When you’re stuck, sometimes the best solution is to stop thinking conventionally.
Paul Sloane, innovation expert and founder of Destination Innovation, joins the Be A Marketer podcast to show how lateral thinking can unlock breakthroughs in business. With over 20 books written and keynote speeches delivered worldwide, Paul has taught companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Disney to reframe challenges and discover fresh solutions.
In this episode, you’ll hear what lateral thinking looks like in practice, why small businesses have an edge when it comes to agility and innovation, and how Paul uses tools like Constant Contact and AI to keep his own marketing sharp after decades in business.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Paul Sloane of Destination Innovation
👤 What he does: Founder of Destination Innovation, a consultancy based in the UK that helps organizations spark creativity, challenge assumptions, and solve problems through lateral thinking and innovation workshops.
💡 Key quote: “Lateral thinking is approaching problems from a fresh direction. The best solutions often come from stepping away from the obvious path.”
Do the fundamentals of marketing still matter in an age of AI, social, and shiny new tools?
Neil Patel, entrepreneur, bestselling author, and co-founder of NP Digital, joins the Be A Marketer podcast to share why timeless fundamentals are the foundation for any successful marketing strategy. Named a top marketer by Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, Neil has helped businesses of all sizes, from Amazon to startups, drive growth by focusing on what works.
In this episode, you’ll hear why Neil believes in “search everywhere optimization,” how ugly marketing often outperforms polished campaigns, and why the fundamentals earn you the right to experiment with trends.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Neil Patel of NP Digital
👤 What he does: Co-founder of NP Digital, a global digital marketing agency with offices worldwide. New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s most recognized marketers.
💡 Key quote: “If you do the fundamentals, you earn the right to try the shiny objects.”
What if the biggest advantage your business has is actually its size?
Dr. Ja-Naé Duane, behavioral scientist, entrepreneur, and co-author of Super Shifts, joins the Be A Marketer podcast to help small businesses navigate the structural and technological changes shaping the future. A longtime innovation leader (and former member of Constant Contact’s own team), Ja-Naé works with organizations worldwide to anticipate change before it hits.
In this episode, you’ll hear why adaptability is small business owners’ superpower, how to prepare for AI-driven shifts in customer behavior, and what you can do now to stay competitive tomorrow.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Dr. Ja-Naé Duane
👤 What she does: Behavioral scientist, entrepreneur, and co-author of Super Shifts. Former Constant Contact innovation team member, now helping leaders worldwide embrace change and prepare for the future.
💡 Key quote: “The size of your business is your greatest advantage, because you can adapt faster than anyone else.”
What does it take to scale an $80M global business while still staying ahead of the competition?
Kunal Madan, co-founder of Amarra, joins the Be A Marketer podcast to share how he and his brother grew a formalwear design house into one of the largest in the world, with dresses in over 800 boutiques worldwide. From zero marketing experience to mastering email, design, and relentless testing, Kunal’s story shows what’s possible when you refuse to settle.
In this episode, you’ll hear why balancing marketing to both wholesalers and end consumers has been key to growth, how beautiful imagery and strong email campaigns keep Amarra top of mind, and why email data like open rates and clicks help Kunal close more sales.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Kunal Madan of Amarra
👤 What he does: Co-founder of Amarra, a global formalwear design house and wholesaler based in New Jersey, distributing to boutiques across the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.
💡 Key quote: “Even if you have the best product, it doesn’t mean you’ll make sales. Marketing is the biggest component.”
👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn
👋 Where to find Amarra: Website | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
How do you take a nonprofit that relies entirely on donations and turn it into a thriving community hub for wildlife, education, and conservation?
Lisa Franco, Director of Development at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, joins the Be a Marketer podcast to share how she combines a marketing background with a passion for wildlife to grow support, increase donations, and strengthen community ties.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Lisa balances fundraising with education, why storytelling is her most powerful tool for driving engagement, and how Cedar Run uses creative approaches like “Weddings in the Wild” to reach new generations of supporters. Lisa also explains how Constant Contact helps them segment audiences, simplify giving, and keep donors connected to the impact of their contributions.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Lisa Franco of Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge
👤 What she does: Director of Development at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, the oldest and busiest wildlife hospital in New Jersey, which also serves as a sanctuary and education center. Lisa oversees fundraising, donor stewardship, communications, and special events.
💡 Key quote: “The best marketing is just being genuine. For us, it’s easy because our mission is a good cause. There’s nothing bad about saving animals and protecting the environment.”
👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn
👋 Where to find Cedar Run: Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok
What does it take to grow from 100 to nearly 400 franchise locations in just five years, without losing sight of people first?
