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    BRAND POSITIONING
    54m 14 min read 11,847

    Why Your Brand Is Forgettable (And How to Fix It)

    Chris Do shows how clear choices, truthful stories, and purposeful design make a brand harder to forget.

    Chris Do

    Chris Do

    Founder, The Futur™ · November 6, 2026

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    The safest position disappears first

    A brand can agree with everyone and give nobody a reason to choose it. The danger is not always a terrible product or an ugly identity. Sometimes it is a business that refuses to make a recognizable decision.

    That refusal often arrives dressed as ambition: epic and intimate, affordable and luxurious, accessible without sacrificing exclusivity. Each adjective sounds desirable on its own. Together, without a clear definition, they leave the designer responsible for resolving a contradiction the client has not acknowledged.

    For Chris Do, the first task is not to make those words look convincing. It is to establish what they mean. Epic could describe sweeping landscapes and a large cast; intimate could describe a personal conversation in a small room with a single light source.

    Those are different production decisions, not interchangeable compliments.

    The same problem appears when a company asks for affordable luxury. Rather than treating the phrase as a complete brief, Do asks for reference points. In the workshop, Zara and Louis Vuitton become examples at opposite ends of a discussion about price and perceived luxury.

    The point is not to establish an objective hierarchy of every clothing brand. It is to get the people making the decision to agree on the comparison. A word becomes useful only when it starts ruling something out.

    “Make a decision,” Do says.

    His objection to the middle is specific. A brand does not need to occupy an extreme on every dimension, but it needs at least one pronounced characteristic. Otherwise, its collection of reasonable choices can become indistinguishable from everyone else's collection.

    This is a positioning problem before it is a visual identity problem. A designer can clarify a choice through typography, imagery, materials, and language. A designer cannot make an unresolved choice disappear merely by presenting it beautifully.

    The strategic issue also sits behind The Futur's Developing a Winning Brand Strategy: a brand needs an organizing position, not simply a collection of attractive executions.

    Do's argument is deliberately uncomfortable because accommodation feels professional. Clients want flexibility. Founders want room to grow. Nobody wants to eliminate a potential customer before the business has had a chance to earn that customer's attention.

    But flexibility and ambiguity are not the same thing. The first allows a clear idea to work in different circumstances. The second leaves the idea unspecified.

    That distinction matters most when competitors already make similar promises. Quality, care, and craftsmanship can all be sincere, yet still fail to explain why one business deserves the purchase rather than another.

    The problem is not that those promises are wrong. It is that they leave the choice unfinished.

    Two candles expose the same business

    The limits of generic positioning become visible when two candle businesses enter the discussion. One belongs to an adult entrepreneur, Robert. The other belongs to Theo, a nine-year-old who says he began his business at six.

    At first, there seems to be plenty to compare. Price, ingredients, production method, burn time, and packaging all offer possible distinctions. Yet as Do maps the businesses, several of those distinctions begin to collapse.

    Both describe their candles as natural. Both describe them as handmade. Both sell products they regard as long-burning, although their answers about duration expose how difficult comparison becomes without a consistent basis.

    A larger candle and a smaller candle do not tell the same story through burn time alone. The discussion does not establish a controlled performance comparison. It establishes something more immediate: the owners need to know which attributes actually distinguish their offers.

    The workshop surfaces several possible dimensions:

    • Expensive versus affordable.
    • Natural versus synthetic.
    • Handmade versus mass-produced.
    • Long-burning versus short-burning.
    • A clearly communicated story versus little visible storytelling.

    Not every proposed dimension is equally useful. When the conversation turns to good quality versus poor quality, Do asks what quality means to a person who knows nothing about candles. The answer has to move beyond the seller's approval of the product.

    Robert describes scent, burn speed, smoke, and how completely the wax burns. Those details are more concrete than a general claim of excellence. They begin to explain what someone would notice rather than what the business would like to believe.

    Still, a concrete attribute is not automatically a competitive advantage.

    If both businesses can credibly claim the same characteristic, it belongs in the comparison but cannot carry the entire positioning. Handmade matters differently when the competing candle is also handmade. Natural ingredients become less distinguishing when they are shared.

    This is where the exercise changes direction. The strongest difference is not another adjective attached to the wax. It is the person making the candle.

    Theo's age and direct involvement in production give his business a specific human detail. The issue is not whether every customer will prefer that detail. The issue is that it offers a reason to remember this candle rather than another handmade candle.

    Do proposes a child's fingerprint on the box as one possible expression of that difference. It is an idea offered in the room, not an implemented package or a tested sales result. Its value in the discussion is the connection between the mark and the maker.

    A fingerprint does not need to pretend the company is larger than it is. It makes smallness legible.

    That is the more consequential reframe. The business does not have to erase the circumstance that separates it from established competitors. It can examine whether that circumstance is precisely what deserves to be seen.

    The story has to survive the founder

    The two candle businesses share another weakness. Their founders can tell their stories, but the packaging does not do enough of that work independently. The difference exists in conversation before it exists at the point of purchase.

    Theo mentions Instagram. Robert describes speaking directly with customers in the store and telling the story on the website. Those channels matter, but none guarantees that a person holding a candle will encounter the explanation that makes it distinctive.

    “Why would you waste this real estate?” Do asks.

    The package is already present when the buyer evaluates the product. Leaving the story off it creates a dependency: someone else must supply the missing context. That person could be the founder, a member of staff, or a customer who happens to remember enough to explain.

    Do does not assume every employee is an equally effective storyteller. Nor does he assume that a shopper has already visited the company's social accounts. His concern is the gap between the story the business possesses and the story the customer actually receives.

    “Design does the heavy lifting for you,” he says.

    The phrase describes a practical division of labor. A founder can explain the business one conversation at a time. Design can put a consistent explanation into the object, display, or package that many people encounter without the founder present.

    This leads to what Do calls a repeatable story: a short, clear account that another person can pass along. It is not merely a biography compressed to fit a label. It is an explanation memorable enough to travel.

    In the candle example, the useful details are straightforward. A child named Theo makes the candles by hand. Those details give a customer something specific to tell another person, rather than leaving that customer with a vague impression of a nice product.

    The distinction between having a story and transmitting one also connects with The Futur's Storytelling Is A Superpower. Here, the practical test is whether the customer can carry the explanation beyond the original encounter.

    The workshop identifies several places where that explanation can live:

    • The package itself, where the product is evaluated.
    • A point-of-purchase display, where context can accompany the offer.
    • The website, where the business can explain its origin.
    • Social media, where the founder can tell the story directly.

    The channels are not interchangeable. A story on Instagram does not answer the question of what appears on the box. A persuasive conversation in a shop does not resolve what happens when a less confident employee serves the next customer.

    Robert asks how to generate enough versions of a story for frequent social posting. Do redirects him toward the more basic omission: there is still no story on the packaging.

    Volume is not the immediate problem. The first explanation has not yet reached the surface where a buyer needs it.

    A stronger story is not permission to lie

    The storytelling exercise reaches its most revealing tension when Do improvises origin stories for the competing businesses. One involves a child bringing light to a household. Another imagines a wealthy traveler turning memories of places into a luxurious candle experience.

    Neither is established as the founder's actual history. Do presents them as invented demonstrations and explicitly says they are not stories the owners should simply adopt. The contrast is meant to show how two similar products can express different meanings.

    That distinction is essential. An invented biography cannot become authentic because it illustrates positioning well.

    An audience member challenges the examples on exactly that basis. Do's response is that finding the real story requires time with the person. A brief demonstration can show the direction of the work, but it cannot replace the investigation.

    The useful inquiry moves backward: why this business, why this product, and what experience gave the decision meaning? Do looks for a specific moment or history that explains why the company deserves to exist beyond its owner's wish to earn money.

    Theo says he wanted to buy a boat. Robert describes wanting an additional source of revenue. Do rejects both as sufficient customer-facing explanations, not because earning money is illegitimate, but because the seller's financial ambition does not automatically create a reason for the buyer to care.

    A motive for starting a company is not necessarily the strongest reason to choose it.

    The harder assignment is to find a truthful connection between the maker's experience and the customer's interest. That connection cannot be borrowed from a competitor just because the competitor's version appears effective.

    When another proposed candle story resembles the invented account for Theo, Do rejects the sameness. Two brands appealing through nearly identical narratives still leave the customer making a comparison within the same frame. Different names do not necessarily produce different positions.

    The principle extends beyond packaging into the choices associated with a creative vision, a related subject in How To Build an Uncompromising Creative Vision. The relevant challenge here is coherence: the story, product, and presentation need to belong to the same business.

    In Do's hypothetical travel-led luxury brand, darker packaging, premium materials, and handblown glass would reinforce the proposed world. Those are illustrative design directions, not verified characteristics of Robert's company. Their purpose is to show that positioning should influence what gets made.

    The ethical boundary becomes explicit when someone asks whether a more commercially effective story should replace a personal one, even if it is untrue.

    “You must tell the truth,” Do says.

    Selection is part of storytelling. Fabrication is not. A brand can decide which real details deserve emphasis without creating a childhood, credential, or origin that never existed.

    The promise has obligations

    Do's competitive language invites a broader objection: does helping one business beat another produce anything better than winners and losers? His answer is not that competition guarantees a better world. It is that his willingness to help depends on the business and the person receiving that help.

    He describes four conditions for the people he works with. These are not additional positioning axes. They are the standards that constrain the commercial ambition behind the positioning.

    He calls them the four musts:

    • Mastery. The person must be good at the work being offered.
    • Generosity. The intention must be to create more value than the business takes.
    • Service. The customer's needs must come before the seller's need to make money.
    • Truth. The person must communicate honestly, using the least violent language available.

    These conditions give the earlier insistence on differentiation a boundary. A memorable identity does not excuse poor work. A persuasive origin story does not excuse an offer that primarily serves the seller.

    The service principle is especially demanding because it applies when another provider is the better option. Do says that if someone else can serve the customer faster, cheaper, or better, he recommends that alternative.

    That is not the same as winning every transaction.

    It means competing for the work the business can responsibly serve, rather than converting every conversation into pressure to buy. The commercial argument is strongest when the offer and the customer's needs actually match.

    The connection between service and selling appears in The Futur's How To Price YOUR Work. In this workshop, the immediate implication is that a brand promise needs conduct behind it, especially when a sale becomes uncomfortable.

    Do uses a request for half-price work to make the truth principle concrete. A reluctant agreement can conceal the actual position: the provider does not know how to deliver the promised work at that price, but feels unable to say so.

    The alternative is a clear boundary without hostility. The client is free to seek a lower price elsewhere. The provider can decline without treating the request as an insult or claiming that every cheaper alternative is inferior.

    He also rejects retaliatory pricing if the customer returns after trying another option. Honesty is not an excuse to punish someone for making a different choice.

    This matters to branding because it connects the declared identity with the behavior a customer experiences. A company can describe itself as generous, but the claim remains incomplete until generosity shapes a decision that costs something.

    The four conditions do not make every competitive tactic acceptable. They explain why Do's emphasis on winning is conditional rather than unlimited. The business still has to deserve the help, deliver the work, and tell the truth.

    Without those obligations, differentiation becomes an exercise in making the wrong promise more convincing.

    Turn adjectives into decisions

    Once the story and its boundaries are clear, Do's practical tools become more useful. They are not substitutes for judgment. They make unresolved choices visible enough to discuss, compare, and eventually express through design.

    The first is the attribute slider. It places two contrasting characteristics at opposite ends of a scale, then asks where the business actually belongs. Four or five useful dimensions can create a profile that is more informative than a paragraph of flattering adjectives.

    The method proceeds through a small set of decisions:

    • Define the opposing attributes with language both parties understand.
    • Use examples to establish what each end of the scale represents.
    • Plot the brand's position on each dimension.
    • Give at least one attribute a decisive position at an end of the scale.
    • Map the two biggest competitors and compare the resulting profiles.

    Do allows a middle position on an individual attribute. Robert's candle price receives one. The objection is to a whole profile that avoids distinction, or a profile that reproduces the competitive landscape without giving the business a recognizable shape.

    The exercise also depends on expertise. Do tells the candle makers that one participant in the discussion needs to understand the product category. A facilitator can challenge a vague answer, but cannot manufacture the missing product knowledge.

    That is why the question about candle quality matters. The business owner has to explain the evidence behind the descriptor before the descriptor can support a meaningful comparison.

    The next tool shifts from attributes to motivation. Do separates what a brand sells from what the customer believes the purchase will provide. Tools and materials are the literal offer in his Home Depot example; accomplishment is the deeper benefit he identifies.

    His account of buying plaster and leaving a household repair unfinished makes the distinction vivid. The material remains unused, but the purchase carries an anticipated identity: someone capable of fixing the problem and doing something useful.

    The tagline exercise asks the business to connect those two levels:

    • Identify the product or service being sold.
    • Examine why the customer wants the immediate result.
    • Keep probing until the specific human benefit becomes clear.
    • Express that benefit in language consistent with the offer.

    Generic happiness is not precise enough for Do. The analysis has to explain what produces that feeling. Accomplishment, in his example, gives the language a more specific job than simply promising that a purchase will feel good.

    His reading of Nike follows the same logic. Shoes, clothing, and accessories are the merchandise. Human potential is the meaning he sees the brand inviting customers to participate in.

    These are Do's interpretations, not research findings about every buyer. Their practical value is the discipline they impose: a tagline needs to reflect the desire behind the purchase, not merely attach a clever sentence to the product.

    A clear brand makes the next decision easier

    The final test asks whether a brand is clear enough to become imaginable outside its existing category. Do calls it the brand swap test, and he explicitly says the idea is not his invention.

    His comparison is Nike and Hilton. If Nike created a hotel, could someone picture the atmosphere, uniforms, colors, and way the staff would speak? If Hilton created shoes, would the equivalent picture form as readily?

    Do believes the first is easier to imagine. For him, that difference indicates a stronger, more transferable set of associations. It is a provocative diagnostic, not a universal measure of business value or proof that a successful hotel company has no brand.

    The distinction is important because commercial scale and expressive clarity are different questions. A company can conduct substantial business while leaving an observer uncertain about what its identity would mean in another form.

    The test forces the discussion beyond a logo. Recognition of a familiar mark is one thing. An expectation about how a brand would behave, speak, and design an unfamiliar offering is something more demanding.

    That expectation is where the workshop's separate ideas begin to work together. Attribute choices establish a position. A truthful story gives that position human specificity. Packaging and language carry it into encounters where the founder is absent.

    The result should make further decisions more coherent, not merely make the current presentation more persuasive.

    Do applies that demand to himself. Asked to define the words associated with his own work, he admits that instinctive practice is not the same as an articulated position. Teaching the exercise does not remove the need to complete it.

    He identifies authentic personal branding as the territory he wants to occupy. The opposing idea is masking: presenting a manufactured self rather than the person underneath. The enemy is therefore not necessarily another educator or a competing company.

    It is a behavior he wants his work to challenge.

    That choice provides direction for writing, products, books, and seminars. Rather than inventing a disconnected identity for each offering, the business can develop expressions of the same underlying position. Do describes that work as building a world.

    There is no promise that the exercise will be effortless. He acknowledges that personal branding is difficult work, including for people who already help others with it. A first attempt is something to test, not a permanent identity that must survive untouched.

    The practical challenge is narrower than becoming unforgettable everywhere. Put the competitors beside the brand. Read the package without the founder's explanation. Check whether the story is true, whether the difference is visible, and whether the promise changes an actual decision.

    If the distinction exists only when the owner explains it, the brand still depends on a conversation that may never happen.

    The package is already in the customer's hands. The founder is not.

    TRANSCRIPT

    Often times a client will tell you uh I want it to be epic and I want it to be intimate. For me that's a problem. I don't know that those two things live together. So what I need to do is I need to resolve this with the client. And I found this tool to be very very effective. And if it makes sense to you and you use it, you'll thank me later. Okay? And I'll tell you what it means. So when somebody says something that doesn't register in your mind, I will say something like, "I'm having a hard time processing what you just said because in my mind those are conflicting ideas. help me understand this a little bit better. So, if we were to put this on a scale on one side, it's epic. And let's define what epic sounds like. Does it mean like we're getting big feature film production? Are using like epic vistas, wide landscapes, and a cast of a thousand people? Are we talking about intimate like it's a personal conversation in a very small room, single source light? What are we talking about? Give me some examples. So, when we do that, we can do this thing. We'll call it an attribute slider. We can map one polarity versus the other. Okay. So when somebody says we want to do affordable luxury is luxury by definition luxury should not be affordable. So those are things that are conflicting. So we can say what is affordable and what is luxury? So if I were to talk about clothing brands what's the brand that you think is luxurious? >> Louis Vuitton. And then what is affordable? >> Zara. Zara. I got you. Okay. You say that so beautifully. I love it. So much passion there. [snorts] So Zara and then Louis Vuitton. Where are we in that spectrum of affordable versus luxury? And then now they have to pick. And the only answer I can tell them not to do is pick the one in the middle. Make a decision. Are we more this? Are we more that? More like this or more like that. Does that make sense? Okay. So when it comes to you and you have your own conflict when it comes to your own personal branding, I also encourage you to make your own slider and say, "Am I more of this? I'm more that." And you start to pick. Now, here's the real test. And I'll I'll draw this on the board over here. Okay, here's the test. Here's how this works. When we do these sliders, and you're going to have a few, and you're going to have attributes, right? Let's say you have four or five. Those are good. So, it's a b and you keep defining attributes that are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. and you're going to make a graph. And this one we feel really strong. And what I would do is I would encourage your clients or you at least have one at one or one at 10 because this is where brands go to die. Right in the middle. You're for everyone. You say nothing. There's no point. So I want at least on one of these things it's all the way here or all the way here. Is that fair? Not on all of them, just some of them. Okay. This is great. Now, if you're doing this for yourself on personal branding, uh what what category are you guys in? What what give me one industry you're in? Somebody. >> Branding. >> Legal. >> Legal. Okay, I'll do legal. Legal's weird enough for me to work with. Legal. Okay. Legal. So, you have your graph and it looks like this. Okay. Can everybody see the graph? Okay, great. Thank you. You're so interactive. I love it. Then what you need to do is say who are my two biggest competitors and you make their graph. If their graph is no different than your graph, do it again. It should be different. Even in the luxury space between say Ralph Lauren, you guys know Ralph Lauren, the brand. >> Would you consider luxurious? >> No. For some people, I would say it is because it's a little bit expensive. So if you're shopping at H&M, Ralph Lauren is pretty far away. But if you put Ralph Lauren against Zenaoo, it's very different then. Yes. So even in the space of luxury, there's levels to this game. So what you want to make sure is the attributes are strong, that your graph feels accurate, and it's different enough than the other competitors. And when you have that, you have pretty good positioning. Make sense? Any questions about this? Just about this, friend. All right. Where are my mic runners again? >> I'm running. I'm running. >> Running. running. Come on, get them steps in today. Drigo question only about this. If you ask something out, I'll say next question. Okay. >> What are the attributes that we should look at? >> What are the attributes we should look at? >> Yes. >> Okay. What What space are you in? >> Scented candles. >> Oh, where's the young man who's like seven? >> Right next to me. >> Oh, are you in the same business? >> Yeah, we are competitors it looks like. >> For real? [laughter] Oh my god, boy. You guys Okay. Oh my god. They put all the candle people together for some reason. Okay. Who else is a candle maker? You need to sit over here. I'm just kidding. You can sit there. She's about to get up. Three candle makers in a row. Who else is a candle maker? I didn't know the candle business was that big of an industry. There's three of you. >> There was a funny joke. I could not hear it. You're a supply chain person. >> To these two gentlemen? >> No. Yeah. >> To you. >> Oh, it's two versus one. Mom, let's get them back. Okay. All right. So, there's two candle makers here. Okay. So, what kind of attributes? I need the experts. My rule is for me to work with you. One of us has to be the expert. Either you or me. I'm the expert at some things, but you need to bring your expertise. So, we we'll work on this together. I'm glad you asked this question. It's a good question. So, we'll spend a little bit of time on this. Okay. And you all has anybody here bought a candle before? Okay. A lot of people. Mostly women. Okay. I got you. Okay. All right. Let's look at attributes then. You give me one attribute. >> Price. >> Price. So, what are the two price attributes? >> So, you have the prices from retailers like little. >> No, just a description, a word. >> Low and high. >> Low and high. Or expensive or affordable. Which words would you like? >> Expensive or affordable. >> Okay. So, we got it. Expensive and affordable. We can map this out today. We'll do it live for both of you and you'll see the difference between the two companies. Okay. Give me another attribute. >> No. Uh material used. >> Give me two attributes. >> Natural versus >> synthetic. >> Official. Synthetic. Yeah. >> Perfect. Natural. Synthetic. What else? This is your business. This should be easy for you. The kid has an answer. Pan in the mic. >> Special vs. Easy make >> special versus easily made. >> Yes. >> Okay. So, I think you're saying mass-produce versus what? >> Handmade. Okay. >> Yes. >> Okay. Okay. What else? >> Okay. Somebody else who's purchased candles in your life, go ahead, yell it out. That's a yes or no. >> Right. >> What? >> Boring or interesting? [laughter] >> He That was an alioop. I don't like those attributes necessarily. >> Uh, natural or synthetic? >> Karina. >> Sorry, Karina. Go ahead. He already said the scent or unscented. >> Oh, okay. Long burning or short burning? Yeah. >> Is that a good one? I don't know anything about candles. >> Let's just let's just move on. Short or long burning? Okay. So, we're going to work through this. Like, is it um you can also talk about um >> packaging? >> Describe the packaging. >> High quality packaging or no packaging? >> Okay. All right. [laughter] So, we can talk about packaging. So, we can map this out. So, let's try this. This isn't great, but we can work on this more later. Okay. Okay. So, you can >> also talk about quality. Good quality or crappy. H >> how do we know? >> By testing. We do a lot of tests. >> Well, tell me how you would know. Tell me as a as a neoight how I would know. What is a good quality candle? I know nothing about candles. >> So, basically, it would be a candle that smells good when you light it. It doesn't burn very fast. It doesn't produce smoke. >> Where got that? >> What else? >> Uh, it also burns the whole wax. It doesn't remain residue on the walls of the >> smokeless. >> Smokeless. Yeah. >> Okay. Those are like A and B attributes. That's fine. Let's talk about packaging. Most of the candle market, I believe, is packaging. Two two candle makers very similar. The packaging will separate it. So, how do we determine if it's one versus the other? Anybody who buys candles, please help us out. >> Okay. Uh, what? >> Okay. Okay. Like storytelling. >> Okay. So, we'll say like a powerful story and and I I want to find a better word, but no story. Okay. This is perfect. We will do it now. Are you all ready? We'll cook. Okay. Sir, with the microphone, what's your name? >> Robert. >> Robert. Robert, what is your company called? Wait, all the you all understood that? >> Okay. It's a company with a T. >> Tea candles. Yeah. Okay. [laughter] All right. Uh, are you affordable or expensive? >> I think we're in the middle. >> Wait, what? You're in the middle? >> Well, it's hard to define because uh you need to have like a perspective to compare with. I didn't agree with you. I disagree with you. They did. I'm still good. You only have to make one person happy. I have the marker and the microphone. Middle. >> Yeah. >> All right. Okay. For reference, how much per candle? >> Uh, between 45 and 100 >> late >> Ron >> Ron. >> So, I divide it by 25. So, >> just give me one price. 15 bucks. >> 10 to 20. >> All right. That's called 15 bucks. >> Okay. Cool. See, I'm good with math. >> Synthetic versus natural. >> Natural. >> You You need to tell me how far. >> 100%. >> Okay. Uh, handmade versus mass-produced. >> Handmade. >> 100%. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay. Um, long burning, short burning? Must be long, right? >> Long burning. Yeah. >> Longest burning. >> 50 hours. >> I don't know what that means. Is it the longest burning candle in the market? >> No, they're already telling you it's not. So maybe here. >> Yeah, but the burning depends on the quantity of rice. >> I know. I know. It's just too much detail. You You tell your story or no story? >> I think we're in the middle right now. >> Of course you are. [laughter] >> So here here's his graph. >> I'm just being honest. >> People who say, "I'm just being honest." Rarely are honest. Because you don't have to say that if you are. Okay. Anyways, young man, let's hand the mic over to the young man. Young man, you ready to go? This is your moment. >> What's the name of your company? >> Okay. [laughter] I feel like I'm on an episode of Game of Thrones. I do know. Valurish. What did you say? >> The guruish. >> That did not help me. Okay. What's the first letter? >> T. >> Oh my gosh. Oh my god. Are you serious? There's two candle makers that both start with a T. What's the next letter? >> A. [laughter] >> You really had to think about that one, huh? >> No. No. >> H >> H >> H. Okay. All right. And >> I got you. I got you. Okay, we're good. T H and T. All right. Price. Where are you? >> Uh 50 legs. 50 run. >> 10 bucks. A little bit less than. See, this is how this is going to work. Okay. Natural. Synthetic. >> Synthetic. >> Mom. Mom's [laughter] going to have >> natural. Natural. >> This works much better when we have an answer. Mom, is it natural? >> Natural. >> Oh, natural. Okay. So, you're same here. Yeah. Okay. Uh, is it handmade or mass-produced? >> Handmade. >> Who makes them? >> I make them. >> Okay. This is very good. I'm going to show you how to beat him in a second. Okay. [laughter] You'll see. Okay. Long or short burning? >> Long. >> His is 50 hours. How many is yours? >> Uh, >> 51. >> No. 24 or 72. >> Okay. We don't just say hi. Okay. Uh, last one. You tell your story or no story? >> Tell my story. >> Have you done it? >> Yes. >> Where do you tell the story? on Instagram. >> Can I when I go to the store and I hold your candle, does it tell the story of a seven-year-old hands using uh child labor making it? >> Yes. [laughter] >> True or not true? Do you tell the story on the package itself? >> I guess no. >> No. >> Do you tell this story at a point of purchase display? Do you do it anywhere else except for social media? >> Yes, on Instagram. >> No. Okay. So, no. So, I'm going to tell you right now, you're going to register on low story, which is okay. And back to T. Where do you tell your story? Hand him the bike mic back. Thank you very much, young man. Go ahead. >> Uh, we have a store. So, we we tell the story in person to the buyers or when we go to buy. >> So, human to human, you tell the story. >> Yes. >> Not on packaging, not on the website. >> On website, we do tell the story, but not on the package itself. not on the package. >> I give you the same score. >> Why would you waste this real estate? Because many consumers will discover you and just walk in. And here's the thing, not all people who work at your store are good storytellers. So, you don't want to depend on them to tell their story. Okay. >> True. >> Okay. Design does the heavy lifting for you. Design allows you to communicate one to many. Right. This is what you need to do. Both of you need to do this. Now, how might this young man th? How would he do this? Everybody, let's get creative now. Oh, you're gonna tell me how you gonna beat him? Fine. Go ahead. >> I have one more uh thing to add. >> Go ahead. >> I tell the story in the shop, too. >> Okay. You guys are the same score. We're good. Okay. You are literally sitting behind the corner working all day and night making these candles and when they walk in, you have candle wax all over you and you're like, "Allow me to tell you the story of Is that what you do? Okay, we're good. We're good. We're good. Okay. Now, as an exercise, just purely for creative thinking, how might the beat, how might he position themselves? Because they have so much overlap. >> Yes. But how would he tell that story? Do you have an idea? Do you have an idea? Okay. Can we hand the mic to her? Just pass the mic forward. Yeah, we got this. Once again, we're going to keep the mic stuck, but we're good. Go ahead. So he has an advantage because he can uh make us say a when he's telling >> but what is the a you have to be specific >> the fact that he's trying to start a business from such a young age. >> You have to be okay my young son he's not young anymore. He he had a lisp when he was growing up. He said dad be pacific. Be pacific. Okay. I need a specific answer not a general thing. If you don't have it, pass the mic. >> Empathy. >> That's broader. Okay. There's a lady right behind you. Hand her the mic. >> Okay. Okay. Wait, wait. You You hold the mic. Go ahead. >> He will generate more emotion, I think. >> Oh, [laughter] you remember I said you just wait right there. We're going to go over here. Follow me, guys. Okay. Go ahead. to place himself in the very unconvenient places to go all adult. [laughter] >> Okay. All right. I'm going to take a couple more stabs at this. I already have the answer. So, there is an answer. There's a possible answer here, everybody. Okay. Go ahead. Oh, back to the lady who had the mic. >> So, he will generate more emotion, I think, if he will tell the story. >> Can I Okay. Pause. [laughter] Pause. Pause. Everybody just take a deep breath. I'm asking for a specific thing he could do or write or say. You're giving me general direction here. I need a specific thing. I promise you when you hear the answer, you're like, "Dude, I thought of that. I should have said I would have been a genius in front of all the Romanians." You got this. >> Maybe a sketch with him on the candle. >> What kind of sketch of him? >> A sketch, a design with his face and his name on the box. >> Let's try. like a logo. >> The the logo's here. The Okay. Now, now uh we we might have some beautiful design, you know, 100% handmade, child labor, you know what I mean? Longish lasting. When were you established, young man? >> Okay. You were seven years old, right? >> Oh. Oh, nine. I messed up. You're >> When I open >> Hold on. Give Wait for the