How we work
Strategy that starts with your business — not a template.
There is no one-size-fits-all marketing plan for small businesses.
There's only the plan that fits yours — your hours, your team (or lack of one), your customers, your community, and what you actually have the capacity to sustain.
That's where we start. Every time.
Running your own business is one of the hardest things a person can do.
There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes with it — not the kind that means you're failing, but the kind that means you're doing five jobs at once and doing your best at all of them. You know your product. You know your customers. You know your community. And at the end of a ten-hour day, the last thing you want to think about is what to post on Instagram.
That's not a character flaw. That's the reality of building something on your own terms.
What gets lost in that reality — and what most marketing agencies completely miss — is that the small business owner sitting across from them isn't looking for homework. They're not looking for a content calendar they'll never follow or a strategy deck they don't have time to read. They're looking for someone they can trust to take the wheel. Someone who understands the weight of what they're carrying and will handle this part of it — completely, competently, and honestly.
That's the entire job.
Thirty years of studying what moves people —
in classrooms, on stages, and in business.
I am not a marketing person by training. I'm a teacher and a theatre artist who found that everything I'd spent four decades learning about human nature, story, and communication was precisely what small business marketing was missing.
Fifteen years in higher education taught me how people receive information — what they need to understand before they can trust, what makes something land versus slide right past them, and how to meet someone exactly where they are rather than where you wish they were.
Twenty-five years in theatre taught me the craft of story — not storytelling as a marketing buzzword, but story as the oldest and most powerful way humans have ever made sense of each other. What creates emotional truth. What makes an audience lean in. What the difference is between being convincing and being believed.
Together, those two disciplines gave me a practitioner's understanding of what the ancient Greeks called ethos and pathos — credibility and emotional resonance. The two things that, above all else, determine whether a person trusts a business enough to spend their money there.
That's not a certification. It's forty years of applied human understanding. And it shapes every strategy, every message, and every recommendation I bring to a client.
What this looks like
for your business
Strategy you can trust. Execution you don't have to manage
Here's what working together actually looks like, in plain terms.
We start by understanding your business — genuinely, not through a form. Who your customers are and what they actually care about. What you do better than anyone else. What your marketing has looked like so far and why it has or hasn't worked. What you have the capacity to sustain, given the reality of how your business runs.
Strategy First
From that, we build a strategy. Not a list of tactics. A direction — a clear understanding of who we're talking to, what we want them to feel, what we need them to do, and what story we're telling across every place your business shows up.
Creative Execution
We don't hand you a plan and step back. We manage the work — the content, the campaigns, the updates, the decisions — according to what your business actually needs and what your structure can actually support. You stay informed. You make the calls that require your knowledge. Everything else is handled.
Ongoing Review
And every month, we look at what's working, what isn't, and what we should do differently. No jargon. No confusing dashboards. Just an honest conversation about where your marketing stands and what comes next.
“Jay did much more than design a website - he helped me think creatively about what my new business might become, how it aligns with my values, and how to push past my fears about getting started. Jay helped me move from the "vague idea" stage to thinking carefully about my audience, how to define the services I want to offer, and how to be smart and strategic about it. Working with Jay was always a great balance of pragmatism - how to get things done - and passion - what it means to me to do this and to do it right.”
-Hannah Schell, Spec Studios
The Process
01 — Discovery We learn your business the way a good partner should — by listening first. Your customers, your community, your goals, your capacity, your competitors, and what you've already tried.
This isn't a form you fill out. It's a real conversation.
Four stages. No guesswork.
02 — Strategy From discovery, we build your marketing direction: who we're talking to, what we're saying, where we're saying it, and why. Every tactic that follows will have a clear reason for existing — rooted in the reality of your business and the people you're trying to reach.
03 — Direction and execution We lead the work. That means managing content, campaigns, and messaging — while keeping you informed and in control of the decisions that require your voice. The goal is to take marketing off your plate, not add to it.
04 — Review and evolve Every month, we review what's working and what isn't. Marketing isn't static. Neither is your business.
We adjust as you grow, as the market shifts, and as we learn more about what your customers respond to.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Not sure? Book a free strategy call - let’s find out if we’re right for each other.
This is the right fit if...
You own a small business and wear more hats than you can count
You know marketing matters but don't have the time or inclination to manage it yourself
You've received marketing advice that assumed you had a team, a budget, or hours you don't have
You're skeptical of marketing that feels manipulative — and want an approach that's honest with your customers
You want someone embedded in your business, not checking in from the outside
You're ready to invest in a real partnership with someone who will treat your business like it matters — because it does
This is probably not the right fit if...
You're looking for the cheapest option
You want guaranteed vanity metrics — follower counts, viral posts, impressions
You're not willing to share the knowledge of your business that makes good strategy possible
You have a marketing team and need execution support only