About me
Sue Kirchner is the Founder of Brand Strong Marketing. Creator of the Brand Strong Methodology, Sue has spent over 25 years helping CEOs and Founders navigate turbulent growth transitions. She specializes in turning brands into powerful growth engines that naturally attract ideal customers, retain top talent, and unlock new markets.
She is also the host of the Turbo Branding Show, a podcast and video show designed to help Founders and CEOs of thriving businesses ignite their growth by leveraging their brand to grow faster, easier, and create more value.
What do you do and why do you do it?
I help Founders grow their business by identifying how their organization is different and then articulating that in a way that creates an emotional connection with all of their stakeholders. I love finding patterns of how an organization is different and adds value. Then I create emotionally compelling messages that attract the customers, employees, and even investors you need to grow.
I have had a few Founders that I’ve worked with get emotional when I present why their customers love them. One even told me it made him fall in love with his business again. We don’t often get to focus or spend a lot of time thinking about what we do well.
The difference I want to make is to help more Founders take their business beyond the $1M mark. Only 9% of all businesses in the US grow beyond $1M in revenue. Only 4% of women-owned businesses do the same. It’s a crime. These small businesses are the backbone of the economy and the lifeblood of their communities. I want them to succeed more, and I KNOW the way to attract better customers, build stronger teams, increase company value, and accelerate growth is to leverage the brand. It’s my mission to get Founders to understand and leverage that.
What changed for you after age 50?
I got smarter! I made a conscious effort to surround myself with people I admired and wanted to work with. I focused on what I was really good at and what lights me up professionally. I was fortunate enough to say no to things that weren’t a fit or that I didn’t want to do. I asked for help more. All of this helped accelerate my business growth and impact.
What would you tell the 20 or 30-year-old YOU?
Think bigger. One of the things that amazed me most when I went out on my own was the different ways I could share my expertise and make money. In corporate America, your dreams tend to stay in a silo. Work hard, get promoted, make VP someday.
Don’t be afraid to ask for advice or admit you need help. It amazes me how many people will help you if you ask and make it easy for them to help you.
Know your brand and use it as a strategic tool to make decisions throughout your entire career. Whether that is for yourself (your personal brand) or your business.
What do you think you’ll tell yourself in retrospect at the end of your life?
You did your best to meet your goal of being the most interesting woman in the room. Ha! You were not afraid to try things and your life was so much richer for it. You savored life.
What impact do you think increased visibility can have on your business?
My hope is that increased visibility helps me achieve my mission of helping more entrepreneurs, especially women founders, grow beyond the $1M revenue mark to make a difference in their lives and their communities. Whether they work with me or not, they need to understand how important the brand is. It’s not a marketing message. It’s the core operating system for your company so you can grow and achieve your vision. Women over 50 are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, and I want to support them to succeed.
Who or what inspires you and why?
Founders inspire me. I think they are heroes or sheroes because they take risks, work hard, and employ people. That amazes me and keeps communities strong.
