We've all been guilty of it: laser-focus on the paying customer, the one with the wallet. But what about the person who keeps that wallet full? The one who makes the magic happen behind the scenes? Let's go deeper and uncover the 'real' customers who shape your brand from the inside out.

​We've all heard the classic example: a mattress company isn't just selling mattresses. They're selling a good night's sleep. But what about your business? Are you truly tapping into the core value you provide? 

Think beyond the tangible. It's easy to get caught up in the features and benefits of your product, but customers are buying more than just stuff. They're buying a feeling, a transformation, a solution to a problem, their problem.

Example 1: The Mattress Company
They're not just selling springs and foam. They're selling comfort, rest, rejuvenation, and the promise of a good night's sleep. A good mattress is an investment in well-being, not just a place to lay your head.

Example 2: The Coffee Roaster
They're not just selling roasted beans. They're selling the aroma that fills your kitchen, the ritual of the morning, the energy boost to conquer your day, the cozy feeling of connection with friends over a warm cup. They're selling a moment.

​The Takeaway: What emotions does your product evoke? What problem does it solve on a deeper level? Tap into those intangible benefits, and you'll connect with your customers on a much more meaningful level.

Services are even more about the intangible. You're not just executing a task; you're providing expertise, peace of mind, and a solution tailored to your consumer's unique needs.

Example 1: Financial Services
It's not just about balancing the books or managing investments. It's about providing financial clarity that leads to mental clarity, a sense of security that allows the pursue of dreams. It's about building a future, not just crunching numbers.

​Example 2: Technological Services
It's not just about software solutions or coding prowess. It's about streamlining workflows, fostering human connection in a digital world, and empowering businesses to thrive. It's about making technology work for people, not the other way around.

​The Takeaway: What transformation do you provide? What burden do you lift? Focus on the outcome your service delivers, not just the process.

Identifying your "good mattress" and your "good night's sleep" will enable you to better craft your message to effectively reach and resonate with consumer. One is not better than the other because consumers value different things.

Share about your business and what you are really selling in the comments.

The most significant part of a brand often lies beneath the surface.

What people see above the water – your logo, your website, your ads – that's just the tip. It's important, sure, but it's only about 15% of what your brand really is.

The other 85%, the massive part underwater, is everything else: your purpose, vision, mission, and values. If that 85% isn't solid, if it's built on shaky foundations, that little tip on top isn't going to matter much. 

​A strong brand needs a strong base, because eventually, people will dive deeper and experience the real you. That's what builds trust and loyalty – not just a pretty logo, but a solid iceberg of a brand.

In order to provide desirable shade and delicious fruits, the root system must be healthy and planted in fertile soil.

The trunk, branches, leaves, and flowers/fruits - what people see - are collectively your logo, products, website, storefront, employees, brochures, etc. Yes, they must be “delicious and desirable” in order to attract consumers.

​But those things need to be rooted in a strong and fertile foundation. And that foundation is the much needed clarity in your brand’s purpose, vision, mission, and values. Spend time building a strong foundation and watch your brand spread its reach.

A healthy body requires a robust internal system.

You can put on the best clothes, the most stylish shoes, and the perfect makeup, but if you're not healthy on the inside – if your heart isn't strong, your bones aren't sturdy, and your mind isn't sharp – it won't matter. People will see right through it.

​A brand is the same way. You can have the sleekest logo, the most engaging website, and the most persuasive ads, but if you don't have strong values, and a clear purpose, vision and mission, it's just a facade. People will sense the inauthenticity and move on. 

Sometimes we limit our view unknowingly by looking through a small window.

Similarly, if a business/organization focuses solely on quick revenue and neglects long-term growth strategies, it misses the big picture.

One way of widening the window is identifying your "good mattress" (e.g., the tangible offering like a product or service consumers pay for) and your "good night's sleep" (e.g., the emotional value).   

Sometimes we get too hung up on our personal agendas and see ourselves as the only problem solver.

