Those that have been reading our blog for a bit know that what I want on vacation is easy, immersive, escapist readings that let my brain float. Sound of the waves, sand in my feet and mind in a good book. Perfect vacay for me.

This year’s reading list did not disappoint — and, as always, a few provided unexpected sparks of inspiration.

2026 Summer Reading List

This year, I read a mix of fiction, family dynamics, romance, reinvention and two business books that hit harder than expected. My 2026 beach‑bag lineup included:

• Spectacular Things — Beck Dorey‑Stein
• Road Trip — Mary Kay Andrews
• The Shampoo Effect — Jenny Jackson
• For Richer For Poorer — Danielle Steel
• Summer in the City — Alex Aster
• Whistler — Ann Patchett
• Mother‑Daughter Book Club — Susan & James Patterson
• The Night We Met — Abby Jimenez
• The Bookstore Diaries — Susan Mallery
• Chase the Clouds Away — Debbie Macomber
• Weddings — Danielle Steel
• Buy Back Your Time — Dan Martell
• Profit First — Mike Michalowicz

What You Can Get From Summer Reading

Beyond the obvious stress reduction, reading gives me:

Familiar settings, themes and characters that feel like home. This year’s list gave me everything from beach‑town nostalgia to complicated relationships to business strategy disguised as storytelling. Even when the plots were wildly different, there was always something that felt close to my own life.

Characters who make me say, “Yes, you go,” out loud. Every summer, at least one heroine earns a full‑volume cheer from my beach chair. This year, several did — whether they were navigating messy relationships, reinventing themselves, or simply choosing joy in the middle of chaos.

Storylines that blur into my work life and spark ideas I didn’t know I needed. Some books made me think about identity and reinvention (The Shampoo Effect, Summer in the City). Some reminded me how complicated leadership and decision‑making can be (Spectacular Things, Whistler). And a couple — Buy Back Your Time and Profit First — weren’t fiction at all but still delivered the kind of clarity that shows up in my work long after vacation ends.

Truth Be Told: Reading List Insights

All of these books are great. My favorite was Road Trip. The one I have read for the third time and need to read again is Buy Back Your Time.

Spectacular Things provided a ha moments that were not expected. It is better to ask questions than to give directions it reminded me. Also, it asked how do you want to leave the field after the game. Another thing hidden in the novel was: what adversity have you overcome or still grappling with on your quest to become a better player?

The reminders of a winner’s mentality were invaluable. Always be positive. Be poised under immense pressure. There is even more in there. Read the book, it’s so good.

Books as Blessings — Even the “Trashy” Ones

Reading expands vocabulary, reduces stress and boosts cognitive function. But it also does something else: it sparks ideas, reframes challenges and reminds us that inspiration can come from anywhere — even a beach read.

So cheers to the summer of 2026. It was one filled with sunshine, stories and unexpected personal and professional inspirations and learnings. Happy summer reading, y’all.

Email marketing remains one of the most practical and profitable ways for small businesses and nonprofits to build relationships, drive repeat sales and stay visible. With email marketing you are not depending entirely on social media algorithms or paid ads.

While social platforms can help attract attention, email gives something more durable. It gives a direct line to the people who have already shown interest.

Why This Tool Matters for Small Businesses and Nonprofits

For small businesses and nonprofits, every marketing dollar needs to work hard. Email marketing is valuable because it is affordable, measurable and relationship-driven.

Instead of just hoping customers see a post in a crowded social feed, a business or nonprofit can also send targeted messages directly to subscribers, past buyers, leads and loyal clients.

• Higher return on investment: Email marketing consistently delivers strong ROI compared with many other digital channels.
• Ownership of the audience: Your email list is an asset you control, unlike followers on rented social platforms.
• Better customer retention: Newsletters, offers, reminders and follow-ups keep your business top of mind.
• Personalization: You can segment customers by interests, buying behavior, location or engagement level.
• Automation: Welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails, appointment reminders and re-engagement campaigns can run in the background.
• Measurable results: Opens, clicks, conversions, unsubscribes and revenue attribution help you understand what is working.

The Pros and Cons of Email Marketing

Pros

• Cost-effective: Most platforms offer affordable entry-level plans, making email accessible even for small teams.
• Direct communication: You can reach customers without relying on changing platform algorithms.
• Supports the full customer journey: Email can nurture leads, convert prospects, onboard new customers and encourage repeat purchases.
• Easy to test and improve: Subject lines, calls to action, offers and send times can be tested over time.
• Works across industries: Restaurants, retail shops, consultants, coaches, service businesses, nonprofits and ecommerce brands can all benefit.

Cons

• Requires consistency: A neglected list loses engagement quickly.
• List quality matters: Buying lists or sending irrelevant messages can damage deliverability and trust.
• Compliance is important: Businesses and nonprofits must follow email laws, consent requirements, unsubscribe rules and privacy best practices.
• Deliverability can be technical: Authentication, spam filters and sender reputation affect whether emails reach inboxes.
• Content still matters: A platform will not fix weak messaging, unclear offers or inconsistent branding.

Email Marketing Best Practices for Small Businesses and Nonprofits

The best email marketing tool for you depends many variables. Consider your business model, budget, technical comfort level and whether you need simple newsletters or a full sales and marketing system.

• Start with a clear goal: Decide whether your emails should drive bookings, purchases, referrals, reviews, event attendance, or education.
• Build your list ethically: Use website forms, lead magnets, checkout opt-ins, QR codes and in-person signups with permission.
• Segment early: Separate leads, customers, VIPs, inactive subscribers and different interest groups.
• Send consistently: A monthly email is better than disappearing for six months.
• Automate the basics: Set up a welcome sequence, follow-up sequence, review request and re-engagement campaign.
• Write like a human: Keep emails helpful, concise and relevant instead of overly promotional.
• Track the right metrics: Look beyond opens and focus on clicks, replies, bookings, purchases and unsubscribes.

Email marketing is not just another marketing task. It is a long-term business asset. For small businesses and nonprofits, the right email strategy can turn casual visitors into leads. Then it turns leads into customers. And finally it turns customers into repeat buyers or referral sources.

Build your list, serve it well and use email as a steady engine for relationships, revenue and growth. Want to learn more? Not sure what the right email platform for your small business or nonprofit might be? We are happy to meet with you to discuss.

In branding, there are many processes that agencies adopt. The foundation of the models that agencies use are often centered on a brand vision or promise. After your brand’s vision and promise comes the personality or character that your brand uses to express itself, as if it were a person. Remember that inconsistency in delivering on the promise dilutes customer or client faith in the competency in your organization. Thirdly, your brand needs positioning. Call me and I’ll be happy to share more detail about this important part of the exercise.

Affiliating With Your Brand

Lastly comes the brand affiliation. What do your clients or customers want others to think about them because they are affiliated with your brand? Affiliation is key and starts with your internal team. After all, they are the closest to your brand. So if you have recently rebranded, and your current marketing partner isn’t telling you to start engaging your internal team first, you should think again about your brand’s priorities.

Branding is Alchemy

These important marketing exercises can seem like a magical process of transformation for a company. An alchemy of sorts. Successful branding makes everything you do make sense, and gives you a clear path of where to go next. So who are we to fight the alchemy?

In order to deliver consistent messaging, business leaders and owners need to remember a few things when they rebrand. First of all, you, dear business owner, cannot create your brand in a vacuum. Context matters. The market matters. And, again, we say this often as a reminder of how to come away from a brand exercise with strong results.

The Three Cs of the Branding Process

Of course, difficult conversations sometimes happen during this process. And, on the Porch, we are here for it. We believe in and practice these three pillars in our marketing: Conviction, connection and consistency. We’ve talked about these before. And we will talk about them again, and again. Because building your brand around these pillars works.

