July 3, 2024 - Marketing Superpowers Jon Davids and Lead Boldly Hugh Blane

School for Startups Radio

Jon Davids – Founder of Influicity and Author of Marketing Superpowers: Build a brand so good that getting customers feels like magic

Jon Davids made $300K in college by figuring out one thing. How to hijack demand on the internet. And that skill changed my life. Let me rewind and tell you how it happened. 2004: I built an online magazine and monetized through digital ads. I ran it while in college and sold to a large publisher in 2009. 2011: I stumbled on the world of YouTube influencers and figured out how to use this emerging channel to drive millions in revenue for brands. This was a good start, but I had bigger plans. 2015: I launched Influicity, an early influencer marketing agency. Too early. It was a grind for the first while, but we found our groove. We work with clients like Toyota, Walmart, and Bank of America. 2023: Influicity serves client amazing brands across 7 countries. 2024: Releasing my first book, “Marketing Superpowers: Build a brand so good that your marketing feels like magic.” It’s a play-by-play on how to create a transformational brand from scratch. For the small business owner straight up to the Fortune 50 executive.
Hugh Blane – President of Claris Consulting, Elite-Performance Coach, Leadership Transformation Expert, Acclaimed Author of Lead Boldly: How to Coach Others to Greatness

Hugh Blane is President of Claris Consulting. He is a nationally recognized business strategist hired to help organizations solve challenging business issues, strengthen personal and professional relationships, and execute on strategic initiatives with greater results. A subject-matter expert in leadership, team performance and influence, Hugh is a senior-level consultant who has worked with thousands of people in a wide variety of organizations including Nordstrom, Microsoft, Stanford University, Texas A & M in Qatar, Allied Waste, Spacelabs Medical, KPMG, Costco, Starbucks and the University of California in Riverside. Hugh Blane doesn’t claim to know everything about your business. He does claim however to know more than anyone about converting human potential into accelerated business results – that’s why his clients call him the Talent Alchemist. Hugh’s specialty is working with high potential employees as was recognized when he was selected as the exclusive coach for the prestigious Helen M. Young Fellowship at Pepperdine University. He is an adjunct faculty member at the School of Law and Entrepreneurship at Pepperdine University and has taught business literacy courses to homeless men and women through the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. He has also served on the Strategic Planning Committee of the Boys and Girls Club. Hugh is a serial entrepreneur and doesn’t shy away from reinventing himself. After eleven years as the CEO of his own financial consulting firm, Hugh reinvented himself when he was recruited to join renowned business author Tom Peters as a senior level consultant with The Tom Peters Company. After traveling to three continents, working in seven countries and forty-three states, Hugh left to become the youngest partner and consultant in the venerable consulting firm, the Effectiveness Institute. After seven years, Hugh recognized that it was time to reinvent himself again and he started Claris Consulting. Hugh and his family emigrated from Scotland to Canada, and then to Birmingham, Alabama in 1969 to escape financial hardship and begin their lives anew. The culture shock experienced upon his arrival in Birmingham six years after Bull Connor ordered the use of fire hoses and attack dogs, along with the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church was profound. His commitment to organizational transformation came as a direct result of being witness to a chaotic time that changed the course of race relations in the United States. Hugh is the author of 7 Principles of Transformational Leadership: Create a Mindset of Passion, Innovation and Growth, and Mastering The Leadership Mindset. He has published over 650 articles and videos on leadership, influence and leadership communication. He is a Leadership Challenge Master Certified Facilitator, an Advanced Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach, and a graduate of the Million Dollar Consulting College. Hugh once ran with the bulls in Pamplona and learned how not to get gored. He is happily married to Alyson and they love biking, traveling, wine and good food. They reside in the small beach community of Normandy Park, Washington with a Giant Schnauzer they rescued named Brooks. They’re still debating whether they rescued Brooks or if Brooks rescued them.