EP337 of Profit With A Plan Podcast Released February 17, 2026

Guest: Rob Genovesi, brand strategist and founder of Build Strong Brands Host: Marcia Riner, CEO Infinite Profit® and business growth strategist

If your marketing looks professional but still isn’t bringing in the right clients, your brand may be invisible for reasons you can’t see. Brand strategist Rob Genovesi breaks down why jargon, vague messaging, and trying to sound “bigger” push buyers into indecision. This conversation will help you get clear on who you serve, what makes you different, and how to become the name people remember when they finally decide to buy.

• Why “polished” marketing can repel the clients you actually want

• How fear and ego quietly sabotage clear, magnetic brand messaging

• The real definition of a brand (and why it’s not your logo)

• When brand strategy matters, and when you need sales first

• How niching reduces buyer indecision and increases conversion

• Why branding is the long game that makes marketing work faster

[00:05] Polished marketing, invisible brand: what’s really going wrong [03:24] Rob’s shift from corporate design to strategy-first branding [05:40] Brand strategy explained: market, problem, solution, differentiation [07:06] When you do not need branding yet (and what you need first) [12:54] Brand as a decision lens: clarity, speed, and lower marketing spend [14:06] Attraction and repulsion: why great brands pick a side [16:17] Your real competition is inaction, not “the other guy” [18:27] Words first, design last: why you can have a brand without a logo [29:07] The 10pm moment: how brands get remembered when buyers decide [31:26] Rob’s free book gift and where to connect

Rob’s free digital book: https://buildstrongbrands.com/freebook

Marcia Riner is a business growth strategist, creator of the Profit Booster® strategies, and CEO of Infinite Profit®. She helps entrepreneurs scale smarter, increase profitability, and build businesses that are worth more, whether they plan to keep them or sell them.

As host of Profit With A Plan, Marcia shares expert interviews and actionable strategies to help business owners increase revenue, improve systems, and prepare for high-value exits. With decades of experience in finance, operations, and marketing, she delivers clear, profit-driving insights you can use right away.

Questions? Call (949) 229-2112 or visit https://InfiniteProfitConsulting.com

💰 Profit Booster® Podcast Monetization Hub Turn your interviews into a client-generating machine without adding more work to your plate. https://ProfitBoosterPod.com

📈 Profit Booster Growth Map Get your free Growth Map and see the top moves to increase revenue and plug profit leaks. https://ProfitBooster.biz/GrowthMap

🎧 Never Miss a Profit-Driving Strategy Subscribe to Profit With A Plan on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.

EP336 Profit With A Plan Podcast

Released, February 10, 2026

Guest: Kristin Zhivago, CEO of Zhivago Partners, a revenue growth services firm.

Host: Marcia Riner, CEO of Infinite Profit® a business growth strategist

If your marketing sounds right but sales feel harder than they should, there’s a good chance friction is sneaking into your buying process. In this episode, Marcia talks with Kristin Zhivago about why branding is a promise, and how your revenue rises or falls based on whether customers feel that promise is kept. You’ll hear why customer interviews beat assumptions every time, and how a small handful of conversations can reveal the real reasons people buy.

• Why branding is the promise marketing makes on your company’s behalf • How buyer mindset shapes the messages and channels that actually work • Where “sales stoppers” show up right when buyers are ready to say yes • Why surveys often confirm assumptions instead of revealing truth • How 5–7 customer interviews can uncover patterns you can act on • How scrutiny level changes the buying journey and your marketing approach

[00:07] Marketing is a promise, and your brand keeps or breaks it [03:04] What “sales stoppers” are and how they slow down buyers [04:28] The weight-loss paradox: everyone knows, few actually do it [06:11] Branding defined: promises made vs. promises kept [08:34] Buyer mindset framework: desires, concerns, questions [13:23] Why surveys fail: assumptions turned into questions [14:00] Why AI can’t replace real customer interviews yet [16:28] Why founders should not interview their own customers [17:37] How long interviews take and why 30 minutes works [19:11] How to anonymize feedback and spot bankable trends [22:17] What to do if you don’t have customers yet [26:06] The 4 scrutiny levels that change how people buy [31:01] The real job: make it easier for customers to buy [33:06] “Amazon expectations” and what buyers now demand

https://ZhivagoPartners.com https://ZhivagoPartners.com/mindsetguide

Marcia Riner is a business growth strategist, creator of the Profit Booster® strategies, and CEO of Infinite Profit®. She helps entrepreneurs scale smarter, increase profitability, and build businesses that are worth more, whether they plan to keep them or sell them.

As host of Profit With A Plan, Marcia shares expert interviews and actionable strategies to help business owners increase revenue, improve systems, and prepare for high-value exits. With decades of experience in finance, operations, and marketing, she delivers clear, profit-driving insights you can use right away.

Questions? Call (949) 229-2112 or visit https://InfiniteProfitConsulting.com

💰 Profit Booster® Podcast Monetization Hub Turn your interviews into a client-generating machine without adding more work to your plate. https://ProfitBoosterPod.com

📈 Profit Booster Growth Map Get your next 3 moves to drive profitable growth. https://ProfitBooster.biz/GrowthMap

🎧 Never Miss a Profit-Driving Strategy Subscribe to Profit With A Plan on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.

EP335 of Profit With A Plan Podcast Released February 3, 2026

Guest: Daniel Alfon, LinkedIn Strategiest Host: Marcia Riner, CEO of Infinite Profit®, Business Growth Strategist

If LinkedIn feels noisy, overwhelming, or underperforming, the issue is rarely the algorithm or how often you post. It is almost always your connection strategy. In this episode, Marcia Riner sits down with Daniel Alfon to break down why trying to be both the most connected and the best connected leads to diluted networks, weak referrals, and wasted time, and what intentional LinkedIn connections actually look like.

• Why posting more does not fix LinkedIn performance

• The difference between most connected and best connected networks

• How poor connection strategy hurts referrals and ROI

• What kind of LinkedIn content works without selling or pitching

• Why profile views matter more than feed visibility

• How to move relationships off LinkedIn at the right time

[00:00] Why LinkedIn “isn’t working” for most business owners [05:08] Why LinkedIn is where business decisions actually happen [06:04] Most connected vs best connected and why choosing both fails [08:05] The referral example that proves connection quality matters [11:54] What content works on LinkedIn without posting constantly [15:10] Why perfection repels and relatability builds trust [18:15] The most common action on LinkedIn: profile visits [19:32] How posting too often creates content blindness [23:45] The real secret: when to leave LinkedIn to deepen relationships [28:05] Why 10 intentional minutes beats nonstop activity

https://DanielAlfon.com https://LinkedIn.com/in/DanielAlfon

Marcia Riner is a business growth strategist, creator of the Profit Booster® strategies, and CEO of Infinite Profit®. She helps entrepreneurs scale smarter, increase profitability, and build businesses that are worth more, whether they plan to keep them or sell them.

As host of Profit With A Plan, Marcia shares expert interviews and actionable strategies to help business owners increase revenue, improve systems, and prepare for high-value exits. With decades of experience in finance, operations, and marketing, she delivers clear, profit-driving insights you can use right away.

📈 Profit Booster Growth Map Get a clear plan to bring in more qualified leads and plug profit leaks fast. https://ProfitBooster.biz/GrowthMap

🎧 Never Miss a Profit-Driving Strategy Subscribe to Profit With A Plan on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.