1576 – How to Build a Purpose-Driven Brand with Megan Prejzner

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0:57with us right now it's meg prezner meg you are the founder and ceo of hackett brand consulting you're found on the web at hackett brand consulting that's hackett with two t's brand consulting.com and then your personal website meg prez.com and that's m-e-g-p-r-e-z.com to our friend that's listening to our conversation just click around you'll find where you we have show We have direct links, Meg, to both of your websites. Thank you so much for being here. Yeah, thanks so much for having me. I always appreciate a great conversation around marketing, branding, and all of that. Uh-huh. Now, you are in the Denver area, and you've been at the helm of Hackett Brand Consulting for over five years, which you launched, and you've worked with a number of great brands.

1:41Would you mind just kind of giving us an overview of your work with Hackett? Yeah, so I started Hackett Brand Consulting in 2018 and really was on the heels of a corporate marketing career, but I knew I wanted to do something different, heart-centered, that I just wasn't getting in that earlier stage of my career. So when I started Hackett, I really wanted to work with brands that care, brands that gave back in some way. So for some people, that means giving back through donations. Other people means our whole brand is based around purpose and values-based marketing. And really, my background is in PR and marketing.

2:15I was doing it for more than a decade before I started Hackett. So it just felt like a natural extension to go and do that. And I started Hackett as a remote company where all the people we work with are across the United States and 100 % digital. So everybody hops on the Zoom, the Slack. So in 2020, when everybody had to go remote and digital, we were really set up nicely because all of our systems were already in place. And we've worked with a number of really great brands, everybody from Fortune 50 companies like Micron, SAP, Intel to startups. We work with some local retailers out here in Denver where we're based and everybody in between e-commerce brands, education industry, Floyd's 99 Barbershop, a cannabis franchise.

3:03And so it kind of really runs the gamut, right? I've worked personally with more than a hundred brands, more than a dozen industries. And I love the breadth and depth that that brings to marketing and the different ideas that can bring to people. Yeah. What is the, what are some of the commonalities that you found or what would better way of asking, you know, what is kind of the difference between working with a client or working with a brand where like there's, there's mission purpose, like they are leading with their mission purpose values. They are committed to making impact in the world or giving back in some way, like, what do you notice?

3:37Like if they're truly leading in that way, what is it like to work with them versus someone's like, well, we're just trying to improve our quarterly share earnings for our investors. You know, I think it's twofold. Number one is definitely the people. And so without fail, we actually right now are working with two clients that have a policy that is like no bad person's policy. And I think that's fantastic, right? Because it really speaks to the culture of the organization, the fact that they care and it breeds through. And the fact that we have two that are saying the exact same thing unbeknownst to one another is amazing.

4:13The other piece is that they have a North Star. Without fail, whenever we work with brands that have a mission or values-based organizations, or sometimes we help established businesses turn themselves into brands that have missions, Maybe they started this thing and they're like, holy cow, my business is taking off, but I want to do something more, give more, is there's this North Star that they are charging towards that they fall back on. And it allows them to really weight the decisions that they make as an organization against their core purpose or their core mission. And it kind of keeps you streamlined towards what you're doing, like across the board, like when they make decisions as a business, among hiring, everything can be run through that filter and it helps streamline that for them.

4:59Yeah. Meg, the types of work that you've done, how do you grow? And how did you, let me ask you this. How did you launch a branding company and where did your clients come from initially? Yeah. Yeah. Given my background in marketing, so because I have been doing it for 10 years. Going to eat your own dog food probably. Right. So I was lucky enough to have a lot of referrals coming my way. Actually, one of the clients, one of my, actually my first client, and we still work with them today. And like, they're a wedding dress shop here in Arvada, Colorado. I actually worked with them in my corporate career.

5:40They went on to buy a wedding dress shop. And then when they were needing marketing, somebody referred them my way. And so really about 90 % of our business has come from referral, referral, a lot of repeat referrals come our way. And then the rest is, you know, the traditional business development of making sure that you're getting out there and talking to people and growing your business by those you know, but also knowing when to say no. So an interesting story that not a lot of people know about is about a year and a half ago, So I had made the decision to give up 50 % of my revenue of my business because we had just grown through business development that wasn't really aligning with that values, purpose-driven marketing.

6:22And I made a really hard decision to forego about 50 % of our revenue, not renew retainers, not, I would let go of some clients in some instances and to bet again on myself that I can build this up the right way with the right people. and it worked out really well. And in doing that, it's given me even a North Star to vet against the partners that we work with too. Yeah, I can tell you, and I've talked to a lot of leaders who had to make difficult choices. Obviously, I always hear the good versions of the story where this was a good choice. History is written by the winners. But we went through that at 1.2 where my ego said, well, but this is what I am.

