When I stumbled into this career instead of pursuing a law degree (9-year old me had visions of becoming the General Counsel of Coca-Cola International - I know, weird.), I became absolutely fascinated with the way great brands became holy and marketing made people do things, just using the power of words and images.
I’m grateful to say I’ve had the opportunity to work on some of the most legendary launches in my career, and with some of the most iconic leaders - imperfect geniuses whose visions were spoken in what seemed like a new dialect from a galaxy far, far away. I’ve also worked with leaders who are underground unicorns, the specialists who helped shape how we see the world we live in.
That mix of real-world strategic execution paired with working with the people behind a business’ success are what makes me know how critical mastering THE BRAND really is.
One of those people said to me, years ago: “Jen, your superpower is pretty cool. You can smell the money and see the future”. I high compliment. And, something I realized was truly natural for me.
THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF BRANDS:
Personal Brands
The creators, the influencers, the experts, the thought leaders, the executives who need identity clarity and shaping, the right platforms to deliver stories and solutions, and communicating their body of work to the stakeholders whose ears and wallets they want to reach.
Offer Brands
The products, the services, the ideas that people buy to solve their own desires and challenges that require a go-to-market strategy, an innovative launch plan, the right mix of staffing and expertise and the partnerships that make the offer sticky and compelling.
Company Brands
The place where people come to contribute work and meaning because the Personal Brands and Offer Brands attracted them there. The size of the company isn’t as relevant as the innovation it provides for a working world that values autonomy, flexibility and the environment to win together.
All three of these brand types need Teams, Identity, Messaging and Experiences to win.
These Models are platform- and technology-agnostic - meaning in an era of automation, outsourcing and artificial intelligence (AI), they not only work, they are critical, foundational ingredients to actually make multi-channel marketing and funnel strategies perform their very best. Most of all, they are what make your big ideas help more people.
Big picture: these Models are what make you, your business and the brand you’re building reach iconic status in your industry. You want them and need these Models, because a new era of innovation is upon us, and there are too many choices out there, making your Brand lost in the noise - when people actually need what you have more than they’re being fed through the marketing machine.
A corporate strategy & marketing executive who brought complex ideas to market in the technology, SaaS, consumer product and insurance industries, with billion dollar results, and then as
A start-up founder and entrepreneur who has built four companies, one that failed epically and another that had a multi-million dollar exit, while
Advising and helping other founders, creatives, personal brands and thought leaders develop their platforms and refine their offer brands to the tune of over $100+million in new revenue in the last 5 years alone,
And with over 400,000 people taking our accredited Brand Archetype Assessment, with the personality data and insights of entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial behaviors…
You could say I’m a seasoned chicken.
One of the most important things to know is that whether you’re a start-up entrepreneur or a corporate leader, the foundations are the same. The strategies are different. That’s where I come in.
I write, speak and advise on these Models and this body of work for leaders, companies and media platforms where the common denominator is an absolute obsession with getting worthy ideas - and the people who create them - into people’s minds and hearts.
There are 4 pillars of creating a Master Brand: T.I.M.E. T = Team, I - Identity, M = Messaging and E = Experiences. After a 25+ year career in amplifying personal, product and company brands, I am keenly focused on creating a library of published works and powerful keynotes to help .
Left my decade-long executive corporate career in Strategy & Marketing after successfully launching some of the biggest products for brands like Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Zappos and Kellogg’s (to name a few) - to start my own brand. With a lot of fear and anticipation, I dug deep, made a business plan and mobilized my vision into reality in the wee mornings and evenings and mortgaged my home to fund my idea.
Identifying a niche that was deeply underserved, started a start-up specialty fashion brand that grew from $0 to $10 million in revenue in year 1, with quick expansion in the regional market. We were the first company to bring Oprah’s favorite - Spanx by Sara Blakely - to stores in the region, disrupting the traditional channels where women shopped for specialty clothing. I was dubbed the “UnderStyler” by the media for her company’s focus on creating confidence for women professionals through using supportive clothing.
As the economy grinded to an abrupt halt, anyone invested in real estate or retail were some of the hardest hit - and our brands were 100% in those industries. The immense growth and scale we experienced now was eclipsed by stores shuttering and real estate investments tanking. A pivot was needed, but being 100% self-funded and without the proper mentors or rich friends, I found myself unclear about where to go next and deeply stuck. The darkest period of my professional and personal life, I lost everything - my businesses, my home and my marriage.
Asked the question: “What would corporate Jen Kem do to overcome a hurdle like this?” Answered by realizing: “My best next move is going back to what I’m excellent at.” That move was starting KemComm, a specialty firm that provided consulting services to corporations on their brand and product development and launches. My last employer was my first client, and KemComm has helped create over $1Billion in new product revenue for our clients. I began to implement a lifestyle practice I now call “Values-Driven”, which guides my decision-making and how I wanted to curate and cultivate a life that had meaning and contribution.
After being asked by fellow business owners and entrepreneurs how I was able to adapt to the market conditions in 2008, I was encouraged by a mentor to create a curriculum and share my story so that other entrepreneurs could create the same flexibility in their own lives and businesses. Master Brand Institute - the premier training and development campus to do just that - was born. To date, we’ve served 400,000 people grow their brand, businesses and leadership through the power of our Master Brand Method™ and our programs - The Messenger Mastermind, CEO Circle and The GUILD.
Not wanting other female founders make the mistake I made by being 100% self-reliant and self-funded, started the Femmefluence platform, which connects ambitious women to the wealth, power and leadership circles they could benefit from and release the “long ranger” syndrome that plagues the impact we want to make. Femmefluence Radio, our top-rated podcast also launched. Elevating the personal brands of women experts in health, wealth, self and relationships so that we can give people a choice of who to learn from is core to our mission.