10-23-25 Matt Soble • Brand Dog
In this conversation, Jim Haviland interviews Matt Sobel, the founder of BrandDog, a B2B growth marketing agency. They discuss the unique model of BrandDog, which operates at the intersection of marketing and private equity. Matt shares his career journey, insights on leadership, the importance of relationships, and the challenges of growing a business. He emphasizes the need for motivation within teams and the significance of saying no to opportunities that don't align with their vision. The conversation concludes with acknowledgments to his team and family for their support.
Takeaways
- BrandDog operates at the intersection of marketing and private equity.
- Matt Sobel has experience on both the agency and ownership sides.
- The agency tests products within its ecosystem before selling them externally.
- Companies undergoing transformational growth are ideal clients for BrandDog.
- Leadership involves building strong relationships and networks.
- Motivation cannot be created; it must be intrinsic.
- Saying no to opportunities is crucial for focused growth.
- Intentional culture is necessary in remote work environments.
- Mistakes are part of the learning process in business.
- Support from family and team is vital for success.
"If it's not a hell yes, it's a no."
Creators and Guests
Host
Jim Haviland
Jim Haviland has dedicated decades to pursuing the keys to healthy entrepreneurship. Having owned or led over a dozen entrepreneurial companies himself, (including both successes and a few expensive lessons learned) he is passionate about the power of helping people build a business and in making it easier to avoid the mistakes that end them. Jim gathers his insights and stories from a career that spans an unusual breadth of experiences. As an electrical engineer, he worked on NASA satellites, digital media distribution, and professional audio recording equipment resulting in patents, peer-reviewed research, and medical school curriculum technologies. As a media producer, his work has resulted in Grammys, Oscars, and Emmys. As a technology executive, he has traveled the world working with the world’s best-known brands, presenting to audiences in over 100 cities on innovation and using technology to help organizations do “more and more with less and less forever.” As a business coach, he has helped hundreds of companies and entrepreneurial executives utilize tools and disciplines to build more productive, humane, and resilient organizations. Mr. Haviland is a partner with Impact Architects, a growth advisory firm, where he helps leadership teams develop their business, establish an intentional culture and operating system, and make repeatable progress toward their loftiest goals. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimhaviland/
