Wes Gay became a StoryBrand Guide—and later Agency—after being fired from his job at a church during a leadership transition period. Though churches frequently have casualties of a turnover season, he was permanently branded with a “Scarlet Letter F” after the event. No job wanted to consider him, regardless of his skills and talent. With little more than a strong admiration of Donald Miller, a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and some bananas, Wes traveled to Nashville to take the StoryBrand Marke...
Jul 24, 2020•51 min•Ep. 17
Many business owners believe the key to digital marketing is having a strong social media presence. You might feel this way yourself. So what’s the secret to getting real results from Facebook, Instagram, and the like? On this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve meets with author and social media expert Neal Schaffer about which social media strategies that actually work—and which ones are a waste of money. Neal first entered the world of social media marketing through LinkedIn. As more and...
Jul 22, 2020•48 min•Ep. 16
What’s the secret to writing a widely successful book? Author Kristina Stanley has discovered the secret, and she’s developed a software to help other writers do the same. On this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve chats with Kristina about her personal writing journey, how she became an entrepreneur, and the truth about difficult it really is to write a good book. Kristina and her husband of 30 years love sailing. But, as they sailed through the Caribbean, she found she needed more than j...
Jul 15, 2020•58 min•Ep. 15
Running a business that competes against others for contracts is difficult work. It’s even harder when you’re rivaling companies who are out-marketing you. Even if they don’t do better work, they’re still attracting the jobs that should be yours because they “look the part.” On this Feature Friday episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve talks with Cody Musick—formerly of Open Range Field Services, LLC—about the importance of a comprehensive marketing strategy. Cody Musick always knew he wanted ...
Jul 10, 2020•46 min•Ep. 14
On this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve talks with author and business owner Tucker Max about how entrepreneurs can create successful books (even if they don't feel like they have a story to share). As the founder of Scribe, a company dedicated to helping people create and market their own books, Tucker understands how difficult it can be to write a book when you don't feel like you have the authority to do it. He's personally experienced the toxic inner thoughts that make becoming an a...
Jul 08, 2020•58 min•Ep. 13
On this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve chats with JD Sherman, president and COO of HubSpot, about how his time at HubSpot changed the way he saw marketing and sales. JD Sherman started his career at IBM, where he sold to high-profile, big-budget businesses across the country. When he was hired at HubSpot, he found himself in unfamiliar territory. Small businesses have completely different priorities and thought processes when it comes to investing in technology like a CRM. JD had to he...
Jul 01, 2020•50 min•Ep. 12
When you run your own business, one of the toughest decisions you have to make is saying no. On this Feature Friday episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve talks with Tina Smith—owner of the StoryBrand Certified Agency Creative—about how to make the right business decisions when times get challenging. It’s something Tina has had to do on multiple occasions. And as she’s grown as a leader, she’s discovered the secret to keeping your business afloat without losing yourself in the process. Tina’s ...
Jun 26, 2020•48 min•Ep. 11
In this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, host Steve Brown speaks with fellow StoryBrand guide Brian Sooy. Brian is an agency owner, author of Raise Your Voice , and podcast host with a background in design. In fact, Brian went to school for graphic design before entering the design field. His career evolved from there, though, and he eventually moved in a more marketing-oriented direction, became a solopreneur, brought others into his business, and moved into a mainly strategic role for his ag...
Jun 24, 2020•52 min•Ep. 10
This week on the ROI Online Podcast, Steve chats with Realtor® Rick Turner about the necessity of a complete business growth system and the role enthusiasm plays in your success. Rick has worked in an array of industries over the year, but by chance, he ended up in the perfect career for his expertise and personality. During college, he sold Bibles door to door. He learned how to sell anything to anyone, and it’s a skill that stuck with him. After graduation, he became a teacher. He loved the ch...
Jun 17, 2020•45 min•Ep. 9
On this special segment of Client Convos on the ROI Online Podcast, Steve chats with Stephen Eoff about the importance of having a digital presence in today's fast-paced world, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stephen Eoff is the current owner of Jack Tyler Engineering, a third-generation family-run business. Back in the '60s, Stephen's grandfather Jack Tyler started the company with an engineering mindset. His mission: provide top-of-the-line equipment and repair services to municipal, ...
Jun 10, 2020•49 min•Ep. 8
On this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve chats with entrepreneur and StoryBrand Guide Josh Taylor about the role story plays in a business's success. Josh grew up in New Orleans, very active in his family's church. He lead worship for his church's youth group and developed a passion for leadership and ministry. Shortly after graduating from the University of Mobile in Alabama with a theology and seminary degree, he began working at a new church, eventually taking over as the worship past...
Jun 03, 2020•45 min•Ep. 7
In this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, host Steve Brown interviews Charlie Hoen, a young entrepreneur, author, and public speaker. Charlie graduated amid the 2008 recession and, like a lot of millennials at the time, found entering the workforce difficult. After several months of looking for a job that he would actually enjoy doing, he decided there had to be a better way. Conventional wisdom wasn't working. He started approaching entrepreneurs with a proposal to help them improve a specific...
May 27, 2020•51 min•Ep. 6
In this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve talks with Brian Burkhart about the world of entrepreneurship, unleashing your gift into the world (even when it isn't easy), and how important communication is when running a business. Brian Burkhart helps people become true business communicators. After a wide assortment of jobs, including video production and driving the submarines at Walt Disney World, he discovered he had a passion for helping entrepreneurs discover their "why." He started hi...
Apr 29, 2020•59 min•Ep. 3
In this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, Steve Brown interviews Jason Boyett, Amarillo resident and host of Hey Amarillo, a podcast centered on Amarillo locals. Jason has a background in advertising and writing, and he decided to start his podcast in order to help fellow Amarillo residents get to know local people. This was a calculated risk, as locally-focused podcasts are in some sense designed to not attract a very broad audience. But Jason has been pleasantly surprised by the positive resp...
Apr 22, 2020•54 min•Ep. 2
In this episode of the ROI Online Podcast, host Steve Brown interviews entrepreneur Amy Foley, co-founder of Inbound Back Office. Amy wears many hats as a wife and mother, business woman, and host of a marketing podcast. One of the most unique things about Amy’s work is that her company is entirely remote; she believes strongly in the value of remote work, having seen its positive impact in her own life after being forced to work from home for a month to care for her child after an injury. Amy s...
Apr 16, 2020•54 min•Ep. 1
Introducing The ROI Online Podcast, a fun podcast hosted by Steve Brown the author of the funniest book on marketing, The Golden Toilet, and created by ROI Online an internet marketing agency. Steve Brown believes you, the entrepreneur, are the invisible hero of today’s economy. You fight hard to create value for your customers and provide jobs for over half of the American workforce. As an entrepreneur himself, Steve knows what you face today as you fight to grow your business. That’s why, on T...
Apr 15, 2020•7 min
