Marketing Wins – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode of Marketing Wins, I sat down with Mike Young, a fourth-generation almond farmer, entrepreneur, and author, to talk about building legacy—both in business and family. Mike shared how authentic personal branding and storytelling are the keys to connecting with your audience, whether you’re running a multigenerational company or launching your first book. He reminded us that legacy isn’t just what we leave behind, but what we build within people every day. If you’re navigating family business, personal brand growth, or just want inspiration for leaving your mark, this episode is for you.

A Legacy Rooted in Family and Service

Mike opened up about growing up in a multigenerational family business, working alongside parents, siblings, cousins, and more. For Mike, legacy isn’t about what you leave for people, but what you leave in them. This mindset not only shaped his personal journey but also inspired his heartfelt book, “The Farmer’s Code: How Legacies Are Built.” If you’ve ever wondered how to build a family business that thrives across generations, Mike’s story is a must-listen.

Personal Branding: More Than a Logo

Mike emphasizes that a brand is built on your values and authenticity—not just your company logo or website. Even though social media and self-promotion didn’t come naturally at first, he learned that being visible, relatable, and real creates trust and connections. Whether it’s on Instagram, LinkedIn, or in front of an audience, showing up as your true self is key.

Writing & Creativity: Keeping It Authentic

Taking his message a step further, Mike shared his experience moving from nonfiction to fiction. His new novel still weaves in themes of family and legacy, and he describes how his characters almost became real to him, guiding the story in unexpected directions. If you’re toying with writing (fiction or otherwise), Mike’s advice is simple: write what you know, and let authenticity shine through.

Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Leaders & Authors:

• Reverse engineer your brand. Speak directly to the person you once were or someone in your target audience.
• Show up authentically. People connect with people, not facades. Embrace your uniqueness—even if you think your daily life is ordinary!
• Think legacy, not just strategy. Whether in business or personal life, consider the values and impact you’re leaving behind.

Get Inspired & Connect

You can find Mike on Instagram (@mikecyoung), LinkedIn, or at mikecyoung.com. Pick up “The Farmer’s Code” and stay tuned for his upcoming novel!

For the full conversation and more insights, catch the latest episode of Marketing Wins wherever you listen to podcasts.

Here’s to authentic brands and lasting legacies, Valerie Morris & The Marketing Wins Team

In this episode of Marketing Wins, Valerie sits down with Chad Cannon to discuss strategic approaches to business growth, sales clarity, and community building. Chad shares insights from his journey from publishing and working for other thought leaders to his current work with founders through his consulting practice and Zenith Labs. They explore the importance of intentional marketing, quality lead generation, and creating supportive business communities that deliver genuine value.

• Chad's evolution from publishing to founder-focused consulting
• The Founder's Framework methodology
• The critical importance of clarity in sales and marketing strategies
• Building quality-focused lead generation systems
• Creating successful business communities and networking events
• Balancing personal branding with behind-the-scenes expertise

Chad divides his time between fractional work, one-day strategy sessions with founders, and his involvement with Zenith Labs, where they help companies grow revenue and profit in exchange for equity. Chad is currently developing his own methodology called the Founder's Framework and organizing events for business owners in Nashville and San Diego.

One of the conversation's central themes was the importance of clarity in sales and marketing. Chad emphasized that businesses must be direct in asking for the sale and controlling the dialogue rather than passively waiting for opportunities. Both agreed that clear messaging acts as an effective filter, saving time by attracting the right prospects and deterring poor-fit leads.

The conversation explored Chad's deliberate approach to personal branding throughout his career. While he prefers being behind the scenes rather than the face of a business, he recognizes the importance of strategically sharing his expertise and experiences online to establish credibility and connections.

• Chad's consulting company: Zenith Labs
• Chad's methodology: The Founder's Framework

• Follow Valerie on social media for updates when this episode goes live
• Learn more about Chad Cannon and his work with founders
• Stay tuned for more episodes of Marketing Wins!

