The Blam Digital Blog

Meet Fern, Blam’s Production Account Manager

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:44:53 GMT

Fast Facts: Fern

Name: Fern
Role: Production Team Account Manager
Focus: Partner support, ticket management, scheduling, logo design, production coordination
Background: Business studies, recruitment account management, senior roles in the motor trade
Working style: Hybrid
Life outside work: Mum, travel, long walks, good coffee

When Blam Partners submit a support ticket, request an amendment, or need reassurance that something is moving, they experience efficiency. Behind much of that consistency is Fern.

Her role sits at the junction between Blam’s Partners and the production team. It requires composure, organisation, and a steady temperament.

The Role: Structure, Not Chaos

Fern describes her position simply:

“I’m the account manager for the production team.”

In practice, that means overseeing support tickets, scheduling work in the correct priority order, handling logo design projects, coordinating communication, and making sure Partners feel supported rather than ignored.

“I handle all the support tickets to ensure our Partners and clients receive efficient support and communication. I handle any issues they have to ensure their journey at Blam is as easy as possible.”

Fern’s clarity and responsiveness help the process of fulfilling Partner needs flow efficiently.

Fern’s role is also evolving. She is currently expanding her technical knowledge into SEO, strengthening her ability to bridge communication between Blam Partners and delivery.

Her willingness to develop directly connects to her background in business.

A Business Mindset from the Start

Fern’s interest in business predates Blam.

“I’ve always had an interest in business. I studied business in sixth form and for two years at university.”

Her early career reflects that orientation. She worked as an account manager in recruitment, a sector where expectations are high and response times matter. She also held senior roles in the motor trade, another commercially demanding environment.

Those industries taught her resilience quickly, and she learnt to prioritise and communicate clearly. The skill transfer was ideal for production support. When Fern came across a Blam job advert online, she was looking for something new.

“I always knew that I wanted to enter a role that I hadn’t done before.”

Marketing had long interested her, but without formal experience, entry points were limited.

“Marketing’s always been something I’ve been interested in, but because I haven’t had experience in it, I’ve never been able to get my foot in the door.”

Meeting the team made her realise that Blam was the place for her,

“I met the team at the office and had an interview, and it seemed like I’d really fit in.”

Blam Culture

When discussing Blam’s internal environment, Fern was frank,

“There’s just nothing going on in the background that you ever have to be worried about. What you see is what you get at Blam.”

Speaking to Fern, you see the operational clarity in her role that depends on cross-team coordination. She describes the atmosphere at Blam Digital as refreshingly straightforward.

“Everyone just focuses on what they’re doing, not what other people are doing.”

That focus enables speed. Problems are solved rather than analysed for blame.

For someone managing production flow, that really matters. Blame culture is alien to the Blam environment.

A Day Built on Routine

Fern’s working day begins the same way, whether she is at home or in the office.

“I always start by answering all the support tickets so I can ensure jobs are scheduled in priority and in the order that they come in.”

Of course, priorities can shift as new projects arise,

“I may have to make some minor adjustments or see to any high-priority issues.”

After tickets come emails, then calendar reviews, then internal coordination. She checks for outstanding content, logo designs, and scheduled updates, chasing where necessary.

Meetings are with Partners discussing amendments or new projects. Others are internal discussions about day-to-day tasks or upcoming products. In the office, collaboration is more immediate. At home, communication relies more heavily on structured channels.

But the foundation remains the same with a consistent process being followed to maintain quality in delivery.

Stable Routines

When asked about mindset habits, Fern’s answer was very grounded. Being a mum with a young daughter, she has to be very efficient with her time

“I feel like I live five lives in one day sometimes. Having the same routine every day allows me not to let anything slip through the net.”

Where some people might experience repetition as monotony, Fern sees it as stability. Routine ensures that Partners receive the same quality of attention, regardless of what else is happening. Her focus is this:

“Just making sure that everybody gets the same energy from me every day.”

Life Outside of Blam

Fern loves travelling, walking, and meeting friends for coffee in calm surroundings. Nature parks, open space, movement.

“I like to travel. I like to walk. When I get the time, we’ll grab a coffee and go for a walk somewhere.”

Her coffee of choice is a caramel macchiato.

Learning, Connection, and Support

When asked what she values most about her role, three themes emerged.

First, connection.

“I like being that connector between the Partners and the team. I like speaking to people. So for me it’s ideal because that’s what I get to do all day.”

Second, learning.

“I’ve never really worked in marketing before. So to me, every day is a school day.”

She specifically mentioned her evolving view of AI.

“I wasn’t big on AI before I started working at Blam. And now I’m seeing so many things and thinking, that is so cool.”

Third, support.

“If there’s anything that I don’t know, the team will take the time to do a Loom video and send it across so I can take it in and use it for the future.”

This is typical of the supportive culture in the Blam team.

Three Words

Fern describes herself as:

Enthusiastic.
Approachable.
Reliable.

All three help her thrive in her role as Blam Digital account manager.

Advice for Future Blam Digital Partners

Fern’s advice to prospective Blam Partners is pragmatic.

“Always come in with a plan. Know what you want to achieve and how you’re going to get there.”

Support exists. Systems exist. But initiative must come from the Partner.

“Start by focusing on your networking. Your leads and your prospects are where you’re going to find success.”

She points to practical actions: attending networking events, LinkedIn lead prospecting, conferences, and even just picking up the phone.

“You’re always going to have our support in the background.”

And finally, she emphasises relationships and adaptability.

“The more you put in, the more you’re going to get out of it. Embrace the fact that technology is always moving forward. There are going to be new opportunities.”

Final Words

Fern operates in a role that requires composure, process discipline, and sustained communication. She ensures that Blam Partners experience momentum rather than uncertainty.

In a delivery-led business, that consistency is central to the Blam Digital ethos and experience.

Thank you, Fern, for a great interview!

Editor: Jai Hill, Content Writing Manager, Blam Digital

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamieson Lee Hill is the Content Manager for Blam Digital, having joined the franchise in January 2020. He is trained in all areas of Digital Marketing and has two Master’s level Diplomas in Business Management (DMS) and English Language Teaching (DELTA). He specialises in content/copywriting and content strategy.

Hill also has 26 years of experience as a teacher, lecturer, teacher trainer, curriculum designer and educational manager. In his free time, he explores the wonders of Istanbul and Turkiye, where he lives part of the year by the sea with his wife and 2 cats.

AI Job Cuts Are Here: Build an Online Business Now

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 07:00:12 GMT

AI job cuts are no longer a warning sign

For years, automation-led layoffs were framed as “eventually.” Eventually became now. It is already happening as we saw last week…

… In January 2026, Amazon confirmed around 16,000 global job losses as part of a wider restructuring driven by efficiency and automation.

These roles were not removed because demand collapsed or performance dipped. They were removed because systems became faster, cheaper, and more reliable.

That is the uncomfortable truth. AI job cuts are structural, not emotional. And once a role becomes redundant, loyalty stops mattering.

AI Replaces Roles, Not Owners

Most commentary gets one thing wrong. Automation replaces functions. It does not replace ownership.

AI-driven layoffs happen because tasks can be automated. Websites can be built faster. Marketing systems can run continuously. CRM pipelines no longer need constant human input.

What AI cannot do is take responsibility.

Employees sell time. Owners control systems.

When automation reshapes a business, employees absorb the shock. When you own the system that delivers the work, you gain leverage.

Automation Punishes Time Sellers

Employment operates on permission. Permission to earn. Permission to stay. Permission to remain on the payroll.

Automation removes that permission overnight.

An online business works differently. You build assets:

• Websites that generate leads
• Content that compounds visibility
• Automated marketing systems
• Recurring service income

Once built, those assets keep working. AI reduces delivery costs and increases scale. Instead of fearing automation-driven job losses, owners use the same tools that caused them.

AI Increases the Value of Human Judgement

Despite the headlines, automation does not remove humans from business. It concentrates value.

Clients still want judgement, context, trust, and accountability. They want someone responsible when things break, shift, or need direction.

AI produces output. Humans decide what matters.

In an economy shaped by automation and workforce reduction, ownership becomes the human edge.

