PO & Co.

How can you sell products and services if you're ignored in the first place?

PO&Co. helps small-to-medium-size companies spring from their sales plateaus and increase revenue through effective marketing free of buzzwords, shiny objects, and black boxes.

Marketing Consultant & Fractional CMO

Common Giant

Common Giant is a growth-minded branding agency that digs deep into marketing strategy to produce stunning creative execution.

Common Giant was founded in 2012 to My role with Common Giant is to help grow the brand strategy framework for the agency and evangelize the company's brand. 

As of 2021, I have moved out of day-to-day operations to focus on brand growth at SFW.

Founder, Board Member, and Partner

Common Giant is a brand growth agency that digs deep into marketing strategy to produce stunning creative execution for companies who want to become legendary.

Common Giant stands tall with expertise in brand strategy, creative execution, and strategic communication. Our ethos is not only about delivering collaborative, successful brands and campaigns for our clients, it is also about building committed partnerships. We’ve worked globally with clients in the software technology, medical technology, consumer packaged goods, food, and retail industries.

At Common Giant, we channel our partners’ visions into projects that are inspired, clear, and concise. We bring our team’s full range of talents to generate a signature agency experience.

Founder and Chief Creative Officer

The YEC is a selective, invite-only group of like-minded peers and entrepreneurs from nearly every industry. YEC has been honored by Nasdaq, The White House and has been recognized in media outlets worldwide.

Member

Sales Factory

Sales Factory is a retail-focused agency compelled to succeed by a data-driven integrated approach for home retail brands eager to learn, grow, and win.

My focus is to develop winning brand strategies that drive business growth for our clients.

Vice President of Brand Strategy

Piedmont Opera

The mission of Piedmont Opera is to create operatic productions of the highest artistic quality to enrich our community and to advance the art form.

Our Vision is to be the finest opera company of our size in the nation and acknowledged as the best at what we do.

Board Member

iCan House

iCan House supports and enhances the lives of those with social challenges by teaching social skills, educational opportunities and provide a source of educational resources and networks. 

In our community, there exists a large population who live their daily lives with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, PDD-NOS, and other social disorders. As they grow and experience a world created with rules that they may not understand, it is imperative that these unique individuals are provided with positive social models that care to help them grasp the social world in which they must live in.

Together we are stronger. A support system of parents, professionals and advocates will help us succeed and provide our loved ones with the best chance to get the most out of life. Let's chat and see how I can help.

The Variable

Formerly known as PAVE Creative Group, The Variable is a digitally informed marketing think tank that is committed to turning the traditional agency-client relationship on its head. We like MadMen here. But we're more like MathMen (and women, of course). In that spirit, The Variable thinks agencies should stop being cost centers and start being revenue generators.

Specialties –
Business Strategy, Digitally Informed Advertising, Brand Development, Innovation Development

Art Director

PAVE Creative Group

Designer / Art Director

Freelance Graphic Designer / Art Director

Freelance Art Director

Crobar Creative Leverage

Marketing consultant, Fractional CMO, brand strategy, energetic speaker, foodie, soccer player, and proud Dad

I love marketing and building brands. Friends, colleagues, and clients feel that energy from the first moment of interaction. It all begins with curiosity and evolves into a blend of strategic thinking and creative magic to construct brands through effective marketing.

Over the past two decades, I've led marketing initiatives for a diverse range of companies across various industries and sizes, including technology, medtech, consumer goods, and professional services, catering to both B2C and B2B sectors.

In 2012, I founded Common Giant, specializing in crafting branding and marketing for companies that understand that brand is a competitive advantage in a world full of commodities and a marketplace competing on price.

During my career, I’ve worked client-side managing retail stores up to $52MM, served on the agency side as VP of Brand Strategy, successfully launched an agency with global clients, started a marketing consultancy, and served as fractional CMO for multiple businesses. 

Throughout my career, I’ve believed in these four pillars:

1 - Marketing is a business practice. 
Successful businesses use marketing beyond promotion, as a series of business levers to pull for higher profits.

2 - Know the customer as much as you know yourself.
We’re in business to sell products and services. But it’s hard to sell something customers don’t want or why they should buy from you. Get to know what, how, and where they’ll buy.

3 - Grow the orchard while you sell the fruit.
A small percentage of your current target audience is ready to buy. Sell when they’re ready and invest in the brand long-term to sell a lot more.

4 - Boring is expensive.
Boring is forgettable and less effective. Being ignored means being forgotten and spending more for attention. Boring is bad for business.


