LinkedIn

I’m a recruiter:

Me this morning:


(I am in actual fact a cat that still reads his newspaper before putting on a human skin suit).

I've seen 2 operators announce their AI consulting ventures.

I've also looked at one of my most popular presentations and watched as the information around building things continues to change.

An observation:

> I follow the top people in the space and they can't keep up

> Russel Ackoff (famous systems thinker from the 90s) said the last person on the planet to hold all of the worlds education was Leibniz (1600s) - we're at a similar point with the pace of tooling/development/releases now - you or I can't keep up or hold it all

> so instead - learn from people you trust or who resonate with you

Now, I can't tell you to trust me (I do wear a skin suit afterall) but I can tell you I'll be running a session next Thursday on:

What's an AI growth system and what do I need to build one?

I'll show you:

+What an AI growth system is and what it can do

+ The core areas you need to focus on (audiences, campaigns and messaging, tools, and feedback loops)

+ Examples of stack architecture

+ What the watchouts are

The session runs at 12pm (lunchtime) on the 7th May and we'll get you an event registration link too.

That's it for meow 😺

AI vs creative problem solving 🧠

What do gelato, LunchClub, and joining a recruitment team have in common?
 
They're all things Hugo Bieber and myself have done together.
 
I met Hugo while on Lunchclub and he was new to the country.

We swapped notes, made a few connections, and because we lived near each other...

Had some ice cream!
 
We've kept in touch loosely over the years, but something came up while Ricky Pearl and I were hashing out what building the marketing recruitment function for Pointer could look like.
 
"Hang on... you're getting Hugo?"
"Yeah"
"Well fk man - I am IN!"
 
One of the things that revs me up about our small team is the calibre of the people I'm working with.
 
Hugo is "hitting the pavement" at Blackbird's Sunrise this week and I highly encorage anyone in Sydney this week to grab him for a quick chat.
 
Similar to me with Marketing, Hugo is building out the Partnerships recruitment function at Pointer in collaboration with Hockeystick.

He's hit the ground running and it's been fun to witness and learn more about what it takes to introduce, set up, and reproduce growth via a partnerships channel with the key people.

I guarantee you'll learn something new!

📸 from after our first team dinner - we broke protocols and got frozen yoghurt instead

I won't be at Sunrise this week 🌅

Instead I'd like to ask for a Pointer or two (😉) around the following:

-- we've been helping out a number of independent agency owners with growth hires and I would love to talk to any who are curious about the function and how it complements or enhances their own business development efforts.

Let me know if your eyes prick (or better yet - ears).


-- I'm looking for some advice about setting up some senior round tables on marketing and growth - would love to talk to any practitioners who have been involved in one recently to learn what they liked about it and why.

Or vent about what could have made it better - I dare you.


-- I have a goal of 100 coffee meets by EOFY - if you're Melbourne-based, available in the CBD on a Tuesday, and like being shouted coffee by yours truly - then holler for a Marshy. I'll sort you out and have met jobseekers, founders, growth marketers, developers, people new to the country, and old friends (who struggle to catch me otherwise).

Slick me some java baby 🫡

--

Otherwise have fun the people in my network going to Sunrise (about 3,212) and I'll hop back to my hot drinks.

📸 the funny thing is I drink mostly green tea, it's just not very good when I'm at cafes. So I'll occasionally have ONE coffee - and otherwise peppermint is the play

We pored over 710 marketing jobs last month.


First things first, our market data is getting better and better:

It's fair to say Pointer team is AI-leaning and Ricky Pearl has outdone himself in actively sourcing more ways to get market intelligence.

You can view all sorts of nuggets on our new market-data section.

With this we've focused our marketing data as well.

We'd love to get a more realistic picture of salary data (a lot of its hidden) so if you have any feedback please shout.

But on to nuggets!

Standouts for me last month are:

-> remote roles ramping up again - and look like they're here to stay

-> many more mentions of AI-use in PDs (market is catching up) particularly around creative - there is always going to be a lag here but I use that term lightly because 12 months ago this wouldn't be anywhere near as heavy

-> mid-senior roles are still the most frequent - an all-rounder who can do multiple disciplines (copy, events, growth, design, email etc) are the most in-demand roles which makes me laugh because I used to be actively penalised for this earlier in my career - if you are a swiss-army knife who is a fast-learner you can quite literally have your pick of bountiful vocations

This was also my first spin with Claude Design - better than my old method but still a WIP I reckon.

