It All Started With a Mouse - Interview

An interview on paid media, building Buddy, and where marketing goes next.

I recently sat down with Omar Reyes for his newsletter, Let’s Talk About Marketing. The questions covered everything from where I grew up to what I would say to the entire world if it were listening. Here is the conversation, lightly cleaned up.

Where were you born and raised? Also tell us something unique about yourself.

Born in the Midwest, raised abroad and here in the States as a military brat. Something interesting: I am a Michigan fan from Ohio.

What got you interested in marketing, and what was your journey?

Walt Disney. When I was at WSU as an athlete, architecture and engineering did not work around our football schedule.

Walt’s idea, that it all started with a mouse, inspired me. The idea that from your imagination, an unlimited space we all have, you can create joy and wealth out of happiness and kindness if you just believe it. That is my mission: to help others find the space and bring it to life for others to enjoy, or to create the space for them.

What skills and industry do you specialize in?

I go deep in paid media and data. I go wide across development, engineering, and all things innovative in marketing.

What is your best soft skill?

Empathy.

What software and tools do you use regularly?

I use my agent Buddy daily. He is a bridge between workers in Cloudflare and Claude, with his own brain. The typical advertising platforms are my 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Then, for the past two years, it is everything agentic and intelligence until 1 a.m. Yes, I am usually on four hours of sleep. The gym helps.

What are your goals for the next year and into the future?

My goal for next year is to introduce Buddy to our world of paid media. My future goal is to give businesses the opportunity and freedom to build a strategy with a partner that can answer questions and push in a direction most in media cannot.

What has been the hardest thing you dealt with in your career path?

Privilege and systemic walls.

What is the biggest mistake you made that you want others to avoid?

Do not listen to anyone who says it is not possible. It has cost me a bunch of time.

Who are your favorite people in the industry that you follow?

I do not have a favorite in paid media. I follow CMOs and CEOs across industries who share opinions and perspectives that challenge marketing’s everyday noise, speaking only to the fundamentals of people-centric marketing. When Matt Umbro has something to say, I listen. Same with Mitch Larson.

Who has had the biggest influence on your career to date?

Kim Williams. Her words have always resonated: take a chance, why not, and you can never have enough education.

Joe McCambley, whose last words are always that it is a choice, and to remember it is harder to listen and say nothing than to say something and have nothing to say.

Life’s Golden Ticket, plus Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, are a close second.

What has been your favorite course that you have taken, and why?

Life. I wanted to grow up, and now time does not seem to want to slow down. I have done things I could not have imagined in sports and in business. Life has been so generous to me, and it has been my hardest class.

What would you tell yourself, or someone who is just starting out in marketing?

Focus on branding, but do sales first. Go sell something. Knock on doors for a few years, at least five. Then get into branding, and stay away from acquisition. It is going away like the phone book.

If the entire world was listening to you, what would you have to say?

Be honest. Genuinely care, always. Say what it is, even if you are wrong. Be stupid genuine with conviction. We would be better off if everyone was themselves, always.

Where to find me

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmichaelwilliams

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/u/startwithaidea

Website: https://www.itallstartedwithaidea.com