My marketing career in 28 sentences:

1. Quit job at Sam's Club to start an eComm business

2. Borrow $40k from my dad

3. Lose $35k in the first four months

4. Realize you suck at marketing

5. Spend $4k+ on useless marketing courses and masterminds

6. Use your last $300 to buy Breakthrough Advertising (yes, it cost $300 in 2013)

7. Read the book three times in 2 weeks

8. Make $200k in 6 months

9. PayPal shuts down your account and keeps half the money for another six months

10. Quit eCommerce and spend a year reading, thinking, and writing

11. Start freelancing and get fired from your first client

12. Double down on consulting and double your rates

13. Get three retainers and feel on top of the world

14. Blow up your retainers by taking on too much work

15. Get so stressed you get shingles at 26 years old

16. Take a month off to heal

17. Get hired as a full-time content marketer at an agency

18. Spend a year and a half learning the ropes of content marketing

19. Start a content marketing consulting business on the side

20. Get so busy you have to quit your agency job

21. Marketing starts to make sense

22. Close a 6-figure content marketing deal with a big brand

23. Rethink everything you knew about marketing

24. Design a "unified theory" of marketing and put it together into a 20,000-word PDF

25. Get better results for clients and yourself

26. Post about your experiences on Twitter and LinkedIn

27. Build a following of people who are interested in what you're doing

28. Learn to deal with haters and trolls

---

Want a content engine that converts right off the bat and positions your brand for the long term?

Shoot me a DM.

Josue Valles

Curationlabs

We partner with VC-backed founders to turn their voice, vision, and experience into a high-trust LinkedIn presence that accelerates hiring, sales, and fundraising. This isn’t ghostwriting. It’s strategic amplification. We make sure the right people believe in what you’re building.

Founder

Marketing(Curated)

Learn marketing from the world's best marketers

tulkit. inc

Partner

Founder at The-Flyer-1™

I build curated assets that last.

If you're a founder or C-level exec looking to build your personal brand, I can help you build a curated library of assets that'll help you grow fast without sacrificing quality.

If you're a consultant or agency who wants to incorporate curation into their marketing arsenal, I offer a 12-week workshop where I guide you through my entire process.

Want to learn more?

Send me a DM.

In 1984, J. Walter Thompson ran this copy test once. Thousands took it. Only 10 people landed jobs. Those 10 people went on to become the brightest creative stars in the business. 

Here is the exact test they had to pass:

1. The Poppy Putrid Song 

"You are the songwriter for hitmaker Poppy Putrid. She's just had three recent No. 1 hits. All love songs. For her next hit, Poppy wants a song about moldy pizza, rancid butter, and flat beer. Her agent is convinced it should be another love song. Make it both."

This tests your ability to handle Cognitive Dissonance. Can you marry two conflicting concepts to create something memorable. Does your brain break when the pattern is disrupted?

2. Dialogue in a Dark Alley

"Write a Dialogue in a Dark Alley. (Not more than 200 words.)"

This tests your ear for dialogue. Great copy doesn't sound like writing; it sounds like speaking. 

3. The Taxi Strike 

"The Transit Authority has denied a request by the city's taxi drivers to increase fares... The cabbies have gone on strike... As a rookie reporter, it's your opportunity to shine. Write the banner headline and a story not to exceed 500 words."

This tests Persona Adoption. They want to see if you can inhabit the mindset of a hungry, ambitious rookie.

4. The Martian Speech 

"A delegation of Martians has just landed in Central Park... Prepare a short speech (comprised of pictures and symbols) to welcome them..."

This tests Simplification. Do you actually understand the core concept well enough to draw it?

5. Walletsize Books 

"You are a writer for Walletsize Books. Describe the history of the United States in 100 words or less."

This tests Editorial Judgment. Anyone can write a 10-page essay. It takes a master to decide what to cut. 

6. The Trappist Monk 

"You've heard the story about the man who made a fortune selling refrigerators to Eskimos... how would you sell a telephone to a Trappist monk who is observing the strict Rule of Silence?"