Marcus King, Global CEO of House of Colour, joins the Be A Marketer podcast to share how the UK-founded style and image consultancy scaled internationally by balancing empathy with structure. With operations in seven countries and rapid growth in the U.S., Marcus explains how the franchise has managed to maintain its personal, one-to-one impact while equipping stylists with the systems they need to thrive.
In this episode, you’ll hear why empathy and structure are the secret ingredients to scaling a people-first business, how House of Colour empowers solo entrepreneurs with marketing and operational support, and why Marcus sees email as a critical channel for maintaining brand consistency and driving ROI. You’ll also learn how the company uses community, culture, and communication to turn growth into something sustainable.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Marcus King of House of Colour
👤 What he does: Global CEO of House of Colour, an international franchise helping people discover their best colors and styles, with operations in seven countries and rapid growth in the United States.
💡 Key quote: “Empathy and structure are the secret ingredients to scaling a people-first business.”
👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn
👋 Where to find House of Colour: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook
Evan Kirstel, tech influencer and founder of eViRa Health, has built one of the largest B2B social audiences by showing up consistently, curating conversations, and turning digital presence into measurable influence. He joins the Be a Marketer podcast to explain why small businesses shouldn’t obsess over going viral and what really matters when building an audience that drives results.
In this episode, you’ll hear how showing up as a person, not just a logo, helps build trust online, why consistency and community outweigh follower counts, and what Evan recommends if you only have 15 minutes a day to market your business. You’ll also discover why documenting your journey, highlighting others, and focusing on trust over trends can be the difference between noise and real impact.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Evan Kirstel of eViRa Health
👤 What he does: Tech influencer, B2B content creator, and founder of eViRa Health, a Boston-based agency that helps executives and companies grow influence and customers through social media.
💡 Key quote: “It’s not about the number of followers, it’s about being a trusted source of content.”
What happens when you build a law firm designed around education first, not billable hours?
Peter Nieves, founder of Nieves IP Law Group, joins the Be A Marketer podcast to share how he turned decades of intellectual property experience into a business that helps small businesses, startups, and creators protect what they’ve built—without getting lost in legal jargon or surprise fees.
In this episode, you’ll hear how Peter went from running a top-ranked IP department at a large firm to launching his own practice and educational platform, why small business owners need to understand the risks of AI-generated content, and the most common intellectual property mistakes entrepreneurs make (and how to avoid them).
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Meet Today’s Guest: Peter Nieves of Nieves IP Law Group
👤 What he does: Founder of Nieves IP Law Group, a New Hampshire–based law firm and educational institution dedicated to making intellectual property law accessible for small businesses, startups, and creators.
💡 Key quote: “If you get to the top of the mountain and you’re alone, you did something wrong. Somebody should be at the top with you to enjoy the view.”
How do you keep a member-driven organization relevant year-round without overwhelming people? Gloria Hammond, Director of Communications at the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) Canada, pulls back the curtain on how a tiny but mighty team serves golf course owners and operators across the country. She walks through the pillars they run on (advocacy, research, education, and member marketing) and how smart segmentation keeps the right messages in front of the right folks.
Gloria also shares the system behind their communications calendar, why she caps weekly sends to avoid fatigue, and how email is the primary engine that drives traffic and action. If you’re juggling limited bandwidth and big goals, her playbook for consistency, measurement, and member value is refreshingly doable.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Gloria Hammond of NGCOA Canada
👤 What she does: Director of Communications at National Golf Course Owner’s Association Canada in Ottawa. She’s been with the organization since 2006, starting in events before moving into her current role in 2018.
💡 Key quote: “Two minutes after that communication goes out, I have my first survey response.”
👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn
👋 Where to find NGCOA Canada: Website | LinkedIn | X | Facebook
What happens when you stop theorizing and fully commit? Mark Soanes turned a love for the outdoors into a leadership training company and has used email marketing to fuel growth for nearly two decades with Call of the Wild, a leadership and team development company in South Wales, UK, operating for 26+ years and known for its “green classroom” outdoor approach
Mark’s team uses the “green classroom” approach, which takes learning outside so people actually apply what they learn. That hands-on style has helped thousands of professionals communicate better, collaborate more, and see measurable ROI.
We also dig into how he blends segmentation, metrics, and a touch of AI to keep relationships warm and content consistent, plus the simple “cash on the table” test he still uses to decide which marketing bets are worth it.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Mark Soanes of Call of the Wild
👤 What he does: Director at Call of the Wild, a leadership and team development company in South Wales, UK, known for experiential learning in the outdoors.
