Sawyer Hemsley

2012: Cancels game due to low audience numbers 2020: Sells his company for $27.7 billion 12 years ago Stewart Butterfield couldn't get enough people to play his MMO "Glitch". But instead of giving up - he pivoted: In 2013, Stewart released a tool that changed the workplace - Slack. Since then, Slack has: • generated $5.9 billion in 2023 • gained 38.8 million daily users • raised $340 million in venture capital • sold to Salesforce for $27.7 billion in 2020 • been named Inc. Magazine’s company of the year The lesson: Every failure is another step towards success. Every failure is a lesson Every failure is data That's why you need to: Keep going. Keep learning. Keep adapting. Because you'll never lose - unless you quit. P.S: When's the last time you made a big pivot? Follow me Jay Cartere for more content like this

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Trying to go full digital minimalist is hard, really hard. I’ve tried to find dumb phone solutions. On. My. iPhone. A little bit like trying to quit drinking by moving to beer instead of the hard stuff. The biggest lesson I’ve learned? Getting a dumb phone made some things easier, and many more things hard, like driving without Google Maps. What about you? What's your experience with digital minimalism? Have you found any effective strategies for simplifying your tech habits and reducing screen time? #emailmarketing #digitalmarketing #digitalminimalism

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Discover the Secret Nug That Turned $1 into $764 Start focusing on strategic brand positioning, not just discounts. Picture this: your dispensary captures your brand's unique personality and connects with your customers at precisely the right moment. It's like a perfectly rolled joint, hitting all the right notes from the start. The TOKE Agency incorporated a 12 Days of Cannabis Glory text and email campaign into an existing loyalty program for a brand with two dispensary locations. This included 22 December campaigns that highlighted holiday specials as well as educational information. The results? A small cost per conversion and a whopping 764x return on investment! That's right, for every dollar spent, our client saw $764 in return. 30-Day Analytics from December 2023 30% Open rate $0.09 Cost per conversion $133 Revenue generated per sent message Ready to score results like this? Head to my profile and schedule a Sesh!

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How to Work With Influencers For Free Back in October, I blind DM'd a local influencer, asking her to visit us. She couldn't make it immediately, so I followed up in April when the weather was better. We always offer influencers a $50 credit for anything they want in exchange for a post, but there's never any pressure. No deadlines, no contracts—just genuine interest. If they like us, they like us; if not, that's fine too. Rachel finally visited in May. I wasn't at the bakery, but my team gave her our signature Blondery hospitality, and she loved everything. The reel she posted hit the algorithm, garnering lots of attention. She shared the metrics with me, and I was thrilled. We decided to collaborate again by naming a product after her. Now for the juicy part: - Our regular ice cream sandwich retails for $7.50, but this special one, with extra ingredients and labor, was priced at $13—a 53% markup. - We sold 20 ice cream sandwiches for a total of $260, compared to just 2 the previous weekend for $15. - In the last 7 days, we've gained 102 followers, and our reel received over 100K plays, 591 likes, 152 comments, and 28 shares. This collaboration was a great success, and I'm excited about the impact it had on our business! Key Takeaways: 1. Follow Up is Crucial: Initial outreach might not yield immediate results, but following up at a better time can lead to success. 2. Offer Genuine Incentives: Providing influencers with a no-strings-attached credit encourages authentic promotion without pressure. 3. Effective Collaboration: Involving influencers in the creation process can enhance the final product and make the collaboration more meaningful. 4. Impactful Metrics: Successful influencer collaborations can lead to increased sales, follower growth, and significant social media engagement. It's important to define your success criteria in advance, and it doesn't always have to be revenue-based. I went more in depth on my approach to influencer marketing in this video: https://lnkd.in/ez6PJXwg

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Most founders won't highlight their past lives on here and I get it... I try to include the "not so good" too. My name is Ryan and this is my story. 2017 → 1 year after high school I was a mechanic and landscaper with no real direction. My friends went to universities, I stayed home... 2019 → After a short depressive episode in 2018, I began learning about personal development and started freelancing. I made $80 in 3 months. 2020 → Hired and left a corporate job in 1 year after the company paid me to talk to a life coach who suggested I quit. Backfired a bit, huh? 😂 My business was making <$500 per month. 2023 → Moved in with my girlfriend of 4 years, left my part-time job, and went all-in on this 🎤 2024 → Hired coaches, went from coach to agency owner, changed our ICP, and added more clients than we ever have. But the reality is that • it's the hardest thing I've ever done • I don't see my friends as much as I'd like • had $300 to my name twice Don't let people think it's easy. It's not supposed to be. Thanks for reading 🙏 #podcastprinciples

