You can have excuses or discipline. Not both.

Your competitor isn’t smarter. They just tested more.

The best brands don’t sell products. They sell beliefs. Apple sells creativity. Nike sells victory. Tesla sells a future. What belief are you selling?

Reinventing yourself in business isn’t optional. It’s survival. The market doesn’t care about your past wins. It cares about who you are today. The easiest way to stay relevant? - Learn faster than everyone else - Adapt before you’re forced to - Kill your old identity before the market does The best version of you is always next.

Most marketing teams fail because they focus on the wrong things. Here’s what successful marketing teams do differently: 1. 🚫 Stop trying to go viral—start trying to be valuable. Focus on helping, not hyping. Value builds trust. Trust drives conversions. 2. ✂️ Simplify the message. If your audience is confused, they’re gone. Clarity converts. Complexity kills. 3. 🔥 Market the pain, not the product. People don’t care about your features. They care about solving their problems. 4. 🎯 Focus on one channel until it works. Spreading thin = no results. Go deep on one platform, then expand. 5. 📊 Measure what matters. Engagement is nice, but ROI is king. If it doesn’t make money, it’s a distraction. --- Want better marketing? Stop doing more—do different.

The truth: Your biggest obstacles aren’t external. 3 things stand in your way: - Distraction - Doubt - Comfort Conquer those, and success has no choice but to follow.

Harsh truth: Most “strategies” are just goals in disguise. They’re wish lists, not game plans. Here’s how to tell the difference (and set yourself up for success)... Bad Strategy: - Filled with fluff, not substance. - Doesn’t address the core problem. - Lacks a unique advantage. - Mistakes goals for strategy. - Lacks a clear game plan. - Poor alignment and coordination of resources. - Unfocused, lacks actionable steps. - Focuses on the tactics. - Doesn't result in outcomes. - Lacks stakeholder buy-in. - Neglects communication during implementation. - Ignores X-factors that could derail the strategy. Good Strategy: - Simple, clear, focused. - Clearly diagnoses the problem. - Creates unique leverage advantage. - Articulates 'how to win'. - Plans to overcome roadblocks. - Aligns and coordinates resources. - Translates strategy into actions. - Focuses on the objective. - Produces actionable results. - Ensures stakeholder buy-in. - Defines communication protocols. - Pre-empts problems and how to mitigate them.

Most people approach annual planning like a buffet. They pile on more goals, more projects, and more distractions. The real winners? They focus on removing what doesn’t matter and doubling down on what does. Don’t start your new year by asking, “What else can we do?” Ask, “What can we stop doing?” Elimination creates focus. Focus creates success. Your annual goals should fit on a single page. If they don’t, they’re not goals—they’re distractions. Simplify. Focus. Execute. Success is built on clarity, not complexity. Extraordinary results demand extraordinary focus.

2025 Marketing Trends That Will (Actually) Fuel Growth? Here are my top 5 predictions: 1️⃣ AI-Powered Everything (Go beyond the hype) AI isn’t a passing fad, and it's not optional, either. Leverate it for: - Content: Research, creation, analysis, personalization, and engagement. - Teams: Build hybrid teams (humans + agents) to get the best of both. - Performance: Analyze data in real-time and focus on what drives results. - Personalization: Scale personalization while staying authentic. 2️⃣ Collaboration = Your Competitive Edge The old revenue model is dead. Successful teams in 2025 will: Collaborate, Not Compete: Marketing, sales, onboarding, and customer success act like a production line, not siloed units. Aligned Incentives: While most teams want to collaborate more, incentives and reporting fuel competition rather than collaboration. Winning teams will align reporting and incentives to match their roles in the production line. 3️⃣ Community = Your Moat Customers crave connection (not just with your brand but with each other). - Create spaces and places for connection. - Turn customers into advocates. - Focus on long-term relationships over quick wins. 4️⃣ Customer Experience = Your Brand A strong customer experience shouldn’t just be on your yearly roadmap —it should define how you operate. Touchpoint opportunities: Your brand isn’t a campaign; it’s the sum of every interaction customers have across every department. Every Team Member Is a Brand Builder: From onboarding to support, each moment is an opportunity to surprise and delight. 5️⃣ Storytelling = Your Differentiator People connect with people—not products. Every customer touchpoint is an opportunity to tell your story and create a memorable story. With content becoming a commodity, the best brands will be the best storytellers. Make customers the heroes of your narrative. What else are you investing in this year?

