Here's The Thing

Octane and a Great Brand

Probably the most succinct definition of what a brand is comes from Marty Neumeier in Zag. He says a brand is:

A person's gut feeling about a product, service or company.

I have always marveled at the completeness of the Octane brand. How perfectly Octane everything is. How authentically Octane everything is.

The Octane brand isn't really about the things often associated with "brand." They don't do much advertising or traditional marketing at all. It's all about...everything else. The people they hire, the art on the wall, the music playing overhead, the customers they choose to attract.

The thing about Octane is that you can tell what they are all about the first time you walk in. You know what it's like by simply talking to someone who works there. More often by someone who goes there. Octane passes the gut check.

The lesson about brand is universal. Your brand is what are, not what you say you are. More branding is done every time you hire someone than in a year of marketing communications and advertising. Marty gives a last piece of advice about building your brand that Tony and Diane knew before they even started:

(Your brand is) a strategic filter for questions like “What should we do? What should we make? Who should we make it for? Who should we hire? How should we behave?”

A culture of ass-kicking at Octane

So I was talking to Ben, a barista at Octane, and he was explaining that he has passed the first phase of their new certification. He was pretty proud. As well he should be. Their certification is hard as hell. So I asked him "why do you do it? Do you get paid more?" I mean I knew he didn't, but I was curious his answer. "Because I want to be the best at what I do."

Almost everyone at Octane feels the same way. Inspired. Inspired to be the best. And that's just hard to do. Is it like that where you work? I know it isn't like that at most coffee shops I go to. At Octane it's in the culture.It makes it enjoyable to be a customer there, and as someone who finds businesses fascinating, I enjoy watching it unfold.

I used to think Tony and Diane were passionate people about their coffee shop. Then I thought they were good at finding people. Then I came to realize that they are gifted leaders. They set a vision, without a trace of doubt, to become to best coffee in the world, starting with the Southeast. They asked their people to get on board and they did.

Unwavering leadership and ass-kicking. Oh, and beer.