Ep. 145 - Why Clinical Trials Stay Broken - Shawn Malloy

In this episode of Future Fuzz, Vince Quinn dives into counter positioning with Shawn Malloy, VP of Marketing at Lindus Health, a company challenging the norms of clinical trials. Shawn unpacks what it means to be an "anti-CRO" in a highly regulated, legacy-dominated industry. He shares how Lindus is transforming clinical research by integrating technology, aligning incentives, and cutting out outdated inefficiencies. This conversation is a must-listen for marketers interested in challenger brand strategy, healthcare disruption, or just building something radically better.Guest BioShawn Malloy is the VP of Marketing at Lindus Health, a company redefining how clinical trials are run by taking on legacy CROs with speed, transparency, and integrated tech. With a background in engineering and late-stage drug development, Shawn brings deep industry experience from his time at large pharmaceutical companies. His unique perspective, having worked both in product development and now on the marketing frontlines, fuels his passion for creating meaningful, customer-centric change in the healthcare space.TakeawaysLegacy clinical research organizations (CROs) are ripe for disruption.Lindus Health aligns incentives through performance-based pricing.Owning the tech stack reduces delays and improves trial outcomes.Challenger brands must deeply understand customer pain points.Experience on “the other side” boosts credibility and marketing empathy.Education is key when reintroducing a new category or anti-position.Chapters 00:00 – Intro: What is an Anti-CRO? 01:32 – Why CROs are Broken 03:45 – Stagnation in Clinical Trial Methods 05:30 – Counter Positioning: Shaking Up the Industry 07:19 – Educating the Market on New Models 08:25 – Broken Incentives and Overruns 09:40 – Vertical Integration: Lindus’s Full Tech Stack 11:00 – Shawn’s Shift from Engineering to Marketing 13:45 – Empathy Through Firsthand Experience 16:30 – Building a Challenger Brand: Where to Start 18:38 – Connect with ShawnLinkedIn⁠⁠Follow Shawn Malloy on LinkedIn here Follow Vince Quinn on LinkedIn here

In this episode of FutureFuzz, Vince Quinn and veteran CMO Eric Herzog dive into one of the most under‑rated — yet business‑critical — topics: the alignment (or misalignment) of sales and marketing teams. They unpack the telltale signs teams are out of sync, why that quietly drains budget and opportunity, and how companies, from scrappy startups to established enterprises, can build disciplined but culture‑driven processes to ensure marketing and sales act as one high‑performing “team.”Guest BioEric Herzog is a multiple‑time award-winning CMO, currently leading marketing at enterprise storage company Infinidat. Over his career, he has held senior marketing leadership roles at major firms such as IBM and EMC, giving him deep experience running global, cross-functional teams. Known for his old-school belief in clear communication and structure, Eric brings a wealth of practical, real-world wisdom for anyone looking to close the gap between marketing and sales.TakeawaysMisalignment shows up in obvious, but sometimes overlooked, symptoms: trade shows where the “wrong” people show up; lead‑gen campaigns with no follow‑up; or marketing activities with no resulting revenue.Poor ROI isn’t always about a bad strategy, sometimes it’s just bad alignment. Wasted budget is often the result of marketing and sales operating in silos rather than in tandem.Fixing it requires both culture and systems. It’s not enough to want alignment, you must build repeatable processes (meetings, newsletters, communication cadences) and embed a shared sense of ownership across teams.Frequent communication is key. Eric recommends regular meetings (weekly or bi‑weekly), public readouts from every functional team, and a shared “company‑wide newsletter” that covers updates across marketing, sales, product, and more.Transparency and inclusion boost buy-in, engagement and retention. When people across sales and marketing know what others are doing, they feel more connected to the company’s purpose, and are more likely to speak up, contribute insight, or flag risks early.Alignment benefits far more than the bottom line. When done well, teams work more efficiently, budgets stretch further, employees feel invested and engaged, attrition drops, and the company becomes cohesive, purposeful, and resilient.Chapters00:00 Intro: FutureFuzz & guest Eric Herzog 01:03 Symptoms of bad sales‑marketing alignment 04:49 Cultural vs. systemic causes of misalignment 05:13 First steps toward repair, communication & structure 07:23 Weekly marketing-team meetings: ensuring visibility across functions 09:05 Monthly companywide sales‑marketing newsletters 13:49 Impact on team morale, employee engagement & retention 16:56 The power of shared culture, reference to cross‑department collaboration (like in creative industries) 19:58 Treating business like a team sport: psychological and financial benefits of alignment 21:08 Closing thoughts & how to connect with Eric LinkedInConnect with Eric Herzog Connect with Vince Quinn

