Trust Is the New Currency: How Entrepreneurs Can Win Loyalty in 2025

0:01Our purpose is very, very clear. It's to help as many people, businesses and teams as possible unlock their brilliance.

0:16Jeannette:Trust is the new currency. That is what we are going to be talking about today. So hello everyone listening, Brave Bold Brilliant family. Jeannette Linfoot here and I am thrilled that you are joining me today. So let me ask you this. In a world where AI is writing content, brands are fighting for attention and consumers are more sceptical than ever. What's the one thing that truly makes people choose you over your competitors? Well, let me tell you, it's not price. It's really about trust. And here's the truth. Trust has become the ultimate currency in business. And it's what keeps customers loyal, it's what attracts top talent to your business, and it's what convinces investors to believe in your vision.

1:05Jeannette:Now, if you lose trust, you lose everything. But if you build trust, you unlock opportunities that money alone can't buy. And so by the end of this episode, what you're going to know is why trust is more valuable than any marketing strategy. the biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make that destroy trust overnight and not just entrepreneurs I would say anyone in a leadership role and you're also going to know the practical steps that you can take to build unshakable loyalty in your customers your teams and your partners but before we dive in I'd love to hear from you so if you're watching this live on the live stream put a comment down for us you know and tell us what brands do you trust the most right now and why and if you're listening to this on the podcast or watching it back on youtube again just drop us a comment send us an email we would love to hear from you because at brave bold brilliant we're building a community of powerful leaders that support each other through sharing our knowledge and experience and really helping each other shine in today's world where there's so much pressure on us as business leaders.

2:20Jeannette:So also what I would say to you, if we're not following each other on social media, let's get connected. You'll find Jeanette Linfoot, two N's and two T's in Jeanette, all over social media, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and also Brave Bold Brilliant. And Brave Bold Brilliant, our proud brand of our business. You'll find those pages on social media as well. We're on YouTube and of course the podcast. So wherever you're listening to your podcast, whether it's Spotify or it might be iTunes, give us a follow if you don't mind, because that's how we can keep you notified when we go live with an episode.

2:59It's how we can also

3:00Jeannette:stay connected and be there to help you. And actually, if you are building your business, building your teams, thinking about how you actually create trust, then go onto our website, go on to www.brave-bold-brilliant.com and actually in there you will find the learning hub so join the community because that's going to unlock a load of valuable resources for you at no charge complimentary from us just to help you on your journey so let's get into this the firstly why trust is the new currency so let's start here you know why is it more valuable than ever well I think people are bombarded with choice, aren't they?

3:43Jeannette:There are thousands of products, services and promises screaming for attention every day. And customers aren't just buying what you do, they're buying whether they believe you're going to deliver. So think about it. In a world where we live today, it's a review-driven world and a single bad experience shared online. It can undo millions of pounds in marketing spend. So trust has really become the filter that people use to decide where to put their time, money and energy. Now you might be saying to me, well it's always been the case, Jeanette, you know, trust has always been important and I would absolutely agree with you.

4:21But the difference in today's world is that there is so much more transparency around, you know, how you show up publicly to the world. And also there's a lot more noise. So people have to try and, you know, sift through that. So as entrepreneurs, as CEOs, this means your reputation is your business. So that's why it's so, so, so important. You know, and the cost of losing trust, let's look at that. The second point I wanted to cover with you today. Here's the danger. Trust takes years to build but seconds to lose you know we've all seen it haven't we companies that promise one thing then deliver another you know maybe it's a product that doesn't actually live up to expectations or it doesn't live up to the hype maybe it's leaders saying one thing publicly but behaving differently behind closed doors and let's not start talking about politicians mind you know and when that happens the fallout is absolutely brutal you know customers leave Employees become disengaged.

5:29Investors pull back. One of my mentors once said, revenue is the reward for delivering value, but loyalty is a reward for delivering trust. And when you lose that trust, that growth becomes almost impossible. So this is such an important topic, and it's often not really discussed. We talk about strategies. We talk about business plans. We talk about marketing approaches, segmenting our customers. We talk about the value of brands, all of which are critical. But so often we don't talk about trust. And it's one of the most fundamental human to human elements that is absolutely critical. So let's get into part three, how entrepreneurs build trust this year.

6:18So how do you win loyalty this year and beyond?

6:21Jeannette:Let's break it down into some steps. So you might want to grab a pen and paper right now. You might want to just take some notes or listen back to this. You know, I often find when I'm absorbing a lot of information, it really helps me want to write it down because it sticks in my brain. Two, I can then refer back to it. But actually repetition, repetition. So the great thing about social media today and podcasting in particular is it's there forever. you can go back and listen to this time and time again. So I would encourage you to do that, you know, make some notes now, but go back and share this with your teams, get some discussion going around this.

7:00Jeannette:So let's go into this then, you know, what are the ways that actually you can build trust this year, starting right now. So number one, transparency is non-negotiable. Share the wins and the setbacks. Customers respect honesty more than perfection. They will forgive you for the mistakes that you make. Or maybe if they don't have a great experience with you, if you fix it, their loyalty will actually be higher than if you hadn't had the problem in the first place. But if you don't address it and you try to disguise what's going on, that's where the trust is broken. So that's number one. Number two, deliver consistency.

7:43consistency, right? Consistency is so important. Trust grows when people know what to expect from you every time. So if you think about some of the amazing brands out there, really strong brands, take Apple as an example. If you go into an Apple store, you know, wherever you are in the world, that you are going to get a consistent customer service and approach. And they obviously build that into the people that they actually employ as well. And everyone has that passion for the brand, that passion for customer service. But it's consistent. It doesn't vary wherever you are in the world, whether you're in New York, London, Singapore.

8:26You walk into an Apple store and you know what you're going to get in terms of customer service. That is a great example of consistency. Number three, show your human side. You know, in the age of AI, authenticity wins. Now, AI is brilliant. If you're not using AI in your business, you need to straight away immediately, because otherwise you are going to lose out to people and businesses that are moving faster. And AI is only ever going to be the worst it is today. It's only going to get better, more powerful. However, there is still the role of a human to human connection. And that's where trust comes in as well.

9:07So show your human side. Yes, use AI. But people still want to connect with you. You know, not just your brand, but you as an individual and you as your wider team. So that's number three. Number four, prioritize values over volume. You know, people buy into businesses that stand for something. Your values create that emotional loyalty, not just transactional loyalty. And think about, I mean, I've already mentioned Apple, but think about a brand like Patagonia. Now, Patagonia is also a B Corporation status business, right? And B Corp, it's very hard to get the accreditation to be B Corp. And it really is for those businesses that do the right thing for people, purpose and planet.

9:53it okay so brand like patagonia not only only do they produce fantastic outdoor clothing right and

10:00Jeannette:very consistent with that but they also have such high values and integrity and you know the founder of patagonia i mean he does incredible things for philanthropy you know so patagonia really great example check them out you know and it's that power of trust in action that we're talking about so those are just some things you can do but let's also look at trust with teams and investors and here's the part that many business leaders and entrepreneurs forget trust isn't just external it's internal as well you know your team needs to trust you they need to trust that your vision is solid that you've got their backs that you'll follow through on promises you know a team doesn't trust leadership, a team that trusts leadership, it's always going to perform at its best.

10:49Jeannette:And it's the same with investors. If you don't trust your integrity and your decision making, you're not going to secure long term backing. Capital flows to confidence and confidence is built on trust. And also be honest, right? We are not perfect people. I always say as human beings, we're all perfectly imperfect. So we're not trying to set a standard here that is unachievable, because we're going to get things wrong, we're going to fail, we're going to fall over, we're going to make decisions that don't work out. But actually, if you can be open about that with your investors, with your teams, you know, hold your hand up and say, hey, we didn't quite get it right this time, but let's learn from it.

11:29Jeannette:That's what building trust is all about. So it's not about trying to be perfect every time, although that's great if you can, but that's just not real life, is it? so point number five practical steps to win loyalty so this is really you know what are the actions that you can take today to start driving that trust and loyalty so number one communicate more than you think you need to you can never over communicate now you might think you're being repetitive but you have to realize that repetition repetition repetition is what leads to mastery. It's what makes a message land. And that's internal and external.

