More Than A Brand: CX Podcast

Build the PORCH Before Your First Hire: The Pre-Hire Foundation That Protects Client Experience Lindsay Tramel-Jones explains that founders near their first hire often ask “Am I ready to hire?” instead of “Is my business ready for someone else to do the work?” She introduces the PORCH framework—a five-part pre-hire foundation that helps a new employee or long-term contractor integrate into a servi...

Could Your Team Run the Business Without You? Building a Shared Client Relationship Standard Lindsay Tramel-Jones shares a story about a client who was seriously injured in a car accident and couldn’t communicate or physically work, yet her team successfully ran a pre-scheduled in-person event, made sales, and proactively contacted customers about potential order delays with transparency and a req...

Lindsay Tramel-Jones explains that when a service business grows, client churn often comes from a missing relationship standard—not a skills problem—because team members default to their own client style when expectations aren’t explicit. She describes how an original hire may deliver 80–85% of the founder’s standard by proximity, a middle hire 60–70% through partial observation and SOPs, and a ne...

Customer Experience vs. Client Relationships: Why Service Businesses Lose Clients They’ve Already Earned Lindsay Tramel-Jones explains that customer experience (systems, processes, touchpoints, efficiency) and client relationships (feelings of being seen, valued, and appreciated) are fundamentally different, and warns growth-stage service businesses often try to solve relationship problems with CX...

Lindsay Tramel-Jones explains that retention isn’t a quick fix and only works once acquisition is consistent, then shares a step-by-step framework to choose and implement the right retention strategy for different businesses. She emphasizes starting with research by analyzing customer data to identify lifecycle drop-off points and pairing it with direct feedback from engaged clients to learn what...

Lindsay Tramel-Jones shares a realization from Goldman Sachs Black and Business cohort nine: she needs to better explain what she does as a customer retention strategist, since people often reduce it to “emails.” On the More Than a Brand podcast, she clarifies that retention strategy isn’t the first priority if a business lacks a steady flow of new clients, and that acquisition and retention work...

Host Lindsay Tramel-Jones uses the Hanifa Day experience to highlight a key business lesson for scaling founders: being operationally ready for best-case demand. She describes how Hanifa, a Congolese American luxury clothing brand known for inclusive sizing and strong loyalty, saw major customer turnout for Hanifa Day (pre–Black Friday 2025), but delays and unfulfilled orders led loyal customers t...

On the More Than a Brand podcast, Lindsay Tramel-Jones, CEO of Fierceified Creative and Consulting, challenges scaling founders to examine how much time they spend chasing new leads versus serving existing customers, arguing that the gap is costing them growth. She explains that acquiring new customers can cost up to five times more than retaining current ones, and that selling to existing custome...

Lindsay Tramel-Jones, CEO of Fierceified Creative and Consultant, opens More Than a Brand by naming a cultural and economic shift in 2026: consumers are paying closer attention to where their money goes and are increasingly choosing small businesses over big corporations for trust, connection, and perceived quality. She frames this as an opportunity—but warns that if a small business backend is “d...

In this episode of More Than a Brand, Lindsay Tramel-Jones, CEO of Fierceified Creative and Consultant, explores the importance of aligning product offerings with customer needs. She discusses the pitfalls creative CEOs face when they launch products without customer input and emphasizes the need for strategic timing and capacity in launching new initiatives. Lindsay shares insights on predicting...

In this episode of the More Than a Brand podcast, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones, CEO of Fierceified Creative and Consultant, dives deep into the crucial transition from manual customer management to scalable retention systems. Lindsay discusses the common pitfalls scaling businesses face around the $100-150K mark, emphasizing the importance of customer retention over acquisition. She explains three cr...

In this episode, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones sits down to explore the essence of identity beyond titles and roles with Eightx CEO, Matt Putra. Matt reflects on his journey from aspiring NBA player to becoming the CEO of EightX, a company specializing in fractional CFO services. He shares poignant moments from his childhood, including the impact of his grandfather’s death, which initially inspired hi...

Automate to Elevate: How FlowLab is Revolutionizing Customer Journey Audits In this episode of More Than a Brand, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones reveals how she transformed her labor-intensive customer journey audits into an automated SaaS product called FlowLab. She walks through her journey from manually conducting audits that took up to 10 hours, to identifying common patterns, and finally, creating...

The Art of Post-Sale Customer Engagement with Ken Rapp In this episode of More Than a Brand podcast, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones interviews Ken Rapp, the co-founder of Blustream. The discussion revolves around the importance of post-sale product experiences and how Blustream helps brands transform their customers into loyal advocates. Ken shares insights on Blustream’s journey from creating sensors...

In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Stephen Sachs, founder of Zero Company and co-founder of AICMO. Stephen discusses the essence of his identity beyond titles, emphasizing the importance of empathy and love in our systems. He introduces The Bliss Method, which stands for "build love into scalable systems," and shares his vision of transforming random acts of kindness into a more sys...

Welcome to the More Than a Brand Podcast! In this episode, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones sits down with Jose Dominguez, the founder of Alta, to explore the intersection of personal growth and branding. As our first male guest and a proud Mexico native, Jose shares his journey from a traditional 9 to 5 to launching his own branding agency. Join us as we dive into: Jose's background and how being the yo...

The Journey of Ashley Lacer and Michelle Mae: A People-First Approach in Fashion In the latest episode of the More Than A Brand Podcast, host Lindsay Trammell-Jones interviews Ashley Lacer, the founder of Michelle Mae, a fashion brand dedicated to providing stylish and comfortable clothing for women of all sizes. Ashley's journey is not just about building a successful business; it's about creatin...

Customer expectations are changing, and it’s time to keep up. In this episode of More Than a Brand, we’re diving into the five most impactful CX trends for 2025. We’re talking about: Writing copy that’s concise, convincing, and cuts through the noise during the purchase phase. Balancing short-form and long-form content to create awareness and close sales. Saying goodbye to fake urgency and hello t...

In the podcast episode, Angie M. Jordan takes over More Than a Brand and interviews Lindsay so the audience can get to know her more. Lindsay and Angie discussed the importance of being authentic and transparent about struggles and imperfections. Lindsay shared personal stories about her journey, including mistakes she made in her business, like forgetting to print addresses on wedding invitations...

In the podcast episode featuring Angela Williams, the discussion sheds light on the significant impact of mindset on one's brand, particularly during a transition from a neutral role to a personal brand. Angela shares her personal journey of transitioning from a psychotherapist, where she maintained a neutral presence, to a personal brand where visibility and sharing opinions were crucial. Transit...

In this episode of "More Than a Brand," I had the pleasure of hosting Patrice Brown, a master stylist and colorist, who I fondly refer to as the "abstract visionary." This episode marks a special occasion as it is our first time recording in person with two people in the same room. We began by discussing Patrice's unique approach to hairstyling and her commitment to educating her clients about pro...

In this episode of "More Than a Brand," I had the pleasure of sitting down with someone incredibly special to me, Veronica Jackson—my Aunt Runt. We delved into her life beyond the titles of mother, sister, and grandmother, exploring who she is at her core. Aunt Runt shared her journey of self-discovery and wellness, emphasizing the importance of staying active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle,...

In this episode of "More Than a Brand," I had the pleasure of speaking with Brandi Johnson, a renowned style expert who has made a significant shift from a career in education to becoming a stylist. Brandi shared her journey, starting as an executive in the learning and development field, focusing on education reform for Black and Brown children, to becoming a style and body image coach. Brandi em...

On this episode of More Than a Brand, Dr. Monica Cox discusses her identity beyond her professional titles, describing herself as complex and busy. She highlights her passion for equity, social justice, and inclusion, emphasizing the importance of clear policies to prevent harm from unjust practices. Dr. Cox reflects on how her focus on equity has been a consistent theme in her life, shaped by var...

In this episode of "More Than a Brand," I had the pleasure of sitting down with my dear friend and creative powerhouse, Jacq, also known as the copy whisperer. Jacq shared insights into her multifaceted career, which spans from professional cooking to copywriting, and how her creative endeavors extend into painting, directing, and even hosting dinner parties. Jacq opened up about her journey from...