The Marketing Lab Principles: Real Experience, Open Knowledge
Building the marketing classroom I wish I'd had: real experience, zero paywalls, and lessons that actually matter.
I’m pivoting. Wow, that feels great to write. Let me explain.
Over the last couple months, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want this blog to look like and what I want in life more broadly. It wasn’t until the last couple of weeks that I finally figured it out. All it took was finding out that a former acquaintance was the target of a fraud investigation by the FTC (on Twitter no less), remembering an old professor, and a cathartic conversation with my fiancé to get there. So, you know, the usual stuff.
Hey, I Know that Guy
It was an early March morning in Birmingham, Alabama, when I was scrolling Twitter (I refuse to call it X) before heading out for a golf-packed day. I was visiting The Magic City for my brother’s bachelor party and truthfully, the whole aim of the trip was more to play some of the best courses in the country and less to partake in the typical bachelor party festivities.
Anyway, we had two rounds ahead of us, so I was cramming as much doom scrolling as possible before we (kinda) put the phones away for the day. That’s when I saw the face of someone I’d met over five years ago while doing a summer entrepreneurship program after wrapping up my master’s degree—and he was being investigated for fraud by the FTC.
I skimmed the thread detailing the allegations and was utterly stunned. The guy—we’ll call him Joe, which is not his real name—had been running a scam with the same business he’d been running while in the entrepreneurship program when our paths crossed half a decade ago. He’d been posing as one of those digital marketing guru’s who talk about “the millionaire mindset” and idolize folks like Grant Cardone. In reality, it was all BS and he’d taken over $50 million from customers.
In the brief moment when our paths crossed, Joe seemed like a true worldbeater and marketing master. His business was growing and doing very well. He seemed to have all the answers and then some. But, it was all a ruse.
The Legend of Donnie Marketing
It’s spring 2017. A combination of Bad and Boujee, The Shape of You, and Humble are dominating the Top 100 charts—and I’m restarting. I went to the University of Missouri with one goal in mind: Become the next Ryan Seacrest. However, the long, grinding hours of the newsroom took a toll on me and I made a change. At the end of 2016, I switched from Broadcast Journalism to Strategic Communication (aka advertising).
Now, on this particular spring day, I’m gliding to class and excited about the lesson ahead. The class in question is called Integrated Marketing Communication (again, another fancy term for advertising) and it’s taught by Don Meyer—or as I like to call him Donnie Marketing.
When I was struggling to find my path and reorient myself from my Seacrestian, dreams, Don’s teaching, passion for marketing, and expertise put me back on the right tracks. He’d been a marketing director at Anheuser Busch for more than 20 years and brought all of that knowledge with him to class every day. He was honest about where he screwed up, what he did well, and what he learned. His lectures were fun, and he made marketing exciting to learn. My hand usually hurt after his class from furiously scribbling down notes for 75 minutes.
But, the real gift of Donnie Marketing is that he believed in his students even when they didn’t believe in themselves. He always wanted to hear how job interviews were going and was always encouraging. When we were all figuring out what the heck we’d be doing post-grad, he saw what we could be.
To this day, I still remember an email he wrote me where he said he could see me working as an account executive at a big advertising firm in Chicago. At the time, I didn’t know if I could even see it. But, he did and it made all the difference in my life.
Talking While Putting
The last piece of the puzzle fell into place while talking to my fiancé. For weeks, I’d been feeling like this blog was missing something. I knew I enjoyed the writing part of it, but was struggling to find meaning in it all. To remedy this, I did what any golf sicko would do, roll out my putting mat and talk while working on my short game.
With each putt, my fiancé supported me and asked wonderfully insightful questions about what I want this project to look like. She’s a doctor and a professor (I know, I’m marrying up in life), so she has an amazing ability to systematically deconstruct a problem while providing encouragement. It’s no wonder why she’s a hit with her students.
As we got closer to the heart of the matter—and as my putts finally started to roll true—one thing became very apparent: I love to teach. The feeling of paying it forward and passing on knowledge connects my soul to something larger in the universe. And the kicker is that it a massive lecture hall isn’t a prerequisite for that feeling. A one-on-one conversation over coffee is more than enough.
By the time I was rolling up the mat, my fiancé had not only figured it out, but helped to put together a plan of action to get it done, too. For the first time since starting this blog, I had clarity for what I wanted it to look like. I couldn’t have done it without her. How did I get so lucky?
So, How the Heck Does this All Fit Together?
That’s an excellent question. Here’s how. Today marks the start of Mike’s Marketing Lab. This new project is built on three core tenets that just so happen to connect to the three stories above. We’ll go in reverse order.
Educate and Pay It Forward — With the help of a few well-placed questions by my fiancé, we figured out that I love to teach. This project is going to be my regular practice of teaching—kinda like how yoga is a practice, but with less sweat and more air conditioning. I’ll share what I’ve learned so far building ANCORE’s brand and marketing from the ground up to being used in over 10,000 gyms around the world. I’ve learned a lot, failed a lot, and we’re not even close to done yet at ANCORE so there’s still much to learn. We’ll do it together because I wish someone had done it for me.
Make Marketing Fun and Real — Don Meyer taught me that marketing goes beyond frameworks and tactics. It's about bringing real-world experience to life in a way that makes students' hands hurt from taking notes. This project aims to follow Donnie Marketing's example: teaching the fundamentals with honesty, passion, and just enough personality to make the lessons stick. No guru-speak or million-dollar mindset talk here. Just clear, engaging insights that work in the real world, delivered with the same kind of enthusiasm that made Don's class the highlight of my week.
Open-Source Excellence — Seeing someone I once crossed paths with get investigated by the FTC was a stark reminder of what happens when marketing knowledge gets locked behind paywalls and false promises. This lab will never—and I mean never—sell courses or hide insights behind a subscription. Real education should be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford to "join the masterclass." Everything I learn and share here will be completely free and open-source. No upsells, no premium tiers, no exclusive content—just honest marketing education for anyone who wants to learn.
Who This Lab Is For
If you're tired of marketing advice that promises "10x growth in 10 days" or "the secret formula to instant success," you're in the right place. This Lab is built for:
The Long-Term Thinkers — More interested in building something lasting than chasing the latest viral trend.
The Perpetually Curious — Always reading, always learning, always wondering "what if we tried..."
The Brand Builders — Whether you're starting from scratch or growing an established brand.
The Marketing Scientists — Who know that great marketing blends data-driven decisions with creative intuition.
The Renaissance Minds — Who see marketing lessons everywhere, from classic literature to cutting-edge AI.
The Truth Seekers — Looking for honest insights about what actually works (and what doesn't).
In short, this is for anyone who believes marketing deserves more than growth hacks and guru speak. Whether you're a seasoned CMO or just starting your marketing journey, you'll find insights you can actually use and a community that values substance over hype.
What to Expect Going Forward
Think of this as your marketing classroom without the tuition bill. Here's what you'll get when you stick around:
Real Stories, Real Lessons — Every post will blend hands-on experience with timeless principles. We'll dig into everything from my ongoing journey building ANCORE's brand to deep dives on marketing classics like Ogilvy on Advertising. No theoretical fluff—just practical insights you can actually use.
Cross-Pollinated Ideas — Marketing doesn't exist in a vacuum, so why should we learn it that way? We'll pull insights from everywhere: golf courses, sci-fi novels, philosophy books, and wherever else curiosity leads us. The best marketers are renaissance thinkers, after all.
A Growing Knowledge Library — Consider this your open-source marketing education. Every essay, book note, and case study will be freely available and searchable. No paywalls, no exclusive content—just a growing collection of insights that compound over time.
Art Meets Science — Like Da Vinci's notebooks or Steve Jobs' Apple, the best work happens at the intersection of creativity and science. We'll explore how AI and data can enhance (not replace) human creativity, and bring scientific thinking to the art of marketing. Expect deep dives into AI tools, data analysis, and the psychology behind why people buy—all explained with the clarity of a great science teacher.
Marketing Without the Mayhem — Forget about "growth hacks" and "crushing it." We're here to build something lasting. That means focusing on fundamentals, thinking long-term, and valuing substance over hype. Think less Alex Hormozi, more Warren Buffett.
The best part? This is just the beginning. As the Lab grows, we'll add more ways to learn together: deep dives into books of all kinds (because marketing lessons are everywhere—from sci-fi novels to philosophy texts to business biographies), breakdowns of what's working (and what isn't), and frameworks you can actually use. You'll get fresh insights delivered every Wednesday night, with additional posts sprinkled in as we get rolling. Marketing inspiration doesn't just live in marketing books. It's in every story, every experience, and every corner of life—you just have to know where to look.
If that sounds like your kind of classroom, I'd love for you to stick around. Class is in session and we've got a lot of ground to cover.