"Clarity is the foundation of your brand. Confusion is the foundation of your competitors’ opportunity."
Earlier this year, we spent six months entrenched in a project — brought in by another agency to spearhead design.
By month three, I realized something super alarming.
We still didn’t have a clue what the client actually did.
NO ONE — not the client or their internal leadership team — could articulate a single benefit in a way that made sense in plain English.
They kept reverting back to technical industry terms in an effort to seem “smart and important”.
[ Their words. Literally. ]
***
Against our strong warning, they went to their biggest conference of the year, armed with jargon-heavy messaging and high hopes.
They had the booth.
The swag.
The website.
… AND they traveled home with little more than that.
Oh, yeah, and a big fat bill to the tune of ~ $50k for all of the above.
Bummer, right?
***
After 20 years in the biz, it still baffles me:
Smart businesses wouldn’t draft their own contracts without lawyers.
They wouldn’t do their taxes without accountants.
But somehow, when it comes to visual branding and messaging — the very thing keeping their business alive in the market — they refuse to trust creative expertise. 🤔
So here’s YOUR free, $50k advantage, friends …
Clarity.
Plain and simple.
If people don’t get what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters (in the first 5 seconds), you’ve already lost them.
***
♟️YOUR MOVE:
Your website is probably confusing people — and costing you clients.
Most buyers decide in seconds whether they trust you. If your copy or design is unclear, they’re gone. Our audit shows you exactly what’s breaking that trust, and how to fix it.
See your scores: Website Trust Snapshot
When “success” isn’t as fulfilling as it used to be …
My friend Wendy Burbridge knows what it means to start over — not by choice, but by life’s curveballs.
As a cancer survivor and former high-achiever who checked all the boxes but felt unfulfilled, she didn’t just pivot. She rewrote the map.
Now, she’s sharing her Reinvention Roadmap — a powerful guide for anyone standing at a crossroads. Whether you’re successful on paper but craving more, or navigating a life transition that’s shaken your sense of self, this is where clarity begins.
Is Your Ad Spend Really Paying Off?
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Victory Points
By: Mike Shary
My board-game-loving, copywriter extraordinaire and mentor, Dad ❤️
Port Royal (#affiliate) is a quick push your luck card game for two to eight people set in a busy Caribbean harbor.
On your turn, you flip ships and characters from a shared deck, trying to pull in gold and useful allies without pushing your luck too far. Everyone is watching the same line of cards, waiting to see whether you grab what you need or overreach and lose the whole turn.
Ships bring income, but also risk. Different colors are good; repeat a color once too often and your turn ends on the spot. Alongside them, governors, admirals, priests, and pirates appear, each offering abilities that shape your long game if you invest in them at the right moment.
The tension is simple: every flip is a choice about clarity. Are you still moving toward a clean, strong position, or are you cluttering your harbor with noise? Take every card that looks interesting and you dilute your plan. Choose a smaller set that clearly supports your route to victory and suddenly your turns feel sharp and purposeful.
Your brand works the same way. Every new message, offer, or visual element is another card on the table. If they do not fit a single clear story, you confuse people and slow their decision to work with you. A thoughtful brand advisor helps you decide which messages reinforce your core promise, which belong in the discard pile, and how to make sure every touchpoint says the same simple thing about who you are and why you are worth choosing.
Port Royal packs a lot of excitement into one box. It is easy to teach, plays quickly, and gives you that satisfying feeling of building something clever over a short time. If you enjoy games where every turn tempts you to risk just one more card, this one earns its place in your collection.
Make it a great week! 🙌
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