Masters in Marketing Agency DevNoodle

Dive into an entrepreneur's journey from the early grind of networking events to the thrill of accelerating a business. Uncover the unique story behind Roosterly, the hustle of raising capital, and the passion for tech, teaching, and fast cars.

Here are a few o topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast.

Selling t-shirts to managing socials.Affiliate program with a car giveaway.The struggle of scaling a business.Websites from 2004 vs. the modern web.AI and digital currency arbitrage.
Resources:
RoosterlyDevNoodleBiggerPockets PodcastBuy Back Your Time
Connect with Irfan Jafrey:
LinkedIn
Connect with our hosts:
Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedIn
Quotables:
30:25 - There's gotta be obviously arbitrage related to AI. There's arbitrage related to digital currencies. That's how Sam Bankman Fried initially was making a lot of money until he wasn't. But I mean, I think in digital currency, I think in things related to AI, we're gonna see a lot of arbitrage I think in PR, which is a very antiquated industry. No disrespect. We work with over 30 PR firms in North America to help them get their clients in the press quickly. And they all agree that it's an inefficient industry and I think we're going to see a lot of arbitrage there as technology makes things more efficient. 24:10 - Josh: Because it's not very often that you hear actually marketing agencies. Actually, two things I'll say about that. One, marketing agencies don't always raise money. And the other thing I forget. So my other question would be, what was the goal for raising capital.Irfan: Yeah, so I think the important distinction to make is we do not consider ourselves a marketing agency. We do some marketing agency type things, but we raised money. Our capital raise was predicated on the fact that we built a platform to aggregate, curate, schedule, and post content based on combing through a person's LinkedIn profile or Facebook or Instagram profile without them needing to do the heavy lifting.28:35 - The average person on LinkedIn, let's say at that law firm has five hundred to a thousand connections. If you're sharing one piece of really good content on different times throughout that firm, not at the same time, not at the same day, 'cause it's gonna look robotic and spammy, but you can get, extract 10 X, 20 X, a hundred X of value for that piece of content that you put together. 'cause it's syndicated throughout multiple people. So that's also part of our goal is to create the automation around that strategy so that piece of content, whether it's a press release, original content, curated content, has the largest lifecycle with the most impact.32:21 - And so if you can imagine the giant waste of time to, well, not really a waste of time, but if you look at the amount of effort and energy that goes into dressing up and going to a networking event in Chicago in the winter time with the snow and sleet and rai,n parking your car with the risk of it getting a parking ticket and meeting people when you're not a social guy to get a business card so you can sign 'em up for something that's $49, it's quite painful. But as silly as it sounds that being able to do that 40 times was a factor in us able to effectively raise money. We had people that signed up and they're like, yeah, I like the service. Okay, so we're a real business, not a concept at that point knowing, sure, we're only making a, a whopping $800 at that point or whatever it was, but it was enough where the caliber of clients that we had was sufficient to showcase to investors that, ah, okay, this is something that a lot of other people could use. Okay. So, that's sort of how we started.37:01 - Actually no, I would say that about 80% of our business comes through the meta ads that we run. That sort of, you know, Facebook, Instagram, take the rooster really two week free trial if you'd like it. Stay on, there's no contracts. That's sort of the entry point low-ri

Dive into an enlightening conversation as we discuss embracing ADHD as an entrepreneurial superpower, the transformative role of AI in the future of marketing, and why sidestepping "superstars" can strengthen your company culture. Prepare for practical insights on hiring right, leveraging AI today, and strategies for a booming marketing career.

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast.