AI Job Cuts in the Real World: A Blam Partner View

At Blam Digital, Partners are not chasing hype. They are building online agency businesses using AI-powered systems, proven processes, and ongoing support.

As Jon Richardson, Director of Overt Digital Media, explains:

“The websites that Blam produce are of a very high quality. When I audited the websites built for my customers, the average number of leads per site was 46, with many generating over 100 per month.”

That is what ownership looks like after automation-led job losses. Systems running. Leads arriving. Control staying with the business owner.

Three Truths About Automation and Employment

• Automation targets roles, not businesses
• Selling time is fragile in an automated economy
• Owning systems turns AI into leverage

Frequently Asked Questions

Are automation-driven job losses temporary?
No. Automation improves every quarter. Roles do not return once systems replace them.

Which jobs are most affected?
Marketing, admin, operations, support, and analytical roles are among the most exposed.

Is running an online business risk-free?
No income is risk-free. But owning systems gives you control. Employment creates dependency. Automation exposes the difference.

The Safest Option Has Changed

Automation has redrawn the map. Security no longer lives in job titles or company names. It lives in control.

Building an online business is not about escaping work. It is about choosing where the risk sits.

In a world shaped by automation and AI job cuts, owning the system is safer than being inside it.

About Blam Digital

Since 2015, Blam Digital has supported Partners across 10 countries to build AI-powered online agency businesses using proven systems, practical training, and ongoing human support.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Starting a Digital Agency Without Experience

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 18:28:40 GMT

Overcoming the Fear of Starting a Business

If you are thinking about starting a digital agency, you are probably not lacking ability. You are lacking certainty. You want to escape the rat race, build a side income, or take control of your time, but you do not want to gamble blindly.

That hesitation is rational. Most people fail in business not because they are incapable, but because they improvise, overcomplicate, or try to figure everything out alone. Fear is rarely the real issue. Lack of structure is.

Fear of Failure Comes From Not Knowing the Path

Starting a digital agency feels risky because the path feels unclear. Employment may be frustrating, but it feels predictable. Business feels exposed.

What reduces fear is not motivation. It is process.

When you follow a proven framework, uncertainty drops. Decisions become simpler. Progress becomes measurable. You are no longer guessing what to do next or questioning every move.

This is exactly why the Blam Digital model was built as a structured system rather than an open-ended course.

You Do Not Need to Be Technical to Succeed

One of the biggest myths about starting a digital agency is that you need deep technical knowledge. Coding, AI tools, hosting, automation. This belief stops capable people before they begin.

Within the Blam Digital model, the technical delivery is already handled through established systems and a backroom team. Partners are not required to build websites, manage servers, or master AI tools themselves.

The Partners who succeed are not the most technical. They are the most consistent at applying the process they are taught.

Selling Becomes Simple When the System Is Followed

Selling feels stressful when you are inventing your offer, pricing, and messaging from scratch. Every conversation feels high-risk because nothing is defined.

Within a structured agency model, selling becomes explanation rather than persuasion. You are not pitching ideas. You are walking prospects through a proven solution using a repeatable process.

Confidence comes from clarity, not personality.

Doing It Alone Is Where Most People Go Wrong

Trying to build a business in isolation magnifies fear. Every decision feels heavier. Every mistake feels more personal.

Blam Digital Partners are trained, supported, and guided step by step. Those who follow the system as taught move faster and avoid common mistakes. Those who try to customise too early usually slow themselves down.

The pattern is consistent. This is what you need when starting a digital agency, especially for the first time.

The Principle That Determines Results

Process creates results when it is followed consistently.

The Blam Digital model works because it is repeatable. Success comes from application, not reinvention.

The Value That Separates Results From Stagnation

Discipline beats motivation.

Motivation fades. Process does not. Blam Digital Partners who succeed are not the most enthusiastic. They are the ones who follow the system even when it feels uncomfortable.

Social Proof From Blam Digital

Blam Digital supports over 300 partner agencies across 10 countries. Many Partners started with no agency background, no technical expertise, and no sales confidence.

One partner put it simply as:

“I stopped worrying about doing things the right way and just followed the system. That’s when everything clicked.”

The common factor behind successful Partners is not talent. It is following the process that brings success when starting a digital agency.

Why Blam Digital Is Trusted

Blam Digital has supported agency founders since 2015 by teaching a structured, repeatable system that works. Starting a digital agency with Blam guarantees a tried and trusted formula for success, free of get-rich-quick notions. It is a long-term model for financial sustainability in your life.

The Blam Digital model is used globally and focuses on consistently high standards.

Results come from following a proven process.

What Drives Results for Blam Digital Partners

Structured systems remove uncertainty and reduce risk.
A clear process replaces guesswork and builds your confidence.
The backroom team handles technical delivery, so Partners can focus on growth.
Consistent application of training produces predictable outcomes.
Long-term success comes from discipline, not motivation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need experience to start a Blam digital agency?
No. What matters is following a proven process rather than inventing one.

Do I need technical or coding skills?
No. Delivery and technical execution are handled through an established system by our expert team.

How long does it take to see results?
Progress depends on consistency, but Partners who follow the process typically gain traction within a few months.

Is selling required?
Yes, but selling becomes structured and repeatable rather than high-pressure.

The Truth You Need to Hear

If you are thinking about starting a digital agency, your success is not determined by confidence, background, or personality.

It is determined by whether you follow the process you are given.

The Blam Digital system does not require you to be exceptional.

It requires you to be consistent.

Follow the process. The results follow you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meet Nik Andrews, Blam Digital Partnership Consultant

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:16:15 GMT

Fast Facts: Nik

Name: Nik Andrews
Role: Partnership Consultant
Joined Blam: Rejoined February 2026
From: Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Background: Former Deutsche Bank trader, sales leader, serial entrepreneur
Hobbies: Tennis, golf, pool, competitive gaming

Content Writing Manager Jai Hill spoke with Nik Andrews, one of Blam Digital’s most commercially experienced team members and a central figure in the early story behind the Blam name.

Nik operates at a critical moment in the Blam journey. He speaks to business owners when decisions feel heavy, financial risk feels real, and confidence is often fragile. His role as a Partnership Consultant is not about persuasion for its own sake. It is about clarity, realism, and helping people decide whether they are genuinely ready to move forward.

These are the questions Nik was asked:

What’s your job role at Blam Digital?
How did you first discover Blam Digital, and what made you want to join the team?
Can you walk us through a typical day in your life at Blam Digital?
Tell me about your weekly habits as a Blam Digital team member.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of Blam?
What are three things you love most about your Blam Digital Role?
How would you describe yourself in 3 adjectives?
What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam Digital Partner?

What’s Your Job Role at Blam Digital?

“My role at Blam is ever-changing. I was originally brought back in because I’ve done all the sales before, but the reality is it changes all the time depending on what the business needs.”

Nik explains that while job titles exist, the reality of his work is fluid. As a Partnership Consultant, he works directly with prospective Blam partners, often at a point where they feel stuck, uncertain, or overwhelmed by conflicting advice.

Each conversation starts in a different place. Some people arrive confident but unfocused. Others arrive fearful, carrying the pressure of redundancy money, savings, or long periods of stalled progress.

“Everyone’s got their own pain. Each person is different. I always liken my job to being a bit like a doctor. I just sit and listen to that person’s pain, work out what’s really going on, and then offer the right medicine rather than a one-size-fits-all answer.”

How Did You First Discover Blam Digital?

Nik’s relationship with Blam goes back well before the brand existed in its current form. In 2010, he walked into Grant Stain’s office with a specific idea.

“I walked into Grant’s office in 2010 and said to him, I want to build an app company. I’d seen him a few times, liked the way he thought, and thought he was the sort of guy who could help make it happen.”

That conversation led to App House UK and later the Big Local App. At the time, Nik was already running a local magazine, so the concept of turning local content into an app felt natural.

“I was already running a local magazine, the kind that gets put through your door, so it just made sense to turn that into an app. It was basically a local magazine as an app.”

As the business evolved, so did its identity.

“Big Local App Marketing is where Blam comes from. That’s literally what it meant at the time. As the business shifted back into digital marketing more broadly, the name stayed.”

The name was not designed as a gimmick. It reflected a real product phase and a real direction the company was taking.

