It usually starts with frustration.

A CEO pulls me aside and says something like: *”We’ve tried three agencies. We’re posting on LinkedIn. We just redesigned the website. And I still can’t tell you if any of it is working.”*

Or a business owner looks me dead in the eye and says: *”Karyn, we’re the industry’s best kept secret.”* And every single time I say the same thing back, “That’s a stupid strategy.“ Thank God most of them laugh. Because I’m not joking.

Over the last 30 years, I have sat across from thousands of hardworking small business owners, CEOs, sales leaders, and marketing teams. They are smart. They are committed. They are not lazy. And they are exhausted from marketing that feels like a black hole — expensive, unpredictable, and impossible to defend.

I kept asking myself, “Where is this actually breaking down? Where is the tension coming from?”

The answer wasn’t one thing. It was five.

– Karyn