ADHD as an entrepreneurial edge.AI's role in modern marketing.Importance of strategy in execution.Avoiding ego-driven superstars.Fractional CMO benefits for businesses.
Resources:
& MarketingDevNoodle
Connect with Rajat Kapur:
LinkedIn
Connect with our hosts:
Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedIn
Quotables:
39:53 - And a lot of the people out there that are independent consultants are looking for a community and a home where they can hang out. We want to be that community. And then obviously we have a business to run, right? So if we can help those two get together, that ends up being a really good model. I think of it as like a very high-end boutique recruiting service because we'll get clients that ask us the craziest thing, they'll say, well I'm in this industry and I want somebody at this particular thing and they might want this geography. And usually within a week we can find three to five candidates in our community that meet almost all or some of those criteria. 47:23 - Josh: And then a few questions I I tend to ask towards the end. If you had to teach something to other marketers, what would it be?Raj: That's a great question. There's a quote that I have adapted from the Art of War that applies directly to marketing. So it is, strategy is the slowest path to victory. Strategy without execution is the slowest path to victory. And tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. That's straight from that book and it totally applies to marketing. And what I find that happens in the marketing world today is everybody wants a quick ROI. Everybody wants to jump to execution. Everybody wants to get their ads up tomorrow or their social media plan implemented or those emails out as soon as possible. And sometimes it works, but when it doesn't work, it's almost always because you haven't done the strategy work. And the strategy work is never gonna go outta style and it's never gonna go bad. What does the strategy work? It is who are you, who is your ideal customer target? What are their problems? How do you solve them? What makes you unique? That's it, right? That's never gonna go outta style. And so if you think like, you know, in a couple weeks I'm just gonna turn on some Google ads and magically hit the right spot for that decision maker to make that decision, I would tell every marketer to go back to the fundamentals more than they think is comfortable. And that's almost always the right answer.43:01 - Josh: And I guess I wanna understand, how can you work with other agencies or what services can you partner with other agencies? So in other words, what do agencies tend to reach out to you for?Raj: Yeah, that's great. So most of the time it's strategy, right? So most of the time an agency will reach out to us because they'll say, hey, we're great at the strategy. We can't do the execution that this particular company needs. I think they need a fractional CMO and the arrangements that we have there, I call it a boomerang. So if you're a marketing agency, you already have the relationship and you're able to bring us into potentially place a fractional CMO, you get the first right of refusal on the execution work. Absolutely right. So we have those successful arrangements already and I'm happy to build more of them. 'cause quite often that marketing agency tries to do the strategy strategic work, but they either can't find the budget or they don't have the people and the bandwidth to actually get it done.39:08 - And what we basically do is we go out in the world, we meet

Dive into RJ's unique story of transformation from Air Force to children's entertainment, and now, as the CEO of Tipping Point Digital. Get inspired by her relentless pursuit of growth and her ingenious way of standing out in the SEO world. This episode is a blend of life lessons, marketing wisdom, and a touch of unconventional flair – it's a journey you don’t want to miss!

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast.

RJ's vibrant SEO branding trick.Inside look at an elite marketer’s communityTransitioning from the military to marketing.The art of gaining and giving referrals.Leveraging a mentor's wisdom for success.Resources:
Tipping Point DigitalDevNoodle
Connect with Rina Jean (RJ) Bindi:
LinkedIn
Connect with our hosts:
Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedInQuotables:
17:16 - We're all here for the same thing, which is to add value to others, help them build and be successful. Like that's the big picture scene. And yet everybody's here trying to pay their cell phone bills, feed their babies, keep their employees going, keep their business going. And we need to do what we need to do in order to be our own unique versions of ourselves and to stand out of the crowd. And with marketing it's like, like there's a lot of noise. It's got a low barrier of entry. It's got people from all around the world who say they can do it. And it's just like the, I get you ranking number one over and over and over again and you're just like, come on man. Just be you. Stand out. Carve your niche, find your tribe, find your people. Find the people that are attracted to who you are, what you do, who you serve, and hold those people closest.22:26 - I don't think there was the biggest thing. I mean, there were so many mistakes. There were so many learning opportunities. I needed to work a hundred times harder than I thought to get the results that I wanted. I needed to protect myself as a business owner by taking classes to educate myself about labor laws, employment. I got a payroll company, I got a bookkeeper, I took classes at the Larimer County Small Business development center and learned about like operations, finance, sales, marketing, and then the technician portion of every business. Like that's a really loaded question because it's not just one big thing, it's like business development in itself and how I need to duplicate myself and to hire team and to delegate let go of control.26:32 - And I was just scribbling taking notes. And then I googled like 13 different words that he had talked about and I called him up the following week and I was like, I understand what you were talking about. Can you have another conversation with me please? Like, I mean you have to put yourself out there and you have to be ready for someone to say no, they won't mentor you or why would I do that? You have to be a not afraid of rejection, ego, like how I look, what someone's going to say or think about me. Like I have to care enough about my business and my family and my success to really put myself out there and ask over and over again until I find someone who's the right fit. 48:47 - Josh: and then a lot of what we're trying to do with that community and we kind of talked about it earlier, is again, we wanna make sure that we can understand, you know, where you need help and where you can help others. So to jump into some of those questions, how can you work with other marketing agencies or what services can you partner with other agencies? So in other words, you know, what do agencies tend to reach out to you for?Rj: They look for partnerships a lot of time. And as I mentioned before, it's when I, I haven't really had anyone who, I've got one or two people who also work with dudes in the trades and they'll ask for some support, but it's usually, it's not about like the process of what we're doing, it's more about the business building aspect and how that works. Not a whole lot of digi

Dive into an episode where marketing meets self-growth, as Theresa Bassett shares her journey from radio to CEO of The Diamond Group. Discover how her agency adapts to client needs, why comfort zones hinder growth, and the power of identity in shaping behaviors. Plus, she teases their big move towards franchising. Get ready for a treasure trove of agency insights mixed with life lessons.

