Comments on: Is Your Brand Built On Mirrors or Core Values?

By: Jordan Kettner

Jordan Kettner — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:32:17 +0000

Great Post Lisa,

Like Steven, I agree with your point, you have to be able to cut clients loose if they don’t fit your core values.

Also, I have always been a fan of Seth Godin’s book “Purple Cow”. You need to be absolutely remarkable with your core values and client service if you want to be successful. Great example with Zappos!

By: Nathan Hangen

Nathan Hangen — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:14:40 +0000

I think a lot of it has to do with being patient enough to take only opportunities, whether from a business, hiring, or marketing standpoint, that are in sync with your brand.

By: Dave Manningsmith

Dave Manningsmith — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:12:18 +0000

Excellent article, Lisa!
Thank you.
~Dave

By: fionnd

fionnd — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:07:15 +0000

Hi Lisa,
Great post and you go girl with the PR success. I have found that its very difficult to find staff who want a different culture (Well in Arizona anyways, must be the cactus makes them prickly). People say they want to work somewhere different but when it all boils down to it a different culture scares them. One thing I have found detrimental is hiring from large companies into a small one. The greatest success we have had in sticking to our brand and culture is hiring new people with a lot less experience and training them. Hiring very experienced people has never worked for us as they bring their former culture with them and at times its been a complete disaster.

By: Marc Meyer

Marc Meyer — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:23:20 +0000

Totally agree Lisa. In fact isn’t that how we create our friendships? We look for the common threads, the bonds that bring us together. Be it my brand or my company brand, we want people to identify with more than just a well creafted pitch or a product, we want that consumer for the lifetime of the brand-how do we do that? trust, common ground, zero betrayal, the ability to make concessions, the ability to forgive fuck ups.. Brands built on a house full of cards or with mirrors don’t last long. People will eventually find out, they always do. Just like personal relationships.

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:01:07 +0000

We’ve been very lucky with the media attention over the past year, for sure. But I think a lot of that attention has become because we HAVEN’T backed down and gone quiet just because folks told us to. We stayed true to our name.

Beer is only a core value for Rae and I. Rhea prefers other stuff and Dawn’s allergic. Really, it’s drinking that’s the core value, not beer itself. ;)

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:58:40 +0000

That’s awesome. I think that’s the best way to do business. You really have to protect that company and not compromise what’s important. We absolutely know that we lose clients because of our mouths and the way we conduct business – but we attract a lot more at the same time.

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:57:36 +0000

Definitely. I think one of the best parts about running your own show is being able to choose who you work with to make sure that it’s a fit on both sides. Trying to work with a client who you don’t get or who doesn’t get you is just a recipe for resentment and bad working conditions. Find the people who “get” you. Otherwise you end up like Conan. :p

By: Michael Martin

Michael Martin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:38:58 +0000

Also helps when the company has the pull to get mentioned in CNN, Forbes, & BusinessWeek within short order – CONGRATS!

@Michael (THE Chiropractor)
You hit the nail on the head by not compromising values in FIRING poor fit clients!

@Lisa
I didn’t see beer drinking mentioned in your core values as I thought that was CRITICAL at Outspoken :)

,Michael Martin

By: Joanna Lord

Joanna Lord — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:24:42 +0000

Spot on ladies. The past year has brought so many layoffs and left job candidates searching out a new brand to call home. One thing is for sure that although losing a job is a challenge it can also open all sorts of amazing doors for you. One of which is exactly what you describe above.
When a person searches for the next “brand” they want to stand behind they really need to know if the core values are something they can hold onto through the storms. Leaders of the brand have to make sure they are hiring sincere examples of the brand they hope to build and job candidates need to be sure the opportunity is less about the check and more about standing tall behind what their new company represents.

The perfect match makes for some happy days. #warmandfuzzy