In this concise 7‑minute interview, Professor Pete Alexander talks with Luke Acree, president of Reminder Media, about helping small‑business owners grow through drip‑marketing and sales focus. Luke explains that his company turns client relationships into repeat business and referrals. He emphasizes that sales is the heart of any business, coining the mantra “Sales Solves All Pain,” and argues that prioritizing sales provides the cash needed to refine products and operations. He outlines four leadership pillars—clear vision, inspiring the team, walking alongside them (including hands‑on sales work), and strict accountability—to drive growth toward high‑revenue goals. Luke recommends his long‑time chief marketing officer, Josh Steik, as a future podcast guest, highlighting his 17‑year tenure and marketing expertise. He shares his first “job” playing in a family band from age 13, noting how booking shows and engaging audiences taught him people skills, stage presence, and the art of persuading an unresponsive crowd—foundations for his current sales and marketing work. The episode closes with contact details for Reminder Media (remindermedia.com, @ReminderMedia).
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
So my name is Luke Acre. I'm the president of Reminder Media. We have the privilege to help small business owners really with their drip marketing. So we take their clients, create them into raving fans that refer them and give them repeat business.
Luke, it's great to have you on the call. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
You know, I love helping entrepreneurs close more deals. Which puts commission checks in their pocket, which ultimately changes the way they live. I love that feeling of helping people make money.
Oh, I love that. Yeah, because you must be a pretty popular person, I would think.
I'd like to think so.
I would think so too. Question number 3: I have a fictitious book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
So the chapter I think you should read is Sales Solves All Pain.
I like that. You want to explain a little bit more?
Yeah, so, you know, ultimately I think a lot of businesses get lost in trying to make a product perfect or trying to make their operations perfect, and they never sell. And they don't realize that if you just focus first and foremost on the sale, everything else— you have money at that point to refine your products, money at that point to have a little bit of even waste, believe it or not. And sales is what gets a business running. It's the heart of the business.
Got it, got it. Thank you for that. Question number 4: Other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
I think the advice I give to business leaders is really 4 different pillars. One is I think you have to set your clear vision. Two is you have to inspire people to that vision, right? And 3, how do you inspire them? You have to walk with them, right? You say you have to do the work with them. So if it's sales, get in there, make a sales phone call. And then fourth, where I think most businesses fail the most trying to make that leap to that $100 million or $200 million, is you must hold people accountable to the vision and you cannot let your standards low. And most people set their standards so low and they don't hold accountability. So those are the real 4 pillars that I would give.
I think that's really insightful, especially as you said, the most important one being that accountability aspect. Is it because if you hold them accountable, you know that they're going to take responsibility for whatever is their response, their, what they have on their plate, or is it something different?
So I think accountability holds people to the best version of themselves. So I think just like you need a physical trainer in the gym, it's not that you can't go to the gym by yourself, right, and lift weights by yourself, but you need a physical trainer sometimes because they keep you there on the days you don't want to be there. And accountability, if you have strong accountability standards and core values and those things, that drive your company, that ultimately is what will get people to show up on the days they don't feel like it. And we all have days that we don't feel like it.
Absolutely. And that makes total sense. Thank you for that insight. Question number 5: What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
So I think a great guest on this show would be my chief marketing officer, Josh. So Josh actually does a podcast with me. This guy's a genius. Started the company in a garage and has been with this for 17 years. And so he has— he's a master marketer, let's just say. So he's our CMO here.
Perfect. And what's Josh's last name?
Josh Steik.
Okay, recognizing the full name. And question number 6: please tell me about your first job.
So, I mean, some people won't consider this a real job, and it probably wasn't, but, you know, I had the privilege— I grew up homeschooled and I played in a band. With my, with my brothers, and we did that from about 13 years old all the way up to college, and we were playing shows every weekend. And I love that job because it really taught me the nuances of really dealing with people, both from the booking standpoint, in booking whether it's church venues, camps, clubs, those type of things, but also the nuances of leading people from a stage. And a lot of times people won't clap, and how do you get people to clap and laugh when they don't feel like it? When you're up on stage. And I think that's ultimately what led me into what I love today, which is sales and marketing. But that job I did for many, many years, sometimes it was a job, but most of the time it was fun.
Oh, I love that. It's nothing. And I love how you said about, you know, when the people aren't clapping or they don't seem to be engaged and you really do, you have to use your best sales and marketing techniques to get people to get excited about whatever it is that you're performing, right?
Yeah, just because they don't clap doesn't mean they don't want to. Just because someone says no, it's not a never in sales, right? So you can usually get a crowd clapping even if they don't start off that way.
Oh, I love it. Luke, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find you?
Yeah, so if you want to connect, we'd love to connect with you. The company's name is Reminder Media, and you can find us on all social media channels @ReminderMedia, or you can find us remindermedia.com.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, or iTunes and search for the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
