Alpharetta, GA - When entrepreneurs share their stories, few can say they’ve gone from building a regional franchise empire straight out of college to steering the evolution of enterprise marketing technology, and then authoring multiple books about what they’ve learned. This is the story of Jeff Pedowitz, founder and CEO of The Pedowitz Group.

Jeff Pedowitz’s career took off in a way that no career counselor could have foreseen. After earning his marketing degree, Pedowitz dove headfirst into franchising as the owner-operator of 35 Subway sandwich shops. His business flourished, but as his friends moved into the software world, jokes about “making sandwiches” became less funny and more motivating.

“I ended up selling out my shares, went back to school for programming, and joined Computer Associates,” Pedowitz recalls. “From there, I ran a professional services group, then moved into marketing and consulting roles at software companies, which set me up for what came next.”

Inventing Revenue Marketing

The pivotal moment came in the early 2000s when Pedowitz encountered Eloqua, one of the first companies to crack the marketing automation puzzle. As Eloqua’s director of professional services, he helped shape many of the best practices that would eventually become the industry standard. Training Eloqua’s early partners, Jeff noticed his ideas were fueling their growth. “That’s when I thought, why can’t I build a business on what I’m creating?” he shares.

That realization led to the birth of The Pedowitz Group, with Jeff’s wife stepping in as his business partner. Nearly 19 years later, The Pedowitz Group remains very much a family affair.

Pedowitz saw early on that companies often fell into the trap of buying the latest marketing technology without a real plan. “A lot of businesses lead with tools, not strategy,” he explains. “The result? A big spend, low adoption, and disappointing ROI.” He compares buying the hottest software to chasing after the latest gadget or a flashy new car. “It looks great in a demo, but unless you’ve thought through how it fits into your business, you’ll be left wondering why it didn’t solve your problem.”

For Pedowitz, the key is always strategy first, ensuring that marketing, sales, and technology are pulling in the same direction to deliver measurable revenue results.

Moving Marketing from Cost Center to Revenue Driver

Pedowitz doesn’t mince words on the century-old reputation of marketing departments as “arts and crafts” teams. “For the longest time, marketing was about branding, storytelling, and having fun. Rarely were marketing departments held accountable for revenue,” he notes.

That all changed with the rise of new technology and data-driven expectations. Under Jeff’s leadership, The Pedowitz Group pioneered the concept of “revenue marketing,” which puts marketers on the hook for generating repeatable, scalable revenue in partnership with sales.

“In ‘Rise of the Revenue Marketer,’ our business partner, Dr. Debbie Qaqish, literally wrote the book on revenue marketing,” explains Pedowitz. “Organizations that understand revenue marketing have seen their CMOs become true leaders at the executive table.”

Adapting to AI and Social Media

Looking at today’s marketing landscape, Pedowitz recognizes the seismic shifts that social media and AI have brought. “Social media made marketing personal and transparent, while AI is now changing the game all over again,” he says.

While some fear that AI will replace jobs and lower the bar for quality, Jeff argues that it’s more about what you do with the technology than the tool itself. “AI can make average writers good and good writers better, but using it requires active engagement and critical thinking,” he explains.

He is clear-eyed about the debates around AI’s impact, energy consumption, and ethical questions, acknowledging both the opportunities and the risks. “I see AI as a productivity tool that, if approached thoughtfully, lets you do more better and faster,” emphasizes Pedowitz.

Published Thought Leader and Ongoing Innovator

Jeff Pedowitz is never content to rest on his laurels. He has authored four books including “F the Funnel,” which challenges outdated models of customer engagement, and “AI Revenue Architect,” introducing new frameworks for connecting data and systems with the power of AI. His upcoming works include “AI Agents Made Simple,” a practical guide for businesses looking to leverage AI without fear. His first work of fiction, “The Attic and the Algorithm,” is an adventure that races through history to reveal how religions have used the tools of marketing to shape belief—sometimes to uplift and unite, sometimes to manipulate and control.

About The Pedowitz Group

The Pedowitz Group is a leading consulting firm specializing in marketing technology, revenue operations, and AI-driven growth strategies for B2B enterprises with $100 million-plus in revenue, complex sales cycles, and distributed teams. Founded by Jeff Pedowitz, the company partners with organizations to turn marketing into a primary driver of revenue and success, guiding them to build scalable, repeatable revenue engines.

For more information about Jeff Pedowitz and The Pedowitz Group, please visit https://www.pedowitzgroup.com/, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C66VN3CS/, and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09442WW5V/