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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There’s more to come, so stay tuned.

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

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

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

Takeaways

Specific Actions You Can Use This Week

About Charlie - In his own words

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

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

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

More than a Few Words  - A Marketing Conversation

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are a few takeaways from our conversation:

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

About Orly

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

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

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

Learn More: 

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

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

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

About the Show

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

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

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

You know that feeling when you spend half your day chasing trends, tweaking hashtags, and wondering why your brilliant post is showing up three days late in someone’s feed? Yeah, me too.

That’s why I sat down with Alice Seba, a content marketing pro who’s been helping online publishers turn persuasive content into real revenue for more than twenty years. She’s sold millions of dollars’ worth of content — and she swears the secret isn’t outsmarting the algorithm. It’s out-connecting it.

As Alice put it, “You don’t need the algorithm to notice you if your community does. When you connect, collaborate, and share stories, you build something the algorithm can’t touch — real relationships.”

And that’s the magic. When you stop trying to please the algorithm gods and start showing up for actual humans, you get noticed by the people who really matter — even when the social media winds shift.

Here are a few big takeaways from our chat:

Stop chasing the algorithm. Your business isn’t with code; it’s with people. Spend your energy on conversations — comments, DMs, collaborations — the kind that build real community and loyalty.

Build your own audience. Social platforms change faster than fashion trends, but your email list is forever. Offer something useful, keep it conversational, and land in their inbox where you actually belong.

Make your offers sound human. Ditch the sales pitch. Mention your freebie or toolkit the same way you’d share a good book recommendation with a friend. Helpful, not pushy.

Use social time wisely. Ten intentional minutes beats an hour of doom-scrolling. Pop in, connect, and get out before you start comparing your breakfast to someone else’s curated lifestyle.

When you strip away all the noise, the algorithm might be unpredictable, people aren’t. They remember who shows up, who listens, and who actually cares.

Because no algorithm can replace a genuine connection — and honestly, that’s the best kind of marketing there is.

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

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

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

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

Key Points

Actionable Takeaways

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

About Tim 

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

Learn More :  https://thefullybookedcoach.com/

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

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

**Key Insights**

**Actionable Takeaways**

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

About Rachel Allen 

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

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

Find out more at boltfromthebluecopywriting.com

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

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

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

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

Here’s your takeaway:

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Makes a Good Creator Partnership

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

The Power of Storytelling

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

When Things Go Sideways

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

The New Rules of Visibility

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

Key Takeaways

• Build trust first. Pick creators who care more about their audience than their follower count.

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

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

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

Go to :  https://sarahstahl.com/

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

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

Here’s what Danny learned:

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

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

Learn more:

Building custom GPTs for real work, not just party tricks is tricky. That's why I invited Len Ward to sit in my guest chair.  He's a former Wall Street pro turned agency builder, now leading Comexis, and he has the scars to prove what works and what does not. We covered where these tools shine, where they trip you up, and how to keep them sounding like you, not a committee of the internet.

The idea

What can go wrong

What we would do differently

I learned the hard way that voice drifts. I had the GPT read my work, it started strong, then wandered off into generic advice land. Len called out why. If we keep feeding broad material and never course correct, the model forgets our tone. Another stumble is data carelessness. Uploading client details or financials, even as examples, can create risk. One more trap is blind faith. These tools are fast, not flawless. They still need a final pass from human eyes.

Scope the job

Set privacy controls

Build a prompt playbook

Refresh the voice

Require a human check

Collect and centralize content

Answer real questions

Forget silver bullets

We are shifting from search and retrieve to solve my problem. Custom GPTs, used wisely, can speed that shift inside your business, from onboarding to content to customer care. Used carelessly, they dilute your voice and increase risk. The good news is the fix is simple habits, not magic.

About Len Ward

Len Ward is a former Wall Street institutional equities professional, agency builder, and now Managing Partner of Commexis—an AI consulting firm helping businesses replace outdated marketing with intelligent systems that think. With over two decades of experience spanning finance, e-commerce, and digital marketing,

Len brings a rare perspective on disruption cycles. He believes traditional agencies are finished and that AI is the operating system for the next decade of business. Known for his straight talk and contrarian edge, Len makes AI real, actionable, and impossible to ignore.

Visit our website for a free consultation on AI.  https://www.Commexis.com