Welcome to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to the boldest ideas and smartest strategies in modern marketing.

In this episode, Reed Hansen sits down with David A. Pratter, co-founder of Dot Fun, a creative and growth-focused agency helping brands not just look good, but grow with intention.

David leads visual storytelling and brand execution at Dot Fun, bringing ideas to life through websites, video, and creative systems designed to convert — not just impress. Having lived both sides of the equation, from freelance web design to leading multidisciplinary agency teams, David offers a rare perspective on how creativity, performance, and growth truly work together.

In this conversation, we dive into:
• The difference between branding that looks good and branding that actually drives growth
• How Dot Fun structures services around Look Good, Feel Good, and Run Good
• Where brands get stuck between design and demand
• Why project management is an underrated growth lever for creatives and agencies
• The balance between artistic creativity and data-driven performance
• Why human-first design becomes more valuable as AI accelerates
• Lessons learned from building an agency and navigating early-stage tradeoffs
• How AI can support operations without replacing creative thinking
• Upcoming AI tools from Dot Fun, including an AI receptionist and AI-powered project management

David also shares insights on working across B2B and B2C clients, how different industries approach creativity, and why soulful, human-driven design will continue to stand out in an AI-saturated world.

Learn more about David A. Pratter and Dot Fun:
https://dotfun.co

To stay ahead of what’s actually working in marketing today, visit MarketSurge:
https://marketsurge.io

Book a 15-minute Value or Free Coffee strategy call:
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Listen to the podcast:
https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/

Inside Marketing with MarketSurge is hosted by Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, where we help businesses grow smarter, faster, and louder.

Subscribe for more conversations on marketing, growth, technology, and what it really takes to scale.

Welcome to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to the boldest ideas and smartest strategies in the marketing game. Your host is Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge.

In this episode, Reed sits down with Mark Regan, co-founder of Poop Away, a pet waste management company that took one of the least glamorous services imaginable and turned it into a scalable, franchise-ready growth business.

Launched in 2018 with a single truck, Poop Away focused on one simple promise: make pet owners’ lives easier through reliability, personality, and systems that actually work. Since then, Mark and his team have built repeatable processes around route optimization, customer experience training, automation, and local marketing — and are now preparing for national franchising.

This conversation is proof that with the right brand voice and marketing systems, even the most “unsexy” service businesses can become serious growth engines.

In this episode, we cover:

How Poop Away turned an uncomfortable, overlooked problem into a scalable business
Why leaning into humor helped break the ice and drive word-of-mouth growth
How the company found and hired great technicians for a dirty but essential job
The local marketing tactics that actually worked for route density and growth
Why yard signs, wrapped vehicles, and referrals beat expensive ads early on
What made franchising more attractive than company-owned expansion
How population density impacts service business profitability
The automation systems that keep operations efficient at scale
Real-world lessons service businesses can apply to landscaping, pool cleaning, and home services
Why reputation, trust, and consistency matter more than ad spend in service businesses

If you’re a founder, operator, or service business owner wondering how to scale a local service — even one people don’t like to talk about — this episode is for you.

CONNECT WITH MARK REGAN AND POOP AWAY

Website: https://callpoopaway.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/callpoopaway

MARKETSURGE LINKS

Website: https://marketsurge.io
Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio
X / Twitter: https://x.com/marketsurging
Book a Strategy or Demo Call:
https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/marketsurge/demozvwcxw

Getting fired on Day 1 doesn’t mean you failed — sometimes it means you’re just getting started.

In this episode of Inside Marketing with MarketSurge, host Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, sits down with Apoorv Sharman — a marketer, founder, and AI discovery strategist who’s helping brands get found inside ChatGPT, AI search, and LLM-powered recommendations instead of getting buried on page 10 of Google.

Apoorv’s journey is anything but conventional:

Fired as an Amazon delivery driver on Day 1
Freelancing nights while grinding a 9–5
Building and selling a startup pre-COVID
Climbing from intern to marketing manager
Now running Derivate X, helping brands win the next discovery land grab

While most marketers are still arguing about SEO tweaks, Apoorv is focused on a much bigger shift: how people actually discover products when they stop “searching” and start asking AI.

In this conversation, we cover:

Why search behavior is fundamentally changing and where it’s going
How ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and LLMs are reshaping discovery
Why top-of-funnel SEO is dying and what’s replacing it
The “librarian” metaphor that explains AI search perfectly
What still matters from traditional SEO and what doesn’t
Why small businesses now have a real shot at outranking giants
How brands can influence AI recommendations without massive backlink budgets
What an AI discovery engagement actually looks like in practice

If you’re a founder, marketer, agency owner, or business leader asking:

How do I show up when someone asks ChatGPT for the best solution?

This episode is for you.

CONNECT WITH APOORV SHARMAN

Website: https://apoorvshrm.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apoorvshrm/
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@apoorvshrm
X / Twitter: https://x.com/apoorvshrm
Agency: https://derivatex.agency

MARKETSURGE LINKS

Website: https://marketsurge.io
Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio
X / Twitter: https://x.com/marketsurging
Book a Strategy or Demo Call:
https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/marketsurge/demozvwcxw

Want to stay ahead of what’s actually working in marketing right now?
Head to MarketSurge.io and see how we help businesses grow smarter, faster, and louder.

Because your next breakthrough shouldn’t be a guess.

Welcome back to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to the boldest ideas and smartest strategies shaping modern marketing.

In today’s episode, host Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, dives into a topic most businesses know they should care about… but often don’t until it’s too late:

AI, data privacy, and consumer trust — and how those three forces are colliding right now.

Reed is joined by Andy Sambandam, a proven entrepreneur, technologist, and privacy innovator. Andy is the Founder & CEO of Clarip, where he’s leading the charge in redefining how brands manage consumer data across digital channels. Under Andy’s leadership, Clarip has built a patent-pending, AI-driven platform that helps enterprises turn big data into smart, compliant, and trustworthy data.

Together, Reed and Andy unpack:

• Why data privacy is no longer optional — for businesses of any size
• The biggest misconceptions brands have about consumer privacy
• How AI introduces new privacy risks most companies aren’t prepared for
• Why transparency is the key to earning (and keeping) consumer trust
• How consent management can actually improve marketing performance, not limit it
• Which industries are most at risk — and why every business should care
• What the future of AI governance and privacy technology looks like

Andy also shares why he believes “privacy is freedom,” how modern data ecosystems quietly share information across hundreds of vendors, and how AI can be both a risk and a solution when implemented responsibly.

If you’re a marketer, founder, operator, or privacy-conscious leader trying to navigate AI without putting your brand (or customers) at risk, this is a must-listen episode.

🔗 Connect & Learn More

🎯 MarketSurge

• 🌐 Website: https://marketsurge.io
• 🎙️ Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm
• 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654
• 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio
• 🐦 X / Twitter: https://x.com/marketsurging
• 📅 Book a Strategy or Demo Call:
  👉 https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/marketsurge/demozvwcxw

🧠 Clarip — AI-Driven Data Privacy & Consent Management

• 🌐 Website: https://clarip.com
• 📅 Book a Personalized Demo: https://clarip.com/demo

Want to stay ahead of what’s actually working in marketing right now?
Head to MarketSurge.io and see how we help businesses grow smarter, faster, and louder.

Because your next breakthrough shouldn’t be a guess. 🚀

🚀 Who Owns Your Content When AI Gets Involved?
Welcome to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to the boldest ideas and smartest strategies shaping the future of marketing, publishing, and business.

In this episode, host Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, sits down with Julie Trelstad, Head of U.S. Publishing at Alet.ai and a publishing industry veteran with over 30 years of experience.

Julie has seen every major shift in publishing — from CD-ROM eBooks to Amazon’s rise — and today she’s helping creators navigate the next massive disruption: AI, content ownership, and creator rights.

