Lindsay Tramel-Jones, CEO of Fierceified Creative and Consultant, opens More Than a Brand by naming a cultural and economic shift in 2026: consumers are paying closer attention to where their money goes and are increasingly choosing small businesses over big corporations for trust, connection, and perceived quality. She frames this as an opportunity—but warns that if a small business backend is “duct taped together,” growth will feel like pressure, not progress. Centering customer retention, she shares that a 5% retention improvement can increase profits by up to 65%, and explains how retention creates breathing room by reducing the cycle of constant launching and starting revenue from zero. She offers three practical retention strategies to prepare for an influx of customers: (1) follow up quickly and consistently before and after the sale to maintain momentum and communicate care; (2) anticipate post-purchase needs with clear instructions and education, illustrated through a cold-pressed juice brand that supports customers with storage guidance and videos to protect product quality and build confidence; and (3) reward loyalty intentionally through referrals, tiers, points, bundles, or built-in tools like Shop Pay, emphasizing that incentives drive repeat purchases and turn retention into acquisition via returning customers who bring others. She closes by challenging founders to focus not just on attracting customers but on keeping them, strengthening the experience between “we’re interested” and “we’re in,” and plugging leaks in the pipeline as the foundation for steady growth and wealth-building.

00:00 Welcome to More Than a Brand (Customer Retention for Scaling Founders)

00:38 A Shift Is Happening: Conscious Spending & Small Business Opportunity

04:17 Why Retention Matters Now (and the 5% = 65% Profit Wake-Up Call)

06:15 Retention Strategy #1: Follow Up Like You Want the Relationship

08:59 Retention Strategy #2: Anticipate What Customers Need After the Sale

11:05 Retention Strategy #3: Reward Loyalty on Purpose (Simple Programs That Work)

13:15 Can You Keep Them? Holding Growth, Plugging Leaks & Final Takeaways

14:23 Outro: Subscribe + Where to Find Fierceified Online

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn about Flowtribe

FlowTribe is our 10 CX Accelerator for founders that are ready to stop being the bottleneck and ready to retain clients.

In this episode of More Than a Brand, Lindsay Tramel-Jones, CEO of Fierceified Creative and Consultant, explores the importance of aligning product offerings with customer needs. She discusses the pitfalls creative CEOs face when they launch products without customer input and emphasizes the need for strategic timing and capacity in launching new initiatives. Lindsay shares insights on predicting customer journeys and ensuring each touchpoint in the business ecosystem delivers a seamless experience. This episode is a must-listen for scaling founders who want to transform from being the bottleneck to the architect of exceptional customer experiences.

00:00 Introduction to More Than a Brand Podcast

00:48 Challenges Faced by Creative CEOs

01:56 The Importance of Customer Feedback

03:28 Timing and Capacity in Business Decisions

05:04 Predicting Customer Journeys

07:01 Final Thoughts and Advice

09:14 Conclusion and Social Media Links

Learn more: https://fierceified.agency/

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn about Flowtribe

FlowTribe is our 10 CX Accelerator for founders that are ready to stop being the bottleneck and ready to retain clients.

In this episode of the More Than a Brand podcast, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones, CEO of Fierceified Creative and Consultant, dives deep into the crucial transition from manual customer management to scalable retention systems. Lindsay discusses the common pitfalls scaling businesses face around the $100-150K mark, emphasizing the importance of customer retention over acquisition. She explains three critical reasons why businesses struggle to retain customers: the lack of post-transaction relationship strategies, focusing on symptoms rather than systems, and ineffective onboarding processes. Lindsay also shares insights on using the RISE method—Research, Innovate, Strategize, Evolve—to identify and fix the root causes of customer churn. The episode concludes with practical steps to audit and enhance your customer experience, ensuring it remains clear, intentional, and sustainable.

00:00 Introduction to More Than a Brand Podcast 00:51 The Struggles of Scaling Businesses

01:19 The Importance of Customer Retention

02:51 Reason 1: The Dropped Feeling

06:11 Reason 2: Fixing Symptoms, Not Systems

07:27 Reason 3: The Onboarding Gap

08:46 The RISE Method for Customer Experience

10:46 Conclusion and Next Steps

11:29 Closing Remarks and Subscription Reminder

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn about Flowtribe

FlowTribe is our 10 CX Accelerator for founders that are ready to stop being the bottleneck and ready to retain clients.

In this episode, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones sits down to explore the essence of identity beyond titles and roles with Eightx CEO, Matt Putra. Matt reflects on his journey from aspiring NBA player to becoming the CEO of EightX, a company specializing in fractional CFO services.

He shares poignant moments from his childhood, including the impact of his grandfather’s death, which initially inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. However, after a year of pre-med studies, he realized that the long educational path wasn’t for him and decided to venture into the workforce instead. Through candid conversations, Matt emphasizes the importance of feeling significant in different aspects of life, whether as a parent, partner, or professional.

Join us for an insightful discussion on dreams, identity, and the pursuit of importance.

