The Business of You with Rachel Gogos Rachel Gogos

My leadership style focuses on being open and creating a work environment where team members feel like family, helping brandiD employees thrive both personally and professionally.
The biggest leadership lessons come from the positive and negative examples of leaders in your own life. For me, my father's approach to running a family business emphasized kindness and treating team members with respect. Other leaders taught me the significance of autonomy and empowering employees to take ownership of their work, fostering innovation and confidence within the team.
If you’re developing your own leadership style, be sure to take time for self-reflection, learn from past experiences, and continually seek knowledge through books and podcasts like "The Business of You."
Quotes “One of the reasons I think people start businesses, entrepreneurs launch things, besides the fact that there's a problem they're trying to solve. You know, we also get to create our work environment.”
“Certainly one thing that's always been important to me, and I don't even think I was conscious of it at the beginning, actually, it's like just a friendliness, helpful nature. I think our whole team has that.”
“I’m a very big proponent of being around positivity. I think life is short. I've said that in other episodes, and I don't have time for drama, I don't have time for negativity, I just want there to be as much positivity in my day to day life as possible.”
“I would say my leadership style is I'm open, I want to know more than just what's going on in people's lives. Besides their work day and their crafts. I want people to work in their strengths, I want them to feel happy about being in the work environment that they're in, I don't want them to feel stressed. I think life carries enough stress around, it brings enough stress to all of us. So I want it to be just kind of a pleasant environment, but that is very innovative and cutting edge and where people can learn. And I want to foster people's ability to learn and, and grow personally and professionally. Those are all things that are very important to me. So I think my style is just very kind of open. And trusting.”
“Good leaders welcome people on their team that are smarter than them and better than them and certain skill sets, I think that's a huge part of success.”
“My ability to grow as a leader is so deeply tied into my personal growth that I've learned in more recent years, particularly around mindset, but knowing that my company isn't going to grow unless I personally grow to that level has been very eye opening.”
“Take stock of people you've worked for, what did you like, what didn't you like, do the things you liked and don’t do the things you don't like, you know, it's really that simple.
“Read books about great leaders, it doesn't matter what industry they're from, or if they're political, or what it might be. But just reading their history and reading about their characteristics and their traits, also is very eye opening.”
Links mentioned in this episode: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni: https://a.co/d/fZIQdiP
 

Speaking on stage is one of the fastest ways to grow your visibility, build brand authority, and connect with your audience. But you don’t have to wait for the invitation to come to you–you can create your own stage by hosting a live or in-person event. 
Shay Wheat is a visionary entrepreneur and CEO of Grace and Ease Productions, supporting entrepreneurs with event-based marketing and sales strategies. She and her team of Certified Event Producers™ produce impactful events to help entrepreneurs build authority, credibility, and visibility while rapidly scaling their businesses and saving time and money.​​
Shay has produced events from 50 to 4,000+ attendees and collaborated with well-known celebrities such as Dr. Oz, Lisa Nichols, Dr. Claire Zammit, Bill Baren, Alison J. Prince, Josh Turner, and many others. Her clients have made over $24 million in revenue, gaining over 3,500 new clients and changing the lives of over 16,000 attendees.
The Event Promise
A successful event isn’t just about selling people into your program. You need to provide a transformative experience, whether your attendees decide to do business with you or not. Shay calls this your “event promise” – the result your event will deliver. This should be related to but separate from your program’s promise. 
Start by reverse engineering your goals for the event. If the goal is to convert people into your high-ticket coaching program, what do they need to know about that program? What beliefs need to shift and what information do they need to make a buying decision? The idea is that your audience could take the information from your event and do it on their own, or they could choose to take the shortcut and work with you.
Tips for Hosting a Profitable Event
At a well-executed event, you can expect to convert between 10-30% of attendees into paying clients. Some of Shay’s clients have closed up to 47% of the room. The exact number depends on the size of your event, the relationship you have with your audience, and whether your attendees are existing clients or not. 
In-person events are effective but notoriously expensive. One area to save money is your contract negotiation with venues and vendors. Read over your contract in detail (or have your event planner do this for you) to make sure you aren’t paying for any unnecessary clauses.
Lastly, consider what stage of business you’re in and how your event fits into your vision. If you’re just starting out, you may want to focus on growing your audience before trying to fill 500 seats at an in-person event. If you don’t enjoy speaking in front of big crowds, maybe an intimate retreat is a better option. Tailor your event plan to meet your business strategy, whether you’re focused on lead generation, scaling, or client retention. 
Enjoy this episode with CEO Shay Wheat…
Quotes
“Part of my superpower is helping to ground the client and to do things with as much ease and grace as possible, and that’s how the name of the company came about.
“That’s a huge piece of it, it’s not just about ‘I’m going to sell people into my program.’ No, you’re investing in your audience, whether or not they do business with you. That event promise is huge, that’s what we’re really making sure we’re delivering when we host an event.”
“The event promise is our north star. Whether people do business with you or not, they are going to leave with xyz because that is the promise of the event.”
“We’re not competing with other events. We’re competing with Netflix.”
“Think of your event as the appetizer and the full-course meal is your program, your high-ticket offer.”
Links mentioned in this episode:
Visit Shay’s website: http://ShayWheat.com 
Grace and Ease Productions: http://GraceAndEaseProductions.com 
Connect with Shay on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/shaywheat/ 
Certification program: https://shaywheat.com/cep/ 
High-Profit E