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast.

Pivoting toward Full-Service Agency.The Why behind MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue).Diamonds are made under pressure.The power of identity in shaping behavior.Franchising: The Next Big Leap.
Resources:
The Diamond GroupDevNoodleBlue Ocean Strategy
Connect with Theresa Bassett:
LinkedInEmail
Connect with our hosts:
Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedIn
Quotables:
36:50 - Like if all I'm after ever doing is seeking comfort and then I'm essentially seeking what I know. And if I'm always seeking what I already know, then I'm not growing much at all. And so I think comfort, you have to get, you have to allow yourself to embrace discomfort in order to embrace the unknown. And the unknown is where all of the growth happens, it’s where all the ideas happen. It's where all of the challenge happens. Yes. But it's also where all of the experiential learning happens. And that's where you grow in capacity and compassion and wisdom and all of those things. So yeah, screw comfort.54:10 - Theresa: And that's where it has to tie back to that identity piece we were talking about. Because I think that you can set targets like those three categories we talked about, and those are the three categories that I recommend in the Uplevel System. But, there's targets and then there's targets, and then there's really good targets, really good targets that pull from a heart space because they're tied to your identity,Josh: Right? Yep, I've never talked about this publicly yet, but if I start this new podcast idea that I have it's all about this whole self-awareness, motivation, discipline thing, and talk. Theresa:I love it. Josh: Successful people and, and how they approach it and everything. Theresa: It’s gonna be a wild success with that because I hope so. It's system on self-awareness that you've already baked into what fires you up.46:40 - Because I would bet you that, I would bet if you look back at some of the things that you've started and maybe feel like you're undisciplined about maintaining, they're probably in the same genre of the same category year after year, year after year. Like totally right? And so you're practicing long obedience in the same direction, but you just need a different rhythm to being optimally productive. That is me a hundred percent. So I was doing these sprints without really realizing it. And then I was subsequently sometimes beating up myself up for not being disciplined enough, not being persistent enough. And then I'm like, holy crap, actually no, that's not true. Because I'm doing the same things that I'm working on some of the same things year after year, year after year.45:36 - That was very personal to me because I have this whole theory that I'm sure I've mentioned before of like what makes a successful person and to me I think it's a combination and they all kind of work together of self-awareness, motivation, and discipline. And I do this really unfair thing where I'll start to like, you know, I'm like, oh, let me test this theory. Let me look at someone and like a friend, I know this is so bad, but like, okay, where do I rank them in self-awareness? Are they a plus minus or neutral? Same thing with motivation, same thing with discipline. And I think where my biggest weakness is, is discipline. I like to think that I'm self-aware. I think everyone does. I like to, I spend time focusing on motivation and really like capturing that and making sure I'm taking advantage of it. When I call it like the first half-li

Dive into the world of marketing mastery with Aaron Gaeir, CEO of GDX Studios, sharing his wisdom on creating enchanting experiences that amplify every form of media. From  fostering an adventurous culture to leveraging pivotal success strategies and crafting valuable partnerships, this episode is a treasure trove for any marketing aficionado.

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast.

Building a Culture That Amplifies Success.The Power of Experiential Marketing.Strategic Partnerships in Agency Growth.Maintaining Optimism Through Challenges.Harnessing Tech for Marketing Innovation.
Resources:
GDX StudiosDevNoodle
Connect with Aaron Gaeir:
LinkedInEmail 
Connect with our hosts:
Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedIn
Quotables:
17:48 - What do you mean your DNA and your P&L, your profit loss has a line item for culture. Yeah. And I'm not talking about Taco Tuesdays, I'm not talking about vacations or more time off or doing, you know, happy hours on Fridays, that is, you know, that should be done anyways, right? I'm talking about how you structure building great culture or things like transparency, the way that people are paid, the way that people are compensated, not just in the time and money, and how that influences your culture and the people you hire, what I call PLU’s, people like us.25:00 - Wouldn't it be great to work somewhere where as you create value, you can then create, and I'm not talking about taking out the trash or doing the windows or, you know, plugging in the computer or turning the lights off. That's, you should be doing that anyways. I'm talking about real value and everybody knows what that is. Real, real value. And that doesn't mean maybe a new client or new sales. It could be a new software, it could be uncovering a new employee, a new colleague, right? There's all kinds of things that you can do to create value and everybody can create value from the account bookkeeper on up to the secretary, you name it. Everybody has the opportunity to create value in our company and harness that value.14:04 -  Aaron: It's the mental capacity to get through just really tough, tough mental challenges, you know?Josh: Yeah. I think still to this day, out of all the, the sports and workouts that I've done, I think a wrestling match has been the hardest and most tiring thing. And then not to go too far in this direction, but those tournaments, when you have three matches, four matches in a day, I mean, you feel a hundred percent cooked after one match and then you gotta recoup after, you know, an hour and then get back out there. It was, it was unlike anything I've ever done. 01:28:00 - This is a gateway to getting to the spatial computing. This is the gateway of using tactile experiences to get people into the metaverse or spatial computing. So it's exciting new, very cool that I'm putting a lot of eggs in that basket so people in that space could use us big time. 'cause I'm having people like agencies, I got one guy in Prague that I love that does these amazing mockups and he, they're they're blown you away. 01:04:15 - Aaron: It does feel good, right?Josh: Yeah. you know, I have this whole obsession of motivation, you know, which one's more powerful, a good positive, a positive motivator or an FU motivator. And as much as I want to pretend like the positive motivators are stronger, it tends to be the FU motivators are the stronger ones.Aaron: I had a whole company in that field of medical devo, you know, medical as you know, diabetes, obesity. I sold that to Cigna. And my IP was motivation. And it's two things. It's carrot or the stick. And you're right, the stick works better. Fear.Josh: Well said.Aaron: Losing eyesight, fear of dying from diabetes, fear of losing your leg is far stronger than saying, Hey dad, I want you to walk me down the aisle, get off the couch and stop eating cheeseburgers. That's powerful, right? I want you to be there for

Dive into an energizing discussion on the simplicity of work attire, the nuances of office culture, and the riveting journey of climbing the corporate ladder in digital marketing. From wardrobe hacks to the intricacies of acquisitions and the essence of agency success, this episode is a treasure trove for keen minds!

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast.

Sweatshirt and white polos for weeks!Why choose consistent clothing?Tactical decision-making power talk.How a chance dinner talk led to a job.Transforming from peer to president.
Resources:
MediauraDevNoodleThe Influence of ADHD on Entrepreneurial Tendencies (Masters in Marketing Agency episode with Andrew Aebersold
Connect with Amelia Veron:
LinkedIn
Connect with our hosts:
Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedIn
Quotables:
56:35 - It's 'cause I think it's so important. But you know, I always use the diner example. When you go to a restaurant that has everything under the sun on the menu, it usually means nothing is that great there. As opposed to when you go to those fine dining restaurants, and there's like three things on the menu, you know, that there's services or in this case, the food is probably a lot better per service or dish. So I think and to your point, we've talked to a few marketing agencies that their aim was to be that full service, and then they realize they're kind of diluting all the services and not providing the best service for their clients. So, you know, I think that's worth mentioning.22:03 - Amelia: And that, not to say we haven't had our fair share of disagreements, but I think the trust is built there at this point that we can disagree and get into it and then the next day be like, I'm fine. I'm over it now.Josh: Well that was literally gonna be kind of my next question, which is like, does that ever get frustrating or is that kind of just how it should be? 'cause you know, I think there's a lot of power when it comes, I call it like diversity and thought.33:57 - Your kind of production work doesn't really have much to do with your managerial skills. You know, I think, you have to be self-motivated. Like you have to be a problem solver and you have to just be a little tenacious. Like, I mean, stuff gets rough sometimes and you have to go home and be like, I'm gonna do it one way or the other, I'm going to do it. And sometimes people just don't have those qualities and I don't think you can make someone be that person.38:32 - I call it like Aristotle's mean, or Aristotle's, I forget, but it's this idea that everyone tends to bounce up and down. Whether it's happiness, it can go into politics, it can go into anything and people bounce. 'Cause what they do is they identify that there's an issue, maybe everyone's upset so they try to go the other way and they usually go too far and then they identify that too far and then they come back. And the more someone can kind of close that, that gap or that parabola, that tends to be the better solution. So I think that was, a really good point.42:36 - The beginning stage is mainly like, how are you doing? Are you getting the concepts like do you like it here? Do I mean frankly like, do we like you here? And so it's kind of us trying to suss out like the skills that maybe you can't interview about during that 90 days.