Entrepreneurs on Fire How to Create Category Defining Brand Narratives with Tommy Walker
Sep 25, 2025
Tommy Walker, former first marketing hire at Shopify Plus and Global Editor-in-Chief at QuickBooks, now leads The Content Studio. He discusses the evolution of brand narratives versus simple storytelling, emphasizing that businesses often neglect the human conflicts driving customer decisions. Walker also highlights the importance of distinguishing between what audiences want and what they truly need, unraveling the layers of narrative design that align a brand's voice over time. He shares principles to help brands create compelling, resonant stories.
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Episode notes
Success Comes After Failure
- John and Tommy both endured long stretches of hard work and failure before success.
- Tommy reflected on past failures as essential preparation for later achievements.
Narratives Vs. One-Off Stories
- Stories are self-contained episodes while narratives are ongoing evolutions that connect content over time.
- Narrative design maps theme and character growth across quarters to make marketing cohesive and repeatable.
Plan Content Like A Four-Act Movie
- Plan your content calendar like a four-act movie where each quarter is an act and each piece foreshadows the next.
- Use this structure to drive people back to previous pieces and prepare them for future offers.