Warning: Engage in Marketing at Your Own Risk.

Marketing often feels like the only business discipline everyone believes they understand, and, in some cases, do well, even when their primary role or expertise is unrelated (finance, operations, HR, etc.).

Some would say it's because we’re all consumers.

We click ads, scroll social feeds, read reviews, follow brands, and watch campaigns unfold every day. We like this, hate that, and often ask "Why?"

So it’s maybe logical to assume our exposure to marketing creates expertise.

But the truth is it doesn’t.

Good marketing is simple to experience but deceptively hard to execute. Marketing is a complex mix of skills and personality attributes. It requires analytics, strategy, creativity, psychology, communication, research, timing...the list goes on.

Marketing is not just about “what looks good” or “what’s trending right now.”

Growth can waver, stall and maybe even move in reverse, when business leaders mistake familiarity for mastery. This is where guesswork causes companies to slip into random acts of marketing: scattered campaigns, inconsistent messaging, and a constant search for the next shiny tactic.

True marketing isn’t about activity—it’s about strategy. Clarity. Alignment. Execution. Discipline. And, yes, measurement. And it starts with knowing who you’re talking to, what they care about, and why they should choose you instead of anyone else.

Marketing is the skill of turning insight into communication, communication into demand, and demand into revenue.

The best marketers don’t chase noise; they build a machine. They narrow the message, tighten the audience, clarify the promise, and design a path that consistently turns attention into revenue. They blend data with judgment, creativity with discipline, and brand with performance.

This is why great marketing looks effortless when it’s done right. You don’t notice the mechanics. You just feel the pull. And then you, err, "Just Do It." You buy.

It's common for leaders to “dabble” in marketing. And perhaps even "lead" marketing. But without the education, skills, and experience of a true marketer, growth will eventually hit a ceiling...and hopefully not the floor.