I used to love obsessing over slide design in Keynote and can see that skill becoming a waste of time over the next few years.

I'm obsessed with this stuff - if you're curious about the AI + marketing intersection, want to talk market conditions, or think Carl Cox is delivering some of the most fun mixes of late in his illustrious career - then I'd love to chat.

I have coffee slots and virtuals and can revert to you at soonest.

Some people say:


Marshy, you have had 41 coffee meets this year, but there haven’t been that many photos?!

Why?

The answer is simple:

I am a very forgetful person at best.

It usually requires the other person to prompt me (the old fashioned way IYKYK).

If you would like to prompt me take a photo (and be shouted a coffee on a Tuesday) then just DM me and we can book it in via an effortless link.

Requirements:
- You are a curious human being (I can’t believe dog gelato exists)
- It’s a Tuesday
- It’s in the Melbourne CBD
- You let me buy the coffee (the amount of people that have tried to break this one is no good I’ll tell you that much for free)

This snap is of me and Priscilla Lee.

If your Melb-nous is magic-levels of coffee knowledge, you will note this isn’t in the CBD.

Rules have exceptions, but you also have to have known me for 15+ years for these kinds of privileges.

Easter and pub holidays and people renegging to online meetings means my numbers are down.

I want 100 by EOFY.

If you’ve read this far and live in Melbourne you know what to do.

Slide into the messages and get dem beans 🫘

"I'm pretty sure I know what to do for the next while mate".


Last week I had a weird conversation.


It wasn't a break-up but similar to one.
It wasn't a goodbye but it felt like I was losing something.
I was closing a door and knew there were many in front of me yet to open.

I finished working with Dale Meyer after 2.5+ years of weekly conversations.

When we started working together - I said:
"I need more leads".

Since then I've made missteps, silly decisions, and high-risk moves and yet...

My career and business trajectory is in the best shape it's ever been.

I'm building a marketing recruitment business with Pointer
I'm levelling up the fractional engagements.
I'm making moves behind the scenes with GradEngage.

And my partner and I are late stages of the house search, and trying not to fall in love with the homes we're going to bidding on because I'm told that's not what you do.

So ran the thought past Dale and he said:
"Yep - you just need to do the reps".


In typical Dale-style I asked what is he going to do with that half-hour back.

A half-hour he has honoured for nearly 3 years at a bargain basement rate for me as one of his pilot customers:

"Well Lukey Dukes, you've never referred me a bad person - so if you want to offer that slot to someone you think could do well from it then I can look after them".

So I called the first person I had on my list and said in no uncertain terms that it's up to you and you can make your own mind up, but if you don't meet with this guy and at least sound it out then you're not actually serious about building your business and you're full of sh*t.

I can talk like that to this guy because we roomed together in our university days.

There was one problem, that presented itself about 30 minutes later:

"Ahhh Luke - it's great Boydy is keen and I'll call him, but does he go by anything other than this nickname?"

One difference I've noticed between people who want to grow and push themselves, and those who don't, is that there's actually nothing about the external offer that's different.

I give two people the exact same information and:

- one person demurs, hesitates, and comes up with myriad of reasons why that offer won't work;
- the other listens, processes the information, and asks themselves - how can I use this to improve my worldview

It absolutely blows my mind.

But not as much as what's yet to come.

I'm barely warming up 😉

📸 me at my 21st when I thought I had it all figured out and was completely and utterly wrong on that 🤣

For some people really struggling with their mental health:



The belief that taking their own life is a simpler/better/easier option than seeking help exists.


It’s sad.

But easier to understand after some of the putrid commentary taking place in and around the AFL this week.

Being able to talk about these things is not only possible, it’s something that can be become a blessing and a strength that helps you thrive.

I know that because that’s my lived experience.

Once upon a time the thought of saying these things out loud was utterly terrifying.

Last night I repped my SANE singlet and hooped off a challenging week.

Every time judgmental comments are thrown into a challenging situation it compounds and reinforces the stigma we fight against.

Do better.