What does it take to build a solid brand? We dive into that today with Jamie Engelhardt of Wild Ampersand. She's a branding expert who helps guide leaders and companies to develop out their branding. She alludes to the process as something similar to therapy - marketing therapy to be exact. She's that ever-valuable third-party perspective that helps brands get insights and perspective to be strategic and go conquer the world. You'll love this discussion!

To get more from Jamie:

LinkedIn

Wild Ampersand

Marketing Wins is hosted by Valerie Morris.

Valerie Morris is a digital marketing strategist who believes that you can be successful in marketing AND have balance in life. She understands social media growth tactics and how they fit in with other digital marketing disciplines. Valerie founded Tintero Creative, a digital agency based in Colorado specializing in content and social media marketing and also runs programs to help professionals launch bestselling books.

Connect with Valerie Morris

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What does it take to rebuild your professional reputation? How do you start something new? My guest today, Viveka Von Rosen dives into this with her new venture, Beyond the Dream Board. Originally known for her LinkedIn expertise, Viveka now provides coaching to women

Marketing Wins is hosted by Valerie Morris.

Valerie Morris is a digital marketing strategist who believes that you can be successful in marketing AND have balance in life. She understands social media growth tactics and how they fit in with other digital marketing disciplines. Valerie founded Tintero Creative, a digital agency based in Colorado specializing in content and social media marketing and also runs programs to help professionals launch bestselling books.

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Join the Author Craft Hub! A place for authors to get tools you can actually use to guide you through the process from writing to publishing, to launching and ongoing marketing...and more! Members get new resources for each week of the month as well as access to the whole archive. Join today and take the headache out of promoting your writing!

Connect with Valerie Morris

"Navigating Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing: A Conversation between Katie Brinkley and Valerie Morris"

Marketing leaders, Katie Brinkley and Valerie Morris, discussed key insights and experiences in the realm of entrepreneurship and digital marketing. We also talked about Katie’s new book and the process she went through to publish it. 

Building a Brand:

Katie Brinkley emphasized the significance of authenticity, advising entrepreneurs to stay true to their values and communicate a genuine story. Katie has a social media agency in Denver, offering social media and podcast strategy for CEOs aiming to become thought leaders. She started working with bands on MySpace 20 years ago and has a background in radio, which influenced her current business.

Katie emphasizes the significance of sharing one's story and thoughts, despite the vulnerability it brings. Holding a microphone, either physically or metaphorically, is crucial for building trust and community, especially in the digital world.

The Social Shift

Katie's book, "The Social Shift,” recently came out in December 2023. The book addresses the changing dynamics of social media and emphasizes strategic use to build a community online and balance time effectively. 

It took 18 months to publish, providing insights into the evolution of social media and the quest for community building. Katie shares the challenges faced during her book launch, including website malware issues that affected the launch day. Despite the hurdles, Katie successfully launched her book on her website and plans to sell it on Amazon later. Katie acknowledges the importance of finding reliable partners in the publishing process, doing thorough research, and understanding the significance of metrics. Learn about how her launch went and lessons learned along the journey!

Connect with Katie Brinkley:

Interested individuals can connect with Katie, explore her podcast, and obtain her book at katiebrinkley.com.

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Join the Author Craft Hub! A place for authors to get tools you can actually use to guide you through the process from writing to publishing, to launching and ongoing marketing...and more! Members get new resources for each week of the month as well as access to the whole archive. Join today and take the headache out of promoting your writing!