7:07This is who I, you know, but yet, you know, everything was indicating that there was a better opportunity for us. And it was scary to let go of income or let go of clients or team members. But if that's constantly coming up in a way where it feels out of alignment, I think, you know, you kind of experienced what I felt. And it's like, ultimately, I felt like it was, it was, it was holding me back. We made the hard decision and it turned out to be absolutely the best thing. I, matter of fact, I shudder to think if I had not made that choice today, what life would be like. Yeah. I don't think we'd be having this conversation.

7:44Well, I feel like at some point when you're making this decision and for people who are listening to like, if you're a business or brand and you're, you're wondering where to pivot is, I'm always going to lean into the factor of like leaning with the heart because that's your guiding light. Right. And so you said something about being misaligned or making sure that it's in alignment. And for me, that's really true. And if at any point that's not resonating, you're either you're going to burn out as the CEO and the founder, entrepreneur, solopreneur, or your team. Well, we were getting a lot of riff from the team and, and, you know, they're not going to come to you as a leader and say it directly, but you, if you have a pulse and regular one-on-one check-ins, you can feel that.

8:24Right. And so making a conscious decision, you know, you, you run the risk of like, holy moly, the financial factor of that. Of course, there's a lot of other things that go into it. But for me, it really wasn't a risk at all. Because to your point, had I not made that decision, I don't know if we would be here. Because you're just so misaligned. And then that's even riskier than taking a step back to build on a foundation that's really, really settled and grounded versus one that's kind of shaky for you. Yeah. Meg, what does a brand advisor do? So if a company is like, yeah, is that mean they're just going to redesign my logo or my colors or what's included in that?

9:08Yeah, I love that. Because that's what a lot of people think, right? Like they're like a logo, but a brand advisor and what our team does is we come in and we scrape from the beginning, right? We get back. Oftentimes we sit with the founders, the CEOs themselves. And we say, okay, why did we start this concept? And we want to hear the good, bad, the ugly. It's all privileged and, you know, NDAs and all of that. But we listen for the in between, the color commentary that you don't necessarily get if you just started a business and you don't know how to tell that story. And so we go back and we lay the foundation for building a brand.

9:45It's almost like if you built a house, but now you want to build a skyscraper, we're helping you build the foundation for the skyscraper, which is different than the foundation needed for a house. And so that entails really, you know, finding your story, finding your vision for the future, your mission, and that how and why you're going to do it. And then we start to put together the pillars. So if we now know where it is that we want to go, and it's values based purpose driven, then we can align, you know, our customers accordingly, our team accordingly, our values accordingly. And when we build these brands, we do really layer all of those elements.

10:25And last is the colors. And the last is the logo and the icons. And really that's all driven from the idea that if you came to me and said you wanted to be an environmental sustainable brand, but for luxury company and give back and make sure we're protecting the future of the environment, that is going to be a completely different color logo experience than if you came to me and said, hey, you know, I know we're environmental outdoors brands, but really we're focused on giving back to children and children's hospitals because the founder has this beautiful story of overcoming cancer or something like that.

11:03The experience is so different that the color, the visual representation is last and it's built on the foundation of the stories, the mission, the values, et cetera. Maybe in the house example, right? You're laying a foundation, you're setting the bricks, you're doing the drywall. The last thing you do is hang the pictures, choose the color of the paint and the exteriors, right? So you want to make sure that like the bones are there before you slap on the paint. Otherwise, you're going to see like the house fall over one bad breath. Meg, I thought, I think you mentioned this and it's definitely on your website, but, you know, when we think about branding and great branding and this idea of what is your personality, right?

11:50And then, so, you know, how much personality are you sharing in a world, in a world that might be just, you know, we think about like output that comes from chat GPT. It's not filled with personality. And yet human to human interaction, like if you and I, you know, were to grab coffee or something like that, like after a while, like we're each going to sense each other's unique and distinct personalities. And I think like when I think of like a really great brand person, generally they are usually not always, but usually pushing for no, your website and everything is way too generic. Give it more personality.

12:33No, more, more. And just go all in. Like, that's my impression. Am I wrong? Or like, what's your thought on that? No, I think you're, I think you're spot on, you know, your, your website. Well, I'll say like the output of marketing becomes the output of who you are and you want that personality to come through, right? Otherwise you're just going to, people are going to feel that it's kind of like copycat or you're looking like somebody else or you're not going to be authentic. Now, how you tell that story or when you tell that story is up to you. But like one of the things that actually I'm working on with your personal branding and people I work with in that space is really taking up space and owning yourself as a whole human.

