There are a lot of books about branding.

And I've read a few—from academic doorstopper tomes to light how-to ebooks.

But one of the best or rather surprising and practical books on branding I've found is Building a StoryBrand by Donald Mill.

For a few reasons:

• Reason #1: It uses the seven universal elements of a story as a framework.

• Reason #2: It frames the customer as the hero and the brand as the guide.

• Reason #3: It identifies the real reason customers make a purchase.

• Reason #4: It enables you to simplify your brand message.

• Reason #5: It provides a solid foundation for effective messaging.

A story as a framework sounds simple, but it takes work.

If you are at all interested in branding, I can't recommend this book enough because it dispenses all jargon and grounds branding to a human level with the power of story.

(And if you've read it, would you say you agree? What other book would you recommend for beginners or early start-up founders?)