If you’re a creator, author, marketer, coach, consultant, or business owner, this conversation will completely change how you think about ownership, ethics, and opportunity in an AI-powered world.

🎧 What We Cover in This Episode

• How AI training models actually use books, podcasts, and written content
• The truth about content ownership when AI is involved
• Why many creators don’t own the rights they think they do
• The difference between AI “training” vs AI “output” — and why it matters
• What recent lawsuits reveal about the future of creator compensation
• How AI creates new monetization opportunities (not just threats)
• Why transparency and machine-readable copyright are becoming essential
• How creators can protect and future-proof their work today

🧠 Key Takeaway

AI can’t exist without high-quality human content — and the creators who understand this shift early will be the ones who win long-term.

👤 About Our Guest: Julie Trelstad

Julie Trelstad is the Head of U.S. Publishing at Alet.ai and a longtime leader in global publishing and digital distribution. She helps authors and creators protect, license, and monetize their work in an AI-driven economy.

🔗 Julie’s Website: https://paperbacksandpixels.com
🔗 Julie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julietrelstad/

📈 About MarketSurge

At MarketSurge, we help businesses turn tools into systems — and systems into growth. From CRM and automation to SEO, AI, and full-funnel marketing, we build growth engines that don’t rely on guesswork.

🌐 Website: https://marketsurge.io
📘 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio
🐦 X / Twitter: https://x.com/marketsurging
🎙️ Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/

🧠 Want to see how MarketSurge works in real life?
🎯 Book your 15-minute Value or Free Coffee Call:
https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/15minutevalueorfreecoffee

👍 If you found this episode valuable, like, subscribe, and share it with a creator who needs to hear this conversation.

Your next breakthrough shouldn’t be a guess. 🚀

Welcome to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to bold ideas, real-world strategies, and unfiltered conversations shaping modern marketing and business growth.

In this episode, host Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, sits down with Stacey Hylen, a globally recognized business growth strategist, international keynote speaker, and author of Hidden Profits and More Clients & Cash.

Stacey has coached entrepreneurs from early-stage startups to eight-figure companies and previously served as VP of Consulting for Chet Holmes and Tony Robbins’ Business Mastery Program. Together, Reed and Stacey unpack how business owners can scale smarter by uncovering revenue already hiding inside their business — without sacrificing lifestyle, health, or family.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
• What scaling really means and why most businesses get it wrong
• How to design your business around your life, not the other way around
• Where hidden profits live inside most companies
• Why reactivating past clients can unlock massive growth
• The most common profit leaks Stacey sees across industries
• Pricing mistakes entrepreneurs make and how to fix them confidently
• How to use AI as a strategic advantage without losing authenticity
• Simple AI workflows every entrepreneur should start with
• Lessons from working alongside Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes
• Why resourcefulness matters more than resources
• Leadership, communication, and leading with heart

Key takeaways:
• Scaling should enhance your life, not consume it
• You don’t always need more leads — you need better leverage
• Past clients are often your most profitable growth opportunity
• AI works best when it supports your strategy and sounds like you
• Big growth comes from focusing on the biggest levers, not busy work

About Stacey Hylen:
Stacey helps entrepreneurs add a zero without the hustle using ethical sales, smart marketing, and cutting-edge AI strategies. Her work has been featured on CNN, Fox Business, Inc., and more.

Learn more about Stacey:
staceyhylen.com

About Inside Marketing with MarketSurge:
Inside Marketing with MarketSurge breaks down what’s actually working in marketing, sales, AI, and entrepreneurship — minus the fluff.

Connect with MarketSurge:
Website: marketsurge.io
Podcast: marketsurge.transistor.fm
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio
X / Twitter: x.com/marketsurging
Instagram: instagram.com/marketsurging

Want to see how MarketSurge helps turn tools into systems and systems into growth?
Book a 15-minute Value or Free Coffee Call:
link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/15minutevalueorfreecoffee

Subscribe for weekly conversations on marketing, AI, and scalable growth.

In this episode, host Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, sits down with John Dwyer (JD) — founder of The Institute of WOW and one of the most unapologetic voices in direct response marketing.

JD doesn’t believe in “spray and pray” advertising, brand vanity metrics, or waiting patiently for results. His philosophy is simple:
👉 Marketing exists to make the cash register ring. Period.

From helping small businesses generate avalanche-level leads on tiny budgets, to orchestrating iconic campaigns that brought Jerry Seinfeld into the world of banking ads, JD breaks down what actually works — and why most businesses are doing it wrong.

💥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The difference between branding and direct response (and why small businesses can’t afford to confuse the two)
• JD’s problem → solution → proof → incentive framework that drives fast results
• Why incentives outperform discounts (and the psychology behind it)
• How contests and giveaways can generate thousands of high-intent leads
• The “WOW factor” that allows challenger brands to beat industry giants
• Real-world case studies from dentists, landscapers, dog food brands, banks, and more

If you’re a business owner, marketer, or agency tired of guessing and hoping your ads work — this episode will challenge how you think about marketing forever.

🔗 Connect with John Dwyer & The Institute of WOW

🌐 Website: https://theinstituteofwow.com/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/instituteofwow/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theinstituteofwow

📈 About MarketSurge
At MarketSurge, we help businesses grow smarter, faster, and louder with systems that turn marketing into measurable revenue — not just noise.

👉 Learn more: https://marketsurge.io
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/

If this episode helped you think differently about marketing, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share — and drop a comment with your biggest takeaway.

In this episode of Inside Marketing with MarketSurge, we dive into a topic most companies think they understand — but few actually do well: cross-cultural integration.

We’re joined by Sandra Bonifacio, cross-cultural leadership coach, emotional intelligence expert, and founder of XPattitudes, to unpack why cross-cultural teams break down, how emotional misunderstandings derail performance, and what leaders can do to build truly inclusive, high-performing teams in a global workplace.

Whether you lead remote teams, manage expats, or work across cultures daily — this conversation is a must-watch.

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💡 What You’ll Learn

* Why cross-cultural integration fails even in well-intentioned companies
* The hidden emotional challenges expats and multicultural teams face
* Why “culture fit” can quietly kill creativity and retention
* How communication styles, feedback, humor, and work-life balance differ across cultures
* What leaders can do to build empathy, trust, and psychological safety
* Practical habits leaders can use to support expats and diverse teams

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👉 Key Highlights

* Cross-cultural training isn’t optional — it’s a leadership responsibility
* Emotional intelligence matters as much as technical skills
* Misunderstandings often come from tone, feedback style, and unspoken expectations
* Active listening and compassion are core leadership skills in global teams
* Strong multicultural teams don’t happen by accident — they’re designed

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👤 About Our Guest
Sandra Bonifacio is a cross-cultural leadership coach and emotional intelligence expert with over 20 years of experience helping leaders, teams, and global organizations navigate cultural transitions. She specializes in cultural sensitivity, emotional intelligence, multicultural leadership, and supporting expats and their families through professional and personal change.

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🔗 Connect with Sandra
Website: https://xpattitudes.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-bonifacio-8a66328/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xpattitudes_sandrabonifacio/

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📈 About MarketSurge
At MarketSurge, we help businesses turn tools into systems — and systems into growth.
If you want automation that feels personal and performs like a team of 10, you’re in the right place.

🧠 Want to talk strategy or see it in action?
🎯 Book your 15-minute Value or Free Coffee Call:
https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/15minutevalueorfreecoffee

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🔗 Useful Links
Website: https://marketsurge.io
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio
X / Twitter: https://x.com/marketsurging
Podcast:https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/

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👍 If this episode helped you think differently about leadership, culture, and communication — like, subscribe, and share it with someone managing a global or diverse team.