I write for founders and marketers where AI, brand, and growth collide. Each week, I share sharp insights on what’s working in marketing, how AI is changing the game, and the mindset it takes to scale without burning out.
The Silent Career Killer No One Talks About
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After 20 years of building companies, I can predict which executives will fail within 90 days, and it has nothing to do with their experience It’s not their resume. It’s not their strategy chops. It’s not even their results. The ceiling on their career, whether it's a CMO, VP, director, or manager, is one's ability to regulate their emotional state when things go sideways. Because things will go sideways. In high-growth environments, most people can lead when everything's working. But when the market shifts, metrics miss, or layoffs loom, emotional regulation becomes the only thing separating effective leaders from reactive ones. When leaders can’t handle the emotional load, one of two things usually happens:
Neither of these lead to better outcomes. They only drain the team’s energy, erode trust, and shift focus from solving the real business problems to managing the leader’s emotions. I’ve seen this play out dozens of times in my own companies. At one point, GRIN had to reduce its headcount from 480 to just over 100. I was CEO, and it was brutal. And unavoidable. Some execs panicked. Some disappeared. Some tried to control every last detail. But the ones who helped us turn the culture around weren’t the ones with the sharpest strategies. They were the ones who stayed steady. They communicated consistently. They were transparent with the team, even when the news was bad. They owned the chaos, but didn’t become the chaos. That stability became contagious. And over time, the company started to heal. Here’s a reflection for you: When things go wrong, do you try to control everything? Or do you check out entirely? What would it look like to stay present, steady, and grounded instead? You don’t need to be emotionless. You do need to be emotionally aware. That’s the work. That’s the ceiling. -Brandon |
The Climb
I write for founders and marketers where AI, brand, and growth collide. Each week, I share sharp insights on what’s working in marketing, how AI is changing the game, and the mindset it takes to scale without burning out.
Newsflash. There’s no playbook for where you’re going. And trying to follow one? That’s the fastest way to die. Here’s how most founders get wrecked in emerging markets: They hire “experienced” execs from adjacent industries who say they’ve seen this movie before. Spoiler: This movie hasn’t been made yet. You’re writing the script. They clone KPIs and dashboards from markets they think are “similar”. But “similar” isn't the same. Your data doesn’t fit their boxes. They build 90-day product...
There’s a certain kind of person I tend to put on a pedestal. The accomplished investor. The seasoned founder. The “visionary” executive with a track record I admire. And when I do that, when I hand them that power, something strange happens... I stop listening to myself. I second-guess every word, every pitch, every email I send. I replay conversations in my head like a broken loop, dissecting every reaction, every pause, every “hmm.” I become smaller. Not because they asked me to. But...
I’ve been quietly building something new. And it changes everything. For the past few months, my brother and I have been heads down. Researching. Testing. Building. Because something BIG is happening in marketing right now—and most people aren’t ready for it. The future of marketing isn’t about ranking on Google anymore. It’s about being remembered by AI. If you’re not showing up in ChatGPT, Claude, or other LLMs...You’re invisible. This shift is happening FAST. Bigger than SEO. Smarter than...