The Marketing Boost

The Boost Network, The Marketing Boost
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
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The Marketing Boost is a podcast for business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs who want real talk about what it takes to grow. Hosted by Leon Hitchens, each episode features candid conversations with business owners from San Antonio and beyond, covering the strategies, challenges, and lessons that actually shaped their success. Whether you're running an agency, building a startup, or trying to scale what you already have, every episode has something you can take and use.

  1. Episode 32: AI is Just a Paintbrush: Building the Future of Gaming with ChainCraft

    3d ago

    Episode 32: AI is Just a Paintbrush: Building the Future of Gaming with ChainCraft

    🎙️ Quick Summary Ryan Beltran joins the show to discuss ChainCraft, a platform merging AI and blockchain to make game creation and digital asset ownership frictionless. By treating blockchain as background infrastructure rather than a tech barrier, ChainCraft enables indie developers to build robust games, collaborate easily, and safely monetize in-game assets. Hosts:  Leon Hitchens LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonhitchens/ X: https://x.com/Leonhitchens Website: https://www.leonhitchens.com/ Guest:  Ryan Beltran, Founder of ChainCraft LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanbeltran/ ChainCraft Website: https://chaincraft.games/ X: https://x.com/chaincraftgames LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chaincraftgames/ 🔑 Key Takeaways ✔️ Invisible Blockchain: Web3 gaming will succeed when the blockchain becomes a "boring background infrastructure" that handles asset ownership without forcing users to manage complex crypto wallets. ✔️ Tapping the Hidden Market: Gamers have traded accounts and gear on risky black markets for years. Blockchain legitimizes this, allowing safe player-to-player economies. ✔️ AI Needs Human Taste: AI lacks "taste" and style. It is a powerful new paintbrush, but it still requires a creator’s curated vision to make a game genuinely good. ✔️ The "One-Prompt" Myth: You cannot build a robust game with a single AI prompt. True game development requires an interactive back-and-forth process of molding the game like clay. 🕹️ Inside ChainCraft ✔️ The Vision: An easy-to-use engine where creators can build, iterate with early player feedback, and embed native economies (like selling items, trading cards, or "pay-per-life" tokens). ✔️ Cross-Project Mods: Built predominantly around Trading Card Games (TCGs), the platform allows creators to build custom items or campaigns that seamlessly cross over into other community-run games. ✔️ Style Royalties: An economic model where digital artists can tokenize their unique style, earning automated royalties whenever someone uses an AI tool to generate card art matching their aesthetic. 💡 Top Founder Advice Step outside your echo chamber. Don't just ask your closest friends for feedback, they usually tell you what you want to hear. Gather unbiased, external feedback early to know whether you need to pivot or adjust your vision. 🔗 Connect & Learn More Website: https://chaincraft.games/Socials:https://x.com/chaincraftgameshttps://www.linkedin.com/company/chaincraftgames/Mentions: EverQuest, Stardew Valley, Jeff Kaplan on the Lex Fridman Podcast, and Cidercade (Dallas, TX).

    31 min
  2. Episode 31: The Revenue Architect: Vincent Oliver on Why Your AI Agent is Overpriced

    May 7

    Episode 31: The Revenue Architect: Vincent Oliver on Why Your AI Agent is Overpriced