In this episode, Vince Quinn sits down with Pete Gosling — founder of Gosling Media (also known as Gosling Design Studio) and author of Relentless Impact: Continuous Results in Business and Life — to talk about how AI is reshaping leadership and management in modern workplaces. Pete argues that AI is replacing many entry-level roles, which means leaders now need to know how to manage both people and AI tools. He explores the dangers of “delinquent leadership” — promoting technically-skilled individuals into leadership roles without equipping them with real management and people‑skills — and offers a framework (rooted in constant feedback loops and self‑awareness) for leaders to stay effective in a rapidly evolving business environment.Guest BioPete Gosling is a seasoned creative professional turned agency founder. With over two decades of experience — from junior designer to creative director and now agency principal — he has guided B2B clients with graphic design and growth marketing through the shifting landscape of technology and market demands. As author of Relentless Impact, Pete writes about maintaining consistency, clarity, and leadership integrity in business and life, especially during times of rapid change driven by AI and digital disruption.TakeawaysAI is increasingly replacing junior / entry-level roles — meaning mid‑ and senior-level team members must now manage both people and AI systems.Many companies suffer from “delinquent leadership”: technically capable founders or employees become managers despite lacking people-management skills — leading to miscommunication and failure.Traditional leadership training (e.g. occasional workshops) is insufficient: leadership needs to be built through day-to-day processes, communication, and consistent feedback, not one-off seminars or personality tests.In today’s fast-changing environment, leaders need an adaptive mindset: stay curious, constantly learn, and be ready to lead humans and machines.The routine of self-awareness and reflection helps: Pete recommends a simple “STOP” framework — Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed — to manage anxiety, react thoughtfully, and avoid burnout.Leaders should build systems for continuous observation of industry and internal changes: track what’s shifting in tech, tools, competitors — then allocate time to reflect and make decisions, rather than reacting to every update.Creativity and strategic thinking — qualities that AI can’t fully replicate — are the most lasting value humans bring to businesses. Those who lean into those skills can stay relevant.The disruption caused by AI is similar to historical technological shifts (like the rise of the camera or printing press): while some traditional roles vanish, entirely new forms of creative and strategic work emerge — and leaders should orient themselves toward those.Chapters00:00 Welcome & intro of Pete Gosling and Gosling Media / Relentless Impact00:45 How AI is changing the entry-level job landscape and first-level tasks02:09 The concept of managing people and AI — new leadership reality03:08 What “delinquent leadership” means and why skill ≠ leadership05:00 Why traditional leadership training often fails07:34 The “STOP” framework for handling stress, change and decision fatigue09:48 How to build feedback loops and observation habits for business and AI changes12:06 The added complexity of remote work, dispersed teams, and managing digital workflows14:19 The importance of senior decision‑makers understanding and embracing new tools17:16 Why human creativity and adaptability remain crucial despite AI advances20:05 Historical parallels — AI’s disruption as a repeat of past paradigm shifts22:53 Where to find Pete’s work and book: Gosling Media & Relentless ImpactWhere to Follow / Learn MoreAgency & services: goslingmedia / Gosling Design Studio (gds.pro)LinkedIn Follow ⁠Pete Gosling ⁠Book & resources: relentless-impact.comFollow Vince Quinn

