you ever said, like someone says, He goes if you do business and thinking these are the things that you're going to get these, this is your experience, this is what's going on. And then they get it. For instance so I was talking with someone yesterday and they were talking about that they invested in a product that cost them a considerable amount of money, and they were told it was gonna be there in the three, five business days and it took 19 days. Well, 19 days is a little bit different. And not only that, they didn't communicate anything. And not only that, they had to come from a different country when they said it was supposed to come from when it was supposed to come from the country next to them. And and then not only that, they didn't send the proper equipment in order for it to function. And so it malfunctioned when it got there, because the person didn't know enough about it because again, you thought that everything was sent there. And so that breaks brand promise. That's a critical one as far as you break that promise to your audience. They're not gonna trust you. And you want'em to trust you. And the only way to do that is do what you say you're gonna do and you just follow through. I wouldn't make any crazy promises either in the beginning I guarantee you're gonna be successful in 30 days. How do you know there's too many variables involved for that to be even be True.
André Gagiano:And right, the identity comes through the experimentation of adolescence. Before we move into adulthood and old age. So what happens to our businesses in these stages?
Joel Kelly - normal:Yeah. The adolescence is the experimenting phase, right? So your brand grows and discovers more about a. And you'll face more critique that isn't necessarily a criticism, it's feedback, and your audience is telling you that, Hey, this is a little bit more what we'd like to see from you. Or, Hey, I know that's what you think, and moving in the direction of more of and I touched on this a little bit earlier, but this is obviously more pronounced the identity is now being formed. The brand is actually coming forth in its own way. It's standing on, its own two feet. And and it's starting to make its mark in the world. It's starting to have some impact, it's starting to have some influence, it's starting to move things forward. It's starting to think for itself and not just being influenced by peers and the industry around it in itself, and it's really coming into its own. And You have to ask, how does this information and feedback like align with your brand or help recalibrate your brand? Does something need to change? And so there is that question of trying to understand am I this, am I that? And you're taking those different variables to really form what that is. And the adulthood is you've established your identity. You know who you are and you know who you appeal to, and you know who you don't appeal to, and you got your business and brand, but you can also help shape the market and change what newcomers face. And the old age is you're established and just as elders and tell us, this has to be, this is the way it's always been. You've established your brand, what others look like for inspiration and confidence. This is also the exit stage necessarily. So this is where you're going to transition that legacy, Or you're going to keep it going on in the family or run it or whatever, but it's usually exit strategy of what you're looking for someone to pass the baton to, if that's who we want to sell it, an acquisition, a merger or something. So there can be different ways in life. And there obviously is a midlife crisis too, where you're you've been doing it for so long, you're like, is there a better way of doing it? And you wanna reinvent yourself. But The main thing as far as like within exit strategy, all this can take place. Just so you know, all this can take place in a timeframe of five years. So you have like their businesses and there are ventures that are putting that have put a plan together that they wanna build, a business, they wanna build, its 25 million and then they wanna sell and then they want to do it again. And they wanna get to the old age stage pretty quickly. And so in order to do that, you need to have a system in order to recalibrate and make sure that everything is solid. And so these for you to think that it goes like, Oh no, you have to be 60 years or you have to be 40 years, or you have to be whatever is irrelevant in the business and the brand development process. It can happen in seasons, if you will, depending on many things the economics environment around you how well you can connect with your audience right off the hand and whatnot. And really if you stay calibrated and you keep your brand on point and you're really about there meeting that need in the best way possible and finding creative ways that align with what you're doing as far as in your business it makes a huge difference. Yeah, that's one of those things that I could say. Yeah.
André Gagiano:I'd love to touch on that at some points in the future, especially this sort of how some brands grow or businesses grow more rapidly than others. But let's go onto point number two. How most businesses struggle and fail to grow their brands. I guess is almost what I was wanting to discuss anyways. Most people start with ego and growing their businesses into a brand, but this can be very, the very thing that trips you up. Truth is you can have a business without a brand, but not an effective brand without a business. Yet countless businesses worry about their brand on day one, the logo, the website, their attitude taglines. This all feeds to the ego. Also, they can feel that they are doing something worthwhile with their time. How do we avoid this mistake?
Joel Kelly - normal:Yeah, first, do not impose what you think your audience wants on them. It's okay to ask them. It's okay not to have all the answers, but, the point of being a guide is that you are sitting here, you're guiding'em to his solution, but if you're a new brand and you're not totally sure, go ahead. Ask polls, figure out what you would like, would you like to see this, or this? And give them three options. Don't just ask'em a question where you're just like, Hey what would you like to see? Cause then you're gonna get a million different answers. It's not gonna be focused and it may not even be that helpful. That's not always the case. It depends upon the circumstance and situation. But just ask'em. If you feel that's your audience and the one you want to connect to, then go for it. But you might work with an audience for a while and realize it's not really the audience you wanna work with. It might be a dollar amount that you're happy with, but it doesn't bring that fulfillment in you and so you don't wanna work with them. Or there's a character misalignment or anything of that nature too. So again, it comes down to really just don't impose or think that you know what's best for your solution. There's many different reasons why I would listen. We have two, two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as we speak, and you'll be doing fine. Just listen to your audience, listen to what they're wanting, listen to the needs and what that internal pain point really is.
André Gagiano:I'm hearing, don't forget to be the guide. Yeah, exactly. So like wines and whiskey, stories and brands require time. You might know how they start, but the experience determines where they'll finish. Let's jump onto point number three, how to consistently evolve, grow, and mature your brand. So what do we have to do to consistently evolve, grow, and mature our business past that three year mark? How do we build up the momentum and consistency to see our business fully?
Joel Kelly - normal:Running a business is boring sometimes, right? there are day to day tasks and things that they're not that exciting but you just have to do'em. If you're always following, just basically on ideas that are exciting, or following your quote, unquote, your passion if you want, emotions are charged behind it. When your emotions die, you still gonna have the drive to go forward. You need to understand that there's the sacrifices and discipline that's necessary. And a lot of people don't wanna pay that. They want the results, they want the beach and the mai tais without, all the work that's involved with it. And there are so many people out there take shortcuts to this success and whatever, which is a bunch of bs because you have to build that momentum. You have to get to that critical mass before you can get to that stage. I've been in a business for 20 plus years and I am able now to be a nomadic entrepreneur on the road and traveling because of how I set myself up and my family and the business and all this stuff, but it wasn't an overnight thing. In fact, it was a shift that took probably place about six, seven years ago, and I started moving in this direction for that case. So not everyone willing is willing to give up that sacrifice, and that's okay if you need to work a nine to five job. But as an entrepreneur, Sometimes we work at one o'clock in the morning, two o'clock in the morning. Sometimes especially in the trailer situation right now, as a nomadic entrepreneur I have to work odd times. Like it's not just a set schedule and then meetings and different things and stopping off of the road and like this, like I'm in the truck, I was supposed to be in there, but it's too cooled out for the baby, so I need to I'm here in the truck running the podcast right now, which is what it is, and we had some technical issues as a result, but it is what it is. And you just gotta be flexible with that. And so businesses that grow and develop from one stage to the next are the ones that have worked on it every single day. That consistency compounds. And these are the ones that are really delivering those results to their clients consistently. And again, the word key is consistent here, and they really know who they are and who they're not.
André Gagiano:And so a brand isn't what you feel about things. It's what your audience feel and keeping tabs on these feelings is how businesses develop the flagship ship product that grows refines and becomes the best thing on the market, right?
Joel Kelly - normal:Yep. So like businesses that make it past the three year mark also have realistic understanding and the impact that their brand can have. Maybe not that it is having at that current moment, but that the vision of what it is. And we live in a world with mega brands, Apple, Coke, Chanel, and I think every brand needs to work on that level. And yet most clients that we work with at BAM might see 2000 clients in their lifetime. And if you took care of 2000 clients, let's think about. At even just a modest amount of work and you had 2000 clients, and that's a lot of clients. That's a fair bit of clients. And you'd make some pretty good money and you'd be able to live the life that you want to. If you wanted to be like a mega corporation or whatever, obviously you would want a little bit more of that. But you don't have to sell to everyone and not everyone needs what you have to offer, and that's ok. You just need to carve out your spot where there's people out there who want already what you're offering. They're already out there and you just gotta find them and stop paying pin the tail on the donkey as well.
