It Costs a Lot of Money To Create a Problem … 😳

Are you selling a solution to a problem, or are you selling a solution to a problem you created?

In my mid-20s, during what seemed to be a crucial phase in my career, I began considering the lasting effects—not only of the products we develop but also of the marketing strategies we deploy.

It hit me: If you don’t wake up every day as a marketer facing an ethical dilemma about what you’re introducing to society, you probably don’t understand marketing quite like you think you do.

As marketers, we ask for people’s time and influence how they use their resources. We do this by shaping their thoughts and values. This is a powerful tool, and it comes with responsibility.

Over time, I realized there are two kinds of people:
1️⃣ Those who solve real problems and change the world.
2️⃣ Those who invent problems to exploit vulnerabilities and make money.

The founders, marketers, and mentors I’ve admired most all had a sense of purpose. They weren’t just building solutions—they were solving real problems. And the funny thing? The money always seemed to follow.

Yvon Chouinard put it perfectly: “Profit is what happens when you do everything else right.”

I’d rather get rich doing good than get rich to then do good. That simple mindset shift in my mid-20s changed everything for me, which was the catalyst for exiting several brands to get to where I am now. So if you’re here supporting the journey, thank you, I hope you’re early. 😉

So, my question I’d like to leave you with is—can marketing be both ethical and profitable? Or is it always a balancing act?

Feel free to reply with your thoughts!

PS - Here’s a video of me further explaining these thoughts on a podcast with my buddy Ted.

teddyg111

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Teddy Giard

In case you don’t already know, my name is Teddy, and I operate a firm that specializes in marketing strategies for outdoor brands. Our approach is simple: align your product development timeline with your marketing production timeline; by doing so, we can own the distribution of our message and our products.

If you’d like to explore working together, feel free to fill out this form, and if we’re a good fit, we can schedule a discovery call. We ask this because we keep a fairly narrow target for whom we work, and we like to be as open about that on the front end as possible. After all, time is life’s most valuable resource.