How I Made it in Marketing

There are always tough times as you build and grow a startup.So how do you keep a team going when times are tough? ‘Culture is the glue’ my next guest says.To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Dawn van Hoegaerden, CMO, DefectDojo [https://defectdojo.com/].She is building out the marketing department at DefectDojo, has three vendors, and recently made her first hire. DefectDojo recently announced a $7 million funding round. It has been downloaded 38 million times.Lessons from the things she madeAdaptability creates opportunities‘Soft skills’ are really hard skillsCustomers will tell you how to market to them if you ask themFind a mentor who champions your growthCulture is the glueIf you don’t want the job, rethink the pathDiscussed in this episodeLet AI Agents Market For You – April 23rd at 2:30 pm EDTAI Guild [https://join.meclabsai.com/]Career Adaptability: Marketing can lead to many other things (podcast episode #103) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/career-adaptability]Marketing Career: What you need to understand at each step of the job seeker’s journey (even if you’re not looking) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/how-to/job-seekers-10-step-journey]Marketing Mentorship: 10 digital marketing lessons your fellow marketers learned from their mentors [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/best-practice/mentorship]The Prospect’s Perception Gap: How to bridge the gap between the results we want and the results we have [https://meclabs.com/education/Flint-prospects-perception-gap]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Want to move up in your organization? Here’s the best advice I’ve gotten in my career – ‘train others to replace you.’Hey, it’s a bit scary. If others can replace you, it’s easy to fire you, right? However, if you’re truly providing value, once others can do your current tasks, it also makes it possible for you to move up to the next level in your organization.Now here’s another version of that same wisdom – ‘automate your job.’That’s a lesson from my most recent guest. To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Prateek Shrivastava, advanced analytics manager, Cummins [https://www.cummins.com/].Cummins is a public company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. It reported $34.1 billion in revenue for 2024.Shrivastava leads a worldwide team of five data scientists, and his team estimated they generate $50 million in annual savings with their models.Lessons from the things he madeEmbrace failurePivoting is a superpowerDriving business value matters more than perfect modelsHelping others creates genuine connectionsAutomate your jobBe your own brandDiscussed in this episodeCustomer-First Offer session of MEC:200 Design Your Offer [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/DTC] – April 10th at 1 pm EDTSocial Media Marketing: Educate your executives (podcast episode #123) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/social]Value Proposition Power: 3 ways to intensify the force of your value proposition [https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/value-proposition-power/]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

