Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Box and Stephen Alfred.
Jeremy and Stephen, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We’ve been friends since high school where we met because we were both on the football team and later played other sports together as well. Our friendship really grew after high school, though, and we’ve been close friends since. Our lives went in different directions and have taken us to different locations, so we haven’t always been close in proximity but have remained close friends for right at 20 years now… Gosh, just saying that makes me feel old! HAHA!
Stephen is a creative at his core, everything he does has an artistic or trendsetting bent to it, while Jeremy has been busy building multiple businesses and his favorite past time is thinking of new business ventures… Yeah, he’s “that” guy!
In the summer of 2017, we were hanging out with our families sharing a beer and this crazy idea came out of Stephen’s mouth, “What if I started a branding and marketing agency?” As quickly as he could say those words, almost as if Jeremy was anticipating them, he piped in with “I’m in… let’s do it!” Now, I’m (Jeremy) still not sure that Stephen was proposing a partnership but apparently, I didn’t leave much room for the question because we were off to the races!
But that’s the kind of friendship we have. It’s one that’s bolstered by our faith and our families. We were taught that a man, or woman, is only as good as the word they can give and that a handshake should still mean something. That may sound antiquated, and call us naive, but we actually still believe that. Relationship well-built is the single biggest core value of our lives and it’s the defining value of Brandstrum. While we love branding companies and creating marketing strategies for them, it’s not the reason we love what we do. We love it because we get to form strong relationships with business owners and community leaders who are passionate about what they do and share in that story. We get to be a part of some of the most exciting times in people’s lives! It’s incredible!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
What’s smooth? HA! In short… nope. It. Has. Not. Been. Smooth. But, we’re both from a small town where there are more dirt roads than pavement anyway, so you could say we’re used to bumpy roads. Bring’em on!
Struggles? We’ve been really fortunate actually and God has blessed us with so many incredible relationships along the way that have cheered us on, mentored us, or just supported us in general. With that said, creating a new business is never an easy feat and you add additional layers to that when you create it with a business partner, let alone one of your best friends in life. We are very different people who approach everything in life with different filters, so we have to operate in kindness and humility as a team to ensure that we’re making the overall best decisions for our company, employees, and clients. It’s not easy… It’s worth it, though!
There are so many incredible business experts that will preach about (1) Not forming a partnership and (2) Not going into business with your friends… We’ve broken both of those rules so we’re either crazy or pioneering something outside of the “norm!” We like to think we’re doing the latter. We’re relationship first… business second and that’s not a platitude. Ask anyone that works with us, employees, or clients. Relationship is our culture. People mean more to us than the work we do or the money we make and that’s why this partnership works.
Brandstrum – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Brandstrum is a complete brand positioning agency. In short, we love to help people tell their story in the most unique and genuine way possible so it cuts through the noise of our current culture and gets to the hearts and minds of the people our clients might be able to help and serve. We craft strategies that position and align a company, church, or organization’s brand to enhance their impact and expand their reach, and we do that by giving them a strong brand identity, designing excellent brand visuals, providing them with time-proven strategies, and consulting/coaching them along the way.
A lot of people think that your logo is your brand, but it’s not. Your brand is like your character. It’s what people say about you when you’re not around. We love to help craft that story alongside your passion and vision to make sure people are getting the most genuine version of you possible. That’s what we’ve found creates buy-in from employees and clients alike. People want real, genuine experiences and we’re all equipped to give that in some capacity. Our passion is helping each client to unlock that about themselves and position in the right ways for everyone to see and hear.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I know this sounds cliché, but we really do believe that we make our own luck. Truly, we believe that the relationships we build and the experiences we have with other people are the moments that create a future opportunity that some may call luck.
Luck, in most people’s minds, is simply being in the right place at the right time, right? So, what if we could place ourselves in the right places at the right times in the future by cultivating powerful connections to people today?
We believe that we can steward our future opportunity every single day, so yeah, we create our own luck and we love to help others do that too by connecting with their audience, listeners, clients, or readers in the most genuine way possible. You never know where the next “lead” or “sale” is going to come from.
Contact Info:
- Address: 25329 Budde Road, Suite 402, The Woodlands, TX 77380
- Website: www.brandstrum.com
- Phone: 979-450-5089
- Email: hello@brandstrum.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandstrum
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrandstrumCreative
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/Brandstrum
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