Strategic Counsel by ForthRight Business

Saying NO effectively and being okay with it is not an easy thing to do. But if you never learn to say no, you will eventually find yourself serving others at the sacrifices of serving yourself. And that is not a good place for you to be or the people on the receiving end of your “help”! In this episode, we help you break the bad habit of always saying yes and build the necessary skills to effecti...

In this episode, Chris Wallace, Co-Founder and President at Innerview Group, joins us to discuss strategies for transforming your employees into Brand Ambassadors for your business. Your employees can be your most effective word-of-mouth marketers. But only if they have a clear and compelling story to tell. Taking the time to secure and internalize what Chris calls “front-line insights” to shape,...

The role of vulnerability in the workplace is a tricky discussion for most of us. As soon as this word comes up people visibly tense and become uncomfortable and yet we know that vulnerability definitely has a role in the workplace since we are humans and not robots! Its role is directly tied to each person’s Personal Brand, the brand of the organization, and how the people in the organization int...

Jennifer Knoeppel, Senior Director, Team, Driver & Industry Communications at NASCAR (@jennieannknoeppel on IG, Jennifer Knoeppel on LI, and @JenKnoeppel on Twitter) joins us in this episode to discuss defining and engaging your target consumer. We have talked a lot about the need to clearly define your consumer so you can develop a compelling brand and marketing outreach to engage and win them. I...

This episode is for all of you who are struggling to attract and retain quality employees. From those who are competing in the “who can pay the most” game in filling in your hourly positions to those who are constantly trying to up their game to attract top candidates for salaried positions. It is crazy out there! And it is costing you a lot of time and money that frankly you don’t have. This epis...

In this episode, we focus on the value that comes with setting the right company mission and living it at your core. And how when it is done right, it leads to financial success, which is the ultimate goal of any business. As a reminder, a mission is externally-focused and should therefore reflect both “why we are here?” and the impact you plan to have on our external audience. With the help of ou...

Tough conversations are just that - tough - and as a result human nature is to avoid them whenever possible. However, this approach does no service to the person that needs the feedback, your team, or the broader organization as a whole. In this episode we talk about how to successfully manage - and perhaps more importantly, have - tough conversations. Part of which is to do so in a timely manner,...

Measuring the success of marketing efforts can be really challenging especially since they may not be directly linked to your business success metrics like sales and growth. Or if they are, it may be challenging to isolate the tactics in order to have certainty that it was indeed those specific efforts that delivered business sales and growth. In this episode, we give specific steps for defining t...

We often get challenged that B2B marketing is just not the same as consumer marketing. Our argument is that IT IS the same as consumer marketing, although with some caveats. In this episode, we cover the 4 Principles of Successful B2B Marketing. We break down the barriers associated with the old assumption as well as offer insight into how to use consumer marketing to your advantage in this space....

The importance of a strong workplace culture was only further highlighted with the advent of COVID and the subsequent work-from-home orders. And now, as the world opens back up and some people head back to work while others stay at home, it can be a challenge to figure out how to navigate and manage workplace culture. In this episode, we outline the 4 Elements of a Strong Workplace Culture, with m...

Now, more than ever, it is critical to brand success to spend the time and focus building a strong brand character. Between the limited in-person interactions we continue to face, and the proliferation of online channels, it is imperative to speak authentically and personably across all touchpoints. This episode focuses on the needed approach for a strong brand character, culminating with a best-i...

A key way to drive credible reach and stretch your equity is by leveraging influencers and partners who already have a relationship with a consumer you want to tap into. From sports properties to events to philanthropic organizations to industry organizations, partners can help drive your business...if you approach branded content with the 4 principles we discuss in this episode. Our guest, Samant...

The digital space is crowded, and it is hard to capture enough attention for your content to break-through the noise. As our guest Dan Gadd (on twitter and LinkedIn), Sr. Director of Digital Strategy at the Atlanta Falcons will attest: “It is a street-fight for attention!” What is needed first is a mindset shift that embraces the reality that “there is no reach with reaction”. His proven framework...

From brand-building and marketing veterans Anne Candido and April Martini comes a podcast committed to cutting through all the confusing marketing BS so that you can actually understand how to take action and change your business today. They deep-dive into topics most would gloss-over, infusing real-world examples from their combined 35+ years of corporate, agency and entrepreneurial experience. T...

In this episode we talk about how to write a brief that actually serves the teams working on the project as a meaningful foundation and continued point of reference, and that also leads to results at the end of the process. We have been on the receiving end of some pretty bad briefs in our time, so we thought it was important to educate around the process of building an effective brief, and specif...

In this episode, we discuss brand as a key means for differentiation in a crowded category. Brand is THE starting place for any company to build the right emotionally-led foundation to connect with consumers. And it is those emotional connections that when built authentically, drive consumers to choose you more often, indefinitely. Joining us for this episode is Andy Snyder, Brand Manager at Rhine...

Many are struggling to figure out how to make decisions about their business amidst an uncertain economy. In this episode, we discuss how you can stay resilient by adopting “Test-and-Learn” practices. This is the cycle of doing, learning, refining, repeating. It allows for fast-cycle iteration, saving money and time and it can be applied to all aspects of your business. We talk about specific prac...

It can be challenging making the transition from a strong brand foundation into a strong and successful marketing strategy and executed plan. But it is THE thing for translating your WHY into meaningful emotional connections with your customers and consumers. In this episode, we focus on the HOW of getting from a strong brand foundation to executing a strong marketing plan and how to keep it going...

A Brand Story is a powerful tool when created and utilized properly - it is a key differentiator to any business’ success. But unfortunately too many companies phone it in when it comes to their brand story or even worse...decide not to create one entirely. And at some point, it catches up to them in a bad way. In this episode, we discuss how to ensure you have the right Brand Story to set your fo...

Word-of-mouth (WOM) is the most coveted yet elusive channels of marketing for many. It is generated by a consumer who loves your brand so much they openly and frequently recommend you and talk about you to others. You can’t buy your way into these authentic testimonials. You must earn them. For this episode, we invited Sue Frech, co-founder and CEO of Vesta , a digital community platform company, ...

Our ultimate goal in doing this episode is to shine a light on the realities of being a woman in business, so that women can approach their careers and lives with their eyes wide open. Many of these realities are highly controversial, so they are rarely talked about...especially within the walls of a company. Which means that sometimes we don’t know we are losing the game until it is too late. And...

Whether it is to cater to millennials, participate in socio-cultural based conversations, or show support in times of need, it seems like every brand has jumped into cause or purpose-based marketing. Which begs the question...am I missing out if I don’t? The truth is that “doing good” is definitely one way to differentiate and give people a reason to choose you, but it can also be detrimental to y...

A career coach can be one of your most valuable assets. An unbiased resource who has nothing at stake except your personal growth and success, a career coach can help you see blind-spots and give you tools and practices that people closer to you may not. In this episode, we examine the “4 Key Roles your Business Coach should Play”. We also provide lots of personal anecdotes for how we chose our co...

“Leading from afar” has become a hot topic due to remote working environments. But even before our current situation mandated it, we have found that the very best type of leaders have the ability to do so from afar. This means giving their teams space and autonomy to do things their own way. And the benefit? They end up with higher performers and better results than those that micromanage. We call...

There is a mantra in the marketing and branding world that “Content is king”. And this couldn’t be more true. From digital to more traditional written and programmatic ]to OTT (over-the-top), we are now surrounded by content. And the reason it is king? It is the ultimate differentiator for a business and a brand. Not only does it drive awareness by increasing touchpoints with your consumers, conte...