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July 4, 2025 35 mins

Stephanie Gutnik shares the key components of successful business strategies that truly stand out. With a wealth of experience in management consulting, Stephanie shares best practices for setting and achieving goals in marketing and business. Listeners can expect to learn about the importance of aligning technology with business strategies, developing a robust marketing plan, and navigating challenges in a competitive marketplace. Whether you’re a startup or an established organization, this episode offers valuable insights for all business leaders.

 

Listen on Podbean:

https://brainworkframework.podbean.com/

Connect with Stephanie Gutnik:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniegutnik/

 

Connect with Chris Troka:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-troka-3a093058/ 

Website: https://focused-biz.com/

Website: https://christroka.com/ #brainwork #framework #business #marketing #strategies #technology

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I thrive off of change.

(00:01):
I'm like one of those weirdpeople that if things aren't
changing constantly, I'm not okay.
And I realize that that's an anomaly.
'cause most people, theywant things to stay the same.
And so in the workplace, you're gonnahave to keep in mind that regardless
of changing consumer trends or needs,employees are probably gonna wanna do the
same job function and have business asusual because that's their comfort zone.

(00:25):
You are listening to Brainwork Framework,a Business and Marketing podcast,
brought to you by Focused-biz.com.
Welcome back to anotherepisode of Brainwork Framework.
With us today is the President ofTuxedo concept, Stephanie Gutnick.
We're gonna be talking all aboutbusiness marketing and leadership.
So excited to have her on.
Stephanie, how you doing today?
I'm great.
How are you?
I'm doing wonderful.

(00:46):
Thank you for asking.
So excited to have you on.
We always like to ask our guests,tell us about your journey.
What were you doing before that kind ofled you into what you're doing today?
I've been fascinated withpeople's journeys as well.
I read a lot of books about foundersof companies and how they got to
where they were and it's very rarethat it's this clear direct path.
People tend to have stories that jumpfrom one unexpected position to another.

(01:10):
And I've really appreciate that abouta career path as opposed to trying to
control everything, which certainlyI did when I was starting out.
But I've had roles in public and privatecompanies spanning different functions.
Everything from marketing to businessdevelopment and strategy and overseeing
an entire team which brings aboutall those different facets together.

(01:35):
Product is another interest.
So currently when you become a jack ofall trades it kind of makes sense to start
your own thing and see if that can fly.
So I began tuxedo concepts and verymuch am able to help different companies
globally with whatever challenge theymight be facing, whether it's choosing

(01:56):
a tech partner to fit a certain need, sohelping with the evaluation process there
and putting together the agreements orif it's some marketing assistance and PR.
I'm just having fun juggling somedifferent opportunities right now.
That is very exciting.
So you're a jack of all tradesor maybe a Jackie of all trades.
I don't know if that term fitsloosely enough but just bringing
all this past experience to thetable starting your own thing.

(02:19):
And it's true, many of us entrepreneurssometimes we don't see it coming
or we ever expect to get intobusiness but suddenly here we are.
Why not?
Let's try it.
So this is a new venture foryou, but a lot of past experience
that you're bringing to thetable just helping businesses.
What does it take to be successful?
What does a good business look like?
It's a great question, especially aseverybody is so focused on back to

(02:40):
office and AI and Gen Z and expectationsaround all of these different elements.
And what I would say is, I trulybelieve that at the end of the
day it comes down to hard work.
We as humans, whether or not we're usingdifferent tools at our disposal, AI
definitely should be something that's usedwhen it's needed and in a productive way.

(03:02):
But we need to feel good aboutwhat it is that we're doing.
Have some sort of passion that webring to the job and work hard.
When it used to be once upon atime as I was working my way up
and even now I'm the first one tostart and the last one to finish.
That is an example of something wherewe need to be more flexible because
when we're working across time zonesand people with different needs, I

(03:25):
think that's a little bit outdated butthe essence is, can I get things done
and can I demonstrate productivity?
And that's where my head is atin terms of what drives success.
Absolutely.
And it is an interesting viewpointjust as the trends are changing
and new generations are coming,new consumers, new workforce
businesses need to adapt and change.

(03:46):
One thing you mentioned is AI.
And a lot of people say it's somethingthey've never heard of, or they
have, and some people think it'sgonna be the end of the workforce.
Businesses are investing a lot ofmoney to replace this cost and the
cost I believe is the workforce.
Do you find that to be an accuratestatement or would you say that
it's kind of more just a tool thatwe're gonna learn to work with?

(04:08):
It's funny, I often jokingly refer tomyself as a Luddite because working
in tech, I really don't appreciatetech that's built for tech's sake.
I like tech that solves problems.
So that can apply to everything fromthe industrial Revolution through
to now when we're talking about AI.
Certain things are made redundant.

(04:30):
Usually that brings about a whole newslew of jobs and opportunities and it
just requires people to be flexibleand always approach problems with a
curious mindset and be willing to learn.
Right.
And when it comes to tech, I am one ofthe first people where when I got into
the ad tech industry, I got so much wrong.

(04:52):
I had never dealt with tech before, sothe learning curve was very steep and I
always say, if I can understand everythingthat I do about programmatic pipes and
data and all this, then truly anybody can.
Yeah.
Speaking of tools.
Seems like businesses either havetoo many tools or they don't have
enough or just not the right ones.
Is there a foundational set of toolsthat you recommend for any business?

(05:15):
And ones that they should look out for?
I always think that when you'reat the Cheesecake Factory or
something of the sort, the menuwill give you analysis paralysis.
And it's something that we have to bevery careful of in the workforce because
there's always gonna be a new vendor.
There's always gonna be a new product.
And this is the strategy side ofme but also just the pragmatist
is what are our challenges andwhat do we need to solve them?

(05:38):
And that what needs to be kept in mindwhen evaluating partners and platforms
to implement internally becauseeven if a platform says it's like a
super easy startup or integration,there's always gonna be work.
There's always going to beelements that need troubleshooting.
So choose partners wisely.

(05:59):
Choose people that you're gonna wannawork with on a day-to-day basis.
And then also choose tech that has avision and is not gonna be redundant.
Has the team there to be able tocontinue to build it out to your needs.
And oftentimes dependingon the size of the company.
It's very tempting in whateverindustry you might be in to think

(06:20):
that proprietary tech is goingto be some sort of secret sauce.
Usually it's the pipes needed, it's likehydro or electricity just to make sure
that your business is running efficiently.
So what I would say there too is, ifyou're thinking about investing in
something proprietary really compare
all of what's needed there to what'savailable in the market already

(06:43):
and whether or not a competitiveadvantage will be established
by going the proprietary route.
And I see you nodding, and I'm curiousif you have experience in that as well.
Yeah.
Just proprietary meaning, someone else'stool that is new to the market or wanting
to invest and develop your own tool.
Correct.
A little bit of both.
Yeah.
You know how it is 'cause you see howfrustrating it can be with a new tool.

(07:04):
Sure it's a shiny object.
It does some cool things but I like youranalogy of it's really just the pipes,
it's just the tools to get you there.
The secret sauce is, I thinkwithin your marketing, your copy,
your audience, how you're kind ofcrafting that message altogether.
It's your people.
It's how they treat theircolleagues and your clients.
And it definitely comes down to that asopposed to typically if you think that

(07:24):
you can build something better by allmeans give it a go but just make sure
you're doing the proper evaluation.
Absolutely.
'cause it can get pretty sticky, prettyquickly while you're working with
trying to create your own tools orsystems but there are some cool mini
SaaS tech software pieces that can becreated using no quote platforms today.
So you don't have to build a robustsystem but you can solve a very

(07:45):
unique problem, which is reallycool in technology but I agree.
It's about what your uniquesituation is in the business.
This tool may not fit for anotherone 'cause they have unique needs
and solutions for each problem.
Are there any names of companies that youwanna plug on that note that could help?
Good start.
I don't have any that I need topromote but if there's any tools

(08:05):
or suggestions that you recommendfor people to start with, there's
some of the big players out there.
They're not always accessible.
The HubSpot and Salesforce,the big enterprise software.
But there's other ones that seemto be fit more for solopreneurs.
So yeah, feel free toshare your recommendations.
Nothing on my side either when it comesto that head start but just opening
the door and maybe that's somethingthat listeners can write in about.

(08:27):
If people don't mind gettingdistracted by the shiny objects
and those small pieces of software.
A great website is App Sumo.
I have a book sitting therefrom one of the founders
called Million Dollar Weekend.
I believe his name is Noah Kagan.
But he started this idea, he justwanted discounts on beef Turkey.
So he wanted an app kinda like a flightof beef jerky, get a little variety.
He asked his friends, would this work?

(08:48):
Would you pay me money for it?
And that eventually turnedinto a software company.
He gets deals and discountsfor certain software.
So it's like a Groupon for softwarebut in his book, he brought to the
table was seeking product validation.
First, you don't need a business nameor a website to even get started.
Go ask your potential audience, yourfriends and family, would you pay me
money if I put the solution together?

(09:10):
So I think that's a great way if you're ona shoestring budget to be able to validate
your product within a market before youeven invest all this time building an
app or trying to solve a problem thatmay not even have demand in the end.
I could not agree more with that.
Like choosing the name and buildinga brand is definitely the fun part.
And I think that is why so manypeople start there but that is not the

(09:34):
guarantee of success from step one.
Yes, absolutely.
Is there a certain approach you'dlike to take with either working
with clients or just how youwork with a business as a whole?
Do you work with specific typesof businesses as well or are you
just kind of keeping your mindopen to a little bit of everything?
Well, I have largely worked inad tech and with the projects

(09:56):
that I'm looking at now.
It spans other industries and typesof companies which is so great for
anybody who's listening, who thinksthat they might have been pigeonholed
into a certain industry or position,there are many skills that are
transferable to other things that'sbeen a fun and rewarding experience as
part of the whole consulting element.

(10:16):
And what I love is just
encouraging clients to lay everythingout on the table 'cause even certain
things that you think are goingwell could typically be optimized or
just thought of in a different way.
So you want the whole picture,you want all the chaos.
And then my favorite thingis like organizing it.

(10:36):
Marie Kondo the environment thatI've been put into and I like
putting that puzzle back together.
That's my thing.
I really like that approach and itis important for these businesses
to lay it out all on the table.
I kind of refer it to, Hey,treat me like a lawyer.
Tell me all the good and the bad
'cause we really need to seewhat we're working with here.
And then like you said, you put thepuzzle pieces back together later.

(10:57):
So that's really cool.
But ad tech, so tell me moreabout this industry and what
you kinda learned from that.
Oh gosh.
It combines two great amazing thingsthat humans use on a daily basis.
You have advertising, which we'reexposed to lot during our waking hours.
And the tech side of things, it makesit easier and more fitting typically

(11:20):
for us to be exposed to ads that aremore suited to how we see the world.
And the advertising side of thingsis, I love the idea of being able to
influence a decision or just educatethrough advertising and branding is my
favorite element of this 'cause there'sso much psychology that goes on through

(11:41):
branding and then bringing that into amedia plan, figuring out the best ways
to reach people in a truly impactful way.
That's suited to the brand.
Like I could talk about this all day.
So they go hand in hand.
You need the data from the tech sideand the platforms and pipes from the
tech side to make sure that the deliveryand the measurement is on point.

(12:02):
But when it comes down to a brand'sdecision to put something out there, put
a piece of creative out there and makepeople laugh or make people feel bad
to get them to do something, it's justpsychologically, it's so fascinating.
It is human behavior.
The psychology behind it areconscious and subconscious minds
that go into decision making.

