I’ve spoken with about a half-dozen solo entrepreneurs over the past week, and I noticed one common theme. They all have ambitious plans and the best of intentions, but follow-through is far more challenging. Let’s talk about that.

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— Ann Gynn

🟩 ATTRACT → 🟧 CONVERT → ⬜ RETAIN → ⬛ AMPLIFY

Q: Every week, I make the same marketing to-do list: get active on LinkedIn, update my website, and start creating a newsletter. By Friday, I haven't touched any of it. Then, on Monday, I make the same to-do list. How do I actually make progress on my marketing?

Many entrepreneurs fall into an all-to-nothing pattern. You’re ambitious — after all, you were motivated to start your own business. You’re eager — every idea on the list seems reasonable and necessary. You’re anxious — you need paying clients.

But ambition, eagerness, and anxiety often lead to overwhelm. There’s not enough time to do everything well. So, you focus on other business activities and push marketing down the to-do list until the week is done.

Think of yourself like the writers of a TV pilot. They may have 20 great ideas for future episodes. But they can’t do all those storylines, character arcs, and plot twists. They have to focus on one goal: Create an episode that gives viewers a story that pulls them in with just enough context to understand the world. The other ideas wait. 

If you watch The Bear on Hulu, you know the first episode centers on the chaos of a Chicago sandwich shop now being run by Carmy, a professional chef who returned to lead his late brother’s restaurant. He faces a crew resistant to his attempts to bring order to the system. Once viewers were hooked, the writers explored the backstories, subplots, and personal histories that made them care even more. 

So, what’s your pilot — the one thing you will execute this week to attract prospects?

Your answer may be driven by value (this tactic supports everything else), time (you only have two hours), or resources (the budget rules out paid campaigns). Whatever the reason, ask yourself these four questions:

Add the steps that fit within your available time to your calendar to turn the plan into a commitment.

You don’t need to abandon your other marketing activities. Just ignore them until this one is done. Then, start the process again for your next episode.

Got a question you’d like me to answer in a future edition of The Hotline? Call or text Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

This week: Circle one item on your marketing to-do list that would make the biggest difference right now. Block time on your calendar this week to work on only that.

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Claude helped me craft a sensitive email. Well, it needed to be sensitive. I was frustrated and opinionated — sentiments that don’t translate well into text. So, I shared the scenario and my reason for sending the email, and it crafted a diplomatic response. With a few tweaks, it was ready to send.

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Forward a useful article to a client with a one-line note about why you thought of them.

📅 Book It: Consultants who are LinkedIn Premium subscribers can now book client sessions directly in the app. Just add a “Get advice from me” button in your LinkedIn profile.

🧩 Community-Building: Figma creates a brand people feel a part of by building the business alongside its community. Here’s a fascinating perspective from its director of brand marketing.

🌱 Fresh LinkedIn: Your personal brand matters more than your company page based on what we can tell about the LinkedIn algorithm. I wrote about it for the Content Marketing Institute.

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Got a question you’d like me to answer in The Hotline? Email me or DM me on LinkedIn. Even better: Text or leave a message on the Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.