BAD Marketing Podcast with Eddie Maalouf

In this unique episode, we flip the script. Kurtis Anderton, former top closer at BAD Marketing and founder of Agency Closers, turns the tables and interviews Eddie Maalouf instead of the usual format. Kurtis asks the questions nobody else would dare to ask, diving deep into Eddie's decision to buy Scoville Hot Chicken (and why he'd go all-in on chicken over Bad Marketing if forced to choose), his unconventional approach to family-business integration, the real story behind his brother's kidnapping in Haiti, and how he makes 50+ critical business decisions while casually sitting on beanbags. You'll discover Eddie's philosophy on speed over perfection (making 100 decisions with 20% wrong beats making 3 perfect ones), his "poker face" advantage in crisis situations, why he negotiates every deal like his life depends on it, and his brutally honest take on parenting kids who are growing up with generational wealth. This isn't your typical business podcast, it's an unfiltered look inside the mind of someone operating multiple eight-figure businesses simultaneously, all while refusing to let any deal happen on terms that aren't his. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & Kurtis's Journey at BAD Marketing 01:48 - Why Chicken? The Story Behind Scoville 06:04 - Simplifying Business: Menu Cuts & Systems 09:33 - Managing Multiple Businesses & Time Allocation 12:00 - Family & Relationship Integration 14:44 - Parenting with Wealth: Teaching Kids About Money 18:46 - Speed in Business: Making Fast Decisions 26:40 - Sales & Negotiation Mastery 37:20 - Brother's Kidnapping: Leadership Under Pressure 42:54 - Life Lessons & Legacy for His Daughters 54:51 - Closing Thoughts & Rapid Fire Questions

Sam Maxwell (Co-founder, Cold Life) joins us to share what he's learned during his journey from literally nothing, having to pressure wash, to building an eight-figure e-commerce business. After his Amazon businesses were failing, his photo booth brand was failing, and he was losing all his money, practically going to zero, and was addicted to Adderall, Sam channeled his desire to get off the prescription by turning to cold plunging and into a relentless drive to succeed. In this episode, Sam breaks down his rise in e-commerce, the transition from his photo booth business that he didn't have a passion for, to focusing all his efforts on the Cold Life, the high-ticket lessons he gained from his prior business, and why he believes the founder's content is the top-performing ad for his business. Join us to discover the strategies behind scaling an e-commerce brand, why having a quality product and customer experience matters, and how to turn massive failures and nearly going out of business into an eight-figure valuation. Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction & Sam's Rock Bottom 2:02 - The Birth of The Cold Life 6:30 - Partnering with Kyle & Creating the "Human-Sized Yeti Cup" 10:20 - The Chiller Crisis & Nearly Going Out of Business 14:10 - The Gary Brecka Partnership That Changed Everything 18:46 - Raising Capital & The Mark Wahlberg Investment 24:29 - Marketing Strategy: From Meta to Multi-Channel 32:00 - Why Founder Content Became Their Top-Performing Ad 38:19 - High-Ticket E-Commerce as an "Info Offer" 40:40 - Pivoting to Subscription Revenue & Building a Wellness Brand

Chapters: Rafeh Qazi (Co-founder, Poppy.AI) joins us to share what he's learned during is journey from a struggling immigrant to building a $50M AI startup. After a car accident left his mother injured and his family with no money to pay for surgery, Rafeh channeled his frustration into a relentless drive to succeed. In this episode, Rafeh breaks down his rise to fame teaching millions to code, and his pivoted from service-based businesses to building Poppy.AI, the insights he gained from Alex Hormozi, and why he believes software is the ultimate asset for building wealth. Join us to discover the strategies behind scaling an AI business, why "product-founder fit" matters more than market fit, and how to turn massive failures into an 8-figure valuation. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 02:50 - Motivation and The Car Accident That Changed Rafeh's Life 05:26 - Learning to Code to Survive 07:04 - Dropping Out of College to Teach 13:05 - Launching Courses that Made of $150K 22:49 - The Lawsuit, Losing Everything, and Meeting Alex Hormozi 31:28 - Why He Built Poppy.AI (SaaS vs. Services) 37:07 - Using Poppy.AI to Generate THOUSANDS for Our Clients 48:00 - AI Copywriting vs Humans 53:04 - Scaling with Affiliates and Hitting $500k Per Month 59:43 - Valuation and Raising Capital 1:05:35 - Talent Vs Money (Which Bottleneck is a Harder Problem?)

Luke Belmar (Founder of Gem Hunters and Ecom Society) joins us in this episode to share his journey to building multiple eight-figure businesses and a massive online following. Luke breaks down his philosophy on breaking free from societal "programming," leveraging the "digital gold rush," and why he believes the internet has democratized opportunity for everyone, regardless of background. Luke discusses the mindset of "multiplication vs. addition" for wealth, how he made his first millions through e-commerce and crypto, and why he started by providing services like pressure washing and cleaning toilets. He also reveals the real secret to building his personal brand: mastering content distribution over content creation, and explains why faith and "natural order" are his keys to remaining unconflicted and successful. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a digital creator, or an investor looking to understand the next wave of opportunity, this episode is packed with unfiltered insights on mindset, marketing, and money. Tune in to learn what it truly takes to build wealth and self-sovereignty in today's world. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 03:43 - How to Make Your First Dollar (From Cleaning Toilets to Capital Club) 06:49 - The Internet is the Ultimate Opportunity 15:04 - The Mindset Secret to Success 19:52 - Stop Chasing Opportunity, Start Attracting It 26:25 - Escaping the 9-to-5 "Matrix" 32:27 - How to Multiply Your Money 38:08 - Behind the Scenes - How Luke Belmar Made His First Millions in Crypto 42:42 - The Modern War for Your Mind 51:09 - Best Ways to Make Money Right Now 1:01:24 - Luke Belmar's Personal Brand Strategy 1:12:20 - The REAL Cost of Fame 1:15:20 - What's the BEST Piece of Advice You Ever Received?

Doug (Founder, LeadFi) shares his transformative journey from dedicated Navy officer to innovative marketing entrepreneur. Starting with nothing but determination, Doug built his business by implementing unconventional client acquisition strategies while still on active duty—from collecting business cards at local coffee shops to cold emailing prospects during lunch breaks. Despite facing resistance from military leadership, his side hustle quickly outpaced his Navy salary, eventually generating six figures monthly. Doug's story exemplifies how military discipline and service-oriented mindset can translate into entrepreneurial success, proving that helping others achieve their goals is the fastest path to building your own empire in the digital marketing landscape.