Digital marketing and entrepreneurship insights from REAL results, stories, and people. Weekly interviews with successful content creators, marketers, and entrepreneurs to find out how they got to where they are and what marketing strategies we can learn to grow our businesses and brands.
In this episode of The Aspiring CMO, Lev shares how he went from engineering student to affiliate marketer to raising $12 million in crypto… only to walk away and start all over again.
After that rapid success, Lev realized he could build something on his own terms. That spark led to Spines, a platform designed to give aspiring authors a real shot at publishing their work without the high costs or gatekeepers of traditional publishing.
We talk about his earliest days experimenting with digital marketing, the realities of scaling fast under pressure, and the difference between chasing growth and building with intention. Lev also opens up about the evolving role of a CMO, how to build trust in traditional industries, and why he believes human storytelling still matters, especially in an age of AI.
A must-listen for anyone navigating the chaos of building something real.
Let’s get into it.
Episode Topics:
00:00 – 00:40: Introduction
00:41 – 03:07: From Electrical Engineering to Digital Marketing
03:08 – 06:36: Starting in Affiliate and Building the First Business
06:37 – 08:00: Lev’s First Big Win and Building Under Pressure
08:01 – 08:42: Raising $12M in Crypto and the Turning Point
08:43 – 10:43: Walking Away From Success to Start Again
10:44 – 12:38: The Early Vision for Spines and Its Mission
12:39 – 15:50: Disrupting Traditional Publishing Through Tech
15:51 – 17:48: Building Brand Trust in a Crowded Market
17:49 – 19:55: The Role of a CMO in a Founder-Led Company
19:56 – 22:10: Why Storytelling Still Wins in a Data-Driven World
22:11 – 23:45: Why Founders Need to Let Go of Short-Term Pressure
23:46 – 25:20: When Speed Kills: Avoiding the Trap of Scaling Too Soon
25:21 – 27:14: Defining Long-Term Success as a Founder
27:15 – 28:35: What Positioning Really Means (and Why It’s Hard)
28:36 – 29:55: What Founders Miss About Making People Care
29:56 – 30:46: Advice for Early-Stage Marketers and Builders
30:47 – 31:25: Final Thoughts and Advice to His Younger Self
🔗 CONNECT WITH LEV
👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lev-david-digital-marketing-specialist/
💻 Website: https://spines.com/
ASK Anything on The Aspiring CMO show and get your questions answered right on the show!
https://forms.gle/jswoQq8dy8u2oisT6
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theaspiringcmo
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theaspiringcmo/featured
10 Jun 2025
The SEO Hustle That Saved Him From Losing Everything
Mahmoud Fathy Elsaid shares his journey from near homelessness to building a six-figure agency through SEO and digital marketing, highlighting the importance of energy and recognizing value in this interview.
15 May 2025
From Building Websites in the 90s to Modern SEO Growth
Hey everyone, welcome back to The ACMO!
This week, we’re talking with Praveen Kumar, a digital marketing consultant whose journey started in the ‘90s with nothing but curiosity and self-taught HTML.
He shares how the internet has evolved, why marketers often overlook the power of credibility, and what it really means to grow in an industry that changes overnight. From flipping websites to building a consulting business, Praveen opens up about the lessons that only come with time and experience. He also talks about learning to price his work with confidence and how that shift changed everything.
This conversation is honest, grounded, and full of the kind of insights you only get from someone who’s seen the digital space from the very beginning.
Let’s dive into the episode.
Episode Topics:
00:00 - 01:05: Introduction
01:06 - 03:09: How Praveen started in digital marketing in the late 90s
03:10 - 06:00: Building and selling websites in the early 2000s
06:01 - 08:55: How marketing trends evolved over the years
08:56 - 11:58: Underrated strategies for lead generation and personal branding
11:59 - 13:54: Why real-world experience beats theory
13:55 - 14:41: Pushing beyond comfort zones for growth
14:42 - 16:35: Advice for budget-conscious clients: where to focus first
16:36 - 18:35: Why focusing on one channel matters
18:36 - 20:06: Learning through mistakes and building skills over time
20:07 - 21:59: Setting personal goals and choosing the right clients
22:00 - 23:51: Lessons from building a sustainable business
23:52 - 24:53: Advice to his younger self: play the long-term game
24:54 - 25:16: How to connect with Praveen
🔗 CONNECT WITH
👥 https://www.linkedin.com/in/spk100/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/spk100/)
💻 https://www.wildcreekstudio.com/ (https://www.wildcreekstudio.com/)
ASK Anything on The Aspiring CMO show and get your questions answered right on the show!
https://forms.gle/jswoQq8dy8u2oisT6 (https://forms.gle/jswoQq8dy8u2oisT6)
Subscribe to The Aspiring CMO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theaspiringcmo (https://www.facebook.com/theaspiringcmo)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaspiringcmo/ (https://www.instagram.com/theaspiringcmo/)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theaspiringcmo/featured (https://www.youtube.com/@theaspiringcmo/featured)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
99,307
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 68 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
79
Social presence
0
YouTube
85
Engagement
60
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