The Everybody Brands Podcast with Brian Sooy

In this episode, Brian and Eric discuss the intersections of ministry, business, and personal vocation. Topics include the co-vocational and bi-vocational models for ministry, lessons pastors and business leaders can learn from each other, and the significance of viewing work as worship. They also reflect on the challenges and opportunities in integrating faith with professional life.This episode is brought to you by Aespire, the branding and marketing agency for service companies. Book your StoryBrand Strategy Session and grow your business!Buy Eric's book, Market Street Pastor●     The book guides ministry leaders to transition into marketplace jobs.●     It addresses ministry sustainability and reduces financial stress for pastors.●     It's based on Eric’s work with his coaching agency, I Help Pastors Get Jobs, which has supported pastors adapting to a co-vocational model.Listen for more!How can people connect with Eric Hoke?●     Visit IHelpPastorsGetJobs.com.●     Follow him on Twitter/X: @EricHoke

In this episode of the Everybody Brands Podcast, Brian Sooy and guest Zach Hoskins discuss Zach's perspective on this idea: "Don’t just sell a product—sell a process. Help clients build a strategy that converts leads, nurtures relationships, and retains customers for life."This episode is brought to you by Aespire, the branding and marketing agency for service companies.What is your professional background?Military: 10 years in Missouri Air National Guard, worked on B2 stealth bomberLeadership: 10 years on leadership teams of entrepreneurial organizations (C-suite roles)Consulting: Implemented coaching strategies and business systems for 5+ yearsCurrent: Owns The Efficiency Conductor, runs online communities for tech professionals and leadersWhat communities do you run?Harmony Growth Lab: Helps cybersecurity professionals build personal brands and strategic visionsWhat is your approach to client relationships?Focus on selling a process, not just a productHelp clients build strategies to convert leads, nurture relationships, and retain customersPrioritize investing in team members, who then take better care of clientsView relationships as the foundation of business successGet your copy of the book, "Trade Secrets: Four Core Strategies to Maximize Value for Service Companies" in print, ebook, and audio formats. Tailored for a wide range of professionals, from home services to wealth management, this book breaks down complex branding concepts into accessible, actionable strategies that any small business owner can implement.How do you balance team and client priorities?Shifted focus from "clients first" to "team members first, then clients"Pouring into team members empowers them to better serve clientsThis approach helps remove the owner from day-to-day operationsHow do you approach strategic planning for businesses?Map out the entire client journey from awareness to advocacyUse whiteboards to visualize processes and identify prioritiesFocus on one area (e.g., sales process) for a sustained period (90 days to a year)Emphasize working on the business vs. in the businessWhat's your view on long-term planning?While specifics may change, focus on desired feelings and outcomesUse reverse engineering to determine steps needed todayHow do you manage time and productivity?Focus on four key elements: Time, Energy, Attention, and Effort (T.E.A.E.)Create an "ideal week" to manage time effectivelyAnalyze energy levels throughout the weekDirect attention intentionally and adjust effort accordinglyHow do you approach relationship building in business?Create communication cadences (weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly)Use methods like podcasting to generate leads and build relationshipsView relationships as the foundation of all business successBalance emotional and logical communication based on audience (e.g., more logic-focused for accountants)

Join business and brand strategist Brian Sooy for a conversation with Brett Baker, founder of VAUSA.VAUSA is a virtual staffing agency with a mission to create meaningful jobs and community for military families by strategically building remote teams for faith and purpose-driven businesses.Highlights from this episode:Visit hirevausa.com to hire a virtual assistant to free your timeBook a free consultation with VAUSA®Download "125 Tasks To Delegate To Your Virtual Assistants"Grow your business with a brand and business alignment framework that unlocks greater potential for your EOS business. Order Trade Secrets: Four Core Strategies to Maximize Value for Service CompaniesEverybody Brands is hosted by Brian Sooy, founder of Aespire Branding and Marketing, the agency that helps service companies unlock their potential through business and brand strategy. StoryBrand Certified.