💡 Key quote: “No point doing it if you’re not tracking the results, because that’s the key. That’s why you’re doing it.”
👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn
👋 Where to find Call of the Wild: Website | LinkedIn | X | Facebook
Your personality might just be your most powerful marketing tool.
Christine Gritmon, personal brand strategist and host of Let’s Talk About Brand, helps entrepreneurs build confidence in showing up as themselves, and turning that into their biggest business advantage.
In this episode, Christine shares why your quirks are your magic, how to build trust faster by being yourself, and why email is still your strongest owned asset. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to elevate your personal brand, her insights will help you show up more confidently and connect more authentically.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Christine Gritmon of Let’s Talk About Brand Podcast
👤 What she does: Christine Gritmon is a personal brand strategist, international speaker, and host of Let’s Talk About Brand. She’s worked with business owners and marketers worldwide, helping them use personal branding, storytelling, and content to grow their businesses with confidence.
💡 Key quote: “People connect with people, not job titles. Stop hiding the things that make you memorable.”
👋 Where to find her: Website | Podcast | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
What happens when you stop chasing likes and start building real connections?
Cindy Clearwater, also known as Cindy Leigh, turned her passion for island life into a thriving multi-channel business by focusing on what really works: email, authentic content, and showing up as herself.
In this episode, Cindy shares how she built My St. Croix VI into a trusted travel guide, why 95% of her product sales come from her email list, and how she uses one business as a testing ground for all the others.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re spinning your wheels on social media, this conversation will remind you that consistency, personality, and email marketing are the real game-changers.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Cindy Clearwater of Cindy Leigh Media and My St. Croix.VI
👤 What she does: Cindy Clearwater is the creative director and content strategist for Cindy Leigh Media. She runs Mystcroix.vi, a popular island travel guide based in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and is the founder of IDM Strategy Lab. Cindy is also preparing to launch Explorinista, a platform for Gen X women who love to travel smart.
💡 Key quote: “People want connection. When I started sharing my own stories, my email list became my strongest marketing tool.”
👋 Where to find her: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
👋 Where to find My St. Croix.VI: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
Small businesses thrive when they focus on what they do best, and today's guest believes marketing should never get in their way.
Frank Vella, CEO of Constant Contact, understands firsthand the complexities small business owners face every day. Having started his journey by helping a friend run marketing campaigns through Constant Contact, he now leads the company with a deep appreciation for the challenges entrepreneurs navigate.
In this episode, Frank shares why staying obsessively close to your customers is crucial, how technology can simplify marketing complexity, and why Constant Contact remains passionately committed to small businesses. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by marketing, Frank’s insights will show you how to leverage tools and relationships to create lasting success.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Frank Vella of Constant Contact
👤 What he does: Frank Vella is the CEO of Constant Contact. With a rich background from companies like Microsoft, Xerox, and General Electric, Frank now leads Constant Contact, ensuring the company remains a dedicated partner in the growth and success of small businesses.
💡 Key quote: "Small businesses are going to be successful when they focus on what they do best. And our job is to make sure that we take as little time away from what they do best."
👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn
👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
When you think about successful tech companies, you might picture Silicon Valley giants or venture-backed unicorns. But what about an email marketing platform that's thrived for three decades?
Gail Goodman, the former CEO of Constant Contact, helped build a company that defied the odds in an industry where many thought their business model wouldn't work. By focusing on customer needs and creating a strong company culture, she turned this skepticism into a 30-year success story.
"What I kept from all of it was to stay close to your customer," Gail emphatizes. "Understand the problem you're solving for your customer and stay focused on what they need to successfully use your product."
In this episode, Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, reconnects with Gail to explore how to build something that truly lasts. They discuss the power of repeat business, why resilience matters when hitting plateaus, and how staying obsessively close to your customers drives sustainable growth, even when others say it can't be done.
Listen to discover practical ways to build stronger customer relationships and create a business that stands the test of time.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Gail Goodman of Entrepreneurship for All
👤 What she does: Gail is the former CEO of Constant Contact and current mentor, board member, and chair of Entrepreneurship for All, a nonprofit dedicated to helping underrepresented entrepreneurs grow their businesses. She led Constant Contact for over 16 years, taking the company from startup to successful industry leader in small business marketing.
💡 Key quote: "The biggest advice is always stay close to your customer and notice how they are, how whatever they do that is related to you is changing and then try to get ahead of it."
👋 Where to find her: Website | LinkedIn | X, formerly known as Twitter
👋 Where to find Entrepreneurship for All: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok
What can entrepreneurs learn from someone who built global brands in both medical tech and music?
