For The Daring Growth Seekers

[Off Mic] Go behind the scenes of how we run our marketing business (Done By Nine) during the AI-era. In this episode, we chat about the pressures of running a business with young kids while juggling client work and growth goals. After five years of late-night laptop sessions and scattered priorities, we've implemented a business operating system that's helping us work ON our business, not...

Google just revealed the future of search, advertising, and customer discovery - and it's happening faster than most business owners realise. At Google I/O 2025, the tech giant made it crystal clear that AI isn't just another feature - it's now the foundation of everything they do. From AI-generated search summaries that answer questions without users clicking through to websites, to AI agents tha...

In this episode, we ditch Marketing Mindset and launch For the Daring Growth Seekers . Marketing in the AI era stays front and centre, but now you also get the unfiltered story of building an agency as a married team. This is your go-to show for ambitious leaders in Australia and New Zealand who want clear, actionable marketing strategies and honest conversations about the real journey behind buil...

Join the entire Done By Nine team - Jordan, Jac, Renee, Aarti, and Flynn - for a special anniversary episode celebrating five years in business! In this roundtable discussion, the team reflects on how marketing and design have transformed since Done By Nine's inception, from the early Canva days to today's AI-driven landscape. Discover the challenges of constant platform changes and how st...

Google's latest marketing research has destroyed "Hello [First Name]" emails, revealing only 18% of consumers care about seeing their name on product recommendations. What customers actually want is content relevance in digital marketing - messaging that directly addresses their problems, pain points, and desires at the right moment in their buyer journey. In this episode, I break d...

We're marking a special milestone over the next month - 5 years of building our business, Done By Nine! In this episode, we turn the tables and invite my wife and business partner, Jacqueline, into the studio to reflect on our journey of building a digital marketing agency from scratch. From our humble beginnings during COVID lockdowns (with a newborn baby on the way!) to selling Jacqueline&a...

While most business owners are obsessed with using AI to create content, they're missing something far more significant: AI is completely transforming how customers discover businesses. In this episode, we reveal how tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are already deciding whether to recommend your business to potential customers without you even knowing it. You'll discover: How AI refe...

We're exploring how businesses are getting AI content creation completely wrong and the hidden cost it's having on marketing teams and creativity. Recent research from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University reveals a disturbing trend: as marketing teams become more reliant on AI tools, their critical thinking and creativity are quietly declining. While AI promises increased efficiency,...

Is the traditional 'marketing funnel' dead - and what's replaced it in 2025? Taking my 6-year-old to the toy store revealed something fascinating about modern customer behavior: the path to purchase isn't linear anymore. Instead, it's a chaotic web of AI recommendations, social proof, and endless options. Google calls this the "messy middle" - that space between...

Love it or hate it, it appears that we can't ignore the powerhouse that is TikTok, and today we're exploring a fascinating paradox in modern marketing: as AI tools become more sophisticated, TikTok's 2025 Trend Report that they just released reveals that authentic, human-driven content matters more than ever. With 1.8 billion monthly active users and recent political challenges, Tik...

On this episode we're exploring how businesses are getting AI content creation completely wrong - and how to fix it. With Google's recent shifts towards AI-organised search results and the rising importance of video content, understanding how to use AI tools strategically has never been more crucial for your marketing success. The key to winning with AI content tools isn't about rep...

Welcome to 2025's first episode of Marketing Mindset, where we're tackling the biggest shift in marketing since the internet: AI's transformation of how customers find and choose businesses. This is going to mark the year where AI stops becoming just like a buzzword that you see on LinkedIn every now and then. It's not just going to be a fancy shiny object tool that you're...

The social advertising landscape has transformed dramatically, and what worked even six months ago might be costing you money today.  Today's episode is a must-listen if you're managing ad budgets between $500 to $50,000 per month and feeling overwhelmed by all the changes - many driven by AI and Advantage + We're bringing you actionable insights on what's actually working righ...

Today I want to look into the changing landscape of digital marketing and the rise of "zero-click" content. Inspired by the declining website traffic many businesses are experiencing, I want to explore why traditional metrics may no longer tell the whole story of marketing success. In this episode, we'll cover: The concept of "zero-click" content and why it's becoming...

This episode was Inspired by a viral meme suggesting that today's business owners are uniquely burdened with content creation, and I wanted to explore whether this perception was accurate. Joined by Aarti Desai, we'll look at: Historical examples of successful content marketing from well-established brands like Edmonds, John Deere, and Yates. How these companies used cookbooks, magazines...

We've all heard the blame game: sales blaming lead quality, marketing blaming a lack of understanding of prospect needs, and CEOs blaming poor communication.  But here's the truth: alignment between sales and marketing is absolutely crucial for sustainable growth. In this episode, we'll explore: How to identify if you've got a misalignment problem The impact of misalignment on...

We’re entering Q4 of the calendar year, traditionally a massive time for brick and mortar or B2C type companies and businesses. Everyone is discussing Black Friday, Boxing Day, and Christmas sales and how B2C companies can take advantage of this time. However, in this podcast, we want to talk about how Q4 is equally important for B2B companies, despite having different challenges—and how B2B compa...

Today we're joined by marketing expert and Done By Nine team member, Aarti, to debunk the myth of the "silver bullet" in marketing. We'll explore why quick fixes often fail and discuss the importance of building a solid marketing foundation. In this discussion, we'll cover: - The misconception of viral content as a marketing strategy - Essential components of a strong bran...

In a slightly different episode, I'm sharing a conversation that I had with Adam Harris, the host of the Business Hour radio show on Most FM here in Taranaki.  We chat about my journey from being made to do stunts on local radio to founding Done By Nine and everything in between. I share some of the unique experiences that I've had in my life and how they have helped shape our approach t...

Businesses and organisations are still using ChatGPT to write all of their content.  Copy and paste, done and dusted, too easy.  Despite many conversations and warnings about over-relying on AI tools for content creation, businesses still heavily depend on ChatGPT, which poses risks to brand voice, reputation, and the ability to connect with your audience honestly. So, let's explore the limit...

Have you ever wondered what value Google Search will bring to your business in the coming months and years?  Consider this: Could it be that Google search, a staple in your strategy, might not hold the same weight in the future? If that's the case, where does your business go from here? With Google's Search Generative Experience—or SGE—poised to redefine how search works, we're at t...

As marketers, we face challenges daily, but the biggest mistakes we see businesses and marketing teams make are facing these challenges with a reactive mindset.  Low site traffic, lead quality, creative not converting - the list goes on - so how can we remain agile while also sticking to our marketing strategy? In this episode we'll cover how small tweaks can lead to significant impacts and k...

Q4 can be an overwhelming experience for business owners and marketing teams.  The stakes are incredibly high with the holiday season, peak gifting, and a rise in consumer activity.  So today, I’ll walk you through a structured roadmap for effectively managing your marketing strategies during this critical period.  From leveraging and building an audience in preparation for Black Friday, to optimi...

Is the explosion of AI affecting what content we see as real versus what’s been simply generated by a bot?  The marketing and business game is changing wildly, and AI tools are at the forefront - especially when ChatGPT burst onto the scene. But there’s more beneath the surface. More tools and software are turning even ChatGPT on its head. What else is being faked and generated by a bot?  Is today...

Today's podcast is a topic that sounds confusing right from the get-go - but when you dive in and explore how search engines, like Google, are adapting and changing in the future, you’ll soon start to realise that small changes to your marketing strategy now could set you up nicely for the AI-driven future of search engine marketing. Today we’ll chat about the small steps you should take to e...