Jason Vana

Marketing Director

Attract the RIGHT customers to your business | Brand & content strategist | Founder at SHFT | Known as #sassyjason

Struggling to attract the right clients?

You have a brand strategy issue.

Attracting the right people requires understanding why they should buy from YOU, when there are 1000’s of other options easily accessible through Google.

In order to attract, convert, and retain the right clients, you need to:

- Know what makes your business unique
- Communicate what makes your business unique
- Create an experience that shows what makes your business unique

It’s all about highlighting your uniqueness.

That’s where my agency steps in.

Through collaborative workshops, research, strategy, and design, we will help you uncover, communicate, and build an experience around your uniqueness.

Working with us typically looks like:

- industry, competitor, and customer research
- brand and marketing workshops 
- brand and marketing strategies
- design (logos, websites, marketing materials)

It culminates in an Onlyness Action Plan — your 1 year, step-by-step brand and marketing to-do list.

All so you become the ONLY choice for your ideal customers.

And make a lot more money.

Want to learn more?

Send me a message.
Or book a call at shft.agency/discovery

Founder & CEO

We transform B2B service companies into the ONLY choice for their ideal customers. Our clients see a 20%+ increase in revenue with our brand and content strategies. 

Here's how we help:

◼️ Brand Strategy (customers, uniqueness, messaging, touchpoints, story)
◼️ Brand Design (logos, colors, fonts, collateral)
◼️ Content Strategy (demand gen, content creation)
◼️ LinkedIn (strategy, content, profile audits)

Interested in learning more? DM me or book a discovery call below.

I was in the ER twice this week with chest pains.

Once on Sunday. Again, on Tuesday, which led to my being admitted.

It was scary as hell.

My family has a long history of heart issues:

- Mama Vana had stents at 55 and quad bypass at 70
- Dad died of valvular cardiomyopathy at 46
- Brother had a heart attack in his early 40s
- Uncle had a heart attack in his early 40s
- Cousin had a heart attack in his early 40s

See a pattern there?

I'm 45. 

Chest pain is not something a male in this family should mess with.

(stupid genetics)

Thankfully, everything is fine.

I did NOT have a heart attack.
My echocardiogram came back clean.
My CT angiography came back clean.

Apparently, my heart is strong.
My valves are working.
My arteries are clear.

Ya boy's heart is like Superman. 

(and it's going to stay that way)

Still don't know what's causing the chest pains.
But we do know it's not my heart or lungs.

Which means one thing:

Y'all are stuck with #SassyJason.

Why am I sharing all of this, besides for an algo boost?

It was nice not having to worry about the business during all of this.

Client work got done.
Emails got responded to.
I even made money while in the hospital.

THAT was all possible because of our strategy.

And my amazing team.

Build correctly.

You won't have to worry about your business when life decides to sucker punch you in the chest.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Become the ONLY choice. I build b2b service brands that stand out + drive revenue. Founder/CEO at Shft.Agency. Known as #SassyJason

Most personal branding "experts" are an absolute joke.

→ just be yourself
→ just be authentic
→ just post on LinkedIn
→ just create more content
→ your personality makes you different

👆🏼 Any real brander knows that advice is sh*t.

Yes, you have to be authentic.
Yes, you have to create content.
Yes, you need a personality.

BUT 👏🏼 THAT 👏🏼 SH*T 👏🏼 DOESN'T 👏🏼 MAKE 👏🏼 A 👏🏼 BRAND 👏🏼

Here's what actually builds a brand:

1. create a unique strategy
2. create a unique value
3. create a unique position
4. create a unique perspective
5. create a unique offer
6. create a unique identity
7. create a unique experience

In that order.

Personality, content, and being yourself are steps 6 and 7.

And if you don't have steps 1-5 in place...
Steps 6 and 7 won't make you money.

So before you start working with that personal branding "expert"...

Ask them a simple question:

How much money have your clients actually made?

If it's not at least 2x what you make...
RUN.

They're selling you sh*t.
Not a brand.

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

——
PS - Grab my All-in-One Strategy Bundle. 12 strategy resources for only $199. https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

Creating a new category is a balancing act.

Most founders try to be way too different.

→ Optimization specialist
→ Organizationalist
→ Business tidier
→ Life creator

(all categories I've heard from prospects)

None of them makes sense.

Because there is no point of reference to understand what they are.

And no one in their right mind is searching for a Business Tidier 

🙄

Creating a new category requires:

→ Familiar enough to understand
→ Different enough to stand out

Take Edge Cleaning Service in Washington.

They created a brilliant category.

House Detailers.

→ Clear on what they offer (house cleaning)
→ Understandable (we all know what detailing is)
→ Aligns with how people search (detailing is synonymous with deep cleaning)

They took two existing categories (house cleaning and car detailing)...
Smashed them together (house detailing)...
To stand out in the market.

And that's the key to category creation.

Familiar enough to be searched for.
Different enough to stand out.

Find that balance.

Or that "new" category you created will confuse the hell out of people.

And confused people NEVER buy.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

Confession: I hate most of the large accounts on LinkedIn.

Fluffy, stolen, regurgitated nonsense that helps no one.

That's why I only engage with smaller creators.

Those who actually help my business.
Those who teach me something valuable.
Those who have a personality beyond "look how vulnerable I am."

They are the creators who are doing LinkedIn right.

I follow 100s of small creators.

Here are the top 11 you should follow as well:

Alex B Sheridan → video creation that drives revenue

Morgan J Ingram → outbound and Sales Nav genius

Sara Stella Lattanzio → best damn marketer I know

Patrick Cumming → LinkedIn ads savant

Phillip Oakley → a brilliant strategist and positioning genius

Stephen Houraghan → a brand strategist I've learned from

Jacob Pegs → amazing content creator I've been learning from

Irit Levi → process, automation, and operations genius

Mina Mesbahi → one of the best content strategists I know

Katelyn Bourgoin 🧠 → buyer psychology + content strategist = amazing

Richard Moore → the master at closing sales

There are 100s more I could add to this list.

(Please don't cry if you aren't on this list. I still love you)

But these are the creators I recommend to my clients. 

Because I learn from them.

And that, my friend, is what your content should do.

Entertain, but more importantly, EDUCATE your ideal customers. 

So they trust you.
Adopt your POV.
And hire you.

Give all eleven a follow.
And tell them #SassyJason sent you.

You can talk about how great I am for introducing you. 

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS - I'm out today and this week, celebrating Thanksgiving with my family.

PPS - grab all 12 of my paid resources + a $500 discount on a 90-min consultation with my Black Friday All-in-One Bundle → https://lnkd.in/e4YSrcGG

shftagency

fusion-tech-integrated-inc

ignite-student-ministries-inc.

(7) Post | Feed | LinkedIn

JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #content, #branding, #marketing, #brandstrategy, and #contentstrategy

My least favorite part of building a brand strategy:

Purpose. Vision. Mission. Values.

Fluffy garbage. 🤮

Case in point.

In 2023, I rebuilt how we create brand strategies at Shft.

My goal: make them lean enough to drive revenue fast.

So I did what most brand strategists wouldn’t dare.

I cut purpose, vision, mission, and values.
(You can pay me extra if you really want them.)

At first, I thought clients would freak out.

They didn’t.

We built strategies 3x faster.
Revision rounds dropped.
Clients made more money faster.

No one cared about what was “missing.”

Because their brand was doing what every brand should do:

MAKING 👏🏼 MORE 👏🏼 MONEY 👏🏼 

Sure, purpose, mission, vision, and values have their place.
But they don't pay the bills.

You can spend months perfecting your mission statement and make $0 from it.

Or you can build a brand strategy that actually makes you money.

Choose wisely.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

Dear LinkedIn,

Please fix your sh*t.

Signed,

Every Creator Not Using a Pod Or Paying for Engagement

The only organic metric I care about on LinkedIn:

Saves.

Reach can be hacked. 
Comments can be written by AI.
Reactions can be driven from a pod.

Saves are the only metric that accurately shows the quality of your content.

Think about it.

No one is going to save sh*tty content.
Or content that doesn't help them.
Or content that isn't relevant.
Or content with selfies.

We only save content that solves a problem.
And that resonates with what we want to build.

And THAT'S the content that drives sales. 

(at least, that's why my clients say)

Want to get more saves on your content?

Try this ↓

1. Know your ideal customers
Determine who is most likely to buy from you.
Get as specific as possible.

2. Know the problems your clients face
Talk to them. Ask them questions. 
Follow up with "why does that matter?"

3. Solve those problems in content
Give them frameworks, tips, and advice.
The more practical, the better.

4. Push a next step
Tell them where to get more help.
A product, call, email → don't leave them hanging.

Practical content gets saved.

The more of your content they save, the more trust you build.
The more trust you build, the closer they are to buying from you.

And that, boo, is the goal.

Create content that gets saved.

You'll build trust and make more money that way. 

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS. Get the full breakdown in tomorrow's Brand Shft email. Subscribe here → https://lnkd.in/eX_VpwT7

Your brand isn’t just a client magnet. It’s a door opener.

Most founders think branding = more leads.

YES, BUT...

A strong brand puts you in places money can't.

Case in point:

Last week, I spoke to Stephen Houraghan's Brand Masters Academy.

I've followed him for years.
Took two of his courses.
Even wanted to be him when I grew up.

(still waiting on that to happen)

He asked ME to teach his community.

Not because I pitched him.
Not because I paid for access.
Not because I sent 47 follow-up DMs.

It's because I built a brand:

I showed up consistently.
Commented thoughtfully.
Built something worth noticing.

That's what happens when you nail your positioning.

You stop chasing opportunities.
They start chasing you.

- Speaking gigs find you
- Partnerships form naturally  
- Mentors become colleagues
- Dream clients slide into your DMs

Your brand is working while you sleep.
Opening doors you didn't know existed.
Creating opportunities you couldn't have planned.

Want to build a brand that opens those doors?

Let’s find what makes your brand the ONLY choice → https://lnkd.in/eH8Y-YC6

It’s 90 minutes to unlock the doors your brand should already be walking through.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Do you know what makes your business unique?

Most founders don't. 

So they struggle with:

→ attracting ideal customers
→ generating leads
→ creating content
→ building offers
→ closing deals
→ writing copy
→ marketing

And waste time and money on tactics that will NEVER work.

