Jackie Hermes

Growing B2B software co's w/ marketing that *actually works* | founder + CEO @ Accelity | built from $0 to 7-figures with no funding

It all started in 1986 in Lansing, Michigan.

Kidding. (Well, not really, but that’s not how I’m going to start this story.)

I started my entrepreneurial journey with cookies. Really. A vegan cookie company… and I wasn’t vegan (I gave it a shot and dang, it was hard!). I turned four cookie recipes into a business—designing packaging, finding a kitchen and making the cookies, eventually outsourcing production, then selling and establishing distribution to 12 grocery stores around Wisconsin.

The cookies taught me how to hustle. As a 24-year-old MBA, I definitely didn’t picture myself hoisting up tents at farmers markets to hand out $5 bags of cookies, or being the demo lady at the grocery store, but there I was. I still had a full-time job running the marketing department at a SaaS company, and a baby.

I’m so grateful for that experience because the money I made helped me start Accelity. What began as a one-woman consultancy blossomed into a kick-ass team of 20 and counting and a group of amazing, loyal clients all over the US.

LinkedIn has been a HUGE contributor to our growth over the past few years. I got talked into—okay, almost forced; I really, really didn’t want to do it—publishing videos about my entrepreneurial experiences in mid-2018 and have steadily grown an audience since. The LinkedIn community has given me so much love and support and I could not possibly be more grateful for the opportunities.

Outside of my professional life, I was a foster parent for two years and two of my three beautiful kiddos were adopted in Milwaukee. People always ask about hobbies, so here you go: lots of travel, fitness, exploring Milwaukee, and playing a lot of Taco vs. Burrito with my kids.

Founder & CEO

We help B2B software companies grow faster with bold sales and marketing processes that actually work—not the “push content and say a prayer” method that many agencies use.

We’re different. An agency born from software, our team has years (and years) of hands-on experience working with high-growth B2B software companies.

Want to know how we do it? Check out the links below.

In all my years selling, I’ve found that when people say you’re “too expensive,” that’s actually rarely about price.

Hear me out.

You have to establish these things in order to make your price worthwhile:

1. clear ROI
2. the right comparison
3. a sense of urgency

And it’s HARD to establish all of these things especially when your buyer is in a hurry or providing limited time.

That means you probably don’t have a pricing problem. You have a value problem.


Taking the following steps makes all the difference:

> Anchoring to emotional impact
As an agency, we’re not delivering strategy or content. We’re delivering relief for marketers that are doing it all.

> Give context for them to compare to
If you don’t show what your work replaces (a hire, wasted spend, lost time), buyers will compare you to whatever is top of mind for them.

> Tie yourself to real business goals
When your product or service clearly ladders up to revenue, retention, or growth, price becomes easier to justify.


Final PSA: Discounting doesn’t solve this problem! The buyer needs clarity, not just a cheaper price. (You get what you pay for!)


I break this down more in Episode #304 of The Art of Entrepreneurship, including how to raise perceived value without sounding salesy or desperate.

🎧 Full episode link in comments!
📩 Send this to a founder who keeps second-guessing their pricing

CEO @ Accelity | Growing companies w/ marketing that *actually works*

Jason Vana

Marketing Director

Attract the RIGHT customers to your business | Brand & content strategist | Founder at SHFT | Known as #sassyjason

Struggling to attract the right clients?

You have a brand strategy issue.

Attracting the right people requires understanding why they should buy from YOU, when there are 1000’s of other options easily accessible through Google.

In order to attract, convert, and retain the right clients, you need to:

- Know what makes your business unique
- Communicate what makes your business unique
- Create an experience that shows what makes your business unique

It’s all about highlighting your uniqueness.

That’s where my agency steps in.

Through collaborative workshops, research, strategy, and design, we will help you uncover, communicate, and build an experience around your uniqueness.

Working with us typically looks like:

- industry, competitor, and customer research
- brand and marketing workshops 
- brand and marketing strategies
- design (logos, websites, marketing materials)

It culminates in an Onlyness Action Plan — your 1 year, step-by-step brand and marketing to-do list.

All so you become the ONLY choice for your ideal customers.

And make a lot more money.

Want to learn more?

Send me a message.
Or book a call at shft.agency/discovery

We transform B2B service companies into the ONLY choice for their ideal customers. Our clients see a 20%+ increase in revenue with our brand and content strategies. 

Here's how we help:

◼️ Brand Strategy (customers, uniqueness, messaging, touchpoints, story)
◼️ Brand Design (logos, colors, fonts, collateral)
◼️ Content Strategy (demand gen, content creation)
◼️ LinkedIn (strategy, content, profile audits)

Interested in learning more? DM me or book a discovery call below.

Positioning is not a brand.
Positioning is not a design.
Positioning is not a product.
Positioning is not a message.
Positioning is not a pitch deck.
Positioning is not a case study.
Positioning is not a marketing tactic.
Positioning is not the content you create.

It's the space you own in the mind of your ideal customer.

How they think about you when you're not in the room. - Bezos
The gut feeling they have about your business. - Neumeier
The reputation you hold. - every marketer ever

And it's influenced by:

- your brand
- your product
- your message
- your case studies
- your marketing tactics
- your logo and colors
- your sale process
- your operations
- your pitch deck
- your content
- your price

Determine the space you want to OWN in the minds of your ideal customers.

Everything else should influence that perception.

Or, just let your website developer write your messaging.

I'm sure that will work, too.

(Hint: it won't)

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Turn your sharpest edge into a market-leading position. I build b2b service brands that stand out + drive revenue. Founder/CEO at Shft.Agency. Brand Strategist. Known as #SassyJason

Operations > personality

Most branders and marketers will fight me on this.

Somewhere along the line personality became the "it" thing.

All driven by the "people buy from people" mindset.

Which is slightly true.

Yes, people buy from people.

But they buy from people who:
- they resonate with
- can solve their problem
- can paint the picture of their future
- provide value they can't find elsewhere

All of that revolves around one thing:

An uncopyable element.

Something you DO that no other business does.

Notice the emphasis on "do."

It's operations, actions, deliverables.

Not personality. 

Extract that uncopyable element from your operations.

Then build your brand personality, messaging, marketing, content, pitch decks, social proof, hiring practices — everything! — around it.

Your brand will show depth. Value. Differentiation.

And give customers a reason to choose YOU.

If you're into that sort of thing, that is.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

Create a brand system to attract better-fit, higher-paying clients. | I build b2b service brands that stand out + drive revenue. Founder/CEO at Shft.Agency. Brand Strategist. Known as #SassyJason

Shft is undergoing a rebrand.

And we started in a place most brand agencies ignore:

Our operations.

Most rebrands start with vibes.

Purpose, mission, vision, values, personality.

That's the path to blending in.

Because all of those can be copied.
(Yes, including your personality.)

But you know what can't be copied?

That one thing you DO that your competitors can't or won't do.

So we started there.

Dug into what Shft actually does differently.

You know what we found?

We don't brand based on vibes.
We brand based on operations.

The thing you DO.
The methodology you follow.
The one step in your process no one else does.

Hell, the first step working with us is an Offer workshop.

We dig into your offer, process, and deliverable to extract what makes you different.

THAT'S our uncopyable element.

Because most branders out there are personality creators.

They give you adjectives, stories, archetypes, mission statements...

But never touch operations, sales, or even your offer.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Our rebrand will be launching in a few months.

But I'll be sharing the process as we go.

So you understand why vibe branding is a sham.

And operational branding makes you stand out.

Stay tuned.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Strategy myths = invisible chains on your business.

I see them everywhere.

And they hold back founders who should be making bank.

Here are 13 strategy myths I hear constantly (especially on LinkedIn):

1. "Strategy is just for big companies."
Small businesses need strategy MORE.

2. "We can figure it out as we go."
That's called guessing, not strategizing.

3. "Strategy takes too long."
Know what takes longer? Fixing years of random decisions.

4. "Our strategy is to work harder."
That's not a strategy. That's being stupid.

5. "We need to be everywhere."
No. You need to dominate somewhere specific.

6. "Strategy and tactics are the same thing."
Strategy is WHERE you're going. Tactics are HOW you get there.

7. "Good products sell themselves."
In what universe? Even Apple has a strategy.

8. "We'll pivot if it doesn't work."
Pivoting without a strategy is just flailing in a different direction.

9. "Strategy is too expensive."
Wasting money on the wrong things is expensive.

10. "Our team is too small for strategy."
Your team is too small NOT to have one.

11. "We just need more leads."
You need the RIGHT leads. That requires strategy.

12. "Strategy kills creativity."
Wrong. It focuses creativity where it matters most.

13. "We can copy what competitors do."
You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?

These myths keep businesses stuck.

Strategy isn't a luxury reserved for Fortune 500 companies.

It's the difference between building something that lasts...
...and wasting time and money on "testing" stupid ideas.

Stop believing the myths.
Start building with intention.

