The Mission
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We build founder-led brands people recognize, remember, and buy from, without sanding off what makes you, you.
We build founder-led brands people recognize, remember, and buy from, without sanding off what makes you, you.
We build founder-led brands people recognize, remember, and buy from, without sanding off what makes you, you.
What It’s Like to Be a Founder
What It’s Like to Be a Founder
Founders of small to medium sized businesses live between fires… the one burning now and the one waiting tomorrow. Customers want answers. Employees want clarity. Vendors want decisions. Partners want updates. You're the one holding it all together. Your team works hard, but they're lean. Which means when there's a tough call, a big pitch, or a brand question no one else can answer, it's you. Every time.
You won't always choose right. But you still have to choose. It's messy. It's relentless. It's lonely in a way that's hard to explain. But there's also the deep satisfaction: the trust of a long-term client, the right hire who clicks, the thrill when your work earns real respect. These moments remind you why you keep going.
Because when the business wins, you feel it, it's who you are.
Founders of small to medium sized businesses live between fires… the one burning now and the one waiting tomorrow. Customers want answers. Employees want clarity. Vendors want decisions. Partners want updates. You're the one holding it all together. Your team works hard, but they're lean. Which means when there's a tough call, a big pitch, or a brand question no one else can answer, it's you. Every time.
You won't always choose right. But you still have to choose. It's messy. It's relentless. It's lonely in a way that's hard to explain. But there's also the deep satisfaction: the trust of a long-term client, the right hire who clicks, the thrill when your work earns real respect. These moments remind you why you keep going.
Because when the business wins, you feel it, it's who you are.
We’re against ‘corporate video’ thinking. The “corporate video” isn’t just a format, it’s a symptom of a bigger problem: messaging that says nothing, means nothing, and connects with no one. It’s the voice of brands that talk at people instead of to them. Buzzwords instead of beliefs. Noise instead of meaning.
We Root for Founders, Because We Are Founders
We Root for Founders, Because We Are Founders
We know what it means to make decisions when everything depends on getting it right. To keep moving when a safer choice is to wait to continue to refine. To believe in something so deeply that you'll bet everything on it. Call it conviction. Not a slogan, a habit, something within you that most don’t understand. Your superpower. It’s part of what transforms invisible businesses into market leaders, the ones people champion. We've learned, and you understand too, that conviction alone isn't enough. Conviction is the start to momentum; but systems make it repeatable.
We know what it means to make decisions when everything depends on getting it right. To keep moving when a safer choice is to wait to continue to refine. To believe in something so deeply that you'll bet everything on it. Call it conviction. Not a slogan, a habit, something within you that most don’t understand. Your superpower. It’s part of what transforms invisible businesses into market leaders, the ones people champion. We've learned, and you understand too, that conviction alone isn't enough. Conviction is the start to momentum; but systems make it repeatable.
We’re against ‘corporate video’ thinking. The “corporate video” isn’t just a format, it’s a symptom of a bigger problem: messaging that says nothing, means nothing, and connects with no one. It’s the voice of brands that talk at people instead of to them. Buzzwords instead of beliefs. Noise instead of meaning.
Whose Radar Are You On?
Our Story
ORIGIN STORY
Dana & Josh
Over a decade ago, Dana co-created the Big Little Legends philosophy with its author. This work became an Amazon business bestseller and challenged how companies around the world think about story. We worked with organizations of every size across North America. Larger customers with leadership teams and robust marketing departments could take the ideas and run with them. They had the resources, budgets and time to implement.
At the same time, Josh was creating brand-trailer videos that acted as the ‘pre-sale’ that moved deals forward, proof that a clear narrative changes behavior. But founder-led businesses had a different problem. Without big marketing teams or deep budgets, they struggled to turn a compelling story into daily action.
That insight sparked our own work. Together, we built a simple, repeatable system for founder-led businesses to turn story into clarity and consistent action. Not to replace story, but to build on it.
Today, Dana focuses on uncovering the heart of each brand and guiding how it’s applied in the real world, while Josh runs our business operations and leads the video strategy that helps customers carry their brand story day-to-day.