I realize everyone who listens to How I Made It In Marketing is not a marketer, per se.Entrepreneurs also listen. Not native to our industry, so to speak, but you still need to know it well enough to get customers…so you can run your business and do whatever it is that you really are passionate about.Well take heart in a lesson from my next guest – everything is learnable. Even marketing. Even photo shoots.To hear the story behind that lesson, along with more lesson-filled stories, I sat down with Connor Swegle, CMO and Co-Founder, Priority Bicycles [https://www.prioritybicycles.com/]. Priority Bicycles started by raising $565,000 on KickStarter 11 years ago, and now has 35 models and fields 25,000 orders a year. Swegle manages four brands – including e-comm, omnichannel, advertising, and events – with a core nimble team of six.Lessons from what he madeEverything is learnableWhatever they said about lemons and lemonadeYour worst friend is still better than your best marketingYou can (and should) be yourselfPeople want your story – be brave enough to tell itYou are not aloneDiscussed in this episodeJoin us to learn how to craft a Customer-First Objective in Session #2 of MEC200: Design Your Offer [https://join.meclabsai.com/design-your-offer] on April 10th at 1 pm EDT (from MeclabsAI, MarketingSherpa's parent company).Creative Social Media Marketing: When to break the rules (podcast episode #129) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/creative-social]Strategic Advertising and Marketing: It’s not what you make, it’s what you make possible (podcast episode #117) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/strategic-advertising]Email Marketing: 3 award-winning lessons about relevance [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/email-marketing/email-awards-winners-relevance/]3 case studies of marketers that made a positive change in customers’ lives (while getting results for their business) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/positive-change-marketing-case-studies]Content and Communications: Tenacity, keep it simple, authenticity works (podcast episode #33) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/content]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters]to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/ free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Perception changes everything.Think about many of the chores your customers endure in their lives. Or you do personally. The perception of a chore is not positive, right?Take shaving – dragging a sharp metal object across your face every morning to meet societal norms…sometimes even drawing blood. Ouch. Literally.So how do you turn something like that into a luxury experience? According to my latest guest, that is ‘the power of storytelling in branding.’To hear the story behind that lesson, along with more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Eric Malka, CEO and Founder, Strategic Brand Investments [https://www.strategicbrandinvestments.com/], and author of On The Razor’s Edge: The story of The Art of Shaving [https://www.strategicbrandinvestments.com/projects-1].Malka was the co-founder and CEO of The Art of Shaving and sold it to Procter & Gamble. He currently advises and coaches seven entrepreneurs and founders through Strategic Brand Investments. He has invested in more than half of their companies.Hear the full episode using this embedded player or by clicking through to your preferred audio streaming service using the links below it.PLAYER GOES HEREListen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Amazon MusicKey lessons (backed by critical case studies) from what he made:The power of storytelling in branding Truth in marketing matters now more than everWord-of-mouth helps you find your best customersActionable takeaways from the people he made it withGreatness in the detailSometimes firing someone is doing them a favorEvery brand should have a battle cryDiscussed in this episodeAI Guild [https://join.meclabsai.com/]Authentic Brand Storytelling: Embed creative within your business model (podcast episode #105) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/authentic]“Authenticity” vs. “Professionalism”: Should you be your authentic self in your brand’s content and marketing? Or must you adhere to certain strictures considered “professional” in your industry? [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/authenticity]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Would you ever launch a campaign celebrating your brand as second best? That’s exactly what Sandy Rubinstein did at Nick at Nite.I sat down with Sandy Rubinstein, CEO, DX [https://dxagency.com/], to discuss that story, and many more lesson-filled stories, in this episode of How I Made It In Marketing.DX is a 20-year-old company with $20 million in revenue. Rubinstein manages a team of 70 across five cities in three countries.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingSeek serendipityLose the brand ego and lean into humility Bet on yourself Seek out every voice in the roomBe the all-weather friendMentorship is not a one-way streetDiscussed in this episodeWant to boost your conversions and collaborate with customer-first marketers? Claim your free 3-month AI Guild scholarship [https://join.meclabsai.com/] (from MeclabsAI, MarketingSherpa’s parent company). Innovative Marketing Leadership: It is okay to think outside the box but make sure you don't create surprises (podcast episode #82) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/innovative]Marketing: It’s not about you, and when you make it about you, you are never going to succeed (podcast episode #53) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-not-about-you]Marketing Career: How to become an indispensable asset to your company (even in a bad economy) [https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/marketing-career]Voice-Over Coaching: Tips for improving external webinars, internal trainings and other content [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/video-marketing-2/voice-over-coaching/]Creative Marketing and Advertising Campaigns: Hold the line & get a door kicker (podcast episode #84) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/creative-marketing]Marketing Mentorship: Direct feedback is a gift (podcast episode #98) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-mentorship] Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters]to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Sometimes we overlook the ends, because we’re so focused on the means.Today in marketing, that means can be algorithms and machine-built lookalike audiences and automations.But as our latest guest explained in her podcast guest application, all that technology doesn’t matter if you don’t focus on the right ends: “It's all about the story – and it needs to include empathy.”To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I sat down with Carmen Collins, director of social media, Generac [https://www.generac.com/].Generac is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange and reported $4.3 billion in net sales for 2024. Collins manages a team of three at Generac.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingSometimes, you just do it. Consequences be damned. Your network is your net worth. It's all about the story – and it needs to include empathy.Speaking of breaking rules, that's her biggest learning, and it's taken her a long time.Metrics are the best sword and the best shield when it comes to social media marketingHave your own Fabulous Personal Advisory BoardAdvocate and champion for each otherDiscussed in this episodeAI Guild – Want to boost your conversions and collaborate with top marketers? Claim your free 3-month AI Guild scholarship [https://join.meclabsai.com/] (from MeclabsAI, MarketingSherpa’s parent company).Social Media Marketing: Educate your executives (podcast episode #123) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/social]Substance Over Style: Good work has to speak for itself (podcast episode #111) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/substance-over-style]CMO-CPO Collaboration: Bridge Marketing and Product for collaborative growth (podcast episode #95) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/CMO]Innovative Marketing Leadership: It is okay to think outside the box but make sure you don't create surprises (podcast episode #82) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/innovative]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

How do you stand out in a sea of competitors when margins are thin and trends shift overnight? For Jaci Volles, the answer is: serve your customer’s customer – and innovate when the budget is tight.Jaci Volles, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Jelmar [https://www.clrbrands.com/] shared the lessons and stories from her career journey in this episode of How I Made It In Marketing.Jelmar is a 50-year-old, third-generation family-owned business that is best known for its CLR and Tarn-X cleaning product brands. Volles leads the sales, marketing, strategy, and product development teams, a total group of 100 internal and external professionals.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingWhen innovation meets tight budgets, be creative where you look for inspirationStand out in a crowded market by serving your customer’s customerFind your brand’s competitive advantageRespect the brand, history, and people when going through an acquisitionFocus on what you can control to lead through transitionsBe open to new possibilities while leveraging your core skills to break industry boundariesConcentrate resources to make the biggest impactDiscussed in this episodeAI Guild [https://join.meclabsai.com/]Marketing Pragmatism: Embrace ‘hand-grenade math’ over false precision (podcast episode #101) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-pragmatism]Marketing 101: What are decoy marketing and price anchoring? [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/consumer-marketing/marketing-101-decoy-marketing-price-anchoring/]B2B Marketing Infographic: How are B2B marketers optimizing their funnel? [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/b2b-marketing/infographic/]Value Focus: Which aspect(s) of your product should your marketing emphasize? [https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/value-focus-aspects-of-product-marketing]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

