Learn how to build a brand that brings people together into a powerful community. In this episode of The Turbo Branding Show, Joyce Shulman, serial entrepreneur and business coach, shares why sustainable brands are rooted in delivering real value and how community becomes the ultimate growth engine. Drawing from her experience building and scaling multiple multimillion-dollar companies, Joyce breaks down the critical difference between building an audience and creating a true community—one that fuels connection, loyalty, and long-term success. Episode Highlights: Joyce is a serial entrepreneur who has founded, led, and exited multiple multi-million dollar companies across consumer products, digital media, and wellness. She started her first company in law school, and after an early business failure that wiped out nearly everything, she rebuilt and has been building ever since. Building from Personal Need Joyce's most successful businesses — including Macaroni Kid, 99 Walks, and Blue Moon Mahjong — all came from identifying real gaps in her own life. Macaroni Kid was born from the question her young kids asked daily: "Mommy, what are we going to do today?" It scaled to 550 communities across the US and Canada. What Actually Builds a Sustainable Brand At the core of every successful brand is delivering meaningful value. Logo, colors, and aesthetics matter, but long-term growth comes from solving a real problem for real people. Community vs. Audience Joyce draws a sharp distinction between the two. Your email list and social followers are your audience. A community forms when members share a common purpose, communicate with each other (not just with you), and feel a sense of identity and belonging. When community clicks, members bring people they care about into it — becoming your best marketers. Keeping Core Values Alive Many organizations write their core values down and then shelve them. Joyce emphasizes that you have to keep circling back, tying values to real decisions — both what you choose to do and what you choose not to do. Coaching at the Intersection of Personal & Professional Joyce rejects the idea that "it's not personal, it's just business." Entrepreneurs and high-performing women bring their whole selves to their work — which is a superpower, but also leaves them vulnerable to self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and limiting beliefs when things get hard. Decoupling the Founder from the Brand As a company scales, founders often have to step back from being the face of everything. That requires delegation, empowering others, and being honest about the ego piece that comes with letting go. The Ten Touch Strategy Joyce's signature framework for building a business: reach out to ten people per week and invite them into a focused conversation around your goal. Simple, but not easy. What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur Self-motivation, the right amount of naivety, honesty about your strengths and gaps, willingness to hire great help, and the discipline to work on the business — not just in it. Above all, a genuine drive to solve a problem and make things better for people. The Thread Through Everything Joyce believes human beings need connection more than ever. Every business she has built has been, at its heart, about creating opportunities for people to form meaningful connections with each other. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suekirchner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandstrongmarketing/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrandStrongMarketing Connect with Joyce to learn how to build a brand rooted in community, deliver meaningful value, and grow with intention: Website: http://www.joyceshulman.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyceshulman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyce.r.shulman/ Get actionable branding insights, episode highlights, and strategic resources to help you grow faster: https://brandstrongmarketing.com/stay-in-touch/
