Why Agencies Need To Vertically Specialize with Corey Quinn - Mix & Matchbox Podcast
Tue Oct 28 2025
In this episode Brent Feldman sits down with Corey Quinn, the agency‑growth advisor behind Anyone, Not Everyone. Corey walks us through his journey from a 1999 streaming‑media startup to a Morgan Stanley sales trainee, a top‑performing business‑development rep, and then CMO of Scorpion. He shares hard‑won lessons on:
The generalist trap vs. vertical specialization
Building founder‑led sales systems you can hand off
How to scale culture and values during hyper‑growth (the Scorpion “Pantone swatch” story)
Why email newsletters are his single most powerful acquisition channel today
The pros & cons of multiple brand umbrellas (Scorpion Healthcare case study)
A quick preview of his new book “Anyone, Not Everyone” – plus a free audiobook link!
00:00 🎙️ Intro – Meet Brent & Corey
01:45 📜 Corey’s early days: 1999 streaming‑media startup & $6 M raise
04:20 💡 Lesson learned: missing mentorship & “wisdom” gap
06:05 🏦 From startup to Morgan Stanley – elite sales training experience
08:30 🚀 Jump back to the internet: business‑development & becoming #1 salesperson for 19 quarters
11:10 📈 Rise to CMO at Scorpion – scaling from 100 → 1,000 employees
13:45 🌟 How Scorpion built a values‑first culture (Pantone swatch & Disney Leadership Institute)
16:30 🏥 The Scorpion Healthcare brand decision – why a separate vertical mattered
18:55 🤔 Multi‑brand vs. single‑brand strategy – when to consolidate
21:20 📧 Corey’s email‑first marketing philosophy – owning your audience
24:00 📚 The rise of celebrity newsletters (Lil Jon, McConaughey, Huberman…)
26:15 🔍 The Generalist Trap – why agencies get stuck and how to escape
30:40 🎯 Vertical specialization vs. platform specialization in the AI era
34:10 🛠️ Building a founder‑independent sales process – productizing deals
38:05 ⚔️ Real‑world founder‑sales case study (law‑firm agency)
42:00 🚀 First actionable step for burned‑out owners – go niche
44:20 📣 The big catalyst that forces agencies to change (over‑reliance on inbound & referrals)
46:55 📘 Book promo: Anyone, Not Everyone – free audiobook & workbook link
48:30 🎉 Closing thoughts & thank‑yous
49:30 📢 Outro – Like, subscribe & stay tuned for the next episode
📚 Resources Mentioned
Corey’s Book: Anyone, Not Everyone – 5‑step system to move from founder‑led sales to vertical specialization.
Free audiobook + workbook: https://anyonenoteveryone.com
Amazon / Audible: Search “Anyone, Not Everyone Corey Quinn”
👍 If you found this episode valuable
Hit the Like button – it tells YouTube we should make more of this!
Subscribe and ring the 🔔 to never miss a new Mix & Matchbox episode.
Comment below: What vertical are you considering specializing in?
Thanks for watching – see you in the next episode! 🚀
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mix-and-matchbox8931/donations
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In this episode Brent Feldman sits down with Corey Quinn, the agency‑growth advisor behind Anyone, Not Everyone. Corey walks us through his journey from a 1999 streaming‑media startup to a Morgan Stanley sales trainee, a top‑performing business‑development rep, and then CMO of Scorpion. He shares hard‑won lessons on: The generalist trap vs. vertical specialization Building founder‑led sales systems you can hand off How to scale culture and values during hyper‑growth (the Scorpion “Pantone swatch” story) Why email newsletters are his single most powerful acquisition channel today The pros & cons of multiple brand umbrellas (Scorpion Healthcare case study) A quick preview of his new book “Anyone, Not Everyone” – plus a free audiobook link! 00:00 🎙️ Intro – Meet Brent & Corey 01:45 📜 Corey’s early days: 1999 streaming‑media startup & $6 M raise 04:20 💡 Lesson learned: missing mentorship & “wisdom” gap 06:05 🏦 From startup to Morgan Stanley – elite sales training experience 08:30 🚀 Jump back to the internet: business‑development & becoming #1 salesperson for 19 quarters 11:10 📈 Rise to CMO at Scorpion – scaling from 100 → 1,000 employees 13:45 🌟 How Scorpion built a values‑first culture (Pantone swatch & Disney Leadership Institute) 16:30 🏥 The Scorpion Healthcare brand decision – why a separate vertical mattered 18:55 🤔 Multi‑brand vs. single‑brand strategy – when to consolidate 21:20 📧 Corey’s email‑first marketing philosophy – owning your audience 24:00 📚 The rise of celebrity newsletters (Lil Jon, McConaughey, Huberman…) 26:15 🔍 The Generalist Trap – why agencies get stuck and how to escape 30:40 🎯 Vertical specialization vs. platform specialization in the AI era 34:10 🛠️ Building a founder‑independent sales process – productizing deals 38:05 ⚔️ Real‑world founder‑sales case study (law‑firm agency) 42:00 🚀 First actionable step for burned‑out owners – go niche 44:20 📣 The big catalyst that forces agencies to change (over‑reliance on inbound & referrals) 46:55 📘 Book promo: Anyone, Not Everyone – free audiobook & workbook link 48:30 🎉 Closing thoughts & thank‑yous 49:30 📢 Outro – Like, subscribe & stay tuned for the next episode 📚 Resources Mentioned Corey’s Book: Anyone, Not Everyone – 5‑step system to move from founder‑led sales to vertical specialization. Free audiobook + workbook: https://anyonenoteveryone.com Amazon / Audible: Search “Anyone, Not Everyone Corey Quinn” 👍 If you found this episode valuable Hit the Like button – it tells YouTube we should make more of this! Subscribe and ring the 🔔 to never miss a new Mix & Matchbox episode. Comment below: What vertical are you considering specializing in? Thanks for watching – see you in the next episode! 🚀 Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mix-and-matchbox8931/donations