Nothing related to April’s fool - I wanted to start with this statement :) I got fooled already by a client who posted something on his Facebook page, and I thought he got hacked or something close…

We discussed branding before in the newsletter and in a few of our webinars before, but nothing close to what Dan Couvrette, a successful Canadian entrepreneur (and my former boss), did during our latest session last Thursday.

Branding - it’s not just for livestock - is something I used to say, and I still have it somewhere on my website. The statement can be a subject of interpretation, so I’m not using it anymore. However, at the end of the day, what is branding? If you ask ten people, you will most likely get ten different answers. So it’s probably best to state what branding is NOT (via negativa).

It’s not the logo and the colors and the font and the visual identity.

Those are part of the brand, but it’s not just that - and that’s where many people stop when it comes to branding.

I would say branding is the entire experience.

I can’t remember who said that if you put yourself in a hotel room, would you be able to tell in which hotel you are? Most have nice logos and colours and fonts… but is there an experience that differentiates between them?

What’s the experience your business creates?

Our next webinar is going to be very important - we’re getting hit every day, and it’s harder and harder to stay protected. Have you ever thought about the consequences of your data being breached? You don’t have to be a big bank or anything like that. Every small business has a customer list and holds some financial data + access to confidential information.

Make sure you join us on April 25th, 2024, at 7 PM EST for a webinar on the topic of Cybersecurity for your business. The guest? Cristian Bucur, Cybersecurity expert, with years of experience in the business. We’ll be covering:

• Cybersecurity Fundamentals: Understanding the basic principles of cybersecurity and why it’s crucial for your business.
• Threat Landscape: An overview of the common cyber threats targeting small businesses and how to recognize them.
• Data Protection Strategies: Practical steps to secure your business and customer data against cyber breaches.
• Cyber Hygiene Practices: Best practices to enhance your cybersecurity posture and reduce the risk of cyber incidents.
• Compliance and Legal Considerations: Navigating the legal landscape related to data protection and understanding your obligations.

You can register for this webinar here.

​Here’s the recording of the webinar. Not sure what happened with the camera since the quality is low but I promise you that the knowledge shared during this session compensates for everything.

Here are the Main Discussion Points:

• Importance of branding for business success (00:05)
• Dan's background founding magazines and other businesses (00:03)
• High rates of business failures and common causes (00:23)
• Defining branding and its key elements (00:26)
• Conducting SWOT analysis to clarify business branding (00:35)
• Creating a unique value proposition (00:39)
• Getting customer feedback to shape branding (00:39)
• Case study: Branding journey of lighting company Hollis+Morris (00:43)

Make sure you watch the recording and don’t miss this month’s webinar.

For the song of the day, I choose “Bird in Hand” - by Lee “Scratch” Perry. Some good vibes.

Here’s the short of the day.

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