mic. Go ahead. >> When I opened my business, I was 6 years old. >> Okay. So, you've been doing this for three years. Yes. Amazing. Amazing. [laughter] >> And >> mom's like, "Uh, we don't have money for Legos, so get to work, son. [laughter] >> My >> It's all good. >> My business is special because the candles are with intention." >> Okay, that's beautiful. Okay. So, here's what we do. We're going to say EST established. Subtract 9 years from today. What is that? >> Three years. >> No. No. I'm running the show. Somebody do the math. 2026 - 9 is >> 2017. No. >> 2017. Right. Last night. Yeah. >> Yes. >> 2017. That's when you were established. >> Yes. [laughter] And my logo is with an heart with angel wings. >> Okay, we could do this. [laughter] Maybe we leave the heart out of it. >> Okay, so we're going to do the right. And we got this. Okay. >> Theo >> Theo wish. >> Oh, we could do this. Okay, we got it. You know, do a little designery thing. Maybe some ornate looking things and make it super handmade, you know. But I have another idea. That's That's not bad, right? >> Yeah. >> No, >> not bad. >> No. >> What's wrong? Are you a mother? Have you raised children? >> Yeah. You You haven't? That's better this way. [laughter] You know why? She's like, "No." I'm like, "Oh my god, I've done something wrong." No, no, it was good. I'm like, we need to work on our encouragement face. Yes. Okay. It's beautiful. [laughter] No children were harmed in the production of this. This is fantastic. You know what I was thinking? Cuz I'm I'm a cheeky bastard. I would just put a little fingerprint of a child on the box. >> Okay, [laughter] >> great. I'll send you the invoice. You know what I mean? It's like what we do is often times in marketing, we pretend to be somebody we're not. We're trying to be bigger than the big people. And all we have to do is look inward and tell our story. Now what happens is this is what my business coach used to call a repeatable story. And I'll tell you what I mean. Repeatable story. Okay? A repeatable story is so short, clear, and concise and powerful that someone else can go to another person and do your marketing for you. They'll say, "You know what? I got this amazing candle. It's long burning. It's 100% handmade by a child. His name is Theo. You guys should go check it out. That's a repeatable story. But when we try to do no storytelling, no design, you have to do all the work, young man. And I believe there's some homework you need to do probably. >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> So, write your story. And maybe somewhere here, what inspired you to start a candle company of all things you could do? What What inspired you to start making candles? I wanted to buy my own boat. >> Your own boat? >> Yes. >> Damn. All right. This boy's got it. [laughter] You better watch him. He's going to make a Benz out of that. Datson. Okay. This is amazing. All right. So, let's not tell that story. Here's the story. I'm I'm I'm a creative weirdo. Okay. I don't literally mean for you to do this, but I'll show you how my demented brain works. >> When I was >> No, no. I'm going to tell you the story. Somebody take the mic from this child. All right. Here we go. I'm gonna tell you your story. It'll be funny but not not applicable. Okay. So, you started this when you're six, right? >> Yes. >> But I think at the business at 5 years old. >> Okay, that's fine. We'll do this at five. So, the story goes, it was a dark and cold night in Transennsylvania. My mother [laughter] has no electricity and I decided we need to bring light to the household. And as the young man of the house, I decided to investigate candles. I crawled into the attic, dusted off the books, and learned my grandmother's secret recipe for making candles. Yeah. And you would tell some weird story like that. The weirder the better because those stick. Yeah. And I heard about this other company called and I thought I could do better. So my name is Theo and this is what you're doing by supporting me. This is what I'm trying to do because I'd like to have light and you know warmth in our house. Is that okay? And so every time you light a candle I want you to think you're lighting one for me too. You tell the story. Is that okay? >> Yes. >> Okay. So you're going to tell that story on the side. So you know what happens now is every single person becomes an ambassador for your brand. It's something like that. Okay. Are we good guys? >> Oh my gosh. Such a hard This is a hard hard crowd. Hard to please here. Okay. There. You have a follow-up question. Oh my god. This is amazing. I'm going to have my Beyonce moment right now. Go ahead. [laughter] Yes. >> Well, you need a microphone. If you don't have a mic, I can't hear you. We're still we're talking about this now, right? Please don't make this all about you right now. So, go ahead, take the mic. Take the mic. You have a question about how this works. >> Uh, not really. I was interested. [laughter] >> Okay, then hold your question. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Okay. Oh, it's revenge of the TE's. Let's go. Give him back the mic. T wants a shot at this cuz he don't want the kid to take all his business. Here we go. Go ahead. Okay. Um, how do we actually build the the story? Okay, this is this is nice and uh and very very interesting the the story that you just made up. But following the example that you provided earlier, yeah, >> how can we actually build these stories repeatedly? So we we we are not going to just make one story, right? We need to post on social media daily and possibly multiple times a day. >> Yeah. So how do we make versionable stories? Okay, from the base story that we are creating. >> You have to learn to crawl before you walk. You have to learn to walk before you run. And before you learn how to do a marathon, you have to learn how you see what I'm saying. Everybody just wants to zoom past the future. You are telling zero story on your packaging. Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Why don't we start there? Why don't we just embrace that this might be something to do? The better question for you is, Chris, there's this young man named Thu and they're eating our business alive. Help me make him an orphan. No, I'm just like, you [laughter] know what I'm saying? That would be the way. That would be like, help me drive a dagger into his heart, a wood stick, and this boy from Transennsylvania. You know what I'm saying? >> Yeah. >> So, tell me how you beat him because you can beat him, too. >> Now, I work for the enemy boy. Let's go. Uh that's hard because one of my questions was exactly how we can build a story for an actual product. >> Where to start from? >> Okay. Well, why did you create the company? >> Well, first of all, we wanted to to have a separate uh revenue >> and it's boring. >> I know. >> Tell me another story. So, when the boy said, "I want to buy a boat." That's not a good story. And you want to make more money. Same story. You guys both start at let's make more money. No one cares about you making more money. Correct? They have to care about you. Does everybody understand this? With two examples, they want to go straight to let's let me make more money. Let me let me buy a castle. Right. Here's what your story is going to sound like >> for him. >> You I was about to break it on you. Okay. It better be good. Somebody get them the mic. Uh our friends with the mics. We need a mic up here, please. Here it comes. Here it comes. Clear path. I hope it's great. >> I was born in the communism and I lived in the countryside. It was very hard for me to be able to learn because I had no light. So, my mother used to make candles for me to be able to go to study. >> Pause. Okay. That sounds like the kid story. >> Yeah, that's too similar. >> Oh, no. Hold on. Hold on. No, no. Just stay in this moment for a second. Okay. Two stories, two different candle makers. Who do you buy from? Theo or or >> T? >> Theo. >> Theo every single day of the week because the stories are very similar. I'd rather give the boy with the little fingerprints the money. You understand that? So when we talked about branding from two days ago, we talked about differentiation, not sameness. So it's very common for us to see a pattern and emulate the pattern, right? It's how we learn. Very natural. Now you have an idea. Go ahead and then I will tell you what I would say. >> Mine is um complicated >> for him. Yes. Go ahead. >> I will say um choose your scent and everywhere you go if you have a candle of mine you can make every place smells like home. >> Okay. But we're not addressing him now. >> Well, okay. We're going to stop, guys. We'll stop. I know everybody's got a great story and then I hear your story and it's like it's all right. We're going to do this. Okay. I'll tell you how you do this. Okay, let's