Advertising That Feels Like Value, Not Noise
With Lonn Shulkin (President, BAM Strategy)
Episode Summary
This week, Myles Biggs and Patrick Patterson sit down with Lonn Shulkin, founder of BAM Advertising, for a candid conversation about leadership, trust, and what it actually takes to build an agency that lasts.
From Lonn’s early career lessons to BAM’s growth and eventual partnership with Level Agency, this episode explores how people-first leadership, emotional intelligence, and long-term thinking outperform short-term tactics. Lonn shares hard-earned insights on managing ego, earning trust with clients and teams, and why retention, not acquisition, is the true indicator of success.
Rather than chasing hacks or hype, this conversation focuses on building organizations grounded in values, accountability, and genuine care for people.
If you care about leadership, sustainable growth, or creating work environments people don’t want to leave, this episode is for you.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- From ego to empathy: How self-awareness and humility shape better leaders and healthier teams.
- Trust as a growth strategy: Why trust, not tactics, is the foundation of long-term client and employee retention.
- Retention over acquisition: Why keeping clients and people matters more than chasing constant new wins.
- Values-driven growth: How aligning principles made the BAM × Level partnership possible.
- Leadership under pressure: Navigating insecurity, decision-making, and responsibility at scale.
- Marketing that feels like value: Why the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all.
- Culture as a competitive advantage: How strong internal culture translates directly to client outcomes.
Featured Guest
Lonn Shulkin — Founder, BAM Advertising
Entrepreneur and agency leader focused on trust-based relationships, long-term growth, and people-first leadership.
Learn More
Takeaways for Operators & Leaders
- Start with trust, not tactics, internally and externally.
- Retention is a lagging indicator of leadership quality.
- Growth without values creates fragility, not scale.
- Ego is often the hidden constraint in leadership decisions.
- The best marketing creates value before asking for anything in return.
- Partnerships work when cultures align, not just balance sheets.
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How to Support the Show
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- Rate & review if this conversation brought you value.
- Share the episode with leaders building people-first organizations.
