When Visibility Beats Experience

"I lost a $50k Customer to a YouTuber"! - Ryan Wimpey, Tip Top K9

For decades, small business owners were taught that experience, expertise, and operational excellence were enough to win customers. Build a solid business, deliver quality work, and referrals would follow. That mold is breaking.

Today, many highly experienced business owners are losing customers to more visible businesses—not because they lack skill or credibility, but because trust is now built through attention before it’s earned through transactions.

In the latest episode of Elevating Enterprise, I spoke with Ryan Wimpey, founder of Tip Top K9, about scaling through systems, SOPs, and training people—not just delivering a service. Ryan built a national franchise with 25 locations by obsessing over documentation, training, and repeatable processes.

Yet even with all that infrastructure in place, Ryan still lost a potential franchisee to a competitor with stronger online visibility and a "hot YouTube Channel".

That moment became a turning point. His company promptly turned their attention to building a YouTube Channel with almost 100,000 subscribers in less than a year.

Ryan didn’t turn to YouTube to chase popularity. He did it because he realized visibility had become part of the growth equation. Systems help you scale, but content helps you get chosen. (Hear his story in the 2-min vid below)

Listen to the Full Episode

Elevating Enterprise episode 11 “You Can’t Scale What You Can’t Teach or Repeat”,

dives deeper into how SOPs, training systems, and visibility must work together for sustainable scale.

🎧 Available now on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart Radio

Doing Business in the Age of Social Media

Social-first businesses—YouTubers, podcasters, and content-driven brands—aren’t just creators. They are building modern businesses that prioritize trust, repetition, and presence. By showing up consistently on social platforms, they create parasocial relationships where audiences feel connected long before a purchase decision is made.

This is where many traditional businesses fall behind. They may have years of experience, but little visibility. Strong systems, but no ongoing conversation with their audience. Great service, but no content trail to prove it.

YouTube and Podcasting Are Social Media

One of the biggest misconceptions I see is the belief that social media only means short-form posts, trends, or constant promotion. In reality, YouTube channels and podcasts are some of the most powerful forms of social media available to small businesses.

They allow you to:

• Build trust through long-form conversations

• Demonstrate expertise without selling

• Stay top of mind through consistent presence

• Create social proof that lives beyond reviews

Join the Conversation

I’ll be continuing this conversation in person at the upcoming meeting hosted by the Greater Rochester Black Business Alliance (GRBBA), where I’ll be speaking about why podcasting functions as social media—and why it’s one of the most underutilized marketing tools for small businesses.

Event: Social Media for Small Business

Date: Monday, January 5, 2026

Time: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM (Dinner included)

Location: M&T Boardroom 3 City Center180 S. Clinton Ave Rochester, NY 14604

How to Register:

📧 Email GRBBAinc@gmail.com

Ryan’s story is just one example of a larger shift happening across industries. Experience still matters—but in today’s attention economy, visibility determines who gets trusted first.

The question for small business owners is no longer “

Am I good at what I do?”

It’s “Can people see, hear, and connect with me before they need me?”

That’s where growth begins.