Close-up of hands holding and examining a folded map.

Strategy Before Tactics: Start with a Marketing Plan

Marketing can be scary. Especially when you don’t have a plan. Most DIY marketers (and, to be honest, many marketing firms) just hop in the deep end when getting started promoting their brand or their clients’ brands. At Relish, we believe firmly in, “Strategy before tactics.” As tempting as it is to just get started … Continued

Stu and Jeff taking a selfie while trekking.

Business Life: Time Off Leads to Productive Time On

In September, I took some time off to get out into nature with Jeff Kinsey. This much-needed break gave me some time to recharge, reflect, and relax. My intentionality around this adventure allowed me to step completely away from business for a few days and gain new perspectives on life. It was SO worth it. … Continued

aerial view of an arena

Leading vs. Lagging KPIs

When asked what metrics matter most for a business, most leaders point to “revenue” as their top KPI. And, certainly, how many runs you get in each game is of great importance. If you dig deeper, you can start to uncover “leading KPIs” for your business that precede the collection of revenue. These are those … Continued

Stu on a mountain bike

Crafting Core Values

When was the last time you thought about your core values (either personal or business)? While discussing what makes us tick the other day with Jeff Kinsey, he very succinctly articulated Relish’s set of core values: Altruism, Connection, and Collaboration (with a dash of Thirst for Learning tossed in). Knowing that Bret and I have … Continued

Start with Strategy

I’d be the first to admit that Relish started without a real plan. Nearly 16 years ago, four fellas came together with a shared passion for helping others achieve greatness and an aptitude for marketing to create Relish Studio. We didn’t have a solid mission. We didn’t discuss core values. We didn’t start with strategy. … Continued

To Get Great at Sales, Expect Nothing Back

Jacob Pegs had an interesting point in one of his recent posts. “Expect nothing back.” Leading with pure altruism is something that everyone can do. It demonstrates a willingness to share your expertise and a desire to simply help – without strings attached. In sales, this is often framed as “divesting oneself from the outcomes,” … Continued

A top-down view of a white cup of coffee placed on an open planner with a monthly calendar layout for November.

Missing Your Goals Isn’t Failure

There’s a saying in skiing… If you aren’t falling down once in awhile, you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough. The same holds true in pretty much every part of your life. If you are achieving all your goals, you’re not aiming high enough. Growth happens when we fall. And missing your goals isn’t “failure”. It’s … Continued

A person using a laptop while holding a black mug of tea.

Supercharge Your Testimonials with Headshots

Want to make your awesome testimonials even awesome-er? (Yeah, I know… not a word.) Add headshots to the testimonials you post to your site to improve their performance. People love the social proof testimonials provide. And they also like to see real people attached to the glowing reviews they leave for your organization. So, whenever … Continued

Two individuals in a workspace, seemingly engaged in a discussion or collaborative work

The 1-3-1 Approach to Problem Solving

How do you encourage your team to bring solutions to the table rather than simply bringing problems? I was recently introduced to the 1-3-1 approach and it is a winner. Instead of having your team present problems, ask them to change their approach. If they are experiencing a challenge or problem, ask them to present … Continued

A megaphone raised to the sky

Turn “Word of Mouth” into a Scalable Referral Machine

I saw a post today about how referrals don’t scale. Though I certainly agree that relying on “hope” for referrals is not particularly scalable, I do think that there’s a lot of referral opportunity left on the table when it comes to supercharging your referral mechanism. If you create a referral system that leverages proactive, … Continued

Strategy Videos from the Relish YouTube Channel