Unexpected scoop today

Don't send unsolicited talent referral requests 🧏

(Definitely watch to the end for explosions and shiz)

I'm in a bubble of a bubble - but I'm seeing and hearing changing of capabilities:

> I met a Head of Marketing @ a scale-up yesterday who has changed her entire workflow this year (more to come on that)

> I reconnected with a developer who is shipping at stupid rates since Opus 4.5 and it enables him to do more projects as a younger, hungry operator who ships-ships-shops (keeping Mum on this because we're trying to use them for GradEngage)

> My own capabilities have step-changed this year - my "growth system" that I presented last year on a stage has had significant upgrades - these things get orchestrated and iterated on over time and are managed via a CLI (and dashboard for clients)

All the while talking to and sourcing talent that range from:

"I build presentations with the help of GPTs"

through to

"It has changed everything I do end-to-end and I am here for it"

Escalating fractionals update 📈

Last week was a bit off-kilter with an offsite and public holiday.

I felt like I was playing catch-up all of last week.

But not this week.

.`~ magic segue ~'.

If you know of someone who is:

- Near Penrith or within range of (Western Sydney)

- A paid ads machine (Meta + Google)

- Leaning into AI's capabilities (the best are, let's nerd out!)

I want to talk to you and put you into this job.

Have a great week and all of the engagement/referrals are most welcome.

*doffs cap*

Cozy Friday reflections:

a large portion of AI influencer posts that come across much less impressive-like when you imagine them as think pieces on how to use a search engine:


I googled this

Then I googled that

It led to a page result

I clicked that

Here - let me show you how to type in what you want

comment “I’m feeling lucky”


—


We’re going to have archaeological agents that trawl through historic internet debris that asking themselves…

Wtf were these primitives playing at?

Will it look like cave paintings and learning how to make fire?

🤔

building with Claude Code cheat code:

$86,000.


A conservative estimate of how much revenue has been lost by OpenAI in Australia since late March.

Check my math:

Google Search Queries for ChatGPT and Claude in Australia over the last 12 months.

From 22 March to April 12, interest in Claude dropped 4 points.

Over the same time period, ChatGPT plunged by 24 points.

- 900m global users
- 5% paid
- approximately 200k Aussies
- 500+ paid signups per day
- cost of subscription = $30
- 25% drop on that

This doesn’t factor in the anecdotal evidence of people “switching over” to Claude.

I’ve worked in big techs, they sweat these numbers and have acronyms you haven’t even heard of: ARPU!

…but Ads are launching so things are going to be okay right?

Weekend job, this one has been on the to-do list for a while.

Much easier with Claude Code now.

And like that the focus is just on what I say instead of dazzling generated _~^*things*^~_

6 years ago was a different time.


I'd left my employer and struck out again as a heat-seeking fractional (before it was flavour of the year).

I saw RMIT Activator might be looking for a short-term resource, had a chat with Matthew Salier and then sent him this.

There's an outsized demand issue versus the supply for most mid-senior+ marketing jobs.

Newsflash - AI isn't going to make this reality any brighter.

But if you're a great marketer - you SHOULD know how to stand out.

It's your bloody job.

You can knock something like the attached out now in a fraction of the time it took (if you know what you're doing).

But there's an X factor you still need to stand out.

This was a fun stint and I'm grateful for the time and connections I made over there.

But more importantly I learned when you take the reins and go full-tilt at something you can make more things happen than you can imagine when you're street-fighting for briefs and opportunities on a quiet day.

I'm new to recruitment, here's what I've learned working with clients:



> > Understanding the value I bring

I know marketing and growth.

Game recognises game.

A client put their own ad up and got swamped with applications - they're busy - there's no way to evaluate/sense-check/work through such volume AND know what to ask, what to look for, and how to press.

We took it over for them mid-role and they were pleased.



> > Knowing when it's not a good fit

Another had been in touch and was actively canvassing the market with a discounted fee.

The roles this business wanted were my bullseye - I've worked in agencies, with big clients, and big tech and the claim about wanting "the best of the best" didn't ring well against "we're using multiple recruiters" with a discounted fee.

I had a stab at explaining pay-for-performance and the networks they'd have access to - but they fell on deaf ears and I let that one go.



> > Being ready to champion candidates and correct client behaviour

Business owners be busy.

So sometimes I've needed to correct poor feedback and be ready to champion a candidate that didn't pass the sniff test.

The way I manage uncomfortable conversations is to simply come from the client's perspective - I want the best outcome for them and am prepared to challenge if that's what it's going to deliver.



--



📸 from the couch today - had to cancel my usual Tuesday CBD coffee blitz with daycare lurgy 🤧

So how the bloody hell do you hire for AI skills?
 
 
I'm not talking ML engineers and rocket surgeons.
 
