Brand Maven LLC

's recent marketing has been showing up in some unexpected places.

A conversation with about the role of play in the lives of Black women.

A story about U.S. soccer captain Tim Ream using LEGO to manage stress and improve focus.

Partnerships with and centered around community, creativity, and self-expression.

At first glance, these look like completely different campaigns.

They're not.

They're all built around the same idea:
Creativity makes life better.

That's what makes LEGO's marketing so interesting right now.

They're no longer just talking about what they sell. They're talking about what they stand for. The product is the tool. The belief is the story.
And that's a lesson every entrepreneur can learn from.

The strongest brands don't build content around products. They build content around ideas, experiences, and conversations that matter to their audience.

Because people rarely remember features. They remember what a brand helped them feel.

What belief sits at the center of your brand?

🔗 Read the full article on the blog.

I've spent 10+ years working in tech and AI.

Which means I've reached the point where startup comedies no longer feel like comedies.

They feel like leaked meeting footage.

😂

The founder: "We're going to change the world."

The team: "Can someone send the Zoom link again?"

The executive: "We need alignment around our strategic narrative."

Everyone else: "..."

The AI company: "We're building technology to improve humanity."

Three months later: "Why is our engagement algorithm causing chaos?"

The genius engineer: Can't explain their idea.

The marketing team: Has to explain it to investors.

The smartest person in the room: Wants everyone to know they're the smartest person in the room.

And somehow Severance may be the most realistic show of all.

Work self. Real self. LinkedIn self. Group chat self.

At this point, most of us are managing four brands and three existential crises before lunch.

The longer I work in tech, the more convinced I become that the technology isn't the story.

The story is the weird, ambitious, brilliant, insecure, idealistic humans trying to build the future.

And occasionally breaking it.

🚀 Welcome to my new series:

The Future Is Built By Weird People

Where I'll be exploring what shows like The Audacity, Silicon Valley, The Studio, and Severance get surprisingly right about work, leadership, AI, creativity, and human nature.

👇

What's the most realistic workplace character you've ever seen on TV?

(And please don't tag your boss.)

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✨ Calling all small business owners, artists, and creators ✨
I want to hear your story.

What inspired your brand? What's been exciting? What's been hard? What has surprised you about building something that's yours?

I'm looking to connect with people who are creating, building, and showing up for their dreams every day. No pressure, no pitch — just real conversations about what it's actually like to build a brand.

Drop a comment below or send me a DM if you'd love to chat. I can't wait to hear what you're creating. 💜

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January doesn’t need to be aggressive to be effective.
Thoughtful planning beats rushed clarity every time — and giving yourself space now leads to stronger strategy later.
✨ Rest still counts as strategy.