Conviction

We know business owners and leaders have conviction about their company and their brand. It’s the passion, the energy and the will to be successful. It’s a growth mindset. When you are convicted about your brand and absolute about a growth mindset, the magic will happen. When we work with companies, we talk on their conviction as our own. We want the success to happen as much as they do.

Connection

Connection is about building a space where communication is genuine with branding and connection to your audience. It’s about reaching your customers and clients on a 1-to-1 basis. Meeting their needs. Solving their problems.

Remember, you are not your customer or your client. Your personal preferences may not be the needs of your customer. One of the hardest things to do for a business owner is to step out of their own shoes into the shoes of their customers and clients. Recognize and meet their needs. Don’t talk at them, talk with them. Connect.

Consistency

Consistency is where we see sometimes really strong business fall short. The business leaders want to jump in and get hands on. Maybe they LOVE the creative side of the business so they want to design their own logo, letterhead, website etc. And, the result in our several plus years of experience, is that this is a disaster.

I myself love the creative side of the business; however, I am not a graphic designer, so I let the trained professionals do their job. If you’re a business owner thinking about consistency yet trying to do parts of the branding process that are out of your wheelhouse, question yourself: Is this the right way for me to spend my time?

Growing Your Brand

On the Porch, we are so grateful for business leaders and owners who are open to defining their look and their voice with us. We love working with owners and leaders who want to grow their brand beyond their comfort zone, realizing business success comes from this eye-opening, defining process. Together we can accomplish great things throughout the branding process and into all the marketing work beyond that!

You’ve just completed a big project — you’ve rebranded your business. Congrats! The brand is new and sparkling. It resonates with your team, clients and advocates. Your team and you, business owners and leaders, have all invested many resources, time and money and other things into this company. There is momentum after you rebrand, and internal teams are ready to communicate the new brand. Those whom you have announced the rebranding to are applauding.

Rebranding Is an Investment

Remember, you have invested in a new logo, so make sure that you show it off in all the right places. You’ll want to champion your brand to not just employees, but to advocates, associations and other external allies.

• Launch event for internal team to get the team excited about the rebrand
• New branding materials for internal and external  presentation of your brand
  • Collateral materials including business cards and letterhead
  • Team uniforms and swag
  • Building and conference room signage and materials
  • Website
  • New networking groups and associations to join
• A marketing plan and new messaging plan to communicate the new brand

What’s Next After You Are Rebranded?

For heaven’s sake, don’t stop there. Marketing is what’s next. Just because you have built it doesn’t mean they will come. Don’t pull back on marketing efforts. It’s time to really put that rebranding effort to work!

At a minimum, if you have updated your brand, enable your marketing and advertising partner to do the following:

1. Internal Engagement — Continue to foster your brand advocates. Investigate new ways to infuse your brand into your company culture and daily activities, i.e., invoices, customer communication, etc.
2. Digital Marketing
   1. Website — After your initial website build, continue to add new content
   1. Content Strategy — Include organic social posting and blog posting at a frequency your agency recommends
   1. Email Marketing — Clients and advocates want to hear from you. Do you have an email tool, template and plan to deploy? Remember, content should be news to use, not all about you. Help your audience.
   1. Paid Digital Strategy — Continue to challenge your existing digital partner to deliver on your investment. Listen to your marketing partner, as this world moves fast and they have their fingers on the pulse of the market.
3. Collateral — New opportunities beyond your basic package after you’ve rebranded, and will be identified as you move forwarded if your team and agency are in sync and communicate on a weekly basis.
4. New Opportunities —  These will be based on feedback from your team and you on what is working and what isn’t. There will always be new opportunities to explore. Decide what fits your brand and timing.
5. Monitor & Optimize — Our world is changing at the speed of light. Your marketing team is at the forefront of this and monitoring new opportunities. Ask them to provide continuous feedback on how your business can benefit from the latest and greatest advances.
6. So much more — With your agency you might explore traditional marketing, PR and Media Relations, Activations, Promotions and more.