Please, for the love of everything sassy, don't go into 2026 like that.

🤦🏻‍♂️

I'm booking Onlyness Calls for November and December.

In 90 minutes, we'll lock in your unique edge and build your 2026 playbook.

→ uncover what makes your business unique
→ create direction for your messaging
→ map out changes to your content
→ come up with marketing ideas
→ think through operations

You'll also have me in your corner for 2 weeks.
Real-time, follow-through, not fluff.

AND access to my strategy goodie bag.

All so you can walk into 2026 with clarity and direction for your business.

Strategy, direction, and implementation.

The best part?

You can get $400 off using code BYE2025.

But I'm only taking 8 calls.

So if you want clarity, direction, and a new focus for 2026, don't wait.

Once those spots are filled, I'm not taking on any more until January.

Book your call today.

Or go into 2026 confused, struggling, and listening to "gurus" trying to sell you on another damn AI-generated course.

I'm sure that will help.

(NOT)

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS. Book your Onlyness Call with discount code BYE2025 before the 8 spots are filled → https://lnkd.in/ePMpReye

Feeling stuck sucks.

But it's not the final word.

All you need is a bit of clarity.

A vision.
A decision.
A roadmap.
A fresh idea.

Something that sparks life back in you.

I see this with every 1:1 client I've worked with.

They launched their business with a lot of excitement.

But the years wore them down.

- tactics that didn't work
- offers no one wanted
- content that fell flat

No matter what they did, they couldn't grow.

You know what finally worked?

Achieving clarity on three simple decisions.

- What makes you unique
- Who do you want to serve
- How will you attract them

I've driven $70M+ in new revenue for clients, and I can tell you this:

Nothing will work until you make those three decisions.

No new marketing campaign.
No LinkedIn hook.
No DM script.
No rebrand.

Make those three decisions.
And watch everything fall into place.

If you're ready to get clarity on your business, all of my resources are on sale for Black Friday.

→ Strategic Goals Toolkit
→ Uncover Your Differentiation Workshop & Miro Template
→ Assumption Reversal Exercise
→ Ideal Customer Playbook
→ Onlyness Strategy Template
→ Paid Discovery Offer Blueprint
→ Brand One-Liner Templates
→ LinkedIn Just Get Started Guide
→ The $700k+ LinkedIn DM Templates
→ Sales Staircase
→ One-Liner Roaster GPT
→ Niche Channel AI Prompt

Plus, a $500 discount on a 90-min consultation.

That covers everything from setting goals to marketing.

Separately, they cost $1,242.

Get the All-in-One Black Friday Special for only $199.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/e4YSrcGG

These are the exact exercises, templates, and frameworks I have used to position 145+ B2B brands as the only choice.

And drive over $70M in new revenue.

Tactics won't get you unstuck.

Clarity will.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

I have a confession to make:

My Black Friday all-in-one bundle was a flop.

I put all 10 of my digital products + 2 of my GPTs into one bundle...
Gave people a $500 discount on a 1:1 consultation...
Packaged them together (separately $1,242)...

And sold it for $199.

I was expecting to make 50 sales.

Which wasn't a crazy goal.

I sold over 200 of my LinkedIn Just Get Started Guides (included in the bundle).

50 was a very conservative goal.
But I only sold 10. 

And I know why:

I didn't market it well. 

- 1 email announcing it
- 1 LinkedIn post about it
- 2 IG stories that were afterthoughts
- No reminder emails

And the worst part:

- I wasn't even actively engaging on LinkedIn when that post launched.

I was off spending time with family and expected my post to just take off.

I fell into the same mindset I tell my clients NEVER to have:

If I build it, they will come.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Look, you can have the best offer ever.

I mean, $199 to get everything you need to:

- set business goals
- uncover your differentiation
- know your ideal customers and how they buy
- create your brand strategy
- build an offer
- create a paid discovery offer
- create a sales staircase so you don't have to sell
- write your brand messaging
- roast your brand message and get improvements (GPT)
- find niche marketing channels
- build a profitable LinkedIn presence
- send DMs on LinkedIn that generate revenue

It's everything I do for my clients..,
and charge a minimum of $18K for...

For $199.

That's a killer offer.

But without good marketing, even killer offers flop.

Remember that. 

You need marketing to sell your offer.

Anyone who says otherwise is a damn fool.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS - I'm extending the Black Friday sale until this Saturday. Grab your copy here → https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

I  start every brand strategy project with a single question:

What are your goals for the business?

- the revenue you want to make
- the life you want to live
- the size of your team
- how you spend your time

👆🏼 Those are all important when creating a strategy.

Because a strategy is a decision about how you prioritize your time, money, and resources to...

ACHIEVE 👏🏼 A 👏🏼  SPECIFIC 👏🏼 GOAL 👏🏼 

No goal = your strategy is pointing you nowhere. 

Here are my *new* goals for Shft:

- $1M in revenue
- work 4-5 hours a day
- focus on creating my content
- help 100s of SMBs stand out + drive revenue
- only take on 4 large branding projects each year
- small team of experts who don't need supervision

Those goals demand changes in our strategy. 

