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...
"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...
"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...
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...
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...
04 Dec December 4, 2018 ...
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.” –...
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...
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,...
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...
