Ash Rathod

You already know storytelling is essential for your business and brand. But storytelling is much more than the words on your website, content and other communications. The right narrative can inform your short and long term strategy, help align your team, outmanoeuvre the competition and build a tribe of ambassadors.It can help you attract and retain the right customers who are willing to pay you more for a longer period of time and tell others to do the same.It's about high level performance. ie. increasing profits for the business and providing unique value to the people you serve.I specialise in guiding businesses do exactly this. My philosophy centres on a "Story-First Approach," a method that has proven to be the missing link for many who struggle with brand identity and growth.The challenge most people face when building a brand is twofold: either they're paralysed by indecision, never taking the first step, or they jump in headfirst, producing content without a coherent strategy. Both paths lead to a stagnant or unclear identity. The root cause? A lack of strategic direction.  I can help with that.---I studied media and communications specialising in script-writing, where my love for storytelling started. I worked in TV media alongside the London arm of global ad agencies such as StarCom, OMD, PHD Media and many smaller DRTV agencies. My portfolio stretched across global FMCG, (P&amp;G and Unilever) and automotive (Ford and Toyota) brands before moving to Turner Broadcasting (now Warner Bros. Discovery) to work on kids brands (such as Mattel and Hasbro). As the online world began to grow, I moved into Digital Marketing where I helped scale the Manchester office of a Bournemouth based media agency, going from media owner to client side, which consisted of a team of 20+ designers, marketers, copywriters and BDMs.Then after a short sales role at BT, I decided to start my own creative agency, to help start-ups to SMEs with with their communications online.This was almost 16 years ago. I'm proud to say I still run and I own that brand consultancy and design studio in the UK which has focused on serving start-ups to corporations over those years. Right now my focus covers:L&amp;D Training (1:1 &amp; Corporate teams)Speaking at eventsBrand Strategy workshops for start-ups and SMEs.None of these are an overnight fix.But if you are serious about shaping and growing your brand, I can help you do this faster than most.NB. My profile picture has been touched up with AI to change the colour of my shirt and  background

Brand Story Strategist | Managing Director

A brand strategy + design collective specializing in creating compelling content for digital communications. We work with forward-thinking founders, c-suite stakeholders, and marketing teams who passionately strive to lead the change in making the world of work a better place for all.

Our capabilities include:

Brand Strategy

  - Storytelling for brands 
  - Storytelling for leaders

Activation

  - Content Production
  - Media Planning

I fixed myself. 

AI has given me what I thought I could never have. 

A glimpse into what I’d look like if my skin colour stayed the same.

Or if I removed all the pigmentation on my skin (which can be done in real life. I had the option but declined) 

So which one do I prefer? For me, it’s a no brainer. The real me, in the middle. 

The left and right image was created by Nano Banana Pro. 

Which to be honest, as a tool, it’s amazing. In fact I’ve been playing with it a lot. I have been playing with a lot of AI tools. Image. Music. Vibe coding. And I will be using them a lot in my content, in my work processes and creating new business ideas. 

The next wave of AI tools will open doors for many people. I really am positive but cautious about it all.

Because it has to be used the right way and the right way for me is this:

Don’t be lazy with the tools (Use it to add a layer to the great work you do vs diluting it)
Don’t just blindly copy others. (‘differentiate or die’ mantra is still relevant. Now more than ever)
Don’t hide behind it (ie. pretend you’re something you’re not or try hiding the fact you’ve used AI. Especially if it’s likely to be in doubt for others)

I’m sure there are many other pros and cons. (let me know yours in the comments)

What I will be doing is making sure I inform my audience when I do use AI. For example, I am playing around creating a digital twin. And it's a lot of fun. But I won’t pretend it’s me. I’ll let others know when it’s not. Even when the tech becomes much better than it is now when even more  people won’t be able to tell. 

I think in this new phase, the people that are honest and upfront about how they communicate to their audience are going to be the ones that build trust. And ultimately the ones that win.

For me, I don’t want to fool anyone. Including myself. 

And more importantly. I don’t need to fix myself.

I already did that. 

When I accepted myself for who I really am.


---

#PersonalBranding and #Storytelling in an #AI world

Brand Storytelling in an AI World | Creative AI Workflow Consultant

This is not a real ad. 

And here's more context. 

I set myself a challenge to see what these AI tools were capable of and created this. My main learning out of all of this is, this still took a lot of human thinking, time and general input. 

So my challenge was to create a completely speculative ad using just AI tools. 

I chose a brand that I love. Love for their messaging and what they stand for. And then got to work. 

I would say this is still rough around the edges and an important thing to note is that I have no real idea what the brand strategy is so this should be considered. Real creative campaigns take time and a lot human collaboration. I did this completely on my own (and it shows I think :)  

There are also inconsistencies in the creative given the time I gave myself to create this. 

But in the main, I think the tools that are out there are really impressive. And I had a lot of fun with this. 

Tools I used were:

Weavy for workflow
LTX Studio for storyboarding
FreePik as the main base suite and character dev
Higgsfield (It's Popcorn element to experiment with characters)
Nano Banana for stills
Magnific for upscaling still resolutions 
Topaz to upscale video resolution
Kling 2.5 Turbo 2 for video
Seedream 4 Edit - Varied camera angles
Eleven Labs for VO and SFX
Suno for Music 

Then the usual tools I use:

Photoshop to retouch certain stills
After Effects for speed ramping elements
Premiere Pro for Editing

I plan to do a full walkthrough in the next few weeks if time permits ! :)

Would love to know your thoughts.


#Storytelling #AI

Anyone who says “AI content is quick and easy” is wrong. 

Well, sort of.

Producing AI creative content can be more efficient than many traditional methods but we’re not talking about a lot of the AI slop we’re accustomed to seeing on our feeds.

And those well versed in the traditional workflows (storytellers, designers, content strategists, ad creatives and marketing teams) shouldn't fear losing their jobs. If they up skill, they will actually rise to the top because they have the strongest superpower. Talent, experience and a way of thinking that comes from years of putting in the work that will make them stand out. 

But when working with clients or in collaboration with others, it’s important to have systems and workflows in place. This includes traditional workflows, not just AI. And by the way, the two still have a place in this world. It’s not as binary as many make out.

That’s why at DFC Studio we use Weavy. Weavy, (recently acquired by Figma) is a node based workflow system for creative AI work with a lot of the AI image and video tools in one place. It gives you, your team and clients an overview of the process from start to finish. 

Some clients won’t want to see this but some will. But for sharing and collaborating with your team it's great as it's important that you have systems in place that are transparent, repeatable and scalable. 

Or even if you’re working on your own you can go back quicker and reiterate/refine when client feedback comes back. 

If you’re interested in up skilling your team, At DFC Studio we offer consultancy and workshops to help you do this. These can be done in person or remote. If interested, please reach out (below or in my DM)

---

#Storytelling #Creative #AI #Marketing #Workshops

What Visionary Leaders Get Right About Brand

Brand isn’t just built by the things you do externally.

It's about how you show up internally too.

How your team feels every day.

In this weeks Watercooler Brand Talks (4pm Friday UK), we’ll be talking about the link between leadership, culture, and brand.

Why the strongest brands aren’t built by marketing teams alone. 

They’re shaped by the people leading from the front.

We’ll cover:

– What visionary leaders actually do differently
– How culture quietly builds (or breaks) your brand
– Why brand is the outcome, not the starting point

Join us live and definitely bring a question or two as we have two of the most visionary brand legends in this week as our secret guests who's brains you'll really want to pick.

This is going to be soooo much fun! See you there!

What Visionary Leaders Get Right About Brand

AI took me backwards, not forwards.

In a good way. 

The deeper I get into AI led creative work, the more I find myself leaning on traditional film theory.

At university, (many years ago :)) I specialised in script writing. Dialogue was the starting point, but it never stopped there. I fell into camera movement, physics, timing, weight, motion. How things enter a frame. How they leave it. Why something feels real even when we know it is not.

What fascinated me most was not learning the rules. It was learning them well enough to bend them. To stretch credibility without breaking belief. That’s the magic of film making. Whatever medium. To create moments that feel grounded, even when logic tells you they are constructed.

That mindset has been shaping my use of AI today.

The tools are new. The thinking is not.

If you treat AI as a shortcut, the output shows it. But if you approach it like film making, with intent, some restraint when needed, and an understanding of how humans read motion and story, the work will land very differently.

The recent sizzle reel is a snapshot of that experimentation. It’s not perfect but continuing to dig into what’s possible. 

Essentially storytelling principles wearing new clothes.

Those on the look for someone with a huge amount of experience with operations, delivery, automations, content production and more importantly leadership, Ryan is your man! 

If you're considering working with Ryan and want to speak to me then please do. 

A fab colleague he was.....and an extremely kind human being who is always ready to help, support, upskill and progress the team he works with.

What a loss to PodFirst and what a potentially huge gain for the next company that bags Ryan on their team!

Straight-Talking Guy | Cutting Through the Crap to Deliver Solutions, Growth, and Results That Actually Matter 💥

I have now left PodFirst and I am officially on the lookout for my next role. The timing isn’t perfect with Christmas approaching, but sometimes life pushes you into a new chapter sooner than expected. I made the decision because it was the right one for me and where I am heading next.

I am proud of what I achieved during my time there. It was challenging, fast paced and full of opportunities to grow, and I am grateful for the experience and everything I learned along the way.

For those who don’t know me well, here is what I bring to the table.

I am someone who cares about the work and the people involved. I take responsibility seriously and I show up fully. I work best in environments where pace, clarity and ownership matter. I enjoy solving problems, building systems, improving processes and keeping things moving even when things get busy. I thrive in roles where I can bring structure, calm and direction without losing the human side of it all.

My experience covers operations, delivery, leadership, automation, content production and working directly with clients to get projects over the line. I am at my best when I am trusted to own outcomes and make things happen.

So now I am looking for the right place to bring all of that into something new. If you hear of anything or know someone looking for someone with my skill set, I would really appreciate you pointing them my way.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far.

Onwards.

Ethical Emails

Ethical email marketing consulting and strategy for B2B and eCommerce B Corps, 1% for the Planet, and other mission-driven brands.

The same values you stand for must show in your overall comms and where your audience hangs out, including the only platform you fully own - your email marketing list. 

Here's how we can find the hidden 6-figure revenue (and impact!) in your existing email list together:

💌 1-hour consultation - Pick my brain on your email-related questions. You can use this hour to discuss how to optimize an existing automated flow for more conversions and impact, or have me look at a new strategy you came up with.

💌 VIP Email Strategy Day - Understand how you can convert more of your subscribers in a single day. You’ll get a detailed strategy that will guide the next 3-6 months of your email marketing, which can include: what to send, which segments to have, how to balance sales emails with providing value, how to grow your list with top-quality subscribers, how to keep your list highly engaged and clean, which flows you must have in place, and more.

💌 Email marketing strategy partnership (minimum of 3 months) - For brands that want to generate 6-figure results with their existing list, but don't know how to do it. Your team will have ongoing support to create, implement, and optimize your emails for higher engagement and conversions - without sacrificing your values or edge. 

One of my clients recently added $203k to their bottom line two months after starting to work together. Before that, their email list was as cold as ice. 

Send me a DM to get started.

P.S. Don't fit the *exact* criteria mentioned here, but you're running a business for good and would to increase your email revenue and impact with *my help* regardless? Get in touch here: https://www.ethicalemails.co/contact

CEO (Chief Email Officer), Ethical email marketing consultant and strategist

The Bathtub Studios

When I moved to Berlin, Germany, I started collaborating with various artists based in the city. 

I produced classical to jazz, indie to pop, and every type of genre in between. 

As a producer and sound engineer, my role included:
- Doing research and scouting the artists I was interested in
- Presenting them with a compelling offer for them to work with me
- Being involved in the rehearsal process and making sure the musicians were ready for recording
- Making sure that everyone involved knew where they needed to be, when, what they needed to do, and what was expected of them during the recording day and the process thereafter
- Finding the right space or studio to record in and securing it, considering the budget at hand
- Preparing the recording session and equipment at the location before the musicians arrived, so they'll have a smooth, fuss-free experience
- Knowing what to say, ask, or do so the musicians would give their best performance
- Mixing the raw files into polished, cohesive, clear, and attractive songs
- Making connections with mastering engineers that made the final product shine and ready for distribution

Between 2016 and 2018, I engineered, recorded, produced, and mixed 3+ EPs: 
- Brea Robrtson's album, "Hillcrest to Here", 
- My passion project "Aqua: Unknown Waters", 
- And Kayan Project's EP.

Aside from the creative side, acting as a music producer and sound engineer required me to be crystal clear in my communication, be extremely organized throughout the whole process, know how to talk to different types of people to get the best results, and provide the musicians (my clients) with results they were beyond impressed with.

Music Producer

A good songwriter is a marketer in disguise. To write a successful song, you need to:

- Know your audience and what makes them tick
- Capture their attention quickly 
- Retain that attention for anywhere between 2 to 10 minutes
- Use repetition wisely
- Tell a good story in an interesting way
- Take your listener through a journey that feels personal
- And know the structures that make a good song - while being open to stretching those boundaries

On a less serious note, this is the only profession in the world where you can say "Oh, I hear voices in my head", and people won't look at you funny.

Songwriter

Loving Against My Instincts

21 episodes produced (solo + interviews) about conscious relationships and how to improve them - with others or with ourselves. 

To launch the podcast, I recorded intros + outros, a musical theme, and mapped out the topics and guests I wanted to have.

I was solely responsible for every aspect of it:
- Researching possible topics and guests
- Booking guests and making sure everyone has all the links and info for successful promotion
- Finding ways to technically record each episode at the highest quality
- Editing each episode and getting it ready for distribution
- Using a great distribution platform and uploading an episode on time once every other week
- Writing show notes and episode summaries
- Producing snippets and social media posts to promote each episode multiple times

After half a year of producing this podcast and self-publishing, I was invited to be a part of the annual podcast convention in Berlin - including participating in a panel for podcast producers and recording an episode in front of a live audience.

This experience included being both extremely detail-oriented, as well as seeing the bigger picture. It strengthened my project management skills and a better marketer too, and showed me that when I set a goal, come hell or high water, I'll make it happen.

Above all, I learned more and deeper about human relationships and psychology - what makes us tick and how to communicate better to achieve our mutual goals. That knowledge is invaluable in marketing and sales, and my clients' results are a testament to that.

After 21 episodes I stopped producing the podcast due to my travels around the world. It was fun while it lasted.

Podcast Host

Sababa Restaurant

Starting yet again as a humble waitress, I quickly climbed my way into key positions. 

In my time in those roles, I doubled the number of staff, optimized working systems, and instilled a strong, diverse, synergized team - all of which increased the revenue of the company to an all-time high.

Working closely with the head chef and owner, I identified the areas that were working well but could be optimized - from daily activities to sales techniques or SOPs. I brought my skills to oversee multiple details and keep a close eye on the big picture at all times, which brought the results described below.

Thanks to my work and my teammates' efforts, the restaurant reached its:

- Highest sales rates,
- Highest number of new and returning customers,
- And the highest number of daily special offers developed and sold.

At the same time, I developed a deeper understanding of retention efforts, building personalized customer experiences and human psychology, sharpened my storytelling, auditing & optimization, and sales skills, and implemented multiple feedback loops of both customers and staff (which resulted in happier and more collaborative work environment & better sales results).

Floor & training Manager, Head of People

Shira Bloch Law Office

This hands-on, dynamic role required me to dive deep into a world full of new terms and professional jargon and communicate those clearly both to the office partners and to clients.

I had a multitude of responsibilities, from ordering office supplies and keeping track of correct documentation, to office calendar management, shipment coordination, and technical troubleshooting.

During my role, I optimized the existing filing system and taught the partners how to be more efficient themselves with their existing tools.

Office Manager

Landwer Coffee

Food has always been a love of mine and a huge point of interest. Starting as a humble waitress, the owner quickly recognized my fast-learning skills, my dedication to the role and company, my natural knack for teaching others, and my curiosity for finding ways to continuously optimize and improve things around me.

I was promoted to be the training manager of the branch, responsible for communicating with the national company headquarters, learning about improvements and new goals, and then bringing them to my team and making sure that those changes/additions were implemented successfully. That role required finding solutions that suited both the company and the workers so they'd lead to sales growth.

Training Manager

Galei Tzahal

Reporting the latest news for 50% of Israel's radio listeners on an hourly basis. 

As a journalist in a major news agency, I was responsible for gathering and delivering information that was crucial for the livelihood of millions - from politics to public transport strikes. 

Accuracy, time management, storytelling, and simplification of complex concepts played a big role in my day-to-day activities. 

Another important part of this role was adaptability and agility, learning how to grab the attention of the audience fast, and sometimes, holding it for hours on end (when there was a critical ongoing event happening).

I met with decision-makers and leaders who ran the country daily, and covered global stories too, all the while keeping my journalistic integrity.

The connections I made and the trust I nurtured with key figures in my areas of responsibility allowed me to expose an extensive corruption story in the Israeli ministry of transportation, leading to major changes in personnel.

News Correspondent / Editor / Anchor

Helping B Corps turn their subscribers into their biggest F.A.N.s | Ethical email marketing strategist | Pasta person | Nomad, currently: Vietnam

Your email list is a goldmine, but somehow, your subscribers aren't converting as well and as consistently as you hoped.

Most mission-driven B2B and eCommerce brands know email marketing could be a game-changer, but they're stuck copying "best practices" that treat people like walking wallets – tactics that feel completely misaligned with your brand's values.

Your team is stretched thin, stumbling through campaigns without strategic understanding. You can't confidently show stakeholders how email contributes to revenue because you're tracking opens and clicks instead of revenue attribution.

Here's what's actually possible: systematic email marketing that respects your audience while generating six-figure results. 

After helping brands generate $203K from a previously neglected list in less than two months, and increase event sales by 39.65% with one simple email strategy, the pattern is clear – 

You don't have to choose between authentic relationships and revenue.

The missing piece? 

Someone with deep email expertise who can step into your business and take strategic ownership of this channel while understanding that mission-driven brands need different approaches.

Your email marketing doesn't have to feel pushy or compromise your values. 

When you have the right strategic foundation, your existing audience can transform into a consistent source of qualified prospects who are genuinely excited for sales conversations, or repeat customers eager to use your products.

If you are ready to turn your email marketing into a revenue-generating asset that actually aligns with your mission - send me a message. I'd love to connect.

Yuval Ackerman

The very last email roundtable of the year is happening tomorrow and on Thursday, and it’s one of my favorite spaces to host.

Seats are intentionally limited so everyone gets real attention, and more than half of them are already gone.

If you want to:

• Raise your email questions before heading into 2026

• Hear what’s been working for fellow good-doing B2Bs who sent emails this year, and what they’re planning for next year

• And know what’s actually new and relevant now in the inbox (not the recycled advice floating around your LinkedIn feed)

... then this is *exactly* the space for you.

Want an invite? Join my newsletter first. I’ll send you a link to RSVP in a bit:

https://lnkd.in/gdWFfPDB

Helping marketing teams find the 6-figure revenue in their email list | Ethical email strategist & consultant for B2B and eCommerce B Corps, 1% for the Planet & mission-driven brands | International speaker | Pasta fan🍝

As an email consultant for good-doing brands, last week was... interesting.

Now that the Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Giving Tuesday craze is (at least officially) behind us, here are my takeaways:

1. Sales aren't the problem - misalignment is.

Every business needs to sell. Audiences are better off spending with brands that create a positive impact than with brands that don't. But good businesses can't make the BFCM decision lightly. When the tactics used during that one weekend contradict how you operate the other 51 weeks of the year, you risk wiping out years of trust-building. Trust is hard to build, easy to lose, and incredibly difficult to regain.

2. Can we stop calling it "Green Friday"?

The goal is sales - sales with better impact, sure, but sales nonetheless. The semantic shift doesn't fool anyone.

3. Too many B Corps and 1% for the Planet brands copy-pasted the standard BFCM playbook.

Multiple emails per day. ALL CAPS SUBJECT LINES. Fake urgency and scarcity. "Surprise" deadline extensions that everyone expected. Poor segmentation.
These tactics were never designed for values-driven businesses and their audiences. The question isn't just "Did it work?" but "At what cost?" A short-term sales spike might come at the expense of long-term brand credibility. These companies must include such hard questions in their post-sale debriefs.

4. B2Bs stayed silent, as usual.

Most B2Bs I work with avoid this parade entirely. But what could a strategic BFCM promotion with "better practices" achieve? The gap in the market is right there…

5. The numbness is real.

After last week's email avalanche, more people are growing immune to Black Friday promotions. Values-driven businesses might need an entirely different sales strategy - and if anyone's going to pave that path, it'll be the bold, innovative B Corps, 1% for the Planet companies, and like-minded brands.

Did anything stand out in your inbox last week?

It doesn’t matter what I think.

Clients often ask me things like: 

• “Do you think this topic will work?”

• “Should we move the button here or there?”

• “What do you think people will click on?”

And my answer is always the same:

“It doesn’t matter what I think, it matters what your audience shows us.”

Your subscribers are already telling you what’s working and what’s not.

Every open, click, and scroll paints a picture of what resonates and what doesn’t.

Sometimes that “tiny” change, like a different button color, or moving your CTA to a more natural spot, can finally drive real ROI.

Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s true to how your audience behaves.

If you’re making email decisions based on gut feelings or what you hope would be right, instead of data, it’s time to start listening differently and become more curious about your audience.

Because they’re already giving you the answers.

Need help making better email decisions that are aligned with your brand values and drive ROI?

Book a disco call here: https://lnkd.in/gUTyunWE

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The Battle

Ash Rathod

Yuval Ackerman

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The Battle

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Yuval Ackerman

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