I spent the first decade of my career in the deep end. I was the person companies called when they needed a growth function built from scratch — when they had a product that worked but no systematic way to get customers in the door. I built growth teams at Series A companies that became unicorns. I managed budgets that scaled from six figures to multi-millions. I learned everything about customer acquisition, unit economics, and the endless optimization of converting browsers into paying customers.
From there I moved into DTC, digital health, and eventually service-based businesses. The channels changed. The teams changed. But the core problem stayed the same: smart people building valuable things, unable to communicate why it matters.
The smartest, most talented business owners I met were getting the worst advice. Not malicious advice — just lazy advice. "Post more on social media." "Run some ads." "Build an email list." Surface-level tactics that work if you have unlimited time and budget, but don't work for someone running a service business alone.
Meanwhile, I was working 90-hour weeks. I had equity, status, and an impressive résumé. I also cancelled a dream trip to Japan because I couldn't step away from my desk. That was the moment everything shifted.
I wasn't just burning out — I was building systems that extracted more value from customers, not helping the people who were actually changing lives.
So I built Simon Says around two beliefs. First, that your marketing strategy should be built from what makes you different — not what the algorithm rewards. Second, that growing a business shouldn't require sacrificing your life to do it. I designed my own business around 30-hour work weeks. I help my clients do the same.