Happy Tuesday, Reader! Last week, we talked about Sustainable Marketing Principle #3: marketing as the heartbeat of the company. This week, we're on Principle #2: build on a values-driven framework. A values-driven framework starts with getting clear on your 3-Core: your core values, your core beliefs, and the core communities you're built to serve. Get those three things right, and you have a foundation solid enough to stand on, no matter what’s happening around you. Many people view...
4 days ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Last week, we talked about Sustainable Marketing Principle #4: building an intentional word-of-mouth and referral strategy. This week, we're moving to Principle #3: marketing is the heartbeat of the company, not an appendage. While it’s often treated as an afterthought, sustainable marketing is part of a business's DNA, deeply aligned with its goal of service and its values. When it's disconnected from either, it stops working the way it should. Where I See This...
4 days ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! My team and I have had the privilege of building Mrs. Grout's website three times now. Each version gets a little sharper, a little more polished, a little more them. With each iteration, the web work gets a little easier. Partly because we’ve gotten better at our job, but mostly because Mrs. Grout's reputation does most of the heavy lifting before a visitor ever lands on the site. Sustainable Marketing Builds a Reputation, Not Just a Website. Last week, we kicked off...
13 days ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! There are two ways to approach marketing and growing a business: the one most of us inherited without ever choosing it, and the one where growth is real, not just well-lit. With so much shifting right now (in the market, in AI, in how people even find businesses), this feels like exactly the right moment to make the case for the second one. Welcome to a new series on sustainable marketing. Let's start with the choice itself: Approach #1: The Permanent Campaign This is...
18 days ago • 3 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Last week, a client wrapping up her engagement with us said something I haven’t stopped thinking about. She told me she'd be so grateful if there were a way to keep getting the predictions, the direction, and the updates on what other women founders are doing — even after our work together ends. It was the fifth time in a few weeks someone had asked me some version of that question. So here are two reasons I'm finally doing something about it. 1. Because you asked....
25 days ago • 1 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Over the past two weeks, we've been talking about Placebinding™ (the intentional art of rooting your business in a real place and real relationships) and why it's one of the most reliable paths to a sustainable $250K. We looked at brand recognition and team-building. We looked at relationships and trades as the skills most resilient to AI disruption. Today, I want to zoom out and look at the bigger picture: what's happening to the American economy, and why I believe...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! My husband, Craig, used to tell our sons that if you're good at sales and have a trade, you'll always be able to make a living, no matter where you are. That was good advice. I've watched it hold true for him, and for others in my life, over the years. It's also shaped how I think about the future of work for women-owned businesses and their teams. Last week, I talked about Placebinding™: the intentional art of rooting your business in a real place and real...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! I've said this before, and I'll keep saying it: Most community-based businesses would be better served by getting off the internet and into a real-life room. That's the heart of Placebinding™, a concept I first introduced in this newsletter earlier this year, and one I want to dig further as we continue to discuss the importance of The 6% Project and The $250K Club. Placebinding™ is the intentional art of rooting into the place where you are and the people who have...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Over the last few weeks, I've shared the research gaps driving The 6% Project, the two unlocks behind every woman founder I know who has broken through the $250K ceiling, and the community we're building to close those gaps for the next generation of women-owned businesses. But there’s one crucial element: You. The research, mentorship, and community are important. But this is a grassroots effort, built by and for the women doing the work, and that means we need people...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
