Lori Asbury: Why Most Businesses Don’t Need a CMO… They Need This Instead

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with Lori Asbury, founder of CMO Co, to talk about what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain a marketing agency in a constantly shifting landscape.

With over 25 years in media, branding, and marketing leadership, including senior roles at HGTV, Lori brings a rare blend of corporate experience and entrepreneurial grit. But her journey wasn’t linear. After a corporate reorganization forced her out of a high-level role, she made a pivotal decision to stay rooted for her family and build something on her own terms.

Hersh’s conversation with Lori dives into that transition, from leading large internal teams at billion-dollar brands to creating a fractional CMO model that gives growing businesses high-level strategy without the full-time overhead.

They explore:

• The evolution from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship
• Why most companies misunderstand what marketing actually requires
• The gap between strategy and execution and how to close it
• How CMO Co became both a strategic partner and execution engine
• And why even marketing experts need to step back and brand themselves

Lori also shares candid insights on growth, adaptability, and the importance of staying relentlessly committed to your craft, even when the plan changes.

For founders, marketers, and agency owners, this episode is a grounded look at building something sustainable, scalable, and actually effective.

https://cmoco.com

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/