Building a Global Brand Locally: Sean Dowdell

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Starbucks. Target. Coca-Cola. We can all name a global brand. Even if you’ve embraced that you’re not known around the world, you still have a brand. My guest today is here to show you how you can grow into a powerful local or regional brand.

This week’s guest is Sean Dowdell, founder of Club Tattoo, a brand that is today worth $30 million. His new book, Brand Renegades, tells the story of how he and his wife Thora disrupted the tattoo industry. Download this week’s episode of The Profit Express to hear how Sean found success, and some of the ways you can do the same for your small business.

This week’s episode of The Profit Express is brought to you by Corbett Public Relations, Promoting and Protecting Businesses and Brands for over 30 years.

Disrupting the Marketplace

Back in the 1990s, Sean was in a band that was doing great. But, as he explains at 3:20, individually the band members were not doing so well. Needing to pay the bills after regional tours, Sean and his bass player opened a tattoo studio that was different than the typical biker parlors. Listen as he explains how they were able to stand out by appealing to a different demographic.

Creating a Consistent Client Experience

From the moment a customer looks you up online to the time he or she leaves your store, your messaging needs to be consistent. Listen at 21:30 as Sean details how to create a uniform aesthetic throughout every phase of your customers’ journey.

Small Steps to Success

As a small business owner, you may not think it is worth it to start to build your name up, as you do not have a global brand. The truth is, you already are a brand. At 24:20, Sean walks you through some small steps you can take to understand your customers and market yourself better to them than ever before.

Embracing the Competition

Sean never set out to disrupt the tattoo and piercing industry, but it still happened. At 30:40, he discusses how competition has caught on. While some business owners fear competitors, Sean believes it is important to embrace your competition.