Nicole Powell: Why Throwing Money at Marketing Doesn’t Build a Brand

Mara Smith and Inspiro Tequila: What Happens When the Founder Isn't in the Room?

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with Mara Smith, founder and CEO of Inspiro Tequila, for a conversation about founder-led brands, perception, scale, and the challenge of building something that can stand on its own. Mara didn't set out to build a tequila company. A former attorney, corporate strategist, and stay-at-home mom, she set out to build something of her own. What she discovered was a gap in the market: a premium, additive-free tequila that reflected her values and appealed to consumers who wanted quality without pretension. But building the product was only the beginning. As Inspiro grows, Mara faces a challenge familiar to every founder: How do you make sure people understand what you've built when you're no longer there to explain it? Hersh and Mara explore: * The founder's dilemma of control versus scale * Why consistency matters more than perfection * How products communicate when the founder isn't present * The difference between a product story and a founder story * Why approachability became a core brand value * How personal values shape business identity * The challenge of being interpreted by distributors, retailers, and customers * And what happens when a brand starts developing a personality of its own Along the way, Mara shares the story of launching a tequila company during the pandemic, building a woman-led brand in a traditionally male-dominated industry, and learning to let go of the need for everyone to tell the story exactly the way she would. At its heart, this episode explores a question every founder eventually faces: When people encounter your brand without you there, what version of the story are they meeting? https://inspirotequila.com/ -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-the-truth-hersh-rephun/1146878336?ean=9798317660222] is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix [https://calendly.com/hershbrand/the-5-minute-fix]. Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/ [https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/]

Sébastien Night and the Gap Between What You Built and What They Think You Built

IN THIS EPISODE OF YES, BRAND, HERSH REPHUN SITS DOWN WITH SÉBASTIEN NIGHT, FOUNDER OF ONE TAKE AI, FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT POSITIONING, PERCEPTION, PRODUCT EVOLUTION, AND THE CHALLENGE OF BUILDING SOMETHING PEOPLE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE. One Take AI started as a video editing platform. At least that's what many people think. But as the product evolved, Sebastien realized the real value wasn't editing videos. It was eliminating the part of content creation that experts never wanted to do in the first place. That distinction matters. Because when a product changes, perception often lags behind. Hersh and Sebastien explore the gap between what a company builds and what the market believes it builds, and why explaining something clearly doesn't guarantee people understand its true value. Together they discuss: * Why customers buy outcomes, not features * The danger of being mistaken for the wrong category * How One Take evolved from neuroscience-based editing to AI-powered delegation * Why product vision should start with customer outcomes * The challenge of building in a crowded AI marketplace * How demonstrations outperform explanations * The difference between a tool and a solution * And why category creation requires changing how people think, not just what they know Along the way, Sebastien shares the surprising customer research that helped shape One Take's direction and reveals why the future of AI may be less about software and more about intelligent team members. At its core, this episode explores a challenge every founder eventually faces: What happens when your audience understands what you do... but misses what makes it valuable? Website: https://www.onetake.ai [https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.onetake.ai&user_uuid=547e8251-8225-4484-8c0c-f5ed6b0b1d75&stage=1&hmac=992453c27a96dca285bff7714e0dfb7669cc967a1c07925eaa519f307628285d] Personal site: https://www.sebastiennight.com [https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sebastiennight.com&user_uuid=547e8251-8225-4484-8c0c-f5ed6b0b1d75&stage=1&hmac=91dee04474d3460a69bd7cd0cbc0feaa023c2d3e46c023d11ee90452195589a3] Press: https://www.sebastiennight.com/in-the-press.html [https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sebastiennight.com%2Fin-the-press.html&user_uuid=547e8251-8225-4484-8c0c-f5ed6b0b1d75&stage=1&hmac=e0dd2eb2e1871cab576946245396bfca5ae3b1c057d7f922226a0be81d7e889c] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastiennight [https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fsebastiennight&user_uuid=547e8251-8225-4484-8c0c-f5ed6b0b1d75&stage=1&hmac=619d90f4cda2b588b35a081a0ede71a57e9a3f7d4ce2a1c1af724f5ac0625b1c] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OneTakeAI/videos?sub_confirmation=1 [https://calendly.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2F%40OneTakeAI%2Fvideos%3Fsub_confirmation%3D1&user_uuid=547e8251-8225-4484-8c0c-f5ed6b0b1d75&stage=1&hmac=b9ce4bc065f6de3005b236594392011fa52b2701d75a3a2dc31083bd727338ff] -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-the-truth-hersh-rephun/1146878336?ean=9798317660222] is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix [https://calendly.com/hershbrand/the-5-minute-fix]. Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/ [https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/]

Don Weber and the Discipline of Seeing Clearly

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun gets smart with Don Weber, executive coach, communication advisor, and former intelligence professional, for a conversation about trust, perception, leadership, and what people reveal without realizing it. Don spent more than 15 years working in international intelligence, where understanding human behavior wasn't theoretical. It was essential. Today, he helps leaders, executives, and organizations navigate communication, influence, and decision-making under pressure. But this conversation goes beyond body language, negotiation tactics, or executive presence. Hersh and Don explore the deeper challenge of perception: what people communicate without saying, how trust is established, and why genuine connection remains one of the rarest business skills in an increasingly distracted world. Together they discuss: * Why people often miss what matters most in conversations * The difference between information and observation * How trust is built before words are spoken * What leaders reveal under pressure * Why relationships still outperform algorithms * The cultural differences between credibility and self-promotion * How technology is changing human connection * And why the ability to truly see another person is becoming increasingly valuable Don also reflects on his own transformation from a career built around secrecy, deception, and hidden motives to a life centered on transparency, coaching, service, and helping others succeed. For Hersh, this conversation carries a special resonance. Beyond Don's expertise lies something equally compelling: a deep commitment to integrity, curiosity, and treating people with respect. Those qualities show up throughout the discussion, making this episode as much about character as communication. At its heart, this episode asks a simple question: What becomes possible when we spend less time performing and more time paying attention? https://www.instagram.com/drweberspeaks/ [https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fcalendly.com%2Furl%3Fq%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.instagram.com%252Fdrweberspeaks%252F%26user_uuid%3D547e8251-8225-4484-8c0c-f5ed6b0b1d75%26stage%3D1%26hmac%3Dd1a8b0ef14a128cafa941ba58e74b0df9f3fa7cd04fc934c8ae9d31242427a00&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw0c4wnBZvZqJjA0o7m2wFoq] https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-weber/ [https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fcalendly.com%2Furl%3Fq%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Fdon-weber%252F%26user_uuid%3D547e8251-8225-4484-8c0c-f5ed6b0b1d75%26stage%3D1%26hmac%3D66243ab8b7f3052bf2d63b9aca71bedb095f7f6511a1c725b0da0ffe7f085b42&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw2T_9wDZbLQPvCBEYm0ClCa] -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-the-truth-hersh-rephun/1146878336?ean=9798317660222] is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix [https://calendly.com/hershbrand/the-5-minute-fix]. Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/ [https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/]

Hadley Nightingale on Rebuilding While the Storm Is Still Happening

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with Hadley Nightingale, founder of New Zealand Property Buyers, for a conversation about control, resilience, identity, and what happens when life refuses to wait until you're ready. Hadley launched his business during one of the hardest periods of his life. COVID. Separation. Litigation. Uncertainty. The kind of season that makes people put plans on hold. Instead, he built. But this conversation isn't really about real estate. It's about what happens when you stop waiting for the perfect conditions and start focusing on the things you can actually influence. Together, Hersh and Hadley explore: * The difference between control and responsibility * Why victimhood can become its own form of paralysis * How adversity changes the way we lead * What confidence really is and how people borrow it from one another * Why information overload often disguises fear * The psychology behind indecision * And what it takes to keep moving while life remains unresolved Along the way, Hadley shares how years of legal battles, setbacks, and rebuilding forced him to confront a difficult truth: The things consuming the most emotional energy were often the things he had the least ability to change. At its core, this episode explores the gap between circumstances and agency, and how successful people learn to keep building long before certainty arrives. Because sometimes the breakthrough isn't solving the problem. It's deciding not to let the problem define the next chapter. https://www.instagram.com/hadleynightingale/ [https://www.instagram.com/hadleynightingale/] -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-the-truth-hersh-rephun/1146878336?ean=9798317660222] is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix [https://calendly.com/hershbrand/the-5-minute-fix]. Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/ [https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/]

Jonathan David Lewis: the Space Between Clarity and Character

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with author and organizational advisor Jonathan David Lewis for a conversation about leadership, identity, uncertainty, and what happens when the problem isn't the strategy. For years, Jonathan helped companies solve positioning and branding challenges. But over time, he began noticing something strange: Organizations would achieve clarity around who they were and what they stood for, yet growth would still stall. The issue wasn't messaging. The issue was deeper. Hersh and Jonathan explore the growing gap between external branding and internal identity, and why leadership today increasingly requires more than strategy, systems, and execution. They discuss: * Why branding has become an inside-out discipline * The difference between business problems and identity problems * How uncertainty reshapes leadership * Why clarity alone doesn't create momentum * The hidden cost of inconsistency * How character becomes a competitive advantage * The challenge of leading through disruption and change * And why the founders who feel "something is off" should pay attention Jonathan also shares insights from his upcoming book, The Rebuilders, arguing that today's leaders aren't simply navigating change. They're rebuilding in the middle of it. At its heart, this episode explores a question that sits underneath business, branding, and leadership: Who are you when certainty disappears? Because the answer to that question shapes everything that follows. For pre-orders and purchases: https://www.mckeewallwork.com/book-review/the-rebuilders-daily-foundations-for-the-leaders-we-need/ [https://www.mckeewallwork.com/book-review/the-rebuilders-daily-foundations-for-the-leaders-we-need/] -- Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-the-truth-hersh-rephun/1146878336?ean=9798317660222] is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image. You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix [https://calendly.com/hershbrand/the-5-minute-fix]. Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/ [https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/]