If your business looks smaller online than it is in real life, your brand may be costing you opportunities.

In this episode of Build Boldly, host Pat Rodgers sits down with graphic and digital designer Riley Best to break down the difference between branding and marketing, and why both matter for small businesses, service companies, and growing brands trying to be found, trusted, and chosen.

Pat and Riley unpack why marketing helps people discover your business, while branding shapes how they feel once they find you. From websites and social media to Google Business profiles, online reviews, email domains, and visual identity, they explain how every digital touchpoint either builds trust or creates doubt.

You'll learn:

• The difference between branding and marketing
• Why brand consistency directly impacts sales and conversions
• How outdated websites and scattered visuals can hurt credibility
• Why small businesses need clear messaging before scaling marketing
• How to define who you help, what problem you solve, and why customers should care
• Practical branding-on-a-budget steps for business owners
• When to evolve your brand without alienating your core audience
• How AI, search behavior, reviews, and digital research are changing the way customers evaluate businesses

If you’re relying on referrals but want to grow beyond word-of-mouth, this episode gives you a practical starting point for building a stronger brand foundation that helps the right customers find you, trust you, and take action.

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Connect with Pat Rodgers on LinkedIn
Learn more about RISE Commercial District Website | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

Build Boldly is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

In this episode of Build Boldly, Pat Rodgers sits down with entrepreneur and RISE Commercial District founder Jim Sapp to unpack the lessons behind scaling multiple high-growth businesses.

Jim shares how he grew Indie Lube to 50 locations across the Midwest, why he learned early that no founder can scale alone, and how that experience helped shape the vision for RISE Commercial District. From hiring key leaders in operations, sales, finance, and accounting to building a bench of mentors across real estate, finance, and leadership, Jim offers practical insight for business owners navigating growth.

Pat and Jim also talk about how to test new ideas without overextending, why small bets can protect your business from expensive mistakes, and how to know when it’s time to let go of control, failed experiments, or team members who are not aligned with the company’s future.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why founders need to build around key roles early
• How mentors and advisors help de-risk big decisions
• Why passion and ownership matter when hiring
• How to test ideas before investing too heavily
• Why leadership is about communication, not control
• How RISE Commercial District grew from real entrepreneurial lessons

If you’re a founder, operator, or small business owner trying to scale beyond yourself, this conversation is packed with hard-earned advice on leadership, team building, mentorship, and smart growth.

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Connect with Pat Rodgers on LinkedIn
Learn more about RISE Commercial District Website | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

Build Boldly is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

Marketing should not live in a silo. In this episode of Build Boldly, host Pat Rodgers sits down with Rachael Coverdale, CEO and founder of Coverdale Consulting, to break down how growing businesses can turn marketing into a true revenue engine. Rachael brings more than a decade of experience helping companies build marketing strategies rooted in sales alignment, customer understanding, analytics, and long-term business goals.

Together, Pat and Rachael unpack why marketing and sales have to work together, how founders can move beyond the idea that they can “sell to everyone,” and why defining your Ideal Client Profile is one of the most important steps in building a focused, effective marketing strategy.

They also cover how to evaluate modern marketing channels, use analytics to make better decisions, leverage AI for research and brainstorming, and avoid common mistakes when hiring agencies, consultants, or in-house marketers.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why marketing must be tied directly to revenue and sales goals
• How to define your Ideal Client Profile and buyer personas
• Why internal communication and culture matter in external marketing
• How to use analytics, engagement metrics, and sales feedback together
• Where AI fits into modern marketing strategy
• Why consistency matters more than chasing every new channel
• What red flags to watch for when choosing a marketing partner

If you’re a founder, operator, or business owner trying to make smarter marketing investments, this episode gives you a practical playbook for building a cohesive, ROI-driven strategy that actually supports growth.

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Connect with Pat Rodgers on LinkedIn
Learn more about RISE Commercial District Website | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

Build Boldly is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.