    🎙️ Overview Vincent Oliver joins Leon to explain why the "AI Agent" craze is often a trap for small businesses. They discuss the shift toward Marketing Engineering, where AI is used to build cheap, reliable custom code rather than expensive, unpredictable autonomous agents. Hosts:  Leon Hitchens LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonhitchens/ X: https://x.com/Leonhitchens Website: https://www.leonhitchens.com/ Guest:  Vincent Oliver: Founder of Oliver Revenue Solutions LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentoliver1/ Website: https://www.oliverrevenue.com/ Oliver Revenue Solutions LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oliverrevenue/ Find Us:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoostChannel Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AHGT1Aoq9oAHZEHeORBpa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-marketing-boost/id1720047128 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoostChannel Website: https://theboost.fm/ 🗝️ Key Insights ✔️Code over Agents: AI agents are probabilistic (inconsistent). Traditional code is deterministic (reliable). Vincent argues for using AI to write code that costs pennies to run, rather than spending thousands on token usage for agents. ✔️The "Sassified" Agency: Use niche software tools as lead magnets. Once a client is in your ecosystem for a $500/mo tool, you can upsell high-ticket consulting and implementation. ✔️The Death of the Screen: Expect a rapid shift toward voice-first workflows and AI-integrated wearables, moving away from traditional graphical interfaces. ✔️Marketing Engineers: The most valuable future skill is being a "Marketing Engineer", someone who understands the psychology of a business problem and can use AI to build the technical solution. 🚀 Top Tips for Builders 1. Use N8n as Training Wheels: It’s great for starting, but eventually, have AI write the raw JSON or Python to avoid third-party subscription costs. 2. The K-12 Learning Method: Don't just let Claude build for you. Ask it to explain what it did at a "PhD level" so you learn the underlying computer science. 3. Middleware is King: Don't rebuild QuickBooks or HubSpot. Build custom "middleware" layers on top of them to solve hyper-specific client pain points. 🔗 Connect with Vincent Website: OliverRevenue.com LinkedIn: Vincent Oliver "The idea is not: 'How do we let AI go rampant and then figure out what to code?' It's: 'Let us figure out what needs to be coded, have the AI build the code, and then ship that to the company.'" - Vincent Oliver

    38 min
  3. Episode 30: How Jon Garcia Built ‘StrikingEye’ and Found His Purpose

    Apr 16

    Episode 30: How Jon Garcia Built ‘StrikingEye’ and Found His Purpose

    Episode Summary In this episode of The Marketing Boost, Leon sits down with longtime friend Jon Garcia, the creator behind the viral TikTok account StrikingEye. After leaving an eight-year career at Geekdom and facing personal loss, Jon turned to content creation to find his purpose. He shares how he grew to 10,000 followers in just two months by telling the "lost and lesser-known stories" of San Antonio, the mechanics of his creative process, and how storytelling is bridging the gap between social media content and a full-scale creative agency. Hosts:  Leon Hitchens 🔹LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonhitchens/ 🔹X: https://x.com/Leonhitchens 🔹Website: https://www.leonhitchens.com/ Guest:  Jon Ryan Garcia: Digital Content Creator & Founder, StrikingEye 🔹LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonryangarcia/ 🔹Website: https://jonryangarcia.com/  🔹Tiktok: @strikingeye 🔹YouTube & Instagram: @StrikingEye33 Find Us:  🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoostChannel 🔹Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AHGT1Aoq9oAHZEHeORBpa 🔹Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-marketing-boost/id1720047128 🔹Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoostChannel 🔹Website: https://theboost.fm/ Key Takeaways ✔️Stories Over Sales: Jon’s philosophy is that "stories sell." While people might ignore a sales pitch, human nature makes us instinctively "eavesdrop" on a good story. ✔️The "Stealth Launch" and Rapid Growth: Jon hit 10,000 followers and 1 million views within 60 days by focusing on high-quality production and hyper-local cultural significance. ✔️Personal Connection to History: One of Jon’s most successful videos, on Cementville, was deeply personal, featuring his family's history. This authenticity resonates more than generic facts. ✔️Monetization Beyond the Platform: While TikTok monetization exists, the real business value has come from inbound creative contracts from local businesses (like The Quarry Golf Course) wanting to leverage his storytelling style. ✔️Done is Better Than Perfect: Jon encourages aspiring creators to start posting, take "fearless feedback" from the comments, and refine their style in public. Links & Resources Mentioned 🔹TikTok: @strikingeye 🔹Instagram & YouTube: @strikingeye33 🔹Portfolio: https://jonryangarcia.com/ 🔹Local Inspiration: The Curiosity Corner Store 🔹Tool Tip: ChatGPT for research; Claude/Automation for scaling. Featured Quote "Everyone is working on the next big thing. What can you do to really differentiate yourself and get people to actually care? My philosophy is always: Stories sell." - Jon Garcia

