CEO, author, and entrepreneur Andy Cunningham spoke about her book “Get to Aha! Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition.”
Cunningham opened up about her early career journey, the pivotal moments that have shaped her approach, and the invaluable lessons she has learned along the way.
She shares her perspective on brand positioning, marketing trends, and the future of entrepreneurship in the digital age.
Background on Andy Cunningham
She is the force behind Cunningham Collective, a strategic communications and marketing advisory firm, where she continues to guide leadership teams with tools to position their companies for success. Her framework, honed through collaborations with numerous enterprises, ensures that the brands achieve results.
Cunningham collaborated with industry legend Steve Jobs, where she helped him launch his Apple Macintosh brand.
In the movie “Steve Jobs,” Cunningham was portrayed by Australian actress Sarah Snook.
As an author, Cunningham has shared her insights in this book, which serves as a guidebook for anyone looking to build a distinctive brand that connects with their target audience.
Her expertise is in strategic brand positioning; this book is about personal branding and leadership. Cunningham helps furnish some tools that are necessary to navigate the ever-changing tides of the business landscape.
Can you share a brief overview of your entrepreneurial journey and the ventures you’ve been involved in?
I have been an entrepreneur for most of my career. I often think of my first entrepreneurial experience as leading the Apple account for Regis McKenna in 1983 because I was forced to rise to the occasion and figure things out as went (in the best way).
Shortly after, I launched my first business: Cunningham Communication. Ultimately, that PR firm became a nationally recognized agency, serving the most influential and innovative tech companies of the 1980s and 1990s.
I sold that business in 2000, just before the dot com bubble burst and the market crashed. I went on to start a brand strategy firm called CXO Communication and sold it a few years later.
In the mid-2010s, I started Cunningham Collective—a positioning and messaging strategy firm. I’ve also explored the non-profit world and in 2000 I launched Zero1, an organization driving social change through art and technology.
You’re the author of the book “Get to Aha!” Can you provide a brief overview of the main concept or framework presented in the book?
Get to Aha! provides a clear, step-by-step framework that will help you determine your company’s position of maximum opportunity using a unique, DNA-based approach. It presents a new idea: there are only three types of companies in the world, each with its own DNA type.
Understanding your corporate DNA is the key to creating company-wide alignment, a proactive and cohesive culture, operational excellence, and brand authenticity. For all of these reasons, corporate DNA is the key to unlocking efficacy, efficiency, and success.
In the book, you’ll learn about this theory, assess your own company’s DNA, and understand the implications of operating effectively with your DNA type.
Armed with your DNA as a foundation, the book goes on to show you how to examine the market through six different lenses. With the analysis of each lens, your position of maximum opportunity gets clearer. And finally, when you’ve completed the DNA test and market research, the book guides you through writing a robust message architecture and brand narrative.
What are some common challenges that entrepreneurs face when trying to reach the “Aha!” moment, and how does your book address those challenges?
“Aha!” moments are not in demand. They don’t typically just come to you, especially when you’re in the weeds of running a business every day. Sitting in a conference room, brainstorming ideas might lead to some exciting discussion, but the ideas that come from those discussions will likely fall short after some time has passed.
This book gives you a framework for strategic thinking that will lead to many “Aha!” moments. It guides you through a process that leads to an answer.
What do you think will be the key trends or areas of opportunity for entrepreneurs in the coming years?
There is so much opportunity in generative AI. I am probably just adding to the froth here, but I think we are looking at a world changing, technological breakthrough, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the internet launched. I think we should all be looking at ways we can not only leverage but contribute to AI.
Another trend we can’t overlook is the shift from customer to community. Every company should be thinking about the ecosystem they’re building around their brand or product. It’s no longer enough to provide a transactional experience to a persona.
We need to be engaging people on multiple different levels and through multiple different channels, prioritizing brand affinity over brand loyalty.
Many B2B companies think this doesn’t apply to them, but it does because regardless of whether you’re selling to an individual or a business, you’re selling to a person. The B2B companies that don’t pay attention to this will lose to those who do.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently, or any advice you would give your younger self as you were starting your career?
I don’t know if there is anything I would have done differently because failing, learning, and growing are all parts of life. There are circumstances outside of my control I would love to rewrite, but that’s not a pen I was given. Along the way I’ve learned two critical lessons I’d like to pass on.
First, extreme success, especially financial success, is a black swan event and likely not repeatable.
Second, record your life in a journal because when you’re old, you won’t remember all the bits of your mosaic that make you who you are. This will help you mentor the next generation which is critical for the success of humanity.
The book,“Get to Aha! Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition,” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
