Welcome @John Lawlor to the Fractional Referral Network. Set up a free strategy call with me or schedule a 15 minute intro if you just want a quick tour! Be sure to introduce yourself to the group.

Welcome @Sarah Jezek ! Please introduce yourself to the group. Check out the calssroom and the resources availabale to you. Book a free strategy session with me here. If a quick walk around will suffice just book an intro call here!

Over the years, I’ve spoken with countless self-employed people who don’t fully understand marketing—and they end up getting burned because of it. Here are five common misconceptions that cost people time, money, and opportunities. 1. "Posting on Social Media Leads to Sales" Reality: Social media posts aren’t a magic button for sales. It’s visibility and relationship-building, not instant revenue. I talked to a coach who was posting non-stop and even had a Facebook group, but he couldn’t understand why no one ever signed up for his offers. The truth is, social media alone won’t drive business; it’s just one part of a much bigger picture. 2. "More Traffic Means More Conversions" Reality: Quality beats quantity. I once had a start-up founder rant at me for not driving millions of people to his site after reading some blog on “getting a million hits.” The kicker? He didn’t even have a million viable prospects to target. Driving traffic is great—but if it’s not the right people, it’s a waste. 3. "If You’re Good at What You Do, Clients Will Find You" Reality: Being great at what you do isn’t enough to bring clients to your door. As a fractional or consultant, you are the product, and you need a strategy to get noticed. I see talented people all the time relying on word-of-mouth, but in a competitive market, that’s a risky approach. You have to put yourself out there and show the value you bring—clients aren’t just going to show up. 4. "Email Marketing is Outdated" Reality: Email remains one of the highest-ROI channels around—if you use it right. A targeted, personalized email campaign can work wonders. Dismissing email as “outdated” is just leaving money on the table. Meanwhile, I talked to a guy paying someone $1,500 a month to tweet twice a week. That’s a waste, especially compared to what a solid email list could have done for him. 5. "Marketing Should Bring Quick Results" Reality: Marketing is a long game. Real success comes from consistent effort over time, not a “quick win” approach. Expecting instant results will only lead to disappointment. Steady growth doesn’t come from shortcuts; it comes from building and reinforcing your efforts over time.

Hey all, I joined a few weeks ago but just haven't gotten around to introducing myself yet. My name is Phil Schroeder and I've worked as a design consultant on and off over the last decade (https://www.gammuttdesign.com/). Due to recent layoffs, I pivoted and went full-time into consulting and fractional design leadership over the last year. I've worked with companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies on projects ranging from MVPs, redesigns, user research, design systems, feature implementations, and more. I excel at partnering with product owners, developers, and executives throughout the development lifecycle to deliver a best-in-class final product and quickly understand and translate business objectives into user-centered designs that also accomplish business objectives. My work has helped clients achieve over $39m in funding at various stages. Some services I provide: Fractional Design Leader / Design Manager - help startups with first hires and growing design teams - representing design at a strategic level with company leadership - managing designers on global teams - elevating design craft and practices - creating and improving processes around to improve collaboration and team alignment - extensive Design Systems expertise including building, elevating, and operationalizing design systems IC Production Focus - conducting workshops or other collaboration activities - wireframes, prototypes, user flows, etc. - rapid and flexible user research - Framer, Webflow, and Shopify development services Excited to be here and look forward to getting to know more folks here! :)

What's your Monday Motivation?💡 "In business, the opportunities you create for others will be the ones that come back to you tenfold."