Disruptive Influence: The Business Storytelling & Brand Communication Podcast

Why Most Companies Get Purpose Wrong (And How to Fix It) with Ron Tite

Agency owner, speaker, and author Ron Tite [https://rontite.com/] breaks down why most companies get purpose completely wrong - and how to turn it into a real driver of growth, decision-making, and differentiation. Ron is the author of The Purpose of Purpose [https://rontite.com/books] and has worked with leading brands to help them align what they believe with how they actually operate and grow. In this episode, Ron explains: -Why most purpose statements are performative (and why people can feel it) -The shift from “sounding good” to actually driving business results -The “We believe → so we do” framework -Why founders need to think beyond the product -How short-term thinking kills long-term brand value -The role of storytelling in uncovering what’s actually true -How leaders can make clearer, more confident decisions This is a grounded, honest look at purpose - not as a buzzword, but as something that should actually guide how a business operates and grows. Chapters 00:00 – Purpose vs reality in business 00:45 – Why Ron wrote The Purpose of Purpose 01:40 – The problem with purpose statements 03:20 – Purpose as a decision-making tool 05:00 – Where purpose went wrong 06:00 – “We believe → so we do” 07:50 – Is purpose manipulative? 10:15 – Art vs commercial creativity 12:30 – The social responsibility trap 13:30 – Founders: beyond the product 16:40 – The danger of short-term thinking 17:30 – Belief over product 19:45 – Leadership in service of others 21:00 – Fixing purpose in established companies 22:30 – Collaboration vs decision-making 24:10 – Finding courage as a leader 25:00 – Using stories to uncover truth 27:40 – Why stories beat data 29:00 – Brands getting it right 29:30 – Savannah Bananas case study 31:40 – Differentiation through experience 33:00 – Final takeaway: it’s all figureoutable Connect with Jeff Abracen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] If you are or know a disruptive influencer who would make a great guest, we'd love to hear from you.  Every Like, Share, Subscription and Review means a lot. Cover art by Daniel Devoy Music by Stephen Voyce ©2024 The Disruptive Influence Podcast - Jeff Abracen

Why Your Brands Needs to Build Out Loud with Jake Karls

Jake Karls [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-karls-653106ba/], Co-Founder & Rainmaker at Mid-Day Squares [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mid-day-squares/], joins Jeff Abracen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] for a fast, fun, and deep conversation on building brands by building out loud. Jake breaks down the origin story behind Mid-Day Squares' “act like a boy band” strategy, why story > features, and how humanization is an unfair advantage in a world obsessed with scale. They also unpack the behind-the-scenes reality of growth: therapy as a non-negotiable founder practice, the emotional swing from “nothing to lose” to “everything to lose,” and how a cocoa price crisis pushed MDS to innovate into a new category with their No Bread PB&J - complete with character-driven storytelling (hello, Trudy & Chip). In this episode, you’ll hear: * Why “building out loud” expands your luck + opportunity surface area * How Mid-Day Squares modeled their brand like the Backstreet Boys / Spice Girls * Why the best brands sell feelings, not features * The real role of attention: getting trial in a 30-40k item grocery store * How “serendipity” becomes a growth strategy (show up and good things happen) * Therapy as a business system for alignment, trust, and conflict prevention * The cocoa crisis, the margins reality, and the innovation leap to No Bread PB&J * Creating characters to scale storytelling beyond founders * Jake on fear, pressure, loneliness, and shifting back to “play to win” * Plus, a live taste test! 00:00 The boy band brand model  00:24 Intro  00:41 Montreal energy and Jake’s travel rhythm  02:37 First advice to founders build out loud  04:13 Showing up and serendipity  06:07 Finding Mid-Day Squares DNA and the deal that changed everything  09:27 Story over product features  11:45 Cocoa crisis and category expansion  13:05 Humanization is the advantage  14:25 Innovation as the escape hatch  15:25 The No Bread PBJ origin  18:09 Packaging storytelling and characters  22:11 Product must hit and story gets trial  25:10 Founder lanes and trust  28:37 Therapy communication and avoiding founder conflict  30:04 Fear pressure and playing not to lose  33:06 Stage mode elevated Jake  34:28 The down days and recovery  37:52 What would make younger Jake proud  39:10 Life after Midday inspiring entrepreneurship  42:13 Serendipity story fraternity to investor  43:35 Live taste test outro Connect with Jeff Abracen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] If you are or know a disruptive influencer who would make a great guest, we'd love to hear from you.  Every Like, Share, Subscription and Review means a lot. Cover art by Daniel Devoy Music by Stephen Voyce ©2024 The Disruptive Influence Podcast - Jeff Abracen

How to Turn Everyday Moments Into Customer Loyalty Machines with David Brier

Most brands aren’t failing. They’re just fading into the background. In this episode, Jeff [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] sits down with David Brier [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbrier/], one of the sharpest and most unapologetic minds in branding, to talk about why so much marketing today feels polished, competent… and completely forgettable. David calls it the Wall of Beige: what happens when brands optimize for speed, safety, and scale - but quietly lose their nerve, their taste, and their point of view along the way. We get into why “meeting expectations” is actually a trap. Why pumping out more content won’t save you if it costs you differentiation. And why loyalty isn’t built through clever tactics - it’s built through intention. From the ritual of opening an iPhone box, to handwritten notes, to small human moments most brands overlook, this conversation breaks down how everyday interactions - when handled with conviction - become the reason people come back, talk about you, and choose you again. This isn’t a conversation about trends. It’s a conversation about standards. If you’re a founder, executive, or brand leader who’s tired of sounding like everyone else - and wants people to stop saying “that’s nice” and start saying “I want more of that” - this is the episode for you. What we explore * Why so many brands blend in (even when they’re doing “everything right”) * The difference between convenience and care * How fanatical intention turns moments into loyalty * Why anticipation beats persuasion * Where authenticity actually comes from - and where it doesn’t Chapters 00:00 — Turning Ordinary Into Amazing 00:44 — AI, Speed & the Wall of Beige 04:42 — Why Playing It Safe Is Riskier 06:23 — Freshness, Familiarity & Surprise 10:14 — The iPhone Box Lesson 12:03 — Practitioner vs Professional vs Genius 18:23 — Fanatical Intention 22:39 — Why Meeting Expectations Is a Failure 27:05 — Human Effort Creates Loyalty 30:32 — Apple vs Microsoft: DNA Matters 36:40 — Refusing to Let Ordinary Be Ordinary 41:58 — Curiosity Beats Confusion 44:07 — Why Meaning Beats Marketing 55:17 — The Next 4 Years vs the Next 40 58:44 — “I Want More of That” Connect with Jeff Abracen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] If you are or know a disruptive influencer who would make a great guest, we'd love to hear from you.  Every Like, Share, Subscription and Review means a lot. Cover art by Daniel Devoy Music by Stephen Voyce ©2024 The Disruptive Influence Podcast - Jeff Abracen

How to Design an Inbound Business with Nick Broekema

In this episode, I sit down with designer, educator, founder, and category creator, Nick Broekema [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nbroekema/], the mind behind the booming discipline of Content Design and one of the most recognizable visual brands on LinkedIn™. Nick has built something rare: a business that’s 100% inbound. No outreach. No cold emails. No chasing. Just magnetic, systematic content that compounds. We go deep on: * How Nick built an audience of 80k+ * How Content Design became a category, and how he's leading it * The exact steps he took to turn random posting into a business * What most creators get wrong on LinkedIn™ * Why alignment beats hustle * The role of clarity, positioning, and ICP refinement * His pivot from Done-For-You to Cohorts + Community * And the mindset shifts required to scale a highly creative business sustainably This is a masterclass in positioning, design, systems, and treating content as a strategic asset - not decoration. Whether you're a founder, a coach, a designer, or someone reinventing their career on LinkedIn, this is a conversation you will want to save. Chapters: 00:00 - Teaser Intro 00:41 - Re-Framing, Re-Building 01:08 - The Early Days & Becoming a Category of One 02:50 - From Crickets to Clarity 04:10 - The Coach Who Sparked a Category 05:23 - Why LinkedIn™? Why Now? 07:41 - Quitting, Drifting, and Rediscovering Entrepreneurship 09:20 - Choosing LinkedIn™ Over Instagram 09:53 - What a Carousel Really Is (and Why It Works) 11:30 - Why Visuals Must Be Simple, Clear, and Fast 13:49 - How to Build Leads on LinkedIn From Scratch 15:44 - Compounding Through Conversation 17:05 - The Turning Point: Selling Through Content 18:38 - The Three-Month Danger Window 19:45 - Quantity → Quality (No Other Shortcut Exists) 22:16 - Why You Should Post BEFORE You Need To 26:15 - The Multiple Facets of Content Design 28:21 - Nick's Design Rules (And Why They Work) 30:30 - How His Client Grew 8k Followers and 80k in Revenue 32:22 - Trim the Offer: Why Less > More 34:28 - The 60% Rule for Positioning 36:22 - D.F.Y → D.I.Y: A Pivot That Scales 37:52 - Nick’s Current Business Model 40:10 - Why He’s Leaving Done-For-You Behind 42:53 - The Rise of In-Person Events 44:58 - Why Build a Community? 46:32 - Screen-Sharing, Transparency, and “Winging It” 48:06 - Jeff’s POV on Clarity, Story, and Power of Voice 52:02 - Reframing Stage Nerves into Excitement 53:36 - Nick’s Public Speaking Trauma (And How He Overcame It) 55:54 - Expertise + Stories = Unshakeable Confidence 57:15 - The Anchor of Inbound-Only 58:10 - Jeff on Remembering Your Own Value 59:41 - Jeff’s Storytelling Background & Business Model 01:02:52 - Naming, Positioning & Not Getting “Too Cute” Connect with Jeff Abracen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] If you are or know a disruptive influencer who would make a great guest, we'd love to hear from you.  Every Like, Share, Subscription and Review means a lot. Cover art by Daniel Devoy Music by Stephen Voyce ©2024 The Disruptive Influence Podcast - Jeff Abracen

How to Thrive Through Business Burnout with Louis Butterfield

This is a conversation about what it really takes to build a business, stand out in a sea of sameness, and recover when the hustle turns into burnout. Louis Butterfield [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-the-butterfield/] is the co-founder of Awesome Business Videos & Video Heroes, an agency, program & community helping founders create videos that actually get watched on LinkedIn. Known for his playful “videos in the park” format, Louis has carved out a reputation for making content that’s ungeneric, entertaining, and rooted in values. Alongside his wife Jenna Sipponen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-sipponen-video-creator/], he’s built a six-figure business and a fast-growing community - while also confronting the realities of burnout and balance. What you’ll learn in this episode: * How Louis went from living in a yurt and failing five businesses to launching a thriving video company * Why ungeneric videos beat polished but forgettable content every time * The park video formula: mix silly settings with serious value * How partnerships and podcasts became rocket fuel for authority * The hidden cost of 70-hour weeks and the truth about burnout * Why stories that sell are really about shared values, not just hooks * The mantra Louis lives by: Punch above your weight class Takeaways * Stand out by changing the setting - not watering down the message * Trust compounds when you borrow audiences through collaboration * Community brings accountability and consistency * Shared values build stronger bonds than formulas ever could Chapters 00:00 – The role of story: why we’re drawn to people like us 00:25 – Welcome to the Disruptive Influence Podcast 00:40 – Meet Louis Butterfield: ungeneric videos for ungeneric brands 01:10 – From yurts to five failed businesses → stumbling into video 02:00 – Why high-end video no longer works & the shift to LinkedIn 03:45 – The rise of “videos in the park” (and why they work) 07:20 – Behind the scenes: outtakes, swings, and slides 09:15 – From client work to community → launching Video Heroes 13:20 – Building authority: showing wins & stacking trust through partnerships 17:30 – Podcasting as rocket fuel for growth 23:00 – The hard truth: burnout behind the six-figure launch 27:30 – Guardrails, recovery, and avoiding future burnout 31:30 – Purpose & fuel: love vs. fear, family, and the housing dream 36:40 – Finding Ikigai & designing the long game 39:20 – Crafting stories that sell: values over hooks 46:20 – Imposter syndrome, client pain points & the mantra: Punch above your weight class Connect with Jeff Abracen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffabracen/] If you are or know a disruptive influencer who would make a great guest, we'd love to hear from you.  Every Like, Share, Subscription and Review means a lot. Cover art by Daniel Devoy Music by Stephen Voyce ©2024 The Disruptive Influence Podcast - Jeff Abracen