The Question Every Client Asks
Almost every first conversation starts with the same question: “Are we the right fit for you?”
It’s natural. Companies want to know before they invest time and money whether I’m the kind of consultant who can actually help them. And here’s the truth: the answer isn’t always yes.
I’ve learned over the years that fit has very little to do with the size of your budget, the industry you’re in, or whether you’re B2B or B2C. I’ve scaled campaigns with $5 million a month in ad spend. I’ve also built lean systems for clinics that were just starting to grow. Both were great. Both were fulfilling. The difference wasn’t the numbers on the line item — it was mindset.
The companies I thrive with see marketing as an investment, not a checkbox. They want a partner, not just a vendor. They’re serious about growth and willing to commit to the systems that make growth possible.
This isn’t an “ideal customer avatar” exercise. I’m not here to say, “I only work with healthcare” or “I only work with SaaS.” What I’m describing is who I like to work with, why those relationships succeed, and how the process unfolds. If you read this and think, that sounds like us, chances are we’d be a good match. If you don’t, that’s fine too — better to know upfront than waste either of our time.
It’s About Mindset, Not Just Market
When people ask who I work with, they usually expect me to list industries. And yes, I’ve done deep work in healthcare, e-commerce, and SaaS. But what matters most isn’t the market — it’s the mindset.
I’ve had calls with founders who just wanted me to “run ads.” Their sites were outdated, their funnels leaked at every stage, their tracking didn’t work. But they didn’t want to hear it. They thought throwing money at campaigns would cover the cracks. It never does.
Then there are the companies who come to me in the same broken state but with a different approach. They’ll say: “We know this isn’t working, and we want help fixing it.” That’s a completely different starting point. Those leaders aren’t defensive. They’re honest. They’re willing to invest in doing things the right way, not just the fast way.
That mindset is what makes all the difference.
I’ve seen companies waste years chasing shiny objects — new platforms, quick hacks, the latest AI-driven promise — instead of building solid foundations. I’ve also seen companies unlock growth quickly because they were willing to slow down, rebuild, and commit to fundamentals. I wrote about this pattern in The Silent Killer of Business Growth: Marketing Mediocrity. Mediocrity is what happens when mindset slips into shortcuts. The cure is clarity and commitment.
Mindset beats market every single time.
The Companies That Thrive With Me
When I look back at the companies that have grown the most through my work, they usually fall into a few categories. Not industries — stages.
The e-commerce startup scaling beyond hustle. These are the brands that have outgrown founder-led marketing. They’ve proven demand. They’re shipping product. But they’re stuck around $100K or $200K a month in sales and can’t break through to the next tier. What they need isn’t another Instagram campaign. They need structure: consistent ads, reliable funnels, robust tracking. I bring that structure.
The healthcare or ABA clinic ready to professionalize. Many clinics grow through word-of-mouth at first. That works for a while, but eventually they need a repeatable system for generating leads and converting them. This is where SEO, ads, and marketing automation come in. I know the challenges because I’ve solved them. I walked through one such case in Building Success for an ABA Clinic: A Journey from 4 to 40 Clients. That clinic didn’t just need more leads — they needed an entire marketing foundation.
The SaaS company at a tipping point. Their product is good, maybe even great. They’ve got early adopters. But adoption stalls before scale. At this stage, marketing either unlocks growth or the business plateaus. It’s high-stakes. I know the pressure because I’ve lived it. In Scaling Chaos: What Really Happens Behind the Scenes During a 10x Growth Year, I described exactly what happens when growth accelerates too quickly without the right systems in place. SaaS founders at this stage don’t just need campaigns — they need a steady hand.
What these companies share is not a market niche. It’s a moment in their journey where growth is within reach, but only if the right systems, stories, and strategies are put in place.
Why Values Matter More Than Budgets
I’ve worked with companies spending $5 million a month in ads, and I’ve worked with companies spending $5,000. What I’ve learned is budget doesn’t make or break the relationship. Values do.
The companies I love working with value honesty. They value transparency. They’re willing to hear hard truths. And they see marketing as a long-term play, not a one-and-done campaign.
The ones who struggle are the ones who think marketing should work like a vending machine: put money in, get instant results. They jump from agency to agency, chasing shortcuts. They abandon campaigns after two weeks if they don’t see fireworks. That impatience does more damage than any algorithm update ever could.