Over a decade ago, Dana co-created the Big Little Legends philosophy with its author. This work became an Amazon business bestseller and challenged how companies around the world think about story. We worked with organizations of every size across North America. Larger customers with leadership teams and robust marketing departments could take the ideas and run with them. They had the resources, budgets and time to implement.
At the same time, Josh was creating brand-trailer videos that acted as the ‘pre-sale’ that moved deals forward, proof that a clear narrative changes behavior. But founder-led businesses had a different problem. Without big marketing teams or deep budgets, they struggled to turn a compelling story into daily action.
That insight sparked our own work. Together, we built a simple, repeatable system for founder-led businesses to turn story into clarity and consistent action. Not to replace story, but to build on it.
Today, Dana focuses on uncovering the heart of each brand and guiding how it’s applied in the real world, while Josh runs our business operations and leads the video strategy that helps customers carry their brand story day-to-day.
We’re against ‘corporate video’ thinking. The “corporate video” isn’t just a format, it’s a symptom of a bigger problem: messaging that says nothing, means nothing, and connects with no one. It’s the voice of brands that talk at people instead of to them. Buzzwords instead of beliefs. Noise instead of meaning.
THE SYSTEM
What We Built
What We Built
What We Built
That's why we created The Default Method, a system for founder-led SMBs, designed by founders. It takes your conviction and turns it into clarity so you can move forward with momentum through consistent action. Your brand becomes the default choice in your market, not another option, but the one people trust, follow, and believe in. We remember what it was like before this clarity. No founder should have to figure it out alone.
That's why we created The Default Method, a system for founder-led SMBs, designed by founders. It takes your conviction and turns it into clarity so you can move forward with momentum through consistent action. Your brand becomes the default choice in your market, not another option, but the one people trust, follow, and believe in. We remember what it was like before this clarity. No founder should have to figure it out alone.
That's why we created The Default Method, a system for founder-led SMBs, designed by founders. It takes your conviction and turns it into clarity so you can move forward with momentum through consistent action. Your brand becomes the default choice in your market, not another option, but the one people trust, follow, and believe in. We remember what it was like before this clarity. No founder should have to figure it out alone.
We’re against ‘corporate video’ thinking. The “corporate video” isn’t just a format, it’s a symptom of a bigger problem: messaging that says nothing, means nothing, and connects with no one. It’s the voice of brands that talk at people instead of to them. Buzzwords instead of beliefs. Noise instead of meaning.
Our Non-Negotiables
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No room for egos.
No room for egos.
No room for egos.
Strategy first, always.
Strategy first, always.
Strategy first, always.
Depth over gimmicks.
Depth over gimmicks.
Depth over gimmicks.
We will always try.
We will always try.
We will always try.
Giving back isn’t optional in life.
Giving back isn’t optional in life.
Giving back isn’t optional in life.
Always add a bit of spice.
Always add a bit of spice.
Always add a bit of spice.
We reject groupthink.
We reject groupthink.
We reject groupthink.
When you say yes, be all in.
When you say yes, be all in.
When you say yes, be all in.
Always have the tough conversation.
Always have the tough conversation.
Always have the tough conversation.
The Team
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Josh Parlee
Founder/Video Strategist
Josh Parlee
Founder/Video Strategist
Dana Zilic
Founder/Brand Strategist
Dana Zilic
Founder/Brand Strategist
Nicole Carpenter
Project Manager
Nicole Carpenter
Project Manager
Nicole Carpenter
Project Manager
Hannah Perry
Social Media
Hannah Perry
Social Media
Hannah Perry
Social Media
Jason Enstedt
Web Designer
Jason Enstedt
Web Designer
Jason Enstedt
Web Designer
Jason Enstedt
Web Designer
Nicole Carpenter
Project Manager
Josh Parlee
Founder/Video Strategist
Dana Zilic
Founder/Brand Strategist
Hannah Perry
Social Media
The Team
Learn More
Josh Parlee
Founder/Video Strategist
Dana Zilic
Founder/Brand Strategist
Nicole Carpenter
Project Manager
Hannah Perry
Social Media
Jason Enstedt
Web Designer
Jason Enstedt
Web Designer
Nicole Carpenter
Project Manager
Josh Parlee
Founder/Video Strategist
Dana Zilic
Founder/Brand Strategist
Hannah Perry
Social Media