Being Rebranded is Just the Beginning

Overall, please do not invest in rebranding if resources do not exist to execute on it for the long term. A new logo isn’t the end-all-be-all for your business success.

Want to learn more? Then we are happy to chat. Email julie@itsfrontporch.com.

When you are 15, you have found who you are supposed to be — your strengths are shining. And at 15, you’ve found the clients, team and partners that help you thrive. Not just survive. It’s true!

Front Porch Marketing is so honored to be in business for 15 years. So we are celebrating this month. To that end, we’d like to share some super-secret strengths in the branding and marketing world right now. Maybe some of these will help you move your business forward this year.

Here are five strengths to consider for our Crystal (15^th) Anniversary. And for the rest of 2026. Cue the Mirrorball!

Your Business Strengths Shine in 2026

Branding Strength

Branding continues to give companies a leg up, and even more so. We are so grateful that businesses recognize that brand strategy and a clearly defined value proposition differentiate them. These businesses are seeing results for being strategic and mindful.

AI For Good

Use the strength of AI for good, not as a distraction — Business leaders and owners are spending time researching, building their own tools for their websites, or saying that AI is going to eliminate their company in the future, and other things.

Don’t use AI as a distraction. We have heard from CEOs and Presidents of companies they have spent more than half their day asking Large Language Models (LLMs) all the things. While you are doing this, who is minding the gap of your business, leading your company and inspiring your people?

AI can be an advantage to all of us. We can use it as a tool to free ourselves up to spend time on more strategic, creative work.

Strong Content Marketing

Choose authentic humans sharing storytelling for the win. Want to learn more? We are here to share.

Short-Form Video For The Win

Short form is a strength in 2026. In fact, video leveraged a strong ROI by 93% of marketing firms that used it, according to HubSpot, and its where more marketing teams are going to in 2026. We can help build your strength in video. Think about those that are looking at Instagram stories and YouTube videos.

Benchmarking Your Efforts

It’s important to measure results. Benchmark your marketing and advertising results and your marketing and advertising spending. How? Adopt weekly and monthly KPIs. Quickly understand and benchmark what is working and what isn’t.

Business owners and leaders we work with typically don’t have the bandwidth to do this. So, we do this for them. This valuable information can steer the year. Question your marketing partners if what you are investing in isn’t returning the results expected.

Your Success Is Our Strength

Back to our 15^th year — Hooray! Thank you to our team, clients and advocates past, present and future. We couldn’t do this without y’all. We have had the time of our life fighting dragons with you. Wearing all of the friendship bracelets. Continuing to celebrate the wins and grow our businesses together.

Confetti falls to the ground.

Since the start of the new year, I have noticed business owners posting on LinkedIn daily or several times a week. Yay for being more active! Boo for the frequency and overall execution. Double boo for the AI-generated content and visuals. It is riff-raff. Please just stop making mistakes on LinkedIn — you can do better!

Instead, Connect With Other Business Owners and Leaders

Right now, LinkedIn is the only place to connect with like-minded professionals, business owners, industry leaders and potential leads. This is the only social network where you can get updates from your industry’s leaders on what’s happening in their career or company. In addition to that, it is a platform for professional development — hello LinkedIn Learning — and to get the heads-up on industry trends, emerging technologies, the state of the economy and more.

Personally, I love seeing updates from my connections on awards they have won, events they have attended, professional milestones and shout-outs about what is happening in their business or with their people. Please, get back to that.

LinkedIn Builds Professional Credibility

So hey, business owners and leaders: Let’s harken back to the three Cs of successful brands. Conviction, consistency and connection should be your guidance on how to use LinkedIn successfully.

Focusing on connection and the relevancy of your content are the things that matter. If your target doesn’t care about what you stand for and if it isn’t authentic and purposeful, no one will pay attention. The stronger the emotional connection, the more likely your target or your connections will be positively pre-disposed to your organization.

Business Owners and Leaders Build Connection on LinkedIn

Trusted relationships develop into emotional bonds. And this is true for LinkedIn. Loyalty to your brand or to you as a business leader means greater business success for you, and reduced competitive threat.