This tests Benefit vs. Feature. You must sell the benefit relative to the specific user's worldview.

7. Gun Control vs. NRA 

"Design/draw two posters. One is for legislating strict gun-control laws. The other is in support of the NRA."

This tests Radical Empathy. To be a great copywriter, you must be able to detach from your own ego and advocate effectively for the client, regardless of your personal beliefs.

8. The Dime Campaign 

"Develop a script for a popular network television program that will convince the show's millions of viewers to each send in a dime. (You have 30 seconds to be convincing.)"

In a 30-second script, you need urgency and a psychological hook immediately. You must trigger an emotional response in seconds.

---

We have become obsessed with tools, hacks, and algorithms.

But the fundamentals of persuasion haven't changed in 40 years.

- Simplification
- Empathy
- Brevity
- Psychology

Which of these prompts would be the hardest for you to answer?👇

Founder of Markmind.co | Follow me for content on writing, thinking, and personal communication as a meta-skill

When Alan Mulally took over as Ford's CEO in 2006, the company was bleeding $12.7 billion a year. So he made one simple rule: 

Everyone HAD to attend his weekly meetings. No exceptions.

Every leader had to report their progress.

When a prominent executive skipped the first meeting, Mulally confronted him.

"That's okay. We can still be friends. But you can't work here," he said.

The results were staggering:

1. Ford went from a $12.7B loss in 2006 to a $6.3B profit in 2014.

2. The stock price soared 1,640% from its crisis low.

3. Ford became the only Detroit automaker that didn't need a government bailout.

Mulally's weekly meetings created what he called a "One Team" culture.

He forced executives to stop playing politics and start solving problems together. He built accountability through radical transparency and relentless implementation.

Most CEOs avoid confrontation.

Mulally made it the cornerstone of his turnaround.

Founder of markmind.co | Follow me for content on writing, thinking, and personal communication as a meta-skill

When Cheryl Bachelder took over as CEO of Popeyes in 2007, the company was a dumpster fire. The stock had crashed from $34 to $13. Four CEOs in seven years.

Your average CEO would've come in swinging.

You know...firing people, slashing costs, and demanding results.

Bachelder did the opposite.

She chose to SERVE her franchisees.

"How can we help you raise your bottom line?" became her standard question.

She traveled city to city, meeting one-on-one with franchise owners.

Not to lecture them.

To listen.

She treated them like partners.

And they were floored.

Here’s what happened over the next decade:

* Restaurant sales shot up 45%.
* Restaurant profits more than doubled.
* The stock price soared from $15 to $79.

Bachelder's philosophy was "serving the people and the enterprise is by far the best path to superior financial performance."

She built a culture where leaders served, instead of waiting to be served.

Most companies demand loyalty from the bottom up.

Cheryl earned it from the top down.

In 2011, this article was published to celebrate David Ogilvy's 100th birthday. It asks: 

"What can a man who never heard of the internet teach us about advertising?"

Well, IMO, quite a few things:

1. Deep research is still the only competitive advantage left in the AI era

In 1951, a small shirt manufacturer called Hathaway was on the brink of obscurity. They couldn't afford a celebrity. 

Ogilvy didn't just "get creative." He went to the library and researched for WEEKS until he found a photo of Baron Wrangel wearing an eye patch. He realized the patch added "story appeal."

He put an eye patch on the model for the shirt ad.

This campaign ran for 21 YEARS and made Hathaway famous.

I see so many copywriters using ChatGPT to "speed up" their process. Meanwhile, Ogilvy claimed to "pursue knowledge the way a pig pursues truffles." He studied EVERY SINGLE variable before writing a word. 

2. Spend 80% of your energy on the headline

This one is a bit cliché, but still worth repeating.

For his famous Rolls-Royce ad, Ogilvy wrote 104 headlines. He threw away 103. He finally came up with: "At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock."

If you haven't written at least 20 variations of your hook, headline or whatever, you haven't started working yet.

3. Replace "fluffy" adjectives with concrete facts

Ogilvy despised adjectives. He believed words like "good," "best," and "innovative" were signs of a lazy mind.

Notice the Rolls-Royce headline above.

He didn't write: "This car is very quiet."

He gave you a concrete fact about an electric clock.

If you can't back your claim up with a number or a noun, delete it.

4. Stop making ads that look like ads

Ogilvy noticed people read editorial content 6x more than they read ads.

So he stopped making ads that looked like ads.

He used the same fonts as the newspaper. He used drop-caps. He organized the text into columns.

He tricked the eye into reading.

This is the principle of "camouflage."

And the reason organic posts coming from a personal profile are so powerful.

5. Write like your dinner depends on the click

Before Madison Avenue, Ogilvy sold stoves door-to-door in Scotland. He learned that if the pitch wasn't perfect, he starved. You need to write as if you're standing on a doorstep in the rain, trying to feed yourself.

6. Long copy still sells (if you solve a painful problem)

People say, "In 2025, attention spans are too short for long copy."

That's just lazy.

People binge 12-hour Netflix series in one sitting.

They don't have short attention spans. They just have ZERO tolerance for boredom.

If you solve a bleeding neck problem, they will read every word.

---

Ogilvy didn't have ChatGPT.

BUT he had "ungovernable curiosity" and a deep respect for the wallet of his client.

Today, we have 100x the data but 1/10th of the empathy.

Maybe there's a lesson there.

If you work in a creative role (writing, design, marketing, etc.) and you don't spend AT LEAST 20% of your time wandering, playing, or just doing absolutely nothing…

IMO, you're on the fast track to slop.

And yes, for a 40-hour work week, that'd be 8 hours of absolute "unproductivity."

If you're spending 100% of your time "working," you're spending 0% of your time thinking.

And if you're not thinking, you're not creating.

Which is fine if you want to be a production machine.

But if you want to produce quality work, you MUST allocate time for rest and recovery.

Real creativity requires INPUT.

New experiences. New perspectives. New stimuli.

And it requires PROCESSING TIME.

Your subconscious needs space to connect dots that your conscious mind can't see.

The best ideas I've ever had didn't come from sitting at my desk, grinding away for 8 hours straight.

They came from:

* Staring out the window for 20 minutes
* Taking a walk without my phone
* Reading something completely unrelated to my work
* Having a random conversation at a coffee shop
* Literally doing nothing and letting my brain wander

Here's what that looks like in practice:

(1) Block off time in your calendar for "thinking time" and protect it like a client meeting
(2) Take walks without your phone (seriously, leave it at your desk)
(3) Read things outside your industry…fiction, history, science, whatever
(4) Have conversations with people who do completely different work than you
(5) Stare out the window and let your mind wander 
(6) Take a real lunch break away from your desk
(7) Stop checking Slack/email every 5 minutes
(8) Say no to meetings that don't absolutely require you

Your boss/client might not understand this.

But I’d bet my life savings on this:

The person who spends 32 focused hours creating + 8 hours wandering will produce WAY BETTER work than the person who grinds for 40 hours straight.

That’s just how it works.

Because creative work isn't about time spent.

It's about the quality of thinking that goes into it.

And quality thinking requires space.

Fin.

After nearly 4 years of writing LinkedIn content, I've boiled my philosophy down to 8 core principles:

1. The best content comes from people who've done something specific that most people haven't. If you haven't lived it, researched it deeply, or failed at it spectacularly, you probably shouldn't be teaching it.

2. There's only 2 ways to write damn good content: a) Personal experience  (you tried something, it worked/failed, now you share the lesson and b) information arbitrage (you found insights in one industry/medium and translated them to another). Everything else is just commentary on commentary.

3. Your audience size doesn't matter.  I know creators with 100K followers who can't sell a $50 product. And creators with 2K followers who do $500K years. The difference is just the "audience intent." 1000 people who found you because they have the exact problem you solve or believe what you believe beats 100K randoms.

4. Everyone wants to learn from your disasters. The campaign that lost $50K. The hire that almost killed your company. The strategy that backfired. Mistakes just feel a bit more honest and authentic. 

