Does marketing need a "need"?
The word is small. The choice hidden inside is not. Why three smart people quietly stopped using it.
Notes
Practical insights and observations
Notes
The List and the Weather
In 1999 the hard problem was earning attention. In 2026 the hard problem is keeping access to the attention you already earned.
How Standards Travel
Specs are the source of truth. Standards are the truth you can actually carry.
The Secret Ingredient
You can learn fast. But growth takes time. And no — they're not the same thing.
What Went Into This Post
Every LinkedIn post carries an invisible mountain of knowledge. Let's climb one.
A Story About Solving a Problem
A company decided it doesn't need strategy. Here's what happened next.
Hey, AI, Make Me a Growth Plan (3/?): The Diagnosis
The best direction to grow is the one your competitors can see clearly — and still can't take.
Why Marketing Needs Specs
Software has specs. Law has contracts. Finance has models. Marketing has a brand book and a Slack thread where one person responded and the other is on vacation.
Final Cut (2/2): Vitals
Before the knife goes in, you take vitals. Four questions that tell you where to cut.
Final Cut (1/2): Slices
There are a hundred ways to slice a pizza. But in growth strategy, the first slice often becomes your final cut — and it's the one decision nobody examines.
Hey, AI, Make Me a Growth Plan (2/?): The Research
There's a number in every strategy deck. Everyone nods at it. Now AI found it too, cited the source, made a nice table. It's on the Internet! So it must be true.
Hey, AI, Make Me a Growth Plan (1/?): The Frame
AI writes texts, draws pictures, manages calendars. But can it think? Can it make a growth plan? And when it's wrong — who gets fired?
The Complexity of Empty Space
Fixing fires gets exhausting. Let's start fresh — clean slate, pure vision, finally done right. You can see it already. Beautiful, isn't it? That's the trap.
AI Has a Brand Problem. Don't Let It Become Yours.
Would you read a ChatGPT link from your colleague? What would you think about that colleague? Would you share one yourself? Well, I do. Here's my why and how.