Growth-Minded Marketing

What if the biggest thing holding your business back is you? In this episode of The Growth-Minded Marketing Podcast, Steve Phipps and AnnieLaurie Walters sit down with Chris Riggins, founder of Riggins Painting, to explore what it takes to grow from a one-person operation to a scalable business. Starting with a high-mileage truck and a set of hand tools in 2009, Chris built a thriving company by learning how to delegate, develop leaders, and get out of his own way. He shares the leadership lessons, mindset shifts, and hard-earned insights that helped transform his business—and himself.

About Chris 

Chris Riggins is the founder of Riggins Painting, a Memphis-area residential and commercial painting company. He started the business in 2009 after the company he worked for shut down during the housing crash. With deep roots in the painting industry and a willingness to learn the hard way, Chris grew Riggins Painting from a one-man operation into a company with a full management team and a much larger vision for the future. Learn more about Riggins Painting at rigginspainting.com. Connect with Chris on LinkedIn.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Chris launched Riggins Painting during the 2009 housing crash
• What every business owner learns while wearing every hat
• Why founders often become the biggest bottleneck to growth
• How to delegate without sacrificing quality
• The difference between personal preferences and business requirements
• How building a leadership team creates scalable growth
• Why stepping away from the business revealed new opportunities
• How coaches, mentors, and industry peers can accelerate growth
• Why understanding your numbers improves decision-making
• How clear messaging and strategic focus drive business growth
• What it takes to evolve as a leader through every stage of growth

Key Moments & Timestamps

00:00 The Growth Challenge Most Founders Face
02:29 Starting a Business During a Recession
06:49 Lessons From the Early Years
08:50 Letting Go of Control
13:22 How Coaching Accelerates Growth
15:42 Building a Business That Doesn't Depend on You
23:05 Leadership Lessons for Growth-Minded Businesses

Most business owners think about charitable giving the same way: write a check, take the deduction, move on. But Len Hardison, Executive Director of the Memphis office of National Christian Foundation (NCF), has spent years helping families and business owners discover a fundamentally different approach.

In this episode of the Growth Minded Marketing Podcast, Len joins hosts AnnieLaurie Walters and Steve Phipps to unpack how donor-advised funds (DAFs) work as a charitable giving vehicle, why donating appreciated assets — real estate, closely held businesses, investment portfolios — is often far more tax-efficient than writing a check, and what it really means to build a company that functions as a generosity engine.

Len’s take? “Friends don’t let friends give cash.” If you hold appreciated assets, you’re almost certainly leaving impact on the table. NCF, consistently ranked among the top 10 largest nonprofits in the U.S. and the largest Christian ministry in the country, has pioneered asset-based charitable giving since 1982. In 2025, NCF donors recommended grants to roughly 35,000 organizations and gave away over $3 billion.

The conversation goes deeper than financial strategy. Len challenges leaders to wrestle with three questions most CEOs quietly push aside: How much is enough? How much do you pass to your heirs in a way that actually helps them? And what do you do with the rest? He also introduces a reframe that lands hard for Christian business owners: many claim God owns their business, but far fewer have actually invited God in as a real shareholder. What would that look like in the books, the culture, the way employees are treated?

Whether you’re exploring strategic giving for the first time, sitting on appreciated assets you’ve never thought to leverage, or just making sure your business is building something worth leaving behind, this episode offers a practical, thought-provoking framework for turning success into lasting impact.

What You’ll Learn

• How donor-advised funds (DAFs) work and why they’re the best-kept secret in charitable giving
• Why donating appreciated assets beats writing a check and what qualifies (real estate, closely held businesses, investment holdings, and more)
• The three stewardship questions every leader should sit with: How much is enough? How much do you pass to loved ones? What do you do with the rest?
• What it means to invite God into your business as a real shareholder, not just a sentiment
• How a clear purpose helps attract and retain great employees in a competitive talent market
• How to use your company as a generosity engine that creates impact beyond the bottom line

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Wayfind’s mission and the legacy question
• 04:21 – Meet Len Hardison & National Christian Foundation
• 07:12 – What is a donor-advised fund? The basics explained
• 09:22 – Giving appreciated assets instead of cash
• 12:19 – Len’s journey back to Memphis
• 15:50 – What makes NCF unique in the market
• 19:25 – Faith, stewardship, and the questions families wrestle with
• 23:54 – Leadership advice: building a generosity engine
• 28:30 – Post-interview key takeaways
• 33:09 – Next steps and closing

About Len Hardison

Len Hardison serves as Executive Director of the Memphis office of National Christian Foundation (NCF), one of the largest Christian ministries in the United States. He works with families, business owners, and advisors to develop strategic, tax-efficient charitable giving plans that maximize generosity and long-term impact. With deep expertise in donor-advised funds, asset-based giving, and stewardship conversations, Len helps leaders align their resources with their values and build legacies that outlast them.

