Vibe Marketing

Craig Brooks
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

Two people – Craig Brooks and Caitlin Smith – who do the work every day (one in brand design, one in marketing) dig into the real questions business owners are asking, with honesty about what actually moves the needle.

  1. 4d ago

    Tech That Helps You Win with Abhi Saini

    You're using AI every day, juggling twenty logins, and pushing client data through tools you never really vetted. So here's the uncomfortable question: do you actually know what's safe? This week Abhi Saini, founder and CEO of Bearium Networks, walks us through it in plain English, no jargon and no fear-mongering, drawing on nearly a decade inside agency life. What we get into: The "check that box" rule: how team AI tools handle your data, and when to anonymize before you paste anything inWhy building AI locally costs thousands, and why paid subscriptions ($20 to $50 a month) are the smarter starting pointPasswords vs. pass keys, finally explained: why a leaked password stops mattering once your phone becomes the keyWhy text-message security codes are losing their edge (SIM swapping is real), plus the offboarding gap that leaves ex-employees holding your ad accountsWhy security only sticks when it's frictionless, which loops right back to Caitlin's friction pointsThe One Thing: Turn on multi-factor authentication everywhere, then upgrade past text-message codes. Move to pass keys or an authenticator app and store them in a password manager you unlock once at the start of the day. It's the highest-impact, lowest-effort security move most business owners are still skipping. Abhi Saini is founder and CEO of Bearium Networks, an Orlando IT and cybersecurity company specializing in healthcare and media agencies. One plan, every tool, no packages: he calls it the Bearium standard. Connect with Abhi: Email: Abhi@bearium.netSupport: (407) 917-1321Direct: (321) 732-4674LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abhisainiWebsite: Bearium Networks | Orlando, FL

  2. Aug 24

    Networking That Actually Works

    Craig will be the first to admit it: for 17 years, his business partner did all the networking while he stayed back at the office. This year he decided to fix that, and one of the first people he met was Caleb Paull, a guy who went from panic attacks in the parking lot to coaching business leaders on how to build real relationships. In this episode, Caleb hands over the playbook. What we cover: Why "I'm going to meet good people" isn't a networking goal (that's just socializing, and you can do that at Target)The before, during, and after game plan that turns events into actual resultsRetiring "what do you do?" and asking "what's exciting you lately?" insteadThe LinkedIn intro message that gets replies: lead with common ground, ask for 10 minutes, skip the pitchThe parking lot text: how to lock in the follow-up before you even leave the eventThe One Thing: Ask better questions. Better questions create stronger conversations, stronger conversations build real connections, and real connections compound into a community that attracts opportunity instead of chasing it. You can start doing this at your very next event. Caleb Paull is Founder & CEO of The VIP Co. in Orlando, where he helps professionals build their networks and personal brands with intention. Connect with Caleb: Email: caleb@thevipco.comPhone: (407) 840-5087LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/the1calebpaullWebsite: thevipco.comLinktree: linktr.ee/the1calebpaull

  3. Aug 17

    Why We Love Legoland!

    Caitlin loves Legoland and she has never even been. That's how good the world building is. This conversation starts at a theme park and ends up in your waiting room, because the same immersion that sells apple fries can work for a dentist, a lawyer, or any business with a front door. What we cover: What Legoland gets right, from walls fashioned to look like bricks to a signature snack designed to anchor the memory of your visitThe insurance company that built its entire brand around building blocks to win over home daycare ownersThe orthodontist who put a slime-like play-doh in the waiting room so kids were already comfortable with the texture before their impressionsCheap world building moves: chair shapes, scent, what's actually sitting on your waiting room tableThe empty room test: if someone walked into a room filled with your brand but no name or logo, would they guess it was you?The One Thing: Walk into your own office tomorrow like a first time customer. Open the door with fresh eyes, notice what they see first, and find one touchpoint you can redesign so it feels like it belongs to your world instead of just being functional. You were going to furnish that space anyway. Make it work for you. Craig Brooks is CEO of Clarity Creative Group. Caitlin Smith is a brand designer and strategist. New episodes dropping soon. Follow Vibe Marketing wherever you listen to podcasts.

  4. Aug 10

    Marketing That Works On Us (And What Doesn't)

    Craig opens this one with a confession: he's a mark. Blue mountains on a beer can got his money. A Peyton Manning ad got it again. So this episode, two people who make marketing for a living break down the marketing that actually works on them, and what any small business can steal from it without a celebrity budget. What we cover: Why the trust behind a celebrity endorsement now belongs to anyone with a phone, and what changed after 2008Caitlin's Ninja Creami rabbit hole: how a pile of YouTube videos closed the sale before the box even arrivedThe event play: how a coffee shop can turn its slowest day into a dozen reviews and a stack of real content, for less than it costs to pay one influencerWarm cold email, explained: the research steps Craig takes before hitting send, and why a 40 person list beats a list of thousandsThe cold pitch that got Caitlin to watch a stranger's video three times, and the mindset behind itThe One Thing: You will win at business if your give is greater than your ask. Before any outreach, find one thing you can hand over for free that proves you did your homework, then send it without expecting anything back. The responses you do get will be worth more than a thousand ignored emails. Craig Brooks is CEO of Clarity Creative Group. Caitlin Smith is a brand designer and strategist. New episodes dropping soon. Follow Vibe Marketing wherever you listen to podcasts.

  5. Aug 3

    Stop Doing Your Own Books

    Most business owners start out doing their own books, and most of them keep doing it long past the point where it makes sense. This week we brought in an actual expert. Lacey Confer of Solutions Group Accounting joins us to talk about when to hand off your numbers, what professional bookkeeping really costs (spoiler: way less than you think), and the money mistakes she sees business owners make on repeat. What We Cover: The real price of professional bookkeeping: closer to $300 a month than the $1,000 everyone fearsBookkeeping vs. accounting, explained with a tree and its branchesThe mistakes Lacey sees over and over: asking ChatGPT your tax questions, trusting QuickBooks automation blindly, and mixing personal with businessThe shoebox-of-receipts fix that takes ten seconds on your phoneFractional CFOs: six figure financial guidance at a fraction of the cost, and the sign you're ready for oneThe One Thing: Your time is money. If you can earn back a month of bookkeeping fees in two hours of doing what you're actually good at, you can afford it. Reach out before you're drowning, not after. Lacey Confer leads business development at Solutions Group Accounting, an accounting firm helping small businesses with bookkeeping, tax planning, and fractional CFO services. Connect with Lacey: Email: lconfer@solutionsgroupaccounting.com Direct Line: (407)986-2629 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lacey-confer Website: Solutions Group Accounting Craig Brooks is CEO of Clarity Creative Group. Caitlin Smith is a brand designer and strategist. New episodes dropping soon. Follow Vibe Marketing wherever you listen to podcasts.

  6. Jul 27

    The Local Story Advantage (with Chip Colandreo)

    Everyone's chasing a million followers. But if 99% of them will never walk through your door, what did that number actually buy you? Chip Colandreo has spent 23 years proving the opposite bet: a small, passionate local audience beats a viral one every time. He joins Craig and Caitlin to talk about why local storytelling is harder than going global, and why it's worth it. What We Cover: Why the only metric that matters is whether the cash register is ringing, not your follower countHow Chip's team builds a genuinely local audience of 30,000 and why "local is hard" in the age of viral everythingGoing in cold: why Chip has writers interview subjects with almost no background, and how that mirrors Caitlin's brand discovery processGenerative vs. assistive AI, and Lake Mary Life's commitment to zero generative AI in their published contentThe Ice Capades realtor and the carpet installer who escaped Cuba: how the best business story is usually the one that has nothing to do with the businessThe One Thing: Don't just promote your business, promote you. The stuff people remember is personal, the hobby, the family history, the wild detail that came out in passing. That's what turns "some guy who sells widgets" into the person they drive across town to buy from. Be your authentic self, and don't be afraid to make it a little personal. Chip Colandreo is Publisher of Lake Mary Life Publishing and CEO of Lifeline Media. Reach him at Chip@LakeMaryLife.com or 407-383-4520, and find the magazine at www.LakeMaryLife.com. Craig Brooks is CEO of Clarity Creative Group. Caitlin Smith is a brand designer and strategist. New episodes dropping soon. Follow Vibe Marketing wherever you listen to podcasts.

  7. Jul 20

    AI That Saves You Hours a Day

    Most people are still typing one-off prompts and wondering why AI gives them generic answers. The problem isn't the tool. It's that you never gave it your context. In this one, Craig and Caitlin open up their actual AI stacks, the tools they pay for, the ones that saved real hours this week, and how each of them built a thinking partner that knows their business well enough to push back. What We Cover: Why a thinking partner is only as good as the context you feed it, and how Craig loads his with team roster, financials, and real business dataCaitlin's "second brain" setup in Claude Cowork: a markdown brain file, a memory file, and a session-audit skill that holds her accountable when she's procrastinatingThe daily brief that reads your email and Notion for you, and how it surfaced a brand opportunity Caitlin had completely missedCraig's tool-by-tool breakdown: Poke as the $10 pocket assistant, Claude as the thinking partner, Perplexity as the researcher, plus Higgsfield for scary-good AI videoWhy orchestrators like Perplexity Computer can replace nine subscriptions, and where the real cost barriers kick inThe One Thing: Start with the thinking partner, and feed it your context. Set it up as a project, give it your real business data, and update it regularly. You do not need code or full automation to get value. Even the "training wheels" version saves hours a day, whether you are the owner, second in command, or an assistant. Craig Brooks is CEO of Clarity Creative Group. Caitlin Smith is a brand designer and strategist. They love talking about marketing, talking to people that do marketing, and marketing themselves.

  8. Jul 13

    The Chef's Kiss Client (And How to Find More)

    Ask a business owner who their customer is and you'll often hear "everyone." It feels safe. It's actually the thing quietly costing them money. This episode is about getting narrow on purpose, and why the right customer does more for your bottom line than a bigger net ever will. What We Cover: Why "I want everyone" is the answer that keeps you stuck, and how to get narrow enough to actually winThe one-to-one coaching analogy: aim at your single ideal customer and you still catch everyone around themHow to build a real persona from your values first, the actions that match them, and the actions that don'tThe hidden marketing that shows up when you nail it: better reviews, more referrals, and staff who sell for you without realizing itFor established businesses: how to look back over 5, 10, and 15 years to find the projects that were a "chef's kiss" and reverse-engineer your ideal client from themThe One Thing: Before you chase more leads, figure out which past clients felt good for everyone, the work was strong, the team enjoyed it, and it was profitable. That trifecta points straight at your ideal customer. Reducing that friction is how you make more money and spend less doing it. Craig Brooks is CEO of Clarity Creative Group. Caitlin Smith is a brand designer and strategist. They like talking about marketing and biz stuff.

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Two people – Craig Brooks and Caitlin Smith – who do the work every day (one in brand design, one in marketing) dig into the real questions business owners are asking, with honesty about what actually moves the needle.

Information

  • Creator
    Craig Brooks
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026