You’re good at what you do. Really good. But explaining it to people who can’t evaluate the rigor themselves? 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’m the creator of the Marketing Is An Argument manifesto and the author of Simple Marketing for Smart People. The argument I make there: marketing should build conviction through reason, not manipulate behavior through tricks.

I’ve spent the last decade working on this problem. I started in science. I spent years in renewable energy, working on the feedstock side of a Department of Energy cellulosic ethanol program, 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 explain it in a simple way?

I work with serious experts who have that gap: founders, coaches, consultants, educators who’ve built something rigorous and need to translate it into a clear, defensible argument.

“Working with Billy has returned 5 to 10X easily, probably more, in terms of just straight up dollars. And that’s not including quality of life, peace of mind, these sort of intangible benefits.” — Tiago Forte, author of Building a Second Brain

Tiago hired me in 2019. A few years later, we wrote a book together. Other clients over the years include David Perell, Ali Abdaal, a Y Combinator founder, and the concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. See the work →

The Five Lightbulbs

This is my framework for constructing marketing arguments: before someone buys, five beliefs must switch on in their mind. Miss one, and friction stalls the sale.

The philosophical case lives in my manifesto, Marketing Is An Argument. It makes the case that argument-driven marketing is more effective and more ethical than the buyer psychology approach to marketing, which is so common today. Simple Marketing for Smart People, which I wrote with Tiago Forte, is the practical companion that walks you through the belief-building approach the framework operationalizes.

“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)

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. For longer pattern-recognition work that pushes into philosophy and faith, I also write at Fractal Faith.

“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

San Diego

I live in San Diego, and more of my work happens here now, with founders, scientists, and business owners who’ve built something serious. I’m also starting to teach the Five Lightbulbs here, in small, in-person sessions. More about my work in San Diego →

Work with me

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