The biggest risk in business (life)? Not taking one.

Did ChatGPT Search just kill Google Search and Perplexity? Here's how they've just changed the game... 1. Conversational Searches: ChatGPT Search combines natural language processing with real-time internet access, making information retrieval more intuitive and interactive. 2. Real-Time Answers: Get fast, up-to-date responses with links to relevant web sources—including news, stock quotes, sports scores, and more—without leaving the chat interface. 3. Efficient Research: Skip the multiple searches and endless scrolling; ChatGPT provides concise answers with sources cited right in the conversation. 4. Enhanced Content Discovery: By partnering with publishers, ChatGPT connects users to high-quality content, benefiting both users and content creators. 5. Integrated Experience: Enjoy enriched visuals like weather updates, stock charts, sports schedules, news headlines, and maps directly within your chat. Practical Implications: a) Boosted Productivity: Save time and streamline your workflow by getting direct answers without sifting through traditional search results. b) Informed Decisions: Access to the latest information ensures better decision-making. c) Competitive Edge: Early adopters can leverage this tool for more efficient information gathering, staying ahead in their field. But it has big implications for SEO, and companies that rely on Google's search traffic. Personally, it's going to save me opening 20 tabs to find one answer. What are your thoughts? 1.00

Early adopters want features. The masses? They ask, “Is it easy?” If you want to scale successfully, Obsess over ease of use.

Most companies never make it out of “cool new thing” status. Why? They ignore what mainstream buyers want: - Reliability - Simplicity - Consistency Build for scale, not for show.

You want feedback? Ship. Do you want sales? Ship. You want success? Stop making excuses. Ship. Iterate. Repeat.

Most marketers believe tools will solve their problems. But no software will fix bad strategy. Strategy first. Systems second. Tools last.

RT @mattturck: Us: “Super productive week, I’m fully caught up on email and almost done with my big presentation!” Elon:

The 7 deadly sins of marketing: 1. Invisibility 2. Irrelevance 3. Inconsistency 4. Impatience 5. Ignoring feedback 6. Insincerity 7. Insularity Do the opposite and you’re on the path to success. #marketing #growth #revenue

Most people don't even try. They're paralyzed by the fear of hearing 'No'. But here's the thing: 'No' is rarely the end... It's often just the beginning. 'No' can mean: - Not now (maybe later). - Not for me (but perfect for someone else). - Not quite (a small tweak could change everything). - Not sure (help me understand). Or sometimes, just no (time to move on). The paradox? The people who hear 'No' the most often succeed the most. They've learned the secret: 'No' is feedback. It's data. It's an opportunity to learn and pivot. The winning move when you hear 'No'? Ask "Tell me more." Because the person who can transform 'No' into insight is the person who can transform rejection into progress. And progress, not acceptance, is what changes everything. So next time you hear the word 'No', remember: It's not an end. It's an invitation to dig deeper, to understand more, to innovate. It's your cue to ask, "Tell me more."

Every day, there’s a battle raging. Not with your competitors, not with your team, but with the internal Resistance. In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield talks about the invisible force that stops us from doing our best work. In marketing, Resistance shows up as overthinking, procrastination, and endless revision cycles. Here’s how to win: Become a Relentless Finisher – The best campaigns don’t come from waiting for inspiration; they come from consistent effort. Commit to the Path – Don’t get distracted by every new tool or trend. Stick to your strategy and keep iterating. Silence the internal critic – Your work will never be perfect. Done is better than perfect, because action creates data, and data leads to optimization. Master the Last 10% – Half-done ideas never win. Complete, review, and then improve. Be Ruthlessly Simple – Complexity kills execution. Choose fewer tactics, but commit to them fully. Every new idea is a distraction unless it drives growth right now. As a marketing leader, you already know this: your biggest battle is internal. Win that, and the results will follow. #Growth #Marketing #Leadership