Brilliantly Wrong

A podcast for marketers, founders, creatives, and anyone willing to embrace risk for extraordinary outcomes.

The show dives deep into the art and science of marketing, startup growth, creativity, and mastery from a perspective that challenges the conventional.

Creator & Host

The StartUp Marketer

The StartUp Marketer (SUM) is the first marketing ecosystem designed specifically for startup marketers. It fuses accelerator muscle and community wisdom to elevate your startup marketing skills and help you accelerate your startup’s trajectory.

Board Advisor

The StartUp Marketer is a SalientMG company that was built to help startup and scale-up marketers move fast, level up, and drive growth. We've spent years in the trenches working with 100+ startups, and now we're handing over our best tools, insights, and strategies to help startup leaders and marketers succeed.

Head of Marketing

SalientMG

As a strategic marketing agency for high-growth B2B tech companies, we leverage our first-hand experience and unique expertise to create comprehensive and innovative marketing strategies that drive your brand forward.

We specialize in several B2B tech spheres, including cybersecurity, adtech, edtech and fintech, and have a deep understanding of the nuances that can make or break your marketing success. We provide tailored solutions for clients at every growth stage, focusing on specific business objectives to ensure a holistic, scalable approach to marketing success.

Senior Director, Marketing

Forj

Forj is a modern, community-driven learning platform purpose-built to empower the professionals who make our world better.

Marketing Director

Procurated

- Develop and execute go-to-market strategy for core software product, including initial launch and national expansion.
- Create and launch several media products, including top-rated industry podcast and weekly e-newsletters.
- Plan and execute all paid and organic acquisition efforts to drive growth through digital, print, and in-person events.
- Support ongoing partnerships with U.S. states, cities, universities, national trade organizations, and corporate clients.
- Managed sales funnel from top-level demand generation to qualified lead optimization using Hubspot lead scoring.
- Craft and implement brand messaging, positioning statements, and visual brand guidelines as the foundation for strategic communications and cross-channel marketing campaigns.
- Analyze and optimize key brand metrics to improve customer loyalty, overall awareness, and brand reputation.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders across highly-matrixed organization, including community, product, data, and sales teams.
- Expert in Hubspot Marketing and Sales Hubs. Stood up Hubspot from scratch and evolved to 400K+ marketing contacts, dozens of automated marketing workflows, full integration with Procurated site and database, and a library of sales email templates.

Director, Brand Marketing and Content Strategy

Director, Marketing

Self-Employed

- Partnered with startup marketing teams and founders to define go-to-market strategy, sharpen positioning, and build early traction engines.
- Led brand narrative and messaging development for B2B companies looking to break through the noise and grow with clarity.
- Developed integrated content and demand generation strategies rooted in brand values and designed to drive awareness, credibility, and conversion.
- Supported early- and mid-stage companies through pivotal moments, from fundraising and product launches to market repositioning.
- Continued long-term advisory relationship with Xometry, consulting on demand generation, narrative development, and sales enablement across growth phases.

Marketing Strategist & Consultant for Early-Stage Startups

Xometry

{On-demand manufacturing & machine learning-based software startup with $252M IPO in 2021}
- Developed core brand identity, value proposition, and positioning for both audiences in two-sided marketplace.
- Created strategy and content for multi-channel marketing campaigns, external communications, and media relations.
- Launched and developed the Xometry Marketplace for local machine shops and added hundreds of new businesses in the first year.
- Planned coordinated releases and product launches for new iterations of core on-demand manufacturing engine.
- Led a team of paid media, email, social media, video, and design specialists. Managed contractor and agency relationships.
- Increased performance of all key YoY metrics, including site traffic (371%), orders (273%), revenue (271%), and NPS Score.

Acquisition Marketing Manager

Defense One & Route Fifty

- Developed branding strategy for all GEMG brands and led cross-platform launch of startup publication, Route Fifty.
- Established new advertising and editorial products, and carried out the marketing plan from initial vision - Initiated internal data analysis programs by applying statistical frameworks to marketing projects for improved optimization.

Senior Brand Marketing Manager

- Crafted branding and positioning strategy for Defense One to adjust for evolving federal budgets and topics of interest.
- Drafted messaging and creative for B2B campaigns across platforms to generate leads and accelerate account growth.
- Work hand in hand with graphic design on major projects like Defense One Summit, bi-monthly magazine, and brand assets.
- Managed relationships and joint marketing campaigns with associations and events like AUSA and the Marine Corps Marathon.
- Presented at live marketing events to educate, engage, and build relationships with current and potential advertising clients.

Brand Marketing Manager

SocialCode

- Drafted national social media campaigns and consulted on visual creative to increase engagement and emotional impact.
- Met regularly with clients to discuss overall brand strategy, present campaign results, and pitch future advertising initiatives.
- Created and managed over $10 million in Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram campaigns for various Fortune 500 companies.

