Episode #88: Matthew Krayton, Founder of Publitics

About this episode

Matt Krayton discusses the advantages of staying small in business and navigating the challenges of political consulting.

What if the smartest business move you ever make… is not to scale? In this episode of How To Ride A Roller Coaster , host David Ezell sits down with Matt Krayton , Founding Principal of Publitics , a communications and political strategy firm that helps leaders, organizations, and public figures navigate high-stakes challenges, shape public opinion, and build trust in an age of polarization. Matt shares his unconventional path—from a laid-off history teacher to launching his own political consulting firm during the 2008 recession—and how choosing to stay small became his biggest competitive advantage. Together, David and Matt unpack the tension between growth and purpose , what it really means to be nimble in business , and how founders can build lasting success without losing their freedom or values . They dig into: The real story behind founding Publitics and breaking into political consulting Why staying small and agile beats scaling for scale’s sake How taking investor money can change your mission overnight The “SWAT team” approach to problem-solving in high-pressure industries How to craft messages that resonate across fragmented media platforms Why attention is the new…

People in this episode

Host: David Ezell

Guest: Matt Krayton

Topics covered

• business strategy
• political consulting
• entrepreneurship
• growth vs purpose
• communication

Keywords

• staying small
• political strategy
• high-stakes challenges
• nimble in business
• authentic attention

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Publitics

Books & works: How To Ride A Roller Coaster

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