This brief episode introduces you to Trade Secrets: Four Core Strategies to Maximize Value for Service Companies by Brian Sooy, now available in audiobook format.“Trade Secrets by Brian Sooy shouldn’t be secrets at all, yet most of us have never applied these practical, easy-to-understand ideas to optimize our businesses. Thanks, Brian, for making practical solutions so accessible!” – Donald Miller Author of Building a StoryBrand Every service business needs a plan to consistently align its brand with its customers.The CORE Framework shows you how to integrate a story-framed brand with leadership, marketing, sales, operations, services, and customer experience.Features case studies for HVAC professionals, electricians, plumbers, insurance companies, and financial advisors.Enhance your Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS) or Business Made Simple implementation with four proven CORE strategies that build long-term brand value for any B2C or home services business.Buy Trade Secrets in ebook, print, or audiobook at https://amzn.to/4cTvOQmPreview at aespire.com/get-trade-secrets

We're changing the name of this podcast from “Everybody Brands,” to “The Extraordinary Strategist.”If you're a listener or subscriber, you’re already member of The Society of Extraordinary Strategists.I share interviews with marketplace leaders, you’ll hear my insights more when we publish, and maybe we will find some new music to celebrate our name change.Thanks for listening and following. You can subscribe to receive our content directly in your inbox when we publish. Look for the link in the show notes or visit extraordinarystrategist.com. And, of course, please leave a five-star review!Subscribe to our Substack at https://extraordinarystrategist.substack.com.

Tim Schurrer was the COO at StoryBrand, where he worked alongside Donald Miller, and in a previous role, he worked alongside one of my heroes, Steve Jobs. Tim just released his new book, “The Secret Society of Success: Stop Chasing the Spotlight and Learn to Enjoy Your Work (and Life) Again”Click here to buy "The Secret Society of Success now.If you want to know how you can live a life of significance and success and join the Secret Society of Success, visit Secretsocietybook.com, which has everything you need to buy the book and connect with Tim.Are you worried that you're wasting money on marketing because you don't have a plan? Get a free marketing assessment from Aespire, powered by StoryBrand.Subscribe to our Substack at https://extraordinarystrategist.substack.com.

Kate Volman is the CEO of Floyd Consulting. Kate and Brian Sooy talk about content, creativity, and repurposing so you can do more with the content you love to create.Floyd Consulting believes an organization can only become the best version of itself to the extent that its people are becoming better versions of themselves. And in order to do that, you have to learn about your employee's dreams, what are the dreams that your team members have for their lives, and if you help them achieve their dreams, they're going show up at work differently and help you achieve the dreams of the organization.We talk about books: "What's interesting about it is when you have the book, you've done the hard work, you've done the work of taking these big ideas, and communicating them in a way that people can kind of bite size, take it and actually understand what you're trying to say."+++It’s hard to know if you’re actually getting your marketing right. If you've ever felt this way, I’m so excited to share a brand new tool with you.The StoryBrand Marketing Report is a new online business assessment that lets small business owners understand where their marketing plan is falling short and what it should look like.Marketing does not have to be complicated and yes, it can work. Take the assessment and get your report now 👉 go.aespire.com/assessment+++More Key Takeaways:I always say we are one idea or connection away from changing the trajectory of our life.Sitting down and writing every day to kind of come up with new ideas and new ways of saying them is about figuring out how are you going to say something different than the millions of other people that have said the same thing before you.The longer you sit and wait for inspiration, the more it's not going to show up. The inspiration shows up when you're putting in the work.Connect with Kate atDo What You Love on YouTubeKate Volman on LinkedInConnect with Brian SooyAespireBrian Sooy on LinkedInBrian Sooy, StoryBrand Certified GuideEndorsed by Donald Miller“I’m Donald Miller, author of Building a StoryBrand. If you want to grow your company, call Brian Sooy and hire him as a marketing guide. You will not be sorry.“

What's the secret to creating value, scaling, and growing your business? In this conversation with entrepreneur and author Blair Enns, we learn it’s not about doing more or better, and it may be about doing less.Discover why growing your business requires more than good habits. In this episode, I’m talking with Blair Enns from Win Without Pitching. Win Without Pitching is an organization that runs sales and new business development training programs for owners and employees of design firms, ad agencies, PR practices, and other creative businesses. A lot of what he talks about is also relevant for your business. Blair is the author of the Win Without Pitching Manifesto, (a book I designed through my branding agency, Aespire) and Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour (the second of Blair's books Aespire designed. I suppose you can say the agency is habit-forming).Listen to hear the life-changing lesson Blair learned when he says, "Some lessons take me so long to learn, like the idea that other people could do what I do."Find Blair Enns atWin Without Pitching http://wwp.tv/blog2Bobs Podcast: http://wwp.tv/podcastThe Win Without Pitching ManifestoSubscribe to our Substack at https://extraordinarystrategist.substack.com.