Some days the problem isn’t your KPIs. It’s the fact that you’ve been staring at your own brand so long you can’t read the label anymore. That’s where this conversation with Charlie Sells got interesting.
We dug into how easy it is for business owners to chase goals, tweak dashboards, and sprint through to-do lists while completely missing the bigger opportunity hiding in plain sight: curiosity.
Charlie, the founder of Clarity Over Everything, spends his days helping leaders step back far enough to see what’s actually going on. And let me tell you, he’s right. I’ve lived this one myself.
Takeaways
- Curiosity beats KPIs every time. When you stop assuming you already know your customer, your competitors, and your message, you finally spot blind spots you’ve been tripping over for months.
- Throw out assumptions and go look again. Competitors shift. Platforms shift. Markets shift. If you haven’t audited your landscape in a few months, you’re already behind.
- Not all ideas deserve your Time Once curiosity uncovers new possibilities, you need a simple roadmap so every shiny new idea doesn’t hijack your business.
- Leaders don’t need to get out of the way. They just need to stand in the right place. It’s not about consensus; it’s about alignment. When the team agrees where you're going, disagreement stops being drama and becomes fuel.
Specific Actions You Can Use This Week
- Do a 20-minute assumption purge. Write down everything you think you “already know” about your audience, competitors, and message. Then test one of those assumptions with real data.
- Run a quick clarity audit. Click through your top three competitors’ websites. Look for changes in their messaging, offers, or positioning. Note one thing you should reconsider.
- Set a 12-week priority filter. Pick one quick win and one long-game improvement. Everything else goes in the “later” column until those two are done. Yes, everything.
About Charlie - In his own words
Hi I'm Charlie, the face behind Clarity Over Everything and a brand positioning and clarity strategist who helps leaders and teams get clear, move faster, and set their brand up for success. For the last 15 years, I’ve worked across copywriting, content marketing, branding, and strategy—helping national brands, local businesses, nonprofits, and small teams turn complexity into clarity.
I uncover the hidden things causing confusion and misalignment, then partner with businesses to cut through the noise, simplify what matters, and get aligned and prioritized around what’s next. I also collect vintage vinyl records.
Book a free discovery call and learn more about hiring me as your collaborative marketing and branding partner. https://clarityovereverything.com
More than a Few Words - A Marketing Conversation
A bite-sized marketing podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers actionable ideas, with no fluff and no jargon.
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