    33 min
  4. Episode 29: From Apartment Scam to Startup CEO: The RentBamboo Story

    Apr 2

    Episode 29: From Apartment Scam to Startup CEO: The RentBamboo Story

    Matthew Kanakidis didn't set out to build a tech empire; he just wanted a place to live. After getting scammed while looking for an apartment at UTSA, he realized the leasing industry was stuck in the Stone Age. Today, as the CEO of RentBamboo, Matthew is replacing "annoying templates" with AI Agents that close leases in minutes. In this episode, we break down how he went from cold-calling landlords to building a high-speed sales engine that rivals the biggest players in PropTech. Hosts:  Leon Hitchens 🔹LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonhitchens/ 🔹X: https://x.com/Leonhitchens 🔹Website: https://www.leonhitchens.com/ Guest:  Matthew Kanakidis: CEO of RentBamboo 🔹LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-kanakidis-638352294/ 🔹Website: https://www.rentbamboo.com/ 🔹RentBamboo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rentbamboo/ Find Us:  🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoostChannel 🔹Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AHGT1Aoq9oAHZEHeORBpa 🔹Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-marketing-boost/id1720047128 🔹Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoostChannel The "Too Long; Didn't Listen" (TL; DL) ▪️The Problem: Why it takes 3 days to get a reply from an apartment (and why that's killing business). ▪️The Pivot: How a "Tinder for Apartments" app failed on the user side but revealed a massive B2B goldmine. ▪️The Secret Sauce: A masterclass in Cold Emailing, using 24+ email accounts and 8 domains to reach the world’s biggest property managers. ▪️The "Five Ws": How to turn a "No" into a product feature that everyone wants. ▪️The Middle Market: Why RentBamboo is winning the "Goldilocks Zone" of real estate (1,000 - 10,000 units) Key Moments & Highlights ▪️The Scam: The $1,000 mistake that started the company. ▪️Cold Outreach: Why Matthew loves "The Highest ROI Channel" in existence. ▪️The "Five Ws": A simple trick to handle rejection like a pro. ▪️Obama O’s: What a fake cereal box can teach you about marketing. ▪️Speed to Lead: Why the first 5 minutes of a lead's life are the only ones that matter. Connect with Matthew ▪️Website: https://www.rentbamboo.com/ ▪️LinkedIn: Matthew Kanakidis ▪️The Offer: Want to try RentBamboo for free? Reach out to Matthew on LinkedIn and mention the show!

    28 min
  5. Episode 28: Keeping Tabs on the Competition with Franklin Morris

    Mar 19

    Episode 28: Keeping Tabs on the Competition with Franklin Morris

    ▶️ In this episode of the Marketing Boost, we sit down with Franklin Morris, founder and CEO of KeepTabz, an AI-powered competitive intelligence platform. Franklin shares his journey from being a VP of Marketing at a venture-scaled business to launching his own startup. We dive deep into why competitive intelligence is no longer just for "the big guys" and how AI is changing the way we process market signals. Host:  Leon Hitchens ➤ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonhitchens/ ➤ X: https://x.com/leonhitchens ➤ Website: https://leonhitchens.com/ Guest:  Franklin Morris: Founder and CEO of KeepTabz ➤ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franklinmorris/ ➤ KeepTabz Website: https://www.keeptabz.ai/ ➤ KeepTabz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keeptabz/ Find Us:  ➤ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoostChannel ➤ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AHGT1Aoq9oAHZEHeORBpa ➤ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-marketing-boost/id1720047128 ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoostChannel Key Discussion Points 🔹The "KeepTabz" Origin Story: After years of managing marketing for B2B SaaS companies, Franklin realized that keeping up with competitors was a manual nightmare of 50 open browser tabs and forgotten spreadsheets. He built KeepTabz to automate this process for the mid-market. 🔹The AI Revolution in Marketing: How AI allows small teams to perform enterprise-level research, tracking everything from pricing page tweaks and Terms of Service updates to SEO performance and social media activity. 🔹Ignore vs. Obsess: Franklin addresses the common "don't look at your competitors" advice. While you shouldn't let them dictate your roadmap, your customers are definitely looking at them. Understanding the market is essential for building trust. 🔹Signal vs. Noise: The biggest challenge in 2026 isn't a lack of data; it's the overwhelming volume of it. Franklin explains how his team shifted from "gathering data" to "interpreting strategic meaning" using AI agents. 🔹Founder-Led Growth: Why sharing expertise in communities (Slack, Reddit, LinkedIn) is more effective for early-stage trust-building than traditional outbound or SEO. Memorable Quotes "Whether you're paying attention to competitors or not, your customers definitely are. You actually don't get to determine who your competitors are, that's determined by your customers." "Marketing has been more like 'ing' than 'market' lately. It’s been about doing activities and maybe not paying as much attention to the market itself." Resources Mentioned 🔹KeepTabz: AI-powered competitive intelligence. 🔹Alloy AI: Franklin's previous home in the retail analytics space. 🔹Clay: Mentioned as a gold standard for building marketing trust. 🔹Adam Robinson (RB2B): Discussion on inbound-led outbound strategies. 🔹Geekdom: The San Antonio-based startup community where the recording took place. Where to Find Franklin Morris 🔹Website: keeptabz.ai 🔹LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/franklinmorris (Remember: it's Morris, not Morrison!)

