Holly Jean Jackson, CEO and founder of Changemaker Impact Co., joins Josh Elledge on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur to talk about stop chasing shiny objects. Holly Jean Jackson of Changemaker Impact Co. says high team turnover is a sign a leader is chasing shiny objects, and a shared wish list is the fix.

• Know the symptoms. Holly says high team turnover and job descriptions that no longer match the work are signs a leader is chasing shiny objects.
• Park good ideas. Holly keeps a team wish list, or parking lot, so ideas wait until there are resources and time.
• Match marketing to sales. Holly says many clients spent money with marketing agencies and saw zero return because no sales system stood behind the campaign.
• Add friction on purpose. Intake forms and early calls screen out poor fits, and Holly says a values mismatch means no sales conversation.

How do I know if I'm chasing shiny objects as a leader? Holly Jean Jackson says the symptoms show up on the team first: high turnover because people are exhausted, and job descriptions that no longer match the work. It's most common when a leader is stuck on a pain point, such as a cash-flow plateau, and answers it with more ideas and more work instead of more hires.

What should a founder do with a good idea when the timing is wrong? Put it on a wish list, which Holly also calls the parking lot, and discuss it as a team when there are resources and time. Hit current KPIs first, including customer and employee experience.

What is an aligned sales system? Holly describes marketing and sales that match the company's vision, mission and values, so a prospect's experience doesn't feel disjointed at the close. It includes intentional friction, such as intake forms and early calls that screen out poor fits, and treating an objection as a sign of interest.

“You're not saying it's not a great idea. You're saying it's not the right time right now.” Holly Jean Jackson

The Changemaker Impact Co. site lists Holly Jean Jackson as a revenue and performance consultant, speaker, podcast host and author, with more than 16 years helping business owners regain clarity, energy and focus. Josh noted Holly's 2022 TEDx talk, Navigating Fear in a New Era of Uncertainty.

• Changemaker Impact Co. website
• Holly Jean Jackson on LinkedIn
• Full article and transcript on podverified.com

The Thoughtful Entrepreneur is a daily podcast where Josh Elledge talks with founders and business leaders about what is working right now. Want to be a guest? Apply at podverified.com/podcast. Curious how podcast hosts see you as a guest? Get your free PodVerified Score.

Philippa Channer, founder and business development strategist of Channer Consulting, joins Josh Elledge on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur to talk about overcoming strategic drift. Philippa Channer of Channer Consulting says strategic drift has founders building everybody else's business, and a clear vision is the filter that stops it.

• Name the drift. Philippa calls it strategic drift: building everybody else's business by applying every good idea you hear.
• Act like the CEO. Many women who launched during COVID had the talent but not the CEO skills, Philippa says, and stayed in employee mode.
• Use your vision as a filter. Her book walks readers through defining a vision and checking every new opportunity against it.
• Get a coach for the follow-through. Philippa compares it to a gym trainer who checks your form week by week instead of checking back in six months.

What is strategic drift in business? Philippa Channer uses the term for what happens when you apply every good idea you hear from videos, podcasts and other people without checking whether it fits your business. Over time, she says, you end up building everybody else's business instead of the one you meant to build.

Why do so many businesses women started during COVID struggle? Some closed because the owner went back to a job once the world reopened, which Philippa calls legitimate. Others had talented, passionate owners who lacked the ability to act as CEO and stayed busy in employee mode.

How does a business vision help with decisions? In When Clarity Leads, Philippa walks readers through defining a vision and then measuring every new opportunity against it. If an idea sounds great on paper but doesn't fit, it goes.

“And you start building a bunch of things without actually checking, was it the right thing for my business?” Philippa Channer

Philippa Channer is the founder of Channer Consulting, LLC and a business development strategist who works with experienced women running service-based companies, according to channerconsulting.com. She is the author of When Clarity Leads and host of the Clarity to CEO podcast.

• Channer Consulting website
• Philippa Channer on LinkedIn
• Full article and transcript on podverified.com

The Thoughtful Entrepreneur is a daily podcast where Josh Elledge talks with founders and business leaders about what is working right now. Want to be a guest? Apply at podverified.com/podcast. Curious how podcast hosts see you as a guest? Get your free PodVerified Score.

Kevin Perlmutter, founder and Chief Strategist of Limbic Brand Evolution, joins Josh Elledge on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur to talk about building brands on emotional insight. Kevin Perlmutter, author of Brand Desire, says customer insight is a brand's greatest competitive advantage, and a why without a who is half the equation.

• Lead with emotional insight. Kevin wrote Brand Desire to put what customers feel at the center of how companies attract and keep them.
• Find what people want to feel. For a divorce specialist's clients, Kevin says, it came down to one line: everything will be okay.
• A why needs a who. Kevin calls "what's your why" half baked as a brand strategy framework when it ignores the customer.
• Ask your customers. Conversations and reviews show why people choose you, and Kevin says it won't be what you think.

What is the book Brand Desire about? Kevin wrote Brand Desire as a modern brand strategy playbook for company leaders, founders and brand leaders. It puts emotional insight at the center of how companies attract and retain customers, instead of proof points and feature lists.

What's wrong with starting with why? Kevin says it may be a great leadership principle, but as a brand strategy framework it's half baked. Without knowing who your customer is, talking about your why is like talking about yourself all night at a bar without asking the other person a single question.

How do you find out what your customers care about? Kevin points to customer conversations and reviews. Ask how they found you, what they would miss most if your brand disappeared, and what one reason they would give a friend for checking you out.

“So your customer insight is your greatest competitive advantage.” Kevin Perlmutter

Kevin created Limbic Sparks Brand Strategy and launched Limbic Brand Evolution in 2019. His site lists more than 25 years helping brands evolve, including work with Interbrand, Made Music Studio, Publicis, McCann and Hampel Stefanides. His book is Brand Desire: Spark Customer Interest Using Emotional Insights.

• Limbic Brand Evolution website
• Kevin Perlmutter on LinkedIn
• Full article and transcript on podverified.com

The Thoughtful Entrepreneur is a daily podcast where Josh Elledge talks with founders and business leaders about what is working right now. Want to be a guest? Apply at podverified.com/podcast. Curious how podcast hosts see you as a guest? Get your free PodVerified Score.