Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Linkedin-in


Facebook-f Instagram Linkedin-in

INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS

Insights

26Apr

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...

By 1 Solution Saturdays0 Comments
Read more...
19Apr

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...

By 1 Solution Saturdays0 Comments
Read more...
12Apr

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...

By 1 Solution Saturdays0 Comments
Read more...
05Apr

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...

By 1 Solution Saturdays0 Comments
Read more...
29Mar

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.” –...

By 1 Solution Saturdays0 Comments
Read more...
28Mar

Pip the Penguin: A Marketing Parable

Meet Pip.Pip felt lost in the noise of a chaotic penguin colony. All the constant squawking sounded the same, and Pip could barely understand any of it. Pip didn’t like squawking, but he went along with it. That’s what everyone else was doing. But he could never be heard. Pip knew he had a different song to sing. One day, while all the other penguins were going through their daily routine of meaningless squawking, Pip went to a quiet corner of...

By Pip's Adventures0 Comments
Read more...
22Mar

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,...

By 1 Solution Saturdays0 Comments
Read more...
19Mar

Building a Hero Culture: Unleashing Real Change from Within

What if the key to true transformation in your organization lies not in big initiatives but in the everyday actions of a few dedicated "heroes"? We’ve all seen it—those standout individuals who work a little differently, think a little bigger, and inspire those around them. These “heroes” are often the spark needed to ignite lasting cultural change. Rather than following the rulebook to the letter, they innovate, take risks, and don’t shy away from mistakes. And when they’re supported, they inspire...

By Quick Thoughts0 Comments
Read more...
15Mar

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...

By 1 Solution Saturdays0 Comments
Read more...