😷 BC, AC
💪 Warrior Mindset
🔥 Brand Energy
😷 BC, AC
We will look back at 2020 as having a very clear dividing line: BC, AC or before-covid and after-covid. In the blink of an eye, everything changed.
This week is the 5 year anniversary of the start of the global pandemic. I remember the series of events like it was yesterday:
- March 11: The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and all major league sports announced they were halting play.
- March 13: Governments enacted travel bans and shelter-in-place orders. This was the last time we saw friends and colleagues for several months.
- March 16: Sticky Branding launched “Crisis Marketing.”
That Monday, March 16, I approached all of Sticky Branding’s clients and said, “We have been thrown into a recession. We can expect to see revenue declines of 30-50%. Here is our playbook…”
The next few months were some of the most purpose-driven moments of my career. We worked with clients that had lost upwards of 90% of revenue to bring them back to profitability.
As we codified the methodology and achieved more client results, it evolved into the Slingshot Strategy. It’s a proven, step-by-step system for rapid revenue recovery and growth strategy.
Each of us were touched by the events of the past 5 years, and we all have stories to share.
This week, take a moment to reflect:
- What has changed for you and your business since 2020?
- How have the events shaped your thinking, attitude or beliefs on leadership?
- What do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?
💪 Warrior Mindset
A Warrior Mindset may be the biggest factor in determining who thrives versus survives a period of change.
In the first few weeks of the pandemic, a friend said, “This is the moment that will separate the entrepreneurs from the wantrepreneurs.”
He was right. Leaders with a Warrior Mindset will thrive. Even if their company is bleeding, they will climb out of a crisis.
The leaders who act fast and adapt faster gain an advantage.
They are the ones proactively selling and finding new markets, developing new products, and creating new value propositions. They are the ones reconfiguring their companies for the current reality.
Five years ago we faced a global pandemic. Today, we’re experiencing tariff whiplash with an Uncertainty Tax. The situation has changed, but the need for a Warrior Mindset is the same.
Even if it’s scary, embrace a Warrior Mindset.
Do whatever you have to. Watch the movie 300. There’s something about Spartans that fire me up! Go for a run. Or simply declare you will not give up.
It’s a choice: Rise up. Overcome the obstacles. Conquer the situation. Come out of it stronger than ever!
Embrace your Warrior Mindset to thrive, no matter the situation.
🔥 Brand Energy
There’s something mesmerizing about an energized brand. Tesla’s stock surged 695% in 2020, propelling Elon Musk into the world’s richest man. Tesla’s brand was on fire!
As quickly as positive energy can lift a brand, negative energy can tear it down.
Elon Musk’s ventures into politics are having the opposite effect. It’s sucking the energy out of the Tesla brand, causing it to lose appeal and relevance.
What’s happening to Tesla is an anomaly. What you can take away from the story is the value of brand energy — up or down.
You can energize your brand in three places:
- Market: Increase your marketing and brand visibility. Become the most visible and recognized brand in your niche.
- Products: Create and deliver better products that solve real customer problems. Energy is fueled by customer results.
- Culture: All great brands are built by people. Happy employees create happy customers.
The early days of Tesla and how it rose to prominence show the power of brand energy. Customers want to jump on an energized brand.
You can do it. Like starting a campfire, focus your resources and efforts in a few key areas to ignite a flame in your brand so that it can turn into a roaring fire.
🤔 Thoughts on Today's Issue?
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