What if people trusted you more than your brand? In this episode of Unemployable with Jeff Dudan, Jeff sits down with Brooke Budke — a cancer survivor, former President of Title Boxing Club, and now the Founder & CEO of Momentum Brands, a fractional CMO firm helping emerging franchise brands grow through authentic personal branding, not paid ads. Brooke shares why 80% of consumers would rather follow the founder than the brand, the psychology behind trust in the post-COVID marketplace, and how leaders can use platforms like LinkedIn to build real authority. They also unpack the future of search, the rise of AI, how to humanize automation, and why franchise CEOs must stay congruent with their mission to win trust online and offline. In This Episode: Why personal brands outperform corporate brands The 5 content pillars of authority How to build presence on LinkedIn (without being cringe) The evolution of Google → Gemini → ChatGPT search Balancing authenticity and leadership in franchise systems Guerrilla marketing tactics that still work in 2025 👉

Learn more about Brooke Budke and Momentum Brands Follow Brooke Budke on LinkedIn

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🕓 Chapter Timestamps 00:00 Intro – Who is Brooke Budke 00:42 Are people becoming more important than brands? 01:16 Why consumers crave authenticity after COVID 03:14 How Brooke built Momentum Brands on LinkedIn (no ad spend) 04:12 Is LinkedIn viable for local businesses? 05:28 How to geo-target and engage effectively 06:06 The psychology of authority and the 5 content pillars 08:29 Founder energy, beliefs, and where to draw the line 09:53 Cancel culture and authenticity online 12:16 Cringe content & managing risk online 13:45 What goes viral—and what doesn’t—on LinkedIn 14:54 Building authentic authority through consistency 17:57 Franchise leadership and authentic communication 18:24 “Be a product of the product” in franchising 21:55 The future of search: AI, Gemini, and ChatGPT 24:15 How to code content for AI search visibility 27:19 Organic reach vs. paid ads in 2025 29:28 User-generated content, TikTok, and Gen Z buying power 31:29 Teaching franchisees to create content 34:09 The threat of Big Tech owning the customer 37:20 Digital privacy and the return to “real” connection 40:14 Consumer behavior and convenience 41:37 The essence of positioning = sacrifice 43:53 What makes a great marketer today 44:47 Writing a mission for the frontline team 45:27 Automation vs. human emotional IQ 46:31 Lead conversion is not always a marketing problem 49:36 Why human-sounding automation wins 51:10 Low-cost guerrilla marketing that works 55:09 The “monkey paw” strategy explained 57:55 Curveball: What business would Brooke start today? 1:03:36 If you had one sentence to change someone’s life…

#UnemployablePodcast #JeffDudan #BrookeBudke #MomentumBrands #FranchiseMarketing #PersonalBranding #Franchising #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #AI #MarketingStrategy #AuthorityBuilding

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Avoid These Mistakes as a New Franchise Owner Franchise Fridays with The Designery's Casey Ridley On this episode of Unemployable with Jeff Dudan, I sit down with Casey Ridley, President of The Designery, to talk about the journey from a mom-and-pop surplus store to building a fast-growing franchise brand with over 40 locations. We cover: Why franchising gives people time freedom and community impact The biggest mistakes new franchisees make (and how to avoid them) The key traits of successful franchise owners Misconceptions about franchising and what really matters The role of culture in making a franchisor great Trends shaping franchising: AI, automation, and the customer experience Whether you’re an aspiring business owner or just curious about franchising, this episode is packed with insight. 👉 Learn more about The Designery and Homefront Brands A FREE COPY OF JEFF'S Book Discernment Find Out More About Jeff Dudan 00:00 – Intro & welcome to Casey Ridley 01:12 – From surplus business to franchising 02:30 – Role as President of The Designery 04:05 – Why franchising gives people their time back 06:18 – Entrepreneurial background & Georgia Bulldogs banter 07:52 – Why people choose franchising today 09:03 – Competing in business: vendors & marketing advantages 11:05 – The ideal franchise candidate: team builders & fearless leaders 13:10 – Misconceptions about franchising 14:30 – Mindset shifts new owners need to make 15:45 – Culture: the difference between a good vs. great franchisor 17:10 – What people overlook when evaluating a franchise 18:25 – Biggest new owner mistake: “genius attacks” 20:12 – Success story: corporate escapee turned top franchisee 22:01 – Franchising trends: AI, automation & showroom experiences 23:45 – One big question for those on the fence 25:00 – Closing & CTA #Franchising #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #FranchiseSuccess #HomefrontBrands #UnemployablePodcast #JeffDudan #TheDesignery #WealthCreation #SmallBusiness

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Erin King joins Jeff Dudan on Unemployable to reveal why energy—not time or money—is the ultimate edge in business and life. From building a top social media agency to conducting the world’s largest research study on human energy, Erin shares how to unlock your “energy instinct,” lead with clarity, and avoid burnout while building a bold future. Erin is an award-winning entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and author of You’re Kind of a Big Deal. She created the Energy Exam to help leaders and teams discover their vibe and tap into peak performance. 👉 Take Erin’s Energy Exam 📖 Learn more about Erin’s work 📸 Follow Erin on Instagram 💼 Subscribe for More Business & Career Insights 📩 Follow me on Social Media for More: 👉 LinkedIn 👉 Instagram

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Find out more About Jeff Dudan www.jeffdudan.com

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⏱ Chapters 00:00 – Intro: Who is Erin King? 00:41 – What lights you up? 01:27 – Lessons from dad and family values 03:32 – Simplicity, principles, and leadership energy 05:44 – Burnout, breakdowns, and discovering energy 07:19 – The Social Dilemma wake-up call 08:41 – Panic attack and resetting priorities 09:49 – The Energy Study: 10,000 people, one big insight 18:17 – The science of vibe 23:02 – The three boulders blocking energy 26:50 – Oprah’s big shift: from reporting to relating 31:24 – Five energy types and leadership 34:03 – Becoming a “bad listener” with intention 43:29 – Jealousy vs. healthy competition 47:28 – Knowing your summit and enoughness 52:07 – Disarming jealousy with compliments 53:12 – The Energy Exam and power words 59:15 – Too much energy? Compatibility and adjustment 1:02:40 – Calm abundance vs. pick-me energy 1:02:44 – Erin’s upcoming book The Energy Instinct 1:06:25 – One sentence to change a life 1:10:57 – Gratitude, service, and final thoughts #ErinKing #UnemployablePodcast #JeffDudan #LeadershipEnergy #HighPerformance #EntrepreneurMindset #EnergyManagement #BusinessGrowth #VibeMatters #FranchiseLeadership #PeakPerformance #MindsetShift #EntrepreneurLife #LeadershipDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #AvoidBurnout #LeadWithEnergy #BusinessLeadership #SuccessMindset #EnergyIsEverything

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