- selling digital products
- launching a paid community
- simplifying our delivery processes
- creating clearer SOPs
- hiring high-quality people

Goals dictate your strategy.

So figure out what you actually want to build.

Once you see your goals clearly, the strategy almost writes itself.

Need help with that?

Grab my Strategic Goals Toolkit → https://lnkd.in/eei5cqAZ

It'll help you map out the goals needed to create an epic strategy.

Future you will thank you for getting strategic now.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

6 Strategic Goals Every Founder Needs | Shft Agency

Stop creating strategies you never use.

You don't need another brilliant plan to save your business.

Beautiful slides.
Detailed timelines.
Comprehensive analysis.

All for it to collect dust while you focus on doing whatever feels urgent.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Here's what to do instead:

Build a strategy you WANT to implement:

1. Start Small
Pick ONE thing to focus on for the next 30 days. 

2. Make It Measurable
If you can't track it, you won't do it. Set clear metrics that matter.

3. Schedule It
Block time in your calendar. Treat strategy execution like client work.

4. Review Weekly
Every Friday, ask: "Did I move the needle on my strategy this week?"

5. Adjust Fast
If something isn't working after two weeks, pivot. Don't wait months.

The goal isn't to create the perfect strategy.

(It doesn't exist, boo)

It's to create a strategy you'll actually execute.

Because a mediocre strategy you implement beats a brilliant strategy you ignore.

EVERY 👏🏼 SINGLE 👏🏼 TIME 👏🏼 

Stop planning your way to success.
Start executing your way there.

Your future self will thank you.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

If I had to rebuild my business from scratch...

Here's exactly how I'd do it ↓

1. Get crystal clear on what you want to build.

I changed my mind every other month — solopreneur, massive agency, fractional CMO.

Because I looked at what everyone else was doing and thought:

THAT'S what success looks like. 

🤮

Define what you want to build.

Set goals for your time, focus, and team size.

Building is much easier when you do.

2. Know your ideal customers.

You need to know them inside and out.

Who they are, what they love, what they struggle with, how they buy, who they trust, what motivates them to buy.

Every post, every offer, every DM should speak to THEM.

3. Create an offer staircase.

Having 10 different offers means you're known for nothing.

Pick one main offer and break it into steps:

- Freebie lead magnet
- Paid digital product
- Paid discovery offer
- Low-tier version (done by you)
- Mid-tier version (done with you)
- High-tier version (done for you)

ONE offer. 
Different levels of access.

4. Pick 3 platforms and post regularly.

Educate and entertain your ideal customers where they are.

Make it a mix of:
- Social (LinkedIn, IG, TikTok)
- Email (launch an email newsletter, boo)
- SEO (YouTube or blog posts)

Those three cover the basis of the buying journey.
And guarantee you show up where and when they are looking.

4 steps.
Years of frustration avoided.

If you want to build smarter, all of my resources are on sale for Black Friday.

It's everything you need to implement those 4 steps yourself.

Separately, they cost $1,242.
Get the All-in-One Black Friday Special for only $199.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

These are the exact exercises, templates, and frameworks I have used to position 145+ B2B brands as the only choice. 

And drive over $70M in new revenue.

All by implementing four simple steps.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

My email signup form has 5 fields.

Most marketing "experts" say that's way too much.

They say I'm losing potential subscribers because I'm asking too much up front.

That best practice is just asking for an email.

More conversions that way.

Newsflash:

If you can't fill out 5 fields, I don't want you as a subscriber.

💁🏻‍♂️

You're clearly too damn lazy.
Don't really care about growing your business.
And it's a sign you won't implement the advice I give you anyway.

I don't want lazy ass, incompetent, freebie seekers on my list.

They don't buy.
They don't implement.
They don't follow advice.

And a year later, they're complaining that their business hasn't grown.

Those aren't the people I want to work with.

Look, best practices have their place.

But you better know:

- who you're trying to attract
- what you're trying to build
- the experience you're trying to create

Because not every best practice is the RIGHT practice for you.

Like having only 1 field for an email newsletter.

Best practice? Sure.
Best practice for Shft? Not at all.

Because if filling out 5 fields is too much for you...
...building a profitable business is WAY beyond you.

And I don't want to waste my time teaching you.

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Most strategies don't drive revenue.

Here's how to test if yours actually does:

Revenue is the only metric that matters for business survival.

Yet most strategies focus on vanity metrics, awareness, and how nice it looks.

None of that pays the bills.

Here are 7 ways I test if a strategy actually drives revenue:

→ Review client retention and expansion rates
→ Calculate customer lifetime value changes
→ Measure conversion rates at every stage
→ Monitor average deal size improvements
→ Analyze sales cycle length reduction
→ Track lead quality, not just quantity
→ Test pricing strategy effectiveness

If your strategy isn't moving these numbers, it's not working.

Businesses spend months on positioning and market research without connecting it to actual revenue outcomes.

That's not a strategy.
It's expensive procrastination.

Real strategy creates a direct line from your positioning to your profit.

The only question that matters:

"Will this help us close more deals, faster, at higher prices?"

If the answer isn't a resounding YES, you're not being strategic.

You're procrastinating.

Test your strategy against revenue.

Not engagement rates.
Not brand awareness surveys.
Not how pretty your website looks.