(12:23):
It's really fascinating and I always hopethat the people who have this knowledge
and power use it for good instead of bad.
Because just like any tool orknowledge, it can be used for
good or evil, but something youmentioned within your advertising
is simply just educating people.
Sometimes an ad doesn't have tobe an ad. You don't always have
to go for the straight sale.
This content helps to buildrelationships and nurture them and

(12:45):
education is a huge piece of that.
So when you build a content strategya lot of it focused around education.
Totally depends on the productor service and its stage of
lifecycle and all of that.
But there are certain examples thatI will see around, like if I'm out
in Toronto or wherever I may be PSAson billboards and bus shelter ads,

(13:09):
I find those are very impactful.
Whether it's reminding you toget some sort of health checkup.
It can just trigger for people, hopefullysomething that maybe otherwise, finding
that they had would've been too late.
Maybe it's rose colored glassesbut there's one campaign that ran
in Australia years ago and it wasfor Parkinson's research and it

(13:30):
was about the positive influence ofdancing on people with Parkinson's.
And that one that hits closeto home because my grandfather
unfortunately had Parkinson's lateron in life and he loved to dance.
So there are just things like thatwhen done appropriately can make a
big difference in people's lives.
And again, everybody will engagewith an ad in a different way based

(13:51):
on what they've been exposed toin the past, in their own lives.
Absolutely.
And when it comes to businesses.
What is it looking for a businesswho's gonna be failing in 2025?
What are they doing wrong that isgoing to gonna hurt them that won't let
them continue on into the years ahead?
What a good question.
I do a presentation sometimescalled Don't Be a Dinosaur.

(14:12):
And it summarizes somany different companies.
Like Blockbuster is one examplethat went extinct and you
ask yourself like, okay, why?
What's the common denominator forcompanies that go under or fall behind?
And I think a lot of it is justrigidity and not being flexible and

(14:32):
just assuming that things are goingto always be the way that they are.
I thrive off of change.
I'm like one of those weirdpeople that if things aren't
changing constantly, I'm not okay.
And I realized that that's ananomaly 'cause most people, they
want things to stay the same.
And so in the workplace, you're gonnahave to keep in mind that regardless
of changing consumer trends or needs,employees are probably gonna wanna do the

(14:57):
same job function and have business asusual because that's their comfort zone.
We could talk about education onthe adoption of AI or what have you.
I think a lot of it is just makingsure that there are programs in place
to constantly keep employees in aslight state of discomfort so that
when push comes to shove, they reallydo have that hard skill available of,

(15:20):
okay, and now we're going to pivot.
Absolutely.
That ability and just desire to bea lifelong learner, I think could be
very valuable for anyone who's in theworkforce right now or any business
owner or entrepreneur out there.
That thirst for knowledge andinformation just adds to your skillset.
As long as you're willing tofigure stuff out, I think you
can do or learn almost anything.

(15:40):
And it's just a better skill set forthe workforce as well to help you climb.
Definitely.
And also, I think if someone was tosay, what's one of your biggest skills?
It's coming up with questions.
So Chris, you actually havelike my dream job, which is
asking people questions and then
you need to start a podcast.
Yeah, exactly.
And listening to what they have to say.
And you'll find that, if you're runninga company, encourage = regardless

(16:03):
of what the employee does, if theyhave external clients, if they handle
partnerships, if they're dealinginternally, always set most of the time
aside in a meeting to be asking questionsbecause you're gonna learn so much.
And I do think that's how you stayahead of competition is if you're
consistently checking in with yourclients and understanding what else is

(16:26):
out there, what their challenges are.
That's how you tweak a product.
And going back to how we started toavoid making something that nobody
wants to buy, check in with them.
What is a pain point that they arewilling to pay for to make go away.
One thing you mentioned isthe power of asking questions.
And a lot of the time when I'm askingpeople, what should business look for

