IE Brand Consulting

Helping Brands Grow with Strategic Branding and Marketing.

IE is a Marketing Strategy and Branding Boutique that helps companies at a critical growth stage, typically after reaching $10M+ in revenue. 

We guide businesses as they transition from small teams to more strategic marketing. We provide expert branding solutions, curating top talent tailored for each project.

IE gives services in five key areas:

1. Brand Strategy
2. Yearly Marketing Planning
3. Marketing Management and Consulting CMO Services
4. Brand Identity Development
5. Marketing Team Design

Founder I Brand Strategist & Consulting CMO

The Marketing Meeting

The Marketing Meeting podcast is a bi-weekly show hosted by Itır Eraslan. The show combines interviews with marketing and business experts, together with the latest news, tools and strategies in marketing.

Podcast Host

Nike

Main focus:  Brand Strategy & Execution. Consumer. Digital Marketing. Team Orchestration.

Success Highlights:

•       Brought the category to #1 brand position in Turkey. Sustainable growth over 7 seasons
•	Nike Women “This is Us” campaign launch (Mar’17, hyperlocal plan, CEE Best Campaign Award)
•	Facebook BOT Personalized Sports & City Guide Launch (Feb’17, Global Category Best Practice)
•	University Co-labs for Women Category Offense (Spring’17, Koc & Bogazici University)
•	Created a new business model for brand partnerships. (Global best practice, Oct’16)
•	Launch of Nike.com/Women & NTC App in Turkey (2016)

Brand Director, Nike Women

Main focus: Marketing. Brand & Geography Strategy. Global Reporting. Team & Territory Management.

•	Responsible for the brand management of Nike Women category in 7 territories across the geography 
(44	countries including Middle East, Russia, Turkey and Central Eastern Europe)

              Success Highlights:
•	Launch of the biggest Women’s campaign across the region (April 2015) Better For It, Nike Women
•	Over 100K women have been activated through Nike Women events across the region (March-July 2015)
•	Launch of the first Nike Women event series in the region
•	Established Nike Training Club live events and built a trainer network of over 100 people in the region
•	Nike Training Club app launch in Arabic, first Arabic app targeting women & fitness in Middle East

Brand Director, Central & Eastern Europe

Main focus:  Marketing. Brand Strategy & Execution. Community. Consumer. Team Orchestration.

Success Highlights:
•	Run Istanbul 2013, Kristal Elma (Crystal Apple), Best Event Marketing Award / International Business Awards (The Stevie’s), Best Consumer Event, Gold & Best Brand Experience, Silver 
•	Run Istanbul 2012 (DPID / Best Sports Event) 
•	Athlete activation N.Yanit 12:59 (MediaCat Felis Awards / Best Special Event Execution)
•	Run Istanbul 2012 (Maxim Awards, Nike Turkey, Best Project of the Year)
•	We Run Istanbul 2011 (DPID / Best Sports Event, ACE of MICE/ Best Sports Event)

Category Brand Manager

Main focus:  Retail & Brand Strategy. Retail Development. Store Openings. Store P&L. Team Management.

Retail Manager, Market Place Strategy & Expansion

Main focus: Product development. Sourcing. Pricing. Supply Chain & Partner Management. Team Management.

Product & Merchandising Manager

Product Developer

Brand Strategy & Marketing Consultant | Founder @ ie. | Fractional CMO | Podcast Host @ The Marketing Meeting

In brand marketing, there is a thrill that comes from finding a deep consumer insight, crafting a simple yet impactful strategy, or seeing it all come to life. Every day, I am chasing those thrills.

I am the founder of a Marketing Strategy and Branding Boutique that helps companies at their critical growth stage. Typically, after reaching $10M+ in revenue, businesses need to move beyond small teams and invest in more strategic marketing. That’s where my company brings the most value. 

I work closely with B2C & B2B companies, offering an experienced, objective perspective on their brand marketing and positioning. I also curate top talent for each project, collaborating with freelancers, solopreneurs, and boutique agencies to deliver high-quality, tailored branding solutions.

My company specializes in five key areas:

1. Brand Strategy
2. Yearly Marketing Planning
3. Marketing Management and Consulting CMO Services
4. Brand Identity Development
5. Marketing Team Design 

- I host a podcast show, The Marketing Meeting where I interview inspirational brands, founders, marketing experts.

