What's Wrong with Thought Leadership and How to Fix It

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Dan Fogarty, a thought leadership strategist who helps founders and executives tell their stories authentically through content that drives real business results. Dan brings a fascinating background - he started as a journalist at major outlets like USA Today and the Boston Globe, but a boxing-related concussion led him to leave traditional media and build his own business around content strategy.

What makes Dan's approach different is how he brings journalistic rigor to thought leadership. He's not about generic LinkedIn posts or AI-generated content. Instead, he helps people find what's happening "in the room" - those insights and perspectives that only come from being deeply embedded in your industry and the conversations you have every day.

We explore what's fundamentally broken about thought leadership today, Dan's process for helping clients discover what's actually worth talking about, and his perspective as a recent transplant to Madison's startup community. You'll also hear about his new AI tool TalkBox and his thoughts on what founders should be doing more of to tell Wisconsin's innovation story.

 

Key Topics Covered

→ Why most thought leadership content fails (and how to fix it)

→ The three-circle framework for authentic content creation

→ Finding your unique insights: "what's happening in the room"

→ Personal brand vs. authentic storytelling

→ Building TalkBox: AI tool for scaling expertise

→ Moving from East Coast to Madison's startup scene

→ The future of AI in creative work and content strategy

 

🔗 Connect with Dan Fogarty

Dan Website

https://imdanfogarty.com

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfogarty1/

 

👉 Resources Mentioned

Starting Block Madison

https://www.startingblockmadison.org/

Level Set Program

https://www.startingblockmadison.org/levelset

 

Segments

00:00 - Intro and Dan's Background

01:19 - From Journalism to Content Strategy

07:48 - The COVID Turning Point

15:19 - What's Broken About Thought Leadership

20:22 - Finding What's Worth Talking About

31:34 - Sponsor Break (Headway)

33:03 - Personal Brand vs Company Brand

38:16 - Building TalkBox AI Tool

44:28 - AI and Creative Work Philosophy

48:58 - Moving to Madison Experience

57:36 - Advice for Wisconsin Founders

1:04:23 - Contact Information and Wrap-up

🔻 Connect With Us 🔻

 

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Interested in being a guest? Reach out!

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Startup Wisconsin's mission is to connect, educate, inspire, and grow tech startup communities across the state, not just during events, but year-round. This podcast is part of that vision, creating deeper connections and sharing the knowledge that helps Wisconsin's startup ecosystem thrive.