13. Brand or Bust: Why Your Brand is So Important with Lara McCulloch

Lara McCulloch is an award-winning, results-driven brand positioning expert with over 25 years as a Business Growth Consultant. She teaches businesses how to disrupt their industry and become the only choice instead of one of many.

She’s advised multinationals like Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Shell, and Benjamin Moore as well as small businesses around the globe. She travels the world as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator and has won numerous awards.

She graduated from Ivy Business School’s Executive Program, but it’s the title of Mom that brings her the most pride. When she's not building lego with her son, she's been known to board down active volcanoes, spelunk 16 stories underground, camp in -10 degree temps beside a glacier, bungee jump over a rainforest, swim with sharks and jump from a plane at 15,000 feet.

In this episode, you will learn:

In the early days, you had to work harder, and later, and longer than anyone especially because you are a woman Most business owners start their business because they love what they do, however when first starting, they typically emulate what already exists Copying what already exists is ‘safe,’ but it does not differentiate you from the competition Three strategic choices in business: 1) Choose to be the noisemaker, 2) To be the lowcost leader 3) Disruptive Cure: To create a solution in your industry that isn’t already being offered, it’s a much-needed difference Great branding is about creating an anti-story Companies who thrive have a disruptive cure A great logo is about what it is you want t to evoke A great brand can save your business identity “I found the start of a wave, and I rode it.” - Shep Gordon You must understand what customers want and what is next Coming out of COVID, what are people going to want/crave? Focus on that as a stepping stone Typically you need to evolve your brand every few years Build your brand around a story The people you hire are an extension of your brand It’s ok to wear a mask if you don’t have the confidence yet

What it means to be a WILD woman:

"Unbridled, untethered woman who makes her own rules and who is unapologetic about what she wants." ~ Lara McCulloch, branding expert

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Renée Warren is an award-winning entrepreneur, a 7-figure business starter, and the founder of We Wild Women, a business dedicated to helping women launch their dream business. She previously founded an industry-recognized PR agency that worked with funded technology startups from South Africa to San Diego.

She's a mom to Irish Twins (not planned), a published author, and a drummer.

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