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To A Million And Beyond
Discovering how respected brands made their first million.
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Send nominations to MattWillis@WizardOfAds.com
Episodes
33 episodes
#033: Busy, Booked, and Still Broke
In this episode of To A Million and Beyond, I talk about why small business owners can be slammed with calls and booked solid yet still feel financially fragile: they’re building on the wrong foundation. I explain how profit often leaks through...
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#032: What Rebuilding My Marriage Taught Me About Winning Customers
In this episode, I share how a decade-long addiction and a trust-shattering lie to my wife exposed three questions that surface when trust collapses—who are you really, can I trust what you say, and are you for me—and how consumers ask the same...
#031: Winning in Hard Times. Why Most Businesses Shrink and a Few Roar Back.
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-bui...
#030: How Trust Fills Your Funeral Home - Win Their Heart Before They Need You
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, ...
#029: Cutting Edge Firewood: Turning a Commodity into a Luxury
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 brandi...
#028: Aspiring To Go Viral Is Lazy
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...
#027: Which Marketing Strategy is Most Effective
Overarching Marketing Strategy vs. Message Strategy: How to Choose Media and Craft a Winning MessageMatt Willis explains that growing a business requires two complementary strategies: an overarching marketing strategy (big-picture plan ...
#019: The Tale of the Python: What Your Marketing Vendors Don't Want You to Know.
#015: Effective Marketing When Times Are Lean
Is your marketing budget the first thing you cut back at the sign of a softening market?In lean financial times, many business owners blindly make cuts to their marketing strategies. This may save them crucial dollars and cents, but it ...
#014: Business as Romance: The Art and Science of Winning Customer’s Hearts
Contrary to what the MBAs tell you, the psychologists know all buying decisions start in the heart.Want to become a “household name”? You’ll need your potential customers to fall in love with your brand.This session focuses on t...