Connect with Len: ncfgiving.com/memphis |  LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned

• National Christian Foundation (NCF): ncfgiving.com
• Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)
• Asset-Based Giving Strategies
• Values-Based Legacy Planning

From Wayfind Marketing

• Free B2B Marketing Assessment
• AI Marketing Guide
• Growth Minded Marketing Podcast Archive

Connect with the Hosts on LinkedIn
Steve Phipps  |  AnnieLaurie Walters

Most B2B marketing fails—not from lack of effort, but lack of a system. Here’s how to fix it.

In this episode, you'll learn:

•  Why doing “more marketing” isn’t the same as having a system 
•  The real reason most B2B marketing efforts fail (tactics before strategy) 
•  What a marketing system actually is—and how it differs from campaigns 
•  The 5 core components every effective marketing system needs 
•  Why systems create compounding growth while campaigns stall out 
•  How content builds trust before sales conversations ever happen 
•  The role of AI search in shaping modern B2B marketing 
•  How to align marketing and sales to drive real revenue 
•  The key metrics that actually matter (and what to ignore) 
•  4 simple questions to determine if you have a system—or just activity 

Timestamps:

0:00 — Intro: The "why isn't our marketing working?" question
0:44 — Welcome to the Growth-Minded Marketing Podcast
1:14 — Today's topic: What a marketing system actually is
2:05 — What a company without a marketing system looks like
5:05 — The root cause: tactics before strategy
7:53 — What a marketing system actually is (the EOS analogy)
9:52 — The biggest benefit of running marketing like a system
14:42 — The 5 core components of a marketing system
15:08 — Component 1: Strategy
17:01 — Component 2: Website
21:27 — Component 3: Content
25:51 — Component 4: Sales Alignment
28:01 — Component 5: Reporting
31:07 — Do you have a system or just marketing activity?
31:51 — Audit Q1: Do you have a written strategy?
32:16 — Audit Q2: Is your website generating qualified leads?
32:44 — Audit Q3: Does sales use marketing content?
33:10 — Audit Q4: Can you explain what's working?
34:52 — Action step + how to work with Way Find Marketing

Resources Mentioned:

• Wayfind Marketing Learning Center 
• What Is a Marketing System — and Why Your B2B Company Needs One
• What We Mean by Strategy First Marketing (And Why It Matters)
• The Problem with Vanity Metrics 

Take the Free B2B Marketing Assessment:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/b2b-marketing-assessment/

Grab the Free AI Marketing Guide:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/ai-marketing-guide/

Connect with the Hosts on LinkedIn:
Steve Phipps
AnnieLaurie Walters

Most B2B marketing fails—not from lack of effort, but lack of a system. Here’s how to fix it.

In this episode, you'll learn:

•  Why doing “more marketing” isn’t the same as having a system 
•  The real reason most B2B marketing efforts fail (tactics before strategy) 
•  What a marketing system actually is—and how it differs from campaigns 
•  The 5 core components every effective marketing system needs 
•  Why systems create compounding growth while campaigns stall out 
•  How content builds trust before sales conversations ever happen 
•  The role of AI search in shaping modern B2B marketing 
•  How to align marketing and sales to drive real revenue 
•  The key metrics that actually matter (and what to ignore) 
•  4 simple questions to determine if you have a system—or just activity 

Timestamps:

0:00 — Intro: The "why isn't our marketing working?" question
0:44 — Welcome to the Growth-Minded Marketing Podcast
1:14 — Today's topic: What a marketing system actually is
2:05 — What a company without a marketing system looks like
5:05 — The root cause: tactics before strategy
7:53 — What a marketing system actually is (the EOS analogy)
9:52 — The biggest benefit of running marketing like a system
14:42 — The 5 core components of a marketing system
15:08 — Component 1: Strategy
17:01 — Component 2: Website
21:27 — Component 3: Content
25:51 — Component 4: Sales Alignment
28:01 — Component 5: Reporting
31:07 — Do you have a system or just marketing activity?
31:51 — Audit Q1: Do you have a written strategy?
32:16 — Audit Q2: Is your website generating qualified leads?
32:44 — Audit Q3: Does sales use marketing content?
33:10 — Audit Q4: Can you explain what's working?
34:52 — Action step + how to work with Way Find Marketing