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Like a lot of people, I've been a big fan of what Avaline Wine has been doing. Before you ignore this because there is a celebrity alcohol brand, there's a lot you can learn. Here's what sticks out to me: 1. Beautiful eCommerce experience Regardless of how much they sell through distribution, they are an eCommerce-first brand. Their website couldn't be easier to shop from. 2. Clear brand message It's obvious they put a lot of thought and effort into choosing a brand strategy. "Organic wine brand that is vegan friendly, no added sugar or unwanted additives, transparently produced" Choosing a lane and owning it is so important. 3. High quality imagery Investing in good product images and lifestyle shots is not cheap, but it makes all the difference. If you want to stand out, images are such an easy way to do that. 4. Captivating email marketing I get regular emails that are open and read almost every time. They send them at a frequency and volume relative to how much I buy - this is important. Every email is of first-class quality. 5. Affiliates and influencer marketing Leveraging other people to sell you wine ought to be common practice. Encourage others to talk about and share your wine. This is a short list of the many great things Avaline is doing. I hope to see more and more wineries and wine brands replicate the best practices Avaline uses.

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Here's the financial snapshot of one my VIP Club members. REVENUE - Has a goal to increase total revenue 17% this year. Another $329k. In 2021 he was at $859,000. 2022 he was at $1,469,445. He can do it! GROSS PROFIT MARGIN - He's continued to strengthen his Gross Profit Margin. Looking for a solid jump from 31.6% to 37% Gross Profit Margin this year. He's already CHARGING his clients that much. The problem is we need to tighten up estimating and reduce slippage in labor hours. He's watching his Job Costing closely to get that 37% OVERHEAD EXPENSES - He's holding his percentage of overhead at 23% from last year to this year. Because of the increase in revenue, he has another $75,000 that he's investing in overhead (designer assistant). In the Overhead Expenses he has a $90,000 owner salary for himself. ADDITIONAL OWNER DRAW - He's been reinvesting in his business quite a bit the last few years as he's grown. He's looking to draw more out for himself in 2024. NET PROFIT - The increase in Revenue & Gross Profit Margin will lead to a nice and healthy 10%+ Net Profit. Some solid reward for all of the hard work he's been putting into building his business. The financials and numbers are the lifeblood of your business. Know them!

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I didn't work hard in sales to buy a Rolex or Porsche. Here's what cashing in looks like to me… Every Wednesday morning, I block off 3 hours for my “Breakout Block.” This is precious time on the bike or doing something that is not work-related. 3 hours will become the entire Wednesday soon. Designing this life was purposeful. I wanted to join the FIRE (Financially Independent, Retired Early) community. A career in sales made it possible. It delivered its promise on: - high-income potential - autonomy - freedom After I retired from corporate selling in 2022, I focused on helping other sellers create a similar path by designing systems for purposeful performance to deliver predictable profits (and turn that extra income into independence). There is still much to build (obviously after bike rides), but we’re getting close to announcing some exciting things for the community that I can’t wait to share. For now, sellers are taking advantage of the “7 Figure OS Pro Bundle,” which includes my 7 STEPS TO 7 FIGURES program + membership to MAKE MORE HUSTLE LESS CLUB + a 1:1 STRATEGY SESSION with me for just $597 ($21,398 in value). Get instant access to: → The exact systems I used to go from earning $200K to $1M+/year with 7 actionable self-guided “workshops” → An interview with an executive at a Fortune 10 company on how he partners with sellers to get 7 and 8-figure transformation deals over the line → A 2-part discussion with my mindset coach on how we overcame Imposter Syndrome during the most challenging (but best) year in my sales career → A blueprint for how I structured my days as a strategic seller, including 3 mental models I used, my exact “anchor routines,” and how I aligned work to my natural circadian rhythm to average 7 hours of sleep each night in order to perform at my best during large deal sprints → A special session on the system I used to identify the best accounts to pursue that led to a 78% win rate, a $1.92M ARR ACV, and winning 11 new Fortune 500 logos within 4 years → A workshop with a CPA & CFA from EY walking you through how to build a personal financial operating system so you can keep score and know when to make big moves in your life by using money as a tool, not a status symbol → A private group of purpose-driven pros and a live one-hour session as a community every month → A 60-minute 1:1 strategy session with me to help you design your own purposeful performance OS → And a ton more valuable material (that grows every month) I am making it all accessible in a single place. If you’re interested, join here before we make big changes and raise prices over the coming months: https://lnkd.in/eR_riWFi 🐝