Revenue.

Because that's what keeps you in business.

Everything else is just noise.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

I rarely discount my products and services.

It's just not the game I want to play. 

But this year, I started launching more digital products.

Frameworks, templates, and GPTs that I've used to generate 6-7 figures of new revenue for my clients.

I had 1 paid resource before 2025.

I now have 10.
And a few freebies that will become paid products next year.

I'm discounting them all.

That's right, #SassyJason is running a Black Friday deal on my All-in-One Bundle.

Here's what you get:

→ Strategic Goals Toolkit
→ Uncover Your Differentiation Workshop & Miro Template
→ Assumption Reversal Exercise
→ Ideal Customer Playbook
→ Onlyness Strategy Template
→ Paid Discovery Offer Blueprint
→ Brand One-Liner Templates
→ LinkedIn Just Get Started Guide
→ The $700k+ LinkedIn DM Templates
→ Sales Staircase
→ One-Liner Roaster GPT
→ Niche Channel AI Prompt

Plus, a $500 discount on my 90-min Onlyness Call consultation good until March 31.

Purchased separately, these resources cost $1,242.

But you can get the All-in-One Bundle for $199.

That's a savings of $1,043.

(Yes, I have gone insane 🤪)

Grab your bundle today → https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

That price expires on Tuesday, December 2. 

Don't say I didn't warn you.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

------
PS - I'm out today spending time with Mama Vana, Brother Vana, and Niece Vana, so I likely won't be replying.

Most brands rebrand for looks. Pepsico rebranded for survival.

Especially when you take consumer trends into account.

I worked in the food processing industry for 7+ years.
And have clients in the food processing industry. 

There is a dramatic shft (pun intended) in that industry towards:

- cleaner labels
- healthier options
- fewer preservatives
- more natural ingredients
- more homemade style foods

And Pepsico is a monster of a company.

They own roughly 110 brands.
In food and beverage.
Across the world.

Their old brand screamed:

- We're corporate.
- We only care about profits.
- We cut corners when possible.
- We don't care about healthy ingredients.

It was time for a change.

Not just to update perceptions on their business.
But to better align with their new Pep+ strategy.

This rebrand makes Pepsico feel:

- smaller
- organic
- homegrown
- health conscious

Everything you want to be known for in the food processing industry right now.

That's what a good rebrand SHOULD do:

- shft your perspective
- shft your impression
- shft your focus

And, ultimately, shft your brand.

Take a page out of Pepsico's book.

When the market changes drastically...
And people don't look favorably on corporations...
And you implement a new strategy to grow...

It's time to update your design to match.

Or, keep giving off the wrong perception.

Because nothing tanks a brand faster than looking healthy on paper and corporate in public.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Pepsico Nailed their Rebrand | Shft Agency

I've run 275+ strategy workshops. 

Here are the 4 pitfalls even experienced marketers stumble into.

Pitfall 1: Starting with tactics

They jump straight to "we need better content" or "let's run ads."

Without understanding:

- WHO they're targeting
- WHY those people should care
- HOW they'll stand out in the market

Strategy first. Tactics second.

Pitfall 2: Making assumptions about their market

"We know our customers want X."

Do you?
Or are you guessing?

I've seen companies spend months building features nobody asked for.

Because they assumed instead of asking.

Pitfall 3: Trying to be everything to everyone

"Our solution works for small businesses AND enterprises."

RIIIGGGGHHHTTTT....

And that's exactly why you're struggling to stand out.

Pick a lane.
Own it completely.

Pitfall 4: Skipping the competitive analysis

"We don't have competitors."

Yes, you do.

Even if it's the status quo or simply doing nothing.

Understanding what you're up against shapes everything.

Just look at the data ↓

Companies that skip strategy spend 3x longer getting to market.

They pivot constantly because they never had a clear direction.

But companies with a solid strategy?

They move fast.
They stand out.
They win.

You can keep guessing your way to success.

OR you can build a strategy that actually works.

One gets you results.

The other?

That's just expensive trial and error.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

December means one thing:

It's time to audit your brand.

Most founders never revisit their brand once it’s live.

No evals. No reflection. No updates.
Just hope it still lands — even though the market has moved.

If it’s been a year since your last brand check, start here:

1. Analyze competitors
Drop yours and their websites into SEMrush.
See if you're winning attention. 

2. Pressure test your positioning
Still the only?
Run your unique angle through the Can’t/Won’t test.

3. Talk to real customers
Interview 3–5. Ask about their problems and why they bought from you.
Update your ICP based on their words.

4. Audit the experience
From first click to offboarding — what’s clunky and what's seamless?
Find and fix any friction.

5. Make it actionable
Prioritize the shifts.
Assign owners. Set deadlines.

Want a sharper outside perspective?

Let me roast your brand.
And give you a checklist of what to improve.

I'm only taking on 4 brand audits until Christmas.

Book yours here → https://lnkd.in/eabzMSpq

Don’t wing it like the rest.

Audit now, so 2026 isn’t guesswork — it’s growth.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

How to Audit Your Brand | Shft Agency

Beatrice Gutknecht 🦘

BADASSERY by B

Providing badass brand strategy services for service-based SMBs that will differentiate their brand from competitors and streamline their marketing efforts to reach and convert their target audience effectively.

Badass results:
•  Build loyalty
•  Lower churn rate
•  Increased referrals
•  Quicker sales cycle
•  Higher customer lifetime value
•  Improved audience associations and feelings about your brand.
•  A distinct and memorable identity.
•  Increased word of mouth
•  Increased inbound leads 

I know the rules and when to break them.

Founder, Brand Strategy Consultant

The Art of Branding Podcast

What if you could take your seemingly 'boring' business and shake up how it's seen, inside-out to go from plateau to pop star?

Beatrice Gutknecht (Brand Positioning Badass) is on a mission to help you do that while avoiding dropping big bucks on harmful rebrands.

The Art of Positioning podcast teaches you how to rewire operations around new positioning.

The goal? Ready to implement tips, aka actionable ideas, shared by Beatrice and expert guests.

Rebrands, fluffy words, and pictures can take a walk.

Check your brand health today: www.badasserybyb.com/brand-health-audit

Let’s freakin’ gooooo!

Podcast Host

Cloud Focus

About Cloud Focus: We design, operate, and build cloud-based solutions such as e-Commence, Chat Box bot, Digital Marketing, ERP, Logistic Management, and many other cloud-based solutions. 

•	Developed a two-week integrated marketing campaign with 160K reach, 11K engagements, and a sales growth of $41K at a cost per link click $0.01 - $0.004. 
•	Adapt operations according to the political climate (military coup) to maintain the safety of the team and the changing consumer requirements.
•	Create and implement business and marketing strategies and plans.
•	Establish the brand and set goals for marketing and business growth.
•	Setting goals for marketing and business performance and growth.
•	Develop various online and offline revenue streams to maximize the turnover.
•	Manage relationships with partners, vendors, and customers using HubSpot CRM.
•	Strengthening team members’ capabilities with mentorship and training.
•	Evaluate performance by analyzing financial, marketing, and operational data.
•	Drive financial decision-making and risk management.
•	Work closely with directors to evaluate and develop areas of expansion.

Chief Operating Officer

GCP Hospitality (Gaw Capital Group)

•	Develop marketing, strategy, and communications strategies resonating with key markets to deliver brand awareness campaigns, tactical campaigns, brand amplification, and loyalty program support.
•	Managing PR and influencer agencies and communicating with the media resulted in over 33 million readership circulation. 
•	Oversee the marketing communications plan, database management, content creation, and management across platforms and channels.
•	Execute integrated marketing campaigns attributing to over US$500K in total revenue, over 750K combined social media engagement, and 1 million reactions. 
•	Execute email marketing and membership programme resulting in an additional US$4K monthly average of attributed revenue. 
•	Coordinating campaign execution from research into best-performing projects and campaigns, delivery, final review, and optimization.
•	Improving structure, design, SEO and content of the brand websites.
•	Measuring digital performance, using insights for improvements to strategy.
•	Developing existing and identifying new traffic and revenue-generating initiatives, including partnerships with Thai Airways, Bulgari, Franck Muller, Moët & Chandon, local banks, and guest bartenders attributing to over US$35K in revenue.

Director of Marketing - Strand Hotel and Cruise

Bagan Star Hotel

•	Establishing strong branding and visibility at the hotel, online through social media platforms, website, and offline media from pre-opening.
•	Implement and guide the marketing and website strategy and framework.
•	Create and collaborate for marketing designs using Adobe Suite. 
•	Work with outsourced paid media team to optimize paid search and social campaigns. Recommend and prioritize budget allocations for the marketing plan.
•	Deliver and set short and long-term budgets and strategic goals.
•	Using financial statements to execute strategies to maximize room yield and hotel revenue via innovative sales practices and yield management programs.

General Manager

Branding and Marketing Consultant

Your Property Finder

•	Handling international property listings marketing and sales of multi-family, other residential, commercial, and office spaces with multi-million dollar valuations 
•	Training, mentoring and leading a team of 3 to 6 real estate agents.
•	Design coordination of new marketing material using Adobe Suite.
•	Manage roadshows, property launches, print media designs, and social media. 
•	Advise on market conditions and legal requirements, including contracts. 
•	Inspecting properties and liaising with owners about points of improvement, maintenance, and pricing.

Senior International Properties Leasing

Wa Minn

Wa Minn’s diverse business operations cover; property development, earth works, construction, mining, gold refinery, garment making, and enamelware.
• Management of websites, SEO, and social media platforms
• Use marketing strategies and sales plans for each business sector to secure international investment in multi-million dollar developments and projects.
• Organizing significant events, including ground-breaking ceremonies and launches, with 500+ attendance with fit-outs, marketing material, and placement.

Sales and Marketing Executive Manager

Redlink Myanmar

•	Evaluate employee conduct and customer service gaps and establish policies and processes to eliminate these gaps.
•	Creation of training packages for service personnel, sales, and marketing team.

Customer Service Consultant

Serco Sodexo Defence Services

•	Oversee and train a team of 6-7 in front and back of house roles.  
•	Management of reports, profit and loss statements, budget, and sales targets.

Accommodation Manager

Strategy that differentiates streamlining leads to your business. 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲. 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐲.

