You're never going to finish your to-do list. Not today, not next week, not when you hire that VA or launch that course or finally get organized.

In this episode, we're diving into anti-productivity (heavily inspired by Oliver Burkeman's Meditations for Mortals) and exploring what happens when you stop pretending you'll ever get caught up. Spoiler alert: it's actually freeing.

We talk about why efficiency hacks can become their own form of chaos, how to make peace with the fact that problems never stop coming, and why doing less might be the most productive thing you do all year.

In this episode, we cover:

- Why your to-do list is just a fancy way of organizing all your "shoulds"

- How to face the things you've been avoiding (without trying to do it all at once)

- Why it's enough to only see as far as your headlights

- The freedom in accepting that beyond the mountains, there are more mountains

- How to develop a taste for problems (because they're never going away)

- Why doing fewer things makes the things you do richer

- The difference between being productive and being present

- How to pick a lane in your business and let go of the rest

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

* Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

* Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

* The Eisenhower Matrix podcast episode

* Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

* Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz

* Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

You're already using AI to draft emails and brainstorm ideas. But what if AI could handle entire workflows while you sleep?

In this episode, we walk through the five automations we built at Big Bad Marketing that save us hours every single week. These are the exact workflows we use to run our business more efficiently so we can spend our time on the stuff that actually matters (like talking to clients, generating leads, petting dogs, and eating pizza).

If you're a solopreneur drowning in admin tasks or a small business owner who knows you should be looking at your analytics but never do, this one's for you.

In this episode, we cover:

* The difference between AI chat and AI workflows (and why workflows are a game-changer)

* How to identify which tasks in your business are strong candidates for automation

* Our CRM-to-Slack notifications workflow (because "did that invoice get paid?" gets old fast)

* The podcast workflow that takes a Zoom transcript and spits out titles, show notes, social posts, and resource links in under 30 minutes

* Why we automate client call notes, and what we ask AI to look for beyond action items (hint: testimonials and upsell opportunities)

* Weekly and monthly analytics reporting workflows so we actually know what's happening with our website

* The RFP scraper that searches government contracts, scores them for fit, and delivers the best ones to our Slack channel every week

* Why AI workflows are about more than just freeing up time; they're actually removing mental weight

* The two types of business owners when it comes to AI (DIYers and delegators) and why both are valid

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

* Make.com: https://www.make.com

* Claude (Anthropic's AI tool): https://www.anthropic.com/claude

* SAM.gov (federal RFP database): https://www.sam.gov

* Alex Hormozi content (business growth principles): https://www.acquisition.com

* Episode on the tools we use daily (Slack, CRMs, etc.): https://open.spotify.com/episode/1sV4eCuOU8FR366BwGRxvl?si=6e549457ea344276

* Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

* Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz

* Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

You started your business bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, thinking every month would be a $10K month based on a single Instagram post. (Spoiler: that's not how this works.)

Running a business means telling people what you do, then telling them again, and again, and again. It means getting comfortable with rejection, letting go of the to-do list fantasy, and redefining what success actually means to you.

In this episode, we get real about the lessons we wish someone had told us before we started Big Bad Marketing alongside the mindset shifts, the hard truths, and the things you just can't know until you're in it.

In this episode, we cover:

* Why your to-do list will never be empty (and why that's actually okay)

* Why it takes longer than you think, and how comparison can sneakily steal your joy

* How to know when to keep going vs. when to pivot or quit

* Why hearing "no" is just data, not a reflection of your worth

* Why success is fluid, and in our opinion it's not always about closing the big deal

* The emotional highs and lows are real, and how to bounce back faster

* Talking about what you do with confidence (even when it feels cringey)

* Delegation, follow-up, and why relationships are your best marketing channel

* Taking care of yourself while building something hard

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

* 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

* Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

* Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

* Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz

* Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

You've dialed in your email list, your social media, your analytics, and your website. So why does it still feel like your business is running you instead of the other way around?

This is the final episode in our five-part series on the best free tools to run your marketing, and we're closing it out with the tools that hold everything else together behind the scenes. We walk through the Google Drive suite as our central hub, why we moved from email and text chaos to Slack, the honest tradeoffs between Zoom and Google Meet for video calls, and how Trello and Notion keep client projects from falling through the cracks.

If you've ever felt like your business is scattered across your notebook, your inbox, and twelve different group texts, this one's for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why organization is usually the first thing we diagnose with new clients, not the last
• Google Drive as your business's central hub (Docs, Sheets, Forms, and folders)
• How a free Gmail or Google Workspace account already gives you access to Drive
• Slack for internal communication and why we built a channel for everything
• Zoom's free tier limits versus Google Meet
• Trello and Notion for basic project and client management
• Canva, again, because we truly cannot stop mentioning it

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

• Google Drive: https://drive.google.com
• Slack: https://slack.com
• Zoom: https://zoom.us
• Google Meet: https://meet.google.com
• Trello: https://trello.com
• Notion: https://www.notion.com
• Canva: https://www.canva.com

• Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter
• Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz
• Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

You have a business. You need a website. We said what we said.

In this episode, we break down why your website is the one place in your marketing worth spending a little money, and then immediately hand you a list of free tools to keep that spend as low as possible.

We cover what a DIY website actually costs (hint: a couple hours and a couple hundred bucks), the difference between building on Canva versus Notion, where to find free stock photos that don't look like free stock photos, how to add booking functionality with Calendly, and how to actually see what visitors are doing on your site once it's live.

We also talk about what to do if you're not ready for a full website yet and just need to exist online today.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why a website is the one marketing expense worth prioritizing
• What a DIY website actually costs (domain and hosting included)
• What to do if you're overwhelmed and not ready to build yet
• Canva vs. Notion as free one-page website builders
• Where to find free stock photos that still look professional
• Adding booking functionality for free with Calendly, and where the free tier stops
• Microsoft Clarity: seeing exactly how people interact with your site

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

• Squarespace
• Wix
• WordPress
• Canva
• Notion
• Pexels
• Pixabay
• PicJumbo
• Getty Images
• Unsplash
• Calendly
• Microsoft Clarity
• Google Business Profile
• Yelp
• Houzz

• Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter
• Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz
• Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

You know you're supposed to be tracking your website traffic and SEO performance, but between the jargon and the overwhelm, you just haven't. We get it. And we're here to fix that.

In this episode, we walk through the exact free tools we use at Big Bad Marketing to track analytics, and more importantly, how to actually use them without a business analytics degree. You'll walk away knowing which tools to turn on today, why they matter, and how to start making smarter marketing decisions based on real data instead of guesswork.

In this episode, we cover:

* What analytics actually means (and why it's not as scary as it sounds)

* Why Google Analytics and Google Search Console are must-haves for every business owner

* How to track website visitor behavior and figure out what's working (and what's not)

* The difference between website traffic and search performance data

* Why you need to turn these tools on today (even if you're not ready to use them yet)

* How to use a simple Google Sheet to track trends over time

* What Make.com and automations can do to pull your data together for you

* Why ChatGPT and Claude belong in your analytics toolkit

* How to avoid paying for expensive tools you don't actually need

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

* Google Analytics: https://analytics.google.com/

* Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console

* Make.com: https://www.make.com/

* ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/

* Claude: https://claude.ai/

* Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

* Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz

* Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

Spending hundreds on social media tools when you're already spending hours creating content? Real talk: you don't need to. This episode breaks down the exact free tools we use (and love) to ideate, create, edit, schedule, and engage on social without draining your budget. We'll tell you what's worth paying for and what you can skip entirely.

In this episode, we cover:

* Why social media is way more than one task (and how to plan for it)

* The five stages of social content creation: ideation, creation, editing, scheduling, and engagement

* How to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to brainstorm post ideas without staring at a blank screen

* Why Canva is our ride-or-die for creating posts, editing reels, and even scheduling content

* The free Teleprompter app that makes scripted videos way less awkward

* When to use native platform scheduling vs. third-party tools like Buffer or Later

* How Linktree gives you control over where followers go next (and why your website link alone isn't enough)

* What ManyChat does, when it's worth the investment, and how to use it creatively on the free plan

* Where to spend your money instead — like buying back your time or investing in ads

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

* Canva: https://www.canva.com

* Teleprompter app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/teleprompter/id941620509

* Buffer: https://buffer.com

* Later: https://later.com

* Linktree: https://linktr.ee

* ManyChat: https://manychat.com

* Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

* Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz

* Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

You don't need to blow your budget on email marketing software. We're walking through four genuinely free tools that'll get you started, keep your money in your pocket, and actually help you send emails without the tech overwhelm. Spoiler: your Gmail BCC days are numbered.

