The StoryBrand Podcast

How can you build your business when you have nothing? Nothing in the bank, nothing left in your fuel tank and nothing much to work with. Believe it or not, there's a way. That's why we invited Mignon Francois, founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection, to share her story of how she started a business at one of the lowest points in her life and grew it into a $15 million empire! If you're feeling...

With the holidays just around the corner, is your business ready to make the most of it? In this week's conversation, Joshua DuBois, co-founder and CEO of Gauge.ai , returns, packing a powerful punch with his top three predictions for quarter 4. He'll coach you on how to best position your business so it's ready to take on your customer's problems head-on into the new year!     Find out more about...

Are your employees always busy, but your business still doesn't seem to move forward? Do you feel like you're always stuck micromanaging? Without a management and execution system, this is the arena you can expect to play in. But if you want employees who are focused, productive, and happy in their jobs, then today's conversation is for you! Donald Miller and Tim Schurrer, Vice President of Talent...

Creating and nurturing customer relationships is key to growing your business. You must know where they are in their journey to buying your product so you can easily guide them to the sale. But managing it all can be overwhelming and exhausting which is exactly why you need a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Speaking from experience, implementing a CRM system helped grow StoryBrand a...

Growing your business can feel like a constant and overwhelming guessing game. That's exactly what this week's guest, Sheri Rowney, owner of Harmonized Brain Center, was facing when she came to us for help. Sheri is a brilliant business owner with a great business model, but like many of you, she's hit a roadblock when it comes to growing and scaling. In this coaching conversation, Don walks Sheri...

Over 95% of Americans are considering quitting their jobs right now. Are you one of them?   This week, we're continuing our deep dive into how you can escape feeling redlined at work and follow your true passion instead. We talk with Cathy Heller, host of the Don't Keep Your Day Job podcast, who coaches you through how to get out of your own way and become delusionally optimistic about paving your...

Close to 11 million people, almost 10% of the U.S. workforce, have recently quit their jobs in search for greater purpose. Some have coined this moment the "Great Resignation". If you're one of those people, feeling stuck in a job and going through the motions, then you need to listen to today's conversation with Tanya Dalton! Tanya is a productivity expert and author of the new book On Purpose ,...

Some the biggest challenges you face growing your business are finding the right talent and managing to pay your people without overhead getting too high. That's why you need an internship program. And we don't mean some stereotypical program where college students complete mindless tasks. In today's conversation with expert Hala Taha, host of the Young and Profiting podcast and founder of YAP med...

Want to beat the competition every time, without having the lowest price in the market? First, make it unbelievably easy to buy from you. Second, surprise and delight customers by taking the extra step to show them you care. In this episode, Don is joined by Scott Jeffrey Miller, author of Marketing Mess to Brand Success . They'll coach you through how to make your marketing air tight so your cust...

Some believe being a strong leader means having all the answers and ruling with an iron fist. But unfortunately for them, they don't last long. It's only when you lead with empathy and compromise that you build trust and buy-in within your organization. In this episode we talk with former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam, author of the book Faithful Presence , about how to lead, even in the most tur...

Hard work is irrelevant. Be radically honest. And never, ever try to please your boss. Would you believe these are the rules Netflix has lived by to reach their stratospheric level of growth and success? Well, in this week's conversation with special guest Erin Meyer, co-author of No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention, you learn exactly why following them will help grow your busin...

Never assume people will understand how your brand can change their lives. You need to clearly tell your customer how buying your product will end in their success. This is best way to offer them what they want most: a happy ending to their story where they become the hero! This week, J.J. and April work the final section of the StoryBrand framework: Success. They'll also show you:    How to cast...

Hiring and managing top talent to grow your business can be overwhelming. Without a clear process to thoroughly qualify potential hires, you could find yourself on-boarding your uncle's best friend's cousin as your new sales director solely based on the fact that "they sold stuff at a job they had in college one time". Not okay. If you never want to find yourself in that situation, you need a tale...

A story lives and dies based on one question: Will the hero succeed or will they fail? This is also true for your marketing. You need to tell your customer what's at stake if they don't buy your product. Without clearly showing that failure, your customer has no motivation to make a purchase.   This week, J.J. and April work through the Failure section of the StoryBrand framework and show you:   ...

When running a growing team, developing your employees is no small feat. Today's conversation with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee offers guidance and a solid example of how you can educate and strengthen your workforce to position your business for massive growth!   --   At Business Made Simple we help you understand what's wrong with your business and show you how to fix it. Just go to BusinessMadeS...

In a story, a character never takes action on their own. They need to be challenged. The same is true for your customer! As the guide in your customer's story, you must let them know what's at stake if they don't buy your product then clearly call them to action by asking for a commitment to buy.   This week, J.J. and April unpack the Call To Action, or CTA, section of the StoryBrand framework and...

When one of your team members decides to leave your company, even for the best reasons, it is crucial to conduct a great exit interview. Without one you are missing an opportunity to collect valuable feedback for improving how you hire and retain top talent.   Today Don, J.J. and Koula discuss exactly what's needed in an effective exit interview and provide a list of strategic questions to capture...

You should always begin your customer's story by identifying what they want then define their problem to spark interest in how you can help them overcome that problem. Next, reveal yourself as their guide by expressing empathy and demonstrating authority. Now is the time to ask your customer for a commitment to buy your product however that won't happen unless you have a clear and simple plan for...

We live in a time filled with conflict and uncertainty, feeling like we're stuck watching from the sidelines ready to give up. But even as we are constantly bombarded by our news and social feeds, there are proven steps you can follow allowing you to plant the seeds of transformation to create change within your business, community and even your world. Today John Maxwell, leadership expert, change...

Many businesses feel like they have something to prove and position themselves as the hero in their story. But customers aren't looking for another hero, they're looking for a guide! When you position yourself as the guide, showing customers exactly how your product can fix their problems and transform them into the hero, you're destined to win!   This week, J.J. and April unpack the Guide section...

The character of your business is a critical driver of sustained success. Without character, there is no trust. So if your customers are reluctant to commit to buying your products or your team members are constantly at odds, you definitely need to listen to this episode! We're joined by Frank Calderoni, CEO of Anaplan (a cloud-based business planning software company) and author of the new book,...

Can you name the specific problem your business solves for your customers? Identifying your customers' problem deepens their interest in the story you invite them in and shows you truly understand them. It's the "hook" of your story, but without it, your customers have no reason to engage with your brand causing your story to fall flat.   This week, J.J. and April guide you through the Problem sec...

Sometimes it can feel like you're constantly stuck in the same soul-sucking routine day after day, like a hamster in a wheel. And even if it's not draining all your energy, it can still be mentally exhausting. That is exactly why we invited David Eagleman to the podcast! David is a neuroscientist and best-selling author of the Pulitzer nominated Livewired: The Story of the Ever-Changing Brain and...

As a brand, you must define what your customer wants. As soon as you define that, a story question forms in their mind: Can this brand really help me get what I want? Without this, the customer has very little interest in the story.   This week, J.J. and April guide you through the Character section of the StoryBrand framework and how you can:   -Define exactly what your customer wants   -Plug tha...

Have a minute? If you're like most business leaders today, the answer is probably no. But you need open windows of time during the day in order to thrive, especially if you're growing a business. On this episode special guest Juliet Funt, author of A Minute To Think , shows you how to find moments of "white space", or strategic pauses, throughout your day to eliminate mindless tasks, enhance your...