A Background Built for High-Stakes Conversations

Nik’s professional background is not a typical agency career path. Before working in digital partnerships, he spent ten years in London finance, including time as a trader at Deutsche Bank.

“I worked as a trader in London for ten years, right in Liverpool Street. I didn’t come through the normal academic route, but I found my way there and learned very quickly what pressure and responsibility actually feel like.”

Alongside finance, Nik has worked in sales since he was a teenager, often in high-pressure environments where results mattered, and excuses did not. That experience shapes how he approaches conversations today.

Many people he speaks to are afraid of making the wrong move.

“They’re petrified they’re spending their redundancy money or their retirement money. They’re scared that at some point it’s going to go to zero, and if that happens, they don’t know what comes next.”

Nik does not avoid that fear. He addresses it directly and asks people to think about the cost of standing still as well as the cost of action.

A Typical Day at Blam Digital

Nik’s working day reflects Blam Digital’s international footprint. His calendar is open and flexible, shaped by global time zones rather than fixed office hours.

“My day can be seven in the morning talking to New Zealand, or ten at night talking to America or Canada. I don’t really mind because that’s just how the business works now.”

Despite that flexibility, he is disciplined about quality.

“You can’t really do more than four quality calls in a day. Otherwise you start forgetting what you’ve said to people, and that’s not fair on them because every conversation deserves proper attention.”

Each call requires focus, empathy, and judgement, because no two partners share the same background, motivations, or fears.

Sales Built on Honesty, Not Pressure

Nik’s partnership approach is grounded in transparency. He sets expectations early and asks for permission to be direct.

“I say to people, I want to ask you some really painful questions today. If you’re okay with that, then you can ask me the painful ones back. As long as we’re both honest, we’ll get somewhere.”

He is clear that sales has changed.

“Sales in the nineties is completely different from sales now. You have to adapt, otherwise you’re finished. You can’t be archaic and expect people to trust you.”

Rather than pressure tactics, Nik focuses on realism, trust, and helping people understand the long-term implications of their decisions.

Life Outside Blam Digital

Outside work, Nik is highly competitive and physically active. Tennis plays a central role in his routine and mental health.

“The only time I don’t think about anything is when I’m playing tennis. That’s when everything else switches off.”

He also plays golf, competes in league pool, and enjoys gaming, particularly football and racing games. Competition gives him structure, focus, and a way to reset without switching off completely.

What Nik Loves Most About His Role at Blam Digital

Nik highlighted three aspects of his role that matter most to him. He values working with a strong team, continuing to learn in a rapidly changing digital environment, and the financial rewards that come from building something that works.

What stands out most, however, is transformation.

“I sold this person back in February and they were a scared rabbit in the headlights. Now they’re confident, earning money, and moving forward. Without that first conversation, they probably would have faltered and gone nowhere.”

For Nik, those outcomes validate the difficult conversations at the start.

Three Words to Describe Yourself

Nik describes himself as outgoing, giving, and dynamic, qualities reflected in his energy, honesty, and willingness to invest time in people who are prepared to engage properly.

Advice for Future Blam Digital Partners

Nik’s advice is deliberately clear and delivered in two parts.

“Don’t do it if you think you can pay some money, do less work, and earn more. That’s just not how it works.”

For those willing to commit, the message shifts.

“Come on board and we can show you how to do it. We’ll coach you, support you, and help you build something properly, but you’ve got to be prepared to work.”

He also stresses the importance of culture and standards, explaining that Blam values effort, integrity, and collaboration, and has little tolerance for people who undermine the system or the team.

Final Words

Nik Andrews brings long-term perspective, commercial realism, and frank honesty to Blam Digital. His history with the business gives him deep contextual understanding, while his role as a Partnership Consultant helps future partners make informed decisions that genuinely shape their direction.

Thank you, Nik, for a candid and insightful interview.

Editor: Jai Hill, Content Writing Manager, Blam Digital

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Why the Human Factor Is Still Important in a World of AI

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:30:26 GMT

How Blam Digital combines AI efficiency with human judgement

AI is now embedded in modern marketing. Websites, blogs, ads, emails, and entire funnels can be produced in a fraction of the time they once took. Speed has increased. Volume is easy. Output is everywhere.

At Blam Digital, we are well aware of this shift every day, but we also see the pitfalls. As AI-generated content becomes more common, trust has become harder to earn. Audiences are no longer impressed by speed alone. Instead, they are questioning the authenticity and credibility of content, especially when it feels generic and disconnected from real experience.

This article explains why human input is becoming more valuable, not less. Equally, it considers how the backlash against AI mirrors the early backlash against the internet, and how Blam Digital uses AI without sacrificing the real, authentic human voice of the brand.

The Blam Digital Approach: 80% AI, 20% Human

At Blam Digital, AI is used to accelerate work, not to replace thinking.

AI supports activities such as research, competitive analysis, webpage structure, keyword mapping, and first-stage drafting. Human input controls strategy, positioning, messaging, tone, and sales conversion logic. This balance matters because AI can process information at scale, but it cannot understand commercial nuance, brand risk, or audience psychology in the way experienced human marketers can.

Time saved through automation is not spent producing more noise. It is instead reinvested into thinking, refinement, and decision-making. Content is reviewed, reshaped, and aligned with real business goals rather than written purely to satisfy algorithms.

The outcome is faster production without sacrificing credibility. AI handles the mechanical work efficiently. Humans remain responsible for judgement, clarity, and trust. This is what audiences respond to and what search engines reward as this quotation shows:

“Google's automated ranking systems are designed to prioritize helpful, reliable information that's created to benefit people, and not content that's created to manipulate search engine rankings.”

Source: Google.com, 2026

Why Human Interaction Is Becoming More Valuable

As AI content increases, so does audience awareness .

When content feels automated, people often disengage quickly and leave a website, regardless of how well it is optimised for search.

This is not a rejection of AI. It is a recalibration of value.

When content becomes easy to generate, credibility becomes the filter. When automation increases, discernment becomes the differentiator. Human involvement is no longer about typing speed or output volume. It is about interpretation, relevance, and intent.

Brands that rely solely on AI output may scale quickly, but they struggle to build trust. Brands that combine AI efficiency with human judgement create content that feels grounded, specific, and commercially credible.

Backlash Then vs Now

“Companies that know how to take advantage of these innovations can benefit from an undeniable competitive edge. However, it is important for decision-makers to rely on qualified and ethical professionals, capable of designing and implementing responsible and sustainable AI systems. As with the Internet thirty years ago, the key lies in a balanced and progressive integration of this technology.”

Source: Vittoria.io, 2024

When the internet first entered the mainstream in the early 1990s, the dominant reaction was fear rather than optimism. It is similar to the backlash we can now see against AI.

Writers, academics, and cultural commentators warned that the Web would flood society with low-quality content, destroy attention spans, and undermine serious creativity.

Newspapers attacked it as a threat to journalism. Educators argued that students would stop thinking critically because information was suddenly too easy to access.

Those arguments closely resemble the criticism aimed at AI today.

AI is accused of producing soulless output, eroding trust, devaluing creative work, and making people intellectually lazy. Entire industries warn of collapse. Commentators frame AI as a cultural and moral threat rather than a tool.

In both cases, the fear is not really about the technology itself. It is about loss of control.

The Internet Removed Gatekeepers

With the advent of the internet, anyone could publish, distribute, and build an audience without permission. That shift created chaos at first, but over time it raised standards rather than lowered them. Credibility, consistency, and expertise became more important, not less.

AI is following the same trajectory.

It lowers the barrier to creation and increases noise initially. That noise is often mistaken for the death of creativity, when it is actually the reshaping of expectations. When everyone can generate content, audiences become more selective.

Human judgement becomes the signal that cuts through.

AI vs Human Marketing: Why Smart Brands Use Both

AI can generate words, but it cannot understand people.

It does not feel pressure, read between the lines, or grasp emotional timing. Marketing still depends on psychology, persuasion, and intent. Those remain human skills.

AI makes marketing faster, not automatically better. Much of the AI-generated content online fails because it lacks direction and context. Without human input, AI simply reflects the internet back at itself.

At Blam Digital, AI speeds up research, structure, and production. Humans define strategy, voice, and conversion logic. That is where performance is won or lost.

