Welcome to 2026. This week is exciting for a lot of reasons. It’s the beginning of a new year, which means I get to close the book on last year and start fresh. I will be bringing along what worked and letting go of what didn’t.

This week is also special because on January 7, I’ll be marking a big milestone: the 16th anniversary of this podcast. It’s kind of hard to believe I’ve been talking that long, but my mother would not be surprised. She always said I was born talking.

While the show has gone through plenty of iterations, one thing has stayed consistent, a focus on creating great marketing insights for marketing professionals. I’ve changed formats over the years, but in the last few, I’ve settled into a rhythm that really works.

That said, after 15 years of talking about marketing, I’ll admit I was getting a little bored with just the tech and the tools and the tools and the tech. So last year, I launched a series called What Went Wrong, where I interviewed marketing professionals about campaigns and programs that didn’t turn out quite the way they hoped.

Those candid conversations became some of the most popular episodes last year, and What Went Wrong will absolutely continue in 2026.

I’m also taking More Than a Few Words out of the studio this year with some in-person interviews, and I’m even working on a local podcaster conference here in Indianapolis. More details on that soon.

I’m really looking forward to connecting with my audience in new ways, and one of my favorite tools for that is SpeakPipe. You can head over to morethanafewwords.com/contact to drop me a note or record a one-minute message. I’m hoping to include some of those messages in episodes throughout 2026.

There’s more to come, so stay tuned.

Some days the problem isn’t your KPIs. It’s the fact that you’ve been staring at your own brand so long you can’t read the label anymore. That’s where this conversation with Charlie Sells got interesting.

We dug into how easy it is for business owners to chase goals, tweak dashboards, and sprint through to-do lists while completely missing the bigger opportunity hiding in plain sight: curiosity.

Charlie, the founder of Clarity Over Everything, spends his days helping leaders step back far enough to see what’s actually going on. And let me tell you, he’s right. I’ve lived this one myself.

Takeaways

• Curiosity beats KPIs every time. When you stop assuming you already know your customer, your competitors, and your message, you finally spot blind spots you’ve been tripping over for months.
• Throw out assumptions and go look again. Competitors shift. Platforms shift. Markets shift. If you haven’t audited your landscape in a few months, you’re already behind.
• Not all ideas deserve your Time Once curiosity uncovers new possibilities, you need a simple roadmap so every shiny new idea doesn’t hijack your business.
• Leaders don’t need to get out of the way. They just need to stand in the right place. It’s not about consensus; it’s about alignment. When the team agrees where you're going, disagreement stops being drama and becomes fuel.

Specific Actions You Can Use This Week

• Do a 20-minute assumption purge. Write down everything you think you “already know” about your audience, competitors, and message. Then test one of those assumptions with real data.
• Run a quick clarity audit. Click through your top three competitors’ websites. Look for changes in their messaging, offers, or positioning. Note one thing you should reconsider.
• Set a 12-week priority filter. Pick one quick win and one long-game improvement. Everything else goes in the “later” column until those two are done. Yes, everything.

About Charlie - In his own words

Hi I'm Charlie, the face behind Clarity Over Everything and a brand positioning and clarity strategist who helps leaders and teams get clear, move faster, and set their brand up for success. For the last 15 years, I’ve worked across copywriting, content marketing, branding, and strategy—helping national brands, local businesses, nonprofits, and small teams turn complexity into clarity.

I uncover the hidden things causing confusion and misalignment, then partner with businesses to cut through the noise, simplify what matters, and get aligned and prioritized around what’s next. I also collect vintage vinyl records.

Book a free discovery call and learn more about hiring me as your collaborative marketing and branding partner. https://clarityovereverything.com

More than a Few Words - A Marketing Conversation

A bite-sized marketing podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers actionable ideas, with no fluff and no jargon.

Send a note or record a message https://morethanafewwords.com/contact/

Ever feel like your marketing message is shouting into a crowded room? Every day, your customers are bombarded by thousands of messages—from family, friends, and brands all vying for their attention. So how do you make yours stand out?

I chatted with Orly Zeewy, a speaker, educator, and facilitator of those “aha” light bulb moments, about one of my favorite topics: clarity. Orly helps entrepreneurs turn fuzzy ideas into sharp, memorable messages that connect and convert.

