Cory Warfield

My reach could be yours too {2.5M+ imp/mo to 500K+ followers of AI, Tech, Sales, Entrepreneurship} e/acc; p(Doom) = [loading]. Podcaster/Investor/Author/Speaker/Amplifier/Impactor. LLMs, LWMs, LAMs. Opinions are my own.

I’m a nut. I lost a recording contract in 1997 when another caucasian rapper from the midwest started gaining popularity, and it knocked me off my perceived trajectory back then.

I did a stint as a software tester at Rand McNally when I was let go from the label, while simultaneously building websites and chat forums that I facilitated - mostly in the online hip-hop space. I then became a metrologist (science of weights and measures) at Searle Pharmaceutical Research, while still fronting bands that were booked for some fun gigs around the midwest, but never beyond.

But ultimately “not making it” as a “rockstar” really set me on an anomalous “career trajectory”. I ended up working in restaurants - initially as a dishwasher, then a busboy, then waiter, then bartender, then manager. I got certified as a sommelier, did the corporate wine director thing, helped open a top-tier steakhouse, and ultimately burnt out on being a “servant in the castle” (no judgement).

So I studied entrepreneurship, machine learning, brushed back up on coding, and was fortunate to have cofounded a B2B SaaS company using data to help restaurants schedule more predictably. We raised several rounds of funding, and I was ultimately able to exit that company (after a Forbes feature, recognition from BuiltIn, national media and more) to pursue what had helped me start and scale the company - LinkedIn.

As a LinkedIn Top Voice with over a half-million followers and a newsletter here with over 200k subscribers, I now coach executives, founders, speakers and authors to become influencers here and to turn that into a perpetual pipeline for inbound opportunities.

I’ve also gone on to help cofound and join tech companies at an early stage in the venture studio space (DCRBN), music tech space (We J, Starchild), proof of humanhood space (VRFD), seemingly conscious AI (LovingIs AI), phygital intelligence (Phyll), Space Exploration (Ascend), and I am a proud Entrepreneur In Residence at the Founder Institute where I was a co-managing director and Mentor in Excellence (3x).

I do occasionally angel invest as well as help startups raise capital, I’ve helped onboard Grammy winning multiplatinum artists to some of my ventures, I am a public speaker available via PepTalk agency, and a persona here on LinkedIn obsessed with UBI, AI on the blockchain, dogs, music, and community.

If you perceive alignment, feel free to reach out. I’m also currently quietly scaling a virtual influencer agency in the baby space. Happy to sync.

President

After serving on the Board of Directors at World Game Changers for some time and learning how powerful their work and team are, completely buying into the vision and initiatives, and deeply understanding how emergent technologies can help the organization further our commitments and humanitarian work, I have humbly accepted the appointment to President, and am eager to continue the incredible and much needed work this organization has been facilitating for years. 

I TURN IDEAS INTO BRANDS, EXITS & LEGACIES. 🚀 Slayer of the Mundane 🚀 Author of the #1 Amazon bestseller “BRAND INTERVENTION” responsible for $7B in sales

Most ads burn money. My brands print it.

I'm David Brier. the guy CEOs call when they've burned so much cash on marketing, their spouses think they have a coke habit. I'm like rehab for your brand, except instead of getting you clean, I get you profitable. 

Think of me as the Betty Ford Clinic of branding, but with better ROI and no group hugs.

After 300+ brand transformations, I've learned this: While your competitors fight for attention, the smart money commands it. That's the difference between brands that beg and brands that bank.

You know you need me when:
• Everyone in your category looks identical (including you)
• Bigger competitors with deeper pockets keep winning
• That "digital transformation" everyone promised isn't transforming anything
• Your message bounces off customers like bullets off Superman
• You're one pivot away from irrelevance

Here's what I do differently:

I don't refresh brands. I resurrect them. Strategy, story, design, architecture—rebuilt from the ground up. No committees. No 6-month discovery phases. No death by PowerPoint.

Just breakthrough thinking that turns trapped businesses into category killers.

The proof?
• Zero-to-billion: Built a brand from first sale to billion-dollar exit
• Nonprofit magic: Generated $250K in 30 minutes
• Tourism transformation: 500% increase in 12 months for a city rebrand
• Pandemic profit: Expedition company to multi-millions in 24 months

From dog food to cybersecurity, beauty brands to Harley bikes—I've proven that radical differentiation works in any category.

Why I walked away from Revlon and Estée Lauder:

Big agencies love long meetings and longer timelines. I love CEOs who make decisions and make millions. That's why I wrote two Amazon bestsellers—Brand Intervention (Daymond John called it "Genius") and Rich Brand Poor Brand.

The bottom line:

I used to tell stories. Now I craft legacies. Because in a world of copycats, the only strategy is to be the original everyone else copies.

Your competition has you cornered? Perfect. Corner escapes are my specialty.

Ready to rise above the noise?

Subscribe: risingabovethenoise.com/modern-brand-secrets
Book your breakthrough: DavidBrierCalendar.as.me/IntroductorySession

Because being forgettable is the only unforgivable sin in business.

David Brier

A $2 billion mistake.

They refused to fix it.

43% of Pringles customers got their hand stuck in the can.

Most brands would panic. Redesign. Apologize.

Pringles celebrated it.

They turned their biggest complaint into a campaign: #PringlesCanHands.

The results?

→ 2 billion+ impressions
→ 96.5% positive sentiment
→ $2B in annual sales (first time ever)
→ Fastest growth in brand history

The formula was simple:

1. Find your "flaw"
2. Make it famous
3. Let fans own the moment

#PringlesCanHands wasn't just a hashtag.
It became a cultural movement.
People WANTED to get stuck.

The lesson most brands miss:

Your biggest weakness isn't a problem.
It's an opportunity.

Perfect brands are forgettable.
Authentic brands? Unforgettable.

What's the "flaw" you've been hiding that could become your signature?

$9bn+ in sales. Make your brand a magnet, not a money pit. I build brands that customers crave. If you're done wasting ad dollars, let's talk.

A flight attendant told him to put out the cigarette.

He convinced her to light it.

In "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," Don Ready doesn't argue the rule.
He doesn't debate FAA regulations.
He doesn't ask for an exception.

He reframes the entire conversation.

"In 1969, when smoking was allowed on all flights, we put a man on the moon."

Suddenly, it's not about nicotine.
It's about freedom.
It's about a "better time."
It's about taking a stand against everything that's been stripped away.

By the end?
She's not enforcing the rule.
She's joining his rebellion.

Extreme? Absolutely.
But there's a lesson in this madness.

He made it bigger than a cigarette.
Bigger than a rule on a plane.
He made it about something worth fighting for.

Can such madness and conviction work in the real world?

Ask Liquid Death.

They sell water. 
In a tallboy can. 
With a name that sounds like a metal band.

Every "expert" said it was insane.
→ You can't name water after death.
→ You can't put it in a beer can.
→ You can't market hydration like a mosh pit.

They didn't argue.
They reframed.

It's not water. It's "Murder your thirst."
It's not hydration. 
It's a middle finger to boring.

2024 valuation: $1.4 billion.

For water.

Other rebels that refused to play by the "reasonable" rules:

→ Salesforce didn't sell software. They declared "No Software." They framed the whole category as broken and positioned the cloud as a movement, not a product upgrade.

→ Nike didn't sell shoes. They sold defiance in three words: "Just Do It." They turned a commodity sneaker into a global badge of identity.

→ Tesla didn't sell electric cars. They sold the idea that saving the planet could beat a Ferrari off the line. People joined multi-year waitlists for cars from a company that barely spent on traditional advertising.

The lesson most brands miss:

The person who defines the frame wins the game.

Don didn't convince her smoking was okay.
He convinced her they were Freedom Fighters.

Same cigarette.
Completely different sale.

What's the best reframe you've ever seen? Let me know in the comments.

Matthew McConaughey turned down $14.5 million.

To kill his own brand.

Hollywood had him locked in a box.
Shirtless. Charming. Predictable.

One final rom-com script arrived.
They offered $8 million.

He said no.

$10 million → No.
$12 million → No.
$14.5 million → Still no.

His agents panicked.
His phone stopped ringing.
20 months of silence.

Then came Dallas Buyers Club.
Then True Detective.
Then Interstellar.
Then an Oscar.

He didn't pivot.
He unbranded.

He killed what was generating cash
but limiting his potential.

The lesson most brands miss:

Your biggest revenue stream might be your biggest ceiling.

Blockbuster wouldn't unbrand from stores. Dead.
Kodak wouldn't unbrand from film. Dead.
McConaughey unbranded from easy. Oscar.

That reliable product?
That safe positioning?
That comfortable niche?

Might be your rom-com.

Sometimes you have to kill what you're known for
to become what you're capable of.

What's the "easy money" your brand needs to walk away from?

A CEO argued for 10 minutes.

Don Draper ended it with 8 words.

"I'm not asking you to change your religion."

Belle Jolie Lipstick. 1960.
CEO: "We sell choice! Hundreds of shades!"
Draper: "You already tried your plan and you're #4."

The room goes silent.

Client's tantrum:
→ "You're asking us to change our entire business!"
→ "Our variety IS our advantage!"
→ "Women WANT options!"

Draper's death blow:
"I'm not asking you to change your religion.
I'm asking you to sell lipstick."

Mic. Dropped.

What really happened:

The CEO was protecting inventory.
Draper was protecting profits.

One saw SKUs.
One saw souls.

The "Mark Your Man" strategy:

Instead of 100 shades for everyone?
One shade that says "This is ME."

Not "pick a color."
But "mark your territory."

The genius wasn't fewer choices.
It was better reasons.

The modern translation:

→ Netflix: 10,000 shows → "Top 10 for You"
→ Amazon: Million products → "Recommended"
→ Spotify: 100M songs → "Your Daily Mix"

Curation beats collection.

The lesson most brands miss:

Every failing brand worships options.
Every winning brand worships outcomes.

Your client thinks they're selling choice.
They're selling confusion.

And confusion doesn't convert.
Connection does.

Still think variety is value?
Name one lipstick shade from 1960.
Now name "Mark Your Man."

That's the difference between products and power.

Let me know in the comments below:
The "religion" my brand needs to stop worshipping is _________.

They lost the energy drink war. 

Then won a different one.

For 15 years, Celsius was a nobody.
Red Bull owned extreme sports.
Monster owned gaming.
5-Hour Energy owned convenience stores.

Celsius tried to compete. And failed.

Then they stopped trying.

They didn't chase 18-year-old gamers.
They chased 35-year-old women at the gym.

→ No skull graphics.
→ No extreme sports sponsorships.
→ No "UNLEASH THE BEAST" messaging.

Just: "Essential energy. No sugar. No aspartame."

They found a customer everyone else ignored.

2020: $130 million in revenue.
2023: $1.3 billion.
Stock up 4,000% in 5 years.

The lesson most brands miss:

You don't win by fighting for the same customer.
You win by finding the customer nobody's fighting for.

Celsius didn't beat Red Bull.
They made Red Bull irrelevant to their audience.

Who's the overlooked customer your competitors are ignoring?

Celsius energy drink can in Raspberry Peach flavor with headline: They stopped chasing Red Bull. (Stock rose 4,000%)

Yesterday was International Women's Day.

I spent it at a memorial.

My wife and I said goodbye to our dear friend of 40 years.

Christina Kumi Kimball was a goddess.

Grace. Precision. Focus. Beauty.

She was the daughter of a small Japanese mother and a tall African American military father.

She became a dancer.

Not just any dancer.

She performed with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.
She danced on Broadway in Cats.
She lit up The Wiz.
She played Tiger Lily in the national tour of Peter Pan.
She graced the screen in The Cotton Club.

For 40 years, she was part of our lives.

And yesterday, we said goodbye.

Here's what I keep thinking:

Life isn't measured by how long you live.
It's measured by how many lives you touch.

Kumi touched generations.

Through every leap. Every performance. Every moment of presence.

She didn't just move across stages.
She moved people.

That's the legacy that lasts.

Rest in grace, Kumi. Your light shines on.

Photo of David Brier with inset photo of Christina Kumi Kimball, Broadway dancer and Alvin Ailey performer. Headline reads: The Final Stage. A Lifetime of Grace.

Warren Buffett hires for three traits.

Miss the third and the first two become dangerous.

Enthusiasm. Intelligence. Integrity.

Most people obsess over the first two.
They hire for energy. They promote for smarts.

