Skip to content
MarketScale
ContributorsMike McCalley
MM

Fractional Chief Growth Officer & Consultant

Mike McCalley

Mike is a leading marketer with expertise ranging from start up ventures to fortune 50 companies. With a passion for B2B and community building, Mike has evolved how traditional companies go to market and truly educate, inform, and inspire their community. When Mike isn't building out media and strategy plans for companies you can find him announcing his local high school football games and spending time with his family in Plano, TX.

17 articlesLinkedIn ↗
Contributor Brief·Mike McCalley · 17 articles
Updated Jul 15, 2026

Fear-driven founders underprice solutions, crippling competitive advantage

McCalley argues that founders shaped by scarcity and fear systematically underprice their offerings, leaving enormous margin on the table and weakening their competitive position. He contends that pricing power flows from solving hard problems that others won't touch—but only if founders first overcome their psychological resistance to claiming the value they've created.

31%

of U.S. employees actively engaged at work in 2025

Fear of poverty shaped many early decisions.

From Poverty to Pricing Power | Why Great Companies Undercharge

Market shifts reshaping B2B and consumer behavior

B2B buyers preferring rep-free buying experience61 %
New businesses failing within first year20 %
Businesses not surviving to year five50 %
Employees actively engaged at work31 %

SHARE

38%B2B buyers
B2B buyers preferring rep-free buying experience
New businesses failing within first year
Businesses not surviving to year five
Employees actively engaged at work

$1.192T

U.S. retail e-commerce sales in 2024

Teams are stretched, expectations high, majority disengaged.

A CEO's Blueprint for Career Success: Leading with Love to Drive Performance and Culture

Virtual care is no longer an experiment—it's structural shift.

Virtual Physical Therapy and the Changing Landscape of Athlete Care

Pricing power flows from solving problems others won't.

Themes:Psychological barriers to pricing determine margin captureStructural market shifts reward those who adapt fastestLeadership culture and engagement drive operational performance

What is MarketScale

These experts publish through MarketScale, a content platform that turns industry knowledge into articles, video, and audience. Want the same for your team?