John Jantsch
Born: April 02, 1960 – Kansas City, Missouri, United States
John Jantsch is an American marketing strategist, speaker, and small-business author best known for founding Duct Tape Marketing. He writes about practical marketing, referrals, sales, and entrepreneurship in books including Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine, Duct Tape Selling, and The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur, influencing small-business marketing practice through his widely used consulting framework.
Biography & Author's Journey
John Jantsch came to marketing through practice before theory. He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, attended the University of Kansas, and later said that his early career in an ad agency helped lead him toward independence. In 1994 he founded his own consulting firm, and his work with companies of different sizes clarified the problem he wanted to solve: small businesses often had the same marketing needs as larger firms, but not the same budgets, patience, or tolerance for vague engagements. That tension pushed him to build a more repeatable, clearly defined approach, one that eventually became Duct Tape Marketing and the broader training network around it. ((https://canyoncares.org/about-us/))
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Popular Books
Duct Tape Marketing
John Jantsch
A practical guide for small business owners to create effective, affordable marketing strategies that stick and drive growth.
The Referral Engine
John Jantsch
Harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing to transform your business into a referral-generating machine without expensive advertising campaigns.
Duct Tape Marketing
John Jantsch
A practical guide for small business owners to create effective, affordable marketing strategies that stick and drive growth.
The Referral Engine
John Jantsch
Harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing to transform your business into a referral-generating machine without expensive advertising campaigns.
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BeFreed team
Community Voices
"For all those who wonder why John Jantsch has become the leading advisor and coach to small businesses everywhere, Duct Tape Marketing is the answer"
— Bo Burlingham
"Once again, John Jantsch turns our expectations upside down and shines a light on a better way to get things done"
— Seth Godin
"John Jantsch does it again!"
— Chris Guillebeau
"With this book, John Jantsch has zeroed in on exactly what small businesses need to sell every day, every hour"
— Ben McConnell
"If you listen to John Jantsch, you’ll learn the attitudes and abilities required to master the new world of sales"
— Daniel H. Pink
"If you’re marketing a small business and don’t know of John Jantsch, maybe you should"
— Entrepreneur
"John Jantsch has provided small businesses with the perfect perspective for maximizing all marketing activities - offline and on"
— John Battelle
"If you’re tired of seeing your sales fall apart, John Jantsch has the real-world answers"
— Jeffrey Gitomer
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
