Special Ops with Emma Rainville

If you're relying on a non-compete to protect your business, you're already behind.

In this episode, Emma Rainveille and Ryan Poteet expose the non-compete myth that many entrepreneurs still cling to—and why most of these clauses are now legally worthless. With the FTC’s proposed ban thrown into legal chaos and state-by-state rules changing fast, the truth is clear: non-competes aren't your safety net anymore.

This episode covers wha...

Most online business owners believe that buying a domain or designing a logo means their brand is protected. But in the eyes of the law, you don’t own your brand unless your IP is registered—and you’re actively policing it. In this episode of Marketing on Trial, Emma Rainville and FTC attorney Ryan Poteet break down how your most valuable business asset—your brand—is vulnerable to infringement if you skip key legal steps.

From domai...

Your “cancel anytime” could get you canceled. The FTC’s new Click-to-Cancel rule changes everything for subscription marketers.

Emma Rainville and Ryan Poteet break down the FTC’s new Click-to-Cancel mandate and what it means for businesses running continuity, membership, or auto-ship models. This rule doesn’t just tweak existing guidance—it forces businesses to make cancellation as easy as sign-up. If your funnel isn’t compliant, y...

Receiving a Civil Investigative Demand from the FTC isn’t a lawsuit… but it might be worse if you don’t act fast.

In this episode of Marketing on Trial, Emma Rainville and compliance attorney Ryan Poteet break down the moment that sends shivers down any marketer’s spine: getting served a CID. From understanding what it actually means, to responding strategically within the tight 14-day timeline, this is a tactical walk-through of wh...

In this episode of Marketing on Trial, Emma Rainville and Ryan Poteet of Gordon Reese break down a legal time bomb hiding on your product pages: fake reviews. Whether it’s gifted products, “helpful” testimonial swaps, or syndicating five-star feedback across SKUs, the FTC’s new rule under 16 CFR Part 465 draws a hard line. And enforcement is heating up.

We dissect the difference between a review and a testimonial, expose review hija...

In this tactical episode, Emma Rainville breaks down the WAVE Framework, a four-part strategic system built to help visionary entrepreneurs realign their personal life goals with high-growth business objectives.

With the year’s halfway point in full view, this session delivers a no-fluff reset on how to plan intentionally, stay focused, uphold your values, and actually execute what you said you would.

Emma walks you through the real-...

Discover why "everyone else is doing it" could cost you millions—and how to navigate the FTC’s aggressive stance on marketing compliance.

In this highlight episode, Emma Rainville and Ryan Poteet of Gordon Reese break down dangerous misconceptions about marketing regulations, influencer disclosures, and subscription billing practices, highlighting hidden risks that marketers frequently overlook.

Sign up to the Visionary Vault for eve...

What is the real cost of indecision? This highlight episode breaks down risk, ops, and the rise of experiential buying.

In this Special Ops highlight drop, Emma pulls the sharpest insights from two elite operators: Perry Belcher and Jason Fladlien. Together they dissect the collapse of recorded information, rising decision fatigue, and how AI, trust, and fulfillment are reshaping the sales and ops playbook.

Buying a car can be t...

You can have the perfect strategy, but if you screw up the timing, or your ego gets in the way, you’ll blow the entire thing!

In this highlights episode of Special Ops, Emma brings together some of the sharpest founder insights on liquidity, decision-making, and the dangerous mindset shifts that sabotage scale. From chasing an inflated valuation to deploying cash too early, this conversation unpacks what happens after the exit or wh...

Limited-time offers. Income claims. Celebrity testimonials. What if everything your funnel is built on is legally shaky—and you don’t even know it?

In this special highlights edition of Marketing on Trial, hosts Emma Rainville and Ryan Poteet compile the most impactful moments from recent episodes—bringing together the sharpest insights on deceptive marketing practices, legal blind spots, and the FTC's evolving standards for 2025.

Wh...

What happens when hard-won marketing wisdom meets the cold realities of legal fine print? These next few weeks were bringing you highlights from the best episodes of Special Ops. Today, Emma brings together two of her favorite minds—Kasim Aslam and Nick Verge—for a rapid-fire download of strategy, survival, and straight-up founder honesty.

From Kasim’s battle-tested M&A experience (and how a single comma almost cost someone $5 m...

From the creators of the Special Ops Podcast comes a brand-new spinoff series that marketers can’t afford to ignore.

Marketing on Trial is where hard-hitting marketing strategies meet real legal accountability. Co-hosted by the wizard of ops herself, Emma Rainville and Ryan Poteet of Gordon Reese, this show pulls back the curtain on the marketing tactics that could get you sued—and how to fix them before they do.

Watch the previo...

You’re probably leaving money on the table because of your pricing and you don’t even know it.

There are significant psychological and strategic principles behind effective pricing and value stacking. In today’s episode of Special Ops, host Emma Rainville teams up with Richard and Saka to break down how setting the right price point and building compelling value stacks can transform your product, your sales, and ultimately your reve...

Can AI reshape regulatory enforcement in the supplement industry? Emma Rainville and Ryan Poteet of Gordon Reese dive deep into how automation tools may revolutionize how the FTC and FDA monitor marketing claims, labeling, and deceptive advertising. 

They tackle the misconception that the current administration's stance will lead to deregulation, warning that every action today may have future consequences as AI tools streamlin...

Is your marketing execution as strong as your strategy?

In this episode of the Special Ops podcast, Emma Rainville pulls back the curtain on the unsung hero of her company's success—Saka, the Director of Marketing Operations. Broadcasting from a studio in London with her team, Emma delves into how marketing operations are the backbone of effective execution. 

Saka, hailing from Mauritius, shares his experience-driven insight...

Are your direct response marketing tactics compliant with the FTC's latest standards? As the Federal Trade Commission tightens its grip on mainstream performance marketers, many strategies that have scaled brands to millions could soon be ruled as deceptive.

In this hard-hitting episode of Marketing on Trial, Ryan Poteet of Gordon Reese and Emma dissect these changes, offering a no-holds-barred look at what's about to change in 2025...

How do high-level business operations make critical decisions quickly and effectively?

This week on the Special Ops podcast, Emma is joined by her ever-reliable Operations duo, Richard and Saka. They’ve gathered together in London for an in-depth discussion about decision-making in high-pressure scenarios.

They share their personal processes for rapidly evaluating choices, weighing outcomes, and leveraging team expertise. From ma...

Can your clever marketing copy land you in legal trouble? In today's episode, Emma Rainville and FTC compliance attorney Ryan Poteet explore the fine line between persuasive advertising and deceptive marketing. 

Learn how one sentence in your copy could be the difference between scaling to seven figures and facing a multi million-dollar fine. 

The discussion covers the FTC's definition of deceptive advertising, examples of ...

When launching funnels, we tend to obsess over what the customer sees. But what they don’t see is the background, where things break, lawsuits start, or revenue quietly disappears. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Richard, Shockwave’s Chief Marketing Officer and the guy who double-checks every switch behind every campaign before it goes live. We’ll unpack the overlooked world of funnel infrastructure: policies, payment flows,...