"Building a Global Brand Strategy Firm" with Bryan Smeltzer

Danny and Bryan trace Bryan’s unlikely path from North Dakota and stealth tech to building and exiting his own apparel company, then being “thrown into the fire” to launch Oakley’s licensed eyewear division that exploded with NCAA/NFL demand. Bryan unpacks why brands are often resource-tepid at first, how early wins unlock internal support, and the “plug-and-play” model he uses at LiquidMind to solve targeted growth headaches without disrupting in-house teams. You’ll hear how virtual teams (pre- and post-COVID) became a competitive advantage, what due-diligence looks like before entering a new category, and how product vision and marketing strategy must move in lockstep to win.

Key takeaways

• Start where the customer already has momentum: adapt core products to new channels and fan bases to unlock surprising demand.

• Expect constrained resources early; prove revenue, then scale support and infrastructure.

• “Plug-and-play” resourcing beats big-agency overhead for specific, high-impact problems.

• Virtual, distributed teams give brands access to global expertise and speed.

• Product vision and marketing must be developed together — not in silos.

• Future-casting: define the barriers to your brand vision, then sequence product and go-to-market to clear them.

 

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