    35 min
  6. Episode 27: How GiveKit Rebranded from Nonprofits HQ in Just 14 Days

    Feb 26

    Episode 27: How GiveKit Rebranded from Nonprofits HQ in Just 14 Days

    Zac Brown returns to the show to discuss the bold transition from Nonprofits HQ to GiveKit. While the original name was SEO-friendly, it lacked brand recall and was difficult for customers to communicate. Zac explains how they executed a complete name and identity change in just two weeks, and why "moving fast and breaking things" remains a valid strategy for growing companies. Host:  Leon Hitchens Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonhitchens/ X: https://x.com/leonhitchens Website: https://leonhitchens.com/ Guests:  Zac Brown: CEO of GiveKit Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacjordanbrown/ GiveKit Website: https://givekit.org/ Find Us:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoostChannel Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AHGT1Aoq9oAHZEHeORBpa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-marketing-boost/id1720047128 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoostChannel Website: https://theboost.fm/ Key Takeaways The "Two-Week" Rebrand: Why Zac chose a lightning-fast rollout over a prolonged transition to maintain momentum and minimize over-analysis.Brand Recall vs. SEO: Why a "functional" name like Nonprofits HQ actually hurts word-of-mouth marketing and why GiveKit provides a clearer "hook" for their primary service: fundraising.Unscalable Marketing: Early growth didn't come from ads; it came from "guerrilla marketing," such as Zac spending entire days at nonprofit offices to understand their pain points.The "One-Way Door" Rule: Using the Amazon framework to identify which decisions are reversible (two-way) and which require absolute conviction (one-way).The Power of AI in Branding: How the team used tools like Claude to overhaul website copy and brand voice in record time without starting from scratch. Memorable Quotes "If you are writing copy by yourself, physically writing from nothing to something, you’re insane today... AI is an amazing assistant to help you get the base, add your human touch, and take those M-dashes out." "Marketing, especially early on, is those unscalable actions... that got us a lot further than sitting in Canva figuring out what a logo would be." "Everything we do needs to contribute to one of three things: the progress of our people, our products, or our company. If it doesn’t, we don't need to be doing it." Resources Mentioned GiveKit: givekit.orgClaude (Anthropic): Used for brand voice and copy transitions.Nonprofits HQ: The legacy brand. Connect with Zac Brown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacjordanbrown/Email: zac@givekit.org

    33 min
  7. Episode 26: From Tech to Trails: The Story of PacAPit with Founder John

