Most mornings in my life are made for a hike. On a recent Sunday, the sun was shining and we had nowhere we needed to be. After I finished my cup of coffee, we jumped in the car and headed toward the Rio Blanco area to hike the Opal Lake Trail.

Newsletter: Musings from 7,500 feet - marketing, life, community

Genetics, overuse, and accident - causes of arthritis and how healthy marketing organizations function.

A lesson from my dog, CC, and my marketing career: not everything deserves your attention. Focus on what matters most.

I read a lot of great articles that come across my various news feeds - articles that resonate with me and the challenges in marketing. I want to share my knowledge and findings, so I’m starting a newsletter.

A company invests in brand marketing. The results can look promising. Web traffic is up and social engagement looks decent. But the pipeline doesn’t move, and Sales still says the leads aren’t great. Leadership is asking - what are we getting out of all the money we are investing?

I’m shifting to work alongside founders and marketing teams as an extra set of hands helping execute on priorities, fill gaps, and keep work moving.

I’ve always believed in brand marketing. In today’s world of AI-driven research, it’s becoming even more critical to the overall marketing plan.

The same recipe that works perfectly at sea level can behave very differently in a mountain kitchen. Cakes collapse. Cookies spread into pancakes. Pasta takes longer to cook. Food dries out faster. Let’s get into the science of why.

What do open source projects and puppies have in common?

More than you’d think.

In honor of the 3rd day of SCALE, I’m introducing you to CC, my 3-year-old chocolate lab. She has become the best example I’ve found for explaining how open source projects actually grow.

Introducing McMahon Consulting. We work with founders and marketing leaders to align strategy, support execution, and develop teams into strong marketing organizations.

I’ve spent my entire career writing. Not books, but messaging, narratives, and content that help companies explain what they do and why it matters.

Oil & gas → tech → open source → AI.

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot about what works (and what doesn’t).

So I’m writing it down.

Event ROI isn’t measured by badge scans alone. It shows up across awareness, ICP conversations, qualified meetings, pipeline influence, sales efficiency, and long-term community growth.

KubeCon is a brand marketing and ecosystem event first. By setting your expectations, building a simple pre-show plan, showing up with messaging that resonates, prioritizing relationships and learning onsite, and running disciplined follow-up, KubeCon becomes a meaningful driver of awareness, trust, and pipeline, now and in the months that follow.

If you’re a Head of Marketing reading this: you’re not imagining it. The job is that hard. It’s the same pressure loop the NFL head coach feels: expectations set at the top, outcomes measured at the bottom, and a single highly visible leader standing in the middle.

If you are wondering why marketing isn’t driving the results you expected, you don’t have a talent problem, you have a coverage problem. And that’s fixable.

Happy new year!

Did the customer purchase because of our great white paper? Or because of that LinkedIn post? Or because of the ad? Or because they saw all three, in a specific order? Or because the sun was shining, or because their boss’s daughter likes our brand, or because their friend told them in a DM that they had a good experience with one of our customer service reps?