I'm talking about operations, marketing, sales, agency folk, and customer success.
 
You know - the meat and potatoes that goes into the GTM gravy.
 
I'm prepping some content for a webinar soon and would love to know what observations, comments, and questions you've got?
 
What I've observed so far:
 
👐🏼 Not many roles advertised explicitly ask for AI skills

👐🏼 Those that do tend to drift into hyperbole ie. you're an AI wizard with a spellbook of prompts! 🧙🏼🤦🏽‍♀️

👐🏼 There's not a hell of a lot of definition around what success looks like - other than - you must use it
 
I totally appreciate this is a work-in-progress and not an easy nut to crack - but don't ask don't get right?
 
I spoke to one business last year who put on a contractor to help innovate within the business - but they simply jumped ship when a permanent role came up somewhere else 🛳️
 
I don't normally ask for engagement on my posts with a close like - "so what do you think?" - but would love it for this one thank you very much 🙏
 
📸 me with my AI hat on ❤️⚪️💙

So this has been brewing in the background:
 
 
I met Tim Mundy while he was a co-founder at VideoMyJob and I tried selling him video services.

That was never going to work - but we kept in touch over the years, always threatening to work together.

Then I did some freelancing with Digital Affair, and enjoyed seeing mixing up my client abilities with the world of employer branding.
 
It kinda worked.

I loved the way he went about it with some of the biggest brands in-market and always with enthusiasm.
 
We tried a venture when AI hit, but things fizzled before they took off - for good reasons that only increased the respect I've got for him.
 
So when he called about GradEngage I was always going to keep the door ajar.
 
Then he said he's got Senaya Krishnan (graduate recruitment veteran) and Jon (technology expert) onboard and I thought alright - let's make room for this.
 
After coaching hundreds of early-stage founders who are struggling with product-market-fit - it's quite something else watching graduate recruiters listen to the pitch, nod and say "uh-huh" and telling us yes that's a problem and yes your solution fixes it.
 
I'm running at this very much from the back-end systems and growth perspective as I'm loving recruiting for and working at Pointer.
 
But I do think being a co-founder and operator lends a certain kind of credibility to the dance of finding great growth people right?

📸 Blue sky opportunities out there for anyone smart and leaning into AI right now imo

Had a shocker yesterday.

House inspecting, screaming kids, sick family.

Then at the end of the day I looked at my spouse and we were both smiling at each other - completely exhausted yet still together.

You barely notice the shockers when you’re going to rest like that.

How to get opportunities with AI.

Love this from the Antler newsletter:


Have noticed #3 with some of the best leaders I've worked with.

Looking at you Rachel Green and your magnetic abilities!

Fun fact:
I can't walk past a digger and not be bummed if my kids are absent.

I think to myself... what a waste.

The reason being they absolutely lose their marbles over heavy machinery and will correct me if I call a forklift a skid-steer...

So I try and take a snap when I go past one on my feet so I can show it to them later.

Do you know what else is a waste?

Not updating people about what I do and having them ask:

"So what are you up to?"

So here's the tl;dr -

I work with early-stage companies to recruit their go-to-market talent for Pointer.

I've found this to be a pretty natural extension of my startup consulting work in that instead of me doing the work - I find people to hire to do the work.

This has been a lot of fun because:

- I naturally track "who is good"
- Take good to know good (20yrs+ ain't no hollaback girl)
- I network vociferously (<-- today in words an LLM would never use)
- I've loved working with a team again
- I'm also running/directing Pointer's marketing with AI

This is where I spend most of my time each week, and I'm also noticing that most businesses needing talent are also needing direction on how to filter for AI literacy/skills/engagement.

Carry on and remember consistency is the enemy of waste 🚜👷

The last job I applied for (and got) was in 2016.

It lasted a few months.

The best opportunities are elsewhere.

I have spoken to a few senior marketers recently about standing out.

And rather than trust they'll apply it - I'm dumping it here in the hope it helps some other people.


