Started Sitelines
I know that we don’t have enough projects coming in that we can refer out to make every partner thrilled with a stream of referrals. Because of that, I have always been on the lookout to find a mashup of how to serve both people who could be potential clients as well as my agency partners all at the same time. I decided to start a newsletter called Sitelines that would give me the ability to have one of our partners write up a blurb that is:
- Actionable
- Helpful
- Would help someone get “unstuck”
This way, the content can help a lot of people in our ecosystem. I started asking for submissions in April and will start publicizing in May. Lots of responses came in, now I just need to get them organized.
Marketing strategy unfolding
I’ve always had an issue connecting the dots on a larger-scale marketing strategy. Deals have always landed in my lap, but after 2024, I realize that is not a winning long-term strategy. I’m trying to balance a continuum:
- Spend a lot of time strategizing on how each marketing piece can feed into one another (aka. “Ultimate Efficiency”)
- Spend zero time on strategy and do whatever my heart wants
Neither end of the spectrum is correct. There is a sweet spot in the middle.
- Start Sitelines newsletter (done)
- Plan to attend four events per month (Changemakers, AMA Atlanta, EO Atlanta, and TAG are my four key groups)
- Start up a Gwinnett group within AMA (host once/month meet up)
- A “podcast” to talk to CMOs (WIP — may not be an actual podcast)
- Post on LinkedIn 5 times/week (already solid there)
- Bring on a fractional business development person to: attend events with/for me, do some account-based marketing, find me podcasts to be a guest on
Falling to the level of training
“This is exactly how elite leaders build championship cultures. You do not rise to the occasion—you fall to your level of preparation and training. If you want consistent excellence in your team or organization, you must invest in quality, continual practice. Practice is where the standard is set. Successful leaders train with purpose. They build trust through repetition.” (Brian Dodd, The Importance and Value of Practice)
I was reading an article by Brian Dodd and it was all about how soccer players practice. It was timely because a friend of mine just completely Marine Corp Recruit Training.
When my newly-minted Marine friend came to my house, he parked his car in the street and jogged to my front door. When he got there, I immediately told him: “Bro, no need to rush.” He responded simply with laughter.
My friend was built (over 13 weeks) to jog everywhere, no questions asked. He didn’t do that before. He does it now.
The steps are simple to start a freelance web design and development career: My rolodex was large enough (even at the age of 21) where I could put food on the table with my handful of agency contacts. But, as my business grows, there are areas I have never once practiced for. There needs to be flywheels put into place that don’t require me. Creating those flywheels takes time and talent by someone who is practiced in those areas. Someone who is ready to come to my door jogging. I don’t want to spend 13 weeks training them to job. In fact, I may train them the wrong way to jog.
Questions to ask next month:
- Did four issues of Sitelines get published?
- What events did I attend?
- Did we get the greenlight for a Gwinnett meetup through AMA?
- Did I bring on someone to assist with business development?