5. Great content makes people feel like they're in the room when the thing happened. Use sensory details, share the exact words people said, and describe how you felt in your stomach. People will always remember how you made them feel.

6. You need an enemy more than you need an audience. The most memorable brands are AGAINST something. Apple vs. boring computers. Tesla vs. gas guzzlers. Your content should have a clear villain. Outdated thinking, bad advice, lazy competitors, whatever. People don't rally around neutral positions. That's just how it works.

7. Your personality is your distribution strategy. Don't get too caught up in algorithms, hooks, templates, and all that stuff. Yes, it matters. But it's just table stakes. It's your personality - your beliefs, stories, and opinions - that will truly make a difference.

8. Don't apologize for having bold opinions. If you believe something works, say it works.  If you think something is stupid, call it stupid. Conviction creates conviction in your audience.

---

In a nutshell, everything boils down to "doing cool stuff" and documenting it. 

The real problem isn't that you can't write. It's really not that hard. The problem is that you haven't anything to said yet.

Read books, fail big, start a company, meet interesting people.

Then worry about the writing.

🫡

What is your worst nightmare?

For most people, it’s public failure. It’s bankruptcy. It’s being laughed at.

But there is a fate much worse than failure.

It is to rank among those "cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

These are the gray people. 

The ones who never bet on themselves. 

They didn't lose. But they didn't live.

The world is filled with gray people - the critics.

They sit in the cheap seats. They watch the game. They keep the score. They point out the stumble. They sneer when the quarterback throws an interception. They write the think piece on why the startup failed. They laugh at your LinkedIn posts.

It feels like power. It feels like intelligence.

But it is actually cowardice.

Roosevelt called it out 100 years ago: "It is not the critic who counts."

The critic is safe. The critic is clean. The critic has ZERO skin in the game.

The only person who matters is the one whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. 

The one who is actually in the fight.

If you are building something...a company, a movement, a family...you are going to look stupid. You are going to trip. You are going to err.

Good.

That means you aren't observing life. You’re creating it.

Stop listening to the people in the stands. 

They aren't playing the game.

I hate the word "viral." I can't stand it anymore. It makes you think you're winning because the numbers are going up to the right. But virality creates ZERO defensibility. Anyone can go viral tomorrow. Literally anyone.

Fidget spinners went viral. Bird Scooters went viral. HQ Trivia went viral. Even Tiger King went viral.

None of those are still relevant in 2025.

Compare that to the most boring stuff you can think of:

Telephones are still here.

Email is still around.

Millions still use Microsoft Excel even though it looks like it belongs in a museum.

Heck, Craigslist hasn't updated its UI since 1999 and it's worth $3 billion.

Study network effects a bit and you'll realize how misleading "speed" really is.

Great things take time. They are slow. They are often incredibly unsexy.

If you're building in the dark right now, remember that the "overnight success" you are jealous of was likely 10 years in the making.

Don't believe everything you see on LinkedIn.

2025 is basically over. 

If you're a copywriter, designer, or any type of creative...

...and you're not a little nervous about 2026. 

IMO, you're not paying attention.

The industry is going through a massive correction.

People losing jobs, companies reducing budgets, and the definition of "quality" becoming blurrier by the day.

It's not just AI (though it plays a role). It’s the economy forcing many companies to choose "fast and cheap" over "great."

I hate to say it, but junior creatives are the most vulnerable because they are now competing against tools that are faster, cheaper, and "good enough" for the bottom line.

So, let's do something about it...

1. Hiring Managers: If you are hiring skilled creatives (or know of an open role), drop the link or details below.

2. Juniors: Introduce yourself. Tell us your role and the one specific skill you bring to the table that AI can't replace.

3. Seniors/Vets: Drop the ONE piece of advice you’d give your 20-year-old self to thrive as a creative. 

In times of uncertainty, the best thing we can do is lift each other up. Go. 👇

1. Liquid Death is valued at $1.4B. It's literally just water. In a can. A commodity in a market that couldn't be more saturated. Their innovation? They branded it like a heavy metal concert.

2. IKEA makes well over $5 BILLION/year. Their genius innovation? They tricked you into doing the assembly line's job for free.

3. A24, an indie film company up against giants, is valued at $2.5B. Their innovation? They found all the "weirdo" directors Hollywood was too scared to bet on and gave them creative freedom.

4. MSCHF has hit a $200M valuation. Their innovation? They built a whole business model around selling completely impractical prank products that go viral.

Not a single one of these companies was built on a line of code.

They were built by avoiding "Groupthink."

Real innovation doesn't come from a committee. 

Committees are designed to find consensus. 

And consensus is where weird, billion-dollar ideas go to die.

Innovation Has Nothing to Do With Tech

Note to self: Be careful with your words.

Helping 9-5 pros build their Corporate Offramp | Land 1st client in a 1-person business you control

You’ve outgrown your 9–5. 
Now what? 

You’ve built a solid career. Maybe even a great one. But lately… 

The Sunday scaries hit a little harder.
You keep wondering, “Is this really it?”

You don’t hate your job. You’ve just outgrown it. And the money is the only part that serves you. 

You’ve done everything right.
But you still feel boxed in by meetings, org charts, and the constant anxiety of “restructuring.”

You know your skills are worth more – but no one’s shown you how to turn them into something of your own.

You're not trying to blow up your life.
You just want to know it’s possible.

That’s what the ‘Corporate Offramp’ is for.

It’s my step-by-step system to help high-performing professionals:
→ Package their skills into a client-ready offer
→ Build a simple audience of people ready to work with them
→ Land their first client in 120 days—without quitting their job

You’ll start earning outside your 9–5 and finally take control of what’s next.

This isn’t about quitting tomorrow.
It’s about progress. Building something – before you need it. 
And when you’re ready to start having control over your time. 

What others are saying:

“What really stands out about Brian is his authenticity. And his responsiveness is in a league of its own. His mix of broad entrepreneurial knowledge, specific expertise in areas like LinkedIn strategy, and straight-talking advice puts him at the top of my list.” 
– Melissa, ex-ed tech exec

“I started building while still in my 9-5, and landed my first client within 3 months (..before being let go by my company!).”
– Cassie, former tech manager

Here’s how to get started:

📥 Grab the Free 5-Day Solo Business Blueprint in my Featured section – and get the exact roadmap to land your first client without quitting your job (or even changing your LinkedIn profile). 

🎯 Want a faster path?
Join me for the Fast Track to Freedom Workshop – where I’ll walk you through:

• What to focus on (hint: not your website)
• Where 90% of your effort should go
• How to build an audience (without posting daily)
• The path to your first paid client – in 120 days

🎟 Save your seat: simplemanguide.com/workshop

Your 9–5 got you started.
Your next move is on your terms.

Brian Gallagher

The real risk isn’t leaving your job.

It’s staying just long enough that the comfort…

Becomes overwhelming.

People frame risk as walking away from stability. But stability’s not real. Just ask the people who thought they were ‘safe’ at Amazon or Microsoft.

The real danger is slower. Quieter.

You start caring a little less. You’re no longer motivated by what you're doing. You move through your days on autopilot.

You get lulled into sleep. Unsure what even makes you feel alive anymore.

You let people steal your time with fake urgency and pointless meetings.
You tell yourself you’ll make a move when things calm down.

But that moment never comes.

I remember when it started happening to me. The pay got better. The hours eased up.

On paper, everything looked fine.

But I didn’t like what the years ahead looked like.

I watched people higher up the ladder still asking permission for the simple things — a doctor’s appointment, a softball game, a random Tuesday.

And I knew if I didn’t draw a line, I might never draw one. I’d wait for the next bonus. Then the next. Then the next.

And 20 years later, I’d be so deep in it that walking away would feel impossible.

That’s how comfort works.
It feels just good enough that you stop questioning it.

Comfort doesn’t just keep you in the job.
It keeps you from becoming the person who’d ever leave it.

It’s a slow slide toward a life you never chose.

No alternative text description for this image

In my last role, I was a VP in investment banking.

On paper? Looked great. But in real life… 

Yikes.

I’ll admit – the instant status it gave me when I told people what I did made me feel important. 

But I was constantly stressed. 

If I wasn’t at the office, I was dreading the next email ping from a managing director. 

Why? Because I had no visibility as to how my week would look. 

One minute I had a long weekend train trip planned. And an email ping could mean having to cancel everything. 

Honestly, it was chaos. 
But I kept telling myself it was “worth it.” 

Everyone seemed impressed with my title, so I was on the right path. That’s what I thought. 

Eventually I caved and said yes to something different. 

I started a fitness studio concept with a friend (while still at my job). 

Just a few classes a week. Nothing fancy.
But it was ours. We made the calls.

It didn’t make me rich. And unfortunately, it didn’t become my forever thing. 

But besides being the most fun I’ve ever had ‘working’, it did something else for me: 

It broke the cycle.

And once I got a taste of calling my own shots,
I couldn’t go back.

Now I help other people build something of their own too.

Because I’ve experienced both sides: 

Waking up dreading the work day. 
Waking up excited about what I get to build. 

And know I’m certain on which I’ll keep choosing.

I did a breathwork session last week.
Two words kept repeating.
And they stayed with me all week.

Kindness.
Vulnerability.

Two simple words. But they are the difference between forcing connection and creating real connection.

Kindness reminded me that everyone I talk to is carrying something I cannot see.

Clients. Prospects. Friends. Family members.
People on here scrolling through their day.

When I remember that, I show up better. My coaching is better. My conversations are better. My patience is better.

Vulnerability reminded me that the people I trust most are the ones who let me see the full picture.

Not the “everything is amazing” picture.
The human one.

So I am choosing to bring more of that into how I show up here.

And I will start today.

I am going through a breakup.

It has been difficult, but being around family, and keeping my schedule full, helps.
Movement helps. And so does work.

And during that breathwork session, something small set me off, and I realized how much I had been holding.

And yes, for a bit, I pulled back on some things while I got my footing again (work included).

But this experience is giving me something important.

A deeper appreciation for how much our personal lives shape the way we show up in our work.

A deeper understanding of what my clients feel when they are trying to build something while holding the rest of their life together.

And a deeper commitment to lead with kindness and vulnerability in every part of my life. Not just my business.

I want the people who follow my work to feel that they are seen, not judged.

And I want them to know that building a solo business is not separate from real life. It happens inside real life.

Work does not happen in a vacuum. Life does not pause while you build something meaningful. 

Who you are matters just as much (if not more) as what you do.

That breathwork session reminded me of that.

And it marked a change how I plan to show up here moving forward.

My brother’s dog, Norman, always helps too :)

“It’s been four months and I still feel stuck.”
Someone told me this the other day.
Here’s what many underestimate when starting out: 

Just how easy it is to waste time trying to figure everything out on your own. 

And when building while still employed, it’s not helpful to see 15 different paths. All promising places to start, but unsure as to which is most viable. Which leads to revenue fastest. Which has the least speed bumps. 

So what do I see most people do? 

Dabble. Start researching. Build a website. 
Try one thing, then second-guess themselves and switch. 

And four months go by. Then six. Then a year. 

And somewhere quietly in the background, they’re thinking:
“I thought I’d be further along by now.”

Time spent stuck doesn’t just slow you down.
It starts to convince you maybe you weren’t meant for this.

You can figure it out alone. Lots of people do. 
But it usually takes them 18–24 months of guessing, circling, rebuilding, and trying to reverse-engineer the right sequence.

Or…

You get help. You get a map. You talk to someone who’s already walked the road.
And you collapse that timeline down to a fraction of what it would’ve been.

Some of my clients have signed their first client in less time than most people spend thinking about how to start.

Most people don’t fail.
They just run out of time and energy they didn’t know they were burning.

So if you’re four months in and still stuck, nothing’s wrong with you.

You’re most likely trying to navigate a process in the dark that someone could’ve lit up in a single conversation.

The question is no longer:

Can you do it alone?

It’s:

How much is the extra 12–18 months worth to you?

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Brian Gallagher

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The Battle

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