In this episode you will learn about:

• CJ’s background.
• Her role at On The Move.
• How CJ fell in love with marketing.
• The importance of learning on the job.
• How On The Move solves problems for people.
• How On The Move transitioned from self-storage to the truck rental industry.
• How On The Move is using trucks for several different purposes.
• How rented trucks can help brands build deeper relationships with customers.
• Why rented trucks act like rolling billboards that are also useful.
• How real estate agents leverage rented trucks to drive sales.
• The marketing challenges that On The Move has faced.
• Why SEO has been difficult for On The Move.
• The importance of strong customer relationships.
• How the availability of trucks has impacted On The Move.
• Advice that CJ would give her younger self about marketing.
• What CJ thinks is the key to success.
• Why it is dangerous to try to do too much without getting any help.
• Why marketers never take a break from work.
• The challenges of working from home in the post-pandemic world. 
• CJ’s advice for your next marketing win.
• Why it is important to trust your gut in marketing.
• Why it is important to track your marketing and sales activities. 
• Why you should remember your accomplishments.
• The lessons that CJ learned from a big-budget marketing failure. 
• Why traditional marketing is also important and relevant in our digital world today.

Find CJ online

Website

LinkedIn

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Join the Author Craft Hub! A place for authors to get tools you can actually use to guide you through the process from writing to publishing, to launching and ongoing marketing...and more! Members get new resources for each week of the month as well as access to the whole archive. Join today and take the headache out of promoting your writing!

In this episode you will learn:

• Valerie’s recent work with book authors.
• How Valerie successfully launched her own book.
• What authors should think about before launching a book.
• The importance of sharing your writing process with your audience.
• What to share on social media about your book.
• How to get over the imposter syndrome when thinking about writing a book.
• Why the launch process should not be rushed.
• Things that can slow down the book launch process.
• Why do you need a marketing and communication strategy for your book?
• How to reach your book sales goals.
• Why you need to get the book ‘advocates’ on board before launching.
• How to think strategically when selecting the date on which to launch your book.
• Valerie’s experience working with a client with an engaged launch team.
• Important considerations when launching your second book.
• How to overcome limiting beliefs about your book.
• How to motivate people to read your book even if it is a new subject matter for them.
• The key differences between launching a book independently vs. through a publisher.
• Should you put together a book proposal before you start writing?
• What you should know if you decide to self-publish a book.
• The hybrid options available for book publishing.
• The preferred publishing routes for small business owners. 
• The key benefits of the independent route vs. the publisher route. 
• How helpful are publishers in today’s digital world?
• The marketing work that authors have to do even if they have a publisher. 
• The difference between promoting your book and helping people find your book.
• How to cut through the noise when promoting your book. 
• How your confidence in the book affects the way you present it to the world. 
• How to think strategically about the subject of your book.
• Realistic goals that authors should think about before writing a book. 
• Valerie’s motivation for writing a book. 
• How books help build credibility.
• How to use a book as a marketing tool for a small business.
• Evergreen vs trendy books.
• What is a realistic book launch timeline?
• The background legwork that is needed to launch a book.
• The resources that authors need to have a successful book launch.
• How to decide what to focus on when launching a book and strip away unnecessary activities.

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Join the Author Craft Hub! A place for authors to get tools you can actually use to guide you through the process from writing to publishing, to launching and ongoing marketing...and more! Members get new resources for each week of the month as well as access to the whole archive. Join today and take the headache out of promoting your writing!

In this episode you will learn:

• Dorothy’s transition from a freelancer to an agency owner. 
• Dorothy’s new digital media company that helps freelancers grow business. 
• The limiting beliefs that some people have that prevent them from moving from live launches to evergreen content.
• The most common types of evergreen content.
• What does evergreen content mean?
• The difference between evergreen content and live launches. 
• How your offer needs to change in order to be better suited for an evergreen sales process.
• The power of webinars and how they can support the sales of evergreen content.
• The biggest objections that people have to evergreen funnels.
• How to select the right webinar recording for your evergreen offer. 
• How to make people more comfortable delivering webinars. 
• What is the difference between a webinar and a masterclass? 
• How to prepare yourself for developing an evergreen digital product. 
• How to determine that your content is ready for paid ads. 
• Why running paid ads is a simple process but definitely not an easy process. 
• How to calculate your advertising budget for live launches. 
• How long it normally takes to optimize a webinar before it is ready to become an evergreen product. 
• How freelancing can be an entry point to entrepreneurship. 
• The most pressing needs that freelancers have today.
• How Dorothy innovated during the pandemic to follow the most recent trends.
• Why it is important to have high-value freelancing skills.
• The most incredible aspects of freelancing.
• How AI might change marketing. 
• Dorothy’s advice for your next marketing win.
• The most lucrative trend for business owners who are looking to grow.

