Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Patterson.
Hi Laura, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I like to say I discovered the power of customer-centricity when I was nine years old, going door-to-door selling chocolates. I quickly realized that if I didn’t have a compelling value proposition, no one was going to buy. That lesson stuck with me and became the throughline of my career.
At Motorola, where I spent over a decade, I had the opportunity to launch new products, lead customer marketing and brand strategy, and see firsthand how aligning around customer value could make or break growth. I also learned the importance of metrics—if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
In 1999, I took a leap of faith and co-founded VisionEdge Marketing. Walking away from corporate life wasn’t easy, but I wanted to help more companies connect the dots between customer value and business value. Over the past 25 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with more than 300 organizations to replace random acts with deliberate, customer-centric strategies that accelerate growth.
Today, whether I’m advising boards, guiding C-Suite leaders, writing, or speaking, my mission remains the same: to help businesses banish randomness, reduce risk, and stay focused on what truly drives value—customers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all—but I wouldn’t trade the road I’ve taken. After Motorola, I had the privilege of working for two women-led SMBs. Those experiences were pivotal because I saw firsthand how women leaders built and ran organizations, and it gave me the confidence to imagine myself at the helm of my own firm.
When I launched VisionEdge Marketing in 1999, one of the hardest parts was simply breaking through as a boutique consultancy. Acquiring customers without the backing of a big brand takes persistence, relationships, and proof of value. And the timing wasn’t easy—our early years coincided with the dot.com bust, followed later by the 2008 financial crisis and then COVID. Each of those moments hit marketing budgets hard, and as a firm focused on growth strategy, we had to adapt quickly and prove why customer value couldn’t be cut, even when times were tough.
Another challenge has been helping companies resist what I call “random acts”—chasing shiny objects like the latest martech tool or short-term tactic, instead of committing to deliberate, customer-centric strategies. Early on, that was sometimes an uphill battle. But those struggles reinforced my belief that real growth comes when you focus on creating value for customers first.
Looking back, the obstacles taught me resilience, sharpened my conviction, and deepened my empathy for the leaders I work with today.
As you know, we’re big fans of VisionEdge Marketing. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
For more than 25 years, VisionEdge Marketing has been my platform to help B2B companies—especially in technology and manufacturing—turn customer value into business value. We’ve worked with over 300 organizations to replace random acts with deliberate, measurable strategies that improve growth, strengthen customer relationships, and drive market leadership. Along the way, I developed the Circle of Traction® framework, created the P4 model for deliberate growth, and secured a patent for Accelance®, a SaaS application that links strategy to execution and metrics. Those tools, together with our advisory services and workbooks, set us apart as a firm committed to turning strategy into measurable results.
Building on that foundation, I recently launched LauraPatterson.co, which is my opportunity to focus even more directly on my passion: banishing random acts from the business world and helping leaders transform their organizations into customer-centric powerhouses. I’m proud that our work has stood the test of time—whether through speaking, advisory services, toolkits, or my books like Fast-Track Your Business. What I want readers to know is this: when you commit to clarity, metrics, and customer value, you unlock both growth and long-term resilience.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I see risk as something that can’t be avoided—it has to be understood, managed, and sometimes embraced. I don’t consider myself reckless, but I do believe that calculated risks are essential for growth.
One of the biggest risks I took was leaving a secure corporate career to co-found VisionEdge Marketing in 1999. At the time, I walked away from stability and a clear path upward to build a boutique firm with no guarantees. That leap required me to bet on myself, my conviction that customer value creates business value, and my ability to earn the trust of clients one at a time. It wasn’t always smooth—especially launching during the dot-com bust and later navigating the 2008 crisis and COVID—but those risks taught me resilience and sharpened my ability to adapt.
Today, I think about risk in terms of both upside and downside. Random acts—chasing trends, shiny new tools, or unaligned initiatives—create unnecessary risk. The best way to mitigate risk is through clarity, alignment, and a customer-centric strategy. In my view, the real risk isn’t in taking bold action—it’s in failing to act deliberately.
Pricing:
- Workbooks $155
- Advisory Services $350
- P4 Readiness Review $695
- Accelance $3500/blueprint
Contact Info:
- Website: https://visionedgemarketing.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marketingtransformation
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurapattersonvem/
- Twitter: https://x.com/VisionEdgeMktg
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@VisionEdgeMarketing
- Other: https://laurapatterson.co/