The companies that win are the ones that care about trust. I explored this in From Zero-Party Data to Growth: Building Trust in the Cookieless Era. Building trust isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s the only way to make growth stick. And it’s the thread I see in every successful client relationship.
What I Look For in Leadership
If there’s one thing that determines fit more than anything else, it’s leadership.
The best leaders I’ve worked with are curious. They want to understand, not just dictate. They delegate, but they don’t disappear. They ask questions because they want to learn, not to micromanage.
Contrast that with the leader who says, “Just get me more leads.” That’s not leadership. That’s abdication. And it’s a recipe for frustration on both sides.
One of my favorite leaders to work with was a healthcare founder who admitted she didn’t know much about digital marketing. Instead of pretending, she leaned into that. She asked questions. She gave me the space to execute, but she stayed engaged. Her curiosity created alignment, and her team followed her lead. That single leadership trait — curiosity — made the difference between a stressful engagement and a successful one.
When leadership is engaged, marketing thrives. When leadership is absent or dismissive, even the best tactics fall flat.
How I Partner With Teams
I’m not the kind of consultant who parachutes in, runs a campaign, and disappears. I integrate into teams.
Sometimes that looks like acting as a fractional CMO — setting strategy, aligning the work, and managing priorities. Other times, it looks like building systems that teams can run on their own once I’ve stepped back. The constant is that I don’t just “do marketing.” I build processes and capacity inside the company.
Because I’ve always worked remote and global-first, I lean heavily on asynchronous communication. I don’t drag teams into endless meetings. I prefer structured forms for intake, email for updates, and project boards for tracking. That’s how I keep projects moving without burning people out.
I unpacked this process in Tech, Turbulence, and Team Buy-In: What It Really Takes to Integrate New Tools. Tools only work when the team buys in. That’s why part of my role is to make sure adoption actually sticks.
When I partner with teams, the goal isn’t dependency. The goal is capability.
The Red Flags: Who I Don’t Work Well With
Let me be blunt: not every company is a fit. And that’s fine.
I don’t work well with companies that see marketing as a cost, not an investment. If you want the cheapest option, I’m not it.
I don’t work well with companies that demand instant results without committing to the work. If you’re expecting an overnight turnaround, you’ll be disappointed.
I don’t work well with companies that want tactics without strategy. If your plan is “just run ads” or “just SEO,” without considering how the pieces connect, we won’t get far.
This isn’t about being “bad companies.” It’s about timing. Some companies just aren’t ready yet. They need to fix their basics before bringing someone like me in. And that’s okay. Better to be honest upfront than force a fit that won’t work.
Why Trust and Story Come First
At the heart of every successful company I’ve worked with is trust and story.
The best companies don’t just sell products or services. They share stories that connect. They build trust that lasts. That’s what turns a one-time buyer into a long-term customer.
I’ve written about this often because it’s the throughline of everything I do. In Why Storytelling is the Secret Weapon in Modern Marketing, I laid out why story beats tactics every time. And in The Silent Killer of Business Growth: Marketing Mediocrity, I warned what happens when companies settle for bland, soulless marketing.
The companies I like to work with don’t settle. They tell stories worth hearing, and they back them up with trust. That combination is unbeatable.
What Working Together Looks Like
If we do work together, here’s what it usually looks like:
- Discovery. We start by digging deep into your current marketing: your funnels, your site, your ads, your tracking. I don’t patch symptoms — I diagnose causes.
- Strategy. From there, I build a plan. Not piecemeal, not channel by channel, but a holistic strategy where ads, SEO, content, and automation support each other.
- Execution partnership. Sometimes I run campaigns directly. Sometimes I oversee your team or help you hire the right support. Either way, I stay close until the systems are stable.
I emphasize asynchronous, documented processes. That means no dependency on endless calls or “tribal knowledge.” Everything is clear, written, and repeatable.
It’s not flashy. But it works. And it leaves companies stronger than when I arrived.
Closing: If This Sounds Like You, Let’s Talk
If you’ve been nodding along, you’re probably the kind of company I love working with. You see marketing as an investment. You care about trust. You want systems that last, not gimmicks that fade.
If that’s you, we’ll probably do great work together. And if you’re not quite there yet, that’s okay too. Build your foundations first. When you’re ready, the door’s open.
Marketing Unplugged 
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