In this episode, Vince Quinn talks with Jesse P. Gilmore — founder of Niche in Control and author of The Agency Owner’s Guide to Freedom — about how agency owners (or solo entrepreneurs) can move from being the bottleneck in their business to building scalable systems. Jesse explains the concept of “single points of failure,” why it’s common among service‑based founders, and walks through a five‑step “Leverage for Growth” framework to help transition from doing all the work yourself to becoming a leader who builds systems, packages value‑priced offers, attracts clients, and empowers a team. He also reflects on how launching his own podcast — Leverage for Growth — helped him refine his methods, attract the right clients, and systemize content creation in a repeatable way.Guest BioJesse P. Gilmore is the CEO and founder of Niche in Control, a firm dedicated to helping marketing‑agency owners grow and scale their agencies. He authored The Agency Owner’s Guide to Freedom and hosts the podcast Leverage for Growth, where he documents both his personal business transformation and interviews other agency founders to surface proven growth strategies.TakeawaysA single point of failure happens when the business depends too heavily on one person — often the founder — making growth unstable and risky if that person is unavailable.To scale, you must systemize everything: document processes, delegate work, and make the business operate independently of any one individual.The shift from “doer” to “leader” usually happens when monthly revenue reaches roughly $15,000–$20,000 — that’s when it becomes worthwhile to build leverage through systems rather than more hours.The “Leverage for Growth” framework’s first step: free up time — track how you spend your time for 7 days, then apply “Eliminate, Automate, Delegate, or Time‑block” to reclaim hours.Next, systemize work and document procedures so that tasks can be handed off without disruption.Then, build a minimum‑viable, high‑value offer priced based on value, not effort — this helps you move up‑market as clients increasingly value strategy over execution.After that, create a client attraction system — combining inbound, outbound, and referral mechanisms — to keep the pipeline flowing.Finally, empower your team to own major parts of the business, enabling you to run the firm instead of doing the work.Leveraging content (like podcasting) isn’t just marketing — it’s also business validation, market research, and lead generation — and when done with systems, it can run predictably.Consistency, authenticity, and leading by example matter: sharing personal stories (like sobriety) can attract clients and collaborators who resonate with your values.Chapters00:00 Welcome & Intro to Jesse P. Gilmore00:50 What is a “Single Point of Failure”?03:28 How to identify single points of failure in your agency06:27 Overview: The 5‑step “Leverage for Growth” method & role transition (doer → operator → manager → leader → CEO)10:26 How the Leverage for Growth podcast and book came about14:48 How authenticity and values have shaped Jesse’s clients & business philosophy17:48 How to systemize content production: from 12 hrs to 30 min per episode20:21 Where to follow Jesse & what’s next (Scalable Agency Accelerator)LinkedIn & Where to FollowFollow Jesse P. Gilmore on LinkedIn: You can also check out Niche in Control or learn about the Scalable Agency Accelerator via nicheincontrol.comFollow Vince Quinn

In this episode of Future Fuzz, Vince Quinn dives into the power of experimentation with Evan Dunn, Head of Marketing at Titan X. Evan shares why embracing strategic failure is essential to sharpening your go-to-market approach, and how most companies rely too heavily on assumptions and stale ICPs instead of real-time feedback. The conversation unpacks how founders can adopt a scientific mindset to sales and marketing, the underestimated power of cold calling, and why building tight feedback loops through direct human conversation is more vital than ever in an AI-heavy world. If you're tired of vague vibes and want a structured way to win faster—this episode delivers.Guest BioEvan Dunn is the Head of Marketing at Titan X, a company redefining cold outreach through data-driven phone intent. With a background spanning SEO, paid media, and growth strategy, Evan is known for bringing scientific rigor to go-to-market models. He previously led segmented experimentation at a FinTech unicorn, helping disqualify inefficient segments and dramatically improve SDR performance. A