Building trust is more important than making the sale

Business Tao with George Kao · Aug 18, 2026 · 5m

I used to think about marketing as traffic and conversion, and I made good money doing it. I also burned out, and my conscience was shot — because when the sale is the priority, people become units to move through a funnel. Trust is slower. It’s also what I now build for, thinking in years and decades instead of this month’s numbers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit georgekao.substack.com