{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Is Anything Real?","title":"Trust Gets You Found: The Boring Business Growth Strategy That Works | Ep. 79 w/ John de Jong (Alley Kat Signs & Marketing)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1583,"description":"What happens when a leader shows you exactly who you never want to become?\nJohn de Jong almost died from a burst appendix.\nTwo days later, his boss called...not to check on him, but to ask when he’d be back at work.\nThat moment reshaped how John understood leadership, performance, culture, and what actually drives business growth.\nIn this episode of Is Anything Real?, Adam W. Barney sits down with John de Jong, founder of AlleyKat Signs and Marketing, for a grounded conversation about leadership, visibility, reputation, local business, and doing business like a human.\nJohn built a multi-million-dollar sign and marketing business by focusing on something most business owners overlook:\nTrust compounds.\n\nThis isn't a conversation about marketing hacks. It's about reputation, consistency, leadership, Google reviews, local visibility, and why being findable beats being clever.\nJohn shares why he bought a practical sign business, how he turned Google reviews into a growth engine, why replying to reviews matters, and why local businesses should optimize their Google Business Profile before spending more money on ads.\nAdam and John also explore the leadership side of growth: why culture affects performance, why relationships with staff matter, and why valuable people create valuable relationships, which create valuable results.\nIn this episode:\nThe near-death moment that changed John’s leadership philosophy\nWhy performance dropped 40% after a leadership failure\nWhy culture is a performance multiplier\nWhy boring businesses are often built to last\nWhy buying an existing business can be smarter than starting from scratch\nWhy every business should ask for and reply to Google reviews\nHow reputation compounds faster than traffic\nWhy local businesses need a stronger Google Business Profile\nWhy AI is useful only when trained by actual intelligence\nWhy growth follows trust, not tricks\nGuest:\nJohn de Jong\nFounder, AlleyKat Signs & Marketing\nLinkedIn:...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/Qn6TLpgWpRcPjyPIUKbjo4kO0hmw0xfZwNq28E-eqNw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jYTRk/YjIxZjYwNmEyOGI5/Nzc1ODRjNWM5NjQ3/MjE2NC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}