Find Dorothy online:

• The Gig
• Needle’s Eye Media
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

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Join the Author Craft Hub! A place for authors to get tools you can actually use to guide you through the process from writing to publishing, to launching and ongoing marketing...and more! Members get new resources for each week of the month as well as access to the whole archive. Join today and take the headache out of promoting your writing!

In this episode you will learn about:

• Shawn’s area of expertise.
• Shawn’s 4-month social media training package that includes training for the internal team.
• How Shawn's business was impacted by Covid and how she adapted. 
• How to develop engaging content for industries that don’t sell “shiny objects”.
• The types of monthly newsletters that get good open rates. 
• Why it is important for business owners to take marketing seriously. 
• How adding a little bit of humor to marketing campaigns can help improve results.
• How speaking to a more general audience with your marketing content can be beneficial.
• How to make your brand more approachable online. 
• Why it is important to show before transformations and after and behind the scenes content to your audience online. 
• Marketing trends in the travel industry after Covid. 
• The shift towards direct bookings in the travel industry and how social media can help increase such bookings tremendously. 
• The type of social media content that travel companies should focus on.
• How Shawn has positioned her brand on social media in a more innovative way.
• Why doing marketing content about yourself can be awkward.
• How an outside voice can help highlight brands in the most positive way on social media.
• How being too close to the material can hurt marketing efforts.
• Shawn’s most recent marketing win that involves the Caribbean.
• Shawn’s best advice for companies that are trying to achieve their next marketing win with digital marketing. 

Find Shawn online: 

• Website
• LinkedIn

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Join the Author Craft Hub! A place for authors to get tools you can actually use to guide you through the process from writing to publishing, to launching and ongoing marketing...and more! Members get new resources for each week of the month as well as access to the whole archive. Join today and take the headache out of promoting your writing!

In this episode you will learn:

• How marketing has changed in the recent months.
• Marketing challenges that companies face today.
• The transition from traditional to digital marketing.
• How the relationship between marketing and sales has changed.
• How the customer buying process has changed in recent years.
• Why it is important to adjust your marketing tactics periodically.
• How to get in the mindset of your customers, especially for younger customers. 
• Why it is important to understand how marketing affects other business functions such as HR.
• Why the brand story is becoming more important for customers.
• The art and science of telling stories and making those stories interesting for clients.
• How decision making affects planning marketing strategy.
• The questions that Burt helps clients answer.
• Successful marketing tactics that Burt has implemented for clients. 
• How to advise clients on the best marketing tactics.
• The psychology of marketing.
• Why it is important to break down silos in organizations.
• How to understand the value of each customer for marketing agencies. 
• Why the branding approach should start with discussions around brand values.
• Is email still an effective marketing channel?
• Marketing for non-profit organizations.
• How nonprofits can build a brand in a changing marketplace. 
• The marketing needs of nonprofits.
• How nonprofits can build a purposeful marketing strategy.
• Why discipline and consistency is important in marketing.
• How to approach marketing in a fragmented world where people are exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day.
• How to build trust with customers in the digital world. 
• Actions that you can do today to get your next marketing win. 
• Why it is important to keep your professional network updated on how your services evolve.

Find Burt online:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

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Join the Author Craft Hub! A place for authors to get tools you can actually use to guide you through the process from writing to publishing, to launching and ongoing marketing...and more! Members get new resources for each week of the month as well as access to the whole archive. Join today and take the headache out of promoting your writing!