If You’re Still Doing Your Own Marketing, Read This

If you're an entrepreneur, you know that the term "wearing all the hats" was simply created to describe you.

Accounting, marketing, operations, sales, and beyond — you've likely had your hands in each of these cookie jars at some point in your business, and maybe even all at the same time (start-ups and solopreneurs, we feel you!)

The thing we don't talk about enough is how scrappy founders are. You come in with a mission, a passion, and an idea, and you somehow end up figuring out how to 'build the plane while you’re flying it' as they say. You learn sales, marketing, operations, finance, and leadership in real time because no one else is going to do it for you. We know that the small business and entrepreneur life isn't for the weak. In fact, this blog isn't to call you out if you're still doing all the things alone, guilt you for having too many things on your plate, or to try to persuade you to hire us to do your marketing the minute you found your company.

We want to instead change your perspective on outsourcing and see if it's something you're actually ready for.

We see all sorts of businesses come to us in discovery calls, at all stages of their business. There isn't a strong "one signal" that showcases when you're ready to hire and outsource. However, lack of time is often the driving factor or hiring. But, there's actually more to it than that.

Zone of Genius

Why did you start your company? I'm going to take a wild guess and say it's a subject you're really passionate about. You probably have a big vision and an even bigger "why" that you share to anyone who listens, right? You probably built the entire business around this passion and skill you have. That's your zone of genius. You're so good at this thing that you actually become an expert in it. You're one of the best at this thing. But then when it comes to starting a company and you have to do all those tasks that aren't exactly "your thing," you start to wonder, why did I create this company again?

For example, maybe you're a cookie baker, and you turn this into a business. You hire baking staff to help you keep up with the orders. And instead of being in the kitchen, you're in your office ordering from vendors and coordinating with customers to ensure that your team is supported in the kitchen. You're burnt out and not doing what you love. Instead, you should have hired an operations manager to do the ordering and coordinating for you, so you can be back in the kitchen.

The reality is, hiring for your business needs to be built around your skillset. Yes, you are scrappy and capable of anything. You need to always know what's happening in every department of your business, and be in many places at once, but never take yourself out of your zone. That's what your business was built on, and that's how it should stay, even when you scale.

How does this relate to marketing?

Everyone can "do" marketing at some level. In fact, founders are such an important piece of marketing the business because of that passion and why. No one can articulate the mission, the story, the heart behind the brand quite like you can. But here’s the shift.

Just because you can do marketing doesn’t mean you should be the one building the strategy, planning the campaigns, writing the emails, analyzing the data, scheduling the content, optimizing the funnels, tracking conversions, and adjusting based on results week after week.

Marketing isn’t just publishing. It’s positioning.

By that, we mean — messaging, buyer psychology, systems, consistency, testing, and strategy.

And when you’re trying to do that in between client work, payroll, team meetings, and actually delivering your core service? It becomes inconsistent and lacks intentionality. Have you ever...

• Posted just when you “have time.”

• Sent emails just when you remember

• Launched an offer without build up

• Looked at analytics, but don’t really know what to change

You aren't alone with this! It’s not because you can't do it, it’s because you’re split and/or this isn't your zone. Anything that pulls you further away from that zone, is the thing that could harm your business.

So no, outsourcing marketing isn’t about handing over your voice. It’s about protecting your role and knowing your expertise.

You are the face, the story, the expert. A marketing partner’s job is to build the strategy around that, and take your vision and turn it into a pipeline of leads.

Signs You're Ready to Hire a Marketing Agency

• You have clarity on your offer.

• You know who you serve.

• You’re delivering strong results.

• You’re just tired of throwing spaghetti at the wall (aka posting here and there with no strategy)

It’s not about not being a “big” enough business, DIYing your marketing for fun, not having time blocks in your day, or even whether you’re capable of learning how to do it yourself. It's about getting back to where your business needs you the most, and leaving the rest for someone who complements you.

Wearing all the hats gets you started, but real strategy and support help you scale.

And the most sustainable businesses are built when founders stay in their zone of genius, and build teams around everything else.

Ready to outsource? We are like having an entire team at your fingertips, you know, without the payroll, insurance, or all the other annoying things.