UNFUDGE YOUR MARKETING

Ali Raymer built a multi-million dollar travel business, lost everything overnight during COVID, and rebuilt it from scratch. But before any of that, she lost a dream client to another agency and used that sting to completely rethink how she was showing up in her marketing. In this episode, Ali gets candid about what it actually looks like to build a personal brand when you are operating under som...

A hot lead came in on a Friday night, ready to buy. By Monday morning, he had spent the money on a big screen TV instead. That is the moment Abi Asija realized that speed to lead was not just a sales concept. It was the difference between closing a deal and losing it entirely. In this episode, Abi shares what 700 plus land deals taught him about response time, why the data behind this metric will...

Ron Klinger had every reason to believe his workshop was going to be a success. The open rates were through the roof. The engagement was undeniable. The audience already knew him and loved his work. So what went wrong? In this episode, Ron gets refreshingly honest about what happens when the data tells you one story and the registrations tell you another, and what he learned about the questions he...

Everyone says you need SEO. But what if your website is not actually ready for it? Benas Leonavicius, founder of a solo SEO business he scaled to over $120K a year, joins Kristi to talk about the mistake he sees business owners make over and over again, and why jumping into search optimization before doing the foundational work often means starting from zero anyway. If you have ever wondered wheth...

One hundred episodes. Kristi Mitchell did not set out to build a show about marketing mistakes. She set out to have honest conversations that other business owners could actually learn from. And somewhere along the way, those conversations turned into something much bigger than she expected. In this solo episode, Kristi pauses to reflect on what 99 interviews with real business owners have taught...

Rachel Allen has been running a successful marketing business for 16 years, working with clients in 21 countries. She knows exactly what good marketing looks like. So why did it take her 18 months to admit she had completely checked out of her own? In this episode, Rachel gets refreshingly honest about what happens when a marketing expert goes on autopilot, the uncomfortable reason she stopped loo...

Leaving a six-figure corporate career with no plan, no business idea, and $165,000 in student loan debt sounds terrifying. For Mark Stern, founder of Custom Box Agency, it was just Tuesday. But what he did not expect was how much the habits and mindset he built over years at Deloitte would quietly work against him as he tried to build something of his own. In this episode, Mark shares the moment h...

Buying a list of thousands of contacts and blasting them with mass messages sounds like a shortcut to scaling fast. Jon Goering, founder of Story Trust Media, tried exactly that early in his business, and walked away with zero clients, damaged email deliverability, and a very clear lesson about what actually builds a service-based business. Spoiler: it is not a numbers game. Jon joins Kristi to un...

When your offer is working, your clients are getting results, and you know the problem is not what you are selling but who is hearing about it, the temptation to jump into lead generation mode can be overwhelming. Humaira Akhter, founder of the Genius Offer Blueprint, joins Kristi to share what happened when impatience sent her chasing a shiny new tactic, and what she learned about the difference...

If your website is not converting, your emails are not getting responses, or people are landing on your pages and disappearing without taking action, you might think you have a words problem. But chances are you have a strategy problem. Elle Rosselli, conversion copywriter and messaging strategist, joins Kristi to talk about what happens when businesses skip the foundational work and jump straight...

You can shout from every rooftop, post on every platform, and get all the exposure in the world. But if your messaging is unclear, inconsistent, or stuck in an older version of who you are, that exposure can actually work against you. Hersh Rephun, personal brand strategist and founder of Yes Brand Builders, joins Kristi to talk about one of the most common and costly mistakes he sees: a failure t...

Facebook ads promise passive leads, an autopilot pipeline, and clients flowing in while you sleep. But what really happens when you put real money behind that promise and the results just do not show up? Nancy Zare, PhD, a sales psychologist, joins Kristi to share her honest experience running Facebook ads not once, but twice, and walking away with little more than spammy email addresses and a lig...

When you are launching a new business and trying to do everything yourself, AI can feel like the perfect shortcut. Alan Lamparella, founder of Tasklight Business Advisory, found out the hard way that when it comes to branding, fast and cheap does not always get you where you need to go. After 30 years leading manufacturing and industrial organizations, Alan set out on his own and leaned heavily on...