pretend there are no other competitors in the world and there's just the boy and the man. Okay, now let's assume he has a totally different story. One's a story of like it's not real, like he's a popper. He doesn't have anything. He's just like trying to like make money for shoes or something. And he's like the opposite. He's like an oligarch. So, I was sitting on my yacht having a prime rib and I thought to myself, everywhere I've been in this world, smells transport me instantly there. And I thought I'd like to share this extremely decadent experience with y'all by by uh using the finest ingredients sourced from all over the world. And I want to end child labor [laughter] dagger. You see what I'm saying? We don't kind of skirt around it. We just kick them when they're down. You see what I'm saying? So two very different stories. Now all of us get to make a decision. Do we support the boy? Are we the rich people? It's two very different stories. Pick. I'm not for you if you're for him. And I'm also not for the boy if you're for the man. Does that make sense? That's called positioning. Whatever they're strong at, you do the opposite. Okay. That's a horrible story. Don't tell that story. And that's not a great story for you, young man. But you guys get the concepts. Yes. >> Okay. Any questions about this before I move on? >> Chris, over here to your right. So, I love the stories that you're telling, but a little of they sound a little made up. So, >> so, okay, but are we don't we want to be authentic in our storytelling when we're talking about our brand? Like, you don't want him to tell his little story and people like, "Dude, you're you didn't grow up like that." >> Who didn't? >> The the kid. >> How do you know that? >> Well, I'm just saying. I'm just asking cuz you just made it up on the spot. So, I'm just asking. Then you made up the one about the yacht. So, how can we [clears throat] be authentic in our storytelling when we're talking about our brand? >> Okay. So what example can I apply this to where you believe me this is possible for anybody and everybody here? >> I think just more like realistic like what can we tap into what we care about when we're telling >> Do you know my story? >> A little bit. >> What story do you know? I know that you are an immigrant from Vietnam that you started from the bottom and you worked your way up and you build a multi-million dollar company and now you >> travel the world doing what you love. >> Right? So that's as authentic as his story. I just don't know what his story is. I just giving you an example because otherwise I had to spend hours talking to him to figure out his story. So here's what both of you need to do. Okay? Again, if you have more money than time, spend the money. Hire the right people. I'm sure there's a bunch of people here are really good at building brands and finding your story. The story almost always begins in the past. Almost always begins in the past. Look at for that one moment of divine inspiration why you did this thing. Why do you think the world is better with your brand in it? Why or why should we buy your candle versus anybody else's candles? It's definitely not to make more money for you and it's definitely not to help the kid buy a boat. That's not a story I'm interested in hearing about. Okay. Yours might be the world traveler sourcing things like and you can tell a story. I don't see like if I talk to each and every one of you long enough I will find your story. It's very easy to find your story. So I made it up because we just don't have the time. Right? You could have told this story all my life. My parents have taken me all over the world and the thing that brings me home that reminds me of those precious moments as a child was the fragrance of places. I ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass associate sandalwood with Morocco d with Tibet with Turkey and you just go on and on because you're a world traveler. So your box, your packaging will be darker, more premium materials, maybe crushed velvet on the inside, handb blown glass from Italy, all those things reinforce that story. The boy just has child labor and he can build an empire out of that. So we all understand it's differentiation. I was just showing you don't do what they do, do what they don't. Okay, Drigo, you good? >> Great. >> Thanks for asking that question. Okay, we need a mic up here. You have a question about this? Yes. Not a personal question. Okay, who's got the mic? Here we go. It's coming right to you. >> Hold on. Hold on. Go ahead. >> Here. Yeah. So, do you think that speak right into the mic over You think that competition will eventually drive the world to a better place or will it just be people kicking each other and who kicks better and wins just wins and not drive things for the better eventually? >> Okay. So, the boy tells his story about how he's a seven-year-old boy making candles. Is that wrong? >> Is that making the world worse? >> No. The com I was asking about the competition because sometimes it doesn't lead to a better world. But do you think that eventually it will >> Oh, like if you make something that doesn't make the world better. >> If you're in this kind of competition, just a competition I was asking about. >> Okay. I'm not fully understanding your question. Ask it again. >> So, you're talking >> I I it helps out. Yeah. You got to put the mic almost on your chin. There you go. >> Okay. So, you did talk about competition. >> Yes. And how do you think that it can lead to a better world or just winners and losers without changing the world around them for the better? >> Okay, that's such a big question to ask. Can you reduce the question down for me? >> You are big. >> Pardon me. >> You are you are an important person. [laughter] You are >> a question for big people. >> I'll try. Okay. You guys understand the question? >> Yeah. Okay. First of all, are we in business to be in business to make money? >> Yes. In order to do that, there's market share that we need to get. Okay? And the way I work is if I like you, I will do everything in my power to help you beat everyone. It's not my problem that the other people don't have the help. Right? If you want to be a mother to the world, you can be. I'm not. Right? [applause] You know that expression, it's a doggy dog world. It's competitive. And look, I'll tell you something. I'll confess something. I'm a hyperco competitive person. I tell people I don't play a game unless I know I can win. I'm not interested in playing to play at this point. I want to win. So, they're like, "Uh, let's play Pictionary. I know I'm going to beat you already." And I'm hyper competitive. So much so, it drives my wife insane. She goes, "Can we just play the game?" I'm like, "What's the point, honey? Are you going to try to beat me and win or not?" Okay. So, if you want to be in business as a sport, as a hobby, totally cool. We're going to presume or assume one thing that you decided to build your company because you thought you can make the world better. Okay? There's a saying by Anna Lapa Anna Lope and she said every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you want to live in. Something to that effect. Every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you want to live in. When you give a dollar to IKEA, you want that world to win. When you give a dollar to Vitra, you want that world to win. Starbucks local, you get to choose. And those companies have to do their best to make a case for why you want them to win in this world. Okay? Right now, America is very divided. We have some big problems. And I'm not going to say where I'm at on the political spectrum, but I definitely want the other guys to lose. I want us to win. Otherwise, what am I doing here? We do not agree on a lot of things, right? And so, they say that the brand with the best story wins. So if we're not playing to win, what are we playing for? Now if you're an evil person and you want to destroy the world, I do not want you to win. I will not take you on as a client. That is the condition on working with me. Okay, does that make sense? Is that okay answer? Okay, thank you. I have a slide for this. In fact, I want to share it with you. Give me two seconds to find it. Everybody wants to fight. Okay. I call this is a working title the four musts. Okay, the four must in order for me to work with you to teach you things about sales pricing and personal branding. When I run my workshop, I have literally every person sign a piece of paper say we agree. If you don't agree, I'm not going to work with you. I don't allow you to be part of the workshop. It's a little bit different here because you guys bought a ticket. You're here. Okay. The four musts are this. You must agree to these four principles or I will not work with you. Principle number one is you