Lessons Learned from Season 2 of Bullhorns and Bullseyes
Curtis and I wrapped the final episode of Bullhorns & Bullseyes this week. We broke some news, reflected on lessons learned, celebrated a star-studded roster of guests, and pledged to do something a little different and daring next year. And we hope you'll be a part of it!
One of the themes from Season 2 was the concept of storytelling. This time of year you see it everywhere you look:
‣ Seasonal nostalgia
‣ Stories that tug at the heart strings
‣ Vignettes that keep you longing for yesteryear
‣ Tearjerkers you kick yourself for falling for
These aren't advertisements...they're brand builders. And they're more effective and memorable than the 11 months prior pushing sales and promotions combined.
Think about it: When you get caught up in a story, you can't help but stick around to see how it ends. When's the last time a commercial pushing 15% off accomplished that much? Something to consider for 2026....more on that to come.
Until then, check out the episode below, find it and subscribe here, and read all about it below the video!
About Last Week…
75 Episodes, Two Seasons, One Big Realization
We never set out to build a marketing community. We just wanted to tell Mario's story.
But here we are, wrapping up Season 2 of Bullhorns & Bullseyes with 75 episodes behind us, a roster of marketing legends as guests, and something we didn't expect: proof that authentic expertise shared consistently builds something bigger than a podcast.
It builds authority. It builds relationships. It builds business.
How It All Started
Two years ago, Curtis asked Tom to write a case study about their 7-year relationship with Mario D'Aquila's Assisted Living Home Care Services.
Tom called back with a different idea: "Their journey is so detailed, I don't think a case study can capture it all. Let's tell the story on a podcast."
That conversation launched Bullhorns & Bullseyes. The first three episodes were Mario's marketing transformation story.
Now Mario's appeared 5 times out of 75 episodes and just announced he's starting his own podcast. The student becomes the teacher.
The Unexpected Guest List
What started as one client's story became something we couldn't have predicted. Season 2 alone featured:
Marketing legends: Mark Schaefer on AI and humanity, Brian Clark on content marketing evolution, Gini Dietrich with the PESO model
Industry innovators: Jesse Flores on the future of AI agents, Janet Tyler on agency transformation
Storytelling experts: Kristian Alomá on narrative psychology and customer interviews
Privacy attorneys, acquisition specialists, and business builders who shared practical insights you can't find anywhere else
Tom called it "a who's who list of heavy hitters in the marketing industry." But here's what we learned: they didn't come on because we're famous. They came on because we're genuinely curious about what works.
The AI Thread That Ran Through Everything
Season 2 became accidentally prophetic about AI's impact on marketing.
Mark Schaefer showed us how to add humanity to AI tools without losing efficiency. Jesse Flores painted a picture of an agentic web where websites become conversation partners. Gini Dietrich explained how AI search is changing the discovery process entirely.
But the real insight came from Brian Clark: "Expertise and wisdom combined with AI is the secret component."
The marketers winning aren't the ones avoiding AI or blindly embracing it. They're the ones using AI to amplify their hard-won expertise and human judgment.
The Tractor Story That Explained Everything
Sometimes the best marketing insights come from the most unexpected places. Curtis's story about buying a $35 tractor gas nozzle became the perfect example of how modern customer journeys really work.
He saw a Facebook ad. Got a coupon but wasn't ready. Watched organic YouTube reviews. Waited for the right color to come in stock. Eventually bought direct from the website.
Zero attribution in any traditional system. Perfect customer journey in reality.
Gini called it "a perfect PESO model customer journey" – paid advertising, earned reviews, shared social proof, and owned conversion path all working together.
The lesson: Stop trying to control the customer journey. Start being present everywhere it might happen.
What We Learned About Authority
Here's what 75 episodes taught us about building business authority:
Consistency beats perfection. We missed some weeks. We had technical issues. But we kept showing up with valuable conversations.
Questions matter more than answers. The best episodes weren't lectures. They were explorations of real problems with people who've solved them.
Stories stick better than strategies. Curtis's tractor purchase taught attribution better than any framework. Mario's journey showed DISC assessments in action better than any theory.
Community builds itself. We didn't set out to build a marketing community. We just kept having interesting conversations with smart people. The community formed around shared curiosity.
The Business Impact We Didn't Expect
Neither Curtis nor Tom planned for podcasting to become a business strategy. But here's what happened:
Relationship acceleration: Guests became partners, advisors, and friends faster than traditional networking ever achieved
Authority establishment: Industry leaders started referencing episodes in their own content and keynote presentations
Business development: The conversations opened doors to opportunities that cold outreach never could
Knowledge consolidation: Teaching forced deeper understanding of concepts both hosts thought they already knew
Mario put it perfectly: "I actually hear a lot of folks say, 'Oh my God, you work with Curtis? You work with Tom Nixon?' So there's something to this podcasting."
The Season 3 Tease
Curtis revealed they're working on something different for Season 3 – possibly a mini-course format that goes deeper on specific topics rather than just interview-style episodes.
And yes, there will be a new hat. Curtis is taking his daughter shopping at "the Boot Barn" to find the perfect Season 3 headwear.
Some things change. Some things stay the same.
The Gratitude List
Both hosts emphasized gratitude as they wrapped Season 2. Not just for guests who shared their time and expertise, but for listeners who engaged, shared, and applied what they learned.
Tom's reflection: "Thank you to the listeners and viewers and commenters. We appreciate it and you'll have more opportunity to comment and let your voice be heard next season."
The podcast became a dialogue, not a monologue. That's what made it work.
What This Means for Your Business
The Bullhorns & Bullseyes experiment proves something important: In an attention economy, the businesses that win are the ones that earn attention by genuinely serving their audience.
Not with slick production values or celebrity guests, but with consistent curiosity about real problems and real solutions.
The framework isn't complicated:
Find topics your ideal customers actually care about
Have honest conversations with people who've solved those problems
Share insights without holding back the best stuff
Show up consistently, even when it's inconvenient
Trust that authority builds itself when you focus on serving others
Curtis and Tom didn't set out to become marketing authorities. They just kept asking good questions and sharing what they learned.
Two seasons and 75 episodes later, they've built something that generates business, creates relationships, and serves a community.
All by deciding to tell one client's story and never stopping the conversation.
The Season 3 Promise
The announcement is clear: they're coming back with sponsors, new formats, and continued commitment to practical marketing insights you can actually use.
But the real promise is the same one they've kept for 75 episodes: show up with curiosity, share what works, and trust that serving your audience well creates business results.
Season 3 launches with new energy, new formats, and the same commitment to honest conversations about marketing that actually works.
The question isn't whether you should start your own podcast. The question is: What expertise could you share consistently that would serve your ideal customers?
The Bullhorns & Bullseyes story shows that when you focus on serving others with what you know, everything else follows.
See you all on the flip side!