    08/14/2025

    Episode 26: From Tech to Trails: The Story of PacAPit with Founder John

    Episode Summary:  In this episode of The Marketing Boost, host Leon Hitchens sits down with John, founder of PacAPit, to dive deep into the journey of turning a simple riverside idea into a patented, flat-packing fire pit loved by overlanders, scouts, and outdoor enthusiasts. John shares his path from working at Apple and in the tech sector, to opening a restaurant, and finally to becoming an inventor and entrepreneur. You’ll hear how a casual conversation by the Frio River sparked the creation of PacAPit, the design decisions that make it unique, and how it stands out in a crowded market dominated by brands like Solo Stove. From designing for stability and portability, to ensuring leave-no-trace environmental responsibility, John explains how PacAPit serves both ultralight hikers and family campers alike. We talk about the four different models (including the new Kickstarter-exclusive Chiquito), the versatility of fuel options, and creative uses—from citronella burners to paella pans. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at his Kickstarter campaign, marketing strategies, and the power of in-person customer validation at farmers markets. Plus, John shares insights into influencer marketing, building a product with legacy in mind, and why storytelling is his secret weapon. Host:  Leon Hitchens LinkedIn, X & Website Guest:  John Chadwell LinkedIn PacAPit Website :  https://www.pacapit.com/index.html#/ PacAPit Social Media:  https://www.instagram.com/thepacapit/ https://www.facebook.com/pacapit/ PacAPit Kickstarter Campaign  (Ends August 31st) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pacapit-chiquito/pacapit-chiquito What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How John transitioned from tech to entrepreneurship after Hurricane SandyThe moment the idea for PacAPit was born on the Frio RiverThe design philosophy behind PacAPit and how it differs from other fire pitsWhy portability, durability, and environmental stewardship matterHow to connect with niche communities like overlanders and scoutsThe role of Kickstarter in launching the Chiquito modelLessons in customer feedback, validation, and storytelling-driven marketing About the Guest: John is the creator of PacAPit, a patented, collapsible fire pit designed for portability, stability, and environmental responsibility. Drawing from his experiences in tech, hospitality, and the outdoors, John built PacAPit to help people gather, cook, and connect—anywhere from the backcountry to the backyard.

    45 min
  8. Episode 25: From Family Kitchen to Grocery Aisles: The Hess Street Foods Story

    05/07/2025

    Episode 25: From Family Kitchen to Grocery Aisles: The Hess Street Foods Story

    In this episode of The Boost, Leon sits down with Maria, founder of Hess Street Foods, to explore how a generational recipe and deep cultural roots sparked a thriving culinary business. What started as a homemade chorizo recipe passed down from Maria’s grandmother evolved into a shelf-ready, clean-label chorizo paste now featured in 144+ H-E-B stores and Pullman Market. Maria shares how she transitioned from making sausage to crafting a paste that retains flavor while offering flexibility and health-conscious benefits. She also breaks down her journey from kitchen experiments to Launch SA, adapting through failures, and earning a spot in H-E-B’s “Quest for Texas Best. Host:  Leon Hitchens LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonhitchens/ X: https://x.com/Leonhitchens Website: https://www.leonhitchens.com/ Guest:  Maria Flores, Founder of Hess Street Foods LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-flores210/ Find Us:  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AHGT1Aoq9oAHZEHeORBpa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-ledger/id1803475184 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoostChannel  Website: https://theboost.fm/the-marketing-boost/ What You’ll Learn The heritage behind Hess Street’s signature chorizo pasteHow Maria turned a family tradition into a modern food brandChallenges of launching a food product without a business backgroundWhy food nostalgia and health-conscious consumers drive brand loyaltyLessons from launching at farmers markets and pivoting from raw meat to shelf-stable productsStrategies for bootstrapped marketing and defining brand identityHow to stand firm on values—no shortcuts on qualityNavigating retail and direct-to-consumer channels without compromising the mission Resources & Mentions 🌐 https://hessstreetfoods.com/ Key Takeaways “Flavor. Flavor. Flavor. That’s what it takes in food. But it’s not just about taste — it’s about honoring traditions and never compromising on quality.”  — Maria, Founder of Hess Street Foods “Don’t let outside forces change your product unless it aligns with your values. That’s sacred.”  — Leon Hitchens 🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review The Boost wherever you listen to podcasts! Have a founder story you want featured? Reach out!

    32 min
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About

The Marketing Boost is a podcast for business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs who want real talk about what it takes to grow. Hosted by Leon Hitchens, each episode features candid conversations with business owners from San Antonio and beyond, covering the strategies, challenges, and lessons that actually shaped their success. Whether you're running an agency, building a startup, or trying to scale what you already have, every episode has something you can take and use.

Information

  • Creator
    The Boost Network, The Marketing Boost
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Boost Network
  • Show Website
    The Marketing Boost