Keith Roberts interviews Wildstory founder Marc Gutman to touch on a broad series of topics including identifying who Wildstory is, what the intricacies of branding are, and tips you can apply to your own company.

Hi Marc, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?“I can do this for myself!” That’s what I thought when I started my first business, Lighthouse Conferencing a tech communication service provider, that I’ve since sold. Underlying that thought was the idea that I was bored at my job. I was swimming in a single lane and doing the same thing over and over again. This has its advantages but I didn’t feel challenged. And I was I challenged alright! I found out quickly that starting your own business is never easy but it is the most fulfilling thing I’ve done. My business today, Wildstory – I started because I had this knowledge of what it took to start a business. I also learned that you really need to love the work you’re doing because not every day is great. If you don’t love it you’re going have a hard time getting through the low times. I had a first career of sorts as a writer in the movie business. I wanted to get back to that. Telling stories. Creating. But my DNA had also changed. I had this entrepreneurial background and experience and I wanted to keep that going. Brand strategy it turns out is the perfect business because it’s all about business strategy, building businesses, helping entrepreneurs and brands realize their dream, and then telling that story of how they are helping their customers. I’m not so sure I found brand strategy or it found me.

When deciding which "bridge" to finish first, Marc Gutman introduces an easy visual way to map out the spectrum of impact and effort to ensure that we follow the guiding principle: "less is more".

Each new project/idea can have a valuable place in business. There’s no doubt about that.

It takes a lot of excavating to find a clear brand delivery, and once it's found, it's even harder to make it succinct. Marc Gutman explains just what the difficulties of branding are.This is part 10 of a 13 part series identifying who Wildstory is, what the intricacies of branding are, and how this can all benefit you.

Sketchnoting is a note-taking format that anyone can do, even if you aren't an artist and are infamous for not-so-great handwriting like Wildstory's founder, Marc Gutman.

Marc Gutman outlines what work sessions are like with Wildstory when finding core messaging concepts for a client and creating a roadmap for what they should do next.

How do you measure the value of your brand when you are not a giant brand or a disruptor of your industry? Marc Gutman spells out 5 ways that any brand can do just that.

Marc Gutman illustrates a Wildstory Brand as one that is a leader in their industry with a goal to have a 100-year-run. With this, there are 10 principles that detail what exactly these brands entail.‍

Wildstory is big on co-creation.

Wildstory founder, Marc Gutman, expresses the integral partnership between great strategy and great design.

Marc Gutman provides examples and depth to the formula that is easier to lay out than it is to achieve. It may quicken the buying decision, but it requires constant effort to retain.

Our purchasing choices have multiplied dramatically, even down to the lettuce we buy. We have too many choices and too little time.

Marc Gutman emphasizes why the telling of your brand is best portrayed by making your customer the hero of their own story.

This is part 5 of a 13 part series identifying who Wildstory is, what the intricacies of branding are, and how this can all benefit you.Video TranscriptKeith Roberts 0:05Tell me, how do you define a brand, branding, brand strategy and brandstorytelling?Marc Gutman 0:11That's a great question. And it's a super confusing kind of discipline and, you know, brand and branding. It's a relatively young discipline and, and it's really hot right now. And I'll talk about why it's really hot, but it's evolving. And so there's a lot of confusion around these words. And for me, you know, the definition of a brand is not your logo. It's not your corporate identity, it's not your product. It's not even a promise, a lot of people say a brand is a promise. And it's certainly not all the impressions that you make across your company, or brand.

Marc Gutman defines the process of branding and its role in outmaneuvering your competition.

Wildstory founder, Marc Gutman, clears the confusion about what a brand is and relates it to our emotional instinct as intuitive creatures.

Wildstory is the marketing agency for arts, recreation, and entertainment. Founder, Marc Gutman explains more about Wildstory's mission to après and support their clients in making a better world.

Marc Gutman originally delivered this presentation to the Survive and Thrive Summit from the Climbing Wall Association.

The Nakatomi Plaza is in a crisis. Only our hero, John McClane can save the plaza and the lives of everyone in it. As business owners, we all believe we’re John McClane. When our customers are in need, we are the ones to save the day. Need a pick me up? Buy my coffee. Busy workday? Buy my planner. You need me to save you...right?Not exactly. We’re missing one crucial component of John Mcclane’s journey to victory. He didn’t do it on his own. Sgt. Al Powell provides McClane guidance when things become dire and keeps him grounded when it matters most. If there’s one thing years of helping clients at our Colorado branding firm has taught us, it's that you want to be John McClane.But I’m here to tell you that as a business, you are Al. Your customer is John. You are there to help John navigate through the building and defeat the villains.