Today in the Sky Lounge we are joined by Mike Martin, fractional CMO at TechCXO and creative veteran behind some of advertising's most impactful campaigns. Mike shares the inside story of creating the legendary Truth anti-smoking campaign, producing million-dollar Super Bowl spots that ran only once, and why he believes vanilla content is the biggest risk brands can take. From dealing with maniacal bosses who threw storyboards down hallways to accidentally creating viral moments with ice cream trucks at elementary schools, Mike's career spans the evolution from traditional advertising to AI-powered creativity. Plus, hear his travel adventures including swimming with 400-pound pigs in the Bahamas and getting rewarded for government success by having his program cancelled.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Mike Martin is often described as a muse for creative-minded entrepreneurs and executive leaders who struggle to synthesize the brand story swirling in their heads. He operates at the intersection of Performance & Persuasion with an unwavering belief that revenue growth is accelerated when creativity has accountability and content marketing is grounded in human truth. Mike is a rare breed of CMO who cut his teeth on the creative side, building award-winning campaigns before pivoting into being an agency owner, tech startup founder, and software development shop CMO before exiting.

Mike is well acquainted with the entrepreneurs journey and navigating periods of prosperity and adversity. With decades of experience in consumer marketing, B2B & B2C SaaS, G2C, and tech startups, he helps brands recalibrate strategy, reconfigure teams, and refocus on revenue growth as an interim and fractional CMO.

CONTACT:

Email: mike.martin@techcxo.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-martin-atl/

What is THE SKY LOUNGE?

Tales from the Sky Lounge takes you on a journey through business, consulting, and venture investing, hearing stories from the entrepreneurs, consultants, and investors shaping these industries.

ABOUT OUR HOST:

Todd Merrill is an experienced software executive who typically assists clients as a fractional or interim CTO and CiSO as a partner at TechCXO.

He has served in a series of companies as a C-Level executive focused on leveraging the Cloud to bring SaaS offerings to market. As an entrepreneur, turn-around expert, technology and product leader, and mentor, Todd has held full corporate P&L and product development responsibilities and directed diverse international teams of Engineering Managers, Mobile Architects, Developers, Dev Ops, QA, and Customer Success professionals.

Subscribe and turn on notifications to listen to new episodes as they launch!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfeCS-Varb4gu2uCwyRTXWWEdP676Huh6

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jz6ubcaUZ20Xh8TXhwzEN

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tales-from-the-sky-lounge/id1730134658

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4ba289a5-0d33-4589-95c7-83416731a864/tales-from-the-sky-lounge

Follow Tales From The SkyLounge on Social Media

X/Twitter: https://x.com/TFTSkyLounge

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tftskylounge/

Learn more about TechCXO: https://www.techcxo.com/

Production/Design: James Liebman

Music: Soundstripe/Cody Martin-Sunrise

"

Today in the Sky Lounge we are joined by Ted Stone, a 72-year-old fractional CFO at TechCXO who's living proof that experience beats age in the business world. Ted shares insights from four decades of private equity deals, including rollups, spinoffs, and integrations that taught him every strategy in the playbook. He explains how the ""silver tsunami"" of baby boomer business exits is creating unprecedented opportunities for private equity firms, why ESOPs are emerging as attractive exit strategies, and how fractional executive work lets veterans stay in the game past traditional retirement. Plus, hear his incredible travel story about surviving not one but two helicopter incidents on a single business trip.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Ted is an experienced CFO who has worked with companies from start-ups to $2 billion global firms across technology-intensive industries including software, energy efficiency, logistics, and manufacturing.

He combines finance, operations, and engineering expertise to build transparent management systems and drive value creation through operational turnarounds, acquisitions, and growth opportunities. Ted's collaborative, low-ego approach bridges technology teams with business leaders, and he has extensive experience in capital raising, M&A transactions, and consistently helping companies outperform competitors in equity value creation.

CONTACT:

Email: ted.stone@techcxo.com

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tedstonecfo

What is THE SKY LOUNGE?

Tales from the Sky Lounge takes you on a journey through business, consulting, and venture investing, hearing stories from the entrepreneurs, consultants, and investors shaping these industries.

ABOUT OUR HOST:

Todd Merrill is an experienced software executive who typically assists clients as a fractional or interim CTO and CiSO as a partner at TechCXO.

He has served in a series of companies as a C-Level executive focused on leveraging the Cloud to bring SaaS offerings to market. As an entrepreneur, turn-around expert, technology and product leader, and mentor, Todd has held full corporate P&L and product development responsibilities and directed diverse international teams of Engineering Managers, Mobile Architects, Developers, Dev Ops, QA, and Customer Success professionals.

Subscribe and turn on notifications to listen to new episodes as they launch!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfeCS-Varb4gu2uCwyRTXWWEdP676Huh6

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jz6ubcaUZ20Xh8TXhwzEN

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tales-from-the-sky-lounge/id1730134658

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4ba289a5-0d33-4589-95c7-83416731a864/tales-from-the-sky-lounge

Follow Tales From The SkyLounge on Social Media

X/Twitter: https://x.com/TFTSkyLounge

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tftskylounge/

Learn more about TechCXO: https://www.techcxo.com/

Production/Design: James Liebman

Music: Soundstripe/Cody Martin-Sunrise

Today in the Sky Lounge we are joined by Virginie Glaenzer, fractional CMO at TechCXO and author of ""The Economy of Abundance."" From landing in Silicon Valley with four suitcases during the height of the dot-com boom to building community-driven marketing strategies that outperform traditional branding, Virginie shares insights from 25 years of digital transformation. She explains why the AI revolution exceeds the internet boom in scope, how Gen Z is rejecting traditional business models, and why the future belongs to co-creators rather than controllers. Plus hear about her minimalist lifestyle, founding the Acorn Oak women's community, and why Dubai's mall-centric culture shocked this world traveler.

What is THE SKY LOUNGE?

Tales from the Sky Lounge takes you on a journey through business, consulting, and venture investing, hearing stories from the entrepreneurs, consultants, and investors shaping these industries.

ABOUT OUR HOST:

Todd Merrill is an experienced software executive who typically assists clients as a fractional or interim CTO and CiSO as a partner at TechCXO.

He has served in a series of companies as a C-Level executive focused on leveraging the Cloud to bring SaaS offerings to market. As an entrepreneur, turn-around expert, technology and product leader, and mentor, Todd has held full corporate P&L and product development responsibilities and directed diverse international teams of Engineering Managers, Mobile Architects, Developers, Dev Ops, QA, and Customer Success professionals.

Subscribe and turn on notifications to listen to new episodes as they launch!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfeCS-Varb4gu2uCwyRTXWWEdP676Huh6

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jz6ubcaUZ20Xh8TXhwzEN

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tales-from-the-sky-lounge/id1730134658

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4ba289a5-0d33-4589-95c7-83416731a864/tales-from-the-sky-lounge

Follow Tales From The SkyLounge on Social Media

X/Twitter: https://x.com/TFTSkyLounge

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tftskylounge/

Learn more about TechCXO: https://www.techcxo.com/

Production/Design: James Liebman

Music: Soundstripe/Cody Martin-Sunrise