From Poverty to Pricing Power | Why Great Companies Undercharge
In this episode of Get Vertical!, host Mike McCalley speaks with Casey Brown, founder of Boost Pricing, about her journey from a blue-collar upbringing to building a firm that helps companies price with confidence. Brown discusses how fear of poverty shaped her early decisions, her path through engineering at GE, and why so many businesses systematically underprice their value. The conversation also covers imposter syndrome, the human impact of better pricing, AI's effect on the future of work, and the importance of authenticity in leadership.
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Promoted content from Get Vertical with Mike McCalley on MarketScale.
Key takeaways
Casey Brown didn’t grow up thinking she would become an entrepreneur.
She grew up in a blue-collar family where money was always tight — close enough to the edge that the fear of poverty shaped many of her early decisions.
That fear led her into engineering, into corporate America, and eventually into a moment…
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Casey Brown didn’t grow up thinking she would become an entrepreneur.
She grew up in a blue-collar family where money was always tight — close enough to the edge that the fear of poverty shaped many of her early decisions.
That fear led her into engineering, into corporate America, and eventually into a moment where she had to decide: Stay safe… or take the risk.
In this episode of Get Vertical!, Casey shares how she went from:
• First-generation college student
• Engineer at GE
• Corporate leader
→ To building a firm that helps companies price with confidence and unlock millions in value.
But this conversation goes deeper than business.
It’s about:
• Fear and how it shapes decisions
• Imposter syndrome and breaking through it
• Why so many companies underprice their value
• The human impact of better pricing (families, communities, employees)
• And what it really means to do work that matters
This is a story about doing something extraordinary — not because the path was clear, but because the alternative wasn’t acceptable.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:01 Growing Up on the Edge of Poverty
02:24 Choosing Engineering Out of Fear
03:47 Corporate Career & Early Success
05:06 The Fear That Almost Stopped Her
05:49 Redefining Risk & Taking the Leap
06:18 Breaking Out of Rural America
08:37 Culture Shock & Starting Behind
10:37 Grit, Stubbornness, & Survival
12:14 The “Proving” Mindset
14:26 Early Career & Imposter Syndrome
18:43 Defining Success & Big Wins
19:07 Casey’s “Why” — Pricing & Impact
20:29 The Real Impact of Better Pricing
21:45 Confidence, Negotiation & Culture Shift
24:48 From Proving to Purpose
27:11 Overcoming Failure & Mindset Shifts
28:25 Authenticity at Work
31:00 Adventures, Risk & Kayaking
31:47 AI, Work, and the Future of Jobs
36:42 The Coming Skills Gap
39:32 Redefining Work & Value Creation
43:09 Education, Trades & Career Shifts
44:09 Life Outside of Work
46:35 Where She’d Go Next
47:01 Life Beyond Business
Casey Brown is a pricing expert, speaker, and the founder of Boost Pricing, where she helps companies rethink their pricing and unlock meaningful profit growth. She has helped thousands of businesses generate over $1 billion in incremental profit and is known for translating complex pricing concepts into practical, actionable steps for leaders and sales teams. With a background spanning engineering and leadership roles at GE and AkzoNobel, she combines operational expertise with deep insight into value-based pricing.
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Get Vertical with Mike McCalley
Vertical market strategy and revenue growth for B2B companies.
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About the author
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.
