All Episodes

I’ve been inside a lot of businesses over the years. Big ones. Small ones. Companies with giant marketing budgets…and some who’ve barely scraped enough together for uniforms and a few yard signs. And there’s one thing I’ve noticed over and over again: It’s not the flashy logos or fancy websites that build trust. It’s when …

Years ago, I walked into a business that had the flashiest branding I’d ever seen. Gleaming trucks. A bold, modern logo. Perfect color schemes. Everything looked like it belonged on the cover of a trade magazine. And yet… something felt off. The techs were polite but stiff. The owner seemed distant, busy scanning his phone …

Let’s Talk About Origins and Ice Cream, A boy walks into a corner store with a dollar in his hand. There’s a freezer next to the register—just a beat-up white box with a sticker on the front that says Lemon Ice. That’s it. No logo. No mascot. No brand. The boy grabs one and takes …

Michelangelo’s first commission was for the Vatican at the age of 23. His last was as the architect of St. Peter’s Dome. He died at the age of 89. He was a gifted artist. His art extended into sculpture, architecture, and painting—both large and small. He was first recognized as a talented artist as a …

Do You Have Sour Grapes? A fox once saw a bunch of grapes hanging from a vine. He leapt for them. Missed. Leapt again. Missed again. After several failed attempts, he turned away and muttered, “They were probably sour anyway.” That’s how the mind handles disappointment—especially when pride is on the line. It rewrites the …

Ever seen a company that documents everything—right down to how to microwave soup or smile in the hallway? All in the name of systems and procedures? Here’s a real list of some of these so-called important systems and procedures: Not kidding. I wish I was.These SOPs exist. And they almost always show up in small, …

It’s 11:49 a.m. on a Tuesday in May in Austin. The day is humid and clear. It stormed last night, and it was breathtaking. Austin is known for football, BBQ, and being weird. Any tourist can tell you that. What only the locals know is this… About twice a year, God puts on a fantastic …

My son wears a shirt that says, “Do you even game, bruh?”—decorated with a controller and little gaming characters. My daughter wears her dance team jacket everywhere. It’s black and gold and glitters in the light. My son’s shirt and my daughter’s jacket are clear signals to the world. They say, “This is who I …

Just after you fill your tank with gas, you walk into the convenience store to grab something cold to drink. This is a critical moment. It’s more important than you might think, and you can actually feel it, even if you’ve never consciously considered it before. But you’ve been listening to Todd and Roy, so …

Selling is pushing, and buying is leading. My step-dad owned a mule. Her name was Nancy. Here’s what you need to know about mules. They are the offspring of a male jackass and a female horse, a mare. And always in that combination. It doesn’t work the other way around. So, like many unfortunate children, …

You are playing a dangerous game. A game that you didn’t even know that you were in. It’s no game of small bets. This is a game of extreme high stakes. It’s a game of tricks, addictions, and manipulations and very high costs. You are playing the game of the direct response advertiser. This game …

“How much should I spend on my advertising budget?” After the question is answered, question #2 is:“What is that in dollars?” See, I grew up in the world of percentages and margins. I think in percentages. So, I answer questions in percentages. A. Percentages: The percentage out of 100% a line item is deducted from …