Advertising. Marketing. Branding.  Business want to do it and in many cases are disappointed with the results.  The reason: making a big investment with little measurable return.

Throughout my career, I have been blessed with the power to ask good questions.  To dig deeper into a company and the challenges it faces.  My background is in operations and people so this is not someone who you would expect to be talking about things like brand.  And that might be the case if it weren’t for something I discovered long ago.  Most businesses have competitors that essentially sell their services in the same way.  Often they beat each other up over quality and service without really saying how they are different.  But the fact of the matter is each business IS different.

Think of a company that you respect or admire.  Why?  Is it because they don’t have any competitors?  In many cases, they have a lot of competition.  What they have done is figured out how to create a relationship with their customer.  They are able to innovate and leapfrog their competition.  They grow in spite of economic conditions and continually have their competitors wondering, “how do they do that?”, or “what’s next from these guys?”  The starting point for these companies is not with their products or their services, it’s with their people and their culture.

That’s right!  The secret to building a brand and a recession resistant business is through your people.  It starts with leadership which develops the growth culture.  The growth culture defines the company and its future.  Establish the right mix of people, Vision, strategy, and innovation and you can create a powerful growth company!

This book talks about my passion which involves helping companies succeed.  It looks at marketing and branding in a completely different way.  The concepts have little to do with new sales gimicks or what color your logo should be.  Instead, we take a holistic approach to business (and brand) growth.  When done properly the differences can be phenomenal.

My goal was to create a living document, not just a static book that will go stale over time.  “Apples to Apples” is designed to have ongoing content.  Links in the book connect with ever changing blog posts, video content, audio interviews, and podcasts which will change, update and evolve.  This book was written for the business owner, entrepreneur, C-level executive, or manager that wants to make a difference not only in their growth, but in their people as well.  So sit back, enjoy, and read on.  I hope you are able to apply what you learn and wish you continued success in the years to come!

Dan Paulson
Author
“Apples to Apples: How to Stand Out From Your Competition”

Book launch: Early 2011