INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS

1 Solution Saturdays

How I Got Arrested (and What It Taught Me)

I once got arrested for swimming when I was 17. Not streaking. Not fighting. Not drunk driving. Just… swimming. In a pool. Here’s what happened: It was one of those hot Amarillo nights where your brain melts and you think, “You know what would really solve all my problems right now? Trespassing.” So my buddy and I jumped the fence of an apartment complex pool after hours. No big deal — we were staying with someone who lived there. We made a verbal contract:...

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Stop Pitching. Start Hitting.

In 1914, George Herman “Babe” Ruth entered Major League Baseball as a pitcher. And not just any pitcher—he was elite. In 1916, Ruth posted a 1.75 ERA and won 23 games for the Red Sox. He was one of the best arms in the league. But something didn’t sit right. Because even then, when he wasn’t on the mound, Ruth was crushing balls in batting practice. He knew he had more to offer. Not just as a good pitcher, but as a...

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Your Marketing ROI is Confusing. Here’s a One-Page Reset.

"THINK." The word that built IBM's early culture. And right now, it's what small businesses need to do more than ever when it comes to their marketing. A few days ago I finished reading Making Numbers Count by Chip Heath and Karla Starr. The subtitle is “The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers.” Like most people, I don’t naturally love numbers. They feel abstract. Cold. Easy to misunderstand—or worse, easy to ignore. Turns out that's normal. “Numbers are like foreign language. You need to translate...

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The One-Word Expectation That Built a Billion-Dollar Company

"Think". One word. No fancy strategy deck. Just a sign. And that sign transformed a dying company into IBM. Sometimes, clarity isn’t just a value—it’s the entire difference between growth and confusion, trust and resentment, momentum and stall-out. And most businesses don’t lose because they’re lazy. They lose because expectations are fuzzy, assumptions are silent, and no one wants to ask the awkward questions. Before returning to the IBM story. Consider this: Misalignment Kills More Deals Than Mistakes Most relationships don’t break because of bad...

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Marketing Moves to Make No Matter What Happens in Washington

Blindsided About 12 years ago, a couple of years after starting Expio, I was working on a new marketing campaign launch with a client. Everything was lined up—creative was approved, content scheduled, budget locked in. As a marketing company of barely over a year old at the time this was a large campaign for us. I was naive, excited, and not expecting what happened next. The day before launch, I got a call: “We have to pause. Our packaging and shipping costs just...

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Are We Marketing to Impress Ourselves or to Move the Market?

The Most Embarrassing Day of My Life I was in the zone and running as fast down the field as I could. NO ONE could catch or stop me. It was 10th grade football and a day I'll never forget. I caught an interception and sprinted down the field—wide open, no one in sight. I was locked in, fully committed, adrenaline pumping. There was a ton of yelling from the sidelines that I assumed was cheers. It wasn’t. I was running the wrong way. Before I...

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Why Doing Hard Things Is the Easiest Way to Live

Problem → The Exhausting Trap of Easy Most think the goal is ease. Less resistance. More comfort. Fewer constraints. But chasing the easy path often creates the hardest life: Decisions stack up unmade. Habits slide. Guilt builds. Health and appearance declines. Confidence fades. What looks like relief can end up costing you everything that matters. The irony? Doing hard things—on purpose—is the easiest way to live (also the happiest way) Quote → The Power of Hard Choices “Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.” –...

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Buying vs Buying-In

Problem → Customers who Buy from you without Buying into you. Most businesses ask, “How do we get people to buy?” A reasonable question to be sure. A better question is, “How do we help them believe, buy into our culture, and feel ownership over their decision?” People buy for lots of reasons that may not include buying into our brand. When people buy-in to the brand, they don’t just make a purchase—they commit. They connect. They believe. That belief drives loyalty, referrals,...

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Win the Moment. Win the Day.

1 Problem Have you ever had a make-or-break moment… and hesitated? You sit down to send the email, make the call, or take action—then suddenly, doubt creeps in. You hesitate. You procrastinate. And the moment passes. This isn’t about time management. It’s about moment management. We lose momentum not because we lack time, but because we don’t win these small moments of hesitation, distraction, and procrastination. But what if the key isn’t forcing action—but creating space in the moment, then acting from that space? 1...

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Elevate Your Website’s Performance with Reliable Hosting Solutions

Your Website Deserves the Best At Expio Digital Marketing, we understand that your website is the foundation of your business's growth. We provide reliable hosting solutions along with knowledgeable maintenance services to make sure everything functions properly and effectively. With our support, you can focus on your business while we handle the technical details. Why Choose Expio Hosting? Lightning- Fast Performance With our advanced hosting building design, enjoy outstanding website performance and consistency. Because our servers are performance-optimized, your website will load easily and...

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