I really don’t care much for Halloween. Ghosts and goblins and magic spells just aren’t my scene. October is my birth month, and here in South Louisiana the weather begins to cool down a bit, so I do love this time of year with football, the World Series, satsumas, and boiled peanuts. But you can have the hocus pocus. I started my own business in 1995, and I can assure you there’s nothing magic about success in business. It t...

A strong brand is worth a ton. It can generate sales, increase profit margins, attract the best talent, and make a difference in the world. Strong brands are resume builders, money-makers, and culture influencers. They can outlast negative press, build trust in consumers, and create barriers to entry for competitors. Conversely, weak brands can’t. A brand is everything your audience thinks or feels when they see or hear you...

Branding is a widely used but largely misunderstood term in the advertising world. Some seem to think that branding is simply “getting your name out there” or “putting your logo on it.” They believe that getting the business and closing the deal should be left up to the sales team. So, why do we see so much money, time, and energy being spent on branding?  You see company brands everywhere without a sales pitch o...

There was a time when a business leader or entrepreneur could have his weekly or even monthly marketing meeting, make good decisions about advertising, and then turn his attention to something else until the next month’s meeting. Those were the “olden days.” Marketing today is a daily venture. It’s more of a mindset than a task. You can’t just pop in and out of marketing mode. The old way of “set it...