How do you establish meaningful milestones in your business? For years I treated my business plan like a glorified spreadsheet, a place to park projections and hope the numbers magically pointed me in the right direction. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize a plan without milestones is a lot like taking a road trip without those familiar green highway signs. You may get somewhere eventually, but you will spend a lot of time wondering if you missed your exit three miles back.

The trick is to start with honest, challenging and absolutely measurable goals. I learned this the hard way. In one of my earliest ventures, I confidently announced we were going to grow. That was it. Just grow. Predictably, no one knew what that meant, least of all me. Was I talking about five new clients or fifty? Without specifics, we drifted instead of charging ahead.

Once I began treating my goals like real mile markers, things changed. I set targets I could count, track, and celebrate. I tied them to timelines that forced me to make decisions instead of waiting for the perfect moment. Suddenly the business plan felt less like homework and more like a map with clear directions and a few helpful rest stops along the way.

Those measurable markers shape your timelines, clarify who is responsible for what, and give your budget a backbone. They turn vague intentions into a plan you can follow.

So here is my question for you. How do you set milestones that keep your business moving in the right direction?

When was the last time you were pitch slapped? You know what I mean — you comment on someone’s post, and suddenly your inbox is full of “personalized” pitches that feel anything but personal. In this episode, I chatted with Billy Sammons of Live Local Marketing, who believes it’s time to push back against the noise and get back to what actually works: real, human connections.

Billy’s been building local marketing communities for 15 years, and his message is refreshingly simple — relationships still matter.

Here’s what stood out from our conversation:

• Go old-school — because it still works. As digital spaces get more crowded, buyers tune out. Billy says the antidote is face-to-face connections that make people feel seen and valued.
• Start small, start local. Forget the cold calls. Walk into a business you already support, strike up a conversation, and collaborate on something that helps you both.
• Keep it simple. You don’t need a fancy setup. A phone, a $19 mic, and a tripod are all it takes to start creating local content that connects.
• Be genuine. Giving only works when it’s authentic. If you help someone and immediately flip to a sales pitch, you’ve lost the magic.
• Stop chasing viral. The diamonds are in your own backyard — meaningful, local relationships that grow your business organically.

Billy’s reminder is a good one: You don’t have to go viral to be valuable. Sometimes the best marketing starts with a handshake and a conversation.

About Billy Sammons

With 15 years of experience, Billy teaches proven strategies—like filming video commercials with local business owners—that put you in front of the right people, build stronger relationships, and generate long-term clients. His goal is to help others replicate what works, saving time and replacing cold leads with warm growth.”

LEARN MORE

https://www.livelocalwarmmarketing.com

Try the 5 day Challenge and see for yourself if warm marketing is the right way to grow your business. I want to give something for free, a trial run, which is a quick and easy way to try Warm Marketing for themselves.

If you think branding starts and ends with a logo, we need to talk.

In this conversation, I dug into what really makes a brand work and spoiler alert, it has very little to do with what you personally like. We talked about why branding gets messy, where business owners go wrong, and how to build something that actually connects with the people you want to serve.

I sat down with Jessica Adanich, an award winning designer, brand strategist, and founder of DesignProd Studio. She helps businesses turn half formed ideas into brands that are ready to stand up in the real world, not just look good on a screen.

Here are a few takeaways you can use right away:

• Your brand starts with your audience, not your taste Jessica nailed this. If you do not know who you are talking to, every design choice is just a guess. The goal is not to please yourself. It is to connect with the people you want to attract.

• AI is a tool, not the answer AI can help you get unstuck, spot patterns, or gather insight. It cannot replace talking to real customers or making smart judgment calls. Think toolbox, not magic wand.

• Consistency beats creativity when it comes to trust You might feel repetitive showing up with the same look and message. Your audience feels reassured. Brands stick because they are familiar, not because they constantly reinvent themselves.

• A good logo has to work in the real world If it only looks good in color, at full size, on your laptop, it is not a logo. It is artwork. Your brand assets should hold up everywhere, including black and white and low tech situations.

If your brand feels a little fuzzy right now, that is not a failure. It is a sign you are ready to clarify what you stand for and who you serve.

About Jessica

Jessica Adanich is an alumna of the Cleveland Institute of Art where she studied industrial design, graphic design, sculpture and glass. She spent her early career working with renowned brands such as Vitamix® and Hasbro NERF®. She spent the next six years leading the design and marketing department of Mace® Brand. As a seasoned professional, Jessica yearned for a creative agency of her own. DesignPod Studio was born in Cleveland in the fall of 2018. Jessica moved to Tampa Bay in October 2019 to be closer to the ocean she loves, where she leads DesignPod Studio as well as her shark conservation endeavor Fuzzy Sharks that creates artwork to educate individuals on shark conservation.

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