Dr. Knowles, founder of Music World Entertainment and former sales exec at Xerox and Johnson & Johnson, joins the Be A Marketer podcast to share how he applied the same marketing fundamentals, audience insight, branding, and process, to launch Destiny’s Child, grow a multi-million-dollar hair salon business, and teach entrepreneurship around the world.
In this episode, you’ll hear how he made the leap from corporate sales to the entertainment industry, why “practicing failure” was core to his management style, and what every small business can gain from learning the psychology behind entrepreneurship.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Mathew Knowles of Music World Entertainment
👤 What he does: Dr. Knowles is an award-winning music executive, entrepreneur, author, professor, and cancer survivor. He’s best known for managing Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé’s early solo career, but his journey began in corporate America with a 20-year run at Xerox, Philips Medical Systems, and Johnson & Johnson.
He later launched Music World Entertainment in Houston, Texas, and grew it into one of the world’s leading music and entertainment companies, landing major brand deals, developing new talent, and expanding into fashion, haircare, and education. Dr. Knowles now travels the world teaching the next generation of business leaders through speaking and mentorship.
💡 Key quote: “If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect anybody else to believe in you?”
👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn | X, formerly known as Twitter | Instagram
👋 Where to find Music World Entertainment: LinkedIn | Instagram
At 18, Jayson Alexander wasn't racing go-karts or growing up in a motorsports family. He was in his bedroom, learning to drive through video games. Today, he's a NASCAR driver and founder of Jayson Alexander Racing—running a full-fledged brand while juggling college, lacrosse, and military service.
In this episode of Be A Marketer, Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks with Jayson and his teammate, Shane DiMantova, who leads PR and social media for the team. Together, they've built a loyal fan base by treating their racing operation like a business, from segmenting email lists to planning content calendars around class schedules.
"Even when we're not at the track, we still try to build it up as much as possible," Jayson says. "I see a lot of drivers that, if they're at the track, great, they're posting. If they're not, they're just gone. We want to make you think we’re racing every weekend—even if we're off for a month." Shane adds, "Without Constant Contact, we'd be chickens with our heads cut off.”
They share how they use automation, segmentation, and SMS to grow fan engagement, boost merch sales, and pitch sponsors—even on off weeks. Their approach proves that with the right tools and a plan, small teams can move fast and grow big.
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Meet Today's Guests: Jayson Alexander and Shane DiMantova from Jayson Alexander Racing
Jayson Alexander
👤 What he does: Jayson Alexander is a NASCAR driver, entrepreneur, and full-time college student. He's the founder of Jayson Alexander Racing and co-founder of Premier Performance Group, where he helps fellow drivers land sponsorships and navigate professional racing careers, all while serving in the military and playing collegiate lacrosse.
💡 Key quote: "There's so much more than just showing up and driving. We have everything. We have the social media side, we have the sponsorship side, we have the marketing side."
👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
Shane DiMantova
👤 What he does: Shane DiMantova is a sports management student, freelance designer, and Director of PR and Social Media at Jayson Alexander Racing. He helps run the team's day-to-day marketing, from email campaigns to giveaways, bringing fan engagement and brand identity to the forefront of their growing NASCAR presence.
💡 Key quote: "Without Constant Contact, we'd be a bunch of people running around like chickens with their heads cut off, for sure. We'd be all over the place, not knowing what to do, trying to build up our brand."
Does your business feel like it’s constantly doing all the things but not seeing the results you want?
Emma Easton, founder and “chief bolloxologist” of Business Bollox, joins the Be A Marketer podcast to talk about the trap of overcomplicating marketing and why simplicity and clarity are the real secret weapons for small businesses.
In this episode, Emma and Dave dig into the pressure business owners feel to show up everywhere and post constantly, and how that noise can actually get in the way of meaningful connection. You’ll hear why marketing needs to start with your business model, how to reframe what “strategy” really means, and how to get your time and focus back.
Whether you're new to marketing or feeling stretched thin, this episode is a refreshing reminder that doing less but doing it with intention can actually lead to more.
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Meet Today’s Guest: Emma Easton
👤 What she does: Emma Easton is the founder and “chief bolloxologist” of Business Bollox, a marketing strategy company based in the UK. With a background in corporate PR and small business branding, Emma now helps entrepreneurs cut through the noise and grow their businesses with clarity and confidence.
💡 Key quote: “You don't need to be doing everything. You just need to be doing the right things.”
👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn
👋 Where to find Business Bollox: Website | LinkedIn
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David Derryck, founder and CEO of BuyBlack.org, came across a powerful quote: "People always talk about what would they have done during the time of slavery or during civil rights era. And the answer is, whatever you're doing right now."
