UNFUDGE YOUR MARKETING

Celebrating 100 Episodes: Top Marketing Lessons Learned

One hundred episodes. Kristi Mitchell did not set out to build a show about marketing mistakes. She set out to have honest conversations that other business owners could actually learn from. And somewhere along the way, those conversations turned into something much bigger than she expected. In this solo episode, Kristi pauses to reflect on what 99 interviews with real business owners have taught her, and shares the three lessons that keep coming up no matter who is sitting across from her. You'll learn: * The one piece of advice Kristi hears more than any other from guests on the show * Why the most successful marketing turnarounds all have something in common * What every single guest has been able to say about their mistake, no matter how costly it was * The mindset shift that changes how you feel about every marketing tactic that does not work out * What Kristi believes your marketing actually needs to be, and it is probably not what you think Thank you for being part of this show. Here is to the next 100. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, share, and leave a review so you never miss a chance to unfudge your marketing. Learn more about Kristi and get in touch with her to learn how to Unf*dge YOUR marketing: kristimitchell.com

Refreshing Your Brand: From Marketing Autopilot to Authentic Visibility

Rachel Allen has been running a successful marketing business for 16 years, working with clients in 21 countries. She knows exactly what good marketing looks like. So why did it take her 18 months to admit she had completely checked out of her own? In this episode, Rachel gets refreshingly honest about what happens when a marketing expert goes on autopilot, the uncomfortable reason she stopped looking at her own metrics, and what finally pushed her to show up differently. You'll learn: * The sneaky way success can become the thing that holds your marketing back * Why Rachel was avoiding her own data and what that avoidance was really telling her * What it actually looks like to be stuck in the messy middle of repositioning your business * The conversation with a friend that finally broke the logjam * What happened when she reached out to hundreds of people she had lost touch with * Why human might be the only marketing move left worth making If you have been quietly phoning it in with your own marketing while doing great work for everyone else, this one is going to feel very familiar. Connect with Rachel Allen: * Website: boltfromthebluecopywriting.com * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachelallenwrites * Instagram: instagram.com/boltfromthebluecopywriting * hello@boltfromthebluecopywriting.com [hello@boltfromthebluecopywriting.com%20?] Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, share, and leave a review so you never miss a chance to unfudge your marketing. Learn more about Kristi and get in touch with her to learn how to Unf*dge YOUR marketing: kristimitchell.com

When Corporate Habits Hold Back Your Marketing

Leaving a six-figure corporate career with no plan, no business idea, and $165,000 in student loan debt sounds terrifying. For Mark Stern, founder of Custom Box Agency, it was just Tuesday. But what he did not expect was how much the habits and mindset he built over years at Deloitte would quietly work against him as he tried to build something of his own. In this episode, Mark shares the moment he realized he had been playing the wrong game entirely, and what finally clicked when he stopped trying to win at entrepreneurship using corporate rules. You'll learn: * Why high performance in corporate America does not automatically translate to entrepreneurship * The accidental product launch that changed the entire direction of Mark's business * What a ketchup bottle taught Mark about listening to his customers * The mindset trap that keeps so many new entrepreneurs stuck without realizing it * Why being good at everything might actually be holding your business back * What happened when Mark's customers started using his product in ways he never intended If you have ever wondered why the skills that made you successful before are not working the way you expected now, this conversation is going to hit close to home. Connect with Mark Stern: * Website: customboxagency.com * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marustern Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, share, and leave a review so you never miss a chance to unfudge your marketing. Learn more about Kristi and get in touch with her to learn how to Unf*dge YOUR marketing: kristimitchell.com

Lessons from a Failed Mass Messaging Campaign

Buying a list of thousands of contacts and blasting them with mass messages sounds like a shortcut to scaling fast. Jon Goering, founder of Story Trust Media, tried exactly that early in his business, and walked away with zero clients, damaged email deliverability, and a very clear lesson about what actually builds a service-based business. Spoiler: it is not a numbers game. Jon joins Kristi to unpack what went wrong, why high trust transactions require a completely different approach to outreach, and how shifting to value-led relationship building completely changed his results. You'll learn: * Why buying a list was not the real mistake and what actually went wrong * How mass messaging tanked Jon's email deliverability and hurt relationships he had already built * Why the numbers game approach fails every time in high trust service-based businesses * The difference between cold outreach that repels and cold outreach that actually opens doors * How Jon shifted from mass blasting to five intentional LinkedIn touchpoints a week and what changed * Why leading with value, not with what you offer, is the only cold outreach strategy worth your time * Why the people already in your world are often the most overlooked source of new business If you have ever been tempted by the promise of a bought list or a mass messaging campaign, this episode will save you the time, money, and headache of finding out the hard way. Connect with Jon Goering: * Website: storytrust.media * Free email newsletter and private podcast available at storytrust.media Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, share, and leave a review so you never miss a chance to unfudge your marketing. Learn more about Kristi and get in touch with her to learn how to Unf*dge YOUR marketing: kristimitchell.com

Stop Chasing Shiny Objects: Aligning Marketing Tactics with Your Values

When your offer is working, your clients are getting results, and you know the problem is not what you are selling but who is hearing about it, the temptation to jump into lead generation mode can be overwhelming. Humaira Akhter, founder of the Genius Offer Blueprint, joins Kristi to share what happened when impatience sent her chasing a shiny new tactic, and what she learned about the difference between solving the right problem and solving the visible one. Humaira and Kristi unpack the trap of jumping to the top of the funnel when the real opportunity is already sitting in your existing network, why certain marketing tactics feel wrong no matter how hard you try, and why you cannot pour gas on a fire that is not already lit. You'll learn: * Why having a proven offer is not enough if you are solving the wrong marketing problem * What happened when Humaira hired a consultant to run LinkedIn Sales Navigator outreach and why it felt so off * The difference between discomfort that signals growth and discomfort that signals misalignment * Why cold outreach to strangers is never going to feel natural if deep one-on-one connection is your strength * How jumping straight to lead generation can pull you away from the warm relationships already in your network * Why the fire has to be burning before you pour gas on it and what that means for your marketing priorities * The offer manifesto concept Humaira uses to stay focused and stop chasing tactics that pull her off course If you have ever found yourself doing a marketing tactic that does not feel like you, this episode will help you figure out why and what to do instead. Connect with Humaira Akhter: * LinkedIn: Humaira Akhter [https://www.linkedin.com/in/humairaakhter/] * Free resource: humairaakhter.com/geniuszone [humairaakhter.com/geniuszone] * Genius Offer Diagnostic Quiz: humairaakhter.com/quiz/genius_offer_diagnostic [humairaakhter.com/quiz/genius_offer_diagnostic] Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, share, and leave a review so you never miss a chance to unfudge your marketing. Learn more about Kristi and get in touch with her to learn how to Unf*dge YOUR marketing: kristimitchell.com