Compelling website headlines should focus on your customer's needs and desires to capture the attention of your target audience in 7 seconds or less.
In today’s microsode, take a trip down memory lane to explore how The brandiD's website headline has evolved as the company has grown. 
It's important to continually shift your copy to speak to your ever-changing audience, and differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Of course, The brandiD is continually changing as well! 
Listen in to hear about the evolution….
Quotes  “It shouldn't be about you, it should be about your ideal customer, and what their kind of deepest desire is and why they would come to you for it.”
“For anyone struggling and wanting to write their own homepage copy, I highly recommend that book “StoryBrand” and highly recommend the formula for writing homepage copy as a whole.”
“The core of our work was truly making websites more personal, more in a person's voice.”
“If there's anything tech does, it really kind of takes away the humanity piece unless we inject ourselves into it.”
“With all these headlines, we're really trying to encourage people to lean into their greatest asset or in their greatest differentiator, which is themselves. ”
“The goal is just to get somebody to pause and keep reading. And we do look at our competitor’s sites when we write our own copy, because we want to make sure we differentiate enough from what others are saying. So we can sound unique within our own space too.”
“You continually have to shift your copy and your positioning to speak to your up-leveling audience.”
“For anyone listening to this, who struggles with a headline, we do too. I mean, we are always constantly tweaking and tweaking and even after the new website will go live, you know, we're still in there adjusting it and creating nuances.”
"We write headlines, and we think it needs to do a whole bunch of things, but it just needs to compel the person to read the next sentence."
Links mentioned in this episode: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller: https://a.co/d/0haseMQ2 
Wayback Machine: http://web.archive.org/
 

Have you ever wondered how major brands seem to be everywhere all at once? Bryan Alston breaks down the marketing strategies that lead to a well-loved, successful brand–both in stores and online. 
Bryan is a consultant, CMO, and Co-Founder of Brand Castle Growth Partners. He is an expert in driving ROI for growing companies using cutting-edge performance marketing and growth hacking tactics. Amid a plethora of shortsighted, short-term growth strategies, his tactics are based on a big-picture view of the marketing landscape and ecosystem. 
Bryan’s former company Greater Than reached #198 on the Inc. 5000 list in 2022. He’s also led brand launches for major companies such as Magic Spoon and The Gap.
The Value of an Omnichannel Approach
With experience in both retail and cutting-edge digital marketing, Bryan helps his clients take a holistic approach to mastering both channels. For digital companies, e-commerce can help them validate their product and prove to retail buyers that they’ll be able to drive foot traffic in stores. Companies that create demand online have more leverage in retail deals.
For cash-strapped startups, Bryan recommends starting with e-commerce. There’s a low barrier to entry and it’s a much faster way to get your brand out there, test your messaging, and get to know your customers. Once you’ve validated your product and understand your market, expanding to retail can help you reach new people. 
Building your brand online is essential for retail success. In stores, your sales rely on product placement and packaging. With so many products for customers to choose from, the most reliable strategy is to build your online presence and use influencer marketing. Most retail shoppers choose brands they’re already familiar with. At scale, word-of-mouth drives incredible growth in retail.
Focus on Your Customers 
The biggest mistake Bryan sees brands make in both retail and digital marketing is a lack of customer-centricity. Many brands go into retail too aggressively or too early, without getting to know their customers. Often, there’s a mismatch between who the company thinks their customer is and who they actually are.
For example, most brands think of their competitors in terms of similar products; a protein bar company that competes against other protein bars. But in reality, your product is competing against every other product or distraction that commands your customer’s attention. Understanding your ideal customer’s lifestyle and what goes on in their daily life is essential–you need to know how your product fits into that picture.
Enjoy this episode with Founder Bryan Alston…
Quotes
“The biggest mistake is lack of customer centricity.”  
“There are all sorts of other things that could be going on in this customer’s life and having a very broad understanding of her lifestyle and how your product can fit into it and help alleviate just one pain, one decision she doesn’t have to make…those things matter.”
“If you look at most businesses and why they fail, usually one of the biggest culprits is a mismatch between who you think your customer is and who they actually are–and making the wrong decisions because of that.”
“People see getting into Target or into stores as the holy grail, like you’ve made it–but it’s actually not. That’s the starting line.”
Links mentioned in this episode:
Visit Bryan’s website: https://www.brandcastle.co/ 
Connect with Bryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bralston/ 