Similarly, if a business owner or an organization leader prioritizes personal benefits and fails to recognize team dynamics for overall success, he/she misses the big picture. Neither would a company wants their employees to be driven only by a paycheck.

Create shared experiences within the company/organization (e.g., celebrating employment anniversaries, individual or collective achievements) will help everyone deepen the relational dynamics. 

Sometimes we fail to change our perspective and consider other possible points of view.

Similarly, if a business/organization gets buried in the day-to-day and does not spend time looking at customer data and industry trends, it misses the big picture.

Acknowledge team members' contribution in their area of expertise while helping them appreciate what others bring to the table. 

If you have participated in my workshops or have worked with me on brand development, you will know that I am a big picture person.

I love to find patterns in complex processes and will attempt to make sense of it through pictures and with minimal text. While a picture is worth a thousand words, we are all unique and may interpret what we see differently.

I will be publishing in this Facebook album illustrations that explore key brand concepts and strategies, and inviting people to share what it means to them. 

Branding can be complex but it is my hope that through illustrations, we can spark creativity, ignite conversation, and help each other discover meaningful branding and marketing strategies. 

Brand development along with the nuts-&-bolts of starting and running a business are critical knowledge any business owners should have under their tool belt.

As part of a 12-week entrepreneurship academy organized by the OIC Business Academy (OIC-BA) funded by the OKC Black Justice Fund, two sessions starting March 12 will be devoted to demystifying the often misunderstood concept of branding. 

Branding is an expensive and tedious process and Vincent Lee, one of the facilitators at the OIC-BA, aims to empower start-up and small business owners with five key questions to get branding done right from the get-go.

“I am looking forward to meeting the many aspiring Black/African American business leaders who want to do their part in making an impact in the society,” Vincent said. 

CLICK FOR THE ARTICLE IN THE OKLAHOMAN "Black Oklahomans may apply for entrepreneurship academy in January"

In an interview by Karina Michel Feld of Authority Magazine, I was asked several thought-provoking questions as part of a series called "How I Was Able to Pivot to a New Exciting Opportunity because of the Pandemic". 

There are two particular questions that resonated with what I believe is my core value; one of five things I talk about in the upcoming book. Here are the excerpt from Karina's interview:
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It’s the film “Into the Wild”, adapted from a book of the same title. It tells the story of Christopher McCandless who abandoned all his possessions, burned the cash he had on him, hitchhiked across America, and found momentary contentment with isolation and living off the land.

He kept a diary of his thoughts as he survived for more than 110 days on rice, edible plants, and any wild animals he could hunt with a .22-caliber rifle. While there are varying theories as to the cause of his death in the back country near Denali in 1992, what struck me is one of Christopher’s diary entries, “Happiness is only real when shared.”

Christopher took two years to reach that revelation but did not get to live out the happiness he sought for. Carine McCandless later revealed that her brother’s behavior and sudden departure stemmed from domestic violence and abuse while growing up.

I watched that film in Singapore while visiting my parents right when COVID-19 hit Asia. I recalled sitting in silence as the film credits rolled over my reflection on the TV screen. My childhood pales in comparison to the McCandless but memories of the fear of being hurt by loan sharks flooded my mind. There was no memory of happiness during that time in my life and I remember hating my father.
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The decision to leave Singapore in 2000 to finish my last year in college as a full-time student was partly triggered by a desire to find my own happiness. I am thankful to be able to say this, that happiness has and will continue to be real because of the people I am sharing it with, which includes my parents.
​

Many people are trying to find happiness in the wrong places; from buying and accumulating material things to seeking acceptance or affection from every person they meet. Uncovering one’s personal brand is, at the end of the day, all about discovering one’s unique path to happiness.

I want to motivate and walk alongside someone to identify their ultimate purpose and value in life, which will help them align the necessary relationships (eg. family, friends, co-workers, mentors, customers, clients) and behaviors (eg. career, hobby, processes, habits) in the same direction.

