Risky Business · Renters Legal Liability

Telling Better Brand Stories With Adam Faust

·27 min·2 clips

Adam Faust says brands go wrong by being too careful and creating a Frankenstein version of other companies.

Host Gary Miller welcomes Adam Faust, founder of 5+8, a Houston-based branding agency with a 15-person team and nine years of operation, for a conversation about brand identity and storytelling for insurance agencies, property management companies, and other businesses in traditionally non-glamorous industries. Adam traces his interest in branding to a remarkably early age, designing full logos, colour schemes, and names for 30 imaginary baseball teams when he was about 10 years old, something he only connected to his current work when Gary's opening question prompted the memory. He defines 5+8 as a branding agency in the evolved sense, distinguishing between cosmetic branding — logos and colour palettes — and deep brand clarity, which involves understanding who you actually are and making that legible to the right audience. The conversation covers how companies can break through noise online not by being everywhere but by owning who they really are and giving audiences consistent, authentic signals. Adam shares tips on social media storytelling including the importance of showing the people behind a business, telling real stories rather than promotional content, and building trust through consistency over time rather than viral moments. He addresses the common gap between what companies say their values are on paper and what audiences actually experience, arguing that the transfer of values from internal documentation to visible external behaviour is the hardest and most important work of brand-building. The episode is practical and energetic, grounded in Adam's direct experience working with clients across Houston and beyond. It will appeal to insurance professionals, property managers, and small business owners interested in building genuine brand presence.

As heard by us

Practical branding advice that connects social storytelling with trust and real-world behavior.

Adam Faust treats branding as a practical test of how a business cuts through the noise online. The discussion moves from insurance agencies and property management groups to the larger point: brands have to show who they are in a way that feels real, so audiences can know,…

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You want branding advice that helps you break through the noise online.

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