Advertising Manager

The Washington Post

- Developed new advertising products, promotions, and native advertising content to grow revenue and secure B2B clients.
- Managed the brand identity of new and existing Washington Post products to enhance both advertiser and consumer experiences.
- Wrote and executed all B2C promotional ad campaigns for the Sports, Healthcare, Education, Finance, and Technology verticals.

Marketing Strategy Analyst

I help early-stage startups develop their brand, sharpen their positioning, build their go-to-market strategy, and generate traction without bloated marketing plans or unnecessary complexity. I work with founders and small marketing teams to lay the foundation growth at Stealth, Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A venture-backed companies, as well as bootstrapped companies under $25M.

With 15+ years of experience driving explosive growth for SaaS startups and industry leaders, I specialize in transforming high-potential companies into market leaders.

The best agencies don’t build trust by saying yes to every client request. They build it by saying no with clarity and conviction.

On the Brilliantly Wrong podcast, I had a great conversation with Brian Wakabayashi, Head of Brand at CōLab, a creative studio embedded within the private-equity firm WestCap, where he shared his take on radical honesty in agency–client relationships.

“Startups come to us asking for influencer campaigns or paid ads when what they really need is messaging or positioning. Our job is to tell them that, even if it’s not what they want to hear.”

Every “yes” has a hidden cost:
 – Your team gets stretched thin.
 – Your focus gets scattered.
 – Your credibility slowly erodes.

Saying “no” doesn’t make you difficult.  It makes you trustworthy.

The best agencies provide focus and help founders invest their energy in what will actually move the needle.

As Brian put it, "the goal isn’t to please, it’s to partner."

Alex Stonehouse

Founder, Brilliantly Wrong | Marketing Leader Helping Early-Stage Companies Clarify Their Story & Accelerate Growth | Startup Advisor

When you’re running an agency or consulting for startups, the pressure to say yes is constant. Yes, we can do that. Yes, we can start tomorrow. Yes, w

Open article: Stop Saying Yes to Everything: Why Great Agencies Tell Founders “No” by Alex Stonehouse • 3 min read

Stop Saying Yes to Everything: Why Great Agencies Tell Founders “No”

Most CROs get AI adoption backwards. They buy tools first… then wonder why nothing actually changes.

I had a great conversation on this topic with Amber Winter, Chief Revenue Officer at SuiteDynamics, NetSuite Consultants & Developers (and former CEO of Web Courseworks). Amber flips the script with her systems-first approach to revenue growth and AI adoption:

1. Systems before software
2. Trust before technology
3. Clarity before automation

Her approach is all about building lightweight prototypes that prove value, then scaling what actually works. In this article, we break down Amber’s systems-first approach to building scalable revenue:

- How the best CROs design processes before touching AI
- Why hustle breaks, but systems scale
- How AI-assisted prototyping lets leaders build working solutions in days, not months
- The trust-based leadership framework that actually drives adoption
- What top performers do instinctively, and how to systematize it across the entire team
- Why AI makes human judgment more valuable, not less

As Amber put it:
“AI doesn’t replace great salespeople. It replaces the manual chaos that keeps them from being great.”

By combining trust-based leadership with practical automation, she removes friction, eliminates busywork, and gives her teams time to do what matters most: build relationships, think strategically, and close deals.

----------

Before joining SuiteDynamics, Amber scaled Web Courseworks from $3.5M to $9.2M ARR with 97% retention, eventually leading to a successful acquisition. 

Check out the full article by clicking the link below, and give Amber a follow! She shares real-world examples of how to build revenue systems that actually work.

When Chief Revenue Officers build systems before buying software, they create frameworks that scale without breaking and hit their revenue targets in 

Open article: How Systems-First Leadership and AI Create Scalable Revenue Growth by Alex Stonehouse • 8 min read

How Systems-First Leadership and AI Create Scalable Revenue Growth

In a noisy world, the safe ideas disappear. 

Brilliantly Wrong exists to challenge the safe, incremental, play-it-by-the-book mindset in marketing and startups. Our mission is to help bold founders build companies that stand out, not by being perfect, but by being unmistakably themselves. 

Being "brilliantly wrong" is a bet on creativity, speed, and story. A belief that you learn faster, stand out more, and build something better by defying the status quo.

I’ve been having some great conversations lately with founders navigating through major inflection points and figuring out their next big marketing move.

If you’re in that stage, determining how to tell your story, build momentum, or sharpen your position, DM me. I’d love to hear what you’re working on.

Market. Brand. Position. Story.

You can have the best product in the world, but if you’re not clear on your market, brand, position, and story, you’ll always be talking at people instead of connecting with them.

MARKET.
It starts here.
Who are you really trying to reach, and what job are they hiring you (or your product) to do?
If you don’t deeply understand the world they live in, including their frustrations, language, and priorities, you’re just guessing.
The best marketing leaders right now are tapped into the history, present realities, and future trends of their primary market/industry.

