A few years ago, I was parked in 2010 alien green Kia Soul, sitting in a ferry line, crying. I had picked up my daughter from school and she was curled up in the back seat with an anxiety-induced stomachache, and I was on my way to give a keynote in Seattle. I had to go, we needed new business so I could our bills and make payroll. She was miserable. It was an unwinnable situation. 

And in that moment, I thought, this is the last time I’m going to do this.

​That Kia was my breaking point on wheels.

Dear Marketer,

​You know, it's pretty wild out there, isn't it? You're the one making magic happen behind the scenes—crafting clever copy, spinning up stories, juggling metrics, analytics, and let's be real, gracefully navigating internal politics and competing priorities. It’s a balancing act, an art form, a high-wire performance without the net.

And you're doing it beautifully.

​You’re fearless—or at least, you’re bravely doing it scared (my favorite kind of courage). You turn complexity into clarity, chaos into campaigns, and somehow manage to stay creative amidst the constant churn. You're out there, boldly testing new strategies, adjusting on the fly, and handling those inevitable curveballs with grace.

In the realm of website development, the price tag of $50,000 often raises eyebrows and prompts questions about its justification. Yet, what many fail to realize is the extensive collaborative effort and multifaceted expertise that goes into crafting a website of such caliber. 

In my 25 years as a marketer, I estimate that I've helped launch 30 websites, as an agency owner, a contractor, and as a full time employee. Sometimes you need to hire the big guns to blow up big stuff. Too violent? Sometimes you have to bring the chef to cater the fancy dinner. There we go. That's better. 

Look, I'm not saying there aren't scammers out there. There are. But I also know what it takes to do it well. Let's dive in: