Blog of Professional Speaker Snowden McFall

Dramatically Improve Your Brand

How to Improve Your Brand

photo from Erica Benson

I recently had the honor of serving on a marketing panel for Women Business Owners. It became clear that many people don’t understand what their brand really is. Here are the core, some of which you may not have considered.

• Corporate Identity

This includes:

your logo

logomark

theme line

corporate colors (PMS, CMYK, RGB)

font (no more than 2)

graphic standard

photos always associated with your company.

In the logo below, the top graphic is a logomark. The logo is the entire graphic with the words attached.

• Theme line / positioning statements In the logo above, which we designed for Selander and Assoc, the theme line “Where People are as Important as the Numbers” tells you who they work with and the next line tells you what they do. Your positioning statement should do the same thing, with some kind of adjective or positive tone.

• Consistent corporate image everywhere Same colors, same font, same artwork, same theme everywhere. In my logo below, the red (PMS 185) and purpley blue colors(PMS 2685) are always used and show up in all my marketing .
Be sure yours is consistent in:

ads
brochures
websites
ezines
business cards
social media
videos
podcasts/ radio
commercials
car wraps, truck art
signage
promo items, shirts, mugs, etc.

• Public behavior of you, your co-workers and your employees A post of your people drunk at a bar may lead prospects to think your company is unreliable. If you behave badly in a public setting, it can ruin your image. (Think Reese Witherspoon.)

• Customer service complaints Handling customer complaints is also part of your brand, which is whyyou should monitor social media or have an RSS feed with the company name and product names.

Anytime a complaint shows up, try to resolve the situation in a positive manner. And if the comment is on google maps, ask happy satisfied customers to comment there.

Recently a large company blithely opened a Facebook page inviting feedback only to have hundreds of angry and dissatisfied customers rant about their lousy service. They took the page down.

Your brand is so much more than just your logo. It is the image and visible presence of your business.

Remember, it takes years to build a reputation and minutes to destroy it. How leaders show up publicly, communicate consistently, and handle customer interactions directly shapes brand perception and reflects executive presence in action.

If you have any questions, email me at orders@firedupnow.com. (For those of you who don’t know- I own a 30 yr ad agency, too.)

Happy marketing

Snowden

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, please go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Are You a Success in Your Own Eyes?

Not long ago, I lunched with an extraordinary young woman who was finishing an internship at a battered women’s shelter. The experience had changed her completely — she had decided to become a social worker. She asked me about my own life, my choices, the path I had taken.

My answer was simple: define success on your own terms. Do what is truly meaningful to you. The families she had helped would never forget her. That meant more than any accolade, award, or degree.

The Leadership Trap: Achieving Without Feeling Successful

Many of the leaders I coach are objectively accomplished. Promotions. Revenue. Recognition. And yet they sit across from me feeling hollow, exhausted, and quietly convinced they are failing.

That feeling has a name. It is what happens when high-achieving people spend years climbing toward a definition of success that was never really theirs — one shaped by external pressure, comparison, and the relentless forward motion that burnout thrives on.

Research on leadership burnout consistently shows that leaders who lack a personal definition of success are more vulnerable to chronic stress, disengagement, and eventual collapse. When success is defined entirely by external metrics, there is no finish line — only a moving target.

What Does Success Look Like on Your Terms?

Defining success for yourself is not a retreat from ambition. It is the foundation of sustainable performance. Leaders who know what genuinely matters to them make clearer decisions, set more effective boundaries, and recover faster from setbacks.

Ask yourself:

At the end of this year, what would make you feel that it was well lived — not just well performed?
Are the goals you are working toward yours, or inherited from someone else’s expectations?
When you imagine looking back at your career from the far end of it, what do you want to have built, contributed, or protected?

The answers are not always comfortable. But they are clarifying — and clarity is one of the most powerful tools a leader can carry under pressure.

Success Is Also How You Lead

In the final analysis, your life will not be measured only by how high you climbed or how much you achieved. It will also be measured by the lives you touched, the clarity you brought to hard moments, and the people who became better leaders because you led them well.

You are already more of a success than you give yourself credit for. The question is whether you are building toward the right version of it.

If you are navigating high pressure, burnout risk, or a season of leadership that no longer feels sustainable, explore leadership resilience coaching or take the burnout self-assessment to see where you stand.

Are You A Control Freak? Like Most of Us…

Human beings are master control freaks; we all want what we want when we want it the way we want it- myself included.

The problem is that other people have their own timetables and needs, and frequently, they conflict with ours.

An important lesson I continue to learn is to let go of control- on any level. Any attempts to cajole, manipulate, demand or force your needs on others will most likely be met with resistance, and negativity. Letting go of control and making respectful requests instead of demands is a defining skill of executive presence and effective communication that strengthens trust at work and at home.

Consider this: how do you feel when a parent or relative demands that you visit them or forbids you to do something? What’s it feel like when your boss tells you no or blocks your vacation time or orders you to do something?

Like most people, you probably bristle and want to rebel. The same is true of your employees, co-workers and loved ones.

The solution: let go of control.

Release expectations and demands on others. If you need something, make a request, ask them if they would be willing to do such and such at a time that works for them, and then give them complete space to say yes or no.

If they say no, accept it and back off. If it is a work situation, find another way to enroll their participation.

No one wants to be controlled. People want to be loved, appreciated and respected.

Letting go of control and demands will improve your relationships at work and at home.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, please go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Kindly share this post if you liked it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Unlimited Choice is NOT a Good Thing…For Your Business

Have you ever been to a restaurant with a huge menu? I have and it just frustrates me because there is too much to focus on.

Most of us think that “more” is always better. But recent research indicates that is not the case. In the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick, cite several researchers demonstrating that too much choice paralyzes buyers.

• Too many choices overwhelm Iyengar and Lepper share several studies where too much choice is “demotivating.” A gourmet store featured a line of exotic, high quality jams. Customers tasted samples and received a discount coupon to buy a jar. 6 varieties were used on one trial; another featured 24 varieties. 30% of people in the 6 choice trial bought the jam; only 3% of people with 24 varieties bought the jam.

What does this mean for you and your business ?

• Limit the options If you have a variety of services or products, cut down on the choices. Make them no more than 6, if possible. Make it easy for buyers, patients and customers to decide.

• Be crystal clear about the value they will receive. Differentiate between each option so they can choose what it exactly correct for them.

The old KISS method applies here. Keep it simple & straightforward.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Savor the Present Moment

Increase Your Happiness with this Technique

After battling pneumonia, I was recently on vacation in the islands. I had one focus: to enjoy the present moment.

That’s not quite as easy as it sounds. Our brains are wired to continually think, and many of us project about the future (work, money, family, commitments, etc.)

But I tried hard to silence my brain and just be. Looking at the exquisite turquoise water, I absorbed the beauty. Walking past a brilliantly hued hibiscus, I appreciated the vibrant color. Listening to chattering parrots, I enjoyed their unique way of communicating. And a funny thing happened. I became more peaceful inside. I truly relaxed and felt the simple joy of the moment.

A new study featured in this month’s Prevention magazine explains it: Savoring the moment rather than analyzing or critiquing it gives you a huge boost in happiness. So what does savoring look like? Part childlike exuberance with whooping or whee kind of glee, and part adult wisdom of “enjoy life while you can.” This meant all the more to me since I had just been so gravely ill, but it worked. For the most part, I spent all vacation in the present moment and it brought me such joy and peace. So yes – your life can be better right now: just savor the present moment.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Is Your Job Worth Your Life?

When Work Stress Becomes a Health Risk

Chronic work stress is not just exhausting. Over time, it becomes physiological. When pressure remains constant and recovery never happens, cortisol stays elevated, sleep erodes, decision-making declines, and immune resilience weakens.

Burnout is not a character flaw. It is a biological response to sustained overload.

If you are seriously asking whether your job is harming your health, that question deserves careful attention. Leaders often ignore early warning signs until performance, relationships, or health force a reckoning.

Unchecked stress does not plateau. It compounds.

What to Do When Stress Has Crossed the Line

Interrupt the pattern immediately.
If possible, take structured time away. Even a short reset allows the nervous system to calm enough to restore perspective.

Clarify what you actually need.
Many professionals discover that title, compensation, or expectations are misaligned with their wellbeing. Define your non-negotiables for sustainable leadership.

Rebuild clarity before making major decisions.
Extreme stress creates urgency. Clarity creates strategy. Stabilize first. Then evaluate options from a grounded position.

Leaders who develop structured recovery habits early are far less likely to reach crisis levels of burnout. Sustainable performance is built intentionally, not reactively.

If work stress is becoming unsustainable, explore practical leadership strategies to prevent burnout before it escalates at Prevent Burnout.

Learn more about building long-term resilience through the Leadership Resilience System and practical stress management strategies.

Choosing your health is not weakness. It is disciplined leadership.

The Why Do It List- TIme Management Tool

Exhausted woman on files — THis woman needs a nap!

What are your true priorities?

Most of us are overwhelmed at work every day with “To Do” lists that never end. Mike Vardy, author and blogger, says to approach your list differently.

He says make a list of the top things you need to do this week, including work, family, personal, etc. with the answers to the question “Why do it” after each. Knowing the WHY instantly clarifies what has greatest value in your life. Then schedule your week.

All too often, we let the real priorities in our lives, people, loved ones, exercise, fun, slide under the overwhelm of work. And then we end up unhappy and unhealthy and resentful. Once you know why you want to do something, you can prioritize what is most important and be sure your to do list is meaningful for you.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

The Six Words that Can Change Your Life

What Are Your Six Words?

There’s a great exercise in Brendon Burchard’s book, The Charge, that can have a big impact on your life and your year. An exercise to build leadership resilience into your everyday world. It’s called six words.

A. List all the words to describe the way you think of yourself

B. Pick 3 to make as your goal this year as to how you want to be

C. List all the words that describe how you interact with others

D. Pick the top 3 to serve as your goal this year as to how you want to be with others

This is very powerful. Once you have them, bring them to mind daily to determine how you are doing. Check in with yourself at night to see how well you are living those six words. How is your life changing? For me, my top six are fit, effective and expansive and with others, my three are loving, accepting and empowering.

Let me know what the magic six words are for you at orders@firedupnow.com

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Speak Kind Words- Avoid Gossip

Have you ever noticed that some words impact you very differently than others? As Stephen Covey writes in the introduction to Aspire by Kevin Hall : “words sell and words repel, words lead and words impede, words heal and words kill.”

What words do you use in your conversations with co-workers, employees, loved ones? How about what you say to yourself? Out of the 70,000 thoughts we have a day, many of those are negative and judgmental, especially towards ourselves. Become aware of the words you use and the tone with which they are delivered; you could make or break someone’s day.

And before you share some juicy piece of gossip, ask yourself these three questions:

– Is it truthful?

– Is is necessary?

– Is it uplifting?

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Watch your Negative Self-Talk

Stop Judging Yourself. Strengthen Your Inner Dialogue.

Entrepreneur Barbara Corcoran has spoken openly about early struggles with learning and sensitivity to being labeled “dumb” or “stupid.” Rather than allowing criticism to define her, she retrained her internal response.

When confronted with doubt or condescension, she tells herself: “I have a right to be here. I have a right to be successful.”

This is not denial. It is cognitive discipline.

Why Negative Self-Talk Matters

The language we use internally shapes performance. Harsh self-criticism increases stress, narrows thinking, and reduces confidence. Over time, it erodes resilience.

Leaders under pressure cannot afford an internal narrative that undermines clarity.

How to Interrupt Destructive Self-Talk

Say “Stop” when you notice harsh internal judgment.
Forgive the mistake or imperfection quickly.
Replace the thought with a constructive statement.

Examples of constructive replacements:

“I can improve this.”
“I am capable of solving this.”
“I belong here.”
“This setback does not define me.”

The key is speed. The faster you interrupt destructive language, the less damage it does.

If negative internal dialogue is increasing stress or performance anxiety, explore practical ways to prevent burnout, reinforce cognitive stability through the Leadership Resilience System, and apply practical stress management strategies.

Your inner voice shapes your outer leadership.

Are You a Success in Your Own Eyes?

Increase Your Happiness with this Technique

When Work Stress Becomes a Health Risk

What to Do When Stress Has Crossed the Line

What are your true priorities?

What Are Your Six Words?

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2749" src="http://firedupnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/BarbCorcoran.jpg" alt="BarbCorcoran" width="225" height="200" />Stop Judging Yourself. Strengthen Your Inner Dialogue.

Why Negative Self-Talk Matters

How to Interrupt Destructive Self-Talk

Stop Judging Yourself. Strengthen Your Inner Dialogue.