In this episode, we kick off a five-part series on the best free tools to run your marketing, starting with email. We walk through four solid free email platforms that'll get you from "I'm keeping a spreadsheet of contacts" to "I'm actually sending a monthly newsletter like a professional human."

In this episode, we cover:

* Why you should use free tools first (and stop paying for subscriptions you barely touch)

* The biggest limitations of free email platforms and what actually matters

* Four free email tools worth your attention: MailChimp, Kit, Brevo, and Sender

* How to start building and organizing your email list right now, even if it's messy

* Why having an email address that matches your domain matters (or doesn't)

* When it's time to upgrade from free to paid (and how to assess your options)

* How to avoid paying twice for the same functionality you already have

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

* MailChimp: https://mailchimp.com

* Kit (formerly ConvertKit): https://kit.com

* Brevo: https://www.brevo.com

* Sender: https://www.sender.net

* Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

* Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz

* Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

* How to Create an Email Newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/blog/how-to-create-an-email-newsletter-people-actually-want-to-open

* Drip vs. Nurture Campaigns: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/blog/drip-vs-nurture-campaigns-whats-the-difference

* Email Marketing How To: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/blog/how-to-do-small-business-email-marketing-right

If you're constantly swinging on the pendulum between "we need leads NOW" and "we're too busy for marketing," this episode is your wake-up call. We're breaking down why treating marketing like a spigot you can turn on and off is wrecking your pipeline and what to do instead.

You know the pattern: projects are rolling, clients are happy, everything feels fine. Until suddenly it doesn't. Contracts end, the pipeline is empty, and you're in full panic mode trying to drum up leads yesterday.

In this episode, we tackle the uncomfortable truth that most small business owners avoid: marketing isn't a spigot you turn on when things get dire. It's the consistent exercise your business needs to stay healthy, whether you're busy or not.

We dig into why word-of-mouth feels great until it dries up, how to map your buyer's journey so you actually know what's working, and the unsexy-but-essential systems that keep leads flowing without the last-minute scramble.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why treating marketing like a faucet you can flip on and off doesn't work (and what does)
• The real timeline for service-based businesses: why what you do today shows up in your pipeline 3 to 6 months from now
• How to map your sales cycle and buyer's journey using data you already have
• The difference between vanity metrics (thousands of followers) and an engaged audience that actually buys
• Why following up after sending a quote is non-negotiable (and how most people drop the ball here)
• What to do right now if your pipeline is empty and you're in desperation mode
• How to build marketing infrastructure that works in the background so you're not constantly stressed about where the next client is coming from
• Red flags to watch for when someone promises overnight results or guarantees in marketing

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

* Big Bad Marketing blog post: How to Get Butts in Chairs Right Now (tactics for immediate lead generation)

* Big Bad Marketing podcast episode: The Art of Following Up

* Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

* Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz

* Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm

You've got a logo. Cool. But does your business card match your website? Does your social media vibe align with your email newsletter? If not, welcome to the brand kit conversation.

In this episode, we break down what a brand kit actually is (spoiler: it's way more than just your logo), why consistency builds trust and speeds up your marketing workflow, and exactly what to include so you stop reinventing the wheel every time you sit down to create something. Whether you're a solopreneur or building a team, this is the episode that helps you get your ducks in a row.

In this episode, we cover:

• What a brand kit is and why it's not just for big corporations
• How consistency builds brand recognition and trust
• Why a brand kit saves you time (and sanity) every time you create content
• The difference between visual identity and voice/messaging
• What to include in your brand kit: logos, colors, fonts, tone, elevator pitch, and more
• How to use your brand kit to train team members or AI tools
• Why your brand kit is a living document that evolves with your business
• Where to start if you're feeling overwhelmed (hint: one step at a time)

Links + resources mentioned in this episode:

* Download the free Brand Kit Checklist: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/brand-kit

* Sign up for the Big Bad Marketing newsletter: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

* Take our free Growth Bottleneck Quiz: https://sales.bigbadmarketing.com/bottleneck-quiz

* Book a free 15-minute intro call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/15-minute-call-bbm