We moved from rigid professionalism to bold “authenticity,” hoping it would reduce burnout and help us live more fulfilling lives. We were wrong. We are hustling harder now than ever before, still burning out, and turning to technology to fill the void and claw our way to the top. How did we get it so wrong? That’s the exact question we explore in this issue of On Raising Brands, Ego Strength: The Missing Piece In Raising Human-Centered Brands. Read it here now.

You started your business to serve your community. You know the people. You know the culture. You know the gaps. You’ve built something meaningful to meet them there. And it worked. Customers came. Sales happened. The thing grew. But now you’re hitting a wall. You have a core crew of loyalists who share on social, wear your merch, they are willing to pay premium prices, and they sing your praises. A bulk of your business comes from them, but you can’t rely on them exclusively if you’re going to grow to the next level. So you are wondering, trying to crack the code, how do I turn these “other customers” into loyalists?

You've done everything right. You built the thing. You got traction. You sold on instinct, tweaked messaging, played with funnels. And it worked for a while. But now, it's not enough. The growth you need requires more revenue. You need more sales, so you need more leads, right? Wrong.