You’re good at what you do. Really good. But explaining it to people who aren’t as technical? That’s a different skill entirely.

You know the feeling. You're presenting to clients, pitching investors, or staring at your website... and you can feel the gap between what you’ve created and what people understand. The more you know, the harder it gets. Your expertise becomes a wall between you and the people you’re trying to reach.

I've spent the last decade working on this problem. I started in science—biofuels and renewable energy—and ended up in marketing. It sounds like an unlikely path until you realize the core challenge is the same: how do you take something complex and make it land?

I work with founders who have that gap: the distance between what they've built and what people understand about it. I help them close it, not by simplifying their science, but by finding the level where it means something to the person writing the check.

“Billy has returned 10X easily, probably more in terms of dollars. And that doesn’t even include quality of life and peace of mind. Working with Billy is a no-brainer thing to do.” — Tiago Forte, Founder of Building a Second Brain

What I do

I consult with founders and leadership teams who need to clarify their message and build an argument that moves people to act. The engagement is intensive and collaborative—we work together to excavate your argument, name what makes your approach different, and give you the clarity to go to market with confidence.

The Five Lightbulbs

My framework for this work is called the Five Lightbulbs. It’s a system for constructing marketing arguments built on a simple premise: before someone buys, five beliefs must switch on in their mind. Miss one, and the sale stalls.

I wrote about this framework in my book Simple Marketing for Smart People, co-authored with Tiago Forte. I’ve since developed it further through the manifesto Marketing Is an Argument, which lays out the philosophical case for why argument-based marketing is more effective and more ethical than the psychological manipulation that dominates our industry.

“We worked with Billy and it changed everything for us. If you’re a technical co-founder, you’re often really good at building a product, but you still need to get good at communication and messaging. What we got from Billy trickled into all parts of our high-level decision making — not just marketing, but product and which features we build. It could change your trajectory as a company.” — John Li, Co-founder & CEO of VimCal (YC-backed)

“After 10 years in the marketing space, I’ve come to learn that the loudest voices often have the least to say; all while the low-key badasses master their craft and achieve whiskey-clink wins behind closed doors. That’s Billy. He delivers Carl Sagan level genius with James Dean level cool.” — Ry Schwartz, Co-Founder of Empire Engineering

Writing and resources

I write about marketing, meaning, and the patterns that connect them. My most popular series is Fractal Thinking, which explores how the same structures repeat across business, nature, and life. You’ll also find shorter essays and parables on this site.

“I realised my marketing was far too technical, and that real impact comes from connecting emotionally with prospects — by articulating their doubts, frustrations, and the meaningful change our services could bring. It completely shifted the way I look at marketing.” — Gabor Sagi, Physical Therapy Education

Work with me

If the science is there and the product works, but you still find yourself having to convince people — we should talk.