#416: Mike Thompson

Matt reconnects with longtime industry friend Mike Thompson, now at Sesimi, for a wide-ranging conversation on sales, storytelling, creative automation, AI, family, and the human side of career pivots. Mike joins on the road from Houston and shares what life looks like eight months into his new role at Sesimi. The conversation explores how he approaches conference networking at scale, why relationship-based selling still wins in a noisy AI-fueled market, and how hyper-personalized outreach can cut through when generic automation fails. Matt and Mike also dig into what Sesimi actually does — from creative automation and brand compliance to co-op and MDF management — and why that matters for distributed brands, dealer networks, franchise systems, and partner ecosystems trying to move faster without losing control of their identity. Beyond the tech and go-to-market talk, the episode turns personal. Mike reflects on leaving New Hampshire after 42 years so his daughter could live in a climate better suited to her health, what that leap of faith changed for his family, and why support, resilience, and perspective matter more than ever. They also talk about the renewed value of the trades, the limits of AI in brand and creative work, and why human differentiation may matter even more in the years ahead.