Brand for Good

Lorraine Schuchart

Welcome to Brand for Good, the show for purpose-driven leaders who want to build timeless brands and create sustainable impact. In other words, do well AND do good. Tune in each week to learn from Lorraine Schuchart, a disruptive brand strategist and storyteller. As an Addy Award-winning copywriter, Lorraine wrote for some of the world's most influential brands. As an accredited public relations strategist, she created award-winning campaigns and provided counsel to multi-million dollar organizations. Now, as owner of Prosper for Purpose, Lorraine partners with clients to create peerless, profitable brands. lorraineschuchart.substack.com

  1. Sep 22

    Episode 209: What No One Shares About Sales

    Sales gets a bad reputation, especially among people who care deeply about doing business with integrity. But selling doesn’t have to mean persuading, pressuring, or performing. In this episode of Brand for Good, I explore the relationship between marketing and sales, and why stronger branding, trust and relationship-building make the sales process feel far more natural. I also share what ethical sales looks like in practice, whether you’re having a one-to-one conversation or making an offer through an email, workshop, podcast or launch. Along the way, I revisit my Relationship Flywheel and the idea that relationships—not simply leads—create sustainable growth. And finally, I talk about the part of sales we don’t discuss nearly enough: rejection. Recently, one of my offers resulted in 27 unsubscribes. That experience reminded me that making offers means giving people the opportunity to say yes or no—and that rejection isn’t always a verdict on the value of your work. In this episode, you’ll hear: * Why marketing and sales are two sides of the same coin * How branding and relationships reduce the pressure on the sales process * What ethical selling looks like one-to-one and one-to-many * Why relationships can be more valuable than constantly chasing new leads * What 27 unsubscribes taught me about rejection, resilience and continuing to make the ask Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode 209: What No One Shares About Sales
  2. Sep 15

    Episode 208: Brand Breakthrough Live with Seth Diamond

    In this episode of Brand for Good, I’m sharing another Brand Breakthrough Live coaching session, this time with Seth Diamond, multimedia artist, tech expert, culinary storyteller and creator of Road Feast on Substack. Seth’s background is anything but conventional. His work has spanned technology, photography, video, music, culinary media and production, including experience with America’s Test Kitchen and PBS. Today, he brings those worlds together through Road Feast, where he writes about food, cars, travel and the human stories that connect them. We spend the first part of our conversation exploring Seth’s creative journey and what he’s trying to build on Substack. Then we move into coaching. Seth wants Road Feast to become more than a publication. He wants to turn it into a recognizable brand and a sustainable business. That means getting clearer about the idea that connects his work, defining what readers can consistently expect from him, and creating revenue opportunities beyond paid subscriptions. In this episode, we talk about: * Why a list of topics is not the same thing as a brand * How to identify the “golden thread” connecting seemingly different interests * Positioning Seth as a cinematic storyteller rather than simply a writer about cars and food * Why your publication bio should communicate a reader promise, not just your credentials * How recurring editorial series can create stronger content architecture * Why Substack should be part of a larger owned-media strategy * Building a diversified revenue model through sponsorships, brand storytelling, commissioned work, affiliate partnerships and experiences * How collaborations, podcasts and other relationships can help you “borrow authority” * Why clarity and consistency matter more than chasing visibility * The difference between creating content and building a business around your content One of the biggest ideas from our conversation is that differentiation rarely comes from finding one completely original thing. It comes from the particular combination of your experiences, expertise, worldview and interests. For Seth, that means moving beyond “cars and cuisine” and toward a larger editorial territory built around cinematic stories from the kitchen and the open road, exploring the people, places and passions that move us, feed us and connect us. And that shift changes everything. Read Seth Diamond Road Feast: https://substack.com/@foodbiker Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode 208: Brand Breakthrough Live with Seth Diamond
  3. Sep 8

    Episode 207: We Were Never Meant to Build Alone

    We often celebrate the independent creator, visionary founder, or entrepreneur who built something from nothing. What we talk about less often is how lonely that experience can be. In this episode of Brand for Good, I’m sharing what seven months on Substack helped me recognize about the difference between having an audience and belonging to a community. An audience may witness our work, but a community participates—offering ideas, encouragement, introductions, collaboration, and the reminder that we don’t have to figure everything out alone. I also explore why community requires more than gathering people in the same room, group, or digital space. It grows when we respond instead of merely broadcasting, move meaningful conversations beyond the feed, and contribute to relationships without calculating an immediate return. What You’ll Learn in This Episode * Why we can be surrounded by clients, followers, colleagues, and family and still feel alone in our work * The difference between building an audience and creating a genuine community * Three ways we can develop relationships that make our work stronger and more sustainable This episode complements my Brand & Belief article, I Came to Substack to Leave a Legacy. I Found a Community (publishing Thursday), where I share more about the relationships I’ve found, what I hope to build next, and how paid annual subscribers can become a deeper part of the community. Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode 207: We Were Never Meant to Build Alone
  4. Sep 1

    Episode 206: Brand Breakthrough Live with Monica A. Leyva

    Brand for Good is turning the spotlight on creators and how they can use Substack to build a personal brand around the full range of who they are and what they create. In this episode, I’m sharing my second Brand Breakthrough Live with Monica A. Leyva, a true unicorn who brings together the intellectual and the creative. Monica writes about healthcare, systems and leadership alongside poetry, personal essays and her speculative fiction series, Sorrel Ashwick. As she prepares to approach agents and publishers, she wants to ensure her personal brand supports everything she writes without confusing her audience. We explore how Monica can organize her eclectic body of work, strengthen her identity as an author and use the expertise from her professional life as a differentiator in her fiction. We also discuss why writers need to build a brand around themselves rather than a single book—and why a website, an email list and copies of their work remain essential, even when Substack is their primary platform. Then Monica turns the tables on me. She asks why I created my Substack, Brand & Belief, how it became part of my legacy work and what inspired me to create Brand Breakthrough Live as a way to share what I’ve learned with more people. What We Talk About: * How to build an author brand by leveraging your unique perspectives, multiple interests and forms of writing * Why your professional experience can strengthen your creative identity rather than compete with it * How Brand & Belief and Brand Breakthrough Live grew from my desire to teach, serve and help others rise Read Monica A. Leyva: https://substack.com/@layersofshimmer Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode 206: Brand Breakthrough Live with Monica A. Leyva
  5. Aug 25

    Episode 205: Marketing Without Social Media with Megan Espinal

    If social media wasn’t essential to growing a successful business, would you still use it? In this episode of Brand for Good, I’m joined by Megan Espinal, founder of Social Reject, a social-media-free marketing agency. Megan believes social media has taken on an outsized role in business, turning what should be one distribution tactic into the foundation of many companies’ marketing strategies. We talk about what it means to build beyond the feed using assets you own, including your website and email list. We also explore the risks of relying on platforms you can’t control, why marketing should align with your strengths and values, and how to recognize when social media is costing you more than it contributes. But our conversation goes beyond social media. Megan and I discuss transparency, trust, AI, copyright, and the danger of experts who promise a single formula for success. This episode is an invitation to question the marketing rules you’ve been handed—and build a business that feels more ethical, sustainable, and aligned. In This Episode, We Talk About: * How to build your business around owned assets such as your website and email list * Why discernment, nuance, and alignment matter when choosing how to market * The ethical and copyright concerns surrounding AI-generated content * Why transparency and real expertise are essential to rebuilding trust Connect with Megan: Visit Social Reject and subscribe to Megan’s biweekly newsletter, The Rejection Letter, at socialreject.co/subscribe Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode 205: Marketing Without Social Media with Megan Espinal
  6. Aug 12

    Episode 203: How to Change Your Business Without Changing Your Brand

    Your business may be ready to change—but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need a new brand. In this episode of Brand for Good, I explain the difference between your brand and the current expression of your business. Services, offers, audiences, and delivery models can evolve while the beliefs, values, and reputation at the heart of your brand remain intact. I also share how I’m applying these ideas as I edit Prosper for Purpose—working with fewer clients more deeply, making more room for writing, and creating a smaller, more focused business that is more closely aligned with the brand I’ve been building all along. In this episode, I explore: * The difference between business evolution and brand reinvention * Four essential elements to understand before changing your business * How to distinguish what belongs to your brand from what belonged to one chapter * Why a successful offer or strategy may not belong in your future * How business changes can bring you closer to your brand’s essential identity A strong brand shouldn’t trap you inside the business you built years ago. It should be sturdy enough to carry the most essential parts of who you are into whatever comes next. Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode 203: How to Change Your Business Without Changing Your Brand
  7. Aug 4

    Episode 202: Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Power of a Smaller, Simpler Business

    In the last episode, I shared some of the business advice I no longer believe—including the idea that growth should always be the goal. This week, I’m taking that idea further by sharing how I’m editing the business I’ve spent more than a decade building. I’m not walking away from meaningful work or giving up on ambition. I’m becoming more discerning about what I want my business to require of me and what I want it to make possible. More time with my family. More space to read, write, travel, explore new interests, and create a life I have room to enjoy. I also share why I’m doubling down on Substack as a place to develop my ideas, connect more deeply with readers and listeners, and bring Brand for Good and Brand & Belief together in complementary ways. And I introduce Brand Breakthrough Live, a new opportunity to watch real brand strategy unfold through a live conversation with a business owner. In This Episode, I Talk About: * Why changing your definition of success does not invalidate what you built before * How simplifying a business can create space for a more expansive life * Why Substack and Brand Breakthrough Live reflect the work I want to do next A smaller business does not have to mean smaller ideas, less ambition, or less impact. Sometimes, it means becoming clear enough to build the business—and the life—you actually want. Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode 202: Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Power of a Smaller, Simpler Business
4.9
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

Welcome to Brand for Good, the show for purpose-driven leaders who want to build timeless brands and create sustainable impact. In other words, do well AND do good. Tune in each week to learn from Lorraine Schuchart, a disruptive brand strategist and storyteller. As an Addy Award-winning copywriter, Lorraine wrote for some of the world's most influential brands. As an accredited public relations strategist, she created award-winning campaigns and provided counsel to multi-million dollar organizations. Now, as owner of Prosper for Purpose, Lorraine partners with clients to create peerless, profitable brands. lorraineschuchart.substack.com

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