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ContributorsMike McCalley
MM

Fractional Chief Growth Officer & Consultant

Mike McCalley

Mike is a leading marketer with expertise ranging from start up ventures to fortune 50 companies. With a passion for B2B and community building, Mike has evolved how traditional companies go to market and truly educate, inform, and inspire their community. When Mike isn't building out media and strategy plans for companies you can find him announcing his local high school football games and spending time with his family in Plano, TX.

16 articlesLinkedIn ↗
Contributor Brief·Mike McCalley · 16 articles
Updated Apr 2, 2026

Fear-driven underpricing and disengaged workforces undermine growth

McCalley argues that founders shaped by scarcity and fear systematically underprice their value, leaving significant revenue on the table despite building strong companies. He further contends that authentic leadership grounded in human connection and real-time feedback—not command-and-control—is the differentiator in retaining talent and driving sustainable culture when 69% of the workforce is disengaged.

69%

of employees are not actively engaged at work

Fear of poverty shaped many of her early decisions.

From Poverty to Pricing Power | Why Great Companies Undercharge

Critical business challenges by engagement level

Employees actively engaged31 %
B2B buyers preferring rep-free experience61 %
New businesses failing within year one20 %
Businesses not surviving to year five50 %

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19%Employees actively
Employees actively engaged
B2B buyers preferring rep-free experience
New businesses failing within year one
Businesses not surviving to year five

$1.192T

U.S. retail e-commerce sales exceeded in 2024

Today's B2B customers do most research before speaking with salespeople.

Get Vertical! Growing with Sales for Success

Staying true to core principles while adapting to disruption creates lasting competitive advantage.

Building Resilient Leadership and Success Through Perseverance, Faith, and Values

Relationships, not transactions, determine which startups actually survive.

Themes:Scarcity mindset as hidden pricing and margin destroyerHuman connection and feedback loops as competitive moatValues-driven adaptation beats rigid operational scaling

Professional AV

6 articles
A CEO’s Blueprint for Career Success: Leading with Love to Drive Performance and Culture

A CEO’s Blueprint for Career Success: Leading with Love to Drive Performance and Culture

Leadership right now feels heavier than it did just a few years ago. Teams are stretched, expectations are high, and many employees are quietly disengaged. In fact, Gallup’s 2025 U.S. data shows that only about 31% of employees are actively engaged at work, leaving the majority feeling disconnected or indifferent. For CEOs and senior…

Mar 10, 2026Read now →
Get Vertical! Growing with Sales for Success

Get Vertical! Growing with Sales for Success

Buying behavior has shifted dramatically. Today’s B2B customers do most of their research before ever speaking with a salesperson. In fact, 61% of B2B buyers say they prefer a rep-free buying experience, according to a 2025 Gartner survey. At the same time, U.S. retail e-commerce sales exceeded $1.192 trillion in 2024. Growth still depends…

Feb 24, 2026Read now →
Scaling Smarter: Leadership Lessons from Moxie360 Marketing’s Founder

Scaling Smarter: Leadership Lessons from Moxie360 Marketing’s Founder

A three-decade marketing veteran reveals how to build a thriving agency by blending AI innovation with genuine human relationships

Mar 18, 2025Read now →
When Human Resources Goes Global: How Multinational Corporations Can Align Company Culture Across Borders

When Human Resources Goes Global: How Multinational Corporations Can Align Company Culture Across Borders

Leaders navigating global workforces must balance local adaptation with unified values to maintain cohesive company culture across vastly different markets

May 16, 2024Read now →
Leveraging Economic Shifts and Corporate Knowledge can Unlock New Opportunities in Emerging Markets

Leveraging Economic Shifts and Corporate Knowledge can Unlock New Opportunities in Emerging Markets

Strategic investors who combine macroeconomic awareness with insider expertise gain the edge in high-growth regions overlooked by mainstream capital

May 16, 2024Read now →
Voice of a Customer: A Marketing Strategy Deep Dive with David Loomis

Voice of a Customer: A Marketing Strategy Deep Dive with David Loomis

Customer feedback reshapes how organizations build strategies that actually resonate with their target market

Aug 24, 2023Read now →

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Energy

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Education Technology

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  • AM
    Alex M.·2h agoquestion

    What sparked your research into disruptive innovation?

    Curious what the original insight was that led you to the Innovator's Dilemma framework.

  • SL
    Sophia L.·1d agoidea

    Would love a deep-dive into EdTech adoption barriers.

    Your framing of sustaining vs. disruptive innovation feels directly applicable to school systems.

  • DR
    David R.·3d agoquestion

    How do you see AI changing the personalized learning landscape?