Newsletter Archive
Strategies, frameworks, and stories to help you escape founder-led sales and scale through specialization.
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728 articles in the archive
Flywheel for Growth
A flywheel for growth: solve a specific problem for a narrow audience, over-deliver, let word of mouth spread, repeat. Learn why the trick is not overcomplicating it.
Your Most Profitable Niche
Here's a framework for finding your most profitable niche from your existing customer base, covering the numbers, the mojo, and the addressable market size.
Three Strategies to Win More Deals
80-90% of B2B buyers have vendors in mind before researching, and 90% choose from their "Day One" list. Learn how to actually make the cut.
How to meet the unrecognized needs of your customers
Meeting customers' unrecognized needs drives positive word of mouth. Learn why knowing what business you're really in, beyond your literal product, is what unlocks it.
How to get the A-list working for you
Word of mouth is rampant within vertical industries. Learn why generously spoiling industry A-list customers is the shortcut to getting everyone else to follow.
What is your Distinctive Competence?
Scorpion grew from $20M to $150M faster than competitors thanks to one innate strength: customer intimacy. Learn the 5 types of Distinctive Competence a business can have.
The Power of Vertical Market Specialization
Want to improve customer satisfaction and retention? Research shows vertical market specialization leads to deeper understanding, better experience, and stronger financial performance.
Is your uniqueness still...unique?
What's the clue that it's time to specialize? When your distinctiveness is no longer unique. Learn why being seen as the same as everyone else means you're a commodity.
Which would you rather have?
Which would you rather have, a $12M business with $0 profit, or a $6M business with $4M profit? Learn why less, focus, and fewer products, is actually more.
How Apple Creates Word of Mouth
Following up on last week's 3-step word of mouth formula: here's how the Apple Store illustrates meeting customers' unrecognized needs in practice.
So Good They Can't Ignore You
Steve Martin's advice for success: become so good they can't ignore you. Learn why focusing your business on a vertical market is what actually builds that rare skill.
One-off requests: the struggle is real
Struggling with too many one-off requests? Learn the 4 ways they quietly damage an agency, from time management to strained client expectations.
VGTM Ep. 4: From Start-Up Marketing Agency to 8-Figure Acquisition
Terry Dry, co-Founder of Fanscape, shares how focusing on one vertical he already had credibility in led to an 8-figure exit to Omnicom.
Why Using Insider Language Accelerates Sales
Buyers care deeply about whether you can solve their specific problem, not a generic version of their problem.
Studying Competitive Alternatives
Nobody buys in a vacuum. Learn why studying competitive alternatives is proven to boost marketing ROI, and how vertical focus makes identifying them easier.
Outbound Sales, Empathy and Greed
The difference between effective and ineffective outbound sales isn't dial volume, it's empathy vs. greed. Reflect on the actual tone behind your outreach.
When Being a Generalist Works Against You
Losing clients, spinning your wheels, stuck with flat growth? These are all signs your target market is too broad. Learn why the cure is focusing on your best-fit customer.
Answer these 3 questions before buying a lead list
If you have a bad list, everything downstream suffers. Ask these 3 questions before buying a lead list, and understand why building internally usually wins.
Stop Wasting Money on Marketing
3 things to avoid
The Who and What of Specializing
Here are the two ways to specialize a business: who you serve and what you do. See why sharper answers on both create stronger positioning than soggy generalist claims.
How To Create Immediate Trust With Your Sales Pitch
How do you open a sales presentation to build immediate trust? Not with your company or building. Learn the simple template for opening with the buyer's problems instead.
Agency sales that are too founder dependent
Fix inbound and you'll fix your founder dependency problem
Find your next vertical market in your current book of business
Want to choose a target vertical from your existing book of business? Learn 2 key metrics, annual revenue and retention, plus 4 more to guide the decision.
The first step in ROI+ outbound
The first step in ROI+ outbound is creating an elite target list. Learn the do's and don'ts, from narrow targeting to scrubbing every lead by hand.
“Is this a good fit for my agency?”
I partner with founders who want to build something meaningful, not just a busier agency, but a stronger, more scalable business.
You’re likely a strong fit if:
- You’re generating $1M–$20M+ annually
- You want to lead your market, not blend into it
- You’re thinking about long-term scale, not short-term tactics
- You want a growth engine that doesn’t rely on you
- You value clarity over complexity
- You’re open to advanced growth levers, including acquisitions
Escape Founder-Led Sales With My Free Book
My bestselling book Anyone Not Everyone reveals the positioning and outbound system that helps founder-led agencies create predictable, scalable growth.
Endorsed by Aaron Ross, Alan Dibb, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, and many other top thinkers in the agency world.