Great post Will! Whenever we worked together on projects we discussed, budgets and allocations ON OUR FIRST MEETING! The other marketing gem you personify is that we're ALL responsible for marketing! Sole proprietor, start ups, prep cooks and managers alike need to think about how they allocate a portion of their TIME to marketing. Each of us needs to evangelize where we work, what we do and most importantly how that solves our customer's need. (Hint: It's not someone else's responsibility. Especially when you're made redundant when sales are flat) Who would you rather buy from; the flight attendant who sits in the back of the plane bitching about the shoddy company they work for with a co worker, or the rental car attendant who upgrades your contract because the line was dreadfully long at the counter? Sure much of this has to do with "empowerment," but much of it also has to do with being happy to serve the customer and evangelizing the product or service you sell. Thanks for both lessons Will!