Paid ads can feel like a money pit, especially when you are told you need to be everywhere, reach everyone, and just keep spending. Lindsey Laughlin, VP at Gravity Group, joins Kristi to cut through the noise and talk about the most common missteps she sees businesses making with their ad dollars, and what to do instead. From cramming too much into your messaging to spreading your budget across to...

What happens when you spend an entire day having what feels like a genuine, meaningful back and forth with someone on LinkedIn, only to find out days later that you were actually talking to their AI tool the whole time? That is exactly what happened to Rachel Platt, founder of PLATTinum Consulting, and it raises some really important questions about authenticity, trust, and where the line is when...

We talk a lot on this show about marketing mistakes, and this week Kristi is sharing two of her own. From a technical glitch that aired the wrong guest video to an email that went out to the wrong list, Kristi gets real about what it feels like when things go sideways and more importantly, what she did about it. This solo episode is a reminder that mistakes happen to all of us. What sets you apart...

If you feel like you are always busy with marketing but not seeing the results you want, the problem might not be your effort. It might be your strategy. Shay Prosser, founder of North 12 Partners and a first executive with over 20 years of experience scaling businesses, joins Kristi to talk about one of the most common traps business owners fall into: mistaking marketing activity for a real plan....

Testimonials are one of the most underutilized marketing assets, but most businesses are barely scratching the surface of what they could be doing with them. Neil Carroll, founder of vidwheel and creator of Root Thread, joins Kristi to share how a client project completely changed the way he thinks about testimonials, and why the real gold is in the story beneath the surface. Neil unpacks the comm...

Navigating the disconnect between sales and marketing is critical for business growth. Lance LeFort, founder of LeFort Talent Group, brings deep experience in talent acquisition and operations management, helping founder-led companies align their efforts for scalable success. In this episode, Kristi and Lance explore the common pitfalls business owners face with misaligned marketing agencies and s...

Mastering the balance between marketing efforts and sales follow up is key to sustainable business growth. Jeremy Shapiro, seasoned serial entrepreneur and author of Your Business Growth Playbook, shares hard-won insights on scaling beyond hustle to predictable revenue streams. In this episode, Kristi and Jeremy unpack the common mistake of relying too heavily on one lead source, how to spot dimin...

Building a strong online presence is more than just launching a website. Greg Mandile, founder of Mandile Digital Marketing, brings over two decades of experience helping businesses create mobile-friendly, SEO optimized websites that actually drive traffic and growth. In this episode, Kristi Mitchell and Greg discuss common misconceptions about websites... including the mistaken belief that “if yo...

Struggling to convert your email list into loyal clients? Lisa Klein, business coach and email strategist, teaches coaches and service providers how to fix common email marketing mistakes that quietly cost them clients. In this episode, Kristi and Lisa discuss why generic lead magnets don’t convert, how misalignment between freebies and paid offers sabotages sales, and the vital role of clear, str...

Is your marketing out of sync with your sales? Adam Rojas, founder of Bellmoore Consulting, works with founder-led early stage companies to build practical, data-driven sales systems that scale predictably. In this episode, Kristi Mitchell and Adam dive deep into the common disconnects between marketing messaging and sales execution. Drawing on over 25 years of leadership experience, Adam shares r...

Branding is the foundation for effective marketing, yet many business owners overlook its power, leading to disengaged audiences and missed opportunities. Kim Marie McKernan, international marketing leader and founder of Inspired Outcomes, shares her expertise on how clarifying your brand strategy creates authentic connections that truly resonate. In this episode, Kristi and Kim explore why so man...

Sometimes the hardest conversations are the most necessary. In this episode, Kristi Mitchell flips the script and becomes the guest, while sales expert Bryan McDonald takes the host seat. Bryan, partner at On Purpose Growth, helps leaders master sales — a skill many small business owners find intimidating yet essential. Together, they unpack the often overlooked sales side of business growth. Kris...