passionate advocate for conversation-first growth, Evan helps companies eliminate guesswork and embrace failure as a catalyst for clarity. He’s also a frequent voice on LinkedIn, championing bold ideas about sales, marketing, and experimentation.TakeawaysExperimentation is strategic failure in pursuit of clarity.Most ICPs are outdated and lack feedback loops.Cold calling yields rapid feedback and accelerates understanding.Founders naturally thrive in sales because of tight feedback cycles.Segment disqualification is as important as identification.Paid media and content should follow, not precede, segment validation.Direct human conversations uncover real buyer sentiment.Modern GTM needs conversation-first strategies before automation.Chapters00:00 Welcome and Intro to Evan Dunn 01:02 What “Go-To-Market Scientist” Really Means 02:05 Why Embracing Failure Leads to Success 03:11 Breaking Down Product-Message-Segment Fit 05:00 Common Flaws in Sales Targeting and ICPs 06:09 The Power of Founder-Led Sales 08:50 How to Build a Go-To-Market Feedback Loop 10:30 Real Case Study: Industry Experiments in FinTech 12:00 The True Cost of Not Experimenting 13:22 Why Most Marketing Playbooks Fail 14:40 Social Media as a Rented Growth Channel 16:00 What Google, LinkedIn, and Twitter Changes Mean for Marketers 17:00 Why Cold Calling Works in 2025 18:58 The Value of Human Conversations 20:01 Certainty, Testing, and the $10K Guarantee 22:00 Morale Boosts From Real Conversations 23:05 How to Learn More About Titan XLinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Evan Dunn on LinkedIn here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Vince Quinn on LinkedIn here

In this episode, Chris Mele, CEO of Software Pricing Partners (SPP), dives into why pricing is often the most overlooked yet critical lever in software businesses. He shares how pricing decisions can carry enormous financial impact (he cites an $8.5 million case), why so many companies delegate pricing and treat it as a “black box”, and how turning pricing into a disciplined, data‑driven process can drive profitable growth, not just acquisition. A must‑listen for SaaS leaders who are ready to move from gut feel to clarity in pricing strategy.Guest BioChris Mele is CEO of Software Pricing Partners, a firm founded in 1982 that has pioneered pricing strategy specifically for B2B software companies. softwarepricing.com+2Executive Board | Fast Company+2 Before taking his role at SPP, Chris founded and led a SaaS company through cloud transition and has experience at Ernst & Young and in launching the first online banking solutions in the U.S. Forbes Councils+1 At SPP, he helps software companies build pricing as a repeatable, defendable discipline rather than an afterthought.TakeawaysPricing decisions—even small tweaks—can have massive financial consequences. Chris mentions a decision shift equating to $8.5 million in impact.Many companies treat pricing as a meeting topic (“let’s change this discount moment”) rather than a process grounded in data.Frequently pricing is delegated to mid‑level teams (deal desk, Excel jockeys) rather than owned by the CEO or leadership — that delegating weakens accountability and rigour.The absence of clear transaction‑level deal data (net vs list price, discounting patterns, product SKUs) makes it extremely difficult to diagnose pricing leaks.The starting point: get clean deal‑data, understand what you sold, at what list price, discounts, net price, term lengths; this produces “low‑hanging fruit” to fix.Pricing must be treated like product management: continuously iterated, measured, governed — not just set once and forgotten.When done well, pricing becomes a major profit driver and business value creator — many software companies leave enormous value on the table by not treating pricing properly.Chapters00:00 Introduction – Vince welcomes Chris Mele of Software Pricing Partners 00:20 Chris gives background on his firm and how he came to pricing 01:01 The moment he realised pricing was the missing piece (deal closed for 1/10th value) 02:24 Why pricing is so hard: small decisions carry big risk 03:54 Typical scenarios where SPP engages (PE investment, new exec team, profitability focus) 05:18 Why many software companies ignore pricing as discipline 07:42 How pricing decisions are made (executive meetings, delegation, lack of tools) 09:25 The “fear” factor—lack of data, complexity, hidden risks 13:05 How to begin when your pricing is a mess: start with transaction‑level data 16:25 The upside: what happens when you get pricing right 19:08 Example: university dev‑license turned into a $300k per year deal 20:43 How to connect with Chris/Software Pricing PartnersLinkedInFollow Chris Mele on LinkedIn. Follow Vince Quinn on LinkedIn. As Promised : Software Pricing 3 Business Strategy Pivots for Evaluating your PricingSoftware Pricing - 4 Pivotal GTM Moments for Evaluating Your PricingHashtags#SoftwarePricing #PricingStrategy #SaaS #Monetization #ValueBasedPricing #Profitability #PricingProcess #PricingOptimization #PricingScience

