when it doesn't check ALL the boxes ... [🐝U]

April in Alberta. Nothing makes sense.

We had so much snow this winter I started wondering if spring was just a rumour.
& then the thaw all happened at once.

The temperature spiked.
The snow didn't melt so much as surrender.

& honestly… I know winter’s coming back … just to prove a point.

But right now I've got water where water isn't supposed to be.
The property is flooding.
A river literally runs through it!

After months of frozen & buried... it's almost too much coming in too fast to handle.

...which is kind of where I am with work right now.
Part of me’s excited.
& part of me already feels behind.

Slower season for a while.
Then 2 potential clients in the same week … 1 signed, the other’s close.

A referral from a marketing contact & a connection made at a marketing bootcamp.

The flood came.
& now I’m standing there thinking…

“Do I try to control this… or just try not mess it up?

& that got me thinking about something I talk about with every new coaching client I work with.

… how’s your aim?

Most of us don’t have a positioning problem.
We have an aiming problem.

The bullseye comes 1st

Most people define themselves by what they do.

"I'm an email marketer."
"I‘m a business coach."
"I’m a designer."

& that's not wrong exactly.
But it's starting in the wrong place.

Because “I’m an email marketer” doesn’t tell you who.

& if you don’t know that…
you’re not aiming.

You’re guessing.

Here's the order that actually works:
Who do you want to serve? & why them?

Start there.

Before the what & how.

Because when the who & why are right...
the what becomes a lot more flexible (& easier) than you think.

If you lead with what you do… you get filtered out.
When you lead with who you’re for… you get invited in.
The work gets figured out after that.

"I work with non-profits" isn't a bullseye either

Even when people do try to get specific about the who... they often stop too soon.

"I want to work with non-profits."

Okay… which ones?
“non-profits” can mean 2 completely different worlds.

A scrappy grassroots org and a bloated institutional charity are both “non-profits.”
But they are not the same client.

& if 1 of them sits wrong with you, you need to know that before you build your whole messaging strategy around the category.

This is where it gets personal.

A woman I mentored a while back wanted to help rural, multi-generational small businesses. The kind where the younger generation was leaving for the city & larger corporations were starting to buy them out & shut them down.

She loved those communities.
Email felt like the right fit.
So she started building a client list.

& then she started crossing farms off her list.
Most of them

She hadn't connected the dots that once an animal outlives its usefulness on a working farm... it doesn't retire to live out its days in the pasture.

That was the moment it clicked.
Not a marketing miss… a values mismatch.

Turns out she was a vegetarian.
Unknowingly building a client list full of operations that harvested & sold meat as part of their business model.

That’s not a marketing problem.
That’s what happens when you skip the hard thinking upfront.

The 2 questions that should drive your focus are NOT what & how.

Can you actually get behind this?

Because if you can’t answer that quickly…
your hesitation is the answer.

Once you've got the who sorted, there's a gut check I use before I say yes to any call, let alone any project.

Not just invoice it.
Actually support what they do … the way a customer would.

Maybe you don't use their product or service yourself.
That's fine.
But does it feel like something you'd recommend to someone you care about if it fit their situation?

& the people behind it … are they someone you'd want to know even if business never entered the picture?

If the answer’s yes... you're probably on the board somewhere.

but…
If you have to talk yourself into it (maybe because the money’s a siren’s call) that's worth paying attention to before you sign anything.

Not every flag means stop

Even with all of that sorted, with the right who & why, the gut-check cleared …
things still come up in discovery.

Not every concern is a deal-breaker.
But some are.

Here's how I sort them:

1 - Full stop. Walk away.

→ They can't explain what they actually need.
"I just know things aren't working" is not a brief. It's a sign the goalposts will keep moving & somehow it'll feel like your fault.

→ They want a specific tactic because it worked for someone else.
“__ is on Tik Tok & making a killing. Everyone’s on Tick Tok. We need to be on Tik Tok too!”
Not strategy. Not fit. That exact thing. Right now.

→ The values don't align. Not vague differences … actively wrong.
You know going in … so Don't. Go. In.

2 - Slow down. Pay attention.

→ The first question out of the gate is "what are your rates?" Or if you fall for the money question, then they mention someone else can do it cheaper … That's the Good-Fast-Cheap triangle talking & they're shopping for the impossible utopia of all 3.

→ The scope kept creeping during the discovery call.
Started with emails, ended with the website, the social, the funnel & could you also... When the budget’s the same, that's a pattern.