André Gagiano:Yeah, this is the central idea behind the Big BAM Process. Stripping down the business no matter what stage it's at, and finding ways to focus attentional matters. My brother used to give me a good analogy years ago when I had issues and he would say, Look, it's like looking at an animal or human. You start off with that, this skin and then you start peeling away till you get to the muscle and you get the fat and you go all the way down into the bone. I think that's quite similar to the Big BAM Process, right?
Joel Kelly - normal:A hunting analogy that's different. But yeah, it's it, yeah. We are deconstructing, right? So like the Big BAM Process is really about deconstruct, not just what you think it is, but really understanding what your audience thinks it is and what their perception of that is and building from that perspective. And so you may start off with some familiar things, demographic, psychographics, and whatnot, but really it's about getting to that pain point. Why are they coming to you in the first place? What is what is going on there? And then how effectively are you as a guide? Do you even know? Do you even understand their pain that they're going through? Or are you just saying yeah, I get it by my stuff. And then what are you doing as far as to offer? And another thing that people, especially consultants in business or anyone in the service base, is the fact that they become the bottleneck of their business. And so they stunt this scale in growth and so we really examine that through the Big BAM Process. And then you're messaging, making sure that it's not just about me. It's Look at my brand. Look how cool it is. It's about Because a lot of it is based on ego, right? When people are creating brands, it's like, what I like, what I want, what I think will be cool, and this will be great, but this worked really well for this brand, so I'm gonna copy that in some ways, but give my own spin to it or whatever. And then the reflection in the evaluation of kind of how things work out and that's really what the Big BAM processes are about, is that messaging, is that recalibration and deconstructing what you have and getting rid of all the nonsense, and then discovering what that nonsense is, and then recalibrating it in a way that makes sense that's gonna resonate with your audience. That's really what the Big BAM Process is all about and you can go through it. It doesn't matter whether you're in infancy stage or even if you're just thinking in the fetus stage and you're gonna be testing out an idea. You want to expand and grow in different, it will. You can go through it every single stage of development, even when you're exiting strategy, you want to give that clarity. You wanna make sure that acquisition and merger is gonna be solid, for exit strategy, again, the Big BAM Proceess, that's it. That's where it's at. I want to make this clear, that deconstructing is not an easy process. It is not a fun process. It I would not say that my clients or our clients when they have gone through this would say that this has been fun. It, I it's been fun in some ways, obviously with the results, but it was painful. It wasn't an easy thing. It was tough. It brought them to the point that they had to call into question some belief systems that they all of a sudden, once you put the data around, it did not support the reality of what they actually thought. And when they made the shift in the change, even though it was painful and it was a little bit different, and a lot of the times it's just micro adjustments. So it's just a different way of looking at a solution. And it was those micro adjustments that made a huge difference. And that's what the thing is, it's really bringing out those small things and making those micro adjustments to making it done. It's not Oh, now I have to rebrand. Now I have to do this. No. How can we shift? How can we tweak? How can we make those micro adjustments, those recalibrations. Recalibration is very key. It's not a, overhaul and redo and whatever. It's no, let's take the existing data that we have and let's work with that and let's see what solution we can come up with. And then that's what the process does. And then again, we use the archetypes so that obviously we're looking for the right type of lenses when we're giving you advice. So we're not guiding bias, as bias or with our prejudice as possible. So yeah, and that's what the Big BAM Process is really all about. it also helps recession proof your business, which is on, is potentially something that we'll be facing soon.
André Gagiano:Absolutely. Joel, thanks for that. Yep. And yeah, thanks. Thanks to both Amber and Gonzalo for being with us live. I strongly recommend starting the recalibration journey by understanding your brand's archetype mix as Joel mentioned previously, and you can do this through our free archetype alignment quiz. The links should be all around actually. So yeah, there's also plenty of resources and new connections waiting for you in our BAM FAM. So please jump in for the conversation. Finally, if you find yourself in need of guidance with your brand alignment, we have our BAM Academy and frameworks to help you with that. I would suggest the Big BAM Process, which I've personally completed. I haven't found anything better than this. It is painful as Joel says. But this is the brand strategy framework that have led thousands of clients through. There's also the self-guided option for those that prefer to go at their own pace. And if you'd like to be a guest on our podcast, you can email clarity@bamalign.com with the subject line. I would like to be a guest on BAM cast. Thanks for
Joel Kelly - normal:that Joel. Yeah. Thanks again for listening and hope you guys have a better understanding of the similarities of human growth and brand development. So that's the main thing. Until next time.