--


> Apply sales acumen to your search <

Don't apply and wait

Find the hiring manager's name, email, and phone number and tell them why you're so pumped for this role

Follow-up - I got auto-rejected on a role last year and called the recruiter up and told him why his wrong - it moved to interview

If you see a bullseye role posted - move fast - speed is way more important than you think

Most marketers I speak to think in longer time horizons, drop that and embrace a sense of urgency

--

> Use voice, video, and human stuff to circuit-break the automations <

Follow-up a connect request with a voice note or video

Nobody does this yet it makes you stand out orders of magnitude more

Like it or not - a perfectly crafted CV and resume reads like all the other applications that told AI to match the documents to the PD

So do something weird that stands out - I told someone to build an app for an application, they sent one to me 12 hours later (I didn't have an active role suitable for them - but that's memorable)

--

> Come in deeply prepared, even for screening <

The amount of information you can draw up on a business is nuts

Check their Meta ad library, Google transparency centre, reviews

What would you improve and why? I'd rather you have strong and wrong opinions than answer with "oh I like to review all the data and make an informed decision"

Yes but you don't have all that data now - tell me what you think NOW

--

> Go hard into building your AI literacy <

If you're a senior marketer you can afford the Claude Max subscription (~$140 per month)

Don't buy a course on "how to get started" - start building sh*t

You are operating in a time where you can figure out just about any technical challenge a marketer can be exposed to with AI

So stop dilly-dallying and build your literacy in figuring this out - this knowledge is applied learning, not courses, not podcasts, and certainly not paying a practitioner to educate you

--

> Work the back channels or learn how to

Join private communities and participate in them

This means skimming, adding some meanigful or genuinely helpful comments, and regularly watching the jobs boards

Hit your network for "interesting people to talk to" not "people hiring for jobs" - the former gets you WAY more value if you follow the breadcrumb trail


Go and get it.

--fin--

what a week!

run and gunning the city,
speaking on a panel at full speed ahead (see!),
sick family,
interviewing candidates,
vibing with the pointer team,
f2fs with an outgoing consulting client,

and some more I'm clearly missing.

it does feel like the year is in full swing and am feeling pretty darn good about 2026.

have a fab weekend 👋

Now or later?

I HATE the takes I see on here with:
 
"Hurr, Anthropic is hiring a copywriter" - see AI isn't killing it, or
 
"Hurr hurr, Paypal is hiring a Head of LinkedIn" - you see how important this is
 
(I literaly hear the HURR as I read it and think.... urgh!)
 
So let me make this abundantly clear:
 
I am a hypocrite.
 
But this post isn't about me.
 
It's about a job ad I saw from a forward-thinking company in Australia.
 
Like it or not - startups and early-stage companies are disruptors.
 
Most flame out.
 
A few rare ones come into ~$1B+ sales that only amplify their delusions of grandeur.
 
But their impact on the market over time is undeniable.
 
So let me make this part really clear too:
 
IF you are hiring for a marketing leader who is NOT leaning into AI and its capabilities right now you are flushing money down the toilet.
 
Look at this way,
 
I have worked in digital marketing for 20+ years.
 
And have been lucky to work with some epic companies and some of the biggest clients (and egos).
 
AI is an existential threat for marketing as we know it.
 
If there's even a 5% chance the above is true.
 
Do you want to hire a leader who is doing everything in their power to fight against the above?
 
Or someone who was made redundant and is keen for a similar job to what they used to do?

p.s. lol @ that salary

Ah fudge, it's that time of the week again isn't it?
 
MELBOURNE CITY COFFEE MEETING DAY ☕️
 
Nobody: ...
 
Literally nobody: ...
 
Me: Well okay, because everyone asked, here's the latest numbers and how we're doing!
 
Goal -
100 coffees by EOFY
 
Number of F2F meets so far -
21
 
Kinds of people I've met -
A growth marketer who has moved from NZ,
an account manager does square dancing,
an Spanish expat who listens to techno,
an old friend I used to rave with who now lives in Taiwan,
a fractional GTM force of nature,
candidates,
founders,
soon-to-be founders, and
former colleagues
 
If you're curious about life, want to swap notes, or like learning something new - hit me up and I'll share an easy way to get your free coffee in (did I mention it's my shout?)
 
I've had a rolling meeting on a Tuesday .~' disappear '~. so have some better availability now.
 
Here's Angus Clark - he's cool.

I ran into a friend while I was meeting him and described him to my friend as a "young go-getter"
 
👋

What fails in a competitive market:

- Vague asking to jump on a call
- Sending a CV in DMs without applying for a role and expecting something to happen
- Connecting about a role but not mentioning what role

What high-performers do:

- Are incredibly prepared and mention 1-3 specific things they have noticed about a company on first touch
- Politely but repeatedly stay in touch
- Will correct you with confidence and evidence when challenged on role suitability

Put simply - the latter knows what they’re fighting for and ready to dance.

