Cubicle to CEO

This is a free preview of a paid episode (40 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo ⁠ Continuing our series on leveraging events for business growth, today’s case study is a masterclass in using the resources and infrastructure of established brands to create co-branded experiences that accelerate your own brand expansion. Marty McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of Audacious and founder of Boss Women Media, launched a national events platform from a strategic partnership pitch to Sugarfina’s CEO. Her bold ask turned into sold out pop-ups in five cities, a 22,000-person virtual event, additional partnerships with Amazon and Capital One, and eventually, a book deal. We dig into the pitch, follow-up, and execution in this episode. Connect with Marty: ⁠ Grab a copy of Marty's book Audacious: https://a.co/d/0cFzSDdE https://bosswomen.org/audacious/ If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gemma Bonham-Carter has been making money online since before Instagram existed. After building a 7-figure education business helping over 20,000 entrepreneurs, she made a bold move: retiring multiple signature programs to go all-in on AI education in a market flooded with generic ChatGPT content.  While most online educators struggled in 2025, Gemma had her best year yet and is now targeting $10M. The founder of AI All Stars and host of the annual AI Unlocked conference, Gemma is a recognized voice in the industry with features in Entrepreneur, Inc., Business Insider, and Fast Company. But what sets her apart isn't the accolades - it's how she thinks about AI as business infrastructure. In this episode, she pulls back the curtain on what actually made her recession-proof when others weren't, why she was confident enough to retire the offers that were working, and the one mindset shift that could move your business forward this week. Connect with Gemma: ⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠https://gemmabonhamcarter.com ⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/gemma.bonhamcarter ⁠⁠⁠Workshop: ⁠https://gemmabonhamcarter.com/aiworkshop Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: ⁠cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (44 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo Continuing our series on leveraging events to grow in 2026, we’re joined today by Tiffany McQuaid. Tiffany McQuaid is the Regional Director of Strategy and Performance at SERHANT and author of The INth Degree: How To Stand Out By Going All In. Tiffany’s case study looks at how she built a multi-million dollar real estate brokerage in a crowded market through creative community events like a concert series, stone crab festivals, and safari-themed open houses that created brand awareness and meaningful relationships. The results? $22 million in real estate sales in her first year of hosting events and a 400% increase in office foot traffic. In today's episode, Tiffany unpacks the full strategy behind "Rockin' on the Bay" and her broader community creation event playbook —including how she got the first event off the ground with no budget and why experience-based marketing continues to outperform everything else she's tried. Connect with Tiffany: ⁠ Email Tiffany: [email protected] https://www.tiffanymcquaid.com/ Get Tiffany's book "The INth Degree: How to Stand Out By Going All In": https://a.co/d/3WpKHbP https://www.facebook.com/tiffanymcquaid https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-mcquaid-0ab6a454/ IG: @tiffanymcquaid If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does your brand accurately reflect the quality of your work? Alison Gardner, Founder and Creative Director of Perspektiiv Design Co., believes that when a brand is truly aligned with your values, your voice, and your vision, it stops being a source of stress and starts becoming one of your strongest business assets. A lifelong creative entrepreneur and mother, Alison brings both strategic depth and real-world experience to the brands she builds for visionaries and business owners who are ready to grow without burning themselves out in the process. In this episode, she breaks down the biggest misconceptions about branding that are keeping business owners stuck, the practical shifts that make a brand actually convert, and how to build something that feels clear, confident, and completely authentic to who you are. Connect with Alison: ⁠Website: https://www.perspektiiv.com ⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perspektiivdesignco/ ⁠Newsletter Sign Up: https://mailchi.mp/perspektiiv/newsletter Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠ If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (49 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo It’s a stretch for most events to attract 200 paid attendees; Create & Cultivate’s Festival is setting a new bar by reaching those numbers in speakers alone, and then selling out 2,000 tickets— their biggest event to date (with goals to double attendance this fall for round 2). Here to give us the playbook on exactly how they did it is Marina Middleton, the CEO + Co-Partner of Create & Cultivate: the largest events and media platform advancing women through access, connection, and opportunity. To kickoff ourseries on leveraging events as a business growth engine, Marina spills the tea on how Create & Cultivate differentiated Festival from other business events by creating value outside of content programming, and walks us through the timeline of strategic pricing and promotional pushes that sold out a 2,000 person event. Connect with Marina: ⁠ https://createcultivate.com https://www.marinamiddleton.com/  IG: @MarinaaMiddleton If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices