Episode Details

If you think branding is just a logo, a color palette, or a website, this episode will completely shift how you see your business.

In this conversation, Jennifer sits down with brand strategist Shayne Mackey to unpack what a brand really is, why most small business owners skip the most important foundational work, and how poor positioning—not marketing—is often the reason growth stalls.

You’ll learn why niching down creates profitability, how to stop chasing shiny marketing tactics, and why treating your brand as a living, breathing asset can make content, messaging, and decision-making dramatically easier.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “all the right things” but things still aren’t clicking—this episode will give you clarity, language, and a new framework to build something that lasts.

Episode Outline

What a Brand Really Is (and What It’s Not)
Positioning, White Space & Niching Down
Why the market will define your business for you if you don’t and how finding even 5% differentiation can change profitability and clarity.
Personal Brand vs. Expert, Founder-Led & Enterprise Brands

Guest Information
Shayne Mackey is a brand strategist with more than three decades of experience building category-defining brands in healthcare, luxury, and founder-led businesses. She is the founder of Bespoke Creative and The Brand Atelier, where she helps founders move beyond logos and marketing tactics to build enduring, well-positioned brands with clarity, rigor, and intention.

Links:
Website: https://the-brand-atelier.com
Instagram: @bespokecreativellc

Meet Your Host: 

Jennifer Kok, Business Strategist. 

I took a leap of faith & left a cushy corporate job 25 years ago to start my brick-and-mortar bakery because I craved more freedom & flexibility than my corporate job allowed. I delivered my second daughter two days after opening my doors (not something I would recommend). The good news is that I went on to own and operate my business for 20 years, pivoted during a recession, built a national franchise, and then sold it all for a profit in the Fall of 2018.

My 20 years of ownership were a season of ups and downs, a lot of hard work, many pitfalls, a lot of success, many fist pump moments, and a big, huge case of I didn’t know what I didn’t know and learned the hard way. All of that prepared me for my next journey in business consulting. 

Podcast Website:
https://www.nextwavebusinesscoaching.com/podcast

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Meet Your Host:

Jennifer Kok, Profit and Growth advisor for service-based women entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs hire me to scale and grow their businesses profitably without burnout. I bring financial clarity, strategic focus and structure to the decision-making process. 

My clients, on average, see anywhere between $1k-$4k increase in net income each month without hustle, overwhelm, and burnout.
Learn More about my Programs.

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