We have roles up at Pointer - are you ready to dance?

Oh cool - some random liked my post from 4 months ago and I got a notification about it.

I love that shit.

Have nothing better to do than enjoy it.

It's so good.

Yeahhhhhhh do it again bot.

If you're looking for a leisurely yet thought-provoking Sunday read:

I highly recommend Isaac Asimov's "The Last Question"

He says its his best short story and I agree!

Quite prescient with what's happening today with AI and the direction increased energy consumption can go

How you used to vet marketing hires:

- what level Excel are you?
- tell us about a campaign you ran, what was the brief, what challenges did you run to, and what was the outcome?
- what was your budget?

How I vet marketing hires today:

- what have you shipped?
- what level AI are you?
- what speed are you learning at?

What am I missing?

Copped a nasty one yesterday.

An absolute star about to start with one of my new favourite clients and bam - circumstances outside of their control pulled the rug just before start date.

This happens.

The communications were clean and we need to put the word out there that we back up.

Blufire are looking for a Head of Sales and are a new-school agency, you have:

✅ Enterprise sales experience and are comfortable getting the real problem

✅ Hunting and building the case (you are the sales team - not the people who report to you)

✅ Hungry and want to share in big upside

✅ Experience in selling agency or marketing services

Jobs up on the Pointer website and you know what to do cobber.

Marketing that will NOT be replaced by AI:

- empathy
- understanding a person and business well enough to translate what they’re trying to do into actionable briefs and outcomes
- harnessing a feeling of pain or discomfort and being able to transform it into something that commodifys it, or makes it communicable at scale
- taste
- judgment
- stakeholder management

But if you’re wondering what can be replaced by AI TODAY.

Then come to our Pointer webinar on LinkedIn tomorrow at 12.

Or if you really want the beans - get in touch and I’ll hook you up with a registration.

✌️

A raging debate happening in our GTM ANZ community at the moment is "do I need an expensive CRM?"

And being able to manage/use/have technical skills with CRM is the top-requested skill from the 1k+ marketing jobs we saw in the Australian market in February 2026.

So who is "in the wrong" here?

I believe there's a lag between what talent teams and marketing job advertisers are saying they need - and what skills will be needed over the next 12-24 months.

I also believe the NUMBER ONE technical skill you'll need over this timeline is:

"Figure outerer"

A figure-outerer doesn't have a deep specialisation in technical SEO, email marketing, or even conversion rate optimisation.

They understand how marketing *works*, are data savvy literate, and can leverage tools in and out as the capabilities evolve towards an *outcome* and repeatedly work their systems to get to that outcome again and again.

I'm so bullish on this.

That's why I'm running a workshop on Thursday called:

"Is AI coming for your marketing jobs?"

I'm going to share what the most commonly requested marketing skills are, and also share what can be currently replaced by AI TODAY.

Not "when it's ready".

TODAY.

The gap in the market is people who have and can apply this knowledge versus the swathes of hiring managers who don't know any better.

Booking details on slide 12.

Things experts have said will never be beaten by AI:

- go
- chess
- Starcraft 2
- Texas Hold’Em Heads Up poker
- language translation
- basic code
- design
- enterprise-level software production
- basic marketing
- copywriting
- medical diagnoses
- legal advice

I don’t know how to put this to experts, but you’re losing.

I see crap takes every day.

e.g. You can’t “vibe code” a CRM

Okay - even if that isn’t true today - just how long do you think this “hard truth” is going to avoid being soft?

I am not a hype boy.

I f**king created a newsletter called AI vs Marshy FFS.

But I am telling you that when you hear “everything is changing” and shake your skeptical head, you are fighting with a reality that will encroach on your working life sooner rather than later.

You don’t have to be in love with that idea but it will help your livelihood to be considering it.

Now go back to scrolling through sloppy takes in your feed - I swear to God that everyone except Brad cringes at how much he is copy pasting slop on this bloody thing.

Quote of the day:

Well, yeah, tech AI, you've moved into recruitment, so you have the trifecta and you're smart and you also know growth.

No thank you, Samantha Philpot ☺️

^^ she's building something cool - keep an eye out

🎥 a re-enactment of my conscious grace in accepting such a statement

Brag post: I'll be noodling on growth with founders and operators in Torquay this eve.

