エピソード

  • [Classic Rewind] Brand Alignment Pothole #4: Personal Pride and Success
    2025/10/08
    Your brand’s biggest threat? It might be you. In this episode of The Brand ON! Show, Brandon Coleman Jr tackles the brutal truth—personal pride and past success can quietly wreck your brand. From business owners clinging to bad logos because “family made it” to leaders too smug to pivot, Brandon exposes the ego traps that stall growth. Just because something worked before doesn’t mean it will work forever. If you’re too proud to hear the hard truth, your brand’s already in trouble. Tune in, drop the ego, and keep your Brand ON!————Ask Brandon ANY Question!https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#indexPre-Order Brand ON! The Bookhttps://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/————Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman JrEmail: bcj@brandoncolemanjr.comWebsite: www.brandoncolemanjr.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficialFacebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr ————Transcript (with chapter marks)00:01:23 Personal Pride and SuccessBrandon Coleman Jr: Personal pride and success get us all. It snares us all. There's a thrill in claiming brand marketing or ad ideas, especially when they're splashed across a public stage. It's our brush with Hollywood, if you will.00:02:48 Blinding You to the ObviousBrandon Coleman Jr: Pride blinds you to the obvious. If it's not unique, it's not a brand. This pothole runs deeper, business owners. Maybe your daughter sketched your logo, or your son dreamed up your name, or your spouse coined the tagline. That's called cocktail chatter. 00:03:19 Answering a Loaded QuestionBrandon Coleman Jr: An oil field CEO, and that guy was worth millions; his daughter designed the logo… I took a breath, and I said, Sir, your baby's ugly, and you need to change it. Now he laughed. He laughed. Threatened to fire me. Then hired me. And we crushed it together. Pride's a pothole, but it's navigable with honesty.00:04:40 The Ego RushBrandon Coleman Jr: Number one's called the ego rush. Chasing the spotlight. Pride's a drug. Seeing your idea in lights is a hit. It's not just vanity. It's validation. You're not a cog. You're a creator.00:05:43 The Ego RushBrandon Coleman Jr: Number two, the I did it bias over evaluating your own work. I have done that. Success breeds a bias. If it's mine and it's winning, it must be perfect. Psychologists call this the IKEA effect. You love what you build, flaws and all. God knows their stuff's flaw.00:07:09 The Sentimental SnareBrandon Coleman Jr: Number three is family ties, the sentimental snare. When your brand's a family affair, pride makes it stickier. Your kid's doodle, your spouse's brainstorm, it's not just a logo or name, it's love.00:08:20 The Complacency CurseBrandon Coleman Jr: The complacency curse… success is a pothole when it makes you smug. You're profitable, busy, proud, loud. Why mess with it? Struggling leaders beg for new ideas. Successful ones shrug it off. If it ain't broke, bye. But fine, it isn't at its peak.00:09:19 Winning The Wrong Game Brandon Coleman Jr: Number five is misdefining success, the joy gap. Success isn't just revenue, it's joy. Are you thrilled to lead? Are your customers raving fans? Are they hooked on a seamless experience they can't stop sharing? That's the brand alignment jackpot. But pride skews the metric. If you're smug about profits while your team dreads Mondays and clients grumble, you're winning the wrong game.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    13 分
  • [Classic Rewind] Brand Alignment Pothole #3: The Owner's Forest
    2025/10/01
    Your business is your baby—but what if your attachment is suffocating its growth? In this episode of The Brand ON! Show, Brandon Coleman Jr takes a hard look at the “Owner’s Forest,” where entrepreneurs get so deep in the woods they lose sight of their brand’s bigger picture. From overconfidence and emotional blind spots to ignoring market signals, he breaks down why being too close can be a brand’s biggest liability. If you think you’ve got branding handled, this episode might just prove you wrong.————Ask Brandon ANY Question!https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#indexPre-Order Brand ON! The Bookhttps://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/————Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman JrEmail: bcj@brandoncolemanjr.comWebsite: www.brandoncolemanjr.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficialFacebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr ————Transcript (with chapter marks)00:01:59 Introducing The Owner’s ForestBrandon Coleman Jr: After decades of working with these owners. The pattern is clear. Their closeness to their baby, their company is their biggest pothole. When you've poured everything into a vision, years of late nights, endless debates, personal sacrifices, it is damn near impossible to step back and see it objectively.00:03:06 Entrepreneurial Tunnel VisionBrandon Coleman Jr: Number one is entrepreneurial tunnel vision. I call it the dreamer's blindfold. Entrepreneurial tunnel vision is like crawling into a cave of your own making. You birth an idea, you nurture it and obsess over it, every detail. How it'll play out consumes