have to be a master at what you do. You have to be good. I only want to help people who are good, meaning good at what they do. I prefer great, but good is good. So, you have to have some level of mastery. Number two, you have to have a spirit of generosity. What I mean by that is you want to create more value to the world than what you take. If somebody pays you a,000, 10,000, 100,000, you will give them an orders of magnitude more value than what they paid. This is a very important principle to know. I lead with a principle of generosity. Number three is service. service to others to hold the needs of someone else's higher than your need to make money. So anytime and every time somebody says I want you to do this and I think they can be served by working with someone else faster, cheaper, better, I recommend the faster, cheaper, better option. I have zero conflict with this. I sleep really well at night on a pile of cash, but I sleep really well. Number four is you must always tell the truth. Now you're saying, "Well, we always tell the truth." No, you don't. Most of the times you lie. So when the client says, "Can you do it for half?" You said, "Sure." That's a lie. The truth is, I'm uncomfortable with you asking me to do this for half, but I don't know how to say that. So I just agree. So the rule here is to always speak the truth in the least violent language that you have. So when somebody says, "Can we do this for half?" My answer is yes, you can. Just not with me. I don't know how to do this for half. I'm not even telling you I'm worth it. If you can find it for cheaper, faster, or better, I encourage you to do that. And I feel no animous towards you. Should you try that and fail, I will be here. No revenge pricing, the same price is, right? Cuz I So, can we agree to these four things? So, these are the four musts. And if you don't agree with me, I cannot work with you. >> Can you say again number three, please? >> Number three is service. Are you Romanian? >> Yeah. You sound Russian. Can we say number three again, please? Is that Romanian accent or is that Russian? >> You guys sound a little Russian. No, there's an extra Y in there everywhere. Okay, perfect. Number three is service. Service to others. You know, um when you're in the military, they say, "I'm proud to serve." And you're willing to give your life for your country and your fellow soldiers. That is the highest honor I can think of. Right? They give awards for this kind of stuff. When there's a grenade and you jump on it to save your your uh your fellow soldiers, that is an act that's so noble because you're working for a higher source. Now, many people say, "Yes, I'm in service of others." And then as soon as a client says something, well, I need to sell you this. I need to sell you this. Buy more. It's very manipulative. You're not working in service of others. Does that make sense? >> Yes. >> Beautiful. Yes. >> Beautiful. Okay. All right. We good? Okay. Any more Anybody else want to fight? I have time. 1 hour and 14 minutes. You have a question based on what I just said or a new question. I'm taking no new questions. Only what? Pardon me. >> Back to what we just talked about. Okay. Somebody get on the mic, please. Let me find where I was now. I've lost my way. >> Hi, Chris. >> Yes. So um on the positioning part I was uh I wanted to ask you >> you said the best story wins. >> Yeah. >> But uh depending on the culture you are in a story is better than other because there are cultural references. >> Mhm. >> So why should I choose my story instead of choosing the story that is serving me the most? >> Why should you be choosing your story? >> My story. my personal story instead of choosing the story that I think would win the market share. >> Is it true? >> No. >> Then you're a liar. You've broken the four us. You don't always tell the truth. See, I told you. >> Yes. A lot of companies do that, right? >> Are you a lot of companies? >> No. >> Then we can't work together. >> It's that simple. >> Okay. >> You must tell the truth. >> Okay. I I do help my friends who are unsure of themselves, who are not confident. They're very insecure. So, they present themselves to be something that they're not. And I always tell them, lean into who you are. You know that expression, the truth will set you free. Every time you lie, you die a little bit. You really do because you have to maintain the lie. So, I literally did this. I was in Lisbon doing a workshop and I generally have a rule before the workshop. It's eight hour workshop. Do not eat any food because I'm very nervous before I do my thing and the acids in my stomach tear me apart. So Drigo wasn't totally kidding. Okay. And I was feeling the weird bubbly things happening in my gut. So I told my friend, "Hey, if I can't go on, can you cover for me?" And she bravely said, "Yes, I can do this for you." She just lied to me. She's like, "I can do this. No worries." I said, "You know what? I think I'm just going to tell people I have to have diarrhea. She goes, she's Swedish. She goes, "Don't don't tell him that. That's terrible." I'm like, "Okay." So, I get up in the room. I said, "Hey guys, I might have to run out right away because I might have diarrhea. I've broken my rule." And you know what happens? My body starts to relax because I don't have to hide the fact that my stomach is all messed up. Does that make sense? So, I'm working towards some version of radical cander, absolute truth, as much as I can. And the weird thing is we think people will judge us poorly. But in fact, when you lay a truth before them, something magical happens. They say to themselves, "This person is being real real. I think I can trust them a little bit." So your your question is not a real question. Your question is, "If I lie and I get better results, should I lie?" And the answer is no. Do not lie. Okay, good question. I know that's not what you really asked, but thank you. Okay, let's do this. We're going to move on. I'm going to help you create a tagline. You guys are doing branding. All right. Here's what we do. This is a little framework that I have. Okay. There's a brand. They sell something, but we buy something else. And then we have to figure out a way to capture this idea. Okay. Now, there's a home improvement store called Home Depot in the in the US. Quite a big company. Do you guys have something like that here? >> Like it's a giant store that sells everything for you to fix your home. What do they sell? tools. They mostly sell tools and materials. Yes. But what do we buy? So what we buy is some unspoken truth. Why are we there buying tools? >> Random story. The >> brand. >> But what what are we in this case in a home improvement store? What are we really buying specifically? Please >> what? Whose expertise? >> Okay. Okay. Okay. I'm gonna work with you. Can we get her the mic? I feel like she might have the answer. Okay. Just give me two seconds. Okay. It's traveling all the way from Austria. Hold on. As we're almost there. We're turning the corner. The plane has landed. [sighs] Right here. Right here. Right. Right here. Right here. Here she is. She's right here. Great. Here we go. You got this. Get the zoom in on her. Okay. We buy tools because >> because we need to fix the problem. >> You need to say it with a little more confidence now. >> We need to buy tools because we need to fix the problem. >> And fixing the problem will do what for us? >> Would make us happy. Yeah. >> Why would it make you happy? >> Because we fixed the problem. >> No, keep going deeper. Okay. So, Seth Goden wrote about this in his book, This is Marketing. He says, "Nobody buys a drill bit. It makes us feel like we're being we're achieving a >> I really appreciate you guys. Just let me finish the thought. Okay, just just just relax. Okay, I love you. Just just one second. Nobody buys a drill or drill bit because they want to buy a drill bit. Well, they buy a drill bit because they want to make a hole. So, do you sell the hole? Nobody buys a drill bit because they want to make a hole. It's because they want to hang up a shelf. Nobody actually wants to hang a shelf. What do they really want to organize their home? Nobody really wants to organize their home. They really want a sense of self-accomplishment. So you have to ask yourself the five W's. Why does somebody do something and get to their heart? The unspoken truth. You haven't shared an unspoken truth yet. The unspoken truth is I feel more accomplished, able because I did something today. I put something together and it feels really good. You're right. We're happy, but we're not pinpointing why we're happy. So, guess what? This is Home Depot. Home Depot sales tools. We're buying a sense of accomplishment. And their tagline, if you pay attention to them, you can do it. We can help. See how their tagline directly mirrors