Most people who know me also know that I’m very particular about how things are done when it comes to publishing a supplement to my website called, People You Need to Know in metro Atlanta. With a circulation of 500,000, free of charge at locations such as Kroger, Publix, Kmart, Blockbuster, Sears and Bally’s Fitness Centers, I want my brand to stand out from the crowd. (A copy of this publication can be viewed here.)

Over the years, I’ve had to struggle with graphic designers, printers, photographers, makeup artists, cosmetologists, etc., just to make sure they were giving me their absolute best. After trying to convince my commercial printer, whom I no longer use, to move my front cover up to the next level in terms of clarity, his response was, “Anybody else would be happy with it, Spark Plug.”

Of course, I explained to him that I wasn’t “anybody else” and I knew he could do a better job with his equipment worth millions of dollars. Eventually, we reached my goal. He later thanked me for helping him go the extra mile in terms of giving me a product in which I was satisfied.

This experience is all too common because too many people are ready and willing to do just enough to get by. So when it comes to your brand, make sure you remain at the helm of the ship so that you’ll be in charge of building a brand that you can be proud of.