All Episodes

Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. If you’re running a $3.5 to $5 million company, here’s the reality: chasing revenue alone is a trap. At this stage, it’s tempting to think, “If I just add more trucks, more techs, more advertising, I’ll make more money.” But every truck comes with overhead. Every hire brings payroll …

Do you have the Tools, the Touch, or Both? I’ve seen a lot of people who know the tools. They’ve studied the greats. They can name-drop Ogilvy and Caples and Schwartz. They know the rules. But their copy still feels flat. Why? Because knowing the science isn’t the same as having the touch. The touch …

Have you ever met a power couple? Lynn Tomasek is the CEO of Brothers Plumbing, Air Conditioning, and Electrical in Denver, CO. Jeff Tomasek is a retired schoolteacher and administrator who’s launching into his second career as an entrepreneur. You might call them a power couple. In their chosen professions, they’ve both excelled — earning …

Do you know the difference between strategy versus tactics? Strategy is the long-term belief system and framework that guides every decision. It’s what you believe will work and how you align with customer truths. Tactics are the short-term tools, executions, and levers you pull (ads, discounts, headlines, bursts). They get responses, but without strategy, they …

Who Will Minister the Minister? It turns out, a bunch of plumbers. Charles “Bubba” Thurman led the country’s largest youth ministry for 17 years while at Lake Pointe Church in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Bubba loved the kids at the church and felt very strongly about his mission to bring them to Jesus. So, in …

The 5 Truths about Television in Your Media Mix Here are 5 truths you must know before you start advertising with Television. #1 – Highest Impact, Highest Barriers “Doing TV well is really hard… and it’s never, ever, ever quick or cheap.” TV has the power to move people like nothing else. But don’t kid …

“What do you need to know about Marketing as you grow?” Mike Wilson may be the only man in the world to go from an electrician to the Chief Marketing Officer of AnyHour Group—a company collectively doing over $400 million in home electrical, plumbing, and air conditioning services. And before he earned this position, he …

“A Diamond Is…” What popped into your head says something about you. Get the attention of a group, say those three words, and pause. Try it. You’ll hear “Forever!” and “A girl’s best friend!” overlapping. I’ve run this experiment many times, and the results are predictable. It’s led me to this belief: If a polling …

Why Zooby will be the next billion-dollar home services company. Last week, in Part 1, you met the man behind the muscles—Elmer Zubiate. We talked about growing up poor, learning work ethic from his mom’s $35-a-day house cleaning job, and building a $45 million business rooted in integrity. But today’s conversation? It’s about how Elmer …

How are your leads? In the good ole days, a digital lead was inexpensive. There were 3 paid ads at the top, and a list of highly recommended companies based on Search Optimization. Yes, a man could make a living on less than $2,000 a week in digital ad spend. And if a man had …

There’s Elmer Fudd. There’s Elmer’s Glue. And then… there’s Elmer Zubiate. (Zoo-bee-ott-e’) Elmer is a walking contradiction. He’s a very large man—broad shoulders, big muscles, and yes, at one point, he even had an MMA ring in his office. He used to spar between meetings.  But here’s the thing: behind all of that strength is …

You can close your eyes, but you can’t close your ears. That truth has kept us alive for thousands of years. It’s why a mother hears a whimper from the next room. It’s why we jolt awake in the night without knowing why. It’s why your brain can remember a song lyric from 1997 but …