
Brand, Marketing &
Business Speaking
Speaker & Performer!
When is a business talk not just another business talk?
When it is also a performance!
Using my experiences as a business owner and brand strategist combined with my personal storytelling, I inspire and entertain audiences and groups as much as I educate.
Known for my enthusiasm and passion for helping businesses grow, I bring creativity, insight and a “spark” to any event.
“
Murphy is a standout in the crowd. When she speaks, she is truly engaging and commands their attention. It’s obvious they know they’re getting a lesson from one of the best.
Amy Jackson
Asheville Chamber of CommerceSpeaking Topics
- Creativity & Entrepreneurship
- Storytelling for Business
- Branding & Marketing
- Business Strategy
- The Brand Experience
- Support for Women in Business
- Non-Traditional Paths to Success
- Overcoming Adversity
- The Hero’s Journey
- Creativity & Inspiration
- Mission/Vision Workshops
- Your Purpose/Your Why
What You Can Expect…
from a few sample speeches and how they might benefit your audience.
The Entrepreneurial Journey
The journey into entrepreneurship begins with “answering the call”. Once you answer the call, you cross the threshold away from a traditional career (and a “traditional life”), to face new challenges, doubts and even battle your deepest fears. Not for the faint of heart, the Entrepreneurial Journey teaches you about yourself and strengthens you personally and professionally every step of the way. Based on the Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell, this talk by seasoned entrepreneur and business/brand strategist Murphy Funkhouser, overviews the phases of the Entrepreneur’s Journey; the highs, the lows and the lessons learned along the way. Helpful tips blended with personal stories, this talk will inspire and invoke thought in those considering setting out on their own entrepreneurial path.
Storytelling for Business
The average American attention span is just 6-seconds. This means- in order to capture the attention of your intended audience, whether as a business owner, a sales person or a company leader, you must tell a compelling story. This interactive workshop overviews the purpose of story in branding and marketing, the structure of a compelling story and invites the audience to write and share their own. This workshop will provide attendees with thinking time, writing time and practice time so they can confidently present their brand and captivate their audience in their very next pitch!
The Brand Experience
No amount of marketing is going to correct a bad experience. In this day and age of high consumer expectation, experience is everything. Using examples from the famous business book, E-Myth, as well as stories from her own clients and other nationally recognized brands, business and brand strategist Murphy Funkhouser will discuss the importance of delivering a world class experience when it comes to establishing trust, increasing sales and achieving sustainability in your business. In this workshop, participants will learn how to deliver a world class experience and have the opportunity to create a plan to “wow” the very next customer that walks through their door!
Non-Traditional Paths to Success
Not all paths to success are straight-lines. In this inspirational, personal talk, business and brand strategist Murphy Funkhouser shares her own journey to success from bartender to bar trainer to radio sales girl to business owner to well-respected business and brand strategist and teacher. The intention of this talk is to give permission to the audience to go off course, to play and to explore in their professional careers. It also provides sociological data about hiring trends and how employers prefer and often benefit from employees and leaders who have diversified experience. The audience will spend time thinking about their own career paths, personal skill sets and talents and how they could be applied in new and unique ways in the workplace or….in their very own business.
The Hero’s Journey
This talk closely mirrors the Entrepreneur’s Journey above but weaves in personal journeys and how they align with our professional paths.
Your Purpose/Your Why
Many of us find ourselves (in middle age) wondering……”how did I get here?” Or, even….”where am I??” This talk helps audience members understand the importance of having a personal mission, how to identify your purpose and how to pivot or redesign a life or career that aligns with that purpose or your personal “why.” The audience will be inspired by personal stories shared by brand/business strategist Murphy Funkhouser, receive tools for identifying their purpose/why and have time to brainstorm and share their newly discovered purpose with each other. The goal of this workshop is to inspire, teach and to provide direction to those who feel their professional or personal lives are lacking meaning or intention.
Speaking fees are negotiated based on location, length of talk and complexity.
Murphy Funkhouser: Speaker Bio

Murphy has worked for more than 20 years in branding and marketing and as the founder of the successful branding agency, Kudzu Brands, a private brand consulting firm BrandStage Consulting and, now, as a business and brand strategist under her own name.
Murphy brings to her clients, and her talks, a diverse background that includes experience in many fields and industries.
Murphy has taught at UNC-Asheville, AB Tech, Blue Ridge Community College, and Mountain BizWorks. She has also spoken to numerous business groups and non-profit organizations.
In 2018, Murphy received the Best in Business-Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Asheville Chamber of Commerce.
Murphy is on the board of the UNC-Asheville Management and Accountancy Department Advisory Board and the ACT Theatre Board. Her business, Kudzu Brands, won two Sky High Growth Awards from the Asheville Chamber and was chosen for the competitive Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Cohort 7 at Babson College. In 2018, she received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, she received the Girl Scout’s Woman of Distinction Award. In 2019, she was the commencement speaker for South College. She is currently obtaining her Master’s Degree in Communications and Storytelling from East Tennessee State University.
Murphy also has a powerful personal story and frequently speaks about her own non-traditional path to success and the power of grit, tenacity, and perseverance.