and reflects our need to feel accomplished, they're encouraging you. You can do it. We can help. Right? So, then eventually they evolve their tagline to more doing because that's what we think when we go to the store. A person like me is dangerous at Home Depot because I buy lots of tools and I just leave them in the garage. But I walked away with a feeling that I'm going to do something important. Quite literally, I have a bucket of plaster. I've not even opened it yet cuz I thought I was going to patch a hole and impress my wife. The hole is still there. It's been three years. Let's try this again. Okay, everybody follow? Okay, good. Yes. You have a question? >> Yes, please. >> My question is, how do you build a tagline if you do the service together with the client? For instance, mental coaching. What's our tagline? >> I don't know. You have to go through this exercise. I know it doesn't look hard when I'm doing it up here, but it is really hard. We have to sit down. We have to think through the problem. I have to ask you lots of questions. Okay. But if you understand this concept, you can do this. And if you don't take a picture of it, ask GPT to teach you how to do it. I mean, Claude. Okay. It'll it already knows. Okay. Let's do one more. >> Yes, please. >> Claude over GPT. >> Okay, that's a great question. Why do I recommend Claude over chat GPT? Because two things. You ready? You want the answer? >> Okay. First of all, Claude is better. It writes better. It's more creative. But GPT did something that I find unforgivable. >> Have a better Who cares? No, nobody cares. >> No, it didn't. Don't. >> Um, the government in the US had a contract with Claude >> or anthropic and they said, "We will not give you the data from our users." They're fired. Who do they get? chat, GBT, Open AI. That to me, you've crossed the line. You've crossed the line. Okay. And I have problems with that. Don't violate my privacy. And they don't care. So, I don't care about them. >> Basically, you recommend all the >> No, I recommend lots of others. I just said don't use chatbt. Yeah. I like a lot of other tools. Just don't sell my privacy. >> Can we get back to the presentation? Okay. All right. All right. Let's talk about Nike. Everybody here knows Nike, right? Nike has become so ubiquitous that you actually use the word Nike or Adidas in in this to to represent shoe. So, you should be able to answer this question. Okay. The brand is Nike. What do they sell? Shoes. Some clothing and accessories. Yeah. What are you buying? >> What is the unspoken human truth? What are you really buying? >> No, you can't say a brand. That's not the answer. >> Confidence. Okay. What else? >> Status image. Okay. Okay. >> Oh, they're much closer here. Okay, I'll show you right now. Okay, here we go. You guys can think of the answer in your brain. I'll show you what I wrote. If you got it, congratulations. Okay, I'm not saying I know everything. This is just my thinking here. Okay, what I really think you're buying is a sense of human potential. They show you the greatness of humans and what they can achieve at the very highest end. And so when you wear those Jordans, you're not going to play like Jordan, but you believe in the spirit of human accomplishment and you want a taste of that. And so therefore, their tagline must be just do it. In all of us lies a giant capable of doing great things. So we wear the sneakers and we don't even ever run, but we feel like we can do anything. And that's what we're really buying. Does that make sense? >> Okay. So that's how you begin to understand how to create a tagline for your company, for your brand. Okay, we're doing a lot on branding right now. Are we good or do you want me to keep going? >> Keep going. Okay, let me keep Maybe I have no more. See here. Okay. Okay. What specifically do I need to speak about instead of randomly pulling slides out about personal branding that you're struggling with? You saw the diagram, right? You guys remember the diagram? You took a picture of it. Here it is again. That's a diagram, right? All you have to do is work through this diagram. I know my friend Anna, where is she? Anna, raise your hand. She's right here. I'm not mad at you. I don't think she's mad at me, but I don't know how else to teach this. And we had a little kind of friendly conversation afterwards about I don't want to have an enemy. And there's brands that I know that don't have an enemy. And then I thought about this deep last night and I was like, shoot, is there another way to do this? And I started thinking about this. What global brand recognized by everybody does not have an enemy? And there are some. So she might be right. Like the like the hotel chain Hilton. Who's Hilton's enemy? Marriott probably. You're probably right. But that's not a great enemy. >> Airbnb. >> Airbnb. Well, not initially. No. Maybe a problem. But you're naming competitors versus ideas. >> Bad sleep. Have you had a good night's sleep in a Hilton? >> Maybe staying at home. See, so you can identify something. Here's the problem. I don't believe Hilton or Hyatt has a strong brand because we can do this one thing. Okay. Uh DGO reminded me of this. Where is it? Give me two seconds. Here's here's what we do. We do the brand swap test. And I'll show you what it looks like. Okay. The brand swap test looks like this. There's company A and there's company B. Okay, if we were to swap places, what would happen? Can we predict what will they will do? This is not my idea. It's an idea I'm just sharing with you. Okay, so we say Nike and Hilton. Okay, so if Nike created a hotel chain, do we can we imagine in our head what it would look like? How people would talk to you? What the uniforms and the color palette? You you already nod, right? Because they have a very clear brand. Now, we say if Hilton were to make shoes, what would his shoes look like? >> I don't know his answer. I have no freaking clue. And that's the problem when we play too safe. You know, there's a lot of brands out there that do billions of dollars of business that I think they have a company. I'm not sure they have a brand because this is my test. And I'm not saying I'm God. I'm universal in my understanding of this. It's just this is how I see the world. If you can't swap brands to predict what they're doing, you don't have a brand. So, it turns out lots of companies don't have brands. Okay. Now, we're going to go back to the slide. Okay. I'm going to go back to the slide. Sorry. Couple hundred slides here. All right. Back to here. Now, is Dr. Miko here? You are here. He asked me this question in his podcast, I think yesterday, and I panicked a little bit because I wasn't ready to be asked these kind of hard questions, but he's a really smart guy. So he says, "Chris, what are your words?" I'm like, "Dude, give me a second. I need to think about this." >> Pardon me. >> I was sure. Sorry. So, I was sure you you know them. I I mean, I was like, >> you were surprised? >> Yeah, I was really surprised. Yeah. >> Me, too. [laughter] >> I could say it. >> It's because we do what we do very instinctively and until we have to explain it to someone else, we don't know. And so, when you asked me that, I panicked. But I know I've done this before because I always test my own exercises against myself. So luckily, and I'll credit you for doing this. I'm like, I better figure this thing out. So here's what I want to be known for. Authentic personal branding. And my enemy is masking who we pretend to be in this life instead of being who we really are. So my rallying cry is unblend yourself or maybe you squared. You to the power of you because the more you you are, I believe, the more you are. Okay. Now what happens is when I have clarity around what my brand stands for, my voice and my enemy, I can write, I can create products, I can make books, I can do seminars, and people will start to understand this. I start to build brand assets because I'm building a world. I'm world building. Does that make sense? Okay. So, I encourage you just to try it one time. You don't have to marry it. Just date it. Just try it out and see if it works for you. Every time I've done this for people and they run the the three triangles with me or the three circles, they actually surprise themselves with what they come up with. Okay, like I said before, I've done multi-day workshops and trying to teach people how to do personal branding. It's actually very hard work. Very hard because nobody knows themselves. So, I I was able to boil it down to just these three things. So, if you break one, I don't know what to do. Then it's like a a two-legged table. We need at least three legs for this table. Okay, perhaps you try it and you're like, I have a better idea. And if you do, I'd love to hear from you.
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