Brand for Good

For many entrepreneurs, growth becomes the ultimate measure of success. More revenue, more employees, more opportunities. But somewhere along the way, you can lose sight of why you started your business in the first place. In this episode of Brand for Good, I’m joined by John Moncrieff, CEO and Head of Community at Small Giants, an organization inspired by the belief that businesses can choose to be great instead of simply becoming big. John shares his own experience of chasing growth until he felt like he was feeding a monster he’d created. That experience eventually led him to the Small Giants community, where he found leaders building successful businesses around people, values, and purpose. We explore what it really means to be purpose-driven at a time when the word purpose has become so overused that it’s at risk of losing its meaning. As John points out, the real test of a company’s values isn’t what’s written on the wall. It’s what happens when business gets difficult, and those values are put to the test. We also discuss how leaders can use purpose as a decision-making filter, create cultures where people feel they matter, and recognize that building a great business doesn’t necessarily mean building a bigger one. In this episode, we explore: * Why growth for growth’s sake can take entrepreneurs further from their original vision. * The philosophy behind Small Giants and what it means to choose greatness over size. * Why purpose and values must be reflected in everyday decisions, especially difficult ones. * How aligning personal and organizational values creates stronger workplace cultures. * The importance of developing the next generation of leaders. * Why purpose isn’t a one-time branding exercise but an ongoing commitment. * How to create a decision-making filter that keeps your business aligned with what matters most. About John Moncrieff John Moncrieff is an entrepreneur, author of Finding Freedom, and CEO and Head of Community at Small Giants. Drawing on his own entrepreneurial experience and lessons from purpose-driven business leaders, John is helping expand a community dedicated to building great businesses that put people and values at the center of their success. Resources:Small Giants: smallgiants.orgBook: Finding Freedom by John MoncrieffAlso mentioned: Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham A final thought One of my favorite ideas from this conversation is that purpose should serve as your North Star. When you’re clear about what matters most, you have a way to evaluate opportunities, make difficult decisions, and recognize when growth is taking you in the wrong direction. Because the ultimate measure of a successful business isn’t necessarily how big it becomes. It’s whether you’re building something you believe in. Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

Two years ago, I stopped offering media relations as a standalone service. That decision cost me about half my annual revenue, but it also gave me peace. As publications thinned and expectations for premium placements rose, I became increasingly uncomfortable offering a service whose outcomes I could influence but never guarantee. Eventually, I had to decide what staying aligned with my beliefs was worth. In this episode of Brand for Good, I share the story behind that decision and reflect on how my definition of success continues to change. Following “What Do You Stand For?”, this conversation explores what happens when our beliefs begin shaping our choices—and those choices have a cost. I explore: * Why communicating your values and making decisions based on them are different. * What I gave up when I stopped offering standalone media relations, and what I gained. * Why I have intentionally made my business smaller to create more room for writing and selective consulting. * How knowing what you stand for can change the way you measure success. This is where brand work becomes soul work: when we examine whether the business we are building supports the work we want to do and the life we want to live. A question to sit with: What would you give up for what you believe? In next week’s episode, I continue this conversation with John Moncrieff of Small Giants, exploring what it means to build a business around purpose, people, and a definition of success that extends beyond size. Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

What do you stand for, and do the people who encounter your work actually know? That question has been on my mind since attending Called to Lead, an event hosted by Kelly Roach and Sandi Glandt. What struck me most was not simply that faith was present in the room, but that women with different beliefs were able to gather around a shared idea without requiring everyone to define it in exactly the same way. It made me think about branding, writing and leadership in a deeper way. We often talk about what makes us different in terms of expertise, experience, positioning or personality. But sometimes the most distinguishing thing about us is what we believe. In this episode of Brand for Good, I explore why what you stand for matters, and why the beliefs underneath your work may be one of the clearest signals of who you are. In this episode: * Why we sometimes soften our beliefs to avoid alienating people * How conviction can help distinguish your work without making it exclusionary * Why your brand is shaped by more than what you know * How belief influences your writing, decisions and leadership * What I mean when I say Brand Work is SoulWork * Why Brand & Belief reflects the deeper connection between identity, conviction and the work we put into the world Knowing what you stand for gives your work a center of gravity. It helps people understand not only what you do, but what drives you to do it. And sometimes the better brand question is not, “What do I want to be known for?” It is, “What do I want to stand for?” Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

Sales gets a bad reputation, especially among people who care deeply about doing business with integrity. But selling doesn’t have to mean persuading, pressuring, or performing. In this episode of Brand for Good, I explore the relationship between marketing and sales, and why stronger branding, trust and relationship-building make the sales process feel far more natural. I also share what ethical sales looks like in practice, whether you’re having a one-to-one conversation or making an offer through an email, workshop, podcast or launch. Along the way, I revisit my Relationship Flywheel and the idea that relationships—not simply leads—create sustainable growth. And finally, I talk about the part of sales we don’t discuss nearly enough: rejection. Recently, one of my offers resulted in 27 unsubscribes. That experience reminded me that making offers means giving people the opportunity to say yes or no—and that rejection isn’t always a verdict on the value of your work. In this episode, you’ll hear: * Why marketing and sales are two sides of the same coin * How branding and relationships reduce the pressure on the sales process * What ethical selling looks like one-to-one and one-to-many * Why relationships can be more valuable than constantly chasing new leads * What 27 unsubscribes taught me about rejection, resilience and continuing to make the ask Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Brand for Good, I’m sharing another Brand Breakthrough Live coaching session, this time with Seth Diamond, multimedia artist, tech expert, culinary storyteller and creator of Road Feast on Substack. Seth’s background is anything but conventional. His work has spanned technology, photography, video, music, culinary media and production, including experience with America’s Test Kitchen and PBS. Today, he brings those worlds together through Road Feast, where he writes about food, cars, travel and the human stories that connect them. We spend the first part of our conversation exploring Seth’s creative journey and what he’s trying to build on Substack. Then we move into coaching. Seth wants Road Feast to become more than a publication. He wants to turn it into a recognizable brand and a sustainable business. That means getting clearer about the idea that connects his work, defining what readers can consistently expect from him, and creating revenue opportunities beyond paid subscriptions. In this episode, we talk about: * Why a list of topics is not the same thing as a brand * How to identify the “golden thread” connecting seemingly different interests * Positioning Seth as a cinematic storyteller rather than simply a writer about cars and food * Why your publication bio should communicate a reader promise, not just your credentials * How recurring editorial series can create stronger content architecture * Why Substack should be part of a larger owned-media strategy * Building a diversified revenue model through sponsorships, brand storytelling, commissioned work, affiliate partnerships and experiences * How collaborations, podcasts and other relationships can help you “borrow authority” * Why clarity and consistency matter more than chasing visibility * The difference between creating content and building a business around your content One of the biggest ideas from our conversation is that differentiation rarely comes from finding one completely original thing. It comes from the particular combination of your experiences, expertise, worldview and interests. For Seth, that means moving beyond “cars and cuisine” and toward a larger editorial territory built around cinematic stories from the kitchen and the open road, exploring the people, places and passions that move us, feed us and connect us. And that shift changes everything. Read Seth Diamond Road Feast: https://substack.com/@foodbiker Brand for Good Links Learn more about my agency: prosperforpurpose.com Go behind the scenes on branding: Brand & Belief: lorraineschuchart.substack.com Interested in my personal essays? Find them here: lovelorraineschuchart.substack.com Get full access to Lorraine Schuchart at lorraineschuchart.substack.com/subscribe