“Raising the Bar with a Great Mind”

Today’s business world moves fast, which makes high-energy people feel right at home. Alicia Laszewski, Founder of Brand Ethos, has always been known for her high energy both in life and career. According to her, energy sets the tone for the Brand Ethos team to approach every project with a mindset of greatness. “Brand Ethos was founded on the premise of accountability and a mindset of greatness that I was never able to fully source on the client side for many years,” she explains. “We are a marketing partner, and with that comes the important responsibility to set our own bar high for what we deliver and how we approach the role of being a marketing department for companies on a fully outsourced basis.” That means being a self-starter, coming up with ideas for projects before a client asks, and having the courage to study the results and know when to change course. “I try to model a mindset of accountability and greatness for my family, and that has certainly carried over to my leadership style at Brand Ethos,” adds Alicia.

Brand Ethos was born out of Alicia’s desire to take charge of her life and create a company that could solve a real gap in the marketing world. “Personally, I was coming out of a decision to have a proactive double-mastectomy. This medical journey made me take pause and evaluate what I was accepting out of my professional life, and the impact it was having on me personally,” she says. “Brand Ethos was formed to be an outsourced marketing partner for companies that need a full team of experts across multiple skill sets.” Their clients enjoy the benefits of having a senior strategist like Alicia, and other senior leaders, graphic designers, social media experts, project managers, a cutting-edge web and digital marketing team, writers, and email marketing experts without having to buy each resource at 100%. “Plus, we drive projects for most of our clients by assuming the role as their Chief Marketing Officer and taking the lead on the strategy, the execution, and the pivot points,” she adds.

The steadfast leader and her team target companies that have a cultural fit with Brand Ethos and its ideology. If it is not a fit from an ethics or culture perspective, “then we are okay with walking away, and that is a value that I put forth at the company’s inception,” she explains. “The best work happens when we are partners with our clients, and that is only possible when there is a mutual respect and understanding.”

Entrepreneurs view the business as another child, and Brand Ethos is certainly no exception to Alicia. “It’s been such a joy to watch the company grow, and we are incredibly humbled and blessed to have experienced this growth in such a short time, and during the global pandemic,” she elucidates. “We have diversified our client base and will continue to do so in the coming months as the balance between B2B and B2C clients helps us challenge our thinking and creativity. For one of our clients, expansion into Asia is on the near horizon and we are in talks with companies in both Africa and Asia to begin supporting their brands as they expand into the US.”

Being a leader who has empowered women with her energy and courage, Alicia says today’s social media has provided access to numerous stories of success and inspiration from amazing female entrepreneurs. “One of the greatest lessons I have learned from them is the importance of inspiring your team by setting the standard, authentically, for the culture and work ethic of the company,” she says. “The best way to empower the next generation of women leaders is to model the behavior that will lead them to success.” She adds, “My best advice is to stay focused on the work you are doing, raise the bar for yourself, and always be a value-adding resource to the team.” IE