What AI Is Actually Good At

Used properly, AI is a powerful accelerator. It helps analyse competitors, identify keyword gaps, structure pages efficiently, generate multiple drafts, and shorten production cycles.

This allows faster launches, stronger SEO foundations, more testing, and better use of budget.

Speed alone does not build trust. Humans do. The Blam Digital backroom team is essential to this process, leveraging the best that AI technology has to offer.

Where Humans Still Win

Humans remain essential for strategy, positioning, persuasion, storytelling, emotional tone, and real-world experience. These are not technical gaps. They are experiential ones.

AI provides scale. Humans provide meaning.

Reflections on AI vs Human Factor

AI is not the threat. Thoughtless use of AI is.

The brands that lose will be the ones chasing speed, volume, and shortcuts. The brands that win will be the ones that apply judgement, experience, and accountability on top of powerful tools.

AI raises expectations. It does not replace responsibility.

In a world full of generated content, the human factor is not optional for Blam Digital.

We know that the human factor is the difference between creating authentic brand content rather than churning out generic AI content.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grant’s Goal Setting Challenge for 2026

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 07:00:03 GMT

How to think bigger, build momentum and set goals that actually shape your year

The end of the year is a crossroads for anyone serious about goal setting for 2026. While most business owners ease off the accelerator, Blam Digital CEO Grant Stain sees this period as the most strategic point in the calendar.

It is the moment where reflection, clarity and high level planning can radically influence your next twelve months.

Grant’s mantra is direct:

“Set the goal, then figure out how.”

Starting with the outcome, rather than the limitation, expands your thinking, unlocks creativity and stops you from planning from a small, constrained mindset. Below is Grant’s proven approach to structured goal setting for 2026, used by Blam Digital teams and partners worldwide.

Why This Time of Year Matters More Than You Think

Setting strong goals begins with honest reflection. When you review 2025 without emotion, you recognise the habits that moved you forward and the patterns that held you back. This is a cornerstone of intelligent goal setting for 2026.

Consider:

• What genuinely worked in 2025 and why
• What consistently slowed you down
• Which habits supported your progress
• Which lessons must guide you into 2026

This level of clarity sharpens your decision making, keeps you composed during challenges and prevents you repeating the same unproductive cycles. In competitive business environments, that clarity becomes an edge.

The 10X Mindset That Unlocks New Possibilities

Grant often asks Partners and Blam Digital staff a disruptive question:

“Whatever target you have in mind, multiply it by ten. If you absolutely had to achieve this, what would you do differently?”

This forces you out of incremental thinking and into strategic expansion. It opens the door to smarter systems, bold collaborations and stronger offers that small goals never inspire.

Grant draws inspiration from entrepreneur Grant Cardone’s 10X philosophy, which focuses on stretching targets to spark better thinking. In the context of goal setting for 2026, 10X is not about ignoring deadlines, it is about staying committed to the outcome while adapting the strategy as needed.

Why Blam Partners Grow Faster with Clear Goals

Inside the Blam ecosystem, goals are not motivational slogans. They are practical tools that link daily behaviour to long term vision. The partners who grow fastest share one trait:

They are extremely clear about the goals they are working towards.

Clear targets help you:
• Maintain momentum through quieter months
• Build predictable Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
• Strengthen accountability in your routines
• Stay resilient when setbacks hit

Blam training reinforces a simple philosophy:

Progress beats perfection. Consistency beats enthusiasm.

Grant’s 7-Goal Framework for 2026

To avoid burnout and ensure balanced success, Grant uses a seven goal framework. This approach makes goal setting for 2026 holistic and sustainable.

1. Health

A strong body supports sharp thinking and better decisions. Exercise consistently, protect your sleep and build habits that sustain strong energy levels.

“Prioritise your well being by setting clear health goals. Understand your ‘why’ and outline actionable steps to achieve them daily.”

Grant, 2025

2. Learning

Your value increases as your knowledge increases. Completing four creative or professional courses keeps your thinking adaptable. Learning is a weekly habit, not something to fit in when convenient.

3. Wealth

Financial stability creates strategic freedom. A target such as £10,000 MRR by December 2026 pushes you to improve systems, pipelines and processes that support predictable income.

“Define your financial aspirations and create a roadmap to reach them. Each day, commit to actions that bring you closer to financial freedom.”

Grant, 2025

4. Relationship

Your close relationships sustain you through demanding periods. Protect time with the people who matter. A strong support network improves resilience and wellbeing.

5. Business

If you want a different year, set different goals. Aim for more clients, premium offers, stronger positioning and improved delivery systems.

“Set ambitious yet achievable business goals. Identify your motivations and take daily steps to grow your entrepreneurial venture.”

Grant, 2025

6. Giving

Contribution strengthens purpose and identity. Whether you support others with time, money or expertise, integrate giving into your 2026 structure.

“Incorporate giving into your life by setting goals that reflect your values. Each day, find ways to contribute and make a difference.”

Grant, 2025

7. Fun

Rest fuels performance. Plan hobbies, trips and creative outlets that boost energy and keep you inspired. None of this is optional if you want consistency.

Making a Statement of Intent

Repeat this with intention throughout the final weeks of 2025:

“I commit to reviewing these goals weekly and taking consistent action to achieve them throughout 2026.”

This repetition reinforces focus and strengthens your execution muscle.

Building Momentum Through Simple Daily Habits

Simple structures keep your goals alive:

• Morning check in with your goals
• Weekly numbers displayed on a scoreboard
• Monthly reviews to adjust and refine
• Accountability within your partner group
• Small rewards that reinforce consistency

A 30 minute morning routine, such as the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, helps you stabilise your mental and physical energy.

Blam’s Support System for Goal Achievement

Blam Digital provides the structure to help partners follow through on their 2026 goals:

• Entrepreneurial Foundations training
• Development calls
• Early morning habit frameworks
• Goal templates in the Blam Vault
• Mentorship from Grant Stain and Alex Melrose
• Sessions from expert coaches such as David Rahman

These support systems turn your goals from ideas into results.

Blam Partner Success Stories

Blam Partner Success stories show how clear goal setting for 2026 can translate into real growth.

Final Thoughts

Grant’s Goal Setting Challenge for 2026 encourages you to stretch beyond comfort zones and build a year shaped by intention. The key question is simple:

“If everything depended on me achieving this, what would I do?”

Answer that honestly and let your actions exceed your ambitions in 2026.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meet Leo Celestre; From virtual assistant to Blam Digital’s App Lead & Production

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:52:49 GMT

Fast Facts: Leo

Name: Leo Celestre
Role: Production Coordinator & App Lead
Joined Blam: 2021
From: The Philippines
Background: BS Computer Education, former Virtual Assistant
Favourite Drink: Mountain Dew before but now water.

Content Writing Manager Jai caught up with Leo Celestre, one of Blam Digital’s most dependable production coordinators.

Based in the Philippines, Leo bridges the global time gap between continents, ensuring websites, blogs and apps keep moving through the night. Leo’s role has been varied since he started in 2021.

What’s your job role at Blam Digital?
How did you first discover Blam Digital, and what made you want to join the team?
Can you walk us through a typical day in your life at Blam Digital?
Tell me about your weekly habits as a Blam Digital team member.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of Blam?
What are three things you love most about your Blam Digital Role?
How would you describe yourself in 3 adjectives?
What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam Digital Partner?

From Virtual Assistant to App Lead

“I manage app creations for partners and clients.”

Whilst Leo is mostly focused on app development nowadays, his role at Blam has changed over the years.

When Leo joined Blam in 2021, he wasn’t looking for a long-term career. He wanted a freelance opportunity that matched his skills. At first, Leo’s role at Blam Digital was managing social media accounts and scheduling posts for Grant Stain, Blam CEO.

Over time, his natural curiosity pulled him deeper into the technical side of Blam’s operations.

“I started as a social media person, creating captions, scheduling posts, and editing videos.”

That role quickly evolved into more complex tasks. As the business grew, Leo took on new challenges without hesitation, updating websites, learning SEO and eventually managing Blam’s app production. He described it as a steep learning curve, but also a turning point in his career.

