In this episode of Unicorn Campaigns, host Dave Valentine sits down with Tyler, the founder of Morning Mugs, a Baltimore-based coffee shop that’s redefining the café experience one color sleeve at a time. What started as a playful mug game in an office kitchen turned into a full-blown brand movement — with lines out the door and customers dreaming in purple.

🔥 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Morning Mugs grew from a quirky Instagram guessing game into a brick-and-mortar business with a devoted local following.

• The brand psychology behind Tyler’s color sleeve game — and how it turned a daily coffee run into a joyful, gamified ritual that sparks emotional connections.

• Why Tyler believes “people don’t buy what you sell, they buy why you sell it,” and how that belief shapes every customer touchpoint, from seasonal specials to event appearances.

• The secrets to creating consistent brand experiences across locations without losing the fun, flavor, and founder energy that built the brand in the first place.

• How Tyler handles the shift from operator to CEO, builds marketing into his weekly rhythms, and protects his time and focus like a true brand leader.

🎯 Whether you’re building a food & beverage brand, launching a brick-and-mortar store, or just want to turn customers into storytellers, Tyler’s approach to joy-first marketing and playful consistency is packed with inspiration.

Keywords for discovery: Morning Mugs Baltimore, gamified coffee shop, coffee marketing ideas, small business branding podcast, experiential marketing, brand storytelling, coffee sleeve game, customer retention strategy, emotional branding, cafe entrepreneur journey, marketing joy, Simon Sinek brand why, hospitality marketing podcast, Unicorn Campaigns podcast

📲 Follow @morningmugscoffee on all platforms or stop by one of their Baltimore locations to play the color game yourself.

🎧 Subscribe to Unicorn Campaigns for more behind-the-scenes stories of wildly successful marketing moves that built brands worth raving about.

In this episode of Vox & Coin, hosts Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek and Dave Valentine break down why most brands butcher the customer journey—and how to fix it with intentional design, strategic delight, and marketing that actually anticipates what your customer needs next.

💡 Spoiler: If your post-purchase flow starts with a receipt and ends with silence, you’re doing it wrong.

✨ This episode covers:

• Why a receipt is the worst thing to send right after a purchase

• How Apple, Disney, and Chuck E. Cheese build delight into every step

• Why your customer's next problem should be your next offer

• Real onboarding tips that turn “buyer’s remorse” into brand loyalty

• How dentists, HVAC techs, and SEO teams can crush the customer experience

• The art of re-enrollment: bringing customers back to their original vision

• What we can learn from Walkmans, Moldy Whoppers, and Chrome’s dino game

🧠 Plus:

• Confetti UX, dopamine hits, and why packaging is a marketing channel

• Designing for what hurts after purchase—before your customer even notices

• Why customer delight isn’t fluff—it’s retention

• The hidden moments that turn one-time buyers into loyal fans

🎯 Whether you're an eCom brand, agency owner, or SaaS startup, this episode gives you the playbook to stop losing customers after the sale—and start creating moments they’ll actually remember.

Search-optimized keywords: customer journey optimization, post-purchase marketing, customer delight strategy, onboarding experience tips, product packaging UX, how to improve retention 2025, best customer experience brands, re-enrollment marketing, delight-driven UX, Apple packaging psychology, SEO onboarding tips, small business marketing podcast, behavioral marketing insights, service business retention strategy.

💥 It’s insightful. It’s unexpected. It’s the wake-up call your customer journey needed.

Need help mapping your journey or upgrading your onboarding flow? Visit us at voxandcoin.com or follow Jake @wizardmarketing and Dave @realdeval.

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review—so more founders, creatives, and brand builders can stop sending receipts and start building relationships.

In this episode of Unicorn Campaigns, host Dave Valentine chats with Ken Newman, the VP of Marketing at Zebra Pen — a brand that's quietly revolutionizing how we think about something as simple as writing. From songwriter competitions to fortune cookie fortunes, Ken’s creative strategies prove that even the most everyday products can spark unforgettable campaigns.

🔥 In this episode, you’ll learn: How Zebra Pen created national buzz by aligning with National Songwriters Day and spotlighting undiscovered artists who still write lyrics by hand. The origin of the iconic “Find Zen in Your Pen” campaign — and how it evolved from a product differentiator into a movement around mindfulness and mental health. Why Zebra invested in a 3D animated zebra mascot, and how simple packaging changes helped consumers finally “get” the brand. The wild marketing idea that put Zebra Pen inside millions of fortune cookies—and why it worked. Ken’s leadership philosophy, shaped by years as a coach and educator, and why great marketing starts with great internal culture and management.

