James Colistra spent a decade at Forbes giving founders and CEOs a stage to tell their stories. Then one day an HR invite hit his calendar and it was all over. No warning. No explanation.
His eight year old daughter looked him in the eyes and asked, "Daddy, why did they get rid of you? You're the best." That moment broke him and rebuilt him at the same time.
James decided he did not need a big brand to do what he loved. So he built Wonderfish from nothing. What started as a marketing agency evolved into a podcast guesting and visibility platform helping founders get their stories heard across the media landscape.
In this episode we unpack the full zero to market journey. From building forts out of wheat fields in upstate New York to launching a ketchup company on Kickstarter to eventually finding his lane in what he calls visibility engineering.
Key Takeaways
Your story is your competitive advantage in the age of AI. No algorithm can replicate your lived experience.
Vulnerability is not weakness. The moment James started sharing his layoff story publicly, everything changed.
Volume and consistency beat perfection. You do not need the perfect show or the perfect post. You need repetitions.
Perception is reality. If you are not visible, you do not exist. Media shapes perception and AI is now the intermediary between media and humans.
Start before you are ready. James launched a tumbler brand, a ketchup company, and a marketing agency before finding the thing that stuck. Every attempt taught him something he needed.
You do not need permission to own your narrative. Stop waiting. Start telling your story now.
https://wonderfish.xyz/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescolistra/