We as marketers, we’re the ones that make the brand promise to potential customers. So it is our job to make sure our companies actually come through on that promise, are consistent with that promise. We are the defenders of the brand. I love a lesson from my next guest – don't be afraid to say ‘no’ if it serves the brand. Which of course sounds good in theory but can be incredibly hard in practice. To get underneath that lesson and hear the story behind it, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I sat down with Hilary Young, Brand Strategist, Hilary Young Creative (https://www.hilaryyoungcreative.com/). Young runs a consultancy with six figures in revenue and seven contractors. Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketing Here are some lessons from Young that emerged in our discussion. Don't focus on failure, keep moving towards successDon't be afraid to say ‘no’ if it serves the brandChange can be scary, but you have to trust the processOperate without egoIntegrity over compromise in brand visionBranding affects more than just the bottom line, it affects people’s livesDiscussed in this episode Here’s a prompt you can try in MECLABS AI (https://meclabsai.com/). It’s totally FREE to use, for now. (MECLABS is the parent organization of MarketingSherpa). ‘Review my competitors' value propositions [URL and URL] and let me know any opportunities for messaging exclusivity for my brand [URL]. Put the information in a table.’ NFTs For Brands: It’s OK to say no, always be a student, don’t resist change (podcast episode #26) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/NFTs-for-brands) Calling All Writers and Marketers: Write the most effective copy for this Consumer Reports email and win a MarketingSherpa Summit package (https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/summit-2016-copywriting-contest) The De-Branding Campaign: When customers make fun of your new product launch (podcast episode #2) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/debranding) Get more episodes This article is distributed through the MarketingSherpa email newsletter (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters). Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one. For more insights, check out... This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/) free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guest If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application