(16:47):
when trying to hire a consultant orsomeone to guide them through marketing?
And typically, that's the answer I hear.
Do you agree with that as well?
You have to look for someonewho's asking a lot of questions
and the right questions too.
Asking the right questions and thenalso look for a track record of
delivery because it's very easy.
It's tricky.
I think sometimes consulting can get abit of a bad reputation because people

(17:10):
consider consultants to be third partiesthat come in and will stay as long as they
possibly can and they might tell you what
certain people on your team alreadyknow and they're gonna take a lot of
money and they're never gonna leaveand I think it can be helpful if it's
project oriented and the initial scopeis very much geared to one specific task

(17:31):
because that way you can really set atimeframe and you can make sure that
both parties are engaged in delivering thework that is has been asked of and I think
once you get to that point, then you canlook at expanding a relationship there.
Absolutely.
One thing you mentioned just withinthe seminar is that don't be a dinosaur

(17:52):
and that unwillingness to change thingsare changing both on the consumer
side and for the workforce as welland that's dramatically gonna impact
your business if you're wonderingwhether the tactics and strategies
you used 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago
just isn't the same.
Well, times are changing.
This isn't a hard problem tosolve but it's right in front
of our faces and it's somethingthat we need to fix and adapt to.

(18:13):
Otherwise our businessjust won't exist anymore.
Exactly.
And I think the generational disparitiesare very evident right now because you
have people who are running companies
that came from a time wherefaxes were still being sent.
I definitely sent faxes when I wasstarting out and have people who
communicate like just in emojis andwho maybe did some school totally

(18:36):
remotely and there's just a lotof differences in expectations.
There's differences in learned behavior.
And that is something that I condonetime spent together in person.
It's just I gained so much from beingable to sit at a table while my boss
or my skip level was having a call.
I could learn how to understand how thatwas conducted or listening into certain

(19:00):
conversations that happen in the hallway.
There are many elements there throughosmosis of being together in person
that will help make sure that there'sa bridge between the different
people working together right now.
Yes, absolutely.
And I think that directly ties in witha lot of your leadership experience,
business owners need to take chargeand be the leader, especially both solo

(19:24):
and then when they start to grow theirteam and start to scale, what should
they be focusing on trying to deliverthat workforce to attract and retain
talent so that way their businessjust starts to scale with them.
I'm a big believer in perception equity,so I always measure myself when I'm
in a big company and I was growing.
If I look around and people areperforming less than me but being

(19:47):
rewarded the same or more, it'stempting to want to reduce your level
of productivity to what theirs is.
And given that's not really the waythat I roll, I always wanna give 110%.
It can make me bitter andthat's not my best state
on the flip side, if you look aroundand you see people who are really
doing a good job and are beingrewarded appropriately, it's motivation

(20:08):
to make you wanna do the same.
So I explain that because when I'mhiring, I wanna bring in people who
are whip smart and who are fun to workwith and who will make sure that the
environment is one that organicallyis productive and encourages people to
be their best selves and work hard.

(20:29):
So that's probably tip number one iseven for certain managers as they're
growing at the end of their career.
It can be tempting to wanna hire peoplewho have a little bit less of a skillset
or who aren't a threat, if you will bringin the smartest people that you can find
and the people with the best reputation

(20:49):
and it makes your job alot easier as a manager.
If you're not like always having to be inthe weeds and correcting work and so on.
It makes it a lot more collaborative.
So that would be mybiggest piece of advice.
And the other for leaders is justto remind ourselves, usually if
you're in a management position, itmeans that you worked hard and you've

(21:10):
proven yourself to a certain degree
and you're probably gonna be a bithard on yourself because of that.
So just to remind ourselves thatnobody's perfect and there's a lot
of different management styles andyou just have to find the one that
best suits you and make sure thatfits with the company that you're at.
And once again, thepeople that you're hiring.
Yes, absolutely.

