CASE STUDY
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JAR partnered with North Strategic, part of the Publicis Group, to help American Express launch a branded podcast rooted in real-world entrepreneurship. The result: Build It Braver, a tactical and emotional lifeline for Canadian small business owners, hosted by entrepreneur Vivian Kaye.
American Express aimed to connect more meaningfully with Canada’s small business community — not through abstract advice, but through shared experience.
The core challenge:
How can small-to-mid-sized businesses scale production and distribution without collapsing their cash flow?
That question anchored the debut episode and informed the full arc of the series. From there, episodes tackled everything from digital expansion and staffing to niche positioning and supply chain resilience — always with practical mentorship at the core.
“Vivian is asking all the same questions that I would ask as well.”
— Listener review
A podcast that mentors in real time — no polish, just progress.
The series launched in October 2021 with a high-profile mentor–mentee pair: fashion entrepreneur Catherine Addai (Kaela Kay) and retail veteran Joe Mimran (Joe Fresh, Club Monaco). Their conversation set the tone: specific, vulnerable, and deeply practical.
The creative vision was rooted in one core insight:
Vulnerability builds trust. Relatable struggle creates connection.
Rather than talk about entrepreneurship, Build It Braver invited listeners into the process—messy moments, coaching breakthroughs, and all.
Strategic and creative highlights included:
“It sounds like you’re sitting across from someone who gets it — not listening to a corporate production.”
—Listener feedback
Hosted on the Amex Business Class hub alongside show notes and resources
“Build It Braver wasn’t just ‘branded content that worked.’ It moved the needle on consideration, held attention, and earned its place on the charts — with no hard sell.”
Vivian’s banter: Described by one listener as “mentor-like and relatable,” her voice carried the show’s ethos of accessible expertise.
“It sounds like you’re sitting across from someone who gets it — not listening to a corporate production.”
— Listener feedback
