Today’s guest is Amy Swift Crosby, a fellow brand strategist who directly helped your host, Amy Selbach, launch her very first business! And today, they’re discussing all things branding.

A lot of times, branding is misunderstood — and Amy’s mission is to end these misconceptions and misunderstandings! As a brand strategist and copywriter, she is leveraging her expertise to help entrepreneurs and business owners hone their skills, mission and message, all while uncovering their own “voice.” Amy has helped shape so many brands through memorable campaigns; strong, recognizable voices; and concept-driven positioning. She has worked with startups, fortune 500 companies, boutique lifestyle brands, and personalities across a wide range of different industries! Some of her notable clients include Cindy Crawford, Dr. Phil, Pantene, Ford, and BVLGARI. Her blog, SmartyPeople.com, explores the less recognized but inherently human side of creativity, work, and modern life.

In this episode, Amy Swift shares some of her amazing stories; her moments of 20 seconds of insane courage, the fantastic learning opportunities throughout her career, and how her inner guidance and intuition has guided her throughout it all. She also provides tips on how to overcome fear, how to make courageous decisions for your business, and how to take your first steps in creating a successful brand! You won’t want to miss this one!

Key Takeaways

[:45] About today’s awesome guest, Amy Swift Crosby!

[2:52] Amy welcomes on Amy Crosby to her podcast!

[5:02] Amy gives her brief life story and explains how she came to pursue a writing career and become a brand strategist.

[8:08] Amy goes through the moment when she first volunteered to be a PA (Production Assistant).

[9:49] What was going through Amy’s mind when she was offered an opportunity to work with Christy Turlington?

[11:06] A time that Christy has experienced 20 seconds of insane courage and how it changed her trajectory!

[14:46] Amy provides some expert tips on constructive brand criticism — starting with acknowledging what the brand does right!

[16:43] In moments where Amy feels like she needs to access courage, how does she react?

[22:40] How Amy describes the role inner guidance plays in her life.

[23:43] When is Amy really able to tune in to her inner guidance and intuition?

[25:50] Amy speaks about a time when she had made a brave (or potentially unpopular) decision based on her inner guidance.

[29:11] Amy’s relationship with fear and how she overcomes it.

[32:12] Why focus on branding? Amy talks about all the advantages of branding in somebody’s business as an entrepreneur.

[35:48] Amy’s tips for entrepreneurs on evaluating the work they need to do on their branding, the driving forces behind branding, and how to express your brand and what you stand for.

[40:44] About Amy and her husband’s new company, BDY SQD, and the 20 seconds of insane courage it took to start it!

[43:50] The first step Amy and her husband, Josh, took when they took a leap of faith to restart their business venture, BDY SQD, and completely rebrand.

[47:13] When building their brand for BDY SQD, how did Amy and Josh look at the competition and decide what was going to set them apart?

[50:53] What’s next for BDY SQD!

[56:10] How have Amy and Josh began targeting corporations with BDQ SQD?

Key Highlights:

How Amy expertly critiques a brand to yield positive results and change.
Amy gives her tips on how your inner guidance and intuition can be honed.
Amy provides some amazing examples of her 20 seconds of insane courage!
How to overcome fear and make brave, courageous decisions!
The importance of branding and where to start with getting it right.

Mentioned in this Episode:

SmartyPeople.com

Ladies Who Launch

Ladies Who Launch: An Innovative Program That Will Help You Get Your Dreams Off the Ground, by Victoria Colligan, Beth Schoenfeldt, and Amy Swift

Hilary Laffer

BDY SQD Trigger Point Therapy

LogMeIn

Connect with my Guest!

Amy Swift Crosby’s Website: SmartyPeople.com

Social Media: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

Hey listeners! Do you want to get your story out into the world in a really big way?

Visit AmySelbach.com/BrandStory to access my free, one-hour brand story planner! In under an hour, you can have a beautifully crafted brand story to use everywhere! Your brand story should be on your website, your packaging, and at the beginning of any presentation you give. A brand story is crucial for pitches to the media, brand deals, podcasts, and investor decks. Not only that, this formula can be used for brand case studies, testimonials, and ad copy.

Follow-up with Me!

If you want to get more resources on marketing, branding, content strategy and building a business, you can follow me over on Instagram @AmySelbach or at AmySelbach.com!

For more episodes, visit our Libsyn page or listen on iTunes!

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