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At the risk of offending certain individuals, here's this morning's post from Utah Money Watch: "Rant No. 3 from 'Publisher Politis — Stop Pretending You Actually Want to Talk with Journalists, Let Alone be Helpful." If that headline alone is intriguing to you, you can read my writeup here — https://lnkd.in/e7bGuX-S. And please know that I'd love feedback, be it in the form of a #Like or #Comment, or if you think it's worthy of a #Share or #Repost, I'd love that too. In the meantime, all the best. And if you think you've got a tip for us at Utah Money Watch, please drop me a DM or an email to David.Politis@UtahMoneyWatch.com. Thanks. David #PR #IR #publicrelations #investorrelations #publicity #mediarelations #PRgoneBad #marketing #utah #business

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How Lara Acosta Turned $2,000 in Crypto Losses into a 6 Figure Personal Brand It all started when Lara dove headfirst into the world of: • meme coins • Dogecoin • crypto hype. Like so many others, she thought: • She could get in early. • Make a quick fortune. • Live the high life. But the reality was quite different. After losing over $2,000, Lara realized her approach was all wrong. That's when she decided to step back and focus on building something more sustainable - her personal brand. The key was understanding the core components that allowed crypto meme coins and viral online entrepreneurs to find such massive success. It all came down to: 1. Accessibility - Simplifying complex topics into easy to understand, relatable content. 2. Storytelling - Crafting an emotional narrative that resonates with your audience. 3. Identity Capital - Leveraging your unique experiences and skills to stand out. 4. Community - Building a loyal following of fans, not just followers. 5. Market Timing - Aligning your content with the latest trends and platform algorithms. By applying these principles Lara was able to turn her crypto losses into a thriving, six figure personal brand. And she's going to show you exactly how she did it, step-by-step. So watch her video in YouTube, link in the comment 👇 If you find it valuable it repost to others don't forget to follow Me (Firaol Nuressa )

I started working on a brand project that’s resulted in over $4.5M in revenue in the past 3 years. It’s been my LinkedIn profile and podcast 😂 The $4.5M breaks down as about $3.5M for a former employer. And $1M in Sales for Scrappy ABM. I’ve just been actively sharing what I was learning about marketing and ABM. And after 3 years of those 2 things I can confidently say that Selling is exponentially easier Because people know I exist. And what I stand for. So if you have to explain the same things in every sales conversation You may want to consider telling the world And showing people you know what you’re talking about. Not everyone will believe you. But those that do will become customers or advocates. And you can build a GREAT business with 1,000 deeply loyal brand advocates. So if you want options in your career Start building now. Find the 1,000. Then launch 🚀 P.S. if you’re trying to build ABM, the Scrappy ABM podcast might be a good resource to check out 🧡💚

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Last month I met a founder rushing to sell his company in the next 90 days. But he was thinking about it all wrong... He had done $0.5mm in sales in 2023, projecting potentially 1mm this year. DTC wearables company based in the East Coast. He KNOWS he’s a rockstar. He KNOWS how to operate. He knows EXACTLY what he wants. Overall, he’s in a great position with goals to expand internationally, but… He was feeling blocked and didn’t know why. So, I asked him about the state of the company: Unprofitable at the moment Very strange board situation Wanted to sell the company in the next 90 days for 3-4x revenues Turns out, he was getting pushed out of the company by investors and wanted to sell ASAP. So I asked: “Are you talking to prospects?” “Have you sold a company before?” And the answer: “No, but I want to sell because of the investors”. (But after going through 3 M&As and 1 exit myself, I HAD to tell him…) There was a huge gap between expectation and reality. So I gave a 4-Step Strategy: 1. Reframe expectations  → Selling your company can take 3-12 months at LEAST, so rushing was doing him a disservice to what he had built. 2. Go to acquire (dot) com → It’s a huge marketplace for selling smaller companies. 3. Get an M&A broker → It’s vital you find someone that can help you tailor your company and prepare to sell it. 4. Talk to potential buyers and engage the market. → Design a list of 10 to 20 potential prospects that you could sell the company to and start engaging in conversation, send a connection request, e-mails, and call them and set up a call to discuss. And with all this strategy, I wanted to be completely honest about his potential. His company is starting to see some market validation, but I didn’t think it had: The profit. The product-market fit. The internal team (very weird board situation). …to sell it as a multi-million dollar company. And after our conversation, he actually realized he didn’t want to sell the company out of desperation. But with the rush, he couldn’t see that — and that’s the problem: A lot of times it’s very difficult to see the bigger picture and be strategic when we’re in such a rush. Because when we’re feeling the desperation and stress to take action… It’s hard to think clearly in those times. And you always operate better when you slow down, talk to someone, and gain clarity about your next move. These decisions are the biggest needle movers in your business and life, so I always invest time and money to decide them with the right setting and support, this is where we make history. — Want to accelerate your results as a founder in your next exit? I’ve opened up more slots in my calendar to help high-performing founders execute with absolute clarity. Let’s chat (link in my bio) → Ignacio Carcavallo