🎯 Whether you’re selling tech, tools, or tangible goods, Ken’s story is a masterclass in emotional branding, out-of-the-box campaigns, and staying relevant in a digital-first world.

Keywords for discovery: Zebra Pen marketing, songwriting campaign, pen and paper movement, find zen in your pen, creative brand strategy, consumer product campaigns, coaching leadership in marketing, product storytelling, Ken Newman Zebra, Unicorn Campaigns podcast, fortune cookie marketing, songwriting sweepstakes, mental health awareness marketing, small budget big brand impact

📲 Follow Ken on LinkedIn and explore Zebra Pen’s campaigns at zebrapen.com — and don’t miss their ZenOffice videos on YouTube for a clever twist on office culture.

🎧 Subscribe to Unicorn Campaigns for more behind-the-scenes stories of wildly successful marketing moves that built brands worth raving about.

In this episode of Vox & Coin, hosts Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek and Dave Valentine get brutally honest about budgets, expectations, and what it really takes to get results in SEO and paid ads. Spoiler: if you’re thinking small and local without the revenue to back it up, you might not be ready for the big leagues—and that’s okay.

💰 From real talk about low-budget pain to practical thresholds for meaningful ROI, this episode covers:

• The bare minimum ad spend needed to make a platform work

• Why $50/day is your starting line—not your finish line

• What to expect at $500/day, $1k/day, and $30k+/month ad tiers

• The four levers of SEO: Content, Technical, UX, and Authority

• What $2k/month in SEO actually buys you—and why it’s non-negotiable

• How to tell if your agency (or internal team) is wasting your money

• Why most local-first mindsets are stuck in bottom-tier thinking

• Real-world stories: impossible clients, overextended businesses, and smart execution

🧠 Plus:

• What 10,000+ SEO plans taught us about ROI timelines (hint: it’s longer than you think)

• The SEO vs. Ads debate—compound growth vs. instant feedback

• Minimum time commitments you need for SEO, Ads, Email, and Organic Social

• When to cut a client loose (even if the check clears)

🎯 Whether you're running ads yourself, hiring an agency, or building your first marketing funnel, this episode is your no-BS benchmark for what actually works—and what just wastes time and money.

Search-optimized keywords: minimum ad budget 2025, how much to spend on ads, SEO pricing breakdown, SEO vs ads ROI, digital marketing spend thresholds, best ad budget for small business, SEO timeline 2025, when to quit a client, local SEO budget tips, Facebook ads budget 2025, PPC spend calculator, marketing agency expectations, campaign ROI marketing podcast, advertising milestones by spend, real client marketing stories.

💥 It’s raw. It’s real. It’s the conversation you wish someone had with you before you lit your last $3,000 ad budget on fire.

Want tailored help with your budget or strategy? Visit us at voxandcoin.com or follow Jake @wizardmarketing and Dave @realdeval.

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review—it helps more founders and marketers find the show and stop wasting cash on weak strategies.

In this episode of Unicorn Campaigns, host Dave Valentine chats with Talya Pessolano, the founder of The Dirty Italian — a South Boston deli that’s anything but ordinary. From importing rare cheeses to crafting custom grazing tables for baby showers, Talya’s brand blends bold flavor, hospitality, and high-performing marketing that turns everyday customers into raving fans.

🔥 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How The Dirty Italian scaled from Instagram charcuterie boards to a brick-and-mortar deli with classes, catering, and a cult following.

• The email marketing playbook Talya used to drive $15,000+ in holiday catering revenue with one simple campaign.

• Why she refuses to sell gas station-looking cookies — and how visual brand experience impacts everything from Instagram Reels to in-store design.

• Her grassroots approach to social media, including trending audio hacks, scheduled weekly content, and strategic collabs with Boston chefs and influencers.

• The origin story of her unforgettable brand name and the mindset shift that helped her transition from software sales to full-time food entrepreneur.

🎯 Whether you're running a local food business or a national eCommerce brand, Talya’s journey highlights the power of personal branding, community collaboration, and keeping your marketing both simple and stunning.

Keywords for discovery: South Boston deli, The Dirty Italian, charcuterie catering Boston, email marketing success story, small business growth podcast, unicorn campaigns podcast, trending audio Instagram, social media strategy for restaurants, female food entrepreneurs, Boston food scene, grazing tables Boston, Italian catering Southie, food service marketing tips, from software to deli owner, small business marketing ideas.

📲 Follow Talya at @taliasdirtyitalian on Instagram or visit thedirtyitalian.com to learn more.

🎧 Subscribe to Unicorn Campaigns for more behind-the-scenes stories of wildly successful marketing moves that built brands worth raving about.

In this episode of Vox & Coin, hosts Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek and Dave Valentine unpack the most mind-blowing marketing and business development tools they’ve ever used—and why choosing the right tech stack can make or break your growth.

🧰 From enterprise dashboards and AI automations to lightweight, budget-friendly solutions, this episode covers:

• The marketing dashboard that replaces 9 tools and how to know when you’re ready for it (Adriel)

• Why Zapier crushes Make and how to avoid automation fails

• The power of deep research and autonomous agents in ChatGPT

• A no-code tool that writes and deploys code for you (Lovable.dev)

• Why SearchAtlas beats SEMrush for all-in-one SEO management

• Our favorite tools for proposals, CRMs, bookkeeping, project management, content repurposing & more (think: Proposify, PipeDrive, Wave, Monday.com, Repurpose.io, Loom, Fathom, Gusto, Looker Studio)

• Our top AI + automation stack for startups, scale-ups, and 7- to 9-figure agencies

🔍 Plus:

• Why engagement, not expense, defines a great tool

• The one mistake even billion-dollar companies make when choosing software

• How to evaluate whether a tool will actually make you money or save you time

🎯 Whether you're a solo founder or leading a marketing team, this episode is your no-fluff, all-playbook breakdown of the software stack we use and recommend to real businesses every day.

Search-optimized keywords: marketing tech stack, AI tools for marketing, automation software, best CRM for small business, SEO dashboard 2025, Zapier vs Make, Adriel review, best proposal software, repurpose.io, best social media posting tools, startup marketing software, digital agency tools, influencer marketing stack, project management Monday.com vs Asana, best free CRM 2025, top SaaS for business owners, tools for sales enablement.

💥 This is your toolkit. No sponsorships. No fluff. Just the software that’s actually working for real businesses in 2025. Want to talk tools for your brand? Hit us up at voxandcoin.com or find Jake @wizardmarketing and Dave @realdeval.

🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review to help other marketers and founders discover the show!

Sharon Kuriakose, the CEO and Co-founder of Plates Full, an innovative online personal chef marketplace discusses the motivations behind creating Plates Full, the company's rapid growth across Texas, and their unique marketing strategies.

He shares insights on the importance of trust, quality, and customer obsession. Sharan emphasizes the significance of networking, partnerships, and a multi-faceted marketing approach to building a successful business.

Tune in to learn more about Plates Full's mission to become the go-to brand for in-home dining experiences and their future expansion plans.

Welcome to the first episode of Vox & Coin, where eCommerce insights collide with unfiltered conversation. Hosted by Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek and Dave Valentine, this debut episode dives deep into the real ROI of influencer marketing and why engagement rate trumps follower count in 2025 and beyond.

Whether you’re a startup founder, marketing exec, or eCom brand owner, this episode breaks down:

• Why micro-influencers often outperform macro-celebrities in lead generation

• How to find influencers already talking about your product using social search

• Why authenticity and BS-free brand storytelling drive conversions

• The real math behind TikTok’s algorithm (and how to hack it)

• How to use influencer content as ad creative gold without making it suck

• The case for bringing humor, relatability, and even brand mascots into your ad strategy

Plus, we unpack a real-world example where a product gifted to a small creator outperformed campaigns with creators 10x their size—and why that kind of authentic brand advocacy is the future of social commerce.

This isn’t theory—it’s the playbook. From Topgolf and Totino’s to Lincoln and Duolingo, we dissect what works, what flops, and what you should do next.

If you’re tired of wasting money on follower counts and want to grow your brand with real engagement, authentic partnerships, and high-converting content, this is your new favorite podcast.

Keywords to help you find us: influencer marketing, eCommerce podcast, TikTok algorithm, micro-influencer strategy, engagement rate, social media ROI, user-generated content, authentic branding, product marketing, digital advertising, social proof.

Subscribe and leave a review if you’re ready for honest takes and tactical breakdowns that’ll help you market smarter, not louder.

Follow Jake at @wizardmarketing and Dave at @realdeval on TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.