Ask yourself: “Is my brand all it could be?” 
How about: "Are my marketing dollars working?"

When businesses have been around for decades, I've seen that despite an active sales team and referrals, there are fewer customers and growth plateaus.

And that's when different marketing tools are tested, from SEO, a fresh website, to ads. 

But nothing works. 

And that's because marketing is guided by a direction AKA your brand. 

Most brand ‘specialists’ give you a template-based strategy…and claim they will craft your business a personality with a guidebook. Focus mainly on graphics or copy-based 'rebrand'. Give you ‘life-changing’ advice before you’ve had the opportunity to tell them about your business and goals. 🤦‍♀️

Except that 56-page guidebook is going to end up in a folder somewhere. 

And that rebrand, well, it's going to shoot the perception that you've built up so far in the leg, hitting trust, loyalty, market share, and value. 

The alternative? 

Repositioning your brand to create distinction around your brand and then strategically implementing that throughout your whole business, not just marketing. 

Or what I like to call creating a seductive lifestyle around your business.

One that works internally and externally. 

And that's the Badassery by B approach that's doubled down with a blueprint.

The B.A.D.A.S.S.E.R.Y. Blueprint:

🦘 Brand analysis
🦘 Articulate internal brand
🦘 Deep dive market landscape
🦘 Assess positioning & differentiation
🦘 Structure voice
🦘 Shape brand story
🦘 Establish visual element pivots
🦘 Rollout implementation throughout the business
🦘 Yearly audit material

The results:

• Lower churn rates
• Quicker sales cycle
• Increased referrals 
• Building brand loyalty
• Increased inbound leads
• Increased word of mouth
• Higher client lifetime value
• Customers willing to spend more
• A distinct and memorable identity


If you have an established service-based SMB and: 

• Want to level up your clients 
• Want to shake things up in your industry 
• And want to be considered as the obvious choice

This is for you. 


If your business is:

 • In its first 3 years
 • An agency, consultancy, or coaching
 • Run in a corporate hierarchical manner

This is NOT for you. 


Ready to experience what your Badass Brand Potential could look like?

• Shoot me a DM to chat situation 📩 (no pitches incoming)
• Email me directly: beatrice@badasserybyb.com

Limited spaces each year.

Founder and Branding Strategy Consultant

Providing badass brand strategy services for service-based small to medium-sized businesses that will differentiate their brand from competitors and streamline their marketing efforts to reach and convert their target audience effectively.

Badass results:
•  Build loyalty
•  Lower churn rate
•  Increased referrals
•  Quicker sales cycle
•  Higher customer lifetime value
•  Improved audience associations and feelings about your brand.
•  A distinct and memorable identity.
•  Increased word of mouth
•  Increased inbound leads 

I know the rules of branding and when to break them.

3 years of Badassery by B, and it’s been a ride. 

Over the weekend, I celebrated the brand turning 3 with a gathering themed: ‘I wish I had somewhere to wear this.’

The reason for the theme lies within the why. 

See Badassery by B from day 1 has represented a push back against 'this is how it's always been done.' 

Against the social norms you and I see in both business and personal life. 

Like the ‘2.5 kids, I am blessed and have a white picket fence.’

Or the ‘if that company is doing X, and is successful, therefore we should also do X.’

It makes up every pore of the brand and the BADASSERY approach, but it’s been a journey to have it as effusive as it is now. 

Looking back, it really is the whole, you don’t know what you don’t know:

Year 1: 

● The brand started off as marketing and brand strategy before realizing doing both would dilute the brand.
● I was looking at other ‘influencers’ on LinkedIn for content ideas. (yeah, I know, I know.)
● The Art of Positioning podcast started (as The Art of Branding), breaking down what Brand Strategy is made up of (catch season 1 to hear those breakdowns.) This was learning a whole new world for me.

Year 2: 

● Honed in on brand strategy, but still had no clue who I was targeting, and it showed.
● I was saying brand strategy is the fix, but saying what that looks like in application beyond Googleable platitudes
● The podcast season 2 evolved into how to shake things up and how businesses were differentiating.

Year 3:

I’d gotten into a dry cycle of content without realizing it, and my apartment robbery shook me clear out of it. The 3 weeks after led to several realizations:

● My prowess is in my operations background, bolstered by marketing and brand. Real application (and the effects in how their business is seen), is what has surprised business owners I’ve worked with.
● In the services industry, hyped rebrands are purely surface-level (visual or copy only). AKA the things customers had an issue with, and what the business is remembered for - HAVEN’T CHANGED. Enemy = Honed in.
● The biggest turning point in brand strategy honed to repositioning - this is where all business decisions can be driven from.
● Because of that, season 3 of the podcast became solely focused on repositioning, with pre-picked guests and topics to create what is like an audiobook on implementing repositioning in business.
● Every piece of content now is with the end in mind. Like this one (to share my journey and to help those starting off.)

These first 3 years wouldn’t be without people (geniuses) outside to call me out on my bs and help along the way:

- Michael Clift - Behind many business decisions
- Elijah D. - Behind the podcast
- Peter Tomanka - Behind the website (new version coming soon!)
- Comfort Egbanabo - Behind early editions of the newsletter

I’m looking forward to what year 4 and onwards hold.

