The Business Case for Oh, Wise Grasshopper…™

Brand

Oh, Wise Grasshopper™  is a professional development and education brand focused on modern business ethics, workplace etiquette, professional communication, and character-based leadership. Led by author, trainer, and ethics and etiquette expert Phyllis Davis, the business delivers its expertise through a flagship book, corporate training and consulting services, trainer certification, and The Society of Uncommon Courtesy. Its core offer teaches professionals how to make strong first impressions, communicate with confidence, handle difficult interpersonal situations, demonstrate integrity, and earn durable trust in business settings.

The brand differentiates itself from traditional etiquette instruction by rejecting superficial rules and status signaling in favor of practical, contemporary behavioral guidance that connects courtesy directly to professional credibility, ethical decision-making, and career success. Its business model combines book sales with B2B training, consulting engagements, media opportunities, and credentialing or community-based professional development programs.

Tone

Professional, warm, and deeply encouraging, with an authoritative foundation built on Phyllis Davis’ four decades of training experience as an Ethics & Etiquette Expert. The language makes etiquette accessible and modern through plainspoken phrases such as “read the room,” “show up,” and “succeed anyway,” while using humor and relatable scenarios to remove intimidation from a topic often presented as rigid or elitist. The brand frames courtesy as a form of strength, confidence, and leadership rather than as performative politeness.

Target Audience

The primary audience includes U.S.-based professionals, managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and emerging professionals who want stronger communication skills, more long-term relationships in their industry, and a more credible professional presence. It serves adults at multiple career stages, from people entering the workforce and learning unwritten workplace expectations to team leaders seeking to model respectful, ethical conduct for others. These customers value self-improvement, integrity, confidence, relationship-building, and long-term professional respect; they are frustrated by awkward workplace interactions, unclear social norms, poor communication, and the reputational damage caused by thoughtless behavior. They have varying levels of familiarity with etiquette, but they share a need for practical instruction that translates abstract values into actions they can use in meetings, introductions, difficult conversations, networking environments, and leadership roles. They choose Oh, Wise Grasshopper™… because it provides credible, experience-based guidance that is modern, immediately applicable, and free from the elitism associated with traditional finishing-school etiquette.

Content Style

The content uses an instructional, motivational structure that moves readers from discovery and understanding to application, growth, and leadership. It translates ethics and etiquette into practical lessons, relatable stories, real-world examples, and memorable principles rather than relying on abstract theory or formal social rules. The site consistently connects small daily behaviors with larger outcomes: trust, professional confidence, stronger relationships, and a reputation others respect.

Brand Voice

The brand voice is wise, approachable, polished, and gently humorous. It carries the authority of an experienced corporate educator while speaking to readers as capable people who need clear guidance rather than correction or judgment. Its central personality is grounded in gracious confidence: direct about standards of conduct, compassionate about the fact that many people were never taught those standards, and optimistic about every reader’s ability to improve.