The StoryBrand Podcast

Local businesses are the heartbeat of a local economy. But to succeed, they have to play the guide. In this episode, our own Koula Callahan interviews Brooke Allison, co-owner of Scout's Barbershop, about the grassroots strategies they've employed to grow to 6 neighborhood-based locations. Whether you're marketing, hiring, learning your customer, or giving back to the community, you need to unders...

Marissa Orr, a former executive at Google and Facebook, is a self-proclaimed Corporate Rebel, and in her new book, Lean Out, she challenges the notion that women have to change in order to succeed in corporate business. In this episode of the podcast, she and Don discuss the myths that prevail about the wage gap and unpack how we got to where only 5 percent of CEOs in the Fortune 500 are women. Th...

Leaders are the lynchpin in company culture. So how do you identify and develop great ones within your business? Today on the podcast, we talk to management expert Scott Miller, an Executive VP at FranklinCovey, on why management takes a complete shift in mindset – one that's counterintuitive to your top producers. You owe it to your company to build a culture where people choose to stay and give...

Millennials want to work from home or a totally open office space – and have unlimited time off – right? Wrong. On today's podcast, Lindsey Pollak, a leading expert on Millennials and author of the book The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace, debunks modern workplace myths. She offers insight into what Millennials want instead, and why many companies are re-thinking...

Most of us have a love-hate relationship with our smartphones and digital media. The technology is here to stay, so how can we keep social media and apps like Slack from killing our productivity? Marie Kondo may have helped us declutter our homes, but on today's podcast, Cal Newport, a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and author of the book Digital Minimalism, shows you how t...

Captain Obvious here: Successful businesses don't do stupid stuff.  Of course we all know that, but running a business is hard! And that means we all make dumb (and costly) mistakes along the way. Today's guest, Keith Cunningham, teaches 5 key disciplines that will help you avoid those common business mistakes. Today's episode could save you a TON of wasted money and effort. It's like free consult...

"Well, I'm not really a creative type."   Today on the podcast, Adam Savage (host of the popular show Mythbusters) is going to bust THAT myth for us.   We're all creative -- whether we build model cars or entire organizations. But we don't always know how to tap into that part of ourselves.    When you listen to this episode, you'll hear Adam's practical advice to add more creativity to your life....

If you're a leader, you need energy. But if you don't have the right people in your life, you'll always feel drained. On today's podcast, Dr. John Townsend shares the 7 types of relationships -- which ones we need, which ones we don't, and how to balance them so the people in your world keep you focused, creative, and fueled u

We all know we're supposed to be using social media to build our brands. But how can we do it in a way that truly serves our customers, too? Craig Detweiler is a film and media commentator, and he joins our own Dr. J.J. Peterson to show us how. If you want to actually connect on social media (instead of just wasting time pretending to), then you want to listen to this episode.

If you manage a team, you may think you need a collection of top-notch specialists. But you'll second-guess that strategy after you listen to today's podcast. David Epstein joins us to show the power of having range -- broad, generalized knowledge that helps us see hidden patterns and solve big problems. He's turned swaths of data into compelling case studies that will shift the way you think abou...

Leadership is tough enough from your comfy cubicle. Now, imagine doing it on the front lines as a Navy SEAL. That's exactly what today's podcast guest has done. Former Navy SEAL Commander Alden Mills joins us to share four powerful (and surprisingly heartfelt) leadership principles. This is hard-won wisdom, and he's found a way to make it practical for us. If you want to build up a daring team tha...

What's the biggest factor in our success? It's not what we do. It's who we're in proximity to. Today on the podcast, Ken Coleman tells us how to surround ourselves with influential people and put ourselves in intentional places. Listen now, and you just might discover how to change careers, land your next big client, or finally launch that side hustle.

If you're a leader, you probably got your role by being an expert in your field. So what happens when you need to broaden your leadership role and oversee people whose field you aren't an expert in? Today's guest, Dr. Wanda Wallace, shows us three practical ways we can "span" our leadership into new areas by adding unexpected value. It's a paradigm shift you don't want to miss -- listen now!

You may not even realize it, but a lot of our "traditional" principles of leadership don't fit today's modern world. In this episode, Kevin Kruse will help you ditch outdated leadership ideas so you can strengthen your team and improve your company.

If you're a visionary leader, you know how to inspire your company with big ideas. But you may not know how to scale your company with the right processes and hires -- and over time, your bottom line will suffer. Listen to today's episode with Les McKeown, and learn the 5 practical steps to clean up and scale your company -- so you're free to pursue the big-picture stuff you love.

Could you take a month-long vacation from your business without things falling apart? One of our favorite guests, Mike Michalowicz, returns with seven steps you can follow to build a more efficient organization that runs on its own, without relying on you every step of the way. And hey, maybe that dream vacation is closer than you think!

Great leadership starts with understanding your customers and your staff. But it doesn't end there. To truly succeed, you need to be able to make genuine human connections with those around you. Today on the podcast, Donald Miller welcomes Joshua DuBois. After working with President Obama and Oprah, he now runs a cutting-edge focus group firm. He shares how we can become better marketers and leade...

Do you want a team that's collaborative and innovative? That means you'll also have conflict and failure -- and all the messy emotions that come with them. On today's podcast, Dr. Susan David shares how we can welcome emotions at work while also using them to grow in powerful ways outside of the office. It's practical and rich stuff -- listen now!

How much do financial markets actually impact your small business? More than you probably realize. And in this case, what you don't know really can hurt you -- and your employees. Today on the podcast, fiduciary analyst Josh Robbins will arm you with the information you need to make smart decisions about your financial advisors, investments and 401k plans -- without getting taken advantage of.

Nobody wants to talk about it, but a potential recession is looming. And that's a scary thought for most business leaders. But what if it was possible to make a a few changes in your business now so that you would be ready to survive a recession? Or better yet — what if your business could actually THRIVE during a recession? This week on the podcast, Don and J.J. lay out a plan for "recession proo...

Behind Willie Robertson's success in the reality show "Duck Dynasty" is a powerful story of American entrepreneurship. Today on the podcast, he and Don share an honest (and hilarious) conversation about Willie's journey as an unlikely CEO. How can we process well through failure? What's the key to staying true to yourself in success? How do our family and faith impact us as leaders? There's lots o...

So much productivity "advice" these days will help you cut down your workload. That's great! But if you fill that time back up again with more work, that's a surefire way to burn out and compromise the relationships in your life that really matter to you.   Today on the podcast, Michael Hyatt gives us a radical new approach to productivity: what if we can keep achieving at work and still be presen...

Shannon Sedgwick Davis is the CEO of Bridgeway Foundation, the foundation arm of a capitol management firm that gives half of its profits away, and with that money, she fought a Ugandan warlord. Yes, really! She's on the podcast today to share the extraordinary story. Plus, she inspires us to consider how our businesses can help turn the tide on the social issues that keep us up at night. Listen n...

Running a business can (and will) mess with your emotions. And when our emotions take over, the rational part of our brain shuts down. Not a good thing when you're making high-stakes business decisions. Sean Webb show you how to "hack" your happiness so you can control how you respond in charged situations. Listen now!

You may have the finely honed skills of a leader, but people won't follow you unless you have the heart of a leader. And that's what we're talking about today with Mark Miller. He's the VP of High Performance Teams at Chick-fil-A, and he shares 5 character traits of strong leaders. If you're ready to become the kind of leader people want to follow, listen to this episode.