Is your brand trusted, effective, and bold?

Worth Noting—May 2026

Volume 1 · Issue 1 · May 2026 · KIWIStrategic.com

KIWI IN THE COMMUNITY by Marian Iglesias

“We make a living by what we get; but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill

On a rainy evening in early April, Gabriel and I arrived at the Community Resource Center inside the Goodwill retail store on Pine Island Road in Cape Coral. Our involvement with Goodwill began when we learned about Goodwill’s MicroEnterprise Institute—a program designed for individuals with low to moderate incomes who want to start or stabilize a business. To date, 1,175 have graduated and more than 600 have successfully launched their own businesses.

The rain did not dampen our enthusiasm, nor the interest of the aspiring entrepreneurs who had shown up to participate in KIWI’s Brand Bootcamp Program, a course we developed to help participants understand the core elements of building a successful business or a personal brand. The reward of being able to strengthen these individuals’ knowledge and commitment to succeed is rewarding and inspiring.

Community Resource Center · Goodwill · Cape Coral, April 2026

Gabriel Iglesias · Goodwill MicroEnterprise Institute

Brand Bootcamp · KIWI Strategic

We invite you to consider getting involved with the MicroEnterprise Institute. Your knowledge and experience can benefit many—whether that is in a specific field, or by sharing the story of how you navigated a difficult challenge in your business. If this resonates with you, we encourage you to explore the opportunities. Volunteering does not require a long-term commitment, and the impact you will make in others is worth every minute you invest in the program.

MARKETING INTELLIGENCE

Brand Building Is Vital

McKinsey’s State of Marketing 2026 report surveyed 500 senior marketing leaders across five major markets. The headline finding is worth noting: brand building ranked as the number one priority for marketing executives—ahead of technology, ahead of performance metrics, ahead of artificial intelligence. The report is organized around three imperatives: be trusted, be effective, be bold.

McKinsey notes that only a small percentage of buyers are actively in the market at any given moment—yet most have already formed a shortlist before they reach out to anyone. That shortlist is built on brand perception, not on the campaign you ran last month. It is built over time through every touchpoint a business creates.

For small and mid-size businesses, this is the competitive opening. You do not need a Fortune 500 budget to build a trusted brand. You need clarity, consistency, and the discipline to stay the course. That has always been true. McKinsey has simply confirmed it with data.

ABOUT KIWI STRATEGIC

KIWI Strategic brings Fortune 500 experience to businesses of every size and industry. To learn more about us, visit KIWIStrategic.com →

KIWI Strategic is a Mother-Son Partnership with 30+ years of experience and a business model as distinctive as its results: We transform businesses in 30 days—delivering an effective marketing strategy and an actionable six-month implementation calendar that takes any business from stable to unstoppable. It only sounds amazing because it is.

To connect with us or to learn more about volunteering with Goodwill’s MicroEnterprise Institute, contact Marian at [email protected] or visit KIWIStrategic.com.

OUTCOME-DRIVEN STRATEGIES THAT DELIVER SUCCESS AND GROWTH

305.342.5757 · [email protected] · KIWIStrategic.com