Bold Brands and Collective Culture
Angel Fest 2025 brought together an inspiring mix of voices who offered a diverse range of insights. This year’s two headline speakers, Monica Nassif and Chuck Runyon, offered similar yet different perspectives on what drives a business’s success. While Monica emphasized the critical role that brand played in growing Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, Chuck focused on the foundational importance culture played at Anytime Fitness.
Poolside Chat with Monica NassifBlueprint of a Bold Brand
When sharing the origin story of Mrs. Meyer's, Monica offered a behind-the-scenes look and shared that persistence and creative strategy are what brought the brand to life, specifically, the cross-category approach. Monica challenged conventional thinking by looking beyond the cleaning aisle, stating, "In order to effectively disrupt an industry, you need to examine other categories.” One of Monica’s greatest sources of inspiration was the beauty industry, particularly its use of consistent and appealing fragrances. While hair care, and beauty products had long mastered this type of branding, no one had yet applied this to household cleaners. Soon, fragrance consistency, paired with elevated packaging, became central to Mrs. Meyers differentiation strategy.
The brand itself was deeply personal. Mrs. Meyer’s was inspired by Monica’s own mother, a child of The Great Depression and a down-to-earth homemaker. Her mom not only inspired the product line but also became its face, literally. In the early days, the team toured conventions with a trailer, where Monica’s mom handed out samples from the window of the trailer, adding an authentic touch to their grassroots marketing strategy. This kind of personal connection and storytelling is what often gets lost when companies scale, and Monica really emphasized the lasting power in shaping customer loyalty and trust.
Cultivation of a Collective Culture
Chuck Runyon - Co-founder, Board Co-Chair | Purpose Brands, LLC, offered a compelling look into how visionary leadership and company culture can lead business’s success, and is just as powerful as brand strategy. Chuck identified a clear market gap early on: the need for accessible, safe, and convenient workout facilities. Coming from a background rooted in health and wellness, building a company around these values was essential.
While growing Anytime Fitness, Chuck mastered building an exceptional internal culture. With over 36 years of experience in leading and managing teams, Chuck emphasized the importance of cultivating a workplace environment where people are inspired to show up, stay engaged, and deeply care about the mission of the company. He also believes that as a company scales, leadership must also evolve. As he put it, “you go from knowing everything about your product to knowing the most about your people”. His story is a reminder that while product innovation and operational excellence are vital, it’s the emotional resonance of a company's culture that sustains growth and fosters resilience over time.
Anytime Fitness is famously known for offering a unique perk: a full-time tattoo parlor on-site at their corporate office. Employees and franchisees have gotten the infamous running man logo inked as a symbol of their loyalty and shared identity. This reflects a powerful truth: when employees feel deeply connected to a company’s purpose, they become its most authentic brand ambassadors.
Chuck was candid about the challenges that accompanied rapid growth and franchising. Reflecting on the early days of scaling the business, he shared a key lesson: “We should have created a solid brand identity from the beginning.” While the company expanded quickly, it lacked a clearly defined and consistent brand foundation, an oversight that led to long-term challenges. His honesty highlighted an important insight: growth without intentional branding can dilute a company’s core values.
Beautiful and Memorable
Angel Fest 2025 underscored a powerful truth. Building a successful startup requires more than just great business fundamentals or a strong bottom line, it requires a thoughtful fusion between brand identity and company culture.
Through Monica’s story of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, the audience learned that brand is more than just packaging or positioning, it's about authenticity, emotional connection, and a clear vision that dares to disrupt. Monica demonstrated how a brand built with intention can shape an entire category, and consumer behavior along with it. Conversely, Chuck’s journey with Anytime Fitness highlighted the internal engine behind any thriving business culture. His commitment to purpose-driven leadership and people-first values showed that culture isn’t just a perk, it’s a strategy. While brand identity came later, the culture built along the way became a powerful force of unity, loyalty, and long-term success.
Together, Monica and Chuck’s perspectives created a complete picture. One that shows how storytelling (brand), and internal experience (culture) must collectively move. The businesses that align with their employees and consumers identity and values are the ones that truly create a lasting impact.