As she put it, “What’s clear for you is not necessarily what’s clear for the person you’re speaking to.” And that’s the heart of the problem—most of us start by explaining what we do, when we should be showing people why it matters to them.

We explored how clarity isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s what helps people remember you long after they scroll past. And, Orley reminded me, true clarity starts with understanding who your message is for and what they actually need.

Here are a few takeaways from our conversation:

• Start with your audience. Everyone says they market to “anyone,” but that’s a fast track to blending in. Get clear about who really needs what you offer.
• Fix your elevator pitch. Stop saying what you do and start saying what problem you solve. “I design websites” doesn’t stick—but “I turn fuzzy content into clear messages that cut through the noise” sure does.
• Own your superpower. Women especially tend to undervalue what comes naturally to them. Just because it feels easy doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable.
• Avoid being a hammer looking for a nail. When you don’t define your audience, you end up marketing to everyone—and connecting with no one.

If you’ve ever felt like your message gets lost in the noise, this episode will help you find your voice, sharpen your story, and finally get your marketing to click. Because let’s face it—when you make the fuzzy clear, everything else just falls into place.

About Orly

Orly Zeewy is an author, speaker, educator, and a facilitator of lightbulb moments. Her superpower? She makes fuzzy clear. She helps entrepreneurs clarify and communicate their zone of genius, so they can attract more of their ideal clients and go from invisible to memorable in 3 weeks.

She has lectured at Wharton and taught in The Close School of Entrepreneurship at Drexel University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Her book: Ready, Launch, Brand: The Lean Marketing Guide for Startups was published in 2021 and was endorsed by Seth Godin. Her new book: Why NOT Me? The Female Guide for Entrepreneurship will be published in Q1 2026.

Learn More:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/orlyzeewy/

https://www.youtube.com/@orlyzeewy

https://bit.ly/readylaunchbrand (to purchase my book)

About the Show

More than a Few Words is a bite-sized podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers actionable marketing ideas, with no fluff and no jargon.

Listen in as marketing pros swap real stories, smart strategies, and painful lessons as we discuss what’s hot, what’s not, and what went wrong

If you live and breathe campaigns, content, and creativity, this is your space for practical advice, strategy and inspiration.

In this episode of What Went Wrong, I chatted with Tim Bronson, the Fully Booked Coach, who came armed with not one but two “what went wrong” tales. Both are a little painful, a little funny, and packed with lessons marketers can actually use.

First, there was the podcast that wasn’t. Back in 2008, Tim marched into a music store, dropped a grand on shiny equipment he didn’t understand, then promptly lost his nerve when it didn’t work. Without a clear plan or patience for the learning curve, he packed it up and walked away before ever recording a single episode.

Fast-forward to 2019, and Tim’s book relaunch hit another snag. Following advice to line up 50 reviews at launch, he asked 50 people for help, assumed their polite “yes” meant they’d actually deliver, and stopped there. The result? Not nearly enough momentum to push the book up the Amazon charts.

Two very different mistakes, but the themes are familiar to anyone who’s ever launched…well, anything. Impulse without preparation. Expectations without math. Starting strong but not following through.

Key Points

• Success takes more than enthusiasm. Without a plan, even the best ideas fizzle.
• Technology and tactics get easier, but the discipline of sticking with it never changes.
• People will say “yes” to be nice. That’s not the same as showing up.
• Momentum matters. Half-measures rarely hit tipping points.

Actionable Takeaways

• Do the prep work. Before buying tools or chasing tactics, get clear on what you’re building and why.
• Scale your numbers. If you need 50 reviews, ask 150. If you want 100 sign-ups, plan for 1,000 invites. Build in the buffer.
• Stick with it. The first version is always messy. Resist the urge to abandon ship before giving yourself time to learn.
• Don’t stop too soon. Momentum compounds—keep pushing even after you think you’ve done “enough.”
• Ask for help. Whether it’s a tech-savvy friend or a launch-savvy strategist, outside perspective can save you time and money.

In short? Marketing isn’t about never making mistakes—it’s about making them, learning fast, and not letting them be the end of the story.