- I’m a guest lecturer at Koç University, sharing insights on Brand Strategy, Social Media, and International Marketing.

Other things you may not know about me:
- Avid reader & swimmer
- Obsessed with Nordic interior designs & lights
- Fan of monochrome colors and a good oat flat-white :)

Itir Eraslan

Nemanja Zivkovic

funky.enterprises

In 2025, we launched Funky Enterprises — a GTM collective built by senior strategists and executors. Not an agency. Not a vendor. A team that builds full-stack systems for positioning, acquisition, and expansion — the kind that drive both present and future cashflow.

We don’t sell 3-month stunts.
We don’t follow trends.
We don’t pitch “more content” as strategy.

If you’re looking for a vendor — keep scrolling.
But if you’re building something big and need a GTM partner who thinks like an owner, let’s talk.

We work with serious companies ready to scale. Not beginners. Not teams chasing quick wins. Our partners have real products and budgets from €30k to €300k+. And they’re done wasting money on tactics that don’t tie back to outcomes.

Here’s what we do:
✅ Strategy that earns attention, not just reach
✅ Execution across brand, performance, ops, and customer marketing
✅ Systems that survive platform shifts, team changes, and quarterly chaos

We don’t just show up with playbooks — we come in with skin in the game.

Our model is different:
→ Retainers are just the start
→ We partner through revenue share, EBITDA growth, even strategic equity — if we’re building your growth engine from scratch

You get a team that makes decisions like the business is theirs — because a piece of it actually is.

If your GTM isn’t compounding yet, you don’t need another agency.
You need a system.

That’s what we build.

Funky Enterprises.
Let’s grow it together.

Senior Partner

Funky Marketing

Built 100+ inbound growth systems across B2B tech and SaaS

Funky Marketing was the answer to a simple question:

What would B2B growth look like if it was actually built by people who give a damn?

So I built a senior-only team. No interns. No buzzwords. Just strategy that gets results.

In year one, we closed 47 inbound B2B deals, all through LinkedIn, using the same approach we now deploy for clients.
Since then, we’ve worked with 120+ companies, helped 80+ startups, and driven 3x+ ROI for firms across the US, UK, DACH, MENA, and the Balkans.

We worked with brands like:
Wix, Deloitte, Generali, Vega IT, NIS Gazprom Neft — and many more that you’ll hear about soon.

Our role?
→ Fix the pipeline
→ Build a GTM system that doesn’t fall apart at each handoff
→ Make sure marketing contributes to revenue — not just activity metrics

It started as a consulting crew. It became a movement.
Now, it’s the core of Funky Enterprises.

Founder & Strategic CMO

Similarweb

I was using Dealfront back when it was still Leadfeeder and Echobot.

It became one of those tools I kept bringing into projects — because it helped us:
→ Identify real buying intent
→ Align sales + marketing around behavior, not just personas
→ Stop chasing leads and start acting on signals

Now I’m a Community Partner, helping others use it for smarter outreach and better conversion plays. And yes — we’ll likely host some events soon.

Brand Ambassador

Dealfront

Community Partner

Favikon

I use Favikon because it gives me something most platforms don’t: context.Not just influencer rankings, but who's actually relevant, growing, and resonating — across industries, niches, and countries.

After using it for B2B creator discovery, employer branding campaigns, and dark social strategies, I became a brand ambassador for Serbia.

Favikon is a tool I trust. If you're using creators to grow your brand — or if you're one yourself — you need it.

Brand Ambassador, Serbia

BIZLife

NOVI BIZLIFE SERIJAL: Zašto je LinkedIn nezaobilazna platforma za savremeni biznis?

Kroz seriju kolumni koje će na BIZLife portalu pišemo Dejan Pataki i ja, imate priliku da se detaljnije upoznate sa strategijama koje maksimalno iskorišćavaju mogućnosti koje LinkedIn nudi. Svaka kolumna će razmotriti specifične taktike i metode za unapređenje kako B2B prodaje, tako i employer i ličnog brendinga, pružajući čitaocima praktična znanja koja mogu odmah da primene i time poboljšaju svoje poslovne rezultate.

Columnist

Business Talks Network

In 2022, I co-founded Business Talks Network in Novi Sad, Serbia, with a vision to bridge the gap between business growth and meaningful professional connections. Our mission was to create a platform where entrepreneurs, business professionals, and startups could come together to share their stories and insights.

We built a vibrant community of over 600 members and hosted events that attracted more than 300 participants. These gatherings were more than just networking opportunities; they were forums where clients, partners, and industry leaders engaged in deep, insightful conversations. Each event was designed to elevate perspectives and foster genuine connections, moving beyond traditional networking to create a space for authentic human interaction.

Our commitment to authenticity and community-building extended beyond in-person events. We launched a YouTube channel, Business Talks Network, to share the stories and experiences of entrepreneurs and business professionals with a wider audience. This platform allowed us to reach individuals who couldn't attend our events, furthering our mission to inspire and connect the business community.

Additionally, we maintained an active presence on Facebook, Business Talks Network, where we shared updates, engaged with our community, and provided valuable content to support business growth and professional development.

It's been inspiring to witness the community thrive, grounded in authenticity and the strength of real human connection. Through Business Talks Network, we've created a space where meaningful relationships are formed, and business growth is a shared journey.

Co-Founder

Founder Institute Serbia

In February 2023, I joined Founder Institute Serbia as a startup mentor, focusing on guiding early-stage companies in refining their messaging, positioning, and demand generation strategies for B2B markets. The Founder Institute, established in Silicon Valley in 2009, is recognized as the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, with a presence in over 200 cities across more than 95 countries. 
FI

In Serbia, the program aims to strengthen local and regional entrepreneurship by supporting startup teams in accelerating their development, transforming innovative ideas into profitable and sustainable business opportunities.

As a mentor, I collaborated with startups to:

Develop Clear Messaging: Assisting in articulating value propositions that resonate with target B2B audiences.

Strategic Positioning: Guiding startups to identify and occupy unique market positions, differentiating themselves from competitors.

Demand Generation: Crafting strategies to create interest and drive demand among potential B2B clients.

This mentorship experience has been rewarding, contributing to the growth of Serbia's startup ecosystem and empowering entrepreneurs to build impactful technology companies.

Startup Mentor

App Crafters

AppCrafters needed to grow — fast. They had talent, tech, and momentum. What they lacked was a clear narrative and GTM structure.

My role?
→ Build the GTM foundation across Europe
→ Develop positioning, campaigns, and content that turned traffic into traction
→ Mentor internal teams and create marketing rhythms they could sustain after we left

We increased inbound leads by 40% in six months, shortened the sales cycle, and left the team with a strategy built to scale.

Fractional CMO

BioSense Institute

At BioSense Institute, I mentored AgTech startups, guiding them from concept to market readiness with a focus on early traction and proof of concept.

Each startup faced unique challenges. Veles Sense tackled vineyard monitoring by using drone and satellite technology for early disease detection, while EcoPatents introduced a moisture-retaining product to combat drought in orchards. PhenoMap Pro leveraged digital phenotyping to enhance plant growth, optimizing agricultural output.

My mentorship included defining clear problem-solution narratives and crafting targeted strategies. For instance, Beeamond’s urban beekeeping system provided health benefits and supported biodiversity. By positioning this solution to appeal to eco-conscious consumers, we differentiated it from competitors and aligned it with the growing green city movement.

We built demand through well-crafted content distribution, from customer interviews to community engagement. For PhenoMap Pro, pilot projects validated product efficacy, while Beeamond and EcoPatents relied on live demos and workshops to capture attention. These tactics encouraged not only awareness but also trust and credibility.

Scaling strategies focused on community building and partnerships. Beeamond engaged public and private entities to promote urban beekeeping, while Veles Sense collaborated with EU and US-based drone service providers to expand monitoring services internationally.

This hands-on mentorship reaffirmed the impact of tailored, data-driven strategies in helping AgTech startups succeed, providing each with the foundation to grow and make a meaningful industry impact.

What if you can win it all? | I help B2B companies generate revenue from the modern-day B2B buyer through better positioning, planning, and execution. With a bit of funk. | LinkedIn's Rising Star of Marketing

If you’ve outgrown playbooks, burned money on tactics, and still don’t have a system that scales - keep reading.

I build GTM systems with companies that want revenue, equity, and margin. The real deal.

I work with B2B companies in tech, SaaS, and legacy industries going digital. The kind where sales cycles are long, CAC is high, and “just post more” hasn’t worked in a while.