That moment sparked what would become BuyBlack.org, a platform that has grown from 10,000 to over 50,000 listings of Black-owned businesses across the country. What started as David's passion project in 2022 is now a comprehensive ecosystem helping consumers discover and support Black-owned businesses while providing those businesses with marketing tools and resources.
"Our mission just as an organization is to drive traffic and revenue to black owned businesses," he explains in this episode of Be a Marketer.
What marketing strategies are working for BuyBlack.org? In this episode, David and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, explore how the platform uses email automation, digital advertising co-ops, and community engagement both online and offline.
Tune in to hear how David built partnerships with organizations like Constant Contact, why certification matters for Black-owned businesses, and how a parade float became one of his most meaningful marketing moments.
Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: David Derryck of BuyBlack
☕ What he does: David Derryck is the founder and CEO of BuyBlack.org, a mission-driven platform based in Oakland, California that helps consumers find and support Black-owned businesses across the country. What started as a passion project during the pandemic has grown into an ecosystem with over 50,000 listings and counting.
💡 Key quote: “I think there's a clear recognition in this country that we've been on. Like wealth inequality exists, revenue inequality exists, and I think there's a clear recognition that people want to fix that.”
👋 Where to find David: LinkedIn
👋 Where to find Buy Black: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
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Andrea Marquez didn't set out to "just" launch a podcast. She built a fully branded experience, with research, structure, and intention behind every episode.
As the host and Senior Producer of This Is Small Business, Amazon's podcast for entrepreneurs, Andrea treats the show like a product. That means creating branding guidelines, defining listener personas, building workflows, and committing to quality long before the first mic check.
"We make sure to stay true to both of these," Andrea explains. "We're thinking about what our listener will take away from the story we're telling, while staying authentic to the person or business featured in the episode—our guest." That dual focus shapes every decision, from production to promotion.
In this episode, Andrea joins Be A Marketer host Dave Charest to talk about why strong creative work starts with strategy. She shares how frameworks like "the five whys" and "test, fail, learn fast" help founders focus, why social media might not be the best marketing channel for a podcast, and how showing up consistently builds trust and community.
Additional Resources
Meet Today's Guest: Andrea Marquez from This is Small Business
👤 What she does: Andrea Marquez is the Senior Producer and Host of This Is Small Business, Amazon's award-winning podcast for entrepreneurs. A first-generation Latina with a background in advertising, she built the show from the ground up to spotlight real-world business stories and provide practical guidance for small business owners.
💡 Key quote: "Everything starts from understanding who you're telling the story to and why they want to hear it, all the way to every single day of recording, guest chasing, scheduling, etc."
👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn | Website | Instagram | TikTok |
👋 Where to find This Is Small Business: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon
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From Colorado ranch life to NFL stardom, Austin Ekeler has built multiple successful ventures through resilience and strategic marketing. In this episode, Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, explores how the Washington Commanders running back applies the same determination to his business ventures as he shows on game day.
As founder and CEO of the Austin Ekeler Foundation and Eksperience content platform, Austin shares how his early marketing efforts yielded diminishing returns until he discovered the power of audience segmentation. "What makes marketing successful? Consistency," Austin explains as he reveals how automated messaging and targeted communication transformed his business relationships.
Austin candidly discusses his $1.2 million tech investment misstep and how that painful lesson shaped his more measured approach to business growth. His marketing journey began with simple email collection during his Twitch streaming days and gradually evolved as he expanded into multiple ventures, including real estate projects and an investment fund.
Whether renovating high school weight rooms through his foundation or helping athletes connect with fans via Eksperience, Austin demonstrates how proper audience segmentation builds authentic relationships. His methodical approach offers a practical blueprint: start small, test strategies, learn from setbacks, and thoughtfully implement technology to maintain personal connections at scale - a balance of automation and hands-on engagement that any business can adapt for their marketing efforts.
Additional resources:
Meet Today's Guest: Austin Ekeler of the Washington Commanders and the Austin Ekeler Foundation
🏈 What he does: Austin Ekeler is the current running back for the Washington Commanders. He's also an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of multiple business ventures, including the Austin Ekeler Foundation, which renovates weight rooms in high schools nationwide, and Eksperience, a content management platform for athletes and organizations.
💡 Key quote: "I think it's important to know that the journey doesn't stop and it's not an unsuccessful journey if your business is not successful. I think it's only an unsuccessful journey in the business world, entrepreneurial world, if you don't take the lessons that are learned from your wins and from your losses."
👋 Where to find him: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram
👋 Where to find Eksperience: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn
👋 Where to find Austin Ekeler Foundation: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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