"Dabblers Die." The Advice That Built Her Business | Jenn Schimmelpfennig, Pivot Brands

On today's show I sat down with Jenn Schimmelpfennig, founder and president of Indianapolis agency Pivot Brands.

Pivot Brands launched in 2006 after Jenn built a brand-strategy segment inside Print Resources and spun it off with support from its owners. She describes learning business early from her father, starting her career post-9/11, and developing a strategy-first approach that uses research to define a brand's core idea and tone, with examples like GreenCycle's "GreenCycle equals mulch" focus and dog-loving Metazoa Brewing's "drink beer, help animals" positioning.

She discusses earning credibility as a young woman by relying on customer and employee insights, insisting on a leadership-table posture, and staying focused on branding rather than taking every project. Our conversation also covers place branding through No Mean City in 2013 and the rapid-response Indy Welcomes All campaign in response to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015.

If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.

You are going to learn about:
- How Pivot Brands was Founded
- The Process of Defining a Brand Identity
- Place Branding Concepts

Thank you to our partners:
Visit Wabash County
Bloomrank

Check out these great clips from the show:
01:23 Guest Introduction: Jenn Schimmelpfennig, Pivot Brands
03:18 Early Business Spark
05:06 First Jobs And Learning
07:16 From Printing To Strategy
10:02 First Big Win GreenCycle
12:53 Finding Brand Voice
14:47 Launching Pivot In 2006
21:57 Building Credibility Young
22:50 Leading As A Young Woman
26:23 Growing Pivot With Purpose
27:53 Narrowing To Branding Lane
29:06 Saying No And Referrals
32:17 Starting Later And Niche
33:58 Quit Dabbling Commit Fully
35:48 Branding Places In Indiana
36:37 Authentic Place Branding
37:56 Measuring Place ROI
38:42 No Mean City Origins
41:03 Telling Hard Truths
42:41 80 Creators Collective
44:02 Name Meaning Layers
46:40 From No Mean City Forward
49:51 Indy Welcomes All Crisis
54:43 Branding Indiana Strategy
56:31 Word Association Game
01:01:50 Why Indiana Home

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