Through funky.enterprises, I lead a team of senior operators who’ve carried numbers, built pipelines, and fixed broken GTM for real.

What we build:
– Positioning that makes sense to buyers
– Acquisition systems that compound
– Expansion loops that survive team shifts and platform changes

We charge through retainers + revenue share, EBITDA growth, or equity, because when you scale, we scale too. Simple.

But in a world flooded with AI content, lookalike brands, and cloned tactics, resonance is the new moat. That’s why what we build cuts deeper because it’s rooted in clarity and built to scale trust.

I’m also building a community for founders and operators who want to implement all this, serious about building systems that last. Only yearly subscriptions, no short-term engagement.

Honestly, I love the fact that I can make an impact on 100+ people and companies at once with activation inside the community.

Workshops. 
Coaching. 
Activations. 
Mentorship. 
Education.

What I do isn’t theory. In the first 18 months of Funky Marketing, we closed 65 inbound B2B deals - no ads, no cold outreach. Just the same system we now build for others.

Since then:
120+ companies. 80+ startups.
Markets: US, UK, DACH, Canada, Dubai, Balkans.
Industries: SaaS, logistics, finance, energy, ecomm and more
Names you’ll know: Wix, Deloitte, Generali Group, Vega IT, NIS Gazprom Neft.

This is the kind of work that compounds and shows up where it matters - in pipeline, in boardrooms, and in actual revenue.

Also:
– Co-author of the first LinkedIn book in Serbian
– Host of two podcasts on growth and implementation (Funky B2B Marketing, Strategija & Implementacija)
– Mentor in programs like Founder Institute, BioSense, and NTP Belgrade

Off the clock? Funk music. Hiking. Partizan. Comics. Epic fantasy.

Because sometimes, the best growth systems start far from the feed.

CEO & Founder

We create demand generation programs primarily for B2B tech-based companies in the growth phase and enable them to generate consistent revenue growth, increase their deal size and shorten their sales cycles using inbound and content strategies.

People think marketing is easy. Hint: it’s not.
People see marketing as black and white, like sales. Hint: it’s not.
Marketing is very very gray. And oftentimes counterintuitive, which is why so many people don’t get it.

We keep delivering on what we promise.

In the next 12 months, companies will waste millions because they don’t understand one thing: what to buy, what to build, and what to automate.

I keep seeing screenshots like the one above.
“Customer churned after 18 months - we built it internally.”

On paper, it sounds like a smart move. Why pay $300/month for a SaaS tool when you can “just build it yourself,” especially now that AI can generate half the code for you?

But that’s only the surface-level story.

The real shift AI is creating in SaaS isn’t that companies will suddenly cancel all their tools.

The real shift is that more and more companies are about to make the wrong strategic decision, because they don’t actually understand the trade-off between:

- buying a SaaS tool
- building an internal solution
- automating the workflow
- using AI as an intelligent layer on top of everything

That gap in understanding is where the biggest damage happens and nobody talks about it!

AI destroyed the barrier to creation. Ok?

“Vibe coding” lets someone in operations build a custom internal tool faster than a SaaS vendor can answer a support ticket.

People who have never written code in their life are now shipping micro-apps that solve their own problems in a few hours.

And all of this feels like a win… until the part that always shows up:

Maintenance
Security
Access controls
Compliance
API changes
Technical debt.

Your internal developer leaves - nobody knows how the tool works
The workflow breaks on a Friday at 6PM, and suddenly it’s your problem

And the SaaS tool you cancelled?
You’d bring it back tomorrow if you could.

AI makes it easy to build something but brutally expensive to keep it alive.

On the flip side, SaaS companies underestimate how fast internal AI tools will replace anything that isn’t built on deep expertise or real operational value.

Average SaaS is dead.
SaaS built on domain depth survives.

So the real question becomes 

What should you buy? 
What should you build? 
What should you automate?
What should you let AI replace?

Most companies don’t have a framework for that.

They guess
They cut tools they still need
They build tools they can’t maintain
They automate processes that weren’t designed for automation
They ship AI initiatives with no systems beneath them

And that’s where I come in.

I help companies create clarity in the chaos:
- audit the SaaS stack
- identify what stays, what goes, what gets rebuilt, and what gets automated
- design an AI-ready GTM system that doesn’t break under complexity
- prevent AI sprawl and duplicated internal tools
- align product, marketing, ops, and leadership around one system that compounds

AI will not replace SaaS.

AI will expose every SaaS tool, every workflow, and every decision that was built on average thinking.

The companies that win will be the ones that understand the trade-offs and build a system where SaaS, automation, and AI actually work together.

Everyone else is about to pay a very expensive tuition fee.

Volcano of creativity | I fix wasted marketing spend when the pipeline’s stuck | B2B systems where brand, sales & growth collide into one engine | Biblical (like Oasis)

„Ako želiš mnogo para - moraš da se uprosečiš.“
„Razgovor se vodi na nivou glupljeg.“
„Najsigurnije je da se uklopiš.“

To su rečenice na kojima se ovde decenijama gradi mentalni model uspeha.

I najtužnije je što većina ljudi zaista poveruje u njih, jer je sigurnost kod nas postala vrhovna vrednost - ne rast, ne znanje, ne ambicija, nego stabilnost po svaku cenu, čak i kada ta stabilnost znači odustajanje od sebe.

Zato i dalje ogroman broj ljudi sanja o poslu u javnim ustanovama, jer ideja „da ne radim mnogo, da uzmem neku lovu i da me niko ne cima“ deluje kao vrhunac životne udobnosti. Možete umesto javne ustanove da dodate "rad od kuće".

To je zamrznut prostor u kojem se ništa ne dešava, ali ima dovoljno vazduha da traje ceo život.

Ja sam iz Pirota i znam taj mentalitet iznutra. Većina ljudi stremi da radi u fabrici - Michelin, prva–druga–treća smena, sigurna plata, poznat ritam, stabilan kolektiv. 

I nema ništa loše u tome dok god si iskren prema sebi. Problem počinje onda kada taj obrazac postane izgovor da nikada ne saznaš ko si zapravo i koliko daleko možeš da ideš ako samo jednom izađeš iz zone komfora.

Ista priča je i u biznisu, na LinkedInu i u svakom sistemu koji te nagrađuje za uklapanje, a kažnjava za iskorak.

Većina ljudi ne razbija sopstvene paterne, ne razbija tuđe, ne rizikuje mogućnost da bude bolja verzija sebe, jer postoji taj duboko usađeni strah „šta ako ispadnem glup“, pa je lakše da niko ne vidi ni tvoje slabosti ni tvoje snage.

Umesto toga, svi pišu iste postove, iste savete, iste rečenice, iste teme, iste formate, iste pokušaje sigurnog angažmana i onda se iskreno iznenade što im se vraća isti rezultat.

Ljudi biraju ono što trenutno nosi mali benefit, ne shvatajući da je to manje od 5% onoga što bi dobili kada bi samo jednom svesno iskoračili u nepoznato. 

Pre nego što imaju „intent“. 
Pre nego što razumeju algoritam. 
Pre nego što se usklade sa stadom. 

I ne vide da stadno razmišljanje ima najveću manu od svih - zarobi te tačno tamo gde ti je najudobnije.

Istina je brutalno jednostavna: ekstremni rezultati traže ekstremnu odgovornost, ekstremnu posvećenost i ekstremnu neprilagodljivost proseku. 

Ne znači to ludilo, nego odlučnost da ne igraš igru na najmanji zajednički sadržalac samo zato što je lakša. Znači da ne izabereš rutinu koja te štiti, nego rizik koji te menja.

A tu dolazimo do dve stvari koje su najteže, ali najvažnije:

1. Razbijanje paterna
2. Učenje brzog zaboravljanja.

Razbijanje paterna znači da prestaneš da živiš po automatizmu koji si nasledio, a učenje zaboravljanja znači da svesno puštaš stare verzije sebe da bi mogao da usvojiš nove. 

Dok god ostaješ vezan za ono što si nekada bio, nemaš prostora da postaneš ono što možeš da budeš.

Ako osećate da ste već neko vreme zaglavljeni u tuđem paternu, znajte da niste sami, ali isto tako znajte da niko neće doći da vas izvuče.

To morate vi. I sve počinje od jedne odluke: da prestanete da birate sigurnost i da po prvi put izaberete sebe.

taplio

The Battle

Itir Eraslan

Nemanja Zivkovic

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreNemanja Zivkovic's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Itir Eraslan

Nemanja Zivkovic

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Nemanja Zivkovic's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreNemanja Zivkovic's LinkedIn Performance