On June 16, 1997, at age 27, I placed a bet on myself, eliminated my steady paycheck, and hung out my shingle as a positioning and strategy consultant.

My employment record at that time included nearly five years as a marketer manager at Van Melle, where I launched products like…

“If the big boys are doing it, it must be working.”

~ a former boss, who could not have been more wrong on this point

It hasn’t been the best few weeks for Peloton.

There was the treadmill recall in the first week of May. That’s been covered elsewhere, but…

“As a one-person operation, I can only do so many things to grow my business. So I need to choose wisely. But sometimes I’m paralyzed by the sheer number of options. How do I know which choices are best for me?”

I coach other freelancers, and that’s how I’d summarize…

In my last post, I proposed five principles of brand differentiation:

1. The goal is not “difference.” The goal is value and meaning.

2. Differentiation is not something you find. It’s something you create.

3. In branding, as in life, what we do matters more than what we say.

4…