Businesses We Love: Brand Shout's Owen Lynch on what makes a brand great

SmartCompany is proud to introduce ‘Businesses We Love’, a new series in partnership with Optus Business. In each edition, we chat with Australian founders and business leaders about productivity, connectivity, technology and the realities of running a modern business.

For Owen Lynch, the most exciting opportunities are often the ones a business owner hasn't spotted yet.

As the founder of Brand Shout, Lynch helps brands grow through partnerships, collaborations, licensing opportunities and strategic brand extensions. Drawing on a career spanning design, publishing, branding and business strategy, he works with founders and business owners to uncover new opportunities while staying true to what made their brands successful in the first place.

We sat down with Owen Lynch to answer 10 questions about building brands, finding growth opportunities and the technology that keeps his business moving.

For people who haven’t come across Brand Shout before, what do you do?

“Brand Shout sits at the intersection of creativity and commerce. We work with brands to help them grow, whether that’s through strategic advice, partnerships, collaborations or licensing opportunities.

“A big part of what we do is helping businesses uncover opportunities they may not have considered on their own. That might mean identifying new product categories, the right commercial partner, a publishing opportunity, or a brand extension that allows them to grow without losing what made the brand strong in the first place.”

Most people understand what a designer, marketer or retailer does. What do people usually get wrong about your job?

“People often assume it’s marketing or PR, but it’s actually a little different.

“I founded Brand Shout to bring together marketing, business development, product strategy and partnerships. The mission is to help brands branch out by identifying credible new opportunities beyond their day-to-day business.

“It’s also about understanding the commercial value already sitting inside a brand, and then working out how that value can be enhanced strategically, in a way that is both commercially useful and true to the brand.”

You studied design, but today you’re helping brands grow commercially. When did you realise creativity and business weren’t separate things?

“Probably very early on. I studied industrial design, which combines engineering with creativity, so I came to appreciate that design is not just about making things beautiful. It is also about solving problems.

“Brand strategy and marketing work in a similar way. You are taking creative ideas and applying them to a commercial problem, whether that is positioning, sales, demand, growth, or helping a business find, connect with and hold onto the right audience.

“So for me, creativity and business have never felt separate. The creative idea is important, but the real value is in how it is executed and what it is ultimately there to achieve.”

You've spent your career around some incredible brands. What's the difference between a good brand and a great one?

"A good brand has clarity. A great brand has clarity and emotion. People need to understand what a business stands for, but they also need to feel something when they interact with it.

"When a brand is clear, consistent and emotionally engaging, people develop trust in it. They understand what it stands for, they know it's for them and they keep coming back."

Where are you based and why is that the right location for both you and the business?

"I'm based in Sydney and, for the work I do, it's a great place to be.

"A lot of Australia's design media, industry headquarters and creative businesses are based here, but it's also easy to travel interstate or overseas when needed."

What's the best part of your workday, the moment you're fully switched on and doing what you do best?

"It's usually when all the pieces suddenly click into place. I might have spent months nurturing a relationship, pitching an idea or exploring an opportunity and then a conversation or email arrives that moves everything forward.

"Those moments are exciting because no two days are ever the same."

Running a business built on relationships means staying connected is important. What's one piece of technology, software or everyday business tool you couldn't operate without?

"My phone and laptop without question. The business runs on communication. If I'm not on a phone call, I'm writing an email, reviewing a contract or working through a proposal.
"Being able to communicate with clients and keep projects moving wherever I am is essential."

What’s the best feedback you’ve ever received about the business?

“The most meaningful feedback is when someone tells me I’ve helped them see their business more clearly.

“As a founder or company lead, it’s easy to become immersed in the day-to-day and lose perspective. Sometimes an informed outside perspective helps uncover opportunities you hadn’t considered.

“That clarity can be really valuable. It can help a business understand what to pursue, what to protect and what to say no to. Helping someone find a new direction or path for growth is incredibly rewarding.”

What task are you currently most likely to use AI for?

"AI is incredibly powerful, but I'm very careful about how it's used, particularly in creative industries where creativity itself is the value people bring.

"For me, it doesn't replace strategic thinking, creative thinking or judgement. That's the value I bring as a consultant.

"Where I find AI useful is helping organise information, identify patterns or bring structure to large amounts of material. It's a tool that can help facilitate thinking, but it doesn't replace the thinking itself."

What's one brand, founder or social account you're following right now that you think more business owners should know about?

"Sarah Ellison is someone I'm watching closely at the moment.

"She recently stepped into a new chapter of her career after helping build a hugely successful furniture business, and it's exciting to watch someone with such a strong creative point of view explore new opportunities.

"I think there's a lesson in that for any business owner. Growth often comes from being willing to evolve, even when what you're already doing is working."

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