13:17And so I think a lot of times, and I am guilty of this earlier in my career, you have to be polished and wear a suit and be the Meg the marketer in this moment. But forget about Meg the hiker, Meg the mom, you know, all these. But to me, I'm like, how can you possibly do that if you're up all night with a toddler who's sick and then you're supposed to go on a trip because you love traveling and you have all these parts of you and we are whole humans. And so I think letting your personality show, letting those elements come out is super, super important. Definitely if you have a personal brand, but you can see this in if you're building a brand through your business as well.

13:58So on my website, you mentioned I bring in the mountains and that's because I live here in Colorado and that's a huge part of my heart and soul. But I work with a brand that's in the education space. And one of the beautiful things that they do is they help teachers, but she was a former teacher. And so you can see that in what they write, in the content they create. She goes to marches when teachers have marches, even though she is leading a business now. And so you see that personality come through in different ways, but, oh man, I could talk about that for hours, but I am spot on with you. Take up space, show up as a whole human in all parts of you.

14:39And I think that's like when the best leadership, the best brands come to be. Yeah. I want to ask you this question. How is, how does Colorado resonate with you, your personal brand? Like who you are, who Meg is? Because I know you're a fan of my daughter lives in Colorado as well. Like we go out there all the time. It's definitely got a vibe. Yeah. It's, you know, for me, it's really instrumental in the success that I've had. So I'm from Chicago originally. And if you know people from Chicago, they are tried and true, like, love that city, bored and raised, like, till the end. And I'm no different, right?

15:17And when I was moving to Colorado, people thought, like, really? Like, you? You're a Chicago person? But for me, when I moved to Colorado, I found that it really opened the doors to this new way of living and a new life for me, new people. And I could reinvent and rewrite my story in a way. And so I went from like taking trains and going downtown Chicago from a very young age to learning to snowboard at 28 years old, which is lots of bumps and bruises, learning to hike, climb 14ers. And it subsequently kind of led to really great career opportunities out here because I was moving from a big city to a smaller city.

15:56And then ultimately my business here, right? Because I started to travel when I moved to Denver and it was a bungee jumping excursion in New Zealand that led me to start my business of all things. And so I think for me, you see that come through and I'll often make references to like hiking mountains or if you're on a path or trail, but it's just because it's really innate to how I spend my time when I'm not sitting in front of a computer. And it's a really great analogy for me that I think a lot of people can resonate with. Even if you're not a hiker, you know, the metaphor of, you know, climbing a mountain is there.

16:36Yeah. Meg, who should be reaching out to either you through your personal website, megprez.com, or who should be working with Hackett? And again, Hackett's website is hackettbrandconsulting.com. Yeah. So we work with everybody from solopreneurs to established brands, Fortune 15. I kind of mentioned that earlier, but it's these brands who are on the verge of change. If you're, whether you're an established brand who needs to want to go a brand refresh, or you're an emerging and challenger brand breaking into a market or your personal brand and you want to break into it, really for us, it's emerging and challenger brands who are on that cusp of change.

17:14And we help you propel into that next stage for you. Yeah. And when somebody goes to your website, what would you recommend they do? Yeah. So if you're going to HackettBrandConsulting.com, take a look around because we offer marketing and brand consultants. I have a whole team of consultants that can support monthly, quarterly, just if you want to hop on a call and bounce ideas around all the way through to regular retainer services. We help with PR, content marketing, and social media primarily. And then by extension of that, we have graphic design, creative services, and paid media, and really anywhere in between.

17:51So if you're just starting out and you want to bounce ideas, you need a consultant, or want a brand refresh, we're on that realm. If you're looking for strategic direction with marketing, we can help with that. And then of course, the services, that naturally fall out of that. I have a whole team of people who can help that are very talented, that really are the backbone of everything that I do. And I'm so grateful for them. Yeah. Meg Prezner, again, your website's one last time, megprez.com, the P-R-E-Z.com. And of course, hackitbrandconsulting.com. Meg, really appreciate the conversation. Thank you so much.

18:25And thank you for inspiring, again, more personality in branding. I think that's one of my biggest takeaways from here is just own it, you know, be unabashedly who you are. Because that is attractive. That is, you know, that's, you know, it's interesting. Like when I catch up with people and, you know, they're not commenting on my marketing copy on my website. They're commenting on, you know, me posting pictures from Disney World or, you know, me taking a picture with Bucky from Bucky's or something like that. You know, it's like, it's those personality things that those, those kind of like those things that we just have in common or that we like.

19:06And, and we love seeing people geek out on the things that they love too in a non-salesy, just personality way. And so why not, you know, infuse that into who you are and who you are professionally as well. So Meg, I appreciate it. Great conversation. Thank you. Yeah. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

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