“Grant later told me I was going to be a regular with the Blam Digital team. That was last year, and it felt really good to become part of something solid.”

Leo’s progression from freelancer to full-time team member didn’t come through luck. It came from the consistency Blam values most: showing up every day with a willingness to learn and a dedication to hard work.

Working While the World Sleeps

Leo’s workday begins when the UK wakes up. Operating on a time zone seven hours ahead, he starts around 4 p.m. local time and often continues late into the night. It's the ideal routine for Leo:

“I love it because it’s peaceful when you work at night. During the day, it’s too hot and humid to concentrate.”

Most evenings, Leo kicks off with sorting support tickets and allocating them to the right departments, managing app and blog updates. Leo really enjoys his routine:

“I check my tickets, then work from the oldest to the latest. It keeps everything organised.”

By morning UK time, the results of Leo’s quiet nighttime work are already live.

Learning Through Action

One key skill that Leo has learned is coding with AI. Leo never set out to become a coder, yet his curiosity led him to learn the basics through AI platforms. When he had a problem that couldn’t be fixed in the website or app editor, he simply decided to teach himself.

“Recently, I’ve been doing coding through ChatGPT. Sometimes you need to check the code if the normal tools don’t fix the issue.”

That willingness to learn and pro-active attitude is at the heart of Blam’s core ethos: progress through experimentation. The company encourages staff and partners alike to learn by doing, to embrace technology, methods and systems without worrying about getting it wrong.

Leo’s approach embodies that mindset; he discovers solutions that make clients happy.

Family, Focus and Fulfilment

Before joining Blam, Leo had been freelancing for years and struggling to find stability. Today, his work provides more than just an income; it gives him a sense of purpose and pride.

“Joining Blam was life-changing. Before, I was struggling financially. I wasn’t ready to get married or have kids because I was broke. But now, I’ve built a house for my family and supported my wife through her pregnancy.”

His young son, Trent, is the main motivation behind his focused work. Working nights means he has time with his family during the day.

When he isn’t sorting Partner tickets, Leo plays basketball twice a week or unwinds with anime and online video games. Recently, he has also started to be healthier.

“I used to drink five bottles of Mountain Dew a day,” he laughs. “Now I’m trying to switch to water.”

Continuous improvement is Leo’s goal in all areas of life.

What Makes Blam Different

Leo told me how he really enjoys working with his Blam colleagues and how it's a supportive company.

“I love the team. The Friday meetings are always fun. Everyone’s supportive, and even when I make mistakes, Grant and Alex are kind and patient.”

That kindness and openness are what first attracted Leo to working at Blam. The collaborative culture encourages everyone to speak up, experiment and grow together. Leo credits much of his development to that ethos and atmosphere, essentially a blame free organisational culture:

“Most of what I know now, websites, SEO, apps, I learned at Blam. I feel like I’m doing professional work, and I’m still learning more every day.”

For someone who once doubted whether he’d find a lasting career, the transformation Leo has achieved at Blam is really inspiring.

A Typical Day at Blam

Ask Leo what his typical day looks like, and he describes it with precision. He starts by checking overnight tickets, assigning tasks and tackling technical fixes. The rhythm of his work is steady and deliberate.

By midnight Filipino time, the UK team joins the daily catch-up, sharing updates and wins:

“It’s a small moment of connection before I log off,” Leo says. “Even though we’re far apart, it feels close.”

That combination of structure and collaboration really sums up the nature of the Blam production team. While tools and systems make the workflow efficient, it’s the human consistency that keeps it running smoothly.

What He Loves Most at Blam Digital

Leo lists three things that make working at Blam rewarding:

The people
The learning
The flexibility

“The team is great, the learning never stops, and the working hours really suit me,” he says. “I can focus at night and spend time with my family in the day.”

Three Adjectives To Describe Himself

He describes himself as positive, helpful and a team player, qualities that anyone who’s worked with Leo would confirm.

Advice for Future Blam Partners

For those considering joining the Blam Partner Network, Leo’s message is clear. “Join, one hundred percent,” he says.

“The team behind the scenes genuinely cares. We do our best every day to keep partners and clients happy.”

Behind every polished website and functioning app is a small army of committed people, each contributing to something bigger. Leo is a core part of the Blam Digital Production team.

Leo’s consistency in work shows that when you combine skill, discipline and curiosity, opportunities multiply and career advancement is possible. This exemplifies the Growth Mindset at Blam Digital.

Final Words

Leo’s story and dedication mirror the spirit of Blam Digital itself, a company built on people who care about doing things right to keep our Partners and clients happy.

For Leo, success is about consistency, gratitude and the quiet satisfaction of knowing the system keeps running while he is working through the Filipino night.

Thanks, Leo, for a great interview.

Editor: Jai Hill, Content Writing Manager, Blam Digital

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Seasonal Selling: Why It Doesn’t Affect the Blam Model

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 07:00:26 GMT

How to keep growing your business, whatever the month

At Blam Digital, we often hear new Blam Partners or prospective franchise buyers ask the same question:

“Isn’t it hard to sell websites or marketing solutions when it’s quiet in August or January?”

The short answer? No.

Because when you understand who you’re selling to, what pain points they have, and how your own mindset shapes the outcome, seasonal selling becomes irrelevant. The reality is that you can sell your products or services at any time of year. Let’s explore why you shouldn’t get drawn into the myths of seasonality and the Blam Digital approach as explained by Alex Melrose , Blam Digital’s Sales Director.

1. The Myth of Seasonality

Most people are taught that seasonality controls business performance, but that belief is often just a habit of thinking. As Alex explains:

“Seasonality is more of a mindset than an actual thing. Rather than thinking about the seasons, if you find the right pain, then someone will speak to you about it.”

There will always be businesses with problems that need solving, regardless of whether it’s December, Easter, or the peak of summer. Some owners choose to switch off over Christmas or during the school holidays, which, of course, is their choice. But the smart business owners are the ones with a growth mindset. These entrepreneurs use these quieter periods to reflect, optimise, and plan transformation for the year ahead. Also, they never accept that any season exists when they cannot sell.

2. Prospecting and Marketing: Who You’re Really Selling To

The key to success isn’t timing; it’s targeting. Alex said,

“If you’re selling a solution or finding a solution first, then you should be able to book audits regardless… you’re not selling them a website or app or SEO. You’re trying to do this exercise disarmingly honestly to see what issues they actually have.”

Blam Partners who succeed are those who understand the people behind the businesses they approach. When your prospect feels understood, not sold to, they’re far more likely to engage.

This is where solution selling becomes central to the Blam model. You’re not pushing a digital product; you’re diagnosing a problem and prescribing the right solution. As Alex said,

“You might speak to ten people and eight are fine, but you’ll always find those with a pain, and they’re your ideal prospects.”

3. Understanding Your Psychology

One of the biggest variables in your success is your own mindset. If you believe “no one buys in August” or “January is dead,” you’ll unconsciously act in ways that make those statements come true. Alex pointed out that,

“.. effectively if you say it is and you believe it is, then it will happen.”

At Blam, we call this fixed mindset thinking: a belief that external conditions control your outcome. The Growth Mindset approach, on the other hand, reframes each challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. Alex emphasised this key point:

“Don’t feed urban myths like ‘nobody buys in August’ or ‘January slump’. The Blam model doesn’t subscribe to myths like that because you can sell anytime.”

4. Seasonal Selling Is Not Linear

It’s 100% true that some sectors experience peaks and troughs, such as hospitality, retail, and tourism. But that doesn’t mean your business must follow the same rhythm. Selling patterns are different across sectors depending on how you decide to niche down. Hospitality and tourism may be booming in the holiday seasons, whereas in January it is quiet. For other sectors like autotrade, gym, accountancy and sporting retail, January may be peak time as people get their cars fixed in winter, join the gym after Christmas weight gain, get their accounts filed and buy new sports gear (for that new gym membership).

Understanding that pain points shift across the year for differing sectors, rather than disappear, is crucial. A business might struggle with lead generation in January, staff turnover in April, or cash flow in September.

The beauty of the Blam model is that it allows you to pivot your pitch to address whatever problem matters most at that moment for the sector in question.

5. More Than Customer Acquisition

Alex pointed out that too many companies focus purely on acquisition, spending huge amounts of money getting new customers through the door but failing to nurture or retain them.

