Drive the Thrive

Writing a book can – should – be an uplifting experience, and first-time author Hunter Thurman certainly feels that way.

Thurman, President of ThrivePlan, is enthusiastic about his new book, Brand Be Nimble, as is evident from just a brief conversation.

“I’m excited to see it come to fruition,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t know what you’re capable of. The more I’ve written, the more confident I’ve become.”

Thurman sees the value of the book in many ways, from encapsulating his ideas to having a new tool to get those ideas into the marketplace. He is convinced the book will serve as an excellent tool for marketing his company’s services.

“It succinctly introduces your thoughts and ideas. Prospective clients … can glance at a couple chapters. It’s more efficient than cold-calling and bugging people. Authorship is inherently a marketing tool,” said Thurman.

Thurman says writing the book has already given him new insights into his field. “They say, ‘If you want to really learn something, then teach it.’ Or write it.

“The genesis (of the book) is that I have a unique point of view, how we do our work,” he said.

What exactly is that work? Thurman says describing what his firm does is difficult, and that’s one of the reasons he’s writing the book. While branding is a current buzzword in every industry as competitors try to set themselves apart, Thriveplan is concerned with brand innovation. The company looks to help its clients develop new products that will survive and thrive in the marketplace.

“We’re an innovative firm. We try to address consumer needs,” he said.

Thurman says firms typically come to ThrivePlan when they are looking to introduce new products or services that can piggyback on their current offerings. ThrivePlan combines evolutionary psychology, consumer neuroscience, and human-centered design to create what Thurman and his company have termed “evolutionary design.”

As you might imagine, defining those terms and what his company can do is no easy task. That’s why Thurman believes his book will be invaluable in introducing clients to his services.

Interestingly, Thurman says he is unsure how, or even if, he will measure his return on investment. But he is convinced that writing the book has already had a positive result.

“I don’t think there’s a metric that I’m going to put to it. I’ll use it as a calling card. Even just the process of writing it has helped me,” he said.

Thurman says he thinks – or at least hopes – people will use the book as both an introduction to his company and a handy reference guide. “There are things I still have on my desk that have value. I hope it’s like a Physician’s Desk Reference.”

Thurman's book, Brand Be Nimble: How Big Brands Can Thrive by Innovating Like Start-Ups, is available on Amazon.