In 2016 I wrote a blog post that launched a movement. It was my first experience of the power of storytelling.
I used my story with mental health as the catalyst for an impactful brand that led a mental health movement. Sanctus was the brand I created to be the voice of a societal mission to change the perception of mental health.
I told my own story a thousand times and from that story, the Sanctus brand story emerged. With powerful lines like “We all have mental health”, “We’re making mental health cool” and “Putting the world’s first mental health gym on the high street” emerging as tag lines that created hooks into our movement.
Through storytelling and content marketing alone we attracted 250+ b2b customers and tens of thousands of users equating to £10m+ in revenue over 7 years and £8m+ in investment rounds. We never spent a penny on paid marketing or paid PR. We were featured on BBC News and Radio, Sky News, The Times, The Independent, Stylist, Huffington Post and more. I became a regular commentator, panelist and keynote speaker on mental health. In 2021 I wrote a book with Penguin on Mental Health at Work. We created partnerships with some of the best brands in the world like Red Bull, Spotify and BBC.
I grew my own LinkedIn following to 50,000+ and newsletter to 6,000+ subscribers and had amazing opportunities to share my story with engaged audiences and platforms around the world. Most importantly, I always enjoyed it and never felt like I was being fake or disingenuous. The phrase “personal brand” often made me cringe, but I’ve been able to expand mine in a way that has always felt pure.
I thought this might be a fluke. Yet when I left London and moved back to my home county of Staffordshire I was able to use my story as a platform for something bigger again. I shared my experience of growing up in Stoke-on-Trent and living in Staffordshire to create wider conversations around regeneration and regional development. This led me to developing a global community called Made in Stoke, writing a masters in entrepreneurship course from scratch and creating The Knot, an independent media outlet. Again, I’ve had national press for this work, been on TV, Radio and done brand collaborations with international brands as a result.
Founders & CEOs are Brand Builders
I love building brands and I believe the best founders are incredible brand builders. The problem is that the word “brand” is ethereal and nebulous. It’s become associated with PDF Brand Guideline documents that gather virtual dust in Google Drive. To me, the best brands are built and led by passionate Founders and CEOs who are on a mission. They embody the brand and it spreads into the company who take it on and amplify the message to the world. Employees are inspired and they take this infectious energy into their work, like the disciples of a mission.
A great brand isn’t just a shiny logo, it’s a philosophy, personality and tone of voice that is congruent through every part of your business. The way you write captions on social media, the way you reply to a customer service ticket and the little touches in your product are all part of your brand story. Great Founders & CEOs imbue their brand guidelines not through words in a powerpoint but through their actions and behaviour. This happens when the Founder or CEO is aligned, in flow and in connection with their “source”.
Working with me
I spend time with Founders & CEOs helping them unlock their brand and express it. Together, we unearth your story and the branding hooks that lie within. Then, we help you express yourself and share this story with the world in whatever form that is best for you. We create an action plan for your brand, a strategy with clear steps that expands your brand and fleshes it out. Often, but not always, through content marketing. I help you find what matters to you, what is unique to you and the brand you created and share it with the world.
There are no long documents, or consultations with the team. I spend time with you weekly or fortnightly. Together, we establish your actions, tasks and takeaways. I’m your thought partner, sounding board and producer who will support you to hit the right notes. We’ll then agree simple tasks you can take away to implement in the business to grow the brand. At times I’ll get pedantic with you over your content marketing plan, others times we’ll unearth what’s important to you and help you express it. Sometimes I’ll spend time the team and advise them. Whatever it takes, I’ll help you build your brand and tell your story in a way that’s authentic to you.
To discuss working with me, connect and let’s find a time to talk.