Get to know more about Matt and his company at: https://eightx.co/

Follow Fierceified on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fierceified-agency

Learn more about our services: https://fierceified.agency/

Mentioned in this episode:

Intro to More Than A Brand

Thanks For Listening

Automate to Elevate: How Flow Lab is Revolutionizing Customer Journey Audits

In this episode of More Than a Brand, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones reveals how she transformed her labor-intensive customer journey audits into an automated SaaS product called FlowLab. She walks through her journey from manually conducting audits that took up to 10 hours, to identifying common patterns, and finally, creating a diagnostic tool that leverages AI to provide actionable insights in minutes. Lindsay introduces her RISE methodology (Research, Innovate, Strategize, and Evolve), which forms the backbone of Flow Lab, allowing service providers to identify and fix revenue leaks efficiently. This episode is a valuable listen for service providers looking to productize their expertise and optimize their customer journeys.

00:00 Introduction and Personal Story

01:40 The Problem with Manual Audits

04:51 The RISE Method Framework

06:27 Automating the Research Phase

07:35 Building Flow Lab

09:06 Flow Lab in Action

13:36 Lessons Learned and Advice

15:25 Conclusion and Launch Announcement

Get access to FlowLab at https://flowlab.fierceified.agency/ and used code FOUNDERS50 before August 31, 2025 to get 50% off the first 6 months.

Follow us on Instagram @fierceifeid.agency

The Art of Post-Sale Customer Engagement with Ken Rapp

In this episode of More Than a Brand podcast, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones interviews Ken Rapp, the co-founder of Blustream. The discussion revolves around the importance of post-sale product experiences and how Blustream helps brands transform their customers into loyal advocates.

Ken shares insights on Blustream’s journey from creating sensors for guitars to developing sophisticated customer engagement solutions. The conversation also delves into Ken's personal interests, such as playing guitar and water skiing, adding a personal touch to the entrepreneurial dialogue. Ken emphasizes the use of AI cautiously to enhance personalized customer journeys and highlights the significant impact of customer retention and referrals on a business's success.

00:00 Introduction to More Than a Brand Podcast

00:42 Meet Ken Rap: Co-Founder of Blustream

01:08 Ken's Personal Story and Interests

02:30 Understanding Blustream's Mission

09:04 The Role of AI in Customer Engagement

14:23 The Genesis of Blustream

20:17 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

23:18 Closing Remarks and Social Media

Learn more about Blustream at: https://blustream.io/

Visit our website at https://fierceified.agency/

Join The FlowLab Waitlist: https://fierceified.myflodesk.com/flowlab

In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Stephen Sachs, founder of Zero Company and co-founder of AICMO. Stephen discusses the essence of his identity beyond titles, emphasizing the importance of empathy and love in our systems. He introduces The Bliss Method, which stands for "build love into scalable systems," and shares his vision of transforming random acts of kindness into a more systematic approach that fosters continuous empathy and compassion. Stephen reflects on the natural maturation process of empathy and how it evolves as we grow, encouraging listeners to integrate love into their personal and professional lives.

Join us for an inspiring discussion on building a more empathetic world.

[00:00:38] Systems of love in marketing.

[00:09:10] Emotional connection in marketing.

[00:14:23] Higher purpose in business.

[00:16:22] AI and marketing integration.

[00:21:53] Marketing for small businesses.

[00:27:17] Normal vs. New Normal.

Learn More:

Join our CX Experience Vault to help you transform your customer experience: https://courses.morethanabrand.co/experience-vault/

www.Fierceified.agency

Learn More about Stephen 👇🏾

AICMO: aicmo.io

The Bliss Business Podcast: https://www.theblisspodcast.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our Experience Vault

Discover The Experience Vault—a customer experience (CX) hub designed for solopreneurs, growing founders, and scaling CEOs ready to turn clicks into clients and clients into loyal fans. Inside the Vault, you’ll find tools, trainings, and strategies to optimize every stage of your customer journey—from awareness to retention. Whether you’re DIY-ing your way to visibility or leading a growing team, The Experience Vault gives you big-brand CX tactics built for real-life entrepreneurship. Learn more at courses.morethanabrand.co/experience-vault

Welcome to the More Than a Brand Podcast! In this episode, host Lindsay Tramel-Jones sits down with Jose Dominguez, the founder of Alta, to explore the intersection of personal growth and branding. As our first male guest and a proud Mexico native, Jose shares his journey from a traditional 9 to 5 to launching his own branding agency.

Join us as we dive into:

Jose's background and how being the youngest of four siblings shaped his entrepreneurial spirit.

The transition from New York City to Chicago and how it influenced his business approach.

The importance of human factors in branding and how to measure success beyond just numbers.

The role of AI in branding and the delicate balance between technology and the human touch.

Jose's vision for Alta and the type of clients he aims to work with in the future.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or simply curious about the world of branding, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration. Don't forget to subscribe for more stories that go beyond the brand!

Connect with Jose:

Website: alta.design

LinkedIn: Jose Pablo Dominguez

Follow Us:

Instagram: @fiercified.agency

Facebook: Fiercified Creative and Consulting

Hit that subscribe button and join us for the next episode!