• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

What Don Zahorsky can teach you about branding

By Becky McCray

A black Angus bull.

The “DZ” brand on the right hip marks this bull as one Don Zahorsky bred and raised.

Don Zahorsky is an old cattle breeder in my neighborhood. He’s been in the business of registered Angus cattle for decades, even back when my dad was a kid.

Ride around in the pasture with Don, and he can tell you the parentage of every animal.

Don Zahorsky in a pen full of bulls.

Don Zahorsky is an expert on branding, but not the way you expect.

“What’s that tag number? 0282? That’s another Dominator son. His mother is a real good cow. Her father was the grand champion … ”

He has invested his life in breeding the best registered Angus cattle he possibly can. He’s bought bulls back from people, because he didn’t like the way they performed. He’s never thought once about business brands, about emotional experiences, about logos. But he does care a lot about his reputation and the service he provides his buyers.

He brands his bulls with a DZ on the right hip. Everyone around here knows that brand. They know Don. They know that brand means a good bull.

Here’s the lesson: It’s not the brand that makes the bull valuable. It’s Don’s reputation that makes the bull valuable. The brand is just a way of showing it.

Now for some actual basics of business branding, read What is a Brand? by Jay Ehret.

Photo by Becky McCray.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.

  • About the Author
  • Latest by this Author
Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

www.beckymccray.com
  • Will trendy axe throwing and escape room businesses last? More experience-based retail: the Hat Bar
  • Create customer experiences online like Open the Shop With Me videos, and in person, like Silent Book Club
  • How to let customers know when changing your business hours

August 31, 2009 Filed Under: Best of, marketing, Small Biz 100

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Comments

  1. Darren Cronian says

    September 1, 2009 at 7:23 pm

    Hi Becky,

    Just found your blog via SheilaS, and I love how you have explained the lesson. I’ve have added you to my RSS reader :)

    Loading...
  2. Becky McCray says

    September 2, 2009 at 1:28 am

    Hi, Darren! Sheila talks about you all the time! Great to meet you, and I’m honored to be in your RSS reader. :)

    Loading...
  3. Sheila Scarborough says

    July 31, 2010 at 4:36 pm

    I’m reading this post for the first time about a year after it was written, and what a surprise to scroll down to the comments and find Darren there. Awww….:)

    Loading...
  4. Scott Milam Townsend says

    February 5, 2011 at 6:59 pm

    I believe that whole-heartedly. Good point Becky.

    Loading...
  5. Becky McCray says

    February 5, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    Thanks, Scott.

    Loading...
  6. Arthur Charles Van Wyk says

    February 17, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    This is the shortest awesome post I have ever read. Thank you for relaying this lesson that a brand is but a mere representation of its underlying company and its reputation for good products and services.

    I appreciate this like mad.

    Loading...
  7. Becky McCray says

    February 17, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    Thank you, Arthur. Glad to have provided some value. See you on Twitter!

    Loading...
  8. Barbara Pierce says

    August 30, 2013 at 7:59 am

    As a public relations professional, I believe storytelling is the best way to communicate and educate. And this is, by far, the best definition of “brand” that I have ever seen. Thank you!

    Loading...
    • Becky McCray says

      September 1, 2013 at 2:05 pm

      Thank you, Barbara. It was a fun way to explain branding.

      Loading...

Trackbacks

  1. What about branding? | Rosalie van Dijk says:
    September 3, 2013 at 2:58 am

    […] Don Zahorsky is an old cattle breeder in my neighborhood. He’s been in the business of registered Angus cattle for decades, even back when my dad was a kid. Ride around in the pasture with Don, and he can tell you the parentage of every animal. “What’s that tag number? 0282? That’s another Dominator son. His mother is a real good cow. Her father was the grand champion … “ He has invested his life in breeding the best registered Angus cattle he possibly can. He’s bought bulls back from people, because he didn’t like the way they performed. He’s never thought once about business brands, about emotional experiences, about logos. But he does care a lot about his reputation and the service he provides his buyers. He brands his bulls with a DZ on the right hip. Everyone around here knows that brand. They know Don. They know that brand means a good bull. Here’s the lesson: It’s not the brand that makes the bull valuable. It’s Don’s reputation that makes the bull valuable. The brand is just a way of showing it. Becky McCray – Small Business Survival […]

    Loading...
  2. 30 Branding Definitions - Heidi Cohen says:
    December 3, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    […] Don Zahorsky is an old cattle breeder in my neighborhood. He’s been in the business of registered Angus cattle for decades, even back when my dad was a kid… Becky McCray – Small Business Survival […]

    Loading...
  3. Apa itu Branding? - Agus Ridwan Sopari says:
    December 15, 2013 at 8:00 am

    […] Don Zahorsky is an old cattle breeder in my neighborhood. He’s been in the business of registered Angus cattle for decades, even back when my dad was a kid. Ride around in the pasture with Don, and he can tell you the parentage of every animal. …. […]

    Loading...

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local"Move Your Money, bank local, invest localMulticolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week"Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A few people shopping in an attractive retail store in refurbished downtown building.

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission

Three kids in a canoe

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2025 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in
%d