About Tim

Tim Brownson is the owner of The Fully Booked Coach and has been coaching full-time since 2005. After turning his blog A Daring Adventure into one of the web’s top life-coaching destinations, he pivoted in 2012 to help fellow coaches master no-BS marketing. His book The Clarity Method is used by hundreds of coaches worldwide to uncover core values and fuel client breakthroughs. After spending 14 years in Orlando, he is now firmly ensconced in the very wet but very beautiful county of Cornwall in England with his wife and two Dobermans.

Learn More : https://thefullybookedcoach.com/

When you were a kid, having an imaginary friend was harmless, maybe even healthy. But as a business owner? That imaginary friend can tank your marketing. Too many businesses build their strategy around an avatar that looks neat on paper but has nothing to do with the real people who buy from them.

In this episode of *More Than a Few Words*, Rachel Allen and I dig into why client avatars often miss the mark and what you can do instead.

**Key Insights** • Demographics alone are useless. Age, gender, and job title won’t tell you what keeps someone awake at 3 a.m. Worries and motivations matter more than surface stats. • Your best customers live at the intersection of three groups: the people you want to talk to, the ones you actually attract, and the ones willing to pay. That sweet spot is your marketing home base. • Data flattens people into averages. Great marketing leans into quirks, because quirks are what make your audience pay attention.

**Actionable Takeaways** • Swap demographics for psychographics. Go deeper into what your audience values, fears, and hopes for. • Talk to 10 or 20 real people. Forget long surveys. Short, human conversations reveal more than a polished PDF ever will. • Audit your own copy. Ask yourself, “Would I say this sentence out loud to the last customer I spoke with?” If the answer is no, rewrite it. • Bring in an outside perspective. A trusted colleague, a coach, even a tool like ChatGPT can help you see blind spots you can’t catch alone. • Don’t shy away from edges. The quirky details that make your audience unique are the ones that make your marketing memorable.

If you’re still writing for your imaginary friend, this conversation is your wake-up call. Stop talking to make-believe customers and start connecting with the real ones who are ready to listen.

About Rachel Allen

Rachel Allen is a fast-thinking, deeply nerdy marketer with broad-ranging experience in for-profit and non-profit sectors. She’s written for some of the biggest (and smallest) names in business, and excels at marketing that's equal parts data-driven and human-centered.

Having run a marketing business for 17 years with clients in 21+ countries, Rachel’s written for some of the top names in entrepreneurship, as well as influencers, brick-and-mortar businesses, and non-profits around the world. Her work has contributed directly to high-ROI launches, leaps in audience engagement, industry awards, relationships with top venture capital firms, and national-level honors.

Find out more at boltfromthebluecopywriting.com

We all have closet bullies. Those are clothes that don’t fit, don’t flatter, or just don’t feel right anymore. But we hang on to them anyway, hoping someday they’ll magically work. Every time we open the closet, there they are, reminding us of money wasted or goals unmet.

Turns out, my marketing to-do list had a few bullies of its own. Projects I meant to start. Brilliant ideas that just never made it off the page. Every time I saw them, I felt a little guilty. So I did what I did with my closet, I cleaned house.

Some ideas were great… for someone else’s business. Off they went. Others? I pushed them a few months out, with a note to myself: if I’m still not ready then, it’s time to let them go for good.

And you know what? The minute I cleared out those marketing bullies, I felt lighter. I could actually see the projects that mattered — the ones that fit my business right now.

Here’s your takeaway:

• Clear the clutter. If an idea or project has been hanging around forever, either commit or cut it.

• Make room for what fits. When you drop the guilt and the “someday” tasks, you’ll have the space — and the energy — for marketing that actually works.

So, what’s bullying your marketing list? Maybe it’s time to tell it to hit the road.

If you've enjoyed this conversation, if it's prompted an idea or a question, I'd love to hear from you. Hop over to https://morethanafewwords.com/contact. Drop me a note or better yet, record a quick message. Maybe I'll even include in an upcoming show.

The conversation began, as many of mine do, with a topic I think we already understand. This time it was influencer marketing. But before I could even roll my eyes at another mention of hashtags and brand deals, the discussion took a sharp turn toward something far more interesting: trust, storytelling, and what it really means to build relationships in a digital world that doesn’t trust much anymore.

That shift came courtesy of Sarah Stahl, co-founder of Market Movers. She’s knee-deep in the world where AI, marketing, and hospitality overlap—a place where the glossy brand voice is fading fast, and authentic creators are taking the spotlight. Listening to her, I realized this isn’t just about influencers. It’s about how we all show up as marketers.

What Makes a Good Creator Partnership

Sarah’s approach to creators feels refreshingly human. She doesn’t chase follower counts; she looks for people who know how to build relationships. She compares choosing a creator to hiring an employee—sometimes you think you’ve found “the one,” and then day one tells a different story. That hit home for me. I’ve hired those “perfect” people before too, only to realize the chemistry wasn’t there. Her advice? Start small, watch how they work, and build from there.

The Power of Storytelling

We talked about how hard it is to sell something you can’t touch or taste online. Think about restaurants—how do you market flavor through a screen? The best creators don’t just post photos; they tell stories that make people feel the experience. Sarah shared a beautiful story about one of her creators who found healing while working on a campaign. That moment of real emotion became part of the brand story—and honestly, that’s the kind of marketing that stays with people.

When Things Go Sideways

At some point, every brand faces it: a creator says something that doesn’t quite fit. My instinct as a business owner is to cringe, but Sarah made me pause. “Perfection breeds mistrust,” she said. And she’s right. People don’t expect flawless; they expect real. When something uncomfortable happens, it’s an opportunity to step into the conversation—not hide from it.

The New Rules of Visibility

Sarah also made a point that stopped me in my tracks. AI tools like ChatGPT aren’t pulling most of their information from your shiny website—they’re pulling from stories. Creator content, real conversations, reviews. If your brand isn’t in that mix, you’re invisible. That’s a wake-up call for every business owner clinging to the “if we build it, they will come” mindset.

Key Takeaways

• Build trust first. Pick creators who care more about their audience than their follower count. • Find your storytellers. The ones who can make your product or service feel real. • Don’t panic over imperfection. Use it as a chance to connect, not retreat. • Invest in the relationship. The best results come from creators who grow with you. • Stay part of the conversation. The future of search and AI belongs to brands that keep showing up authentically.

Influencer marketing isn’t about trends or chasing the next viral post. It’s about people—real voices telling real stories. And if you treat it that way, marketing starts to feel a whole lot less like work and a whole lot more like a conversation.

And if that sounds a little too simple—good. Because simple usually works.

Sarah Stahl, co-founder of Market Movers lives at the intersection of AI marketing and hospitality. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn “just another rental” into a brand guests remember (and actually book direct), that’s my sweet spot. I’m obsessed with helping property owners cut through the noise, escape OTA dependence, and build systems that truly sell themselves. These days, I’m 100% focused on agentic search and direct booking strategies because the future of hospitality marketing isn’t about chasing algorithms, it’s about building brands guests can’t forget. Always creative, always candid—that’s me.

Go to : https://sarahstahl.com/

Sometimes, early success can fool you into thinking you’ve built the perfect business. That’s what happened to Danny Kirk, who launched a software-as-a-service company right after finishing a music degree. He and his co-founder found a great niche, landed a $4,500 sale on a $300 MVP, and took off fast. The catch? Neither of them could actually build the product beyond that first version.

They were great at selling and marketing but never filled their technical gap — and that’s what cost them. Five years later, they sold the business, while a competitor in the same space sold to Oracle for $200 million. Same idea, different outcome.

Here’s what Danny learned:

1. Find your missing piece early. Whether it’s a technical co-founder, a contractor, or even AI tools to bridge the gap, make sure every critical skill is covered before you scale.
2. Build a team that makes you uncomfortable. The best collaborators are the ones who spot problems you don’t want to see and tell you the truth, even when it stings.
3. Reward people who speak up. Create systems or incentives that encourage team members to flag issues — big or small — before they turn into disasters.

As Danny put it, success isn’t about doing everything yourself. It’s about knowing what you can’t do, and finding the right people (or tools) to fill that gap.

Danny Kirk is a classically trained trumpet player, turned entrepreneur and small business owner. He’s started and grown multiple companies over the past decade, and now does growth marketing at ReddiReach for startups and SMBs, 500+ and counting.

Learn more: