Summary:

This episode features a "Too Long, Didn't Listen" (TLDL) summary of my conversation with Perry Sheraw, managing partner of Duma Marketing. Perry shares how her journalism background shaped her philosophy that marketing success comes from remembering you are talking to actual humans. She explains why tying marketing metrics to revenue attribution is what separates good campaigns from great ones. Most importantly, she reveals how letting go of perfectionism and separating her identity from execution allowed her to build a thriving remote business from St. Croix while supporting her daughter's international sailing career.

Show Notes:

01:42 It's About the Conversation

02:45 Tie It to Revenue

03:48 Identity Beyond the Send Button

05:20 Final Thoughts

Episode Links:

Perry Sheraw - https://perrysheraw.com/

Duma Marketing - https://www.dumacx.com/

LinkedIn: Perry Sheraw - https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrysheraw/

Summary:

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, I welcome Perry Sheraw, managing partner of Duma Marketing and a digital marketing pioneer with roots in print journalism at the Cincinnati Enquirer. Perry shares how her foundational philosophy of treating every email as a real conversation has driven 20 years of success helping Fortune 500 companies and startups alike. She reveals why tying marketing metrics to revenue attribution separates good campaigns from great ones, and how customer journey mapping can transform results. Perry also opens up about her journey from perfectionist to operationally independent business owner, allowing her to run her company from St. Croix while supporting her daughter's international sailing career.

Show Notes:

00:32 Guest Introduction

02:36 One of the Only People with Email

04:54 Too Cold for Cincinnati

06:30 Where There's a Will

08:57 The Swiftness of the Cheetah

10:11 You're Talking to Someone

13:59 The Jackson Pollock Customer Journey

15:37 Start with Your Baselines

17:35 Permission to Think Differently

20:52 Identity and the Send Button

23:32 Take a Two Week Vacation

29:43 Legacy for Young Marketers

32:25 Final Thoughts

Summary:

This episode features a "Too Long, Didn't Listen" (TLDL) summary of my conversation with Mark Jehning, founder and CEO of Acuity Dynamics. With over 35 years bringing Fortune 500 level business process optimization to organizations of all sizes, Mark helps founders see the forest from the trees so they can reclaim their freedom while building more profitable, efficient operations. Scott breaks down Mark's key insights on systems thinking, his metric-driven framework focused on leading indicators, and how to release the tribal knowledge dependency that keeps so many organizations stuck.

Show Notes:

01:30 Foundational Insight: The Bigger Picture

02:32 Metric-Driven Framework

03:40 Releasing Tribal Knowledge Dependency

05:12 Final Thoughts

Episode Links:

LinkedIn: Mark Jehning - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-jehning-mba-a397851a1

Acuity Dynamics - www.acuitydynamics.com

Book: Blue Ocean Strategy - https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com

The Connective - https://www.theconnective.me

Summary:

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, I sit down with Mark Jehning, founder and CEO of Acuity Dynamics. With over 35 years of experience spanning aerospace and defense at McDonnell Douglas to Fortune 500 consulting at Arthur Andersen and Applied Materials, Mark brings a unique perspective on business process optimization. He shares his metric-driven framework that quickly identifies the constraints inhibiting order to cash and product development, his performance-based engagement model where he bets on results rather than billable hours, and why most organizations are buried in tribal knowledge they have never documented. Mark explains the difference between leading and lagging indicators, what founders should see on their Monday morning dashboard, and how to help organizations see the forest from the trees.

Show Notes:

00:32 Meet Mark Jehning

02:07 Lessons from Aerospace and Defense

03:16 Seeing the Bigger Picture

05:52 Performance-Based Engagement

07:23 Measuring Process Differently

08:38 Operational Assessment and Tribal Knowledge

09:39 The Monday Morning Dashboard

12:06 Change Management

14:10 The Applied Materials Story

16:18 You Can't Fix What You Can't See

21:49 Leading vs. Lagging Indicators

24:29 Advice for Small Businesses

30:29 Legacy and Final Thoughts

Summary:

This episode features a Too Long, Didn't Listen (TL;DL) summary of my conversation with Jeff Parnell, a fractional interim CEO with 30 years of operational leadership experience. After a 2018 life-saving heart transplant, Jeff crystallized his mission to help business owners transition before it's too late. We explore three key insights: his results-first philosophy from Overton's where numbers mattered more than prettiness, his approach to the silver tsunami of aging business owners held hostage by their companies, and his commitment to execution over beautiful consulting reports. Jeff challenges owners to plan for the unexpected, embrace vulnerability, and surround themselves with people who've been in the trenches.

Show Notes:

01:31 Key Takeaway 1: Owning It - Numbers Need to Work

02:28 Key Takeaway 2: The Heart of Transition Metaphor

03:57 Key Takeaway 3: Execution Over Beautiful Reports

Episode Links:

LinkedIn: Jeff Parnell - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffparnell/

Website: The Heart of Transition (Book - Release: Early 2026) - https://theheartoftransition.com

Summary:

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, I speak with Jeff Parnell, a fractional interim CEO who brings 30 years of operational leadership to businesses facing critical transitions. After a 2018 heart transplant, Jeff uses the experience as a metaphor for business transformation in his upcoming book, The Heart of Transition. He shares how his trial by fire at Overton's taught him that numbers matter over style, addresses the silver tsunami of aging business owners trapped in their companies, and explains why execution beats beautiful consulting reports. Through stories of his transplant surgeon's confidence and a coffee company owner's bold transparency, Jeff illustrates why legacy means building something that serves your life rather than consuming it.

Show Notes:

00:32 Guest Introduction: Jeff Parnell

01:56 Owning It: Trial by Fire at Overton's

03:54 The Michael Jordan Philosophy

05:14 Adapting Leadership Across Different Cultures

06:25 Avoiding Burnout and Staying Grounded

07:45 The 2018 Heart Transplant Journey

09:51 The Hospital Game Face

12:30 Second Chances and Gratitude

13:15 The Silver Tsunami: Trapped Business Owners

15:02 What Happens If You're Hospitalized for 90 Days?

16:43 Beautiful Notebooks, Zero Execution

18:25 The Coffee Company Success Story

20:56 Pride: The Biggest Obstacle

22:47 Vulnerability and Creating Safe Spaces

23:44 The Transplant Surgeon's Confidence

25:15 KPIs and the Heart of Transition Metaphor

26:40 Faith During Crisis

29:46 Legacy: Building What Lives Beyond You

32:07 It's Not Too Late

33:25 Be Bold But Not Reckless

Summary:

This episode features a "Too Long, Didn't Listen" (TL;DL) summary of my conversation with Lysle Wickersham, founder and principal strategist at Brand Think, who discovered through 30 years spanning ad agencies and investment banking that investors don't fund spreadsheets, they fund stories they believe in. In this summary, we highlight three game-changing insights: first, that investors make decisions emotionally just like everyone else, with goodwill encompassing the intangibles around well-positioned, emotionally charged brands that demonstrate true brand capital as a going concern. Second, Lysle's revolutionary framework positioning brand not as marketing fluff but as strategic philosophy woven into business operations, teaching that brand equity is a frequency-over-time equation where consistent actions compound value while missteps degrade it, with companies like Warby Parker built through this compounding effect rather than appearing overnight. Finally, his urgent warning from Briggs Capital experience that founders must build brand equity from day one rather than when preparing to exit, recognizing that your first constituent is always your employees delivering on brand promise, and understanding that everyone must align with core values and purpose because relationships are first and business follows.

Show Notes:

01:40 Emotional Decisions

02:35 Brand as Philosophy

03:37 Build From Day One

Episode Links:

Brand Think Website - https://brandthink.biz

Email: Lysle at Brand Think - lysle@brandthink.biz

LinkedIn: Lysle Wickersham - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wickersham/

Summary:

In this episode of The Corvus Effect, Lysle Wickersham, founder and principal strategist at Brand Think, reveals his game-changing discovery from 30 years spanning award-winning ad agencies, boutique investment banking, and M&A transactions: investors don't fund spreadsheets, they fund stories they believe in. His revolutionary "brand capital" framework positions brand not as marketing window dressing but as strategic philosophy woven into operational execution from day one, teaching founders that building intangible equity is a frequency-over-time equation where every touchpoint with markets, employees, and constituents either compounds value or degrades it. He challenges the myth that founders can build product first and brand later, making the case that your first constituent is always your employees delivering on brand promise, and introducing the three pillars of brand strength (attribute strength, constituent alignment, market alignment) as the third leg of value creation alongside financial engineering and operational improvements.

Show Notes:

00:32 Meet Lysle Wickersham

04:01 Investors Make Emotional Decisions

05:26 Relationship First, Business Follows

07:42 Why Intangibles Get Ignored

09:19 Introducing Brand Capital

11:01 The Fragility of Brand Equity

13:19 The Third Leg of Value Creation

15:01 Emotional Storytelling in Fundraising

17:45 What Investors Really Look For

21:12 You Can't Separate Brand from Business

26:19 Why Brand Think and Advice for Founders

31:21 How to Connect with Lysle