I need to start this one from the end…

of a client relationship.

A few months ago, I was referred to a fellow solo business owner who was looking for a social media manager. On the initial call, there was great alignment for establishing them as a thought leader with the potential to book future speaking engagements using their online presence as a portfolio.

We continued meeting to align on measurable goals. The prospective client wanted to understand the timeline for new client acquisition from a brand-new social media account.

The problem was that what they wanted (new clients, on a 90-day timeline) wasn’t something I could guarantee from organic social alone. And I couldn’t sell something if I didn’t believe it would really help.

I respectfully withdrew the proposal, but I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

I realized that I don’t want to sell someone a service or a package of deliverables. Because they’re just that: completed assets without context.

And that’s when it clicked for me: the difference between outputs and outcomes. I could agree to creating a certain list of deliverables (edited videos, captions, responding to comments), and still have no guarantee that it would move the needle. Outputs are what you do, but outcomes are what actually changes.

What I’ve seen in marketing specifically is that a lot of professionals specialize by channel. My consulting work is no different, focusing on paid ads. When we look at marketing in terms of platforms (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok) or channels (organic social, paid ads, email), we get silos instead of systems.

I have been puzzling over this since I started my business. How can social media drive bottom-line results? Why do ads fail some business owners, even when everything within the platform looks solid?

Most importantly: How can I build a source of certainty for a business owner, rather than a source of doubt?

I realized the answer had been staring me in the face.

I’ve been teaching other business owners how to get the proper foundations into place before they start ads. I developed a 5-point audit and the thing I emphasize is that 4 out of the 5 items have nothing to do with the ads platform itself. They happen outside the platform.

I’ve heard others describe ads as gasoline that you can pour on a fire that’s already burning. Ads can amplify, but they won’t be successful without a system that is already working.

This concept isn’t new, and it’s not just a marketing concept. It’s systems thinking, something I’d heard about before but I’m only now integrating into my business.

Now, I’m working on building out effective systems for clients, not just delivering support on a single channel. It’s more work, but it works.

As I look ahead to my big visions of making an impact on 40 real-life businesses this year and hiring a dream team in the near future, I know that I’m not going to get there by an Instagram post here or an email there.

All of these efforts need to work together, intentionally and reliably, like a machine.

We often think about our efforts in isolation. I go to the gym. I eat well. I get enough sleep. I journal. Each thing feels separate, like a box to check.

But if we zoom out, those aren't individual habits, they're inputs. And when they work together, they create reliable outcomes.

That's a system.

The same is true in marketing. Posting on Instagram is an input. Running ads is an input. Your email list is an input.

None of those activities are the outcome, but working together, as an interconnected web, they create one.

This works in any area of life. Your weekly run with a friend, the book you're reading, the caption you're writing, they might feel unrelated. But if you can connect them toward the same thing that you're building, that's not a mistake. That's a system working.

I love podcasts because it’s the closest thing you can get to having coffee with someone you admire. Hot Smart Rich is one of my favorites because the host (and investor/entrepreneur) Maggie interviews founders (mostly women) who have built something bigger than themselves.

I first listened to this particular podcast episode while sitting on a tour bus, winding around the rainforest in Costa Rica. Even though I was on vacation, I wanted to learn something new, and this episode did not disappoint.

I listened to it again last weekend on the way to the mountains for a camping trip, this time forcing my husband Noah to listen to it too. It’s one of those episodes that I think I’ll go back to multiple times, and I realized you should know about it.

If you’re a podcast listener, you’ve probably come across DOAC (Diary of a CEO). Host Steven Bartlett is known for his thoughtful deep dives with leaders in business, science, and technology.

What’s even more fascinating, though, is hearing this leading podcast host on the other side of the table as the podcast guest.

In this interview on Hot Smart Rich, Steven shares his hiring criteria (how he builds a dream team), his framework for when to quit (anything, not just a job), and why he changed his mind on marriage.

Here’s the link to the episode page if you’d like to give it a listen (or a watch).

There’s something about watching someone who’s known for asking the questions become the one answering them. Steven built more than a successful podcast, he built a platform that’s become the hub of his business. Fun fact: he invested in Hot Smart Rich and is implementing the same system that grew his show to the world’s second biggest podcast.

This is the kind of strategy that I’m obsessed with. It’s not about publishing podcast episodes, but a strategizing a structure where everything is connected.

The answer that’s been staring me in the face, and maybe staring at you too, is a system. It doesn’t have to be a 47-step sequence, but a simple, intentional structure.

Stay Steady,
Molly

P.S. If something in this email resonated, please hit reply and forward to a friend! It helps email providers know that this isn’t spam 🙂

If someone forwarded this email to you, you can subscribe here. If you haven’t read the first issue of the newsletter, you can check it out here!