Brian Dordevic

Delivering profitable web design with SEO first approach. Official Google partner.

I started as a $4/hr offshore virtual assistant and became a USA citizen & business owner.

I help you generate more profit with your existing traffic efforts by optimizing conversion rates, improving your site speed & content strategy.

Chief Executive Officer

As the CEO of Alpha Efficiency, I steer the strategic direction of the company while managing an expanding team of 30+ professionals, spearheading growth initiatives, and driving operational efficiency.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Achievements:

Team Leadership & Management: Championed a culture of performance and accountability that led to a 35% boost in operational efficiency. Regularly oversee talent acquisition and retention strategies to ensure our team is well-equipped for success.

SEO & Content Management: Supervised the creation and execution of our SEO strategy, which saw a remarkable 60% surge in organic website traffic within six months, augmenting our brand's digital visibility.

Paid Media Strategies: Pioneered the deployment of innovative paid media campaigns, resulting in a 50% increase in brand awareness and a 30% rise in customer acquisition, significantly expanding our market footprint.

Performance Benchmarking: Developed and implemented performance benchmarks to ensure constant progress. The systematic monitoring of these metrics brought about a 20% improvement in overall productivity.

Stakeholder Management: Successfully maintained robust relationships with key stakeholders, attaining a 90% satisfaction rate, testament to our commitment to delivering value and fostering transparency.

Financial Management: Maintained stringent control over fiscal operations, consistently delivering profitability and surpassing financial objectives by 15% in the previous year, solidifying our position in the market.

This multifaceted role requires a delicate balance of leadership, strategic thinking, and operational excellence. It's my mission to continue propelling Alpha Efficiency forward, driving sustainable growth, and adding value for our stakeholders.

Most web devs ship the site and disappear.

Client is left with:

• Title tag: “Just another WordPress site”
• /wp-admin begging to get hacked
• No favicon, no brand memory

Client never checks this stuff.
But Google and bots do.

Amateurs build pages.
Pros protect assets.

Be the dev who makes them money and keeps them safe.

Add $60,247 per month for your law practice with AI-driven local SEO (without blowing up your Advertising budget). | Hubspot, Google & SEMRush Partner | View my portfolio for inspiration and revenue-generating ideas.

Here is how my web design agency hit $500,000 this year (without burning out and drowning in sales calls):

1. Build an infinitely recurring offer

We stopped selling random projects.
We focused on three core outcomes:

• Tech stack we can support for years
• Clear care plan attached to each client
• Design that loads fast and CONVERTS

Every new website came with maintenance baked in, not as an optional extra.

This moved us from 80% one time revenue to 80% RECURRING revenue. 

Life gets easier when you know where your next payment is coming from.

2. Then we stacked layered recurring revenue

Instead of pitching “full service marketing” up front, we did:

• Website first
• Then Local SEO
• Then email automations
• Then grow into ads management

One win at a time.

Clients stayed because each layer made their funnel more profitable, not more complicated.

3. Make recurring work feel like a product, not chaos

We treated retainers like products:

• Fixed deliverables
• Fixed reporting rhythm
• Fixed weekly meeting cadence

Clients knew what was happening every month.
Team knew what to ship every week.
This killed most of the “emergency” calls.

4. Do the hard things competitors avoid

While others chased AI short term tactics to avoid hard work, we:

• Fixed technical SEO properly
• Cleaned tracking and analytics
• Optimized page speed and UX
• Talked to clients’ intake teams about lead quality

Unsexy work.

But it is what moved revenue for clients and made our retainers untouchable.

5. Turn happy clients into a referral engine

We did not beg for referrals.
We engineered them:

• Case studies that show revenue growth
• Simple “Who do you know like X?” asks
• Partner deals with vendors already serving our clients

Result: referrals drove more revenue than cold outreach.

6. Protect energy, not just profit

To avoid dying on sales calls, we:

• Had short, focused discovery calls
• Said “no” to clients who wanted chaos
• Used templates and checklists to scope fast
• Pre qualified leads through forms and content

Fewer calls.
Better clients.
More energy for actually building.

If you run a service business and want to turn it into a recurring revenue machine without living on sales calls, reply “SYSTEM” and I will send you a breakdown you can implement in your agency.

Corporate HATES remote work.

That's why my team loves our 100% remote agency (and ZERO commute).

Yet that doesn't stop us from:

• Driving around $2,000,000 in revenue for a disability law firm
• Shipping enterprise grade web development for a major non profit
• Adding over $4,000,000 in revenue for a home improvement business

All delivered from laptops in Ibiza, Paris, Palma de Mallorca and Chicago.

No HQ. No fancy boardroom. No glass tower with a logo on it.

Just:

• A MacBook
• Nitro cold brew
• Blazing fast internet
• Senior operators who care more about results than clocking in

Here is what we do not have:

• Office politics
• Pointless water cooler talk
• Commutes that drain everyone before work even starts

Here is what we do have:

• Deep work
• Fast shipping cycles
• Clients who measure us on revenue, not timesheets

Remote is not an excuse for lower standards.
For us it is the reason we can focus on the only thing that matters: 

RESULTS.

Want to see what this kind of fully remote operation produces?

Check out our portfolio!

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People flex with watches.
But owning your time is the real flex.

Most people signal status with what is on their wrist.
I use mine to remember I never want to sell my time again.

I own three watches:

• A $1,000 Apple Watch Ultra
• A $5,000 Breitling
• A $500 Tissot

You would think I wear the Breitling the most.

I do not.

The Apple Watch used to run my life.
Notifications. Activity rings. Constant pressure to do more.

It made me productive.
It did not make me free.

Then two clients came along.

We built and scaled their crypto platform.
Those projects alone brought over $200,000 for Alpha Efficiency.

As a thank you, they sent me the Tissot.
Paid for in crypto. (reminder that tech moves fast)

That watch did something the Apple Watch never could:

It disconnected my self worth from the clock.

I stopped timing my workouts.
Stopped checking messages every few minutes.
Stopped living by notifications.

Every time I look at that Tissot, it reminds me:

• Technology should serve you, not own you
• One right deal can buy you years of optionality
• Your time is a reflection of the clients you choose

Later I bought the Breitling to prove something.
To myself. To the industry. To people who play status games.

It mostly sits at home now.

Because the real status upgrade was not the luxury brand. It was a regulated nervous system.

Learning how to get clients that pay you so well that you stop trading hours for money.

That is the game I care about teaching.

If you want more clients like that, and fewer that drain your energy and calendar,
I broke down my systems inside Infinite Deals.

It is where I document how I:

• Attract high ticket clients online
• Buy back more of my own time each year
• Turn a few great projects into multiple six figures

The watch is just a reminder.

The real asset is the skill of getting the right deals.

Developer made $3,246 mistake that blew up our advertising budget. (And the easy fix no one talks about)

When I worked at eTech, the SEO team pushed a site update in the middle of the day...

• No warning
• No coordination
• Just a routine update

Except it crashed the website.

And our Google Ads kept spending.

For three straight hours, every click went to a dead page.

By the time the site came back up, we burned $3,246 on nothing.

That one screw-up taught me a rule I still follow today:

Never send PPC traffic to your main website.
Ever.

Use a landing page platform that doesn’t break when someone edits a menu, updates a plugin, or pushes a deploy.

That’s why I run everything on HubSpot landing pages now.

Cleaner. Faster. Safer. Built for conversion, not chaos.

Here’s what it gives you:

• Your ads keep running even if your site goes down
• Predictable performance while others burn money
• A/B tests without asking a dev to push code
• Tracking that doesn’t leak data
• No SEO signal pollution
• Faster load speeds
• No team collisions

Three hours.
Three thousand two hundred forty six dollars.

One rule that never fails me.

If you're running paid traffic, book a call with me on ways I can setup your Google and Meta Ads for success. (Link in comments)

Landed in Chicago 12 years ago (photo from THE South Side)

Rented room
Cracked laptop 
Safety Net ZERO

No investors. No agency mastermind.
Just wifi and the decision to figure it out.

Fast forward.
Last quarter my agency helped clients add multiple seven figures in revenue.

Concrete wins, not theory:

• Around $2,000,000 in revenue for a disability law firm
• Over $4,000,000 in revenue for a home improvement company
• Enterprise grade web development shipped for a major non profit

None of that happened by accident.

Here is the operating system behind it:

Pick a painful problem

I focused on lawyers and local pros.
When their leads stop, payroll hurts.
Solve that consistently and they remember your name.

Sell the smallest real win

Not a massive “done for you everything” promise.
Just one clear outcome: Website + Local SEO sprint.

Easy yes.

Once they see it working, bigger checks make sense.

Create proof in public

Endless hundreds of proposals on Upwork
Daily posts on X and LinkedIn
Documenting what works

The content brings people in already half sold.

Let systems do the follow up

HubSpot workflows, intent data, and simple pipelines.
No “just checking in” energy.

Prospects move through a process whether I am online or not.

Stack rare skills

AI, technical SEO, CRO, local search.
Enough depth to solve hard problems.
Enough range to connect the whole funnel.

Treat cash like oxygen

Weekly money reviews.
Profit targets.
I built for boring predictability instead of viral spikes.

Borrow other people’s trust

Partner with vendors who already serve attorneys.
They send us their clients.
We send them better performing websites.

Everyone wins.

If you are in a new city, with no network and nothing but a laptop, you do not need permission.

Steal one of these.
Stack all seven.

Then let the internet do what it does best:
Turn specific skills into an agency that quietly prints results.

Your pal, Brian
P.S. I'm getting that hairline BACK.

The first time I “celebrated” Thanksgiving, I was not even in America.
I was in a small apartment in Serbia.

Cracked laptop. Weak WiFi.
Working remotely for an American tech company for $700 per month.

On my screen I saw what Thanksgiving was supposed to look like.

Big tables. Big families. Big bird in the middle.
Football on TV. Warm light. Full plates.

On my side of the screen?

Cheap food.
Cold apartment.
Trying to make the numbers work so I could get to that country one day.

Back then, Thanksgiving felt like another planet.

And here is what always fascinated me about it:

On Thursday, everyone is grateful.
On Friday, everyone loses their mind over fake discounts.

• Same people
• Same houses
• Different tabs open

They say a prayer over the turkey, then twenty four hours later they fight over televisions that were “discounted” after the price was quietly increased.

While that was happening, I was grinding for $700, trying to answer a much simpler question:

“How do I build a life where gratitude is not a costume I wear once a year?”

So I did the only thing I could control.
I stopped waiting for a good break.
I started becoming more valuable.

SEO. Content. Design. Systems.
Anything that made me harder to replace than the next resume in the pile.

One skill at a time.
One client at a time.
One small win at a time.

Then came the leap.

• I moved to the U.S.
• Built a 20 person SEO team.
• Drove over a million dollars in organic calls.
• Started my own agency.
• Hit consistent six figure months.

The plates at Thanksgiving look very different now.

But here is the part most people miss:

Gratitude is not what you post on Thursday.
Gratitude is the work your past self did when nobody watched.
The sacrifices nobody clapped for.

The discipline that did not get likes and comments.

Your former self paid the price.
You live the upside.

So the real question is not “What are you thankful for this year?”

The real question is:
Are you living in a way that makes your past sacrifices worth it?

This Thanksgiving I am giving back.

While many throw out Fake Discounts and hope you won’t notice.
I am running my best sale yet. One that will change your life if you act on it.

My Substack yearly plan includes my two best selling courses - (people valued them at $349). Link to my substack is in the comments.

Infinite Deals - That teaches you how to get clients on repeat.
Profitable Websites from Scratch - That teaches you how to build websites that convince AI and Google that your website is the real deal.

Add the community, and you’ll get all of this for $99. I am pulling this offer 23:59 EST. And won’t run it again. Sign up on my Substack profile and DM me your email for the bonuses.

Why 99% Stay Addicted and 1% Get Rich

When I was a kid, technology was a TV in the living room and a plastic shovel in the sandbox.

Today I walked past my old kindergarten and remembered how we used to dig holes in the playground.

• No apps
• No screens
• No notifications

Just dirt, tiny shovels, and a group of kids trying to reach the center of the earth.

Now look around.

Heads down. Blue light. Infinite scroll.

We removed boredom from life, and with it a lot of real growth.

Yet your entire financial future depends on attention.

If you cannot capture and direct attention, you are invisible.
If you can, you are playing a different game.

When I quit my job, it was not bravery. It was math.

I knew I could take a stranger from the internet and turn them into a paying client often enough that I would be fine.

• Not warm leads
• Not referrals

Cold traffic.

That one skill quietly funded my life:

• Training without guilt
• Travel without panic about money
• Good restaurants instead of counting every bill
• Time to think while my team and AI agents do the boring parts

None of that came from hacks.
It came from learning how to turn cold to closed.

Most people treat Black Friday as a chance to buy another screen.

New gadget
Same income
Same calendar
Same problems

If I could only buy one thing on Black Friday, it would not be hardware.
It would be the skill of converting cold attention into buyers.

Once you can turn:

Stranger to visitor
Visitor to booked call
Call resulting in a paying client

You stop worrying about opportunity. You decide when to turn it on.

That is what I am teaching in alphaOS.

How I think about attention.
How I structure offers so strangers get it in seconds.
How I turn cold traffic into booked calls.
How I run most of it from my phone with a lean team.
How doctors, lawyers, dentists and other local businesses can plug this into what they already sell.

For Black Friday I opened a short presale on Substack (on yearly plan).

You get included with Substack annual subscription:

• Access to a community for a full year (where you can ask me questions)
• Profitable Websites from Scratch (my web design course)
• Infinite Deals (how to turn prospects into clients)

You are already surrounded by overstimulated attention.

The only real question is whether you keep donating yours, or turn it into income.

A decade-old SEO is sold as an AI breakthrough.

And somehow, everyone’s acting like they’ve uncovered a hidden variable.

• 90% of “AI visibility” is just SEO.
• One lucky mention doesn’t make you relevant.
• The “new tactics” are just retrieval doing it's thing.

5 pieces last week shattered the illusion that AI changed everything:

1. Your "AI Strategy" is "Just SEO" with Better Marketing

Behind the hype, AI visibility still depends on the same technical foundations that power traditional search. Most supposed breakthroughs are just old SEO principles dressed as something new. 
https://hubs.la/Q03WywpV0

2. ChatGPT Turns Shopping Into a Personalized Research Engine

ChatGPT now adapts to your product preferences in real time. Shopping becomes a guided conversation powered by real-time data and personalized context. 
https://hubs.la/Q03WyCl10

3. The Hidden Cost Behind “Fast and Cheap” SEO

SEO still runs on the same triangle of time, cost, and quality, and cutting corners always comes back as rework and lost visibility. 
https://hubs.la/Q03Wyy5s0

4. A 50% Deletion Test Boosted Traffic Instead of Killing It

Deleting over half a site’s content sounds reckless, but this audit proved the opposite. Removing 1,000 outdated, low-value pages boosted organic traffic, tightened funnel performance, and raised conversions.
https://hubs.la/Q03WyzRR0

5. $227M Went Into the Wrong AI SEO Trend

Investors poured millions into LLM monitoring while the real defensibility sat in agentic SEO tools. The competitive edge is in shipping faster, better, and across more channels.  
https://hubs.la/Q03Wyv050

Clarity and structure have carried brands for years.

But the pressure to use them is rising...

If you want yours to hold up, join me on a quick call: https://hubs.la/Q03Wyvqh0

There is a 44% chance your lawyer is an addict.
Not to alcohol, but to “no new cases” at 1:13 AM.

36% of attorneys screen positive as problem drinkers.
9% report prescription drug misuse.
And no stats for illegal drugs use...

That is one in two.

What pushes them there?

Not the hours
Not the verdicts
Not even the clients

It is the gap between running their own practice vs. being burnt down by corporate management.

Those that went solo suffer when: 

• The phone does not ring
• There is no next case in sight
• Payroll is coming and cash is not

Those that are in corporate are drinking through: 

• Persuasive arguments
• Worrying about the appointed judge
• Client that lied to them in disposition

Those that left Big Law for freedom, quietly count credit karma drops and debt.

Those that stayed worry about their spouse secretly despising them for being absent. (and filing divorce paperwork)

If only they could pick and choose their cases...

The best source of new cases is already decided for them:

• AI Search
• Google Ads
• Google Maps
• Local Service Ads

When someone prompts “disability lawyer New York” or “estate planning attorney Chicago” they are not looking for content...

They are looking for a lawyer.
NOW.

Yet most firms are barely investing into these channels. Or they tried once, burned money, and walked away.

It's not that search doesn't work..
But their investment in it is not.

• No call tracking
• No real lead magnet
• No intake automation

Just a generic homepage and a lonely “Contact us” button that doesn't get any clicks.

So even when Google actually sends them a live prospect, the visitor bounces, gets distracted, or calls a competitor with a better offer, clearer next step, or faster intake.

If half of the energy spent worrying about money went into building one predictable search engine pipeline, a lot of partners would sleep better and drink less.

Here is what the calm firms do differently:

• Treat AI, Google Maps, LSAs and Ads like rent, not a lottery ticket
• Use a clear lead magnet that filters and warms up prospects
• Track every call and form so they know what works
• Turn that data into a repeatable acquisition system

Predictability is the real antidote.
And no engine creates more predictable intent than AI & search.

If you are a lawyer and want to see why your firm is not getting a steady flow of cases from Google Maps, Local Service Ads and Google Ads, comment AUDIT and I will show you exactly where the leaks are in your funnel.

16 years in SEO. 

This is the biggest opportunity I’ve seen.

AI pushed the industry into a reset.

And the advantage moved with it.

These are 5 signals from last week redefining the landscape:

1. You’re Late to SEO. That’s Your Advantage in 2025

If you're only starting now, you get to skip unlearning a decade of tricks. Ride AI tools, and go straight to long-tail keywords that will actually bring you customers. 
https://hubs.la/Q03TNLs70
 
2. AI Sends 1% of Traffic and Controls Most Customers

The new Conductor report reveals AI referrals are tiny in volume but huge in influence, shaping which brands customers trust before they even think about clicking through. 
https://hubs.la/Q03TNBqs0

3. The Smartest Brands Use AI Like a Scalpel, Not a Firehose 
 
If most of your AI effort vanished, would your customers feel the difference, or would your marketing still sound like everyone else’s? That’s your real AI strategy audit. 
https://hubs.la/Q03TNGWB0 

4. Google’s AI Now Shops for Your Customers, Are You Still on the Shelf?

With Search and Gemini comparing options and closing purchases, the brands that earn the spot are the ones the AI sees as the safest, smartest “yes.” 
https://hubs.la/Q03TNFlG0

5. AI Is Killing Data Silos and Forcing Your Team to Share One Customer Reality

As AI connects signals across every system, it also pushes you from tool-centric reporting to a single shared view of the customer that no team can dodge. 
https://hubs.la/Q03TNymt0

Your brand has a split second to make sense. Let's use it wisely. 

Pick a time and upgrade the moment: https://hubs.la/Q03TNLrj0

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act-leadership

fleetwoodlimousineworldwide

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JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #ppc, #seo, #webdesign, #ppcmarketing, and #webdevelopment

What do you do when CTR falls off a cliff?

AI Overviews just cratered them.

−61% organic, −68% paid.

The aftermath isn't pretty. 

Let's take a look on last week's hits: 

1. AI Overviews Broke Google’s Click Economy

Recent data shows organic clicks down 61% and paid down 68% on queries with AI Overviews. Even when the feature doesn’t appear, users are clicking less everywhere. 
https://hubs.la/Q03SDBFw0

2. AI’s Split Personality: ChatGPT Expands, Google Tightens

New Semrush data reveals a quiet power shift. ChatGPT is citing 80% more sources (experimenting wildly) while Google’s AI Mode is tightening its circle. 
https://hubs.la/Q03SDCMB0

3. The Profound Index: Unveiling the Titans of AI Search

Profound just launched a live leaderboard showing which brands dominate LLM visibility and what fuels their AI discovery wins.
https://hubs.la/Q03SDBbw0

4. Google’s Double-Serving Rule Is Rewriting Fair Play

A recent policy lets one advertiser take two ad spots on the same page, tilting the auction in favor of big spenders. Sounds pretty unfair, doesn't it?
https://hubs.la/Q03SDv3L0

5. Google’s PMax Now Reaches Drivers on Waze

Performance Max just added Waze ads to its inventory, letting brands reach drivers through navigation pins while unlocking new channel performance reporting.
https://hubs.la/Q03SDDJp0

The click economy broke.

But even if metrics crash and trends flip, authority keeps converting.

Ready to meet the signals that still move markets? 
Book your call → https://hubs.la/Q03SDBfb0

POV:

You work with Alpha Efficiency on your top of line revenue:

Alpha Efficiency

Ghostwriter & Messaging Strategist helping leaders achieve 70% opt-ins with a Microstory Journey using the 3-Minute Story Blueprint to build trust and convert hesitant prospects into eager customers.

Most businesses struggle to convert leads because they rely on forgettable downloads and meaningless discounts that fail to create an emotional connection. 

Prospects don't just need information, they need to feel valued, to trust you, and to experience genuine engagement. 

That's why I created the concept of the Microstory Journey, a 5-day emotional experience that uses the 3-Minute Story Blueprint to touch hearts, build authentic connections, and establish unshakable trust, turning hesitant prospects into eager customers ready to take action.

AWAI Verified Copywriter
Case Studies Certification
Sales Enablement Certification

WRITING SERVICES I PROVIDE:

📨 5-Day Education Email Courses
💲 Ghostwriting on Social Media Platforms
📰  Newsletters
🌐   Web Content
✍️   Blog Posting
📧   Email Marketing
🛒   Sales Pages
📱   Facebook/Google Ads 

WHOM I WORK WITH: I help executives, CEOs, founders, & coaches.

3 Simple Steps to Powerful Messaging
1. Define your goals and messaging. 
2. Develop a customized storytelling strategy. 
3. Execute and refine messaging for maximum impact.

HERE'S WHAT TO DO NEXT:
Email me at mike@mikehays.net OR
Book a call with me at https://calendly.com/ask-mikehays

Mike Hays

“If I were really that good… wouldn’t people just know?”

I used to think great work spoke for itself.

That thought used to haunt me.

I’d pour my heart into coaching, get referrals 
here and there, and quietly assume that great 
work would naturally lead to great clients.

Meanwhile, I watched others post daily.
Sharing testimonials. Wins. Lessons. Offers.
At first, I judged them. “Must be compensating,” I told myself.

But beneath that judgment?
A fear I didn’t want to name.

The day I tried writing a post about my services, I froze.
It felt like admitting I wasn’t good enough.
Like needing to promote meant my work couldn’t speak for itself.

But then a client said something that cracked the whole illusion:

I had no idea you even did that. 
I would’ve hired you months ago if I knew.

That hit hard.

Here’s what I finally realized:

The people who need you the most aren’t psychic.
They don’t see the lives you’ve changed unless you show them.
They don’t know the depth of your work unless you talk about it.

Self-promotion isn’t proof you’re not good enough.
It’s proof you care enough to serve beyond 
the ones who already found you.

Quiet brilliance doesn’t create impact.
Visible value does.

Self-promotion isn’t arrogance.
It’s leadership.

If you're a coach or consultant struggling to be seen
what's holding you back from showing up?

Follow Mike Hays for more insights on leadership.

Mike  Hays

Messaging Strategist & Ghostwriter for Leaders - I help you turn short stories into trust, influence, and premium clients with my Microstory Journey using the 3-Minute Story Blueprint.

This One Practice Reveals Your Blind Spots, 

Refines Your Decisions, and Fuels Growth

Most entrepreneurs jump from crisis to crisis without ever 
stopping to learn from what just happened.

They're missing the most powerful tool for growth: systematic learning.

Here's how to turn your business into your personal MBA:

Study yourself first:
→ Note when you procrastinate vs. when you act fast
→ Document what triggers your best ideas
→ Identify your energy peaks and valleys
→ Track your decision-making patterns

Analyze your partnerships:
→ Which collaborations produce the strongest results?
→ When do conflicts arise, and what causes them?
→ What communication styles work best with each person?
→ How do different personalities complement your weaknesses?

Decode your market:
→ When do prospects say yes vs. when do they hesitate?
→ What customer complaints reveal hidden opportunities?
→ Which campaigns generate the highest engagement?
→ How do seasonal patterns affect your business?

The difference between struggling entrepreneurs 
and thriving ones isn't talent or luck.

It's the discipline to treat every interaction, 
every failure, and every success as data worth studying.

Smart business owners don't just experience t
heir business they study it like scientists.

They keep learning logs, review patterns monthly, 
and adjust strategies based on evidence, not emotions.

The question is:

Are you running your business, or is your business teaching you how to run it better?

🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more business strategies

If Your Team Can't Picture Your Strategy…

They'll Never Execute It Properly.

(The visualization gap that kills execution)

Everyone says, "communicate the vision."
But here's what leaders miss:

↳ Abstract strategies create confusion.
↳ Clear mental pictures drive action.

Here's why visualization transforms execution:

1. Cognitive Clarity

↳ Brain processes images 60,000x faster than text
↳ Visual concepts eliminate interpretation gaps
↳ Teams align on the same mental model

2. Emotional Connection

↳ Pictures trigger emotional engagement
↳ People commit to what they can see
↳ Abstract goals feel impossible to reach

3. Decision Framework

↳ Clear vision becomes a filter
↳ Teams self-correct toward the picture
↳ Reduces constant micro-management needs

4. Progress Tracking

↳ Visual goals show measurable progress
↳ Milestones become obvious checkpoints
↳ Momentum builds through visible wins

The Leadership Reality:

↳ Complex strategies overwhelm teams
↳ Clarity beats complexity every time
↳ Simple pictures inspire action

Your team isn't failing execution.
They're failing visualization.

Quick Question:

How do you help your team picture success?

Share your approach below
Follow Mike Hays  for more leadership insights

The Simple Clarity System I Guarded for Years

Now I’m Finally Sharing It

My career has been defined by high-stakes decisions and ticking clocks.

One thing kept me from burning out.

Clarity.

When the pressure hits, your brain 
wants options, not decisions.

More meetings, more messages, 
more browser tabs pretending to be progress.

Early in my career, I played that game.
I was always busy, rarely moving the needle.

Then higher roles raised the stakes even further.

Clients waited on my calls, revenue hinged on my calendar.

That pressure forced a hard truth on me.

Clarity isn't a nice-to-have.
Clarity is survival.

So I built a simple productivity system my career could trust.

Here is the system I use every single day:
→ Decide what you want.
→ Write it down where you will see it.
→ Each morning, choose the ONE task that moves you closest.
→ Block time and do that task before anything else.

No inbox.

No scrolling.

No “quick favors” that hijack your day.

This is how I rebuilt myself, again and again.

I have started companies, sold franchises, and pivoted careers.
Every reinvention began with one clear daily priority.

Most people confuse movement with progress.

Their calendars are full, their results are thin.

You win when your day serves your direction.

Tonight, will you pick tomorrow's one non-negotiable task?

Follow Mike Hays for more leadership advice.

Being a doctor, lawyer, or consultant actually makes you a worse writer.
Not better....Worse.


Because once you're the expert, your job becomes to "know."
↳To explain.
↳To teach.
↳To correct.

But that same expertise, your years of training, the frameworks you’ve mastered can trap you.

You start writing from reflex.
From what you’ve already decided is true.

And in doing so, you kill the very thing that makes writing online worth reading:

Fresh thinking.

Writing that changes minds doesn’t come from what you know
it comes from what you’re willing to re-examine.

The professionals who win online don’t have the most credentials.

↳They’re the ones who reflect publicly.
↳They question assumptions—even their own.
↳They share what others are afraid to say.
↳They think differently, and then they write from that difference.


In the age of AI and content overload, repeating 
the same “expert advice” makes you forgettable.

But when you write from reflection
not repetition you become magnetic.

People follow professionals who make them think.

Not the ones who explain what they already believe.

You’re not paid to write what’s obvious.

You’re remembered for writing what’s original.

Follow Mike Hays for more insights on growth and creativity

There’s no “magic list” of buyer emotions.

But there is a sequence you can’t skip.

Every time someone says yes to your offer
They’ve walked an invisible emotional path to get there.

Not because you convinced them.
Because you reflected what was already true.

They were feeling something.
They saw themselves in your words.
And something clicked.

It didn’t start with logic.
It started with emotion.

Here’s what that emotional journey looks like underneath the surface:

Desire: “This matters to me.”

Resonance: “You get me.”

Belief: “This could actually work.”

Vision: “That’s what my life could look like.”

Momentum: “I don’t want to wait another day.”

That’s the runway.

Not persuasion.
Progression.

If your story, sales page, or pitch isn’t landing
Check the emotional sequence.

Are you rushing to urgency…
Before someone even believes it’s possible?

Are you pitching transformation…
Before they’ve felt seen?

Every skipped emotion is a drop-off point.
Every honored one builds trust.

Don’t just move people.
Walk with them.

Which step in the emotional journey are you most likely to skip?

Follow Mike Hays for more communication strategies

⚠️ MARKETER WARNING:

Side effects include curiosity, skepticism, and clicks..

Use of the Word “New” May Cause Unexpected Spikes in Attention, Consideration, and Click-Through Rates...

…but only if you know what the heck you're doing.

Side Effects of Reckless “New” Usage Include:

❌ Sudden bursts of hype with no substance
❌ Inflated expectations your product can’t deliver
❌ Momentary engagement followed by long-term brand erosion
❌ Confused buyers who think “new” means “unproven”

Use “New” Responsibly:

✅ Only apply to genuinely novel value
✅ Frame as a trigger for exploration, not a crutch for conversion
✅ Combine with context, contrast, or mechanisms
✅ Treat “new” as a frame, not just a feature

Final Note:

“New” is a match.
Strike it right, and it sparks attention.

Strike it wrong, and you’re just burning through trust.

Use with strategic intent or don’t use it at all.

Follow Mike Hays and look for the release of Story Sells Better Newsletter

She made a decision most people never do.

Did the world’s most famous coaches give her the right advice?

She stopped asking if she should leave her marriage.

And asked something much harder.

They still loved each other. That part wasn’t broken.

But the relationship?
It was stuck.

↳ No spark.
↳ No growth.
↳ Just a subtle decay
Like paint fading in slow motion.

She felt invisible in her own life.
Still loyal. Still present.
But disconnected from the woman she used to be.

She didn’t want a divorce.
She wanted her clarity back.

So she took a chance and asked for help 
from two people known for unlocking human potential.

They didn’t give her an answer.
They gave her a challenge:

What if, for the next 90 days, you led with love, not logic?

What if you stopped waiting to feel it, and became it?

Not the kind of love that feels good to give.
The kind that feels good to receive from him.

↳ Appreciation.
↳ Recognition.
↳ Presence.

Not to change him.
Not to fix anything.

But to clean the lens so she could finally 
see what was real and what wasn’t.

Long-term relationships gather dust.
Old resentments. Recycled assumptions.
Little bruises that go unspoken.

That dust clouds everything.

But clarity doesn’t come from distance.
It comes from immersion.

The question wasn’t:
"Do I stay or go?"

It was:
“Can I show up with zero agenda, total presence, 
and serve the love that’s still alive?”

This isn’t just about marriage.
It’s about ANY relationship that matters.

Whether it's a spouse, a business partner, or your own team:

* Don’t wait for change—>lead it.
* Don’t negotiate love—>demonstrate it.
* Don’t react from fear—>respond from alignment.

She didn’t find the answer.
She became the woman who could see it.

And the coaches who guided her through that?

Tony Robbins and Sage Robbins.

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

Show Up as Yourself 

Attracts Better Clients Than Any Polished Brand Voice.

If visibility feels like selling out, this is for you.
I used to hide behind my clients’ success instead of my own.

As a coach, I hated those polished, corporate-sounding posts.

Every draft I wrote sounded like a brand deck, not me.
So I stayed quiet and told myself silence meant integrity.

Meanwhile, louder voices defined what “leadership” looked like in my space.
Then a dream client said something that stopped me cold.
“I keep referring you, but your online presence doesn’t sound like you.”

They weren’t asking for a polished version.

They were begging for the real coach they met in sessions.

That day I made one rule for visibility.
I will show up as the room version, not the stage version.

↳ No perfect brand voice.
↳ Just the questions I actually ask clients, written in my voice.
↳ No glossy carousels.
↳ Just simple stories, real stakes, and clear invitations to reflect.

The result surprised me.

Views were smaller, but the right people started reaching out.
They quoted my messy lines, not the polished phrases.

Because leadership and coaching land when they feel human.

If you fear selling out, try this experiment for thirty days.

↳ Post as if you were recapping a session to a trusted friend.
↳ One story, one client moment, one honest insight each time.
↳ Hit publish before you smooth the interesting edges away.

Visibility is not selling out when your values hold the microphone.
What part of you are you still hiding from clients?

Follow Mike Hays for more visibility advice

Sometimes the most obvious solution is staring us in the face…

But we can't see it because we're looking too hard.

(The hiring mistake that costs us millions)

We overthink everything:
↳ The revolutionary marketing agency
↳ The perfect candidate profile
↳ The groundbreaking strategy

But here's what we miss:

What No One Wants to Admit:
↳ 73% of great hires come from internal referrals
↳ Our best marketing ideas already exist in customer feedback
↳ Winning strategies are often simple executions done consistently

Here's why we overlook the obvious:

1. Complexity Bias

↳ We assume harder = better
↳ Simple solutions feel too easy
↳ We discount what's right there

2. External Validation Trap

↳ We chase shiny new agencies
↳ Ignore our internal expertise
↳ Outsource what we already know

3. Strategy Paralysis

↳ We overcomplicate proven methods
↳ Analysis replaces action
↳ Perfect becomes the enemy of good

The Hidden Power:
Our best people are already here.
Our winning message is in our reviews.
Our strategy worked last quarter.

Quick Question:

What obvious solution have you been overlooking in your business?

⤵️ Share below

How a 30-Second Ordinary Moment

Creates Massive Engagement

Most people think great stories need big drama.
They don’t.

I used to believe “epic” moments made content compelling.
Massive wins. Huge failures. Perfectly crafted narratives.

But the posts that resonated most were never the dramatic ones.
They were the small, honest moments I almost didn’t share.

Like the awkward client call.
Or the lesson learned on a random Tuesday.
Or the quiet realization that changed how I lead my team.

You probably don't want to hear this...
Readers connect far more with relatability than spectacle.

They don’t want heroes.
They want humans.

Big stories entertain.
But simple stories connect.

The imperfect detail is what makes people trust you.
The honest moment is what makes people remember you.
The everyday struggle is what makes people engage with you.

You don’t need a dramatic arc to be compelling.
You need clarity, honesty, and a moment someone can see themselves in.

Small stories build big impact.
What “ordinary” moment taught you something recently?

Follow Mike Hays for more microstory tips

If You Think Your Question Isn't Worth Asking…

You're Missing the Biggest Growth Opportunity.

(The mindset shift that changes everything)

Everyone thinks, "My question is too basic."
But here's what I've learned after 15 years:

↳ Your "dumb" question is someone else's breakthrough.
Here's why you should ask anyway:

1. The Expertise Curse

↳ Experts forget beginner struggles
↳ Your question fills knowledge gaps
↳ Creates valuable teaching moments

2. Collective Intelligence

↳ Questions spark deeper discussions
↳ Others have the same uncertainty
↳ Community learning accelerates growth

3. Vulnerability Creates Connection

↳ Admitting confusion builds trust
↳ Shows authentic learning mindset
↳ Attracts genuine helpful responses

4. Question Quality Myth

↳ "Basic" questions often reveal fundamentals
↳ Simple inquiries expose complex issues
↳ Clarity benefits everyone involved

What you should know:
↳ Courage to ask creates breakthrough moments.
↳ Your question validates others' confusion.
↳ Silence keeps everyone stuck.

The smartest people ask the most questions.
Not because they know less.
Because they understand learning never stops.

Quick Question:

What's one question you've been afraid to ask? 
Share below and let's learn together.

Before: Brilliant but Invisible. 

After: Visible, Trusted, In-Demand.

The most talented professionals often remain invisible in their industries.

(And it's not because they lack expertise)

It's because of three limiting beliefs.

But here's what they don't realize about visibility:
It's not about ego.
It's about impact.

The Hidden Barriers:
↳ "My credentials should speak for themselves"
↳ "Good work will naturally be discovered"
↳ "Self-promotion feels arrogant"

Here's why these beliefs sabotage success:

1. The Service Reframe

↳ Sharing knowledge isn't bragging. It's helping
↳ Your expertise solves real problems for people
↳ Staying quiet deprives others of solutions

2. The Credential Trap

↳ Qualifications open doors, but stories close deals
↳ People connect with transformation, not titles
↳ Your experience matters more than your degrees

3. The Discovery Myth

↳ Exceptional work happens behind closed doors
↳ Visibility requires intentional communication
↳ Talent without promotion equals missed opportunities

The Part You Can’t Ignore:
Your expertise sitting in silence helps no one.
Your knowledge locked away serves no purpose.
But your voice sharing wisdom changes everything.

The experts who break through don't abandon humility, they channel it into service.

They understand that hiding their light isn't noble; it's selfish.

Quick Question:

What's one piece of expertise you've been keeping to yourself that could transform someone's business?

Follow Mike Hays for more leadership insights.

Authority isn’t about confidence.

It’s about language.

We often assume people follow the loudest voice in the room.
But in real conversations, especially at work
authority shows up in much quieter ways.

I started paying attention to the people who 
consistently guided discussions.

↳ They weren’t forceful.
↳ They weren’t dramatic.
↳ They simply used intentional phrasing that changed how others responded.

And once you notice it, you can’t unsee it.

Three simple shifts can instantly change 
how people perceive your authority even 
if nothing else about you changes.

1. Use words that imply direction.
Phrases like “I’d like to set the direction here…” 
or “I don’t like the direction this is heading…” 
subconsciously signal leadership.

The moment you reference direction, people look to you to guide it.

2. Frame ideas through experience.
Open with, “In the past, I’ve found…” 
or “In these situations, I prefer…”

These phrases add instant credibility
not because you’re boasting, but because 
you’re grounding your perspective in pattern recognition.

3. Set expectations clearly and calmly.
Statements like “Let’s focus on the issue at hand…” or 
“Here’s what I think we should prioritize…” 

Bring clarity to the conversation.
And clarity creates trust the foundation of authority.

None of this requires a title.
None of this requires dominance.
Authority is simply controlled direction, 
earned clarity, and consistent language.

Credit to Jefferson Fisher, whose ideas inspired this lesson.

If you want more authority, start with your words they shape the room long before your title does.

What phrase do you use to guide conversations?

Follow Mike Hays for more communication insights.

The Day I Realized the Market Wasn’t My Enemy

It Was My Mind.

Most entrepreneurs struggle with the same invisible enemy:
(And it's not competition, market conditions, or lack of resources)

False beliefs about themselves.

I know because I fought these battles:
↳ Wasn't a natural communicator
↳ Struggled with confidence
↳ Came from nothing
↳ Felt "not enough"

Here's what changed everything:

1. Evidence Collection

↳ Document every small win
↳ Track progress, not perfection
↳ Your past proves your capability

2. Reframe Your Origin

↳ "From nothing" = resourceful problem-solver
↳ Scarcity taught you efficiency
↳ Your struggle is your competitive advantage

3. Confidence Through Repetition

↳ Confidence isn't innate, it's built
↳ Every post, every conversation adds up
↳ Action creates belief, not the reverse

4. Communication as a Skill

↳ Nobody is born a great communicator
↳ Clarity beats charisma every time
↳ Practice makes you powerful

The Truth:
Your false beliefs aren't facts.
They're outdated stories you keep telling yourself.

Quick Question:

Which false belief held you back the longest?

⤵️ Share below

Thank you, Holly Moe, for helping me rewrite the story I was telling myself.

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The Battle

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