Resources Mentioned:

• Wayfind Marketing Learning Center 
• What Is a Marketing System — and Why Your B2B Company Needs One
• What We Mean by Strategy First Marketing (And Why It Matters)
• The Problem with Vanity Metrics 

Take the Free B2B Marketing Assessment:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/b2b-marketing-assessment/

Grab the Free AI Marketing Guide:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/ai-marketing-guide/

Connect with the Hosts on LinkedIn:
Steve Phipps
AnnieLaurie Walters

Do you actually know how much your company should be spending on marketing — not what you spent last year, not a gut feeling, but a number tied to where you want to go? If the answer is "not really," this episode is for you.

In this conversation, Wayfind Marketing CEO Steve Phipps pulls back the curtain on one of the most common questions he gets from B2B leaders: How much should we be investing in marketing? The answer isn't a single number — it's a framework, and the structure behind the number matters just as much as the dollar amount.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The 3–10% revenue range for B2B marketing investment and how to find your right number based on your growth stage
• The 5 budget categories every B2B marketing investment should include — and why skipping the first one is where most companies go wrong
• Real budget breakdowns for a $5M and $10M company, including what each category should cost
• The two operating models (outsourced agency vs. in-house marketing manager) and what makes each one work — or fail
• Why bringing in a fractional CMO or marketing coach can be the missing piece for in-house teams that aren't getting results
• How to audit your existing marketing spend before adding a single dollar more
• The metrics that actually matter — and how to tie them back to revenue

Timestamps:

00:00 How Much To Spend
01:29 Why Budgets Feel Hard
03:39 Percent Benchmarks
05:04 Turning Percent Into Dollars
06:39 Five Budget Buckets
07:18 Strategy Before Tactics
10:19 Website Foundations
10:57 Content That Converts
16:13 Promotion And SEO
20:56 Tools And Platforms
23:40 Tool Testing Reality
24:05 Marketing Operating Models
24:36 Outsourcing to Agencies
27:06 In-House Marketing Setup
28:37 Fractional CMO and Coaching
30:39 Budget Examples by Revenue
33:57 Audit Before You Add
38:03 Metrics That Matter
41:05 Budget Follows Strategy
43:46 Wrap Up and Next Steps

The one thing Steve wants you to walk away with: Let your budget follow your strategy, not the other way around. When you build a budget around clear goals, you have a growth plan. Without it, you just have a list of expenses.

Resources mentioned:

• Episode 15: Vanity Metrics — a deep dive on the difference between meaningful metrics and feel-good numbers
• Guide™ Marketing Assessment — a free 5-minute tool to see what's working (and what's not) in your current marketing
• Schedule a conversation with the Wayfind team — click "Discuss Your Marketing."
• Wayfind's Guide™ Marketing Framework — the system behind the strategy discussed in this episode
• Endless Customers by Marcus Sheridan (formerly They Ask, You Answer) — the sales and marketing framework Steve coaches

Growth Minded Marketing is the podcast for B2B CEOs and business leaders who are ready to grow with confidence and stop guessing at their marketing. Hosted by AnnieLaurie Walters and Steve Phipps of Wayfind Marketing.

Mason Cosby didn't ease into entrepreneurship. He launched Scrappy ABM three weeks before becoming a dad, and what followed was a masterclass in building fast, breaking things, and having the integrity to fix them — even when it hurt.

In two and a half years, Mason grew Scrappy ABM to $4.5M in total revenue, but he's just as candid about the $450K in mistakes he made along the way — bad-fit clients, loose contractor agreements, IP he had to buy back, and a season where overhiring nearly derailed everything. His willingness to refund clients, walk away from revenue, and start fresh is the thread running through all of it.

This episode is full of practical, hard-won insight for any CEO who's ever taken on a client they shouldn't have — or who's still trying to figure out who they do their best work for.

