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Heyy Reader,

Since starting Bohannon Virtual Solutions in 2022, I've wanted to chat more with other business owners and talk about how our services compliment each other and have resources on hand to share with my audience and clients when I get asked questions about things that are not my expertise.

Throughout this year, I've been finally making that dream a reality and meeting some really cool people along the way. I've finally found other business owners that have similar beliefs, goals, and ambition as I do that I am ecstatic to share with my audience.

And this week, I'm sharing a conversation I had with Jamie Cox. Jamie is a brand and marketing strategist and, frankly, she's brilliant, fun, and exciting. Keep reading to learn more about Jamie and how she sees brand as something that shows up in all parts of your business.

Q: How do you define a brand, especially to people who think it is their fonts, colors, and logo?

(Pre.P.S.-Jamie had fun questions for me and I didn't have any for her because I'm hella awkward and bad at small talk so I just didn't think about it and was like, yeah! let's get to it!)

Wow! We are getting straight to the juicy stuff—I love this question! I define “brand” as what people say about us when we aren’t in the room. This isn’t a unique definition by any means, but I think it’s a really helpful way of framing it.

When someone is in a Slack community or at a networking event and they say, “Oh, you have to meet Sammy…” what comes next?

Brand strategy is the work that shapes this narrative. It’s how we talk about ourselves and how, in turn, we train others to talk about us.

Q: How can you tell when someone’s brand is out of alignment with how they run their business behind-the-scenes? ​
One of the first signs a brand is out of alignment is when I can’t quickly understand what someone actually does. And that’s not because the work is too complex—some of the smartest folks I know do wildly intricate work. The problem is tactical: the way they talk about it.
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​Instead of being clear, they’re speaking in aspirational abstractions like, “Transformational experiences that elevate your vibration.”

HUH?! Just say you’re a coach if that’s what you’re selling.

We’ve kind of fallen down this Simon Sinek-inspired rabbit hole of “Start with Why,” and now we’re swimming in word salad.

But clarity still matters.

Your audience needs to know what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters—in that order (sorry, Simon!).

Q: We work heavily to ensure a business’s systems and operations are a reflection of their personality and values in business. How does knowing your brand and having a brand strategy make knowing how to do this easier for businesses?

To your point earlier, a lot of folks think of brand as color, logos, and fonts. But really, it’s a lens for viewing your entire business—and ops is a big part of that!

Brand gives you a filter for decision making. When you know your values, personality, and purpose, you’re better equipped to build systems that reflect that.

If your brand values clarity and connection, then your onboarding process, communication style—even how you manage your calendar should reflect that. Without that foundation, it’s easy to create systems that are efficient but completely misaligned—or worse, off-putting to the people you’re trying to serve.
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Take, for example, your own booking link.

When we first scheduled a coffee chat, I LOVED your confirmation email. It gave me so much context for who you are as a person and what I could expect from our conversation. It wasn’t just a “Thanks for booking!” message. It said, “HHHEEEYYYYY JAMIE!” and made me feel so excited for our call. It signaled to me that “Hell yeah, this is my person,” and amped me up to talk to you.

Q: How do you envision brand and ops working together?

I see brand and ops as two sides of the same coin. Brand sets the tone—how you want to be experienced. Ops makes sure that experience is delivered consistently. It’s one thing to say your brand is people-first, but it only sticks if your operations reflect that: reasonable response times, accessible systems, thoughtful automations.

Q: How can someone’s brand support or sabotage their systems, team, or client relationships?

When you’re building a brand as a B2B service provider or solopreneur, there’s this magic middle ground you have to operate in—between who you want to be and who your clients need you to be. When those two don’t align, your brand can start to sabotage your systems, team, or client relationships without you even realizing it.

I talked to someone recently who offered bookkeeping for healthcare companies. He wanted to come across as outlandish and brash—totally unexpected. But I’d eat my hat if a healthcare provider looking for someone to manage their money felt good about choosing someone who felt unpredictable.

Your brand has to build trust and stand out—and that means choosing signals that support the kind of relationship your clients actually want.

Q: You say brand is holistic. What are the most surprising touchpoints of a business that people don’t realize affect their brand?

I think ops! And I’m not just saying that because I’m talking to you! I’m saying that because it seems like getting a business to actually work isn’t the sexy part of building a company.

People think “Brand” and think “Ooh fun, I’m going to pick out colors!” But then I start asking questions like, “When was the last time a client was disappointed in your work?” and it’s a reality check for a lot of folks. That’s because your brand isn’t just how you show up—it’s how you follow through.

Messy operations, delayed timelines, and unclear communication are all brand touchpoints that a lot of folks flub. And when touchpoints are misaligned with your client’s expectations, they quietly chip away at trust.
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​Q: When you work with a new client, what is your process like? How do you get a feel of what to include in the brand strategy?

All of my work starts with candid conversations. I work really hard to make and hold space for some of the uncomfortable stuff that inevitably comes to the surface when we’re talking about building businesses.

These conversations usually help me understand the biggest challenges a client has faced with their existing brand and marketing efforts and what some of the threats on the horizon might be.

From there, I pull from a range of frameworks to shape the strategy. Some get added in, others get scrapped or restructured based on what I hear in that first call.

For example, if there’s a lot of complexity or confusion around the founder versus the service, I might build a brand architecture map to clarify where things overlap and where they need to stay separate.

In another case, if a client has strong values but struggles to connect them to their daily work, I might identify the actions that can link those values to real decisions—how they hire, how they show up online, or even how they handle client offboarding—and offer recommendations on where to go next.

The goal is always the same: to make the brand not just look good, but work better.

Q: What is a brand you absolutely LOVE?

It might sound weird, but as someone who lives and breathes brand work, I try to remove myself from constant consumption. I’m not loyal to many products, I don’t chase trends, and I’m definitely not keeping up with whatever Gen Z just pulled out of the time capsule I buried in middle school.
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But if I think about who or what I trust, the picture kind of changes.

I love Jess Rona because she just carved out a whole new space in the dog grooming world. I know if I need a good giggle I can go to her Instagram.

I shop at Gift Horse here in Nashville regularly because I know they are always going to have something unexpected, and I’ll probably have a great conversation with whoever is working.

I buy an Ink + Volt goal planner every year because I know their product is good and it solves a specific problem I have.

Q: What’s your take on rebranding—when is it necessary, and when is it just a distraction?

Nine times out of ten, it’s a distraction. Unless you’re going through a big change—like a major pivot, a public crisis, or a full-on name change—you probably don’t need to burn it all down and start from scratch.

Often, what people really need is a brand refresh—a chance to get back in alignment. That might look like updating your messaging to reflect how you actually work now, or adjusting your visuals so they match your audience and tone. Here are some suggestions:

Refresh if:

• Your offers have evolved
• The market has evolved to create new friction for your audience
• Your brand doesn’t represent the caliber of your work.
• You’re attracting the wrong clients (or confusing the right ones)

Rebrand If:

• You’re changing your business name.
• You’re pivoting to serve a completely different audience or industry
• You’ve outgrown your original business model
• You’re merging with another company

Q: If someone reading this is wanting to work on their brand, what’s one small step they can take today toward making theirs stronger?

Book a FREE 5-minute brand audit with me and I’ll give you plenty of small things to work on!
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But if you want to take the tiniest step forward, go back and read the last email intro someone sent on your behalf. Did they describe what you do accurately? Was it clear? Was the person they introduced you to actually a good fit—either as a client or a collaborator?

Remember, brand is all about what people say about you when you aren’t in the room, so this is a great indicator that something might be off!

Q: How can people get in touch with you if they want to learn more about your work?

You can book a FREE 5-minute brand audit with me or learn more about me and my work at jamiercox.com. You can also get my newsletter or follow me on LinkedIn for more spicy takes like these!

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If you're active on LinkedIn, I highly recommend you follow Jamie. She gives great advice and it's often things I didn't think about how I may be coming off or how I'm showing up in the world which affects my brand.

If you want to learn more about brand and ops together, I've got a new blog post coming out this week that I'll be sharing in my normal Wednesday newsletter, so watch for that email! Or you can click here and get emailed every time I post a new blog article (usually 2-4 Tuesdays a month).

Talk Soon,