Learn how B2B teams can scale creative operations, cut the busywork, and show up consistently with content that resonates.

Charging by the hour? You're leaving money on the table. In this episode, host Jason Bradwell sits down with Jonathan Stark - author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts and host of the Ditching Hourly podcast - for a masterclass in pricing, positioning, and why daily publishing changed everything for his business.

Jonathan breaks down why hourly billing traps experts in low-profit margins, the difference between cost-plus and actual value-based pricing, and his "scope last" principle that flips traditional consulting on its head. He also shares how publishing daily helped him build a loyal audience, deepen his expertise, and turn strangers into superfans. Whether you're a solo consultant or running a B2B service business, this conversation delivers clear, actionable frameworks to work less, charge more, and stand out.

Jason and Jonathan dive straight into why hourly billing is fundamentally broken. It punishes efficiency, caps your income, and makes clients focus on time instead of outcomes. Jonathan explains the "fixed pricing trap" most consultants fall into, they think they're doing value-based pricing when they're really just doing cost-plus (estimate hours, multiply by rate, add margin). Real value-based pricing starts with understanding what success is worth to the client.

The conversation shifts to Jonathan's signature principle: scope last. Instead of leading with what you'll do, lead with the outcome the client wants and price based on that value. Only after they say yes do you figure out the most efficient way to deliver it. This requires strong positioning, becoming the only choice for a specific problem, not the cheapest option among many.

They explore how daily publishing transformed Jonathan's business. He's published something every single day for years, creating what he calls "asymmetric intimacy" his audience feels like they know him deeply even if they've never met. This built trust at scale and turned his owned media into a long-term growth engine that compounds over time.

Jonathan shares practical newsletter tactics: the capture phase (getting people on the list), writing cadence (daily works for him), and why podcasting is like building localized celebrity. They also discuss burnout risks, how AI fits in (spoiler: it's a tool, not a replacement for thinking), and Jonathan's advice for anyone launching a podcast or daily newsletter: done is better than perfect, just start.

If you're stuck in the pricing-versus-scoping cycle or charging by the hour and feeling trapped, Jonathan's frameworks will fundamentally shift how you think about your business. This isn't theory, it's battle-tested advice from someone who's helped thousands of consultants escape the hourly trap. Plus, his insights on daily publishing offer a blueprint for building trust and authority in any B2B market.

00:00 - Introduction: From developer to pricing evangelist

01:30 - Why hourly billing is broken

04:00 - The fixed pricing trap and cost-plus confusion

06:00 - What value-based pricing actually looks like

08:00 - Scope last: price outcomes, not inputs

10:00 - Positioning: become the only choice

13:00 - Daily publishing and asymmetric intimacy

16:30 - Owned media as a growth engine

20:00 - Newsletter tactics and writing cadence

23:30 - Podcasting builds localized celebrity

26:00 - Burnout, AI, and sustainability

30:00 - Advice for launching a podcast or daily list

34:00 - Done beats perfect—just start

38:00 - Final takeaways on pricing and standing out

Connect with Jason Bradwell on LinkedIn

Connect with Jonathan Stark on LinkedIn

Visit Hourly Billing Is Nuts

Visit Ditching Hourly

Explore B2B Better website and the Pipe Dream podcast

B2B marketing doesn't have to mean mediocre design, generic messaging, and content no one reads. In this episode of Pipe Dream, host Jason Bradwell sits down with Dmitry Shamis - former HubSpot creative leader and founder of OhSnap!, a brand systems agency helping marketers build creative that’s both scalable and standout.

Dmitry gets brutally honest about channels - 95% of his business comes from LinkedIn. Not just frameworks and case studies, but gardening updates and dumb kid stories. Because you want to work with people you actually like. This sparks a great discussion about the line between being human and being cringey (looking at you, banana peel LinkedIn posts).

Jason throws him a hypothetical: $50K to build an audience, what do you do? Dmitry's answer: invest in brand systems. When you have templates ready, you focus on what you say, not how it looks. That's the foundation for everything else.

They circle back to AI. What are we catastrophizing? The "you wrote this with AI" police. If the work is good, it's good. The real danger? People getting lazy and outsourcing their thinking. Dmitry's mantra: never outsource your thinking. His desk is covered with notebooks because side thoughts never make it into transcripts. He comes to AI with a fully baked idea - he doesn't ask it what the story is.

They close with Dmitry shouting out Jess Cook at Vector for building a personality-led brand without a massive budget - a perfect blueprint for scrappy B2B teams.

If you're feeling pressure to create more, post more, be everywhere, this is your reality check. The future isn't volume - it's consistent quality that resonates. Whether startup or enterprise, Dmitry's principles on brand systems and intentional content will help you build smarter operations.

Expect practical advice, real talk, and a little fun along the way.

Whether you’re scaling a startup or running creative at an enterprise brand, this episode will help you build smarter, more sustainable content operations - and create marketing that actually moves people.

00:00 – Intro: Scaling creative without burnout

01:30 – What Dmitry learned running creative at HubSpot

03:00 – The rise of brand systems in B2B marketing

06:00 – Using AI to remove the busywork (not the thinking)

08:00 – Why most content fails (and what to do instead)

10:00 – How to make LinkedIn actually work for your brand

13:30 – Authenticity vs cringe: Finding your tone online

17:00 – Stop chasing impressions. Start tracking DMs.

21:00 – The forgotten power of adding a CTA to content

24:00 – How to stay creative with systems and structure

27:00 – AI fear factor: What should marketers *really* worry about?

30:00 – The antidote to lazy content in the AI age

33:00 – B2B brands and creators Dmitry admires

36:00 – Where to find Dmitry and more resources

Connect with Jason Bradwell on LinkedIn

Connect with Dmitry Shamis on LinkedIn

Visit OhSnap! agency

Visit The Brief Creative newsletter

What's Your Process? podcast on Spotify and Apple.

More at B2B Better website and the Pipe Dream podcast

What happens when cyber risk leaders stop speaking in acronyms and start telling stories? In this episode, host Jason Bradwell sits down with Jeffrey Wheatman, SVP of Cyber Risk Strategy at Black Kite and longtime cybersecurity evangelist, to talk about how to lead with problems, not products.

From decades advising CISOs at Gartner to launching the panel show Third Party, Jeff shares what he's learned about building trust, breaking down "terminal uniqueness," and why vendors need to collaborate on educating the market instead of competing. If you care about cutting through noise in a saturated market, this conversation is packed with insights you can actually use.

Jason and Jeff dive into why so many cybersecurity vendors fall into the trap of "terminal uniqueness" believing they're so different that they can't learn from anyone else. Jeff explains why this mindset kills effective marketing and how leading with the problem, not your product features, is the only way to break through.

They explore why CISOs won't talk to sales teams (hint: it's not personal, it's about trust) and why the cybersecurity industry desperately needs more collaboration. Jeff makes a compelling case that we're at war with ransomware networks, yet vendors refuse to talk to each other about how to educate buyers.

The conversation shifts to buyer awareness stages and where most marketing completely misses the mark. Jeff shares his framework for thinking about audiences beyond just problem-aware buyers, and why "hallway therapy" at conferences builds more trust than any keynote ever will.

Jason asks Jeff how he'd spend $100K to build an audience (not a campaign), and Jeff's answer revolves around creating spaces for real conversation, which is exactly what led him to launch Third Party, a panel show tackling cybersecurity topics with both strategic and tactical depth.

They wrap with Jeff's shoutouts to creators doing cyber content right and key takeaways for B2B marketers trying to build trust in technical markets.

Whether you're a security vendor struggling to differentiate, a CISO trying to communicate risk to the board, or a B2B marketer in any technical space, Jeff's insights on problem-first storytelling and building genuine community will transform how you think about reaching your audience. This isn't about more content, it's about better conversations.

Subscribe to catch every episode. Leave a review to help others discover the show. Share with security professionals or B2B marketers trying to break through technical noise. Follow B2B Better on LinkedIn for weekly insights.

00:00 - Introduction: Cutting through cyber noise

01:30 - Jeff's journey from Gartner to Black Kite

04:00 - Terminal uniqueness: the "we're different" trap

07:00 - Lead with problems, not product features

09:30 - Why CISOs avoid sales conversations

13:00 - We're at war: Why vendors need to collaborate

17:30 - Buyer awareness stages marketers miss

20:00 - Why competitors won't talk (and should)

24:00 - Hallway therapy beats keynotes

27:00 - The $100K audience-building question

30:00 - Launching Third Party panel show

35:00 - Strategic + tactical content together

38:00 - Cybersecurity creators doing it right

42:00 - Key takeaways for B2B marketers

Connect with Jason Bradwell on LinkedIn

Connect with Jeffrey Wheatman on LinkedIn

Visit Black Kite podcast/resource hub

Visit InfoSec World’s official site

Explore B2B Better website and the Pipe Dream podcast