A humble and kind man, Howard probably hasn’t used the word branding in his life (I imagine he would perceive it as boasting), but even brand managers and CEOs could learn a lot from him. The first thing you learn about Howard when you step in his shop is his passion. He will lead you over and around his menagerie of chairs and couches, describing in detail what he did to restore each piece and what condition it was in before, sometimes even pulling out photographs to show the transformation. If a typical salesperson gave the same spiel, I’d probably be heading for the door. But in Howard’s hands, a sales pitch becomes an great story told by a man with earnest eyes and an eye for detail.

You see, Howard has what many small businesses (or even large corporations) lack. He has a great brand story (in fact, many of them); he has a true passion that effortlessly flow out of him; and he has the drive to make every piece of furniture that comes into his store a piece of art (the restoration he did on our chair was so far beyond what I expected, I’m now afraid to sit in it). Do you have great stories? Do you have the passion for what you do? Do you have the drive to make your customers so happy that they write unsolicited blog entries fawning over you?

If not, drop Howard a line and ask him about his last project. You’ll find out what great branding is.