🦘 Who would your business not be without for their genius?

📸: Brandon Jackson

*uck rebrands. Brand strategy embedded in operations, marketing, delivery. So it’s lived, not shelved. Made in 🇦🇺.

Photo of Beatrice Gutknecht - Brand Strategy Consultant and Founder of Badassery by B, working with established service-based businesses to shift their brand,  values, and how they operate in such a way that everyone knows what they're doing. So, business owners aren't left to feel like they're herding cats with a stick.

A building materials supplier spent 6 months updating their messaging to "comprehensive solutions for every project."

Contractors saw it and thought: "So...you have stuff? Like everyone else?"

Revenue didn't move.

A custom home builder went with "luxury craftsmanship."

Buyers wanted "on-time, on-budget with no surprises."

Pipeline stayed the same.

Both businesses worked hard to clarify their message. Both accidentally made themselves sound generic.

Last week, I broke down the 5 tests that tell you whether your positioning connects with what your market actually cares about. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gkTGXSXP 




Ps. What terms need to be deleted from your industry's vocab because they’re overused and yet…say nothing at all? 🦘

Pps. Day 2 of celebrating 3 years of Badassery by B (thus the completely unrelated to this post yet algo stirring photo)

📷: Brandon Jackson Photography

Positioning statements fail because they don't pass 5 basic tests.

I've been breaking down businesses for 8 weeks now and the pattern is clear.

Everyone's saying the same thing.

"We deliver excellence."
"We provide superior solutions."
"The best experience for our customers."

You could swap these taglines between companies and nobody would notice.

So here's the framework I use to separate real positioning from words that sound nice, but don't do shh.

5 tests. Your positioning needs to pass all of them.

1: Specific

No fuzzy wording. "Quality service" means nothing. 
"Frameless glass with sightlines under two inches" means something.

2: Verifiable

Can you prove it true or false? 
"We care about our customers" can't be proven. 
"We respond to emergencies within 2 hours" can.

3: Meaningful

Does it help buyers make decisions? 
"Experienced team" doesn't fill bank accounts. 
"We specialize in helping businesses scale from $2M to $10M" does.

4: Different

Is it something your competitors won't or can't claim? 
If everyone in your industry could (and does) say it, it doesn't pass.

5: Accountable

Can you fail at this? 
If there's no risk, there's no real positioning. 
Safe claims like "we work hard" have zero stakes.

Most businesses fail at least 3 of these.

They build positioning around things that sound good but mean nothing.

I've repositioned businesses from lawn care to accounting to lumber supply over this series.

The pattern's always the same.

They've got real capabilities that would pass all 5 tests. 

But they bury them under generic messaging because it feels safer.

Sadly, it's not safer. It's invisible.

So, when I ran these 5 tests on a window company, their original positioning failed all of them. 

A fresh repositioning for them? "Colorado's frameless glass specialists for luxury mountain homes where unobstructed views define daily living."

Specific. Verifiable. Meaningful. Different. Accountable.

That's positioning that works operationally, think business decisions, not just on a homepage.

How does your business positioning fare for these 5 tests?

Ps. *uck rebrands that just make things sound prettier.

This is week 8 of me breaking down businesses and showing what positioning with teeth looks like.

A handful of people wearing too many hats. 

At $3M, chaos starts to win.

All of them figuring it out as they go. It got you here.

But your business kept growing. More projects. More complexity. 

And the margin for error kept shrinking.

Nicole Downer from Downer Brothers Landscaping watched it happen. Her team was brilliant, but brilliant generalists hit a wall when the business needs specialists. 

People who live in the numbers. 

People who focus just on operations. 

People who go deep in one area instead of touching everything.

The ones who thrived on variety couldn't make the shift. 

And that meant letting go of people who helped build this.

It's the conversation nobody prepares you for.

Nicole walks us through this roadblock (and the $1M one) on this episode of The Art of Positioning Podcast.

Full episode 👉 https://lnkd.in/gRmJ5ZWs

Chick-fil-A had a 3M-follower goldmine. They told her to stop.

Merriam Webb was posting staff meals on TikTok, and millions of people watched. 

She was building the kind of organic reach most brands would seriously kill for, and she was keepin’ it real.

Then corporate panicked and shut it down.

She left and got a Shake Shack deal to do exactly what she'd been doing for Chick-fil-A for free.

Yeah, that's the cost of not recognizing potential when you see it. 

So, how do you get employees to promote your business without making it feel like you’re getting them to do a Bulgarian split squat?

Cassandra Babilya (ex-CIA analyst turned internal comms leader) says it starts with psychological safety. If your team can't speak without worrying about being perfect, they're not going to speak at all.

Tara Turk-Haynes (VP of Talent Acquisition and DEI) says it starts even earlier, during onboarding, before you're thinking about brand ambassadors.

They're both right, and on this fresh episode of The Art of Positioning podcast they break down:

- Why your team won't post (and it's not what you think)
- The culture setup that happens before anyone posts a thing
- What to do when employees go "off brand"
- How to spot potential instead of shutting it down
- The line between encouragement and obligation

This one's for anyone tired of being the only voice for their business.

Full episode 👉 https://lnkd.in/gBAj9M4z

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