Pharos Business Services Inc.

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  • Episode: Finding Your Signal in the Noise: Humor, Memorability, and Market Dominance with Jeff Kothe

    (Intro Music Fade In/Out)

    Jeff Borschowa (Host): Welcome back to The Lighthouse Sessions. If you’re navigating the complexities of building a business that feels truly yours, sometimes the best signals come from unexpected places. Today, we’re exploring one of those surprising tools: humor. My guest, Jeff Kothe, shares how leaning into humor isn’t just about getting laughs; it’s about cutting through the fog, making genuine connections, and becoming unforgettable in a way that aligns with who you are. For visionary founders like Alex Rivers, who crave clarity but resist rigid boxes, this conversation offers a different kind of map – one navigated with wit, intelligence, and authenticity.  

    Episode Highlights:

    • Humor Beyond Jokes: Jeff Kothe explains that integrating humor into business isn’t about telling knock-knock jokes in sales pitches. It’s about wit, wordplay, challenging norms, and using relatable moments to create connection and memorability.  
    • The Intelligence of Comedy: Effective humor requires intelligence, sharp editing, and the ability to convey a message concisely – skills valuable in any business communication. It’s about wordsmithing, not just punchlines.  
    • Memorable = More Opportunities: In sales and networking, being forgettable is the biggest risk. Humor helps you “scratch the record”, grabbing attention in unexpected ways and making you memorable enough to get those crucial follow-up interactions (the 5th to 12th touch where most sales happen).  
    • Authenticity Over Offense: Jeff Kothe advocates for clean, clever humor that engages rather than alienates. It’s about disrupting patterns and expectations, not about being offensive for shock value. The goal is to make leadership more approachable and foster creativity, not create HR issues.  
    • Finding Your “Onliness”: Jeff introduces the powerful concept of a “Market Dominating Position” – identifying what makes you uniquely better AND different from competitors. This creates “onliness,” allowing you to eliminate competition, set your own value, and stop feeling lost in a crowded market.

    Key Takeaways for Alex Rivers:

    • Humor as an Alignment Tool: If generic business-speak feels suffocating, consider how humor can be a more authentic way to communicate your vision and connect with others. It allows for creativity within communication.  
    • “Scratch the Record” Moments: Feeling stuck in predictable patterns? Jeff Kothe’s idea of creating unexpected moments can be a low-stakes way to stand out and re-engage people (and maybe even yourself) without overhauling entire systems. It’s about memorable distinction, not just noise.  
    • Beyond the Map – Defining Your “Onliness”: Struggling to define your unique value proposition in a way that feels true? Kothe’s “Market Dominating Position” concept isn’t just strategy; it’s about identifying the core of what makes you the only answer for the right people. This clarity can be a powerful lighthouse in the fog. What makes you better and different?  
    • Connecting Through Shared Experience: Humor often works best when it taps into shared, relatable human experiences (like bad meetings or confusing product names). This resonates with the need for genuine connection, not just transactional interactions.  

    Golden Nuggets:

    • “Humor makes you more memorable, and more memorable makes more at-bats.”
    • “The perfect joke is the least amount of words to draw the same picture in the mind of the listener.” (Think: Clarity and Impact)  
    • “If they don’t remember the first time for the second touch, the fifth one’s pretty much impossible.” (On the value of memorability in the sales cycle)  
    • “My answer is, ‘I am awesome, but I am improving.’” (An example of a simple “scratch the record” response)  
    • “If you’re offended on the behalf of somebody else, you need to go.” (A perspective on navigating cancel culture and authenticity)  
    • “If you don’t know what your market dominating position is, your clients, your prospects have no way of knowing.”  
    • “What makes you better and different… makes you the only game in town. They stop shopping.”

    Connect with Jeff Kothe:

    Find Jeff Kothe and explore how humor can transform your business communication and positioning:

    (Outro Music Fade In)

    Jeff Borschowa (Host): Don’t forget to subscribe to The Lighthouse Sessions for more conversations that illuminate the path for visionary founders. Until next time, keep seeking your signal.

  • The Pharos Effect Introduction

    Welcome & Vision

    Welcome, visionary founders. If you’re here, it’s likely because you see yourself as a creative force—someone who knows there’s more to business than hustle and hype. And yet, even the most brilliant leaders often find themselves caught in chaos, wondering:

    “Why does this still feel so hard?”

    That’s exactly what The Pharos Effect is designed to solve.

    The Lighthouse Metaphor

    We begin with a metaphor—the lighthouse, literally “Pharos”, named after the famed Lighthouse of Alexandria, the first known lighthouse in history. Our mission and model are built on this concept:

    Every founder deserves a guiding light—a way to navigate growth without losing themselves in the storm.

    Most businesses don’t fail due to lack of effort. They struggle because they’re sailing without a map—without guidance, tools, or a clear path forward.

    The Three Pillars of The Pharos Effect

    At the heart of the Pharos Effect are three interlocking forces, represented in our logo:

    1. Insight – Seeing what truly matters.
    2. Clarity – Turning insight into structured, strategic action.
    3. Growth – Expanding sustainably, without losing your soul.

    Insight

    This is where most businesses fall short. As Abraham Lincoln once said:

    “If I had four hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first three sharpening my axe.”

    We aim to sharpen that axe—to focus on what truly matters.

    Clarity

    Once we gain insight, we structure it into focused action. Borrowing from Sun Tzu:

    “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

    We guide you to both the what and the how.

    Growth

    Many want to skip straight to growth, but without insight and clarity, growth can be chaotic and even harmful. When all three pillars align, you enter a rhythm that feels like freedom.

    The Three Perils

    Before reaching the Pharos Effect, most founders encounter one of three perils:

    1. Fogbound – You have a plan, but no visible path forward.
    2. Drifting – You’re growing, but directionless and overwhelmed.
    3. Storm-Tossed – You have ambition, but lack structure, leading to exhaustion and burnout.

    These are not flaws. They’re natural patterns. Our lighthouse is here to guide you safely to shore.

    The ALICE Cycle – A 5-Stage Growth Framework

    We navigate out of these perils using our 5-stage cycle, known as ALICE:

    1. A – Assess
      Who do you serve? What do you offer? Why does it matter?
    2. L – Lead
      Create a permission-based direction—your personal plan.
    3. I – Implement
      Build momentum without chaos.
    4. C – Calibrate
      Monitor progress, adjust, and realign with your North Star.
    5. E – Enhance
      Optimize and elevate. Find your next edge.

    This cycle applies to each phase—Insight, Clarity, and Growth—and is meant to be an upward spiral, not a linear path.

    Rhythm Over Perfection

    Growth is not linear, nor purely exponential. It’s rhythmic. As long as you’re in sync with your values and business, you’ll grow sustainably.

    Each pass through ALICE brings more insight, clarity, and alignment. Over time, you enter what we call:

    The Green Path – a state of mastery where your mindset, skill set, and gear set align with your strategy.

    The Power of Mindset

    Mindset is often overlooked until it’s desperately needed. It’s foundational.

    “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

    With the right mindset:

    • You’ll recognize the skills you need.
    • You’ll know which tools (gear set) matter.
    • You’ll stop chasing tools and start mastering them.

    Meet “Alex Rivers”

    Alex Rivers is a fictional character—a mirror of myself. Alex represents visionary, neurodivergent, creative founders overwhelmed by generic business advice.

    Alex doesn’t need another guru. He needs a rhythm that feels safe, natural, and scalable. So do you.

    We built The Pharos Effect to provide a structure that honors your soul. A rhythm that works for how you think and lead.

    Visionary Patience & Strategy

    As visionary founders, we often want to launch now. But true progress comes from balancing patience with action:

    • Start with a minimum viable product.
    • Test it with beta users.
    • Gather feedback.
    • Then launch the next iteration.

    “If people aren’t willing to pay for it, you don’t have something worth selling.” – Noah Kagan

    The Pharos Founders Circle – A Mastermind (and More)

    This isn’t just a mastermind—it’s a homecoming. If this model feels like a breath of fresh air:

    • You’re not broken.
    • You don’t need to hustle harder.
    • You just need a lighthouse.

    We built the Founders Circle for people like you—visionary, neurodivergent, deeply creative, often overwhelmed by brilliance.

    This is about:

    • Attuning, not conforming.
    • Growing sustainably, not frenetically.
    • Building from alignment, not anxiety.

    Welcome Home!

    If you’re ready to scale with soul, lead with clarity, and reconnect with your vision—you’re invited.

    “You just need to remember who you are. If that feels like home, we’ll hold the door open for you.”

    To all the visionaries out there—thank you for your contribution. Without you, there would be no bridges, roads, planes, or progress.

    Welcome home. 🏠

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