I help businesses find the point, identify the leak before it sinks the boat, and communicate clearly while they still have choices.
To pull hungry customers off the road.
Your audience is busy. They will not decode your busy logo, untangle your commercial, or hunt for the reason they should care. Clear communication respects their time—and protects yours.
I am a writer, artist, advertising creative, producer, performer and lifelong problem-solver with a design degree from the University of Kansas. That range helps me see the connections a narrower specialist might miss.
I learned in local advertising, where every dollar mattered and the results were close enough to touch. I carried those lessons into larger organizations and more complicated work without losing sight of the person on the other side of the message.
The small market did not make the lessons small. It made the consequences visible.
The truck. The new baby. The family. The sale. Everything went into the commercial—except one good reason for the customer to care. What is one sentence you want potential customers to know about your business? Now come up with just three words.
A business can do many things right and still lose its way. The useful question is not who to blame, but what might have helped create more opportunities. What can your business learn from past mistakes—and how can it capitalize on those lessons?
A truck, sign, or thirty-second TV ad is not a puzzle. Lead with the thing a passing customer can understand before the opportunity disappears. What can your business do to capture a potential customer’s attention?
A candid, humane look at branding, advertising, small businesses, big ideas, missed opportunities—and the warning signs owners need to recognize while they still have choices.
Crazy Mel embodies nearly every bad local-commercial instinct I encountered. Other stories go deeper: what happened, what the customer saw, and what might have changed the outcome.
Taking shape now · More soonThe book comes first. The small-business triage service comes next. In the meantime, thoughtful conversations are welcome.
Message Chris