Every founder wants to be "data-driven," but the best creative work often comes from ignoring the numbers entirely. In this episode of Built on Brand, we get into the tension between data and intuition and when each one should be leading the conversation. Seth unpacks how much of sales and marketing is actually driven by metrics versus simply feeling the market. Jake and Levi talk through the reality of high-level creative production where the data says one thing but your gut tells you to take a massive risk. We also dig into whether the rise of AI makes human intuition more or less valuable in 2026.

The premise of Built on Brand is that we are startup founders from a variety of backgrounds. While Jake Huber and Levi Kirby are first-time business owners operating SplyceHouse in its fifth year, Seth Waite of Schaefer is in his seventh year and has already sold five of six businesses, with one scaling from $0 to $24 million in six years and selling at an 11x multiple.

These are real conversations rooted in a grassroots approach to business, covering topics we find valuable in the professional world. If you are a fan of the show, it would mean the world to us if you hit that follow button and stayed tuned for new episodes, which drop on the first of every month.

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Sales and marketing get lumped together constantly, but they require completely different skill sets and mindsets. In this episode of Built on Brand, we dig into why so many founders treat them as one function and what breaks when they do. Seth breaks down what should come after niching and why a strong marketing engine can do more heavy lifting than most people give it credit for. Jake and Levi talk through the reality of selling without marketing behind you, where marketing's job actually ends and sales begins, and what brand awareness actually looks like in 2026 without burning money. We also tackle whether a world-class brand strategy can eventually replace a traditional sales team and how to keep both sides aligned without the internal friction.