Now that you’ve read this excruciatingly verbose bio, I’d like to add that, in addition to my professional endeavors, I am an enthusiastic keynote speaker, delivering engaging talks on branding, marketing, creative problem-solving in business, and effective marketing strategies to audiences of all sizes.

Phillip Oakley

As people discuss the business decline of McDonald's and Wendy's, and blame it on brand promise or not making customers "feel" something, we need to keep in mind that prices outpaced inflation, and (for most), quality declined to maximize profits. 

Providing decent food for the value is the bottom rung of the consumer benefit ladder. You need a solid first rung before climbing up to the feels.

Once that bottom rung breaks, just as Domino's faced years ago, you must slide back to the ground to fix it. 

Or customers won't care to ask "Where's the Beef?"

Stand Tall.

Mixing strategy and creativity to build brands through effective marketing. Energetic speaker, foodie, soccer player, and proud Dad.

Did you know 30-year-old sonic branding for Mentos is so powerful, it can burn a Michael McDonald Yacht Rock earworm straight out of your brain?

I have a confession to make: I quite like Yacht Rock. 

My wife and I have been enjoying more than our fair share of The Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross, and Steely Dan of late. For some reason, Michael McDonald has cameos in loads of them. 

One night last week, I couldn't get to sleep. I was being haunted by Michael McDonald. If you've heard the song "Ride Like the Wind," you know why: 

🎶 I've got such a long way to go 🎶

It had to stop. (Such a long way to go)

So I turned to ... The Freshmaker. And it works every single time. 🎶Doo doo doo doo, doo doo, doo wah! 🎶

Loads of smart people talk about brand codes and distinctive brand assets here on this platform. But I'll fly the Mentos flag any day as being one of the most powerful assets that's still an easy recall. 

Bookmark this post, so next time there's an unwanted song stuck your head you can freshen up with this commercial (one of many, might I add). How many of their TV spots do you remember? 

Nothing gets to you, staying fresh, staying cool, with Mentos, fresh and fuuuuuuull of life!

Stand Tall.

“I hate those things.” After overhearing three different customers share the same opinion in two days, the visiting district manager removed the virtual tellers from my local bank, for good reason. 

First off, good on the area manager for being in the branches to see how customers interact. 

Secondly, good on them to recognize tech was getting in the way of helping the customer, and hurting the brand. 

This was a video teller interface. You would walk into the branch, not speak to a human, visit a kiosk and push a button to summon a remote teller who would assist you via video. And when they finish your transaction, they can move on to someone else in another city.

Sounds a bit dystopian. And while the tellers were trained well, it just felt disconnected.

I’m sure decisions makers tried to level the playing field with larger banks through technology. And I’m willing to bet this idea was presented in a deck along with the words “digital transformation” in the mid-2010s.

But in the end, it actually removed what makes small local branches better: help.

Help from a real human. 

Know your brand by recognizing what customers need from the different touchpoints of your business. Especially the points where they seek real human interaction. 

If it can be outsourced to a screen, it can be outsourced to AI. 

Stand Tall.

No alternative text description for this image

Most of us who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s can recall that the Fruit of the Loom logo used to feature a cornucopia, a horn-shaped basket spilling out apples and grapes. Except it never did. 

There was never a cornucopia. Not once. Not ever.

Yes, I checked. I scraped the interwebs. Snopes confirmed it.

My childhood memories are lying to me.

If you remember the cornucopia, you’re in the collective hallucination with me, in what’s known as the Mandela Effect. It’s when a large group of people confidently remembers something that never existed.

But here’s what’s fascinating from a brand perspective: Fruit of the Loom built such powerful mental associations that we invented missing details, giving fruit leaves more importance than they called for. 

The logo felt like it should have a cornucopia. The imagery of abundance and nostalgia was so strong that our brains filled in the blanks. That’s brand memory at work.

Distinctive assets so sticky they expanded themselves in the public imagination. And even with several major refreshes over 100 years, the logo stayed consistent enough to be recognized through every iteration.

Or maybe it’s just crazy pills passed out by the bucketload.

Every brand should hope to be remembered so vividly that people recall things that were never even there.

Stand Tall.

📸: Snopes

“It’s a workshop for startup incubators, of course we have to use acronyms.” - Tongue in cheek client comment. I chuckled at this smart, self-aware comment by one of our clients in a brand workshop this Thursday. 

Sometimes, it seems today’s business world makes up comments on the fly. 

What’s your CAGR from your COGS?

Is your POS communicating your TOS to land your SLA?

And if your brand doesn’t know its COGS, how can your sales team understand its BANT?

How about your OAR? ELO? KLF? REM? POD? INXS? NWA? TLC? EMF? RUN-DMC?

LMFAO!

Isn’t the inside speak exhausting? It sounds like my mixtape playlist from 1992.

Speak clearly and lose the jargon if you want to connect with your target audience. They’ll appreciate the lack of need for an FAQ, IMO. 

Because if you overuse acronyms and insider terms, they’ll look at you like ODB. 

Speak the language of your customers. 

Stand Tall.

Tara LaFon Gooch, MBA

Best Branding Solutions, LLC.

We understand the challenges of building a strong online presence, gaining visibility, and building an impactful brand identity, which is why we offer a seamless integration of marketing and strategic branding services. As a growing 8(a) certified, woman-owned small business we are here to create an impact and help as many businesses as possible achieve incredible results.

We empower established entrepreneurs, authors, and speakers to achieve top 1% positioning in months, not years. 

We specialize in transforming 7-8 figure businesses through strategic branding that captivates audiences and elevates brand perception. Whether crafting a brand identity from scratch or rejuvenating an existing one, our meticulous strategies ensure a seamless process that enhances visibility, fosters connection, and drives long-term success.

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀: 
“Tara's innovative approach to branding takes you beyond what you ever imagined was possible! After working on my speaking programs, marketing material, LinkedIn posts, and overall brand strategy I was able to increase my offering anywhere from 200-500%.”

-Edward E. Mosley, International Speaker & Executive Leadership Coach

Contact us today to embark on your journey to accelerated growth and long-term impact. Your audience is waiting – let's captivate them together!

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩:
"To expand potential by creating groundbreaking branding that sets our clients apart, inspires change, and creates impact within communities and individual lives."

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐔𝐬:
www.BestBranding.Solutions
Hello@BestBranding.Solutions
(704) 438-0762

Chief Executive Officer

GRASP Confidence Podcast

In a landscape where self-doubt frequently impedes personal and professional advancement, GRASP Confidence stands as your guiding light, delivering priceless insights, actionable strategies, and authentic anecdotes to fortify your journey toward unshakeable confidence.

Imagine a platform where top-tier experts in psychology, communication, business growth, leadership, and personal development converge to share their wisdom. Every week, our captivating episodes equip you with the tools to surmount obstacles, seize opportunities, and exude confidence across every facet of your life.

Our commitment to personal development is underscored by weekly interviews with global thought leaders. These experts bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and perspective, ensuring that each episode becomes a transformative experience. Picture gaining access to the minds of these trailblazers, absorbing their insights, and applying their strategies to your own life.

Our episodes are released bi-weekly, strategically geared to kickstart your empowerment journey with a dose of inspiration and transformation. Whether you're navigating challenges in your professional journey or seeking personal growth, our podcast provides the compass you need to navigate toward unwavering confidence.

Now, you may be wondering, what does GRASP stand for?

Gratitude 
Responsibility 
Action
Sight
Purpose

This 5-step method is aimed at transforming your life and empowering our listeners to dream BIGGER, live BETTER, and INSPIRE others. 

𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧:
GRASP Confidence Podcast is proudly sponsored by MELLANMÅL of Sweden, creators of RE:DO vegan protein bars. 🇸🇪 

Available on Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeart Radio, and Apple podcasts!

Podcast Host

Scared So What™ Ltd

We’ve created the world’s first bespoke Personal Change Model©—SCARED SO WHAT™. This pioneering model helps reduce stress, anxiety, and worry by teaching people to critically reflect on personal change—anytime, anywhere. People may accept, reject, or feel stuck in change. Most organizational models fail to include the individual in the change process.

SCARED focuses on feelings and guides informed decisions over assumptive ones. SO WHAT helps individuals create and execute their own action plans.

Together, they empower better reflection, decision-making, and reduced stress. In organizations, we recommend prioritizing individuals before launching any change plan. SCARED SO WHAT ensures they’re INCLUDED.

We go further—our model integrates Transformational Leadership to help leaders succeed daily, not just in change. We also offer executive 1:1 coaching.

SCARED SO WHAT is the missing link to successful personal and organizational change leadership.

Offering: Change Management Tech via our Personal Change PRO App, Instructor Certification, Online Courses, and full implementation support. Accredited by ITOL, CPD, and endorsed by The Oxford Review.

🌐 www.scaredsowhat.com

Sr. Partner

From Calling To Confidence

As the founder and retreat leader of From Calling to Confidence, I guide faith-driven women through a transformational journey of rest, realignment, and bold activation into their God-given purpose.

I curate an elevated, all-inclusive experience that blends spiritual depth with personal branding, visibility, and leadership development. Through intentional teaching, one-on-one guidance, and collaboration with guest speakers and facilitators, I help each woman gain clarity, confidence, and the tools to rise into her next level—with faith and authority.

From luxury accommodations and professional media coaching to powerful worship and healing moments, my role is to hold sacred space while equipping women to multiply their message, expand their influence, and walk boldly in their calling.

Retreat Leader & Visibility Strategist

TEDxSugar Creek Women

As a TEDx speaker coach and curator, I am honored to help thought leaders bring their ideas to life on one of the world’s most recognized stages. My role involves guiding speakers to refine their concepts, develop impactful narratives, and deliver presentations that captivate audiences while staying true to their unique voice.

I work closely with speakers to ensure their ideas are communicated clearly, authentically, and with maximum impact. By blending storytelling techniques with strategic coaching, I help individuals unlock their potential and deliver transformative talks that leave a lasting impression.

In addition to coaching, my responsibilities as a curator include identifying and selecting innovative, thought-provoking topics that align with the TEDx mission of spreading ideas worth sharing. This involves collaborating with teams to ensure every event showcases a diverse range of voices and perspectives that inspire, educate, and challenge the status quo.

With years of experience in leadership, branding, and storytelling, this role is a natural extension of my passion for empowering others to achieve their full potential. TEDx talks have the power to ignite change, and I am committed to helping speakers make their mark while contributing to meaningful conversations that shape the future.

Are you ready to step onto the TEDx stage and share your idea worth spreading? Learn more about our upcoming event at TEDxSugarCreekWomen. I look forward to seeing how your story can inspire change on a global level.

View our event page here:
https://www.tedxsugarcreekwomen.com

Speaker Coach & Curator

Talk Your Way To The Top Speaker Community

Are you ready to stop searching the internet for hours for conferences and events hiring speakers?

We developed a community to support speakers just like you who are ready to step on stage and be discovered.

𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨:
1.) Provide lists of open conferences and events looking to hire speakers. (No more searching)

2.) Provide podcast guest opportunities. (No more visibility challenges)

3.) Provide editable branding and marketing materials. (No more guessing)

4.) Provide deep dives into strategy and teach speakers the business of speaking. (No more speaking for free)

5.) Provide advanced TEDx and LinkedIn courses to expand your brand and thought leadership on a global scale. (No more issues with reach)

6.) Support from a community of like-minded people who are cheering you on every step of the way. (No more being alone in your journey)

From crafting compelling brand strategies to securing prestigious speaking engagements, our community is your ultimate partner in success. Our team of seasoned professionals is committed to refining your speeches, honing your pitch techniques, strategizing your brand for continued success, and demystifying the business of speaking.

With our comprehensive resources and personalized guidance, you'll not only increase your reach and visibility but also save valuable time with our AI-powered training and development tools. Join us and unlock your full potential as a speaker, making a lasting impact on every stage you grace.

Join us today and embark on a transformative journey to unleash your full potential as a dynamic and influential speaker under expert guidance and support!

Founder & Community Leader

C-Suite for Christ

Member, Speakers Bureau

How To GRASP Confidence & Own Your Power

You were born confident, we all were. No baby has ever been born thinking that it is unworthy or underserving of its parents’ attention. Babies cry and are confident in their abilities to have their needs met. As toddlers, we learn how to walk, eat, talk, and do things independently; all of which work to build confidence within us. A toddler when learning how to walk does not fall and then assume they are not good at it or that they are a failure, the young child thinks nothing of the sort. They simply get back up and keep going. Even though they are beginners they do not believe they are failing, and they remain confident that eventually, they will understand how to walk, run, and even jump.

Gradually through life’s obstacles, perceived failures, hardships, and traumas, our confidence begins to dissipate and diminish with time. Confidence can begin to seem elusive and untouchable for many people as they enter adulthood and proceed in their careers. Sadly, a lack of confidence holds many people back in life, preventing them from tapping into their fullest potential and becoming successful. Throughout our lives, we face barriers that all work to lessen our confidence and it can be difficult to overcome for many people, especially for those who have lived through trauma. If left unchecked these past pains and traumas can work to lessen our confidence and hold us back in our lives and careers.

Even though confidence can begin to lessen over the course of our lives, it is possible to regain it. Ultimately, while some individuals may be naturally more confident than others, confidence is a skill that can be cultivated and developed through intentional effort and practice. My sincere hope is that this book helps anyone who is struggling with confidence realize that life begins the moment you step into the confident person you were always meant to be.

‣ Available on Amazon, grab your copy today for a confident tomorrow!
https://www.amazon.com/author/taralafongooch

International Best-Selling Author

FOX Daily Post

As a Personal Development and Leadership Editor, I specialize in bringing leaders' stories to life across diverse industries. With a keen eye for impactful narratives and a passion for personal growth, I collaborate with leaders to articulate their journeys, insights, and strategies for success. Through compelling storytelling and thoughtful editing, I aim to inspire and empower audiences, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and leadership excellence. My role involves distilling complex ideas into accessible and engaging content, amplifying the voices of leaders, and providing valuable insights to readers seeking personal and professional development.

Personal Development & Leadership Editor

LionsHead Specialty Tire & Wheel, LLC

Managing annual revenue in excess of $20M while retaining and enhancing client and partner relationships was my top priority as a sales director. I led a distinguished career with repeated success in maximizing revenue in demanding corporate settings. I secured new business, and maintained current client relationships, ensuring collaboration to leverage organization’s bottom-line growth. As a seasoned sales director, I was highly instrumental in maximizing client satisfaction by delivering impeccable customer experience and providing leadership to coincide with core company values. Communication is one of my greatest strengths and it has helped me forge solid relationships with partners and build consensus across multiple organizational levels. 

Throughout my career, I managed customer communications and initiatives to improve customer service, satisfaction, and retention. My skill set of customer relationships and clearly understanding their needs and objectives, I facilitated exceptional levels of service and repeat business while extending strategic sales and marketing efforts to win new business. I am adept at coordinating both internal and external partners to ensure top-tier customer experience and satisfaction while maximizing efficiency, streamlining operations and increasing bottom line growth.

Sales Director- East Region

Regional Sales Manager

Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker, International Best-Selling Author | Elevating Businesses, Brands & Leadership Potential | 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙈𝙮 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

On a Mission to Help Thought Leaders Rise as Global Voices of Impact 🎤

In 2022, my life changed forever.
What once terrified me—speaking—became the spark that ignited my calling. That moment wasn’t just about finding my voice. It was about helping others discover theirs.

Today, I help thought leaders grow influential brands, land TEDx talks, and become global voices of transformation.

As a Forbes-featured entrepreneur, International TEDx Speaker, 2× Bestselling Author, Podcast Host, and Award-Winning Speaker, I’ve built a proven system to help speakers, consultants, and CEOs elevate their message and confidently lead movements that matter.

Whether you're launching a podcast, applying for TEDx, or building your authority in a crowded space, I bring both strategy and soul to your success.


What I Do:

• Help entrepreneurs + speakers become TEDx speakers

• Build magnetic brands that drive revenue to your business

• Land TV interviews and launch profitable podcasts

• Coach leaders using my GRASP™ Method (Gratitude, Responsibility, Action, Sight, Purpose)

• Host the globally ranked GRASP Confidence podcast


I believe confidence is a calling, not a personality trait and that leadership grounded in faith, strategy, and action can change the world.

From rural Maryland as the youngest child of five raised by a single mother to global stages, I’m proof that when you bet on yourself anything is possible.

My purpose is to help others rise in their God-given identity and pursue their callings with confidence. ❤️



𝘼𝙨 𝙖 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧 & 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩:
I deliver high-impact keynotes and workshops on leadership and personal growth, blending confidence with business strategies that create lasting transformation and success. 

𝘼𝙨 𝙖 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨:
I help thought leaders refine their messaging, position their brands for success, land TEDx talks, build global influence, and turn their stories into movements. My clients step onto world-class stages and lead businesses with clarity, purpose, and conviction.


Are you ready to elevate your impact, brand, leadership, and confidence? Let’s build something extraordinary together!


𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳: 
🎙️ Podcasting
📈 Marketing & Branding Options
🎤 Speaking Engagements & Workshops
🌍 Join My Global Speaker Community!

‣ My Website: www.TaraLaFonGooch.com
‣ Company Website: www.BestBranding.Solutions

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Phillip Oakley

Tara LaFon Gooch, MBA, CVP 🎤

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The Battle

Phillip Oakley

Tara LaFon Gooch, MBA, CVP 🎤

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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);}Phillip Oakley's LinkedIn Performance

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