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Charlotte Lloyd Consistent and effective follow-up is crucial for maintaining potential leads and building client relationships. Your initial message may have sparked interest, but silence can cause your opportunity to fade. Instead of feeling like you're chasing, you should focus on providing value in your follow-up messages to establish trust and credibility. By strategically staying on clients' radar, you'll increase the likelihood of converting prospects into long-term partnerships.

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One of the best things I've read in a while... The true practitioner use cases in analytics start with a lot of data wrangling. The POC test for BI tools (or anything in the #moderndatastack) often starts with a clean data set to derive insight, which rarely happens in practice. I like the Pepsi Challenge analogy, but I think it's even more extreme. The first sip from a can at least resembles the whole can (even if taste evolves with greater consumption). If I thought about the amount of work that is spent cleaning, organizing, managing, understanding, QCing, and sorting data, compared to analysis done on a clean data set, it would be like doing the Pepsi Challenge with a single drop of cola consumed with a finger bringing it to the taste buds.

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2.5M views of a 1-line tweet that shares the news of Jasmin Paris finishing the incredibly hard Barkley Marathon. 2.5M views!! That is Elon Musk tweet territory. That is like an entire nation watching a guy tweeting. It is from a guy called Keith Dunn who covers the updates of one of the hardest races in the world. Out in the woods, no live stream. Only a few selected runners taking on the challenge of their life time. How can it be that this tiny event gets so much attention? Are we living in times of ultra running mega hype? We see huge communities forming online that are becoming as big as actual nations. Those communities gather offline in all these running clubs, crews, events and races. They gather also online on reddit (r/running has 3.1M members, r/ultramarathon has 127k members), on twitter, youtube and Instagram. One cannot any longer ignore those massive communities. Those are here to stay. The running nations are forming. I love being in this industry. #ultramarathon #trailrunning

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Ever feel like your Chick-fil-A’s social media is inconsistent and the famous “we’ll get to it tomorrow” thing on your to-do list? At The Little Things Marketing, we just wrapped up the entire month of July for over 15 Chick-fil-A locations across America. That includes all their strategic content calendars, caption writing, graphic design, gathering/editing photos, scheduling it all out, and running ads on our client’s behalf! Does that sound like a dream come true? If so, our social media marketing services may be designed just for you - lethng you focus on what you do best: leading and growing your business. Here's what we offer: Social Media Marketing You can rest assured knowing that your Chick-fil-A's social media platforms are in safe hands, allowing you to focus fully on leading and growing your business without worrying about a thing. CUSTOMIZED CONTENT CALENDAR: Develop a monthly content calendar outlining the schedule for the number of posts per week across various platforms (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn). GRAPHIC DESIGN: Create visually appealing Chick-fil-A branded graphics for each post, ensuring consistency in branding and messaging. CAPTION WRITING: Craft engaging and on-brand captions for each post, incorporating relevant details and CTAs to encourage audience interaction and participation. SCHEDULING: Utilize social media management tools to schedule posts in advance, ensuring timely and consistent delivery of content. ENGAGEMENT: Monitor and respond to comments, messages, and mentions across all social media platforms promptly, fostering engagement, addressing inquiries, and managing customer feedback. Ready to take the stress out of your social media? Let's chat! Book a discovery call today and see how we can elevate your Chick-fil-A's online presence. https://lnkd.in/gWNuQY7p

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