BRAND.
Your brand is far more than your logo, colors, or tagline.
It’s the feeling people get when they interact with you.
It’s trust, recognition, consistency. The invisible layer that makes everything else work. 
Brand is built, brick by brick, through every interaction.

POSITION.
Positioning is your place in the mind of your market.
It’s not just what you say you do. It’s what people believe you do better than anyone else.
If you don’t define your position, your competitors will do it for you.

STORY.
Story is the thread that ties it all together.
It’s how you make the logical emotional.
It’s how you make complex simple.
It’s how you make people care. 

That’s why I built Brilliantly Wrong.
To help leaders get these right so they can stand out in ways that actually matter, because people don’t buy what they don’t understand.

Which of these have you found to be the hardest to tackle and get right, or easiest to overlook, for your business?

#marketing #branding #positioning #storytelling #strategy

I've had a ton of fun lately creating custom episode art for each podcast guest as a mini creative outlet during the post-production process. 

Later this week, I'll be dropping an episode with the multi-talented Megan Whitehouse, who is a designer, brand strategist, and creative storyteller, but that's not it. She's also an Ironman athlete and recently rode her bike on a solo trip down the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico. 

The problem with creating several options for the episode art is... we can only pick one to drop across the podcast streaming platforms. 

This is where you come in! We are doing a bit of an experiment here, so please check out the image below and shout which one is your favorite, 1 through 4, and share why you like it. We want to represent the voice of the people! 

#podcast #poll #design #brand Brilliantly Wrong

Megan Whitehouse on The Brilliantly Wrong Podcast

I get a lot of inspiration from stuff that has nothing to do with my job.

Outsider art. Old sketchbooks. Weird design books. Classic movies. Biographies of people who lived wildly different lives than mine. Basically anything that makes my brain go, “Oh… that’s how someone else sees the world.”

Marketing frameworks are cool and all… but your creativity gets sharper the moment you stop limiting it to your own profession. 

When you surround yourself with ideas that don’t belong to your field, your work gets richer, bolder, more original, and suddenly your work begins to stand out.

What’s your favorite source of outside inspiration? 
Drop it below… I need more weird stuff to learn from.

I get asked about AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) a lot. What it means, how it’s different from SEO, whether it’s actually worth paying attention to, and what can be done to improve it.

I’m always down to talk about it, but there are very smart people like Nishat Ahmed, MFA and Abby Murray at storyarb who’ve done an incredible job synthesizing the key ideas, frameworks, and practical steps to stand out in AI search in a clear-headed explainer article.

They break down the reality of what’s actually changing in search behavior beyond the hype:

1. How AI search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google Overviews) is reshaping how people find answers.

2. Why good AEO = good SEO, just adapted for LLMs. 

3. The four dials that matter most: Measurement, Content, Infrastructure, and Validation.

4. And two simple content template tweaks that make your posts more discoverable in AI search.

If you care about visibility, engagement, and sales, give it a read. It’s smart. It’s actionable. And it'll help your organic strategy.

👉 https://lnkd.in/ezTF4hJq

Just dropped a new podcast conversation with Megan Whitehouse, a multi-talented freelance designer, brand storyteller, and endurance athlete. 

What I appreciate most about working with Megan is that she doesn't just execute, she thinks deeply, and keeps the end goal in mind. She digs into what a brand is actually trying to communicate and finds creative ways to bring that to life. It's the difference between making things look nice and solving problems through design.

Outside of work, she's lives an interesting, inspiring life. She bikes competitively, does Ironman races, and recently did a solo 2,000-mile ride down the Pacific Coast over 27 days. 

When I asked how she stays creative while balancing client work and all that training, she said: "I can hop on my bike and usually come to a conclusion about what I need to do by the end of the ride."

There's something to that, for sure. Getting away from the screen, moving your body, clearing your head. It's a good reminder that the best ideas don't always come from sitting at your desk longer.

If you're looking for a designer who brings both strategic thinking and solid execution to projects, Megan's someone worth knowing. And if you need a kick in the pants to actually do that thing you keep talking about doing, her story might help with that too.

Listen here: https://lnkd.in/e9yGcFXd

#podcast #design #storytelling #cycling

Most people see a campaign once it’s finished. Almost no one sees the moment the idea clicks.

When Defense One launched, it entered a crowded media space. Defense journalism was filled with stock imagery, cluttered layouts, and safe creative design.

Then came the “Lone Soldier.” A single figure. A silhouette. Framed not as spectacle, but as human. It was bold, cinematic, and emotional.

The creative, led by David Somerville and his team, didn’t just advertise a new media platform.  It defined a brand. 

The imagery became the visual DNA of Defense One. You could remove the logo, and people still recognized the brand thanks to bold, daring, consistent creative.

In a recent episode of The Brilliantly Wrong Podcast, David and I revisited this work, including how it came to be, what made it so powerful, and why great design always tells a story.

 Listen now → https://lnkd.in/em9D2Mnj

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