That, my friend, happens with a strategy.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

13 Strategy Myths that Hinder Revenue | Shft Agency

Becoming uncopyable starts in with your operations.

Something you DO that your competitors can't or won't.

Take these uncopyable elements from some of our clients:

- IoT remote monitoring system that outputs a prioritized checklist
- Energy recruiter that presents candidate profiles instead of resumes
- IaC developer that upskills your developers on operational workflows
- MVP and website developer that designs a tech experience, not just a platform
- Vacuum pump remanufacturer that tests tolerances on every screw, nut, and component part

We built their position around those uncopyable elements.

Messaging, marketing, pitch decks, social proof, content, design, copy — it all points back to that ONE thing.

That's what your brand SHOULD do:

Make it clear why customers should choose you.

Because if you don't...

- you'll sound like every other business
- you'll confuse prospects
- you'll rely heavily on sales

And when customers don't know WHY they should choose you, they don't.

It's basic buyer psychology.

Find your uncopyable element. 
Own it in everything you do.

Or don't be surprised when prospects choose your competitors.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

----
PS - I'm sharing how in Saturday's Brand Shft email. Click the link in my bio to subscribe.

undefined undefined

Hey there!

Stoked to hear you're looking to find your unique brand differentiator!

Here's the link to download my B2B ‘Just Be Authentic’ Playbook:

https://findyourdifferentiation.com/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=linkedin&utm_campaign=launch_dm

I've spent weeks working on this resource, and I honestly think you'll find it super valuable.

Let me know if you have any questions as you go through it, and enjoy!

-Jason

Content Driven By Brand Strategy

📌 The best content is driven by a solid brand strategy.

- know your ideal customers
- know what makes your offer unique
- know your position in the market
- know the right tone and voice

Then create content that intersects all three.

You'll never create content your ideal customers love if you don't know who they are.

Want your content to generate real revenue?

DM me today or visit https://shft.agency/content 

Offer -> Brand Strategy

📌 The right offer matters.

No amount of marketing, content, or personal branding will help you sell a sh*t offer long-term.

And it certainly won't be something people pay a premium price for.

Nailing your offer is a core step in creating a profitable brand.

Need help with that?

DM me or visit https://shft.agency/services/brand-strategy to get started.

Clarity Call: Offer

📌 Productizing your strategy or service offer makes it much easier to sell.

Think of it like hiding your strategy behind a core deliverable. 

You sell the deliverable.
And your service/strategy is HOW you create the deliverable.

Need help with that?

We can nail it down in a 1-hour Clarity Call.

DM me or book a call directly at https://shft.agency/clarity 

Go Up Market

📌  You won't be able to successfully stumble up-market.

You need a solid brand strategy to help determine:

- your new ICP
- your new position
- your new price points
- your new differentiation
- your new brand personality

Getting that nailed down will make your transition up-market far more successful.

And by successful, I mean profitable.
For you.

Want to move up-market successfully?

I've helped 125+ businesses reposition their brand for maximum profitability.

DM me for more or visit https://shft.agency/services/brand-strategy 

Brand Strategy

📌 I'm not saying all is lost when you don't start with a brand strategy.

But, starting with one makes revenue generation far easier and faster than just 'testing' what works.

The need to 'test' is often the result of not having the right foundation for your business.

Get that foundation in place and you'll be able to move faster and make far more money.

Need help with that?

I might know a #SassyStrategist who can help.

DM me or visit https://shft.agency/services/brand-strategy to get started today.

I run a branding agency. We do NOT have:

- purpose statement
- vision statement
- mission statement

And guess what? WE STILL LAND CLIENTS.

Shocking, I know.

According to most brand agencies, marketing gurus, and influencers, you can't operate without those statements.

You need to know your WHY.
You need a purpose.
Customers want to know your mission.

Bollocks. 

I didn't start Shft with a 'why.'
(other than wanting to work for myself)

And I don't feel lost, confused, or struggle to land clients.

Because your WHY doesn't really matter to clients.

You know what matters to them?

- You can solve their problem
- In a way that matters to them
- Within their budget

Show that, and your purpose, vision, mission, and values don't matter.

Here's how:

- Uncover your uncopyable IP
- Operationalize it
- Showcase proof
- Share your expertise

👆🏼 Doing that will get you further than spending months nailing your mission statement.

Because purpose, vision, mission, and values are great.

They should outline how your team acts.

But you know what makes money?

An Uncopyable IP.

- Process
- Operation
- Deliverable
- Methodology

Start there.

You'll make a sh*t ton more money.

While your competitors are still trying to finalize their mission statement.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Most brands are built on a vibe:

- purpose
- mission
- vision
- values
- personality

Elements that FEEL important.
But don't really matter to the market.

Be honest:

When was the last time you purchased a SaaS product because the mission of the company resonated so deeply with you that you couldn't help but give them your money?

If you said anything other than never, you're lying.

Vibe branding is surface level.

And keeps you locked in a struggle to attract and convert your ideal customers.

That's why I focus on operational branding.

- extract your differentiation from your operations
- build your brand around that differentiation
- create a unique and ownable position

Start with your operations.
The one uncopyable thing you do.

(Hint: you do have one)

And create everything around it.

It gives your brand depth.
An ownable IP.
And makes you uncopyable.

Create a your brand on a vibe...
...and you'll blend in to all the AI-generated noise.

OR

Create your brand on the one uncopyable thing you do.

And watch as customers repeatedly choose you over the competition.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

----
PS - Find what makes you uncopyable in this Saturday's Brand Shft email. Link in comments and in my bio.

Building a moat around your brand starts with one thing:

Your uncopyable element.

The one thing you DO that:

- your ideal customers want or need
- your competitors can't or won't do

Call it your onlyness, differentiation, uniqueness, USP, or your value.

Most founders look for it in their personality, purpose, or team.

And try to own some form of being the best.

(Industry leading, highest quality, single source of truth)

All those do is position your business as the same.

- same offer
- same value
- same message
- same look and feel

And ultimately competing on price.

Because vibe branding lacks one key element to business growth:

A real reason for customers to choose you.

Extract your uncopyable element. 
Build your brand around it.
Own that place in the market.

And watch as customers continue to choose you.

I'm sharing how to extract what makes you uncopyable in tomorrow's Brand Shft email.

Subscribe today to get it → https://lnkd.in/gvmiU8YE

Or, you know, keep pushing your mission statement and personality.

Like every other damn B2B company out there.

I'm sure that will make you stand out.

(NOT)

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

Treat AI like an intern.

It's great at performing mundane, repetitive tasks:

- finding patterns
- researching trends
- analyzing data sets
- clarifying your thinking
- creating low-level graphics
- organizing and qualifying leads

Hell, I use it to find competitors' social media profiles.
Pull analytics.
Find industry patterns.

And even point out what they AREN'T doing.

All things I could train an intern to do.

Because in order to get AI to do that level of work...

YOU HAVE TO TRAIN IT LIKE AN INTERN.

Give it examples.
Explain what to do.
Explain what not to do.
Document a process.
Review its work.

AI is NOT going to run your business while you sleep.

Or take a single prompt and spit out the most industry-shattering idea that will make you millions.

Or help you to stand out and do something different.

(it's not even built that way)

AI is an intern.

Treat it that way.

Or keep expecting it to be your strategist, content creator, and business coach.

Don't be surprised when you look, sound, and have the same offer as every other competitor on the market.

Because that's what AI will give you.

The average of everything it's trained on.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Brand awareness ≠ brand recognition

Yet, that's how most founders and marketers treat it.

Failed marketing campaign? It's brand awareness.
Failed tradeshow presence? It's brand awareness.
Failed content implementation? It's brand awareness.

As long as the market sees the brand name and logo, and can recall it, that's brand awareness, right?!

WRONG.

That's brand recognition, not awareness.

Let's clear something up right now.

Brand awareness is achieved when people know:

- the brand name
- what the brand does
- how the brand could impact them

Much deeper than brand recognition alone.

And the only way to achieve true brand awareness?

Brand inclusion.

Your brand shows up when and where ideal customers are searching.

Stop using brand awareness as an excuse for marketing's failures.
Or seeing it as brand recognition.

Awareness is about seeing your brand as a solution.

NOT just recognizing your damn logo.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Launching an effective brand requires:

- Uncopyable IP (operation, process, methodology)
- Deep understanding of their ideal customers
- Clear and compelling messaging
- Few, but aligned, offers
- Offer staircase to make selling easier
- Relevant experience (marketing, sales, operations)

THAT'S the bare minimum.

Especially if you want to stand out, increase revenue, and become the only choice for your ideal customers.

Not purpose.
Not mission.
Not vision.
Not personality.
Not even design.

You need the ability to communicate:

- The unique benefit you bring to the market
- For whom
- How

And turn that into a system to attract and convert clients.

The rest are nice-to-haves, but not requirements.

Looking to launch a new brand?
Trying to reposition your existing brand?
Want to go up-market and attract higher-paying clients?

Skip the purpose, mission, vision, and values.

Nail your uncopyable IP.
And develop a system to own it in the market.

That will take you further than any purpose statement or new design can.

Imagine that.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

----
PS - Create a launchpad for your new or repositioned brand with our Brand Launchpad offer. 4 weeks to get the necessities of a brand strategy. Only $7,500 and only taking on 2 clients this quarter. Learn more in the comments.

75% of Shft's revenue comes through my LinkedIn account.

And no, it's not from my content alone.

Ghostwriters and gurus will tell you that great content is enough to get leads sliding into your DMs like a thirsty married woman wanting you to join her and her husband.

(I've gotten that DM before multiple times...🤮)

Your content creates awareness.

It's meant to show people:

- you know what you're doing
- your unique point of view
- your methodology
- your personality

Now, sometimes you'll have enough awareness that a single post can create a flood of DMs and booked calls.

But that's putting the fate of your business in the hands of the algorithm.

And we all know that Linky Dink has been drunk for a year.

Revenue comes from systems.

Like this one I've used for the last 6 years ↓

- Created a LinkedIn Strategy
- Create content to help my ICP
- Engage before my post publishes
- Respond to comments on my posts
- Focus on DMs
- Schedule my time on LinkedIn

I'm sharing an in-depth breakdown, including resources to build your own system, in tomorrow's Brand Shft email.

Subscribe so you don't miss it → https://lnkd.in/gfNESZr3

That mix of content (awareness) and DMs (conversations) driven by a strategy wins.

Both for me
And for my clients

Develop your LinkedIn system.

Or don't be surprised when your ideal customers choose your competitors.

Simply because they did the work to generate leads.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Finding your uncopyable element isn't hard.

Here's how I've done it for 145+ businesses:

- Map your process
From discovery to delivery, document everything you DO.

- Research your competitors
Look for what they can't or won't do.

- Research your customers
Understand what they want and need.

-  Extract what you do differently
Find ONE thing you do that your customers want or need and your competitors can't or won't do.

Don't look for the BIG thing.

The industry-revolutionizing idea.

It's often hiding in the small things you do.

- deliverable
- consultation
- methodology
- framework

The thing you think isn't special because you've done it 100 times for 100 different clients?

THAT'S often your uncopyable element.

Extract it.
Own it.

And watch it attract customers you never thought you'd land.

Struggling to find it?

I'm sharing my system in this Saturday's Brand Shft email.

Subscribe today → https://lnkd.in/gpDf2hFA

It's driven millions in new revenue for my clients.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

The Path to Becoming Uncopyable | Shft Agency

"We have some stuff to figure out before starting a strategy."

I was having this convo with a B2B service founder.

It made me shake my head and laugh.

Strategy is the act of making decisions about:

- how you'll be different
- for whom
- how
- where

It's literally working through the stuff you need to figure out.

How you want to be seen in the market, which offers you'll keep and kill, who you want to attract, what platforms to show up on, how to structure operations, what positions you need to open, if you need to change your look, how you'll communicate to your prospects, the sales process you'll use, which marketing channels will work...

Creating a strategy figures it all out for you.

With a professional.
Who knows how to structure decision-making.
So you don't keep second-guessing yourself.
And actually stick with a decision long enough to see results.

You can wait until you figure it out by yourself.

Or you can get structured help to make those decisions faster.

One will land you clients quickly.

The other? 

Let's just say the businesses reaching out to me this month spent all last year trying to "figure some stuff out"...

And have made 0 progress.

Imagine that.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Brands rise and fall on one key element:

Their ability to communicate an Uncopyable IP.

Most brands don't know how to talk about what they do.

"We're the industry leading..."
"We optimize the collaboration between..."
"Awesome products for your business..."
"We build websites that sell."

Boring. Unclear. Confusing.

If prospects don't understand why they should choose YOU...

...THEY WON'T.

It's that simple.

Follow these 4 tips for communicating your Uncopyable IP:

- Speak about your customers, not your business
Don't start your message with "We." Start with "You."

- Highlight the transformation
No one cares about your product. They care about how your product changes them.

- Be clear and compelling
Clear alone doesn't incite action. Compelling alone can be confusing. Combine the two. You'll move prospects to convert.

- Talk about your Uncopyable IP
Align your message with what makes you different.

I run every client message through those filters.

Follow those tips.

You'll create a message that compels products to convert.

I'm sharing how in Saturday's Brand Shft email.

Subscribe today to get it → Link in comments cause reach.

Or keep sharing that boring, confusing, copyable message.

I'm sure that will make it easy for prospects to choose you.

NOT

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

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