What if collaborating with a competitor could significantly boost your revenue? That’s exactly what Sagnik Roy, SVP at Times Internet [https://timesinternet.in/], did. In this episode, he shares how listening before selling and prioritizing soft skills reshaped his career.Times Internet has 571 million monthly users and a US audience of five million. It is owned by the Times Group, publisher of The Economic Times and The Times of India, the largest English-language newspaper by circulation. The Times Group is a private company and claims revenue exceeding a billion dollars a year.Roy manages a team of 15 to 20 people across three customer-facing brands.Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketingAsk, or you’ll never knowPrioritize soft skills when hiringListen first, sell secondLead with latitudePrecision builds trust Transparency is strengthDiscussed in this episodeJoin us for Get Productive With AI [https://join.meclabsai.com/mec050-accelerated] on February 27th at 1 pm EST.Strategic Delegation: Time is your most precious asset (podcast episode #96) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/strategic-delegation]Marketing Pragmatism: Embrace ‘hand-grenade math’ over false precision (podcast episode #101) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-pragmatism]Sustainable Marketing: Take the time to understand your target audience deeply and your value proposition (podcast episode #104) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/sustainable]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

To me, every customer touchpoint is a thing of value.And yet, some brands will pour millions of dollars into a Super Bowl ad while at the same time cutting customer service to the bone.Yet, both ads and customer service are valuable customer touchpoints.So I saw a kindred spirit when I read this lesson in a recent podcast guest application that came across my desk – “Brands are built by how you show up every day.”To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Thea Hayden, Interim CMO at Cognizant [https://www.cognizant.com/us/en].Cognizant reported $19.4 billion in revenue in 2023. Hayden manages a team of 350 across brand and digital marketing, global communications, events and sponsorships, field marketing, marketing operations, and technology marketing.Hear the full episode using this embedded player or by clicking through to your preferred audio streaming service using the links below it.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingCommunication can be hard…and it’s criticalAlways start with the end in mindBrands are built by how you show up every dayThe best cultures can be both positive and aggressiveEnthusiasm and optimism can be contagiousPay attention to your say/do ratioDiscussed in this episodeJoin us for Get Productive With AI [https://join.meclabsai.com/mec050-accelerated] on February 27th at 1 pm EST, taught by Flint McGlaughlin. There is no cost (from MarketingSherpa’s parent organization, MeclabsAI).Corporate Communication and Marketing Innovation: The dangerous delusion of safety – playing it safe can hurt you more than you know (podcast episode #41) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/corporate]Using the Science of Habit Formation in Customer-First Marketing (interview with Charles Duhigg) [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/charles-duhigg-interview-part-two/]Marketing, Advertising and Brand Strategy and Culture: You don’t “build" community, you “facilitate” community (podcast episode #52) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-advertising]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Your first day at a new job. Sounds exciting, right?Now imagine it's at a major bank in crisis, fresh off a £40 billion taxpayer bailout. Oh, and you're in charge of sports sponsorships – an easy target for public outrage.That’s exactly where Louise Johnson found herself. What did she learn from that experience? 'You must be a master of yourself during uncertain times.'To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories from throughout her career, I talked to Louise Johnson, Global CEO, Fuse [https://fuseint.com/].Fuse is part of Omnicom, which reported $14.7 billion in revenue in 2023. Johnson is a Board Director at Omnicom Media Group UK, and manages a team of 400 at Fuse.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingInstill emotional disciplineYou must be a master of yourself during uncertain timesBe restless and challenge the status quo“You cannot fail unless you quit” Ignore purpose at your perilSay it how it is from the very beginningDiscussed in this episodeJoin us for How to take a conversion marketing approach to Agentic AI and RAG (with zero tech skills) [https://meclabsai.com/Conversion] on February 12th at 2 pm ESTAuthentic Brand Storytelling: Embed creative within your business model (podcast episode #105) [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/authentic]An Inspirational Guide for Uncertain Times: 7 ideas and resources for marketers and business leaders to help spark your next great success [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/inspirational-guide-in-uncertain-times-for-marketers-business-leaders]Marketing Chart: How a customer experience #fail affects brands [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/customer-experience-fails]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application