I lead an 8-figure creative consulting agency within the Wizard of Ads®, helping ambitious Essential Home Service Contractors 4-10X their revenue profitably with holistic brand-forward marketing strategies.
It wasn’t always that way, though. I grew up in the gulags of retail, a disturbingly transactional world. Wheeling, dealing, offers, and gimmicks. My early career in retail and automotive was filled with deception, skullduggery, and friction;
🚫 Bad bosses,
🚫 Questionable practices,
🚫 Toxic work environments, and
🚫 Weaponize fear, shame, and guilt.
Frankly, I mirrored that behavior. I thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t know what I didn't know.
I became a highly competent manager and an intolerant tyrant. At one point, after getting summarily fired for generally bad behavior, I had an existential crisis.
If this was bad, what was good? Did everything have to be such a grind?
It hit me like a sack of hammers. I was the one causing all the friction, not them. When you are convinced you're in a room full of imbeciles, you're almost certainly the actual fool. If you don't feel that way today, you've likely already turned the corner on becoming an exceptional leader.
I have aspirations to be exceptional in life, not just good. Sometimes, you believe you’re doing all the right things, but you have friction hiding in your blind spots. Well-intentioned, but friction nonetheless, and that friction is causing unnecessary resistance. I certainly did.
Today, I create divergent sales and marketing strategies for my clients, removing unwanted friction in their business and life. When we make it easier for sellers to sell and buyers to buy, we accelerate profitable growth.
This first made sense to me in November of 2015 (at 40 years old!) when I heard the concept developed by my Wizard of Ads® Partner, Ray Seggern, about Story, Experience, and Culture.
Our brand is, simply put, our culture.
When we reorient our intentions to protect and defend a happy, healthy, wealthy culture, our people will protect and defend the buying experience. These are the persuasive stories we write for your advertising.
Today, I believe that marketing is FAR TOO IMPORTANT to be left to marketers. Marketing extends into every aspect of communication. This is why I believe it's essential to implement holistic, brand-forward marketing strategies.
This is how legends are made.