Season 2 is here—and we're kicking it off with the conversation every marketer loves: asking for budget.

Jess has big goals, a solid strategy, and one tiny problem: she needs money. Real money. Not the "ask permission for every shiny sponsorship" kind—an actual, formal quarterly budget.

So, she builds her first-ever marketing budget, wraps it in a killer deck, and presents it to Josh and Nick. The number's big. Really big. But then something happens—they get excited.

Hear how Jess convinced two founders to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars, why the story matters way more than the spreadsheet, and what happens when your CEO gets so nervous he starts sounding like Goofy.

Get to the good stuff:

[00:00] Season 2 kicks off! Jess needs a budget. Josh braces for impact.

[02:46] Jess had only ever built content budgets before. It’s a fraction of the plan, but it’s where you start—if you don't have anything to talk about, there's nothing to amplify.

[04:40] Josh approaches Jess about building a budget before she has to beg for one. Makes the whole "money, please" conversation way easier.

[06:24] The reverse prenup: why having a formal budget gives marketers power to make decisions without having to justify every dollar.

[09:07] Jess is low-key panicking. First time building a budget. Zero historical data. No "what worked last quarter" safety net. Just ambition, strategy, and a spreadsheet.

[11:45] Jess's presentation strategy. The balance of making Josh and Nick feel excited and just a little nervous. That's how you know you're asking for what you actually need.

[15:10] Jess comes armed with receipts from industry friends. She's done her homework. Obviously.

[16:49] The big reveal. The big number. Josh falls out of his seat. Nick couldn’t Venmo it. Cue minor CEO heart attack.

[21:45] Jess's advisor moment. He tells her to forget the pretty spreadsheet, the secret weapon is the story. A budget pitch is no different to any other pitch.

[22:30] The Nick test will be hard to pass. Jess presents to Josh first to get his buy-in, trust, and a little feedback first.

[26:24] Jess get her allotted soppy praise moment from Josh, but it’s well deserved. She executed and built trust.

[29:32] Josh takes the budget to their board and advisors. Because even CEOs need backup. 

[32:42] Jess’ budget gets cut. But wait, she’s actually grateful? 

[35:03] Positive affirmations break. You're a marketing wizard.

[36:24] Jess's key budget-building takeaways: let strategy guide your budget, sell the story, acknowledge other budget pressures and shoot for the moon.

[37:37] Jess's life goal: someday ask for more money than the AWS bill. She’s dreaming big people.

[39:00] The one thing Jess forgot: travel. Don't worry—Josh and Nick are just docking it from her paycheck. Motel 6, here she comes.

This Meeting Could’ve Been a Podcast is a Vector production.

Filmed and produced by Sweet Fish.

Editing by Handy Man Edit.

Music by Peter McIsaac Music.