In this episode, Vince Quinn sits down with Brianna Miller, Director of Demand Generation at Cohere Health, to break down what really makes ABM campaigns effective in long-cycle, high-stakes B2B healthcare. Brianna shares how she segments a tiny, complex market of health insurers, balances deep personalization with scalable strategy, and builds ABM programs that influence pipeline—without annoying decision-makers.They also dive into Brianna’s public speaking journey, why she believes in teaching what you love, and how being an adjunct professor has sharpened her skills on and off the stage.Guest BioBrianna Miller is the Director of Demand Generation at Cohere Health, a healthcare technology company focused on improving collaboration between payers and providers through AI-powered clinical intelligence. With over a decade of experience in healthcare tech and a specialty in account-based marketing (ABM), Brianna builds highly-targeted multi-channel campaigns that drive real engagement with key stakeholders in complex markets.She’s also an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where she teaches foundational marketing to undergraduates and shares her deep industry insights from the field to the classroom.TakeawaysABM is about precision: segment by tech stack, persona, and sales stage.One-to-few ABM balances personalization and efficiency.Cohere’s dual-audience model (payers buy, providers use) requires nuanced messaging.You don’t need the biggest budget—you need the right intent signals.Collaboration with sales is non-negotiable: shared dashboards and insights drive success.Public speaking is easier when you share what you love.Great content = something your audience can take home and use immediately.Chapters00:00 Intro: Meet Brianna Miller from Cohere Health 01:25 What Cohere Does and Its Unique Buyer/User Split 03:03 Brianna’s Multi-Channel ABM Playbook 04:18 Tools, Data Sources, and the "Know One Payer" Rule 06:23 Why Bad Personalization Is Worse Than None 07:10 What Is ABM? Brianna’s Definition 08:21 One-to-One vs. One-to-Few vs. One-to-Many 10:13 How to Execute One-to-Few Campaigns Step-by-Step 12:34 Measuring Account Engagement and Marketing Influence 13:11 Sales Collaboration: Account Picks, Messaging, and Dashboards 14:57 What Pipeline Influence Looks Like in Long Sales Cycles 16:29 From Stage to Classroom: Brianna’s Approach to Teaching 18:39 What Makes a Great Talk? Think Tangible Takeaways 20:25 Being Yourself on Stage = Content That Connects 22:27 Where to Find and Follow BriannaLinkedInFollow Brianna Miller on LinkedIn Check out her website: https://beingyourbrand.com Follow Vince Quinn on LinkedIn

In this episode, Vince Quinn chats with Wally Pinkard, Vice President of Marketing at the World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) in Baltimore, about how international business really happens — not just via websites but through deep networks, human connections and cultural fluency. Wally breaks down how his team helps local mid‑Atlantic businesses tap global opportunities, why soft skills and relationships matter in trade, and how you build a global outlook without losing local relevance.Guest BioWally Pinkard is the Vice President of Marketing at the World Trade Center Institute (WTCI), a nonprofit global business network based in Baltimore, Maryland. WTCI works with around 130 corporate members (and many more firms) to support international trade activity in the mid‑Atlantic region through events, fellowships, speaker series and connection‑making. Wally has been with WTCI for over 14 – 15 years, helping build its culture, programs and network. (Note: Wally also has a fun earlier career note — he created a hip‑hop song that got international distribution.)TakeawaysInternational business isn’t just about exporting goods or sourcing online — it’s about understanding legal, cultural and relational nuances.A strong local network + global perspective can give companies an edge: one connection you make today may pay off years later.Intentionality beats scale when building networks: smaller, highly connected groups often create deeper value.Culture and patience matter: slow, steady growth and purposeful relationship‑building beat rapid but shallow expansion.Non‑profit networks like WTCI thrive when members genuinely want to share knowledge (even with “competitors”) — and that spirit enables global good.Human conversations still beat generic online research when you’re trying to figure out “what to ask” in new markets.Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Wally Pinkard & WTCI 02:22 WTCI’s role in international business and the mid‑Atlantic region 04:26 Why soft, human connections matter more than just digital presence 06:14 Learning from others: avoiding costly international mistakes 07:16 The challenge (and advantage) of serving many industries and companies 09:28 Cross‑industry learning: e.g., defence industry learning from apparel industry 10:45 Building relationships intentionally — not just mass invites 12:23 The culture at WTCI that enables collaboration over competition 15:00 The value of incremental progress instead of rapid scaling 17:33 Keeping network intimacy while still driving impact 18:12 Wally’s earlier hip‑hop track “Land of the Gun” and its story 19:47 Where to find WTCI online and how to get involved 20:23 Closing and thanksLinkedInFollow Wally Pinkard on LinkedIn Follow Vince Quinn on LinkedIn Explore the World Trade Center Institute here:

In this episode, host Vince Quinn welcomes David Morse, CEO of DMo Worldwide, former Chief Revenue Officer of Cambridge Mobile Telematics, and author of The Heart of the Sale, to explore how marketing and sales should connect through the funnel. David explains why effective discovery is the foundation of complex enterprise sales, how marketing can deliver 80% of what sales needs (leaving the personalization to sales), and how “signal‑management” (market, account, person‑level signals) is critical in today’s data‑rich B2B environment. He also drops a surprise: he’s a comedian/rapper releasing an album called “Crowbars” that re‑imagines hip‑hop instrumentals with sales/marketing lyrics. A lively, insightful look at aligning marketing and sales in a modern enterprise world.Guest BioDavid Morse is the CEO of DMo Worldwide, a company that helps B2B organisations with pipeline development, aligning marketing and sales around discovery and pain‑based personalization. Previously, he was the Chief Revenue Officer at Cambridge Mobile Telematics, where he built global enterprise sales teams. He is the author of The Heart of the Sale, which grew out of his 20‑year career navigating complex, high‑value deals. On top of his business credentials, David is also a comedian and rapper, launching an album titled “Crowbars” with sales‑themed hip‑hop tracks—Demonstrating his unique blend of professional rigor and playful creativity.TakeawaysEffective discovery is the engine of enterprise sales: uncovering the real problem, the people behind it, the priorities, the business case, and the process drives higher close rates and more value.When marketing and sales collaborate deeply (particularly in Account Based Marketing + Sales setups), marketing should deliver ~80% of the funnel content (messages, tools, research) and sales should handle the final 20% personalization and relationship nuance.Marketing can deliver PSP‑POVs (Pain‑based, Specific, Personalized Points of View): messages that centre the customer’s pain not the product; that are specific to their situation; and that are personalized by persona or industry.Signal management is a vital discipline: monitor market‑level signals (e.g., regulatory shifts, industry dynamics), account‑level signals (firmographics, technographics, events, engagement) and person‑level signals (job changes, content downloads, social engagement). Use these to inform outreach and pipeline generation.The “poison the well” risk: if your outreach shows no understanding of the prospect, you may not only lose the deal—you may damage future referral or reputation chances.Injecting personality and creativity into professional domains (e.g., David’s rap project) can differentiate you and create memorable connections.Chapters00:00 – Introduction: Vince Quinn welcomes David Morse 00:44 – David introduces The Heart of the Sale and why he wrote it 02:19 – Challenges in enterprise sales: deals evaporating, inadequate discovery 03:26 – How marketing + sales should work together in complex enterprise deals 04:08 – The 80 / 20 rule: marketing delivers majority, sales customise the rest 05:34 – Deep dive into PSP‑POVs: Pain, Specificity, Personalization 07:22 – Importance of knowing the personas & industry context 09:04 – Discovery: what great salespeople do when they walk into a meeting 11:01 – Relating sales discovery to networking & relationship building 13:52 – Buyers are overwhelmed; you can’t afford to “poison the well” 14:17 – Signal management explained: market, account, person signals 18:48 – Surprise: David’s rap/album project “Crowbars” 21:24 – Where to find the book and music; closing remarksLinkedinFollow David Morse on LinkedIn Follow Vince Quinn on LinkedIn

