Principles

This is the most important page on this website.

The following principles guide the ethos of my practice and is the lens through which I make decisions about who I work with.

I am aware that these do not always line up with the fastest way to grow and make money. I know many people will disagree and deride this approach. That is ok. I am then not the right marketer for them.

I’m not working for the highest bidder – I’m looking to work with people who want to make the world better first and foremost.

I am of course, open to my principles changing as the world evolves and I learn more, but here is how I see the world and my work at the moment.

Marketing is Education, Not Deception

Many people see marketing as professionally tricking people. Either into consuming things they don’t need, or by being untruthful about the realities of a product or service.

Sadly, that’s not entirely false. And it stems from when you set “profit” and “leads” as the only priorities – growth at all costs (as long as you can get away with it).

This is not the kind of marketing that I wish to do.

If I work with you, then we will first need to establish two things (if you haven’t already):

1) What problem does your product or service solve?

2) Who is the person that has that problem?

Marketing then simply becomes using the tools and tactics to effectively explain your solution to the people who actually have that problem.

It is not about convincing; it is about communicating.

That means my approach is much more about creating clear content and then using marketing technology to disseminate it wisely.

Pay for Work, Not for Talk

My ideas are free.

I believe that the fastest way to solve most problems in the world is to educate the world. Education should be given freely and without desire for anything in return.

So, I will not charge you just to share what knowledge and ideas I have.

I believe in fair trade – people should be paid for their labour.

When someone has the knowledge and expertise, their labour is then of higher quality and that is what they should be paid for.

I will therefore charge you only when I am doing actual work for you. I will agree a rate with you that both takes into account the value of that labour to you and how much you can actually afford.

I am always open to alternative payment structures if cash itself is scarce.

In order to help provide my ideas for free, any business can join Marketing for the Many on Facebook. Share your business how you feel you are aligned with these principles, and then when I have the time, I will do my best to give my ideas freely. You might even get some insight from others in the group.

Profit is Fuel, Not Purpose

In the way our world is structured, turning a profit is usually required for a small business to continue operating. What matters is whether the growth of profit is the cultural priority in the business, and also where that profit ends up being directed.

I would like to work with businesses that can clearly show their serving of a higher purpose as the driving force of the culture, rather than using a higher purpose as justification for being entirely profit-driven.

I also don’t believe in making the rich richer. If you are already successful and want to grow to the ‘next level’ so that you can make more money, there are many marketing experts and agencies who wish to take your money and help you with that journey.

I’m looking to help those who have a strong sense of purpose and a product or service that is designed to contribute to a better world even if (and perhaps especially if) they don’t have the resources (or expertise) to communicate it out to the world.

It is why I am offering total flexibility with my pricing and services – while I need to make money to pay my bills, my purpose to serve those who are making a better world will always be the priority before making more profit.

Equality is Achieved Through Trust

I believe in transparency and authenticity for the main reason in that it inherently creates trust. When we are completely honest about who we are, what we do, and why we do it, then we are able to create reliable and resilient relationships.

I bring myself to every meeting, not a ‘professional’ version of myself that my boyfriend would never recognise. I will always be completely honest about my level of skill, the information I have, and how much I think something is valued at. I will be radically transparent to whatever degree you would like me to be.

I want to work with business owners that apply trust and transparency throughout their business and in everything they do.

I would like to work with people who believe their employees should be able to share everything with each other, from their salaries to their families. I would like to work with people who believe their customers deserve to know how they create their product from start to finish because they have nothing to hide.

Honesty needs to be applied consistently, otherwise you breed inequality and hierarchy, which I believe are structures we lean on to control people when we cannot trust them.

Everything is Flexible

Change is constant, and no one can predict what will happen next. And for this reason, everything has to be flexible.

That means we should both always be open to changing our arrangement, if the situation has evolved.

It also means that I do not have set-in-stone services or rates that I offer. I am happy to discuss what you can afford with complete transparency and work out how I can help you within my means.

I would like to work with businesses that have flexibility woven into their practice, from working at home arrangements to pricing and pay structures that embrace the diversity of the people they serve.

When flexibility is more highly valued than defining structure, it means cooperation can triumph over hierarchical control, and unexpected change can be weathered more easily.

Sustainability is Not Optional

We are barrelling forward into a climate crisis. We have seen with COVID-19 that, when necessary, we can make radical change. We are already late in making those changes for the climate disaster that we’ve been co-creating.

I will only travel to you or ask to meet you somewhere if it is impossible to conduct virtually or if we are near enough to not use public transport. I will not be printing any documents that do not need to be printed. I will always be on the lookout for ways to change our practice to reduce our impact on the environment.

I want to work with businesses that are making the changes that need to be done to make environmental preservation a priority in their operations – especially at the expense of profit and convenience.

But sustainability isn’t just about being ‘green’ – our economy is a house of cards that people keep stacking because it’s what others have done before them.

I want to work with business owners that are making shifts so that our entire trading system can become more circular. I want people who wish to contribute to Doughnut Economics, and whom understand that economic growth has taken us out of poverty, but is not helping us reach the new set of Global Goals.

Community is Built by Civic Duty

I may have left this to last, but it is at the very core of everything that I believe in, and it ties a lot of my other values together.

It often seems like the default behaviour of business owners is hierarchical and dictatorial. The business is there to serve the owner. The employees are there to do as directed. Profit and productivity are given more merit than cooperation and care.

I believe that anyone who leads – whether that’s a family, a company, or a country – has a responsibility to ensure a safe, civil and nurturing community that includes the needs of everyone they claim to lead. I believe community is the cornerstone of the human’s place at the top of the food chain and we will reach far greater success by prioritising happiness and support over output and efficiency – every day, not just when we need help from each other.

I will prioritise the care of the people I work with, and the relationship with the people I work with, over productivity and profit, every single time.

I want to work with businesses (and business owners) who want to shift the world towards structures such as Doughnut Economics, Society Centred Design and the Teal Paradigm.

I don’t pretend to think that anyone will be perfectly practicing any of this (I certainly am not either), but I would like to work with people who are taking action to prioritise the nurturing of people and culture – beyond just policies and rhetoric.

Let's Change the System

If you’ve read the above and are ready for me to be a part of your mission, then let’s get your organisation up and out there.

Let's Change The World

If you’ve read my principles and you think we are aligned, fill in the form and let me know what you need!

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