Buffett says that's exactly how you build a disaster.

"If you hire somebody without integrity, you really want them to be dumb and lazy."

Because enthusiasm without integrity is manipulation.
Intelligence without integrity is a con artist in a suit.

I've seen it in branding for 4 decades.

The charismatic founder who burns every partner.
The brilliant strategist who overpromises and underdelivers.
The "visionary" CEO whose vision is always someone else's money.

They're talented. They're driven.
And they leave scorched earth everywhere they go.

Integrity isn't a soft skill.
It's the operating system everything else runs on.

Without it:
→ Your enthusiasm becomes noise
→ Your intelligence becomes manipulation
→ Your brand becomes a lie people eventually see through

Rich brands are built on trust.
Poor brands are built on tactics.

And trust compounds.
Tactics expire.

The question isn't "How smart are you?"
It's "Would I trust you with my business when no one's watching?"

That's the test.
That's the only test.

They didn't build a better taxi.

They eliminated the worst part of getting one.

Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp weren't transportation experts.
They were two guys who couldn't get a cab in Paris.

The taxi industry had 100 years to fix itself.
→ Standing in the rain.
→ Cash only. No receipt.
→ "Sorry, my card machine is broken."
→ No idea when — or if — one would show up.

Uber didn't add features.
They subtracted frustrations.

→ No hailing. Tap a button.
→ No cash. Auto-charged.
→ No uncertainty. Watch the car approach.
→ No mystery pricing. See the fare upfront.

2010: Launched in San Francisco.
2011: $11 million in revenue.
2023: $37 billion.

The taxi industry spent decades improving cars.
Uber improved the experience of getting one.

The lesson most brands miss:

The fastest path to more money isn't adding features.
It's removing the friction that your competitors have normalized.

Your customers aren't asking for more.
They're silently tolerating pain everyone else ignores.

This coming Saturday, I break down exactly how to find these hidden opportunities in this week's article (including a 10-minute Simplicity Audit you can steal.)

Not subscribed? Join 7,000+ business leaders who refuse to compete on price: https://lnkd.in/g2zqk58P

Uber keychain next to car key with headline: They didn't build a better taxi. (Now worth $150B)

Something interesting happened after I posted this.

Over 3,400+ reactions. And seriously deep comments.

And one pattern showed up fast.

Most brands already know they're drowning customers in options.

They just don't know where to start fixing it.

That's why I wrote something new for Saturday.

It's called The Simplicity Audit.

A short framework that helps you find the exact place your brand is:

• adding complexity
• confusing customers
• and quietly losing money

Three questions. Ten minutes.

The answers will change how people see your business.

Because the real lesson behind Don Draper's line wasn't about lipstick.

It was about clarity.

The brands that win don't sell more choices.

They remove the ones customers never wanted.

I'll be sending the article to 7,000+ subscribers first this Saturday.

If you want it when it drops, subscribe here (it's free):
https://lnkd.in/g2zqk58P

And if this post hit a nerve, answer this:

What's the one thing your industry has made unnecessarily complicated?

The conference organizer ran over before my talk.

"Please don't start a rebellion."

I looked at the presentation.

Black background. 
White text. 
Seven beige bullet points.

Enough beige to tranquilize a herd of rhinoceros.

I asked her: "Do you know when beige branding started?"

She didn't.

"Right around the time companies got scared of being remembered."

She laughed nervously.

So I pointed at the conference floor.
1,200 companies. Same three phrases:

• Trusted partner
• Innovative solutions
• Customer-centric

I said: "Do you know what that is?"

"That's not branding. That's witness protection."

Because somewhere along the way, branding stopped being dangerous.

Brands used to start fights.

Now most look like they were approved by the Department of Beige Affairs.

So I told her:

"Relax. I'm not here to disrupt the conference."

"I'm here to restore freedom."

Freedom for brands to be:
Loud. Clear. Unignorable.

And if anyone complains about the slides…

Tell them, “Anything resembling a rebellion is fictitious and purely coincidental. Thinking freely is done at your own risk.”

Great brands were never meant to whisper.

David Brier standing on stage in front of a packed auditorium of hundreds of attendees. Text overlay reads: "That's not branding. That's witness protection."

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Cory Warfield

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