In this episode, host Vince Quinn welcomes Sam Piliero to explore how advertising strategy must evolve to serve today’s digital‑brands. Sam explains his agency’s focus on one‑to‑$10 million e‑commerce companies, how his three‑step “M3 Method” underpins their media buying and execution, and why spending ad budget on new customer acquisition (rather than over‑servicing existing/engaged audiences) is a critical shift. He also discusses how founder‑led content drives growth, how he built his agency culture to support performance, and how aligning content, strategy and operations pays off for both clients and team.Guest BioSam Piliero is the Founder and CEO of The Moonlighters, a performance‑marketing agency that specialises in Facebook and Google advertising for e‑commerce brands in the $1 million‑to‑$10 million revenue range. Previously he worked at VaynerMedia (on the e‑commerce team) and at BarkBox (helping scale the business). He built The Moonlighters around a senior‑only team and a growth‑director model, emphasizing profitability, customer acquisition, modular campaign structures, and founder‑driven content. TakeawaysFocusing the majority of ad spend on new customer acquisition rather than existing/engaged audiences can unlock growth and avoid diminishing returns from high‑frequency retargeting.The “M3 Method” (strategy/structure + “bet the fastest horse” + cost controls/caps) provides a simplified but actionable framework for scaling performance campaigns.A modular campaign structure (e.g., separating new customers vs. engaged vs. existing) improves clarity and performance — instead of simply “top‑mid‑bottom funnel.”Time‑of‑day and day‑of‑week analysis (“betting on the fastest horse”) remains a highly under‑leveraged lever in ad strategy: shifting spend into high‑conversion days/times can improve ROI without new creative.Founder‑led content creates authenticity, builds trust, and serves as a valuable lead‑generation engine when aligned with the business model (not chasing vanity metrics).Building a strong agency culture (paying above market, hiring senior people, giving them skin‑in‑the‑game) reduces churn and drives client results.Content strategy should prioritise value to the ideal audience, not just the highest view‑counts.Many “easy mode” advertising tactics (e.g., broad only audiences, 24/7 uniform spend, ignoring segmentation) still persist — but advanced performance requires going back to fundamentals.Chapters 00:00 Welcome & Intro 00:17 Background of The Moonlighters 01:14 Explanation of the M3 Method (Strategy Structure / Betting the Fastest Horse / Cost Controls) 02:05 Modular ad account structure: new customers vs engaged vs existing 03:05 Why many businesses overspend on existing/engaged audiences 04:34 Why audiences aren’t focusing enough on new customer acquisition 04:50 Sam’s background: media buying over the past 12+ years, VaynerMedia & BarkBox 06:44 How The Moonlighters built the team & culture (growth directors, senior staff) 08:38 Why culture and team matters for client performance 09:32 Client results: average 41% profit improvement in first 90 days 10:35 Sam’s content journey: YouTube, building an audience, leveraging his agency insight 11:48 Content strategy: focusing on value, not just views 13:30 Deep dive into M2 (“betting the fastest horse”) — day of week/time of day optimisation 15:36 Specific examples of power of shifting ad spend timing 16:12 Discussion of founder‑led content and alignment with business model 17:08 New one‑on‑one coaching program: demand from audience, pilot launch 18:50 Program launch / closing thoughts 19:38 How Sam balances agency leadership + content creation 21:32 Why content is the #1 focus (leads, education, positioning) 22:34 Closing: Where to find Sam & how to work with The MoonlightersLinkedIn Follow Sam Piliero on LinkedIn here: Follow Vince Quinn on LinkedIn here: