David Wiley grew up learning the value of discipline, focus, and steady effort. Born in Roanoke, Virginia while his father was serving as a Marine officer in Vietnam, he moved to Georgia in 1972 and has lived in Metro Atlanta ever since. His childhood was shaped by the quiet strength of a military household and the sense that consistency mattered more than perfection.
At Wofford College, he studied Business Economics and became a two-time All-American in football. He served as team captain his senior year, a role that taught him how to lead under pressure and stay calm when things moved fast. “On the field, every decision counts,” he often recalls. “You learn to trust your preparation.”
After graduating with a 3.4 GPA, Wiley launched his first business in 1998 selling HP toner cartridges to large corporations like Coca-Cola and Lockheed Martin. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it showed him how good ideas often start small. Sixteen years later, he founded Belief Marketing Services, focusing on data-driven lead generation—especially in the legal space. His speciality is generating highly qualified motor vehicle accident claimants with precise incident timelines.
Beyond business, Wiley created Cash In Time Ministries, a nonprofit that supports families in urgent need. He also coached girls’ football for eight years, taking a recreational team of nine-year-olds to a Top 10 ranking in Georgia by thirteen.
His journey shows the power of steady effort, sharp instincts, and doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My days start early. I like to get up before the noise of the world begins. I make coffee, check the morning reports, and review what happened with our client campaigns overnight. I find that tackling the hardest tasks first helps me stay ahead. If I wait, the day gets crowded. Productivity for me is about clarity—knowing exactly what needs to be done and sticking to it.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Most ideas start with a problem I’ve noticed. That’s how my first business began. Companies needed toner for payroll printing, and no one was serving them well. When I see a gap, I look for a simple way to close it. Then I test small, refine, and scale only when it’s working.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m fascinated by the speed at which real-time data can shape entire industries. In legal marketing, timing is everything. The closer you can get to an incident, the stronger the lead. That level of precision wasn’t possible years ago.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I batch my decisions. If you try to solve everything as it comes in, you burn out. I group tasks and deal with them in blocks.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Slow down just enough to understand the long game. When I was younger, I wanted everything to happen quickly. Life works better when you build steadily.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I believe small details matter more than big gestures. In marketing, in coaching, in life—the tiny adjustments often create the biggest outcomes.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Check in on people even when they don’t ask. Whether it’s a client, a colleague, or someone in need, a quick message can change their day.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I step away from the screen. Sometimes I walk outside, sometimes I sit quietly for five minutes. When I coached girls’ football, I learned that stepping back helps you see the field better.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Precision. I decided early on that I would rather specialise deeply than be average in many things. In legal marketing, accuracy around claimant incident dates became our differentiator.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
My biggest failures came from trying to grow too fast. I took on clients that weren’t the right fit. I learned to slow down and build systems instead of stretching myself thin.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Look for industries where timing is the biggest factor. If you can deliver something faster—and with accuracy—you’ll stand out.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use a simple project board tool. It isn’t fancy, but seeing every task laid out keeps me grounded and stops things from slipping through.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I like books about endurance and discipline. One of my favourites is Endurance by Alfred Lansing. It’s a reminder of how far resilience can take you.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I enjoyed rewatching Friday Night Lights. It captures leadership, pressure, and team culture in a way that feels familiar.
Key learnings
- Strong ideas often come from simple problems that others overlook.
- Precision and timing can be powerful differentiators in competitive industries.
- Steady, consistent improvement usually outperforms quick wins.
- Helping others—through small actions—creates meaningful impact.
- Stepping back during stressful moments leads to clearer decisions and better outcomes.