What My Time at Southwest Airlines Taught Me About Building a Brand That Actually Lasts
Long before I worked with entrepreneurs, startups, and business owners on branding and marketing strategy, I was a Corporate Communications intern in the Executive Office at Southwest Airlines.
At the time, I was excited to be part of a well-known and well-respected company. But what I didn’t realize was how much that experience would shape my view of building a business and my understanding of how branding is built from the inside out.
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Every day, I was surrounded by leadership - including the late Herb Kelleher, Southwest’s legendary founder, and then-President Colleen Barrett. I watched how they made decisions, how they treated employees, and how they communicated - and you know what? I realized something powerful: Brand wasn’t a department. It was a daily discipline.
As I fondly remember that time in my life I’m often reminded of what my time at Southwest Airlines taught me about building a brand that actually lasts. Here are some of my takeaways:
A Brand Is Built by the Way You Lead
What stood out most at Southwest was that their brand wasn’t confined to marketing materials or low-fares. It showed up in the culture. The tone. The energy. The way employees and customers were treated. The decisions that were made.
Herb once said, “Your employees come first. If you treat them right, they’ll treat the customers right.” That wasn’t just a quote - it was the brand. And the consistency of that belief showed up everywhere, from the parking lot to the breakroom to the boardroom.
That’s when I learned: Your brand is not just what you say. It’s how your business behaves.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you’re an entrepreneur, founder, or small business owner, you’re probably focused on growth, revenue, and delivering a great product or service. But here’s the truth: Your brand is what makes all of that sustainable.
It’s what builds trust with customers. It’s what creates loyalty. It’s what makes your business recognizable, referable, and scalable.
And most importantly - it starts with you.
Your vision
Your leadership style
Your customer experience
Your team culture
Your values in action
Every decision you make is either building brand equity, or weakening it.
Great Brands Don’t Happen by Accident
The businesses that build long-lasting, profitable brands aren’t just good at marketing - they’re great at alignment. The message matches the mission. The experience matches the promise. The values match the behavior.
That’s what we help business owners do: clarify their brand, align their messaging, and build marketing systems that support long-term growth.
But none of that works if you don’t lead with brand first.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company to build a brand people trust.
You just need to be intentional.
The most powerful thing you can do for your business isn’t to “do more marketing” - it’s to build a brand people believe in.
And that starts at the top - with you.
Related: Building Your Brand: Why it’s Essential for Business Success
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