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Nick Richtsmeier

Breaking rules and techno-fantasies

Breaking rules and techno-fantasies

Big trends are made by category incumbents, held up by media, and monetized by the masses who are desperate to feel connected to the newest, hottest thing. This collusion of the willing puts up barriers to entry to producing value and growing marketshare. This week we recognize the signs.

Finally! Fewer CMOs (but more bad rashes)

Finally! Fewer CMOs (but more bad rashes)

Fewer CMOs is good news, more Jon Stewart is not, and how to read better to think better.

The Good List 2023

The Good List 2023

2023 has been a whirlwind of a year. From the headlines, books, media, and trends, we bring you 24 good things that came from this year... and a few hints as to what may happen next.

Is "Fund-and-Fix" the new model for RIA Growth?

Is "Fund-and-Fix" the new model for RIA Growth?

Minority investors are finding what we’ve found in our years of working with RIAs: The ATT Trifecta (Acquisitions, Talent, and Tech) is not sufficient to produce scalable growth, and in the wrong hands it makes things worse. New entrants are trying to "fix" that.

AI quiet quits and trust comes back in fashion

AI quiet quits and trust comes back in fashion

Looking back, 2023 did a good job of making us believe that shiny objects, fancy AI gadgets, mass-produced content, and general internet tomfoolery would grow businesses in scale and trust. Turns out they were wrong, again.

Seven marketing predictions for 2024

Seven marketing predictions for 2024

Growth in 2024 will not be for the faint of heart. We are one year further into the unraveling of the digital marketing panacea. 2024 will accelerate the fracturing of digital marketing, and the strategic gap between marketing and strategy has to be solved.

Who will they trust? Maybe you.

Who will they trust? Maybe you.

The future of every industry is defined on the bookends: Boomers who aren't leaving, and Gen-Z/late Millennials who own the culture. All the money is flowing sub-40 to a group of people with such Rizz that they don't trust the internet, brands, or the media. Who will they trust? Maybe you.