Why Most Businesses Shrink in Hard Times (And How to Roar Back)

In this episode, I explain how hard economic times change the rules of business and customer behavior, and why most competitors fall into a death spiral by cutting brand-building marketing, over-relying on PPC, lowering prices, and degrading team and service quality. I break down how fear makes purchases feel risky, why customers want an ally they can trust, and why the goal in a downturn shifts from maximizing revenue per transaction to winning long-term emotional preference. I share practical steps to plant your flag now: keep investing in top-of-funnel customer bonding marketing, protect demand with branded keywords, be cautious with unbranded PPC when the math breaks, add adjacent or recurring revenue streams, and stay consistent because repetition builds familiarity, trust, and pricing power. I also offer free, tailored “economic weather reports” via email.

00:00 Why Businesses Shrink
00:50 Competitor Death Spiral
01:34 Fearful Customer Mindset
02:29 New Goal in Downturns
03:27 Bonding Marketing Playbook
03:51 Protect Branded Search
04:40 Unbranded PPC Reality
05:38 Add Recurring Revenue
06:49 Consistency Wins Long Term
07:29 Plant Flags and Close

Who should we interview next?

Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com

This talk was requested by the National Funeral Directors Association and presented via webinar on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026.

Matt Willis of Wizard of Ads explains that funeral services, like HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and insurance, are “grudge buys,” so transactional, price-focused marketing drives families to compare on price and location. Using Henry Ford’s cross-industry innovation as a metaphor, he argues funeral homes should learn from other essential businesses by building trust and preference before a death occurs. He outlines four customer paths (Google search, Facebook recommendations, trusted-referrer calls, and families coming directly to you) and cites research that 75–83% choose at time of need, two-thirds contact no other funeral homes, and 84% choose brands they preferred before entering the market. He recommends relational marketing built on empathy, competence, consistency, and frequency; using reflective storytelling, authentic vulnerability, and “happy stories”; prioritizing mass media to reach the 95% not in-market; budgeting ~60% to brand building and ~40% to activation; and positioning pre-need as an outcome of trust.

00:00 Ford Assembly Line Lesson
01:55 Grudge Buy Reality
03:31 Four Decision Paths
06:39 Trust And Safety Stats
08:02 Relational Not Transactional
11:34 Trust Building Ingredients
19:17 Story Types That Work
23:18 Relational Ad Example
26:49 Targeted Vs Mass Media
30:33 Proof From Other Trades
33:07 Budget Split Guidance
33:54 Pre Need Follows Trust
37:07 Next Steps And Wrap Up

Who should we interview next?

Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com

Matt Willis of Wizard of Ads interviews Leroy Hite, who built Cutting Edge Firewood from nothing into a 25-person luxury brand trusted by celebrities and prominent leaders by obsessing over details, product quality, customer service, and branding. Hite shares how growing up poor shaped his independence, how he overcame imposter syndrome, and why understanding customer expectations matters more than “expert” opinions, including lessons from using yard signs to drive brand awareness. He recounts early risks—winning a massive Kroger reverse-bid contract, a bankruptcy, quitting corporate work, maxing credit cards, and near-cashless moments—plus a pivotal acquisition that accelerated revenue and later reinvesting home-sale proceeds to reinvent local delivery. The conversation covers faith and identity, calculated risk versus gambling, learning through hardship, avoiding comfort, improving customer service culture, and hiring practices focused on real examples and motivations.

00:00 Hard Times Payoff
00:36 Meet Leroy Hite
01:11 Raising Entrepreneurial Kids
03:02 Growing Up Independent
03:59 Gratitude Over Entitlement
05:23 What Is Luxury Firewood
05:54 Luxury Is Details
08:10 Three Legged Luxury
10:03 Imposter Syndrome Lessons
13:20 Experts vs Real Customers
16:21 Marketing and Being Hated
17:20 Origin Story and Kroger Bid
21:05 Corporate Exit Leap of Faith
22:22 Debt Snowpocalypse Breakthrough
26:09 Reinventing Deliveries and Brand
26:59 Risk Debt and Resilience
33:36 Bankruptcy Without Fear
34:58 Hard Lessons in Business
36:27 Do Hard Things
37:34 Conscience Over Fear
39:39 Identity and Failure
42:27 Grit and Growth
46:00 Risk and Innovation
47:24 Luxury Customer Service
52:59 Culture and Standards
55:32 Hiring for Fit
01:01:42 Why Keep Building
01:04:03 Closing Reflections

Who should we interview next?

Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com

In this episode of To a Million and Beyond, I explain why aspiring to go viral is a lazy, unreliable growth strategy that rarely moves the needle, even when it happens. I argue that real success comes from training, hiring experts, and focusing on controllable variables rather than hoping for algorithmic luck. I break down what effective marketing actually is: a long-term strategy rooted in a business’s core identity, consistent messaging that makes people feel something, and systems that build know-like-trust over time. I contrast this with media efforts that chase views and trends, and I share how outside expert perspective can reveal revenue model improvements that fit a business’s bigger picture. I also describe the “chickening out period” of roughly nine months before meaningful revenue shifts, emphasizing that real growth is earned, not granted.

00:00 Viral Is Lazy
01:05 Train For Growth
01:22 Hire Real Experts
01:45 Strategy Over Trends
03:06 Viral Fame Fades
03:29 Scale With Intent
04:22 Outlast The Dip
05:10 Realistic Hope
05:38 Build On Purpose

Who should we interview next?

Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com

Overarching Marketing Strategy vs. Message Strategy: How to Choose Media and Craft a Winning Message

Matt Willis explains that growing a business requires two complementary strategies: an overarching marketing strategy (big-picture plan based on business realities, buyer behavior, reducing friction, and alleviating customer fears) and a message strategy (choosing words and stories that build emotional connection). He argues strategy answers what to say, where to say it, and how often, and discusses key decisions such as whether demand can be stimulated (internally triggered purchases) versus needing to be top-of-mind for externally triggered events. He contrasts targeted media (e.g., PPC, direct mail) with mass media (e.g., radio), noting the high cost of bottom-of-funnel unbranded keywords and the benefit of building relationships and capturing branded search. He compares direct-response offers with branding for long-term trust and margins, then outlines message strategy principles: assess assets and challenges, use “business problem topology” and “unleveraged assets,” and learn from what has worked historically.

00:00 Marketing Strategy Overview
00:56 Why Strategy Matters
02:30 Demand Triggers Explained
04:17 Targeted vs Mass Media
06:50 Mass Media Example
08:52 Direct Response vs Branding
10:28 Message Strategy Basics
11:34 What You Have to Work With
12:45 Topology and Hidden Assets
14:26 Case Studies and Wrap Up

Who should we interview next?

Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com

Who should we interview next?

Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com

Who should we interview next?

Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com

Who should we interview next?

Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com