12:12And don't forget

12:13Jeannette:externally in the world of, say, social media, not everyone is going to see all of your posts. You know, I think on Facebook, the algorithms, if you're connected with, say, 5 ,000 connections, only about 10 % of those are actually going to see what you post. So don't worry about thinking you're being repetitive and over communicating, because the reality is that silence breeds doubt, you know but communication builds confidence number two i've kind of touched on this what's the other action you can you can do is admit mistakes quickly and fix them you know don't shy away accountability turns slips slip ups into trust building moments so admit your mistakes we're not we're not perfect number three what else can you do well put people before profits in those key moments.

13:02You know, paradoxically, this actually normally leads to a higher level of profitability in the long run, because people reward those businesses that put values first. So that's the third thing you can do. But you know, honestly, I'd love to hear from you at Brave Bold Brilliant. We want to, you know, engage in a conversation with you.

13:21Jeannette:So type in the chat, if you're listening to this live, or send us an email, as I say, you can drop us an email on info at brave-bold-brilliant.com. I read those personally. So we will reply to you if you have a question or a thought or something to contribute. But what's the one brand leader or business leader that you trust deeply? And what exactly makes you trust them? So if you can share those thoughts, the second part of that is to say, well, actually, what's on the flip side, a one red flag that immediately makes you lose trust in a business or a leader. And those answers that you give are going to spark some fascinating discussions for you, because then that allows you to then say, OK, well, what does this mean for us?

14:11What does this mean for our brand? What does this mean for our values? What does this mean for where we are on that trust journey with our internal stakeholders, our clients and other external stakeholders that we have to kind of engage with on a regular basis. So, you know, as entrepreneurs, as CEOs, as business leaders, as someone that maybe manages a team,

14:37Jeannette:you know, you might be at a more junior level of your career, potentially an earlier stage of your professional journey. Trust doesn't just start at the top, right? It starts at every single point that you are at in your life, professionally and personally. So don't think that this is just for the big bosses. It is not. It is for every single one of you. So here's the bottom line. You know, building trust, it isn't a nice to have. It's really your number one competitive advantage this year. So, you know, because technology can be copied, strategies can be copied, products can be copied. But that trust that you build, that becomes very unique and that's irreplaceable.

15:19Jeannette:So let's just wrap this up then with a few final thoughts. You know, in today's world, I honestly believe that trust is the new currency. It's what makes people stay loyal when they could easily switch. It's what makes teams perform at their best and want to join your organisation. It's what makes investors believe in you, even when the road gets, you know, sort of bumpy along the road. You know, and as a business leader, never underestimate the power of trust. Protect it, nurture it, lead with it. You know, and if today's episode has resonated with you, please, you know, hit that like button.

15:58Follow us on social media. Connect with us. Share your thoughts with us. You know, because it really does help us to, you know, reach more people, help more people. And that is our purpose. Our purpose is very, very clear. It's to help as many people, businesses and teams as possible unlock their brilliant by being brave and bold. That's it. That's why we're here. It's why I do advisory work. It's why we work with executive teams on their strategy. It's why we work with senior leadership groups on high performing teams. It's why I do one-to-one business mentoring. It's why we put lots of free content out there in the world to help people.

16:47It absolutely drives everything that we do. And that trust that we have with all of you is really absolutely something that we take very seriously and we focus on that and we respect that. So thank you ever so much for listening. As I say, hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. You never miss when we go live with something like this. And my ask of you is share this with someone who might need a reminder that trust is everything this year. So until next time, remember, it is by being brave and bold that you are going to unlock your brilliant.

17:28Jeannette:I really hope you've enjoyed this episode of Brave Bold Brilliant remember check out our new website www.brave-bold-brilliant.com you're going to find loads of resources on there that's going to help you with your leadership journey and with the businesses that you're trying to scale up and grow so take care everyone and remember there are no limits to your growth but it is by being brave and bold that you're going to unlock your brilliant

17:57Thank you.