“A business that could spend a whole lot of money and effort on getting customers through the door in the first place might not then have a good way of keeping those customers or communicating with them.”

To counter this, Blam’s digital ecosystem is designed to help Partners deliver ongoing value, not one-off sales. Whether it’s through website subscriptions, social media packages, or SEO retainer models, Partners build long-term relationships that smooth out the natural highs and lows of the year. Alex illustrated this when he said,

“When you know the periods are good, make hay, because you’re giving value every month. Then, when you have a down period, you can take time off because your customers keep paying you.”

6. The Blam Solution: Consistency Over Cycles

Blam Partners don’t wait for the “right time” to sell; they create the right time by staying consistent, connected, and curious. Blam Partners across the world do the following during the seasonal cycles:

Sell solutions, not seasons: Every business has pain points; your job is to uncover them.
Be proactive during quiet times: Use off-season months to prospect, audit, and plan.
Nurture existing clients: Build loyalty through regular contact and monthly value.
Adopt a Growth Mindset: Choose abundance over scarcity to manifest new opportunities.

By following these principles in your own business, you’ll never again worry about “seasonal slumps.”

Blam: The All Year-Round Opportunity

At Blam, we teach Partners that success is a daily discipline, not a seasonal stroke of luck. When you focus on solving real problems for real people, your diary stays full, your clients stay loyal, and your confidence grows every single month.

In the Blam ecosystem, seasonality is just another word for opportunity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Profile of a Creative Specialist: Irina Suhhanova

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:36:12 GMT

Meet Irina: Blam’s Creative Problem-Solver

Fast Facts: Irina at a Glance

Name: Irina Suhhanova

Role: Creative Specialist
Joined Blam: September 2023
From: Estonia
Background: Health & Social Care graduate, Software Boot Camp alum
Favourite Drink: Apple & Pear Green Tea
Creative Motto: “Learn by doing and make it beautiful.”

Blam Editor Jai caught up with Irina, Blam Digital’s Creative Specialist. These were the questions he asked:

What’s your job role at Blam Digital?
How did you first discover Blam Digital, and what made you want to join the team?
Can you walk us through a typical day in your life at Blam Digital?
Tell me about your weekly habits as a Blam Digital team member.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of Blam?
What are three things you love most about your Blam Digital Role?
How would you describe yourself in 3 adjectives?
What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam Digital Partner?

Welcome to Irina

Every digital agency has people who quietly turn complexity into clarity. At Blam Digital, Creative Specialist Irina Suhhanova is one of those people: part designer, part troubleshooter, part creative explorer. Irina’s role combines technical problem-solving with the imagination of visual design. What she produces for partners is not just functional; it helps reflect the personality of every brand.

“My role was Digital Support and Web Designer. Currently, it’s changed to Creative Specialist. I’m doing more creative work and getting involved with the company branding.”

A mix of creativity and structure runs through everything Irina does. From designing websites to helping partners launch new sites, creating promotional assets, and lending a hand with technical issues.

From Estonia to Birmingham: A Leap of Faith

Irina’s story began in Estonia, a country known for its digital innovation with brands such as Skype, Wise and Cybernetica. However, her first career steps started in a completely different field.

“I came to England in 2019 to study Health and Social Care at University College Birmingham,” she recalls. “After graduation, COVID happened, so I worked in different jobs before finding a boot camp for software development.”

Boot camp became the bridge that led to Blam. After completing it, she was referred to Grant, Blam’s founder and CEO.

“A couple of months later, Grant came back to me and said they’d like me to start,” she says with a smile. “That’s how I joined Blam in September 2023.”

Moving countries, changing professions, and stepping into tech all at once couldn’t have been easy. But Irina's quiet resilience turned uncertainty into opportunity. Her growth mindset was exactly the match Blam looks for in both team members and Blam Partners.

A Culture That Encourages Questions

One of the first things that struck Irina about Blam was its supportive atmosphere.

“When I started, everyone said there’s no such thing as a silly question. I could ask anything and not be scared it may sound silly. Everyone was very proactive and helpful.”

This openness which is central to Blam’s core values really appealed to Irina. From internal training to partner support, the company encourages curiosity and experimentation free of a blame culture. Mistakes are viewed as learning steps at Blam; ideas are shared freely.

It was this ethos that made Irina realise she wanted to work for Blam. It’s a company culture that produces strong client outcomes and a sense of camaraderie among Partners and staff.

As Irina says, “We’re human beings, not background operators. We like to show the people behind the platform.”

This human-centric focus epitomises Blam. It sets the company aside from many corporate cultures.

Her Typical Day at Blam Digital

For Irina, every morning starts with a review of client support tickets. If something urgent appears, it takes priority; if not, she continues working through her scheduled projects.

“I always have something booked for every day,” Irina explains. “When I finish a design and the client wants to publish, I assign the ticket to the SEO team so it doesn’t stay too long under my name.”

Irina’s typical day blends structure with creativity. Some days are focused on technical problem-solving, others on layout design, image selection, or brand materials. When time allows, she browses the web for new design trends that could inspire future client projects.

That balance between fulfilling client orders and keeping ahead of the curve of design trends keeps Irina’s work fresh. It aligns with Blam’s ethos for evolving digital aesthetics.

Organisation, Tea and Colour-Coded Calm

If you take a peek at Irina’s calendar, you’d find it glowing in colour.

“I colour-code different types of work,” she says. “It helps me stay organised and see where I spend most of my time or where we’ve been busier than the week before.”

Alongside her neatly coloured and mapped schedule is a mug of apple and pear green tea. This is Irina’s go-to fuel for focus.

Fridays are reserved for learning about new design topics and tips e.g. reading about new widgets, testing design features, or exploring updates to the Blam editor.

Irina’s philosophy is that small rituals lead to big results. “I like to finish as many tasks as possible by Friday,” she adds. “It gives me a clean start for Monday.”

Weekly Habits

a)The Tools That Boost Flow

Irina talked about her weekly habits and how they help her increase her productivity. She experiments with different ways to maintain focus. These range from ambient music to complete silence.

“When I’m doing manual tasks, I prefer music; it helps me focus. But when I need to create something new, I need silence.”

She’s also a fan of mindful breaks and short walks to reset her thoughts. This balance between action and stillness for creative innovation echoes Blam’s “smart working” culture i.e. work smarter not harder to increase productivity and innovation.

b) Discipline from Sport to Design

Outside the digital world, Irina loves sport and exercise. In fact, she used to be a professional athlete which is amazing:

“Before, when I was a teenager, I did race walking professionally,” she says. “It has much more pressure on your body than running because your push leg must stay straight.”

That early pro training taught Irina discipline, pacing, and precision. These are all qualities that later shaped her professional life. These days, swimming keeps her active and clears her mind after a long day of design work.

“Swimming is not traumatic on the body,” she explains. “It’s peaceful like meditation.”

Ed’s note: epic to have a former pro-athlete on the Blam team!

c) Learning Creativity by Doing

Although Irina didn’t consider herself naturally artistic before, Blam’s supportive environment has unlocked her creative confidence and helped hone her design skills.

“I’ve never been very creative,” she admits. “Creativity is something I learned with Blam. One of my interests now is to recreate websites I like to test the limits of our editor.”

This willingness to push boundaries helps Blam continually refine its platform and is the ideal quality for Blam staff. Irina’s experiments often lead to new styling options or time-saving workflows that benefit the entire network of partners.

Her philosophy is simple: creativity isn’t a gift; it’s a skill perfected through practice and experimentation.

Three Things She Loves Most About Blam

Irina highlighted her three favourite things about Blam.

One, The team:

“We collaborate well and help each other. Everyone’s ideas are valued.”

Two, Helping clients:

“I love turning design ideas into reality and solving technical challenges.”

Three, Creativity:

“Every project brings a new design perspective and a chance to learn.”

For her, the core values of Blam aren’t just nice-to-have, they’re what make Blam different.

“We’re encouraged to be proactive and creative. That freedom means we can keep improving for our partners.”

Advice for Future Blam Partners

Irina’s advice to potential partners reflects her own journey.

“Be open to learning and make the most of the support available. Blam gives you the tools and resources to succeed, but you need drive and consistency. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. We’re here to help.”

Irina’s words capture Blam’s essence: an ecosystem built on education, innovation, and teamwork. For entrepreneurs stepping into digital business ownership, that combination is the real difference between building a website and building a future.

Final Words

Irina’s story highlights a theme central to Blam Digital; that creativity is both a mindset and a method. Whether you’re designing, marketing, or running a franchise, the ability to learn quickly and adapt with positivity is what drives success.

At Blam HQ, creativity isn’t confined to the design team. It runs through sales calls, partner training, and customer service, a shared belief that good ideas can come from anyone. Irina’s progression from boot camp graduate to Creative Specialist at Blam is living proof that the Blam ethos thrives.

“Every client, every website, every challenge teaches something new,” Irina says. “That’s what makes working at Blam so rewarding.”

Thanks Irina. It was a really enriching interview that inspired me.

Editor

If you would like to become a Blam Digital Partner, click the button below. Let’s Talk!

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Is a Franchise the Best Choice?

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:37:59 GMT

Franchises and Blam Digital explained

If you’re thinking about investing in a franchise, the business-to-business (B2B) sector is full of opportunity. From digital marketing and financial services to recruitment and IT support, B2B franchises offer scalable, repeatable income streams and the chance to work directly with ambitious business owners.

Let’s explore what makes B2B franchising such a lucrative choice. Also, we will dig into how the Blam Digital franchise works with advice from Blam CEO Grant Stain.

Why choose a franchise?

At Blam Digital, we’ve seen firsthand how the right support model, combined with a genuine desire to help others grow, can turn entrepreneurial ambition into long-term success. But how do you know if a business franchise is the right fit for you?

Business franchises offer services to other businesses rather than to individual consumers. This means your customer base is made up of people who:

Spend more per transaction
Buy more consistently
Work during regular business hours

From office supplies and marketing to coaching and tech, B2B franchises meet core business needs. That means consistent demand and the potential for repeat income.

“Every business needs a marketing strategy,” says Grant Stain, founder and CEO of Blam Digital. “The opportunity is enormous.”

Whether it’s branding, website creation, advertising, or systems support, the right B2B franchise addresses the problems that business owners want to solve.

What Makes a B2B Franchise Work?

Not all B2B franchises look the same. Some focus on physical services like courier fulfilment or office supplies, while others, like Blam Digital, offer digital services through a tech-enabled, partner-led model. CEO of Blam Digital Grant thrives working with entrepreneurs,

“I love working with entrepreneurs. When you’ve both run businesses, there’s trust, rapport, and a real connection. It’s peer-to-peer.”

If you’re considering this kind of franchise model, ask yourself:

Do I want to work flexibly, from anywhere?
Do I enjoy speaking to business owners and learning how they operate?
Am I motivated to grow something of my own, with guidance?

The Blam Digital Franchise Approach

Blam Digital’s model allows partners to build their own brand and business with the full backing of proven systems, services, and support. Blam CEO Grant explains,

“Our partners don’t have to know how to build a website or run a campaign. We do all the tech and training. They just need to be coachable, follow the process and care about helping business owners grow.”

Point Franchise UK concur that the backroom team and systems give a Blam Digital Partner all the technical support they need,

“The company’s in-house experts offer ongoing mentoring, ensuring that each partner feels supported and equipped to deliver real results. It’s a complete ecosystem designed to turn ambition into success, no matter your starting point.”

Source: Point Franchise.co.uk, 2025

This is one of the major factors that make the Blam Digital Franchise stand out in the market.

Why the Blam Digital Franchise Model Stands Out

Unlike traditional franchises, Blam doesn’t ask partners to trade under the Blam name. Instead, each partner creates their own brand, identity, and website, while delivering digital marketing services developed, tested, and supported by Blam’s in-house team.

This gives our partners the freedom to operate from anywhere, with no territory restrictions and to work with clients across the globe.

“We’re a get-rich-slow scheme, not a get-rich-quick scheme,” says Grant. “If you think you’ll be ordering a Lamborghini in six weeks, you’re in the wrong place.”

Success takes work. But if you’re motivated, open to learning, and care about making a difference to local businesses, the Blam system can help you build something meaningful and profitable.

“What makes Blam stand out is its focus on accessibility. You don’t need to be a tech expert to succeed. The system is built for driven professionals who want to build recurring revenue streams through a business that’s scalable, profitable, and in high demand.”

Source: Point Franchise.co.uk, 2025

Could a Business Franchise Be Right for You?

Before taking the plunge, ask yourself:

Do I enjoy meeting and speaking to new people?
Am I happy to follow a proven system, even if it’s not my own?
Am I prepared to give this time and effort to grow?
Do I want to help other businesses succeed?

If the answer to all of the above is yes, a B2B franchise with Blam Digital might be exactly the path you’ve been looking for. The beauty of a Blam Digital franchise is it gives you the freedom of time and money to live the life:

“The B2B model is fully flexible: franchisees can start small and grow at their own pace, building a portfolio of clients across sectors and industries….the business adapts to your goals. This makes Blam Digital especially appealing for professionals seeking a lifestyle business that combines independence with innovation.”

Source: Point Franchise.co.uk, 2025

Blam Digital, an International Franchise in 10 countries

At Blam Digital, we’re proud to support committed partners with world-class tools, sales training, and ongoing mentorship. If you're ready to explore what a digital agency franchise could look like for you, we’re here to talk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Growing a Great Business with Growth Mindset

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 11:41:50 GMT

How we develop winning Partners at Blam

Growth mindset underpins the Blam Digital approach to Partner training and development. In this article, we explore what a growth mindset is, why it is important for Blam Digital Partners and how it can help you become the best version of yourself. Let’s find out more…

What is a Growth Mindset?

“Growth mindset, simply stated, is a learner's belief that their intelligence can expand and develop. In contrast, a fixed mindset is a learner's belief that their intelligence is a fixed, immutable trait.”

Source: Stanford University, Teaching Commons, 2025

Stanford Professor of Psychology, Carol Dweck, invented the concept of a growth mindset in her book ‘Mindset: The New Psychology of Success’ in 2006. Her research shows that people who believe they can develop their skills achieve more than those who see ability as fixed. Brain-imaging studies confirm this; effort and learning literally rewire neural pathways.

Blam’s Entrepreneurial Foundations training that every Partner takes embodies the ethos of growth mindset and habit-formation research. It ensures the principles are applied in real practice to develop an entrepreneurial mindset.

Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset

People with a fixed mindset focus on proving they are smart; those with a growth mindset focus on improving. At Blam, we teach Partners to turn every challenge and failure into feedback and every setback into progress. Business resilience and adaptive learning are at the heart of our process.

The Blam Digital Team and Growth Mindset

“The application of the morning routine is the most powerful tool that I have seen used to help people’s Growth Mindset”

Grant Stain, CEO, Blam Digital.

Grant is a keen proponent of the growth mindset; he practises Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning and recommends it to Partners. David Rahman, Mind Coach and author of ‘Let it Go’, is also a regular speaker at Blam events, helping partners to nurture a growth mindset.

Senior Blam partners have personally applied the growth mindset to scale their own agencies. Some of our top partners have built agencies from scratch into six- and seven-figure businesses.

Read more about the Blam Digital Team

Why Growth Mindset Matters for Blam Partners

Success in digital business depends on adaptability. Partners who practise a growth mindset stay motivated when campaigns slow or leads drop.

“64% of senior leaders say a growth-mindset orientation boosts productivity and performance.”

Source: TalentLMS+1

They test, adjust, and improve rather than compare themselves to others or give up.

Blam Partners who adopt this mindset build confidence, resilience, and the creative problem-solving skills needed to succeed in a competitive, fast-changing digital market.

For every Blam Partner, success depends on more than just tools or technology. It requires positive self-belief; the confidence that with the right effort and support, you can grow your agency.

Without a growth mindset, it would be easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others, doubting your abilities, or feeling stuck in a rut if things don’t go to plan.

Research by McKinsey & Company shows that organisations whose

“..leaders demonstrate at least three of five core growth mindsets are 2.4 times more likely to achieve profitable growth than their peers.”

