Ash and Cedar Presents: Gatekept

In this episode, I sit down with Kyle Gordon, owner of Best Dad Media, to break down how he built his studio from the ground up.We cover:How he got his first clientsWhat actually worked vs what didn’tThe realities of running a creative businessLessons most people don’t talk aboutIf you're building a business or thinking about starting one, this is a real look behind the scenes.—Connect with Kyle:bestdadmedia.comwww.linkedin.com/in/bestdadmedia—I work with business owners on growth, performance, and execution.If you're scaling or trying to get to the next level, connect with me here:www.ashandcedarconsulting.com—Subscribe for more conversations with real operators.

In this episode of Gatekept, Michael sits down with Xavier Johnson, founder of Rise & Run Media, to talk about why most companies misunderstand LinkedIn and the difference between visibility and real pipeline.Xavier shares his journey from working inside agencies to launching his own firm and the lessons he learned along the way. The conversation explores how founders and companies think about marketing, why attention alone doesn’t create revenue, and how businesses can build systems that actually generate opportunities.They discuss the realities of B2B marketing, how LinkedIn advertising fits into a larger strategy, and what founders should consider when trying to turn content and visibility into measurable growth.If you're a founder, entrepreneur, operator, or business leader, this conversation offers practical insights on how marketing, positioning, and pipeline actually work in the real world.----------------------------------------Learn more about Xavier JohnsonWebsitehttps://riseandrunmedia.comLinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-johnson-/----------------------------------------About GatekeptGatekept is a podcast about the real stories behind business, leadership, and building something from nothing. Each episode features founders, operators, and professionals sharing the lessons, failures, and decisions that shaped their careers — the conversations that usually stay behind closed doors.New episodes released regularly.----------------------------------------Chapters00:00 Introduction02:10 Xavier's path from agency to founder07:45 The visibility vs pipeline problem15:30 Why most companies misunderstand LinkedIn25:40 Turning attention into revenue38:00 Advice for founders building a marketing system----------------------------------------Tagslinkedin marketingb2b marketinglinkedin strategylinkedin adslinkedin for businessentrepreneur podcastfounder podcastb2b growth strategybusiness leadership podcaststartup foundershow to generate leads on linkedinlinkedin visibility vs pipelinexavier johnson rise and runrise and run mediagatekept podcast----------------------------------------#LinkedInMarketing #B2BMarketing #Entrepreneurship #FounderStories #GatekeptPodcast