you.00:04:18 Stepping BackBrandon Coleman Jr: Stepping back isn't just hard, it's unnatural. We don't blame you for it, but you got to change it, because without that shift, your brand's misalignment can be even worse as it hits the market.00:04:37 Emotional AnchorBrandon Coleman Jr: When your business is your baby, detachment is a pipe dream. You've named it, you fed it, you watched it grow. Every scratch and scar is personal. That intimacy clouds your judgment. You can't see the brand as your customers do, because you're living inside of it.00:05:52 OverconfidenceBrandon Coleman Jr: Entrepreneurs always know what to do. They just don't do it. You built a ten-million empire. You invented a widget that's changing lives, that success convinces you that you're a branding genius too. Why wouldn't it? You've cracked harder codes than a logo or a tagline, right? Wrong. Branding is a different beast.00:07:29 Resistance to FeedbackBrandon Coleman Jr: Tunnel Vision builds a fortress. Feedback bounces off like arrows. You know your market, you know your product. You know your vibe better than anyone. So when an outsider says this isn't working, it's personal. You dig in not because they're wrong, but because admitting it means you're questioning your entire journey.00:09:09 The Growth CeilingBrandon Coleman Jr: Extrapolating a solo triumph into a scalable model takes new eyes, market shifts, customer vibes, competitive threats, but you're still staring at the trees you planted in the forest.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    13 分
  • [Classic Rewind] Brand Alignment Pothole #2: External Marketing Vendors
    2025/09/24
    External vendors can be a game-changer—or brand killer. In this episode of The Brand ON! Show, Brandon Coleman Jr exposes the potential negative impact external marketing vendors can have on your brand. From sales-driven agendas to short-term thinking, outside vendors often serve their own bottom line first, leaving your brand misaligned and off-track. Brandon breaks down how to keep vendors in check, align incentives, and protect your brand from becoming just another case study in what not to do. Tune in and take control before your brand pays the price.————Ask Brandon ANY Question!https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#indexPre-Order Brand ON! The Bookhttps://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/————Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman JrEmail: bcj@brandoncolemanjr.comWebsite: www.brandoncolemanjr.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficialFacebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr ————Transcript (with chapter marks)00:01:05 Introduction to Pothole #2Brandon Coleman Jr: External marketing vendors can absolutely crater your brand alignment, just as badly as your internal teams and sometimes worse.00:01:47 Importance of External MarketersBrandon Coleman Jr: Please tell us, working with external marketers, how do we do it… I saw this firsthand on a recent rebranding project I did for a $20 million company. It was a beast of a project, new name, new look, new TV, radio campaign, new social strategy, new website, revamped internal process… All launched in just four months. The brand snapped into alignment, and the results were electric.00:03:16 Vendors Will Sell You The MoonBrandon Coleman Jr: Vendors will absolutely sell you the moon, but most have zero skin in your brand's game. More than anything, external marketing vendors want to sell you something, and your brand pays the price if you're not careful.00:05:41 Missing The Bigger PictureBrandon Coleman Jr: [External Marketers], they don't live your brand day to day. They didn't sweat the rebrand like my team did for that $20 million client, agonizing over every pixel, every word, to nail down the alignment. Without that ownership, they're less invested in your big picture.00:06:41 Out of FocusBrandon Coleman Jr: Number three is short-term focus, chasing quick wins. Vendors love a fast hit, something they can point to and say, We did that, a media buy that spikes impressions, a social blitz that trends for a day, a website tweak that boosts clicks, a Facebook post that encourages likes. These wins look good on their pitch deck, but they often clash with your true long-term brand alignment.00:08:19 No Silver BulletsBrandon Coleman Jr: Number four is pride in the playbook, this one-size-fits-all trap. Vendors often come with a signature move, their proven formula. Everybody in the insurance industry is running an ad in this episode or on this current production of the magazine. Everyone's in there. You mean, you're not gonna be in it? They're itching to stamp your brand on it, and that is so irrelevant for you.00:09:50 Aligning PrioritiesBrandon Coleman Jr: Number five are misaligned incentives. You know, everybody else's win isn't yours; vendors' incentives rarely match your brand's goals. You want loyalty, equity, and legacy. They want renewals, upsells, and testimonials. A design firm might churn out a gorgeous logo that wins them awards. Believe your audience… More revenue and more clout don't mean your brand's alive or thriving.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    13 分
  • [Classic Rewind] Brand Alignment Pothole #1: Internal Marketing Employees
    2025/09/17

    Your internal marketing team should be your brand’s biggest asset—but sometimes, they’re the ones throwing it off track. In this episode of The Brand On! Show, Brandon Coleman Jr dives into the first major pothole that wrecks brand alignment: internal marketers who, without realizing it, make decisions that dilute or misalign the brand. From the paycheck trap to the rookie rut, Brandon unpacks the subtle ways marketing teams can sabotage brand consistency—sometimes with devastating consequences (remember Bud Light 2023?). Tune in to learn how to keep your team BRAND ON! and out of the danger zone.


    ————


    Ask Brandon ANY Question!

    https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#index


    Pre-Order Brand ON! The Book

    https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/


    ————

    Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman Jr


    Email: bcj@brandoncolemanjr.com

    Website: www.brandoncolemanjr.com

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficial

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr


    ————


    Transcript (with chapter marks)


    00:01:04 What Are Potholes?

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Potholes. In your car, they take it out of alignment. You hit just one pothole at speed, and your car begins to wobble, drive bumpy roads consistently, and your car will struggle to perform at its best. Likewise, your business hits potholes for various reasons, and they will take your brand out of alignment.


    00:01:53 The First Pothole

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Number one brand alignment pothole, the one you expect the least, internal marketing employees. That's right, this pothole could fill an entire book… At first glance, it's hard to swallow that your brand's biggest enemy might be your own internal marketing person or team, but it's true, especially in entrepreneurial enterprises.


    00:06:09 The Second Pothole

    Brandon Coleman Jr: The second big pothole is the pride of authorship, and it's rampant in the marketing and internal employees want the program to be their idea. They want their name on it to be your hero… They'll run through walls to put their stamp on something that wins your favor, even if it's the wrong move or brand.


    00:07:29 The Third Pothole

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Number three, lack of relevant experience. We'll call it the rookie rut. We're all rookies at one time. But here's the reality: many internal marketers simply lack the experience to steer a brand.


    00:09:10 The Fourth Pothole

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Number four, tactical tunnel vision strategies, blind spot. Most internal marketers aren't strategic thinkers; they're tacticians. They thrive on execution, posting to Instagram, blasting emails, running ads. That's their comfort zone.


    00:10:34 The Fifth Pothole

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Number five, short tenure, the talent turnover trap. I've talked about it for five decades. Marketing people don't last long.


    00:12:51 Fix for the Talent Turnover Trap

    Brandon Coleman Jr: So what's the fix? Align their incentives with your brand success. Think equity or performance bonuses. Compare them with an external strategist who will call it like it is.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    15 分
  • 1st Ever Brand ON! Award
    2025/09/09
    One year, one mission, one powerful message: keep your Brand ON! In this special anniversary episode, Brandon Coleman Jr. launches the first-ever Brand ON! Award, honoring businesses that live and breathe alignment at every touchpoint. After a rigorous review process — from nominations to unannounced visits — the winner is revealed: Houston’s legendary Taste of Texas. For nearly five decades, the Hendee family has delivered flawless hospitality, faith-driven service, and a brand experience that never misses. Brandon shares their inspiring story and challenges listeners to follow their lead. Excellence isn’t optional — it’s the standard. Tune in and keep your Brand ON!————Ask Brandon ANY Question!https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#indexOrder Brand ON! The Bookhttps://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/————Check out the Taste of Texas!Website: https://www.tasteoftexas.com/restaurant/————Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman JrEmail: bcj@brandoncolemanjr.comWebsite: www.brandoncolemanjr.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficialFacebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr ————Transcript (with chapter marks)00:00:45 The Right Way to Start Your Day!Brandon Coleman Jr: I've got to have a sip of that amazing Lavazza Italian dark roast coffee. Love that rich flavor. Thank you, Lavazza.00:01:26 Only For Those Committed to ExcellenceBrandon Coleman Jr: Creating a brand and bringing all your customer engagements into alignment to maximize your potential is a daunting task and requires a relentless commitment to excellence.00:02:07 What It Means To Be Brand ON!Brandon Coleman Jr: Picking our first-ever winner was important to me because I wanted it to be representative of the meticulous level of brand alignment I believe it takes to be your very, very best. … Upon selection of the winner, we then visited the business to honor their accomplishment.00:02:51 Difficult But NOT ImpossibleBrandon Coleman Jr: Our winner comes from the restaurant world. If you've had the opportunity to read my book brand on you know, I believe restaurants are one of, if not the most, difficult businesses to bring into and keep in the delivery of your brand. 00:03:36 Brand ON! For 48 YearsBrandon Coleman Jr: Our first-ever recipient of the Brandon award has nailed it. They have gotten it right for 48 years, and the winner is Taste of Texas, owned by Edd and Nina Hendee and the Hendee family… Taste of Texas delivers the finest Texas hospitality, and you know it from the moment you arrive, whether that's on their website or walking through their big wooden doors of the restaurant, a venerable Texas Museum, rich with the sights, sounds, smells, flavors, and attitudes of the great state itself.00:05:12 Tune In to Edd and Nina’s StoryBrandon Coleman Jr.: What makes Taste of Texas Great? Edd and Nina Hendee started it from the ground up. They met while waiting tables at the old Steak and Ale in Houston back in the 70s, and they had a dream. Their whole story is amazing, and you will hear it soon when they join me for an upcoming episode of the Brand ON! show.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    8 分
  • Personal Brand Power: Part 2
    2025/09/02

    Corporate giants have fallen — Enron, Kodak, Lehman Brothers. Trust in big brands is gone. So where do people look now? At you. Brandon Coleman Jr reveals why personal branding is no longer optional. Every online search, every LinkedIn post, every first impression is shaping how the world sees you — and whether they choose to work with you. With practical tips, clear archetypes, and 50 years of branding wisdom, Brandon shows how to build an authentic presence that attracts opportunity. Forget hype — this is about credibility, clarity, and character. Your personal brand is already speaking. Tune in to this episode and turn your Brand ON!


    ————


    Ask Brandon ANY Question!


    https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#index


    Order Brand ON! The Book


    https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/


    ————

    Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman Jr


    Email: bcj@brandoncolemanjr.com

    Website: www.brandoncolemanjr.com

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficial

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr


    ————


    Transcript (with chapter marks)


    00:01:07 Power of Personal Branding

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Capturing your essence and opening up your authenticity to the world is a whole other skill set to a select few.


    00:02:24 Define Your Purpose

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Why are you here? What are you about? What makes you identify what you stand for, your expertise, and the value you offer? Clarify your niche, whether it's career, expertise, a hobby, a unique perspective, a really weird personality, whatever it is.


    00:02:51 Know Your Audience

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Know your audience… who's your audience? Who does that brand have to parlay to? Who does that brand have to resonate with? Research who you want to reach, understand their needs, their preferences, and platforms, and what they like.


    00:04:27 Make Content Worth Consuming

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Produce valuable content, share your insights, your tips, your stories. I don't care if you make donuts. Tell people how to make the best donuts. Become that expert, become that authority. Write a book about it. Showcase your expertise.


    00:05:09 Engage, engage, engage!

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Engage with your community, produce that valuable content first, and then engage with your community. Respond to their comments on your stories, join in conversations, and network with others in your niche. Engagement builds trust and loyalty, and they see that you're real.


    00:06:04 Show Up Authentically and Consistently

    Brandon Coleman Jr: I think this is the most important one: be authentic and consistent. Stay true to your values and maintain a regular posting schedule. Authenticity fosters trust, and consistency builds recognition. Don't think you can always say what you think people want to hear. They'll read through that you need to be honest.


    00:07:50 Your Brand Makes or Breaks You

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Your personal brand is important, whether you just graduated from college or whether you're running a successful company. Get your personal brand in alignment and enjoy the natural momentum it creates for your life and your business.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • Personal Brand Power: Part 1
    2025/08/26
    What do people see when they Google you? In today’s world, your personal brand is your first handshake — and Brandon Coleman Jr says it’s either helping or hurting you. With trust in institutions fading fast, people trust people. Brandon explains how to define your brand persona, stay authentic, and manage your digital footprint so opportunities find you — not pass you by. This isn’t about self-promotion; it’s about clarity and credibility. Your story is already being told online. Are you in control of it? Brandon’s advice: stop leaving your reputation to chance and turn your personal Brand ON!————Ask Brandon ANY Question!https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#indexOrder Brand ON! The Bookhttps://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/————Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman JrEmail: bcj@brandoncolemanjr.comWebsite: www.brandoncolemanjr.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficialFacebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr ————Transcript (with chapter marks)00:02:47 The Face and Heartbeat of the BrandBrandon Coleman Jr: Our society has shifted its trust to believing in people first, and business brands are a distant second. Therefore, it is incredibly important for entrepreneurs to pay close attention to their personal brands, since they are the face of most small businesses. Not only are they the face, but quite often, they're the heartbeat, the spirit, the persona that permeates the culture of the brand.00:03:22 Check Your Online PresenceBrandon Coleman Jr: In our new social landscape, many of your prospective customers, your current customers, employees, and other stakeholders will be judging you and your business online long before they ever meet you in person.00:04:29 Social Media MattersBrandon Coleman Jr: You want to make sure you intentionally put your authentic human self out in front of your social media endeavors, as opposed to treating them like bothersome afterthoughts.00:05:04 Craft a Genuine Personal Brand StoryBrandon Coleman Jr: If your personal brand story is told and shared in such a way that it adds trust and credibility to your enterprise, then the power of your personal brand will significantly expand. Take time to craft a story that is a genuine expression of what you are all about.00:06:25 The AltruistBrandon Coleman Jr: Here are several personas used when labeling personal … the altruist, and they're focused on helping others and contributing to their community, often through acts of kindness and dedication to others’ well-being. You've seen them, the careerist who prioritizes personal advancement and status within their industry, often sharing relevant information to raise their industry standard.00:07:20 The ExpertBrandon Coleman Jr: The expert is built on demonstrable knowledge, skills, and authority in a specific subject or field, the personality centered on one's individual, unique values, unique qualities, lifestyle, and personality traits.00:08:55 Your Brand Makes or Breaks YouBrandon Coleman Jr: You have a personal brand, and that personal brand either drives your success or adds to your failures.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    10 分
  • It's the Little Things
    2025/08/19

    Small details make or break brands. Brandon Coleman Jr shows how bad parking damaged a $50M healthcare provider’s patient experience, off-brand music sent a restaurant’s guests headed for the doors, and free candy at the counter made a gym look like a joke. His message: every detail speaks for your brand — whether you notice it or not. If you’re sloppy with the “little things,” you’re eroding trust and leaving money on the table. Brandon gives listeners tools to audit their customer journey and fix the cracks — because great brands aren’t built solely on big slogans or glossy campaigns. They’re built one small detail at a time. Tune in and turn your Brand ON!


    ————


    Ask Brandon ANY Question!


    https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/brand-on/#index


    Order Brand ON! The Book


    https://www.brandoncolemanjr.com/order-book/


    ————

    Connect and Follow Brandon Coleman Jr


    Email: bcj@brandoncolemanjr.com

    Website: www.brandoncolemanjr.com

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandoncolemanjr/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandoncolemanjrofficial

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialbrandoncolemanjr


    ————


    Transcript (with chapter marks)


    00:01:18 Start the Day Right With Lavazza Coffee

    Brandon Coleman Jr: That great Italian roast, I just love the deep, rich flavor. It's the best I've done in my coffee quest. They're a great team member of mine, and I hope you get the chance to experience them soon. I absolutely love it. Thank you, Lavazza.


    00:02:05 Attention to Detail is Everything!

    Brandon Coleman Jr: The truth behind great brands is they pay attention to the details, the little things - the things you may think no one is noticing or nobody cares about.


    00:02:40 Great Things Come in Small Packages

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Great brand alignment initiatives do think of everything. Even the smallest thing can make the biggest difference, whether it's a visual, a sound, a sight, a smell, a link, a post, a graphic.


    00:05:00 How NOT to do Business

    (Consulting for a multi-million dollar healthcare provider)

    Brandon Coleman Jr: A worker in the pay booth brings forth a bad attitude and gruffly says, “That'd be $15,” not, “How are you today? How was your appointment?” Nothing, just “That'd be $15.” That's why they needed a proctologist. That was not the way to send a patient back out into the world.


    00:05:36 Doubling Your Business

    (Consulting for a multi-million dollar healthcare provider)

    Brandon Coleman Jr: We came up with a strategy of growing their new patient numbers by encouraging every existing patient to just refer one new patient, just one. That's called doubling your business almost overnight, and it worked.


    00:06:38 Brand Off Restaurant

    Brandon Coleman Jr: Not once have I decided to go eat some Texas comfort food and want to hear MC Hammer. We left before ordering. That's brand off.


    00:07:34 Tootsie Rolls in a Workout Center, Brand OFF

    Brandon Coleman Jr: How can you take them seriously about their services? Come on, man, tootsie rolls in a workout center? What do the little things say about you and your craft?

    続きを読む 一部表示
    11 分