In's & Out's, LLC, dba as Brands That Stand® is a nationally recognized brand strategy consulting firm. We have worked in dozens of industries and sectors with hundreds of clients from Fortune® 100 Companies, national nonprofits, government entities and universities to entrepreneurs and small businesses.

We are not a marketing agency.

We aim to help you manage your brand through periodic counsel, not an agency-like relationship. We help you uncover insights and produce outcomes through brand behaviors to create desired customer experiences. Behaviors in sales, product development, technology deployment, human resources and a host of other aspects can all be aligned to reflect your brand. A brand is much more about how you behave than what you say.

Jim Paglia had a lengthy career in advertising, public relations, and integrated marketing, managing the accounts of some of the world's most recognized brands. In 1986 Paglia left the global agency world, and with a partner, teamed up as the integrated marketing firm Tassani Communications. It quickly grew to be recognized as one of Chicago’s most prominent mid-sized firms and changed its name to Tassani & Paglia. In 1995, Jim decided to create a new business model and formed In’s & Out’s, LLC. In 2015, the firm began also identifying as Brands That Stand® , to better reflect the benefit clients derive from its services.

How we work

Although the majority of our work revolves around providing counsel related to brand alignment, organizational behavior and facilitation, when greater resources are needed, Brands That Stand engages and oversees the services of freelancers, subcontractors, and subject matter experts with varied talents including marketing disciplines to implement plans supporting our strategic recommendations on an “as required" basis. Our network of experts, vendors, and suppliers stretches around the world. Additionally, the scope of our work ranges from one-to-one CEO counsel to managing a network of hundreds of associates and service providers who support our clients.

Civic interests

Jim has been very active in civic, social and not-for-profit endeavors. He has served as president and/or chairman of more than 30 entities in both the for profit and nonprofit areas including as a founding board member and Chair of the Chicago Sinfonietta, a professional symphony orchestra. Jim served as Chairman of the Board for Chicago 1994 World Cup of Soccer and as the chairman of the board of the Illinois Chapter of the March of Dimes, which included NW Indiana, and he also served as a member of the MOD National Office of Volunteers. Jim was recognized with the Harry Green Lifetime Achievement Award by the March of Dimes. Chicago Magazine declared him a "Chicago Original" for his vast nonprofit leadership. He served as Chair of the Washington, DC based Caregiver Action Network (CAN). After rotating off the CAN board, he agreed to chair the newly formed 501c4 CAN affiliate known as Caregiver Voices United (CVU). Paglia is the author of volleyball’s bestselling publication, “A Guide To Volleyball Basics.” The Illinois Women’s Soccer Open Cup Championship trophy was named the Jim Paglia Cup. Jim was a founding board member of the National Museum of Health and Medicine - Chicago. Jim was elected to the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana in 2014. He was inducted into the Porter County Career and Technical Center Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2016, Jim was honored to be among two hundred citizen Torchbearers who traversed their state for the Indiana Bicentennial Relay.