This will be for Genesis, and it's quite a hop from Kangaroo Ground 🦘💨

But am stoked to share hard-won digital marketing smarts with what cutting edge looks like -

Last night I hooked in the AEO skill to Pointer's new website, combined it with AirOps, and built an automatic sourcing integration into Slack.

Looking forward to vibing with some enterprising minds 🫶🏻

More of?

I had a difficult conversation with a client about interview process recently.
 
Here's what they did to make giving feedback easier:
 
They welcomed the feedback and sought to understand it better
I could see that this was new information to them, and that it didn't fit their operating lens.
But instead of shutting it down, they immediately acknowledged the feedback and sought more information about it.
 
They asked clarifying questions so they could better understand it
Once they'd got their head around the issue, they asked multiple questions about what could be done better, what the impacts of this issue were, and how they could do better in the future.
 
They agreed to next steps and welcomed further feedback
It's hard giving uncomfortable feedback - especially when there's a business relationship involved.
Yet this left the door open and left me feeling confident that we'll be able to work together prosperously into the future.
 
--
 
Not all clients are like this.
 
Some blame other people.
Blame tools.
Blame you.
 
Never looking at the constant.
 
I'm fortunate to be in a situation where those clients are rare and get softly managed out 😘

📸 I usually knock out a post earlier than this in the working week - but have had some other "new client" issues the last couple of days... turbo twin toddlers is hard mode I'll tell you that much for 🆓

I've had more inbound "wanna job" in the last 6 months than near ever.


I am very happy with my very full plate (one I haven't mentioned on here yet but that's for another time).

So if you want a:

- growth marketing veteran
- comfortable spinning up things and orchestrating tools
- a multiple-industry and multiple-startup doer

And:

- you're willing to hire remote (AU East Coast)

Then:

- I have someone for you who is actively looking

There's not many people I go "they can do what I do" so use that information as you will.

Happy Friday 😘

Comment "AGENTS" on another lead magnet post...

Or just lift the copy and tell Claude Code to build it yourself in your existing stack with the right APIs, MCPs, LLMs, etc etc.

People in tech are still sleeping on what's happened in the last 3 months.

You don't need sexy.

Does this ad disgust you?

What on earth does a picture of a woman holding a wine glass have to do with boundaries or not knowing where they are as an AI?

There's no question this is AI-generated -

And likely optimised through 100s if not 1000s of variations of content designed to elicit [goals].

It's more than likely some of the goals were:

- appeal to a certain audience
- imply/refer to something that isn't allowed to be advertised on the platform
- skirt as close as possible to the edge of ad policy to enable the above, and
- download / use tool

Knowing how it's made doesn't make it any less okay.

This timeline we're in is completely bonkers.

Chairing the Lived Experience Advisory Committee (LEAC) is one of the most engaging pieces of work on my plate.

The conversations, debate, and care placed into ensuring that SANE does everything it can to heed, work with, and serve its most important stakeholders is a joy to witness.

We’re looking for people with this experience and taking expressions of interest now.

These voices matter.

If you or someone in your network might be a fit - I implore you to give them a gentle nudge to apply 🫶

18 coffee meets so far.

Tuesdays.
Melbourne CBD.
My shout.

Some FAQs for the people asking:

- no, I don't have coffee every time - I don't really drink it, I'll throw one in every now and then to remind myself why I don't 🤪

- it's not really tiring - it's just a different cadence to other days and I am pretty good at juggling the other things I have to do

- the goal is to have 100 by EOFY - I'm pretty sure I'm going to smash it out of the park (there's 5 more today)

I've kept things pretty loose with who I'm meeting - I love meeting founders, but it's been a combination of operators, career professionals, and yes - people sounding out new opps as well.

It's led to more meetings with founders at other times, warm referrals, names of businesses I should hunt down and help, and just a chance to reconnect with people I love meeting who I would otherwise struggle to connect with regularly.

Including my friend Jimmy Dau - an old friend from my Sydney days.

We've been to gigs together, DJ'ed together, worked at UM Worldwide together, and holidayed in Europe together (I'll always remember that argument we had about Vinyl vs CDs vs MP3s and the kebab afterwards in Berlin).

He's looking for his next opp and any agency/media publishing business (in Melbourne) would be mad not to think about getting him in to lead their business.

I've got some spots left in March if you want to do the dance, and but you kind have to get in quick to land a meet - soz 🤷🏼‍♂️

Keep looking 👀