Key Takeaways

• If it's not an absolute yes, it's a no. Mason shifted his entire client onboarding philosophy after three out of four "maybe" clients went badly. Clarity in your ICP protects your team, your time, and your reputation.
• The virtuous cycle is real — but it starts with the right clients. Better-fit clients → higher rates → stronger talent → better results → more referrals. You can't skip to the end without doing the hard work of defining who belongs in the first step.
• Reputation is a long game. Mason gave money back to clients when the fit wasn't right — not because it was easy, but because he plans to be in the market for a long time. Short-term losses can protect long-term momentum.
• Get your contractor agreements right from day one. Loose expectations early on cost Mason real money when IP questions surfaced later. Work-for-hire language isn't optional — it's foundational.
• ABM isn't for everyone — and that's the point. Account-based marketing works best when you already know who your best customers are. If you're still figuring out product-market fit, it's not your next move. If you know exactly who you serve? It might be your most powerful growth lever.

About Mason Cosby

Mason Cosby is the founder of Scrappy ABM, an account-based marketing agency that helps B2B software companies with $25M–$100M in revenue build and run ABM programs that drive real pipeline. With a background in leading new business development for one of the world's top B2B agencies, Mason launched Scrappy ABM to bring a more honest, accessible approach to ABM — and to equip a million marketers with the skills to do it well by 2035.

Resources & Links

• Scrappy ABM — free resources, newsletter, and more
• ABM in a Day Workshop — scrappyabm.com/workshop (use code 50OFF for $100 registration)
• Scrappy ABM Newsletter — free weekly ABM resources
• Wayfind Marketing Free Assessment — free 25-question marketing assessment + 40-page playbook

Connect with the Hosts on LinkedIn:

Steve Phipps

AnnieLaurie Walters

If AI in marketing is feeling overwhelming right now, here's the good news — you don't have to do everything. You just need to do the right things in the right order.

In Part 2 of this series, Steve Phipps and AnnieLaurie Walters get practical. Now that you understand how AI has changed buyer behavior, it's time to talk about what to actually do about it — and what can safely wait. Missed Part 1? Start with Ep. 19 - "How AI Is Quietly Eliminating Your Business From Buyer Shortlists" 

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why clarity is still the priority — not speed, not tools, not automation
• The three things that need to happen before you use AI for content creation
• What it means to "train your AI" — and why skipping this step guarantees generic output
• What can wait: advanced automations, custom AI tools, and AI agents
• How to use a 90-day planning cadence to cut through the overwhelm
• Why benchmarking against your competitors' tools is the wrong question to ask
• What 2026 will reward — and it's not the companies with the most sophisticated tech stack
• A practical tip for using the EEAT framework inside your AI prompts

Key quote: "AI isn't replacing leadership. Not your leadership. But it is raising the bar for it." — Steve Phipps

Helpful Resources:

• Wayfind Marketing B2B Marketing Assessment — free 5-minute assessment with an immediate score
• Check out our AI Marketing Guide
• Guide Marketing Framework podcast series 

Found this helpful? Share it with a CEO or marketing leader in your network and subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.

If your buyers are using AI to research, shortlist, and quietly eliminate companies — and they are — the real question isn't whether AI has changed marketing. The real question is whether your business is clear enough to survive the way buying decisions are being made today.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Steve Phipps and AnnieLaurie Walters cut through the AI noise and get grounded in what's actually changed — and what hasn't.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why AI is acting as a "trust filter" for your buyers — and what that means for your pipeline
• The shift from searching for options to asking for directions — and why it changes everything about how you're found
• Why your website traffic may be down (and why that's not the whole story)
• What "zero-click behavior" means and how to think about it strategically
• Why AI rewards clarity over cleverness — and what generic messaging is really costing you
• Why this is a CEO issue, not a marketing execution issue
• A practical starting point for leaders who feel overwhelmed by the AI conversation

Key quote: "AI doesn't care how clever or witty your messaging is. It doesn't reward buzzwords. It rewards clarity." — Steve Phipps

Resources mentioned:

• Wayfind Marketing B2B Marketing Assessment — take the free 5-minute assessment and get an immediate score
• Episode with Fancher Sergeant, CEO of CRS CPAs 

Part 2 is coming up next — we get practical with specific ways CEOs and marketers can use AI in the next 90 days to create clarity, reclaim time, and lead more effectively.

How Carolyn Michael-Banks turned a tourism vision into a mission-driven company that educates and inspires.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Carolyn Michael-Banks founded A Tour of Possibilities to educate and empower through African-American history
• Why resilience and innovation helped her business survive and evolve through COVID-19
• The bold decisions she made to stay mission-focused—even when it meant challenging norms
• How she shifted from individual tours to scaling with larger group experiences
• The importance of boundaries, journaling, and staying aligned with your “why”
• How to turn obstacles into meaningful opportunities for growth

Whether you're a CEO, entrepreneur, or just someone passionate about purpose-driven business, Carolyn’s journey will challenge and inspire you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction and Welcome
01:10 – Meet Carolyn Michael-Banks
05:10 – Carolyn's Journey in Tourism
07:45 – Starting A Tour of Possibilities
12:39 – Challenges and Resilience
13:55 – Adapting During COVID-19
17:32 – Shifting Focus and Scaling Up
19:24 – Lessons Learned and Advice
27:22 – Conclusion and Takeaways

Guest Bio:

Carolyn Michael-Banks is the founder and cultural curator of A Tour of Possibilities, an African-American heritage tour company in Memphis, Tennessee. With a background in psychology and decades of experience in the tourism industry, Carolyn is known for her leadership, resilience, and dedication to telling the untold stories of Black history. A native of the Bronx, her career spans from Washington, D.C., to Savannah, Philadelphia, and now Memphis, where she continues to educate, inspire, and challenge perspectives through powerful storytelling.

Visit A Tour of Possibilities
Connect with Carolyn on LinkedIn

Quotes & Resources:

"You should have a business with like a family atmosphere... but the reality is, some families are dysfunctional. You gotta set those limits."

“I built it... but they didn’t come. I had to do the work to get it seen, known, and trusted.”

“Journaling helps you remember the good stuff when you're overwhelmed by the hard.”

Resources from Wayfind Marketing:

Grab the Free AI Marketing Guide:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/ai-marketing-guide/

Take the Free B2B Marketing Assessment:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/b2b-marketing-assessment/

Connect with the Hosts on LinkedIn:
Steve Phipps
AnnieLaurie Walters

Likes don’t grow revenue. Learn which marketing metrics actually drive business growth—and which to ignore.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why vanity metrics like page views and likes often mislead marketing decisions
• How AI is changing the way people engage with content—and your website traffic
• The difference between feel-good stats and KPIs that actually move the needle
• A simple test CEOs can use to evaluate if a metric is worth tracking
• What tools like Google Search Console, GA4, and HubSpot can tell you
• Why content quantity without strategy is a red flag
• The critical role of the GUIDE Marketing Framework in aligning marketing with business goals
• How to empower your marketing team to lead with data-driven insights

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction: Likes vs. Sales Conversations
00:53 The Impact of AI on Website Traffic
01:42 Understanding Marketing Metrics
02:20 Vanity Metrics vs. KPIs
06:22 Tracking Meaningful Metrics
08:49 The GUIDE Marketing Framework
13:28 Tools for Tracking Metrics
19:42 Coaching Your Marketing Team
21:48 Conclusion: Measuring What Matters

Quotes:

• “Vanity metrics may look nice, but they won’t grow your business.”
• “Start with the end in mind. Track what drives revenue, not just recognition.”
• “We’re not anti-data—we’re pro-alignment.”
• “If you’re not tracking the right data, then you're just guessing.”

Resources:

• GUIDE Marketing Framework Podcast Series --> Start Here
• Google Search Console
• HubSpot
• UTM Tracking Guide 

Take the Free B2B Marketing Assessment:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/b2b-marketing-assessment/

Grab the Free AI Marketing Guide:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/ai-marketing-guide/

Connect with the Hosts on LinkedIn:
Steve Phipps
AnnieLaurie Walters

About Steve Phipps
Steve Phipps is the CEO, President, and Chief Strategist of Wayfind Marketing. As the company’s visionary founder and chief pathfinder, Steve brings a passion for helping businesses navigate the often overwhelming world of marketing. With a career spanning corporate leadership, agency ownership, and hands-on experience across the marketing spectrum, Steve knows firsthand how frustrating it can be to translate marketing activity into meaningful results. That’s why he’s committed to simplifying strategy and aligning marketing with real business outcomes. Whether he's leading creative strategy or mentoring teams, Steve is driven by one mission: helping growth-minded leaders confidently chart their course.

About AnnieLaurie Walters

AnnieLaurie Walters is a seasoned content strategist with 25+ years of experience in strategic communications. At Wayfind Marketing, she helps businesses attract and convert qualified leads through SEO-driven content strategies that answer real customer questions. With a background in Washington, D.C. communications and a knack for blending storytelling with strategy, AnnieLaurie empowers brands to grow with clarity and purpose.