​And as they seek alignment between their purpose, values, relationships, and behaviors, they can bring along with them another person and do the same. Happiness is not the destination, it is the journey. And that journey should be a fun road trip; one that we call life!

​It was two months before COVID-19 turn the world upside down and a localized, but equally devastating situation was turning the world of Ecuadorians upside down. President Lenin Moreno had just decided to remove a four-decade-old fuel subsidies, which crippled the nation straddling the equator as protestors block roads and highways. 

During the time spent with ADSE and the community she is in, we uncovered three core values that I believe stem from the legacy of five missionaries; Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian. Their martyrdom in 1956 in the hands of the Waodani tribe triggered a wave of evangelistic efforts into the Amazon jungles. ​

The Mission Aviation Fellowship, through Nate Saint as her first missionary in Shell, had been bringing the Gospel and life-sustaining resources into the jungle through flights, communications, and other logistics since 1948. The work of supporting missionaries, local churches, and villages continues with ADSE since 1986. While the pandemic may have affected and slowed down the organization, I believe that the work God started has not ceased.

Working with ADSE during the civil unrest has been an eye-opener. As I walked the line dividing different cultures, I learn the importance of contextualizing the universal concept of branding for local relevancy. I love the process of learning about ADSE and figuring out the best way to communicate the discovery and strategy to the leaders and staff who are mostly from a different culture. 

I have always enjoyed working one-on-one with business owners as we develop or redefine their brands. Pivoting my approach, many thanks to the pandemic, I want to extend my reach through coaching groups within companies (beyond just the owners) and helping them understand that a powerful and memorable brand is built from within and as a team.
​

Revisit the B.R.A.N.D. Freeze moments with ADSE in PART 1 and PART 2.

November 15, 2020: Karina Michel Feld of Authority Magazine interviewed me as part of a series called "How I Was Able to Pivot to a New Exciting Opportunity because of the Pandemic". The same interview was also featured on Thrive Global on December 3, 2020.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW

The plan was simple: (1) We have a starting point, which is Aurora Illinois. (2) We have an ending point, which is Tapachula Chiapas where my friend will continue on to South America and I fly back to the U.S. (3) We have a car which promises good fuel efficiency. She is a Toyota Yaris, which inspired us to name her Yasmin.

Our trip hit a major roadblock in Texas when we were warned that driving into Mexico with a temporary vehicle tag will spell trouble for two foreigners. It was the weekend and we had to stay on U.S. soil while waiting for Yasmin's permanent license plate to arrive on Monday.

Let me remind you that our plan was simple and low-budget. We were ready to pitch a tent, stay in a cheap hostel, or sleep in Yasmin. After knocking on the doors of a local church and a fire station, we were graciously offered free lodging by Father Jim at a Roman Catholic church called Our Lady of Refuge.
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That's where we got to know our beloved nun, sister Maria. Between projects we volunteered to help her with and conversations about our crazy road trip through Mexico, she ultimately entrusted us with gifts for her family in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi.

Since we don't have a specific route, Sister Maria's assignment gave us an excuse for a pitstop after Yasmin got adorned with her new bling.

I come from the land of the 'Crazy Rich Asians' but I am not rich by definition of the movie. The many decisions I have made, including traveling across time zones and making Oklahoma City a second home, are considered by some ‘crazy’.

However, I have embraced those decisions and learned that it is more important that our day-to-day actions point towards our ultimate purpose in life. I am rich but in a different sense of the word. I am the Crazy Rich Okieporean.

Watch this introduction video before continuing below.

I decided to use a real advertisement to illustrate a point about branding when teaching a group of youths (aged 18 - 20 years old) who is part of an entrepreneurship program hosted by the Oklahoma City Police Department.

​The above print advertisement truly belongs to one of the companies; Nike or Adidas and below is the video revealing the answer and the lessons taught.