→ The project isn't ideal …but the client, relationship, referral source, & learning opportunity put you on the board. This is where judgment matters more than rules.

The money’s the trap

Not because it’s bad.
Because it’s just convincing enough to make you ignore what you already know.

If you take a project you know is wrong…
you don’t just feel it later.

It shows up in the work.

You'll walk away with some money & a story you'd rather not tell.

Your clients deserve the best version of you …
the 1 that shows up 100%.

So do you.

So about those 2 potential clients...

The 1 that signed …
→ a full website rewrite for a husband & wife service-based business.
Not my ideal project but the values are right.

Can I get behind helping them sound like themselves again
Without question.

Not the bullseye.
But I'm on the board.

The 1 that's close to closing …
→ a potential long-term retainer with a fast-growing high-end dog-food company.
As someone who genuinely spends more on pet food than her own... I have opinions.
I know the customer.
& I’d even be their customer if it was available in Canada.

We’d start small & grow it from there.

They think the same way I do.
Build something real, not fast.
& they've been burned by a few agencies.

I didn't find them because my messaging was "email marketing for pet food companies."

We met at a marketing bootcamp over 2 years ago.
We approached marketing the same way
& we had other similar interests.

The who & why came first.
The what & how is still being figured out.

That's not a project.
That's a direction.

& those are the ones worth being patient for.
Even when they don’t “check all the boxes”

Before you write another word of marketing copy

The goal isn't a prospect who checks every box.

It's knowing which boxes you need checked & going in eyes-open on the rest.

Get the who & why clear first.
Run the gut-check.
Know your full-stop red flags before you ever get on the call.

& for the yellows... decide what you're willing to manage & what you can (& will) hold the line on.

Not in the moment when the pressure's on.
Before.

Because that's the thing about building your own business.
You're the boss now.

You get to decide...
→ Who you work with.
→ What you take on.
→ When you walk away.

& that's the whole point of doing this, isn’t it?

Now, if you look back at projects that didn't work
& we all have at least 1 …
it usually comes down to 1 of 3 things:

1 - You genuinely didn't see it coming.
It happens. That's experience being deposited into your gut for next time.

2 - You had a feeling but ignored it.
Told yourself it would be fine. It wasn't. That one's worth sitting with.

3 - You saw it, knew it, but didn't draw the line when the moment came.
That's not a client problem. That's a boundary problem & it's fixable.

& the only way to get better at it is to look back honestly & know which 1 it was.

So think of a project (or 2) that went sideways.
You already know which 1 came to mind.

What happened?
Didn't see it, ignored the gut, or didn't hold the line?

& if you're sitting on a "should I take this?" right now, let's talk.

Make it a great “easy-flowing“ week!
EG

PS:

If this newsletter helps you think differently, grow more honestly, or feel a little less alone building your business … there are a few ways you can support it (& keep it free for everyone).

→ clicking the 2 ads below
you help fund the newsletter with just 2 clicks.
Bonus points (to you) for getting a chance to study their structure … I DO check them all.

→ keeping it reader-supported (by choice, not guilt or force)
If this newsletter earns a spot in your week, you can chip in whatever feels right …
bus change, a coffee, or “wow this really helped” $.
No pressure. Ever.

→ Introduce me to your people
If this feels like something your biz friends would find helpful, I’d appreciate you sharing.
& as a thank you, you get a 1-on-1 coaching call from every 10 referrals.

→ Getting a 2nd set of eyes on your business
When you’re ready for 1-on-1 help in your business, schedule a call with your special subscriber rate

How Jennifer Aniston’s LolaVie brand grew sales 40% with CTV ads

The DTC beauty category is crowded. To break through, Jennifer Aniston’s brand LolaVie, worked with Roku Ads Manager to easily set up, test, and optimize CTV ad creatives. The campaign helped drive a big lift in sales and customer growth, helping LolaVie break through in the crowded beauty category.

Learn more

Bring OOH Into the Modern Marketing Stack

AdQuick makes Out Of Home advertising approachable, measurable, and performance-focused. Designed for marketers at startups and large brands alike, it combines digital efficiency with real-world reach—so your campaigns always hit the mark.

More at AdQuick.com

PPS:
Every email is based on what you ask for … the more something’s asked for, the faster it finds its way to the top of the to-write-about pile
📣 Tell me what you want to read about … here

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn … here

📈 Want to talk about better marketing results for your business by being yourself?
Find a time that fits your schedule.