It’s been a hell of a week at Magnet Monster.

Since the turn of the year, our pipeline has exploded.

Surprisingly, January is always busy with lots of movers and shakers. In the last 2 years, these have been our strongest sales months, and this year doesn’t seem to be any different.

We’ve signed 3 clients in the last 10 days, and we may finish on another 3 before the month is over. We’re coming to a stage where we’re at the classic agency inflection point of “Should we hire for increased capacity now or get more out of our existing team?”.

In previous years, we would have thrown bodies at this nice ‘problem’. But with the advancements in technology – combined with our OKRs focused on service delivery improvements – I’m keeping an eye on our profitability like a hawk, and trying to maintain a culture of frugality.

The landscape in DTC is still incredibly volatile, and there have been so many instances in recent years where we’ve put 1 step forward, only to take 2 steps backwards. More people can = more problems, especially given the complexities in onboarding and making sure you hire the right individuals for the job.

You should always be guided by data on these decisions whenever possible. However, there’s also an element of gut feeling driving them as well. The best entrepreneurs I’ve met combine both together to powerful effect.

In even better news, we signed another client for Content Army, which we’re ecstatic about as it’s given us a much-needed boost.

It gets better still: 3 of our 5 clients for that business have gone semi-viral in the last week due to a combination of being picked up in the LinkedIn video tab and capitalising on industry-breaking news:

While signing new clients is an amazing feeling, nothing makes me happier than seeing our existing clients win.

These are the people currently keeping the lights on for our business, our staff (and their families!) fed, and my mortgage paid. Treating these people incredibly well, and most importantly, getting them results, is my number 1 focus.

I’m investing a lot more time this year (across both companies) randomly dropping into accounts, checking in with the owners, and seeing how our team is performing.

In short: everything feels fantastic and is looking upwards.

And the lesson in all of this? Momentum: it’s a hell of a drug, people! When you have it, ride the wave for as long as it lasts, because you never know what’s around the corner!

And NEVER get complacent. When things are good, market harder than ever before. Sell to more people. Build a waitlist if necessary and keep innovating.

One thing is always guaranteed in business: tough times are never far away. So be prepared for them.

Making Time for Friendships (and Family)

One of my commitments this year was to spend more time having deep, meaningful conversations with family, friends and peers.

Last week, I’ve been blessed to:

• Spend 4 hours with a long-term friend (whom I hadn’t seen for over a year) over lunch and coffee
• Get a great steak dinner with Liam Quirk, a great friend of mine and fellow agency owner who’s also flying
• Take my family out for dinner the next day to spend dedicated time with them
• Last night (Thursday), I spent the evening at a networking dinner with Yotpo alongside some incredibly bright (and entertaining!) peers
• Spend an amazing time today with one of my sisters (who also works for me) at my office as we signed another deal and worked on some projects together

While I’ve obviously eaten out way too much, life is also short and I believe in packing every single day with as many special moments as possible.

I’m an extremely extroverted person, and one of the things I struggled with last year was shielding myself away from the world as I buried myself in fatherhood and a half-hearted effort to build a new business behind the scenes.

I’m out and about this year a LOT, and I’m loving being social again.

It’s not only incredibly stimulating for my brain (I have more ideas than ever), but I feel spiritually fulfilled, valued and loved. Even more importantly, I feel as though I’m giving energy to other people more than ever.

If you’re in a rough spot right now, either in business or life, get out and speak to other people. Share your problems but also give as much as possible without expecting anything in return. Don’t become enslaved to your thoughts. I’ve been there, and I know how brutal it is. The world is full of incredible people (just like you), and the therapy of connecting with others is a necessity to live a happy life.

Much love to all. Hope you’ve had a fantastic weekend, wherever you’re reading this from.

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