(21:30):
One point that you brought upis just the cost with paying for
skills you're gonna pay either way.
So you're either spending your own time totrain this employee or you do it right and
you're gonna pay upfront with the money.
But now two people can work independently
with less oversight and review.
So I think that's the efficient outcome.
A lot of these businesses, unfortunately,are just laying off people then

(21:52):
they have to hire back again.
And it seems like thisever revolving door.
I don't understand this practice.
I hope it changes to be more focusedon attracting and retaining the right
people and this merit and rewardsbased program, the perceived equity.
Give them a seat at the table, let thembe rewarded for their accomplishments.
I would wanna work for a place like that.

(22:12):
Yeah and that's the thingis, I have encountered people
who enjoy being micromanaged.
It goes back to the comfort thing or aneed for consistent approval or input.
And that is totally fine.
It's just, I don't work that way.
I like to be given autonomy.
I love having people to go to.
If I need to troubleshoot a situationlike that is important but knowing

(22:37):
that somebody trusts me to figureout a way to get something done, that
might not be the way that they woulddo it but it is all in the same.
It gets you there.
I like that.
And so I would say that most people thatI bring into my orbit function the same.
It's a nice balance of you go run your joblike you're running your own company and

(23:00):
I trust you 'cause you're a professionaland go do what you need to do.
And I'm here if you wanna highfive about an accomplishment or if
there was a mistake or there's aproblem and let's talk about it.
Yes, absolutely.
And it's important to have thatbalance and find the right workflow
and style that matches with you.
And it is true that some people preferto have that leader to be micromanaged to

(23:22):
be given tasks and direction as opposedto the more independent sort of thinkers.
But it's adapting to that styleor making sure you're hiring the
right people in the first place.
That way they just matchyour culture there.
Definitely.
I think there can be a lot of timewasted on different management
efforts to whether it's KPIs orOKRs or however you wanna set goals.

(23:45):
There's a lot there that Ijust find to be not needed.
So long as the company vision is verymuch understood by everybody on the
team and everybody has a couple ofgoals that are gonna contribute to
whether it's revenue or efficienciesor whatever it might be great.
Let's set those and let's keep movinginstead of constantly tinkering with

(24:05):
the task management but some peoplelive for those things, I'm just not.
I can be detail oriented ifI'm editing a piece of writing.
The rest, that's not for me.
I'm more macro.
Absolutely.
But I think that highlights empoweringyour workforce to utilize the skills
and assets that they bring to the table.
What are they passionate about?

(24:26):
What are they excited about?
What are they great at?
Then find ways to work that in.
I think they'll feel more fulfilledand then you are getting a
better end result and you're nowutilizing them in different ways.
And also, just letting them run withsomething and be creative less direction
and just see what they come up with
'cause you never know whatthey're gonna bring to the table.
I've often been amazed.

(24:47):
I'm like, wow.
I didn't even know that waspossible or that was a thing.
So empower your team.
Absolutely.
And that's one thing too, where fromthe marketing standpoint especially in
media planning and buying, I'm a bigadvocate of having a bit of a slush
fund or an experiment fund because alot of things that you can get into this
habit of, okay, it worked last time, soI'm gonna do the same thing this time.

(25:10):
And at a certain point it'sgonna stop working typically.
So if you constantly have a bit of abudget to tap into to take some risks
and know that some of it is not gonnaturn out the way that you had hoped.
It's all part of the learning process.
And then there are certain thingsthat could really work well
or go viral or whatever it is.

(25:30):
That's a very good ROI onthat bit of money there.
It's the same thing like I recentlystarted dabbling in standup comedy and
there's no Netflix special coming outanytime soon but it's been interesting
just to learn the format of how peopleget on stage and how they write and
some of the jokes that you thinkare gonna be funny don't tend to
land and it's like the lines thatyou don't think are funny at all are

(25:53):
the ones that really get a laugh.
And so that can be applied to theworkplace too, especially when it
comes to dabbling and experimenting.
It's just, you never know.
Yes, the workplace.
And I think even with marketingmessaging as well, you think
a campaign is gonna do great?
Like this is the best copy ever.
This will be compelling andit falls flat in something.
You're like, I'm throwing this image in'cause it's something to throw into our

(26:15):
AB test and suddenly it does great andyou're like, this is blowing my mind.
What is happening here?
Exactly.
And that's why I always tellpeople, never create a campaign
thinking that it's gonna go viral.
I feel like that's the worstthing that you could do because
it's usually won't happen.
It's the things that we're notanticipated and usually those very

(26:35):
real human moments that people canrelate to where that catches on.
There was a guy in Toronto who was sellinga cheese string from his fridge and he put
an ad on a billboard and that went viral.
It was the biggest story.
People were like, they were offeringall these different things that they
would trade him for the cheeser and it'sridiculous and that's why I love it.

(26:58):
That is hilarious.
Do you see a blending ofcomedy into marketing?
How we can use some of theskills and assets from comedy
into our marketing messaging?
'cause it seems like those are thetypes of content that do pretty
well or people are engaging with.
What can we learn from comedyand incorporate into our
marketing and business plan?
You are so right and obviously there'salways a time and a place depending on

(27:22):
the brand and the topic and the subjectmatter and the audience and all of that.
But typically speaking, ads thathave a comedic twist to them
are going to perform better.
People obviously who doesn'tlike to smile or laugh?
So people are going to have more positiveattitude towards these types of ads.

(27:42):
And then that usually has a directlinear correlation with lower funnel
KPIs in terms of their opportunity totheir consideration, thereby, et cetera.
So I have noticed an uptick in brandsleaning into the funny, if you will.
I think it's probably just atestament to everything since COD.

(28:03):
It's just life can be tough for somany different reasons and if a brand
can just make people go, that's funny.
It goes a long way.
Yeah, absolutely.
I think they're desperate and searchingfor something a little bit different or
more just post covid things changed a bit.
Prices are rising, so corporationsand businesses are trying to find
new ways to actually connect withtheir audience and ideal buyer here.

(28:26):
What can they learn as
prices continue to rise.
As competition continues to enter themarket, how are businesses gonna compete
and stay ahead, manage these costs andstill justify these price increases?
What you just said made me think aboutthe idea that I think there's also a
related shift from brands promoting alot of aspirational figures and so on to

(28:49):
make you compelled to buy their product.
It's shifted to more like relational.
Can I relate to this brandor their message instead of
making you want to become it?
And I quite like that.
Yeah, it is.
There's a lot of different approachespeople can take to their marketing plan
and the strategy, whether it's comedy orserious story driven pain point solution.

(29:11):
There's so many differenttemplates available.
To us it just takes a little bit ofexperimenting but that's what I like.
This is the only topic like marketingand technology that's continuing
education didn't absolutely hurtmy will to live because I'm so
excited about marketing tech.
Anything else?
I'm like it is just not interestingbut I love hearing about the new
tools and things that are coming out.

(29:31):
I feel like it's empowering moresolopreneurs and business owners
to have access and resources to thetools that the big box companies had.
No longer need this resource.
Now we have tools and technology andjust different tools available to us.
So it's kinda like this new wildwest of business opportunity.
The only limitation is whereyour brain can take a concept
and that's a very human element.

(29:52):
Humans are still, at least thispoint in time, we're still driving
the machine and using the machine.
So we're the ones who arestill the creators and I hope
that's empowering to listeners.
And yeah I think that AI is very similaras a term to what data was 5, 10 years
ago where everybody was obsessed withbig data and it was such a loaded term.

(30:15):
AI is also a very loaded term and that'swhere it's unpack what your challenges
are, what your goals are and then evaluate
how you wanna get there.
And then there are going to beAI enabled tools that can help
you make it more efficient.
But first, it's on you to figure outthe steps that need to get done, right?
It's not just like, I'm gonna feed thisinto AI and it's gonna do the rest for me.

(30:40):
Right.
You actually have to figure out what youwant to do with it and how can I apply
and create use cases for this that areactually practical for your business.
Now Stephanie, where can peoplefind out more about you online
and get connected with you?
LinkedIn, of course.
So just find my profile.
Stephanie Gutnik on LinkedIn.
Excellent.
And we'll have that link availabledone in the show notes and
the description for everybody.
Stephanie, what are youlooking forward to in 2025?

(31:01):
You have this new business,you're bringing all these
this experience with you.
What are you looking forward toor do you have any special plans?
I think just a bit of levity if you will.
We've been talking a lot about humorbeing inserted into campaigns and
I've really enjoyed watching a bitof a shift from performance marketing
to brand marketing and seeing wherebrands are taking their overall image

(31:22):
and how they engage with people.
And it seems like they're juststarting to have a bit of fun with it.
So if we could look at what 2025brings, I'd like it to be a bit
lighter and a bit more fun and I'm justputting that out into the universe.
That's very exciting.
Now something that's interestingto me is that ,when I think of the
more corporate stuffy brands, Ialmost feel like a suit and a tie.

(31:46):
And then more relaxed, a bit more casual.
And I feel like there's been thisshift both with brands but the
changes with influencers and creatorsonline .You don't have to have well
produced content to go viral or havesomething that connects with people.
What do you think businesses canlearn from that shift in creators,
influencers and less production value?

(32:06):
I think it just goes back once againto being relatable and in a world
where the past little while we've beenhyper exposed to filters and people
projecting things into the space thatnarratives that aren't necessarily true.
And I think there's this desire,I won't use the word authentic

(32:26):
because that's been overplayed butpeople want real and warts and all.
So I think if you're running acompany of 10,000 plus people,
once again as a leader, be real.
And I had that at Yahoo actually
the CEO at one point recommended thatpeople just step outside and go for a
little walk at one point in the day.
And it's something as small as that.

(32:49):
Where it's just a very real.
This manager cares about our wellbeing,understands the importance of
getting some fresh air and a littlebit of sunshine and stepping away
from the computer for a minute.
And so it's little elementslike that of that reality.
It's not gonna be perfect but we'reall here trying to do our best.
Absolutely.
I think just a little bit of sunshinein our lives can go a long way and

(33:11):
change our performance overall.
Now, Stephanie, if you could go backin time and give one piece of advice
to yourself or any other entrepreneur,business owner, someone who's trying
to get out there and do something, whatis your one piece of advice for them?
Just say, chill out.
Chill out, man.
Chill out.
And that comes with the wisdom of havinggone through certain situations and

(33:31):
knowing that everything's gonna be okay.
But again, like entrepreneurs, people inearly stages of their career, if they have
that fire, everything is the biggest dealand you can't do anything fast enough.
And there is an element wherelike it's gonna get done.
And just chill out.
So get some sleep or whatever it is.
Some great advice.
We all just need to chill out.

(33:52):
Yeah.
In terms of some hindsight advice.
That is some great advice.
I think a lot of us need to just take astep back, take a deep breath and just
realize everything will work itself out.
Things will be fine.
There doesn't have to be thesense of urgency for everything.
I think a lot of us get into businessto have time and financial freedom.
So remember that you don't have to work68 hours a week if you don't want to.
Totally.

(34:13):
And on the flip side is, if you'reworking on a pitch or a certain project
that does require you to put in extrahours if you have some sort of balance.
The other times it's like you're goinginto it super energized and excited about
getting this thing done instead of feelinglike your battery is very much empty.

(34:34):
Yes, absolutely.
We can definitely put in the hours whenwe're in that zone of genius and just
so excited because we're working onsomething we're excited about or we're
passionate about, that is that fire.
And that's okay to absolutelyput in those longer hours 'cause
you do need to find that balance.
You utilize that when you have thatpower when that creativity hits.
Totally.
Absolutely.
Stephanie, we appreciate youcoming on and sharing your

(34:55):
wisdom, tips and tricks with us.
We appreciate it.
So excited to watch yourjourney unfold as well.
Thank you so much for your time.
Thanks Chris.
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