In a recent episode of the Millionaire By Morning podcast, Backstory Branding founder Jed Morley broke down why most brands stall—and what to do about it.
Here’s the short version: You can’t scale a brand you can’t explain.
Most companies think they have a marketing problem. What they really have is a clarity problem. Their team doesn’t know what they stand for. Their customers don’t know why they matter. And their message changes depending on who’s in the room.
Jed calls this out and lays out a better path—one that’s helped companies like BambooHR, Gabb, and Lucidchart grow from startups to category leaders.
Get the Foundation Right
Your logo isn’t your brand. Your ads aren’t your brand.
Your brand is what people remember about you. And the only way to shape that is by getting your foundation right.
A good tool for that? The Backstory Brand Wheel. It helps teams lock in five things:
- Purpose – Why you exist beyond making money
- Position – What space you own in your customer’s mind
- Promise – The one thing you always deliver
- Pillars – Your biggest differentiators
- Personality – How you look, sound, and feel
Miss one of these, and your story starts to fall apart.
If It Doesn’t Resonate, It Doesn’t Work
Too many companies guess at messaging. Backstory tests messaging directly with customers. Not in a focus group—on the front lines. What resonates stays. What doesn’t gets cut.
That’s what Jed calls Message Market Fit. It’s simple:
If your message doesn’t move people, it’s not working. Fix it.
Culture Is Part of the Brand
Brand isn’t just what you say. It’s what you do. Especially on the inside.
Jed talks about brands like BambooHR that didn’t just market well—they lived their values. Their purpose (“to set people free to do great work”) wasn’t a tagline. It shaped hiring, culture, and growth. The result? 30 people became over 1,000—and the purpose still drives every decision.
No Spin. Just Truth.
Jed’s approach is simple:
Don’t make stuff up. Don’t guess. Don’t follow trends.
Start with truth. Test your message. Align your team.
That’s how you build a brand that scales.
Want to know where your brand stands?
Take the Backstory Brand Wheel™ Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
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