While you may think staged photography of you behind your computer or with a team member, belongs on your personal LinkedIn timeline, think again. It is not enough to just show yourself working. Let your followers know what you’re thinking. Don’t weaken connections with your professional network you spent decades to build. Keep connecting with your network in ways that help them.

Balance helpfulness, expertise and relatability to boost engagement on LinkedIn without excessive self-promotion. Please and thank you. Again, for the love of Pete, keep your audience interested by providing value. Establish your authority by sharing your expertise.

And above all, build connection.

Front Porch Marketing can help if you need additional thoughts on how to use LinkedIn, how to build and maintain connection with your network, or just some counsel on your LinkedIn brand or personal page. We know you can rock it in 2026!

This year is a significant business anniversary for Front Porch Marketing! ‘Cause when you are fifteen … yep, had to … the lyrics from the icon and brilliant, bad a** storyteller and business woman Taylor Swift. We are honored and humbled to be celebrating our 15^th year in business beginning this March. Which has all our marketing and branding wheels spinning.

What’s Significant About 2026?

It is not only our 15th anniversary. We have a new client who has engaged us to develop a brand audit, brand architecture and a 2026 marketing plan. Oh, and 2026 marks this client’s 30^th year in business. Another significant business anniversary! Well, celebrations and events are always top of mind on the Porch. So, in my best football mom voice, Let’s go!

Looking for Ways to Rock Your Significant Business Birthday?

Whether it is this year or next, Front Porch Marketing can help. First of all, remember all things you do as a business should be in your brand voice and colors. Next, build on traditions and the vernacular you have established — for your brand and within your company culture — with your clients and advocates. Keep doing more of what makes you YOU!

Ready to celebrate your significant business anniversary? Look up the traditional and modern gifts and words associated with the significant year celebrations. For 30, for example, it is pearls, diamonds, lilies and other delightful 30^th anniversary attributes.

Idea Starters For Your Significant Day Celebration

1. The big day to celebrate in 2026, for our current client, would be the 30^th of every month starting in the month that they were founded for twelve months
   • Social media post related to the anniversary
   • Gift in line with 30 years to client’s advocates or to the founding client
   • Same to current and possibly prospective clients
2. Nonprofit tie-in
   • Donating $3,000 to a nonprofit near and dear to the brand or some special philanthropic tie-in
   • Asking for submissions directed to nonprofits, asking why their nonprofit should get $3,000
3. Team recognition
   • Special 30^th anniversary branded gift
   • Celebration event for team
   • Volunteering together for 30 hours during the anniversary year
4. Short-term logo with 30^th anniversary tagline or “30” incorporated into the design
5. 30^th anniversary website banner
6. Updated social media timeline covers and/or avatars
7. Handwritten notes with a special gift — or no gift — to those who helped you start the business or who are key to keeping you motivated to think differently. Recognize those who are always propping you up throughout the year

We Thank YOU For Helping Us Reach This Significant Year

It is not lost on us that we could not have done these past fifteen years without you. We could not have done this without team members present and past, and those that are yet to come. To those team members who we pull in when we have overflow or need special expertise: Thank you.

To those who refer us to other business leaders and contacts? We give our endless gratitude. To the champions of Front Porch Marketing who ask us to speak at events or are always at the willing to talk to clients looking for additional expertise and resources.

We are grateful for you all. Humbled and blessed always. Our team is honored to work with those we love for whom we love while taking care of our loves.

There would be no Front Porch Marketing without all y’all.

You rock. Thank you.

Over the past several weeks, many opportunities for expressing gratitude have presented themselves professionally and personally, all of which I am grateful for and humbled by.

“Tis the damn season,” thank you, Taylor, for that lyric in which I probably overuse.

And remember, expressing gratitude provides many personal benefits including improving mood, and physical and mental health overall.

Gratitude for Professional Opportunities

1. Non-profit organization board position — I am on a board now that is making real differences in lives of others. I was recommended to serve on it. Having conversations with existing board members of that board has me so inspired, and I hope to share more in Q2 2026. There’s a process and I’m practicing patience.
2. Networking organization board position — An organization in which I have be a member of for a year is redefining its vision and mission. It is shaking up things a bit. Beginning in January 2026, I have been nominated and accepted to serve on this board too.
3. New client prospects — We have been referred to a growing business that is merging with another company to help them rebrand and develop a marketing plan for their new brand. In addition to this, we are pitching a professional services business in a category we love. Wahoo!

Gratitude for Personal Celebrations

1. My Daughter — She continues to bring so much joy in my life. She is into the performing arts, and will be on stage in November after a few months of rehearsals and valiant efforts. Her soccer season is coming to an end. And the goalie and leadership skills of this one on the field have made me so proud. “Where did she come from?” I often ask myself, amazed at her skills.
2. My Son – He has found a job that brings him opportunities for learning that align with an industry he’s passionate about. That’s a win-win. I am so grateful that he shares his work experiences with me. Often, we get to converse over numbers, trends, opportunities and more.
3. My Neighborhood Community — Coming off such a fun Halloween night where we gathered, added to our tribe and covered another mile or two. It was the best night in a while. So grateful!

How To Express Gratitude Professionally or Personally

1. Verbally — I hope I have taught my kids this. When someone does something for you, just simply say, “Thank you.” Also, you can elaborate on this and tell them specifically about the thing for which you are grateful.
2. Handwritten thank you notes — It is a lost art. But the impact is huge for the receiver and for me, the writer.
3. Cards or notes just because — It doesn’t have to be because someone has done something for you. Just sending a note of gratitude to those that enrich your life in some way means a lot.

Just a Few Additional Things for Which I am Expressing Gratitude

1. The Front Porch Marketing team — The best!
2. Our clients — We have the best and smartest.
3. Our Front Porch advocates — These extraordinary people continue to support our team and business. The tribe sends new connections our way, recommendsing us to make other brand’s rock and so much more.
4. This collaboration — Read more here
5. Our therapists — Times are challenging and each of my family members are coping with things. In addition, my daughter, who is autistic, needs support for communication and social skills in addition to sensory processing and self-regulating.
6. The Porter pets — I am grateful for Petunia who continues to make appearances on Teams and Zoom calls. And for Cale, the biggest fella, who is so patient and needy at times, but really is the best dog.

What are you grateful for? There are many things we would love to celebrate with you. Remember, “Tis the damn season.”

Looking back at Q3, we feel very fortunate to have talked to more small to midsize businesses and nonprofits than in Q1 and Q2 combined — there have been a lot of marketing questions asked. However, some of it isn’t good news for them.

Some prospects are seeing a decline in revenue vs the first part of the year. Others are not seeing the return on their digital ad spend they saw in the first part of the year.

And, then there are some of our favorite conversations. We love meeting new entrepreneurs ready to rock their next business venture. This audience has a different set of questions.

For those that fall into the categories above, here are some insights of our conversations, that might help you, if you are experiencing similar opportunities. Even for those business owners and leaders who aren’t in the middle of one of these scenarios, there may be a nugget to learn or ponder here.

Marketing Questions for 2025

Why are my Google fill in the blank ads not performing?

Overwhelmingly, prospective clients are coming to us because of this and asking relevant marketing questions. Note to all: Business leaders and consumers alike are now starting their searches with AI platforms like ChatGPT. Generative AI is taking over the discovery phase.

Whereas consumers used to start with a keyword search on Google, 68% of shoppers across the world have used AI tools like ChatGPT to shop, according to a report published by creative agency VML. So, now the lines are blurred between search as a brand marketing function and a performance marketing one.

Also, if your Google Local Service Ads (LSA) are not working, why did you notice this and not your current agency? There are a myriad of reasons why they are not performing. And your agency should fix this problem. Not you. Ask them this marketing question.

Are your clients seeing a decline in revenue this year vs. last year?

This marketing questions is an important one. This is where you get the open, direct conversations that happen on the Front Porch. The U.S. economy has been in the s*&^ for quite a bit. Longer than most will admit. (Time to take off those orange-colored, not rose-colored glasses, which is a tip of the hat to Taylor and the release of The Life of a Showgirl.)

About a third of our clients have seen a decline. Of that third, the decline has been less than others in their industry. Why? Our clients market onward. These business owners and leaders haven’t cut the marketing budgets. And it’s showing!

Reality check, people. The spending on all the things: consumer goods, professional services, hospitality, travel, etc., after the pandemic was fabulous. But, as hopefully most of you have realized, it is time we normalize. And now, driven by macroeconomic uncertainty, tariffs and other factors, businesses and consumers are holding on to their cash.

How do I distinguish my business in an oversaturated category?

Recently, a prospect launching a business consultancy emailed this marketing question to us — after our initial meeting and several discovery calls.

My response, thank you for asking, was this: We take you through a branding process to ensure that your brand is both differentiating and emotionally relevant to your best target customer or client in this case.

As a famous person recently said, “I’m in the business of human emotion.”

All of us as business owners, leaders and champions of our brands are in the business of human emotion. Human connection, along with clarity and conviction of your brand will make you rise above. Even in an oversaturated category.

At the end of the day, automation and AI are happening whether you want them to or not. However, if your brand isn’t defined, your business is way behind the curve. And if it is and you are not delivering on it at every touchpoint, we can help you get there.

Want Your Own Answers to These Three Marketing Questions?

Whether your marketing questions are about ads, revenue or branding, or something else entirely, you deserve to have someone help you find the answers. Knowing is the first step down a new, more successful journey on your company’s marketing path.

Recently, I heard a successful business entrepreneur speak. His audience of almost 100 business owners was comprised of some who were familiar with his business and others who were not.

This business leader owns a Construction General Contractor business. He described that his company’s role as General Contractor is to project manage a construction job. From start to finish, his company project manages jobs big and small, so the owner does not have to do so.

How a Construction General Contractor Business Parallels an Ad Agency

I noticed right away that the job components included in managing projects as a Construction General Contractor mirror ours as a branding and marketing partner. In order to execute a successful project, these four components must be happen for us at Front Porch marketing:

1. Create and manage the timeline — Along the way, make sure all tasks are on time and timelines are updated.
2. Develop the budget — Estimate all costs, agency fees and out-of-pocket expenses, to ensure no surprises during the course of the project.
3. Hire the crew — The right crew is critical. With us, our crew is already on board. We engage them as needed and they deploy their expertise and skills for each part of “the job.”
4. Manage communication — Front Porch Marketing account managers are the primary liaison with the Client. They manage the team executing the work, so our Clients don’t have to do so.

The Right People for the Job

This is where the rubber meets the road for Construction General Contractors as well as Advertising Agencies. They both require the right people to do the job who are focused on results. The cost for both construction and advertising is higher sometimes, because we both want to get the right, skilled experienced experts to execute the work. We also want to be able to hold them accountable for executing at the highest level. By doing this, the results meet or exceed clients’ expectations.

As a business or nonprofit leader or owner, if you have time and team members to manage the above. rock on.

Managing Your Time Effectively as a Business Leader

Think about whether the way you’re doing it now is the right way to spend your time.  Are you managing or executing your own marketing? For me, I create the annual plan for Front Porch. I review it. Our team weighs in and embraces their roles. I check in with team members along the way.

However, for me, I know my business and the team benefits when I work ON our business not IN our business. Does yours?

Manufacturers are a sweet spot for us. In addition, we love business owners and leaders who share their expertise and learnings with other. Hence, that is where the inspiration for this blog came from for me after seeing this business owner speak. Connecting the parallels of agency business and Construction General Contractor business reinforced for me that we are driven when we work with like-minded business leaders. Let me know what you think.

Cheers to business success!