When I mapped out this series about the things I have learned in the past fifteen years of running Spire2, I knew that this one would require some vulnerability. It has proved hard to write, because I can’t wrap it up with a clever little bow. Over time, I’ve recognized a quality that I have […]

I remember taking a prospective client out to lunch many, many years ago. The only thing he didn’t want to talk about was doing the work of his job. He was interested in the politics of the large company that employed him and in doing as little work as possible. It was a very long […]

I have recently been working with a client that is going through a significant amount of internal change. This has resulted in a major disruption of all their marketing. As I have navigated through this change, I have experienced anxiety and frustration. Part of this is coming from the natural tendency we all have to […]

As I look back, we have done a lot of work that I am proud of, but there are some clients and business relationships that stand out. It was a combination of things that made them special, but all of them share a common fate of becoming former clients. The hardest part is that none […]

Without a doubt, the last fifteen years have brought a whole ocean of change in how organizations market themselves. Websites are a perfect example; best practices in website development and strategy change every few years. Looking at a seven-years-old site is like going back to prehistoric times. The saying “what works today, will not work […]

I remember it quite vividly. An employee had a completely different idea of how our self-promotion should be executed. We discussed it and went back and forth. I suggested we sit on it and come back to the project in a couple of days. On the inside, I was frustrated.  “I own my own business, […]

As part of selling my previous agency, I signed a non-compete. With no income, three little kids, and one on the way, I needed a way to stay in touch with my network even if I could not work for them. During this time the U.S. government passed the CAN-SPAM Act (2003). Email marketing was a dirty […]

In my first year of business, I distinctly remember attending a speed networking event at the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce. If you have not been introduced to this form of torture (written with a wink), everyone goes around the table and delivers their sales pitch and passes out business cards. At this particular event there […]