Taking time off to travel enhances creativity and helps you gain fresh perspectives, significantly benefiting your entrepreneurial endeavors and personal growth.
In this microsode, Rachel recounts her recent trip to Paris and shares the positive impact the trip had on her. Stepping away from her daily routines and immersing herself in a different culture allowed her to find fresh perspectives, inspire new ideas, and recharge, returning with renewed energy for her business.
Embracing travel as a way to connect with the world and gain a deeper understanding of different perspectives can lead to significant benefits in both personal development and business success. Stepping away from your everyday routines allows you to be present in the moment and appreciate the beauty around you, unlocking your own creativity and finding inspiration.
Quotes
“I felt more in the moment there. And I think part of it was just having a language barrier. And constantly being in this mode, where you're stimulated all the time.”
“I think what I found most inspiring is beauty. Beauty is actually one of my core values, I just really love to be in beautiful places, see beautiful things.”
“That just helped me kind of untap my creativity, and just get my imagination going.”
“It's like reading a great book. The way someone puts words on a page I also find inspiring, and it helps me be a better writer. So, it's the same in terms of this being surrounded by beauty and excellence and old, I love old cities like Paris.”
“One of my favorite places to travel to is Greece, you know being Greek.”
“What I love about Greece, and just in general, the pace of traveling, is the change in the pace when traveling.”
“At the end of the day, it's the relationships and the people that matter in our lives more than anything, and I for me personally, that's what brings the most joy to my life.”
“So many entrepreneurs today, especially post 2020, have found ways to work remotely. 
“It's so easy to work from anywhere in the world as long as you have a good internet connection.”
“It just gives you such a fresh perspective in life, and it also inspires that creativity.”
“It just gives you a sense of connection to other people in the world. And I know whenever I've been kind of heavy with worry, I've traveled. It just makes me feel like: God, the world is so small, and we are so much more connected to people that we think we have nothing in common with and realizing that- it gives one such a sense of peace and calm and competence.”

Some entrepreneurs spend years sitting on an idea before taking it to market–not​​ Leslie Danford. In less than 10 months, she launched her clean-label food and beverage brand, with products now being sold online and in stores across the Midwest.
​​Leslie is the Founder and CEO of Vitaminis. Previously, she worked in beverages and consumer products at large corporations. She earned her MBA from Harvard University and her BA from the University of Chicago. In 2020, she combined her interest in nutrition with her formal business training to launch Vitaminis.
From Idea to Product
The idea for Vitaminis was born out of the pandemic when ​​Leslie was looking for a nutritional supplement for her family that wasn’t a pill or gummy. She moved quickly to develop her shelf-stable, beverage product alongside a food scientist. From there, she decided on a company name, started building the brand, and secured packaging and distribution–all while expecting her fourth child.
Leslie says one of the best things she did early on was join a group of food founders to connect with others in the industry. That network was critical for finding the right food scientist and distributor for her product.
Bridging E-commerce with Retail
While Leslie originally conceived of Vitaminis as an e-commerce brand, she realized growing online wasn’t scalable. Social media ads are expensive and consumers need to see the product multiple times before purchasing. So Vitaminis entered the retail market.
Leslie found that being in big-name stores added credibility to the brand. Her current strategy is to use retail as a pipeline for e-commerce: people buy a single bottle of Vitaminis in stores (rather than the 12-pack that's available online) or taste it as a sample. Once they’ve bought the product and are on the company mailing list, they’re converted into a subscription model.
Enjoy this episode with CEO and Founder Leslie Danford…
Quotes
“I think that’s one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship, is you don’t have the answers.”
“It’s hard as an entrepreneur, because sometimes those failures or things that don't work, it would be easy to be like, ‘Oh, the product just doesn’t work.’ When really that’s just a signal that you can take and then adjust.”
“This product was born from something I wanted and needed.”

Links mentioned in this episode:
Visit the Vitaminis website: https://vitaminisbrand.com 
Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-danford/