Source: McKinsey & Company, Choosing to Grow: The Leader’s Blueprint (2023)

How can a Growth Mindset help you?

Taking ownership of your Business & Life Goals

A growth mindset helps you recognise that your outcomes are shaped by your choices. Blam Digital supports partners with the training, mentoring, and accountability needed to set their own goals and take control of their own development and digital growth.

Success requires self-belief; you need to believe that you can become a thriving agency owner. That doesn’t mean ignoring setbacks. It means learning from mistakes, adapting quickly, and moving forward with resilience.

For Blam Partners, a growth mindset helps you stay motivated. A growth mindset builds resilience, problem-solving ability, and confidence; the essential traits for a successful business owner.

Can a Growth Mindset Change Your Brain?

“On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic, 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. ”

Source: James Clear Blog, Author of Atomic Habits, 2025

Research suggests that it takes about 60 to 100 days to form a habit, creating new neural pathways in the brain. At Blam Digital, we encourage partners to build successful habits through structured routines, daily actions, and ongoing learning that leads to lasting change.

Can Growth Mindset be taught?

Yes, absolutely, through consistent feedback, reflection, and structured learning. At Blam Digital, we help partners develop this mindset through mentoring, accountability calls, and training sessions that focus on progress, not perfection. Partners learn to view every challenge as an opportunity to develop their business and themselves.

Speed not Perfection: Good is Good Enough

Perfection slows progress. In digital marketing, speed and testing drive success. At Blam, Partners learn that “good is good enough.” With Blam Digital, partners learn to launch, test, and improve rather than hold back waiting for the “perfect” solution. Marketing is all about testing whether something works, and if it does, use it again; if it doesn’t, move on.

How to Develop a Growth Mindset

Simple Daily Actions That Reinforce Growth Thinking

Developing a growth mindset means taking small, consistent steps that ultimately lead to long-term success. From years of being in business ourselves, we know what works in terms of sales and marketing. We train Partners in our proven systems and methods. If you apply what we teach you, eventually the orders start to snowball and you can build a financially successful agency over time.

For Blam Partners, growth mindset behaviour looks like taking action without waiting for perfect conditions. It’s booking the next client call, testing new sales scripts, or asking for feedback after a pitch. It’s curiosity, persistence, and the courage to keep improving one step at a time.

How does Blam Digital Support Growth Mindset?

Blam Digital provides a multitude of tools and support for every Partner, including:

Access to tools and training in the Blam Vault
Support from mentors who model growth thinking, including CEO Grant Stain and Sales Director Alex Melrose.
A community of Partners that encourages resilience and accountability
Goals poster and regular goal setting each day, week, month and year.
Effective morning routines like the Miracle Morning or the 5 am Club.
Entrepreneurial Foundations Training, our flagship training program.
Blamability with its many resources.
Guest speakers such as the Mind Coach, author and International Speaker David Rahman.

Many other methods and tools we use to nurture a growth mindset.

How Growth Mindset Can Lead to Success

Success in the Blam ecosystem depends on learning fast and acting decisively. With a growth mindset, partners embrace feedback, make small daily improvements, and bounce back quickly from setbacks.

According to TalentLMS+1,

“Growth Mindset in the Workplace 2024” research, 80 % of executives agree that employees’ growth mindset directly contributes to revenue growth.”.

Source: TalentLMS+1, 2024

This attitude fuels long-term success and steady income growth, the true mark of an entrepreneurial mindset.

Why Growth Mindset is Important

Digital business moves fast, and success belongs to those who adapt. That’s why a growth mindset is central to Blam’s Partner model. It keeps you open to learning, focused on solutions, and confident enough to keep moving even when things get tough. With this mindset, partners turn challenges into growth opportunities every single week.

A report published by CIO.com highlights that employees in growth-mindset companies are,

“‘47% more likely to trust their colleagues, 65% more likely to believe their organisation supports risk-taking, and 49% more likely to say it encourages innovation.”

Source: CIO.com, Why Having a Growth Mindset Is Critical for Company Success (2024)

Last Thoughts

At Blam Digital, we go beyond building technology and websites…

We build people, too.

When Partners believe in their ability to grow, take ownership of their goals, and act with speed over perfection, success becomes not just possible but sustainable.

Join Blam Digital and put Growth Mindset into action. Explore our Partner programme today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Why Your DIY Copy Might Rank Poorly on Google

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:48:02 GMT

The Blam Digital Content Lite Solution

The Big Question

Every Blam Digital partner and client will eventually ask the same question:

“Why don’t I just use an AI tool like ChatGPT to write my website and blog content?”

The simple answer:

You can, BUT…

Your copywriting may end up ranking in the lower regions of search. Let’s find out why.

Short-term Gains, Long-term Loss

AI tools are everywhere, and they promise fast results. On the surface, it sounds reasonable for a small business to create copy in the fastest and cheapest way possible.

But here are the facts: AI is just a tool.

Without strategy, experience, and a skilled human hand, the copy is rarely good enough to represent a business online.

More importantly, you need to understand and implement Google EEAT guidelines.

Google’s EEAT Guidelines for Content Creators

Google’s EEAT guidelines set the standard for how content is judged online. They help search engines decide whether a page is reliable, useful, and worth showing to users.

For content creators, understanding and applying EEAT is essential to building trust and earning visibility.

EEAT refers to:

Experience: Content should show real-world involvement. First-hand stories, insights, examples, and case studies prove authenticity. Something DIY AI copy cannot replicate without human input.

Expertise: Knowledge must be backed by depth and accuracy. Blam copywriters weave in credible references and industry knowledge, while DIY AI often produces generic, surface-level text.

Authoritativeness: Recognition as a trusted voice matters. Content Lite positions businesses as reliable leaders in their field, something AI alone cannot achieve.

Trustworthiness: Clear sourcing, honest claims, and professional standards build confidence. Blam copywriters ensure accuracy and transparency, while AI often produces errors or outdated facts.

What Google Doesn’t Want

Google doesn’t want content written for algorithms. It wants writing that sparks curiosity and keeps readers on the page. Content that is bland, unoriginal, or lacking expertise gets marked down as low quality. If you churn out what we call “AI slop,” it won’t rank well.

Problems With DIY AI Copy

AI can create text in seconds, but the cracks show quickly:

Generic and repetitive: No unique voice or connection with readers.
Poor SEO structure: Missing or misused headings, clumsy keyword placement, weak flow.
No brand nuance: AI alone may not capture what makes a business credible or persuasive.
Human Quality Lacking: Lack of human insight and storytelling.

The result can be content that fills space but fails to rank or convert.

What Makes Content Lite Different

Content Lite is AI-guided and finished by a professional copywriter who applies Google’s EEAT framework effectively.

Better AI prompts: Skilled writers guide AI to produce strong drafts
Polished copy: Brand voice matched, sentences smoothed, structure corrected
EEAT built in: Every page demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness
Conversion focus: Copy is crafted to persuade, not just describe

Real Benefits for Blam Partners

When partners offer Content Lite, they enjoy:

Fast turnaround, usually within 72 hours
Professional finish, SEO-ready and proofed
Client retention, quality content keeps clients happy
Less stress, no writing or fixing bad drafts
Profit margins: resell at significant mark-up

DIY AI may look cheaper, but it often leads to lost rankings, wasted time, and frustrated clients.

The Value of Expertise

The difference between DIY AI copy and Content Lite is like the difference between a rough sketch and a finished painting. The sketch might be quick, but it’s not something you’d display with pride. The painting is complete, professional, and ready to impress.

With Content Lite, clients receive carefully written web copy that reflects their unique brand voice and persuades visitors to act. It’s not just words on a page. It’s copy that sells.

Last Words

AI is a powerful tool, but it cannot replace professional copywriting expertise. Content Lite gives you the best of both worlds: the speed of AI and the deep understanding of Google’s EEAT guidelines that only skilled copywriters can bring.

Don’t put your client’s website at the bottom of search engines with AI slop.

Choose Content Lite and build content that ranks, converts, and lasts.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Profile of a Technical Support Manager: Dan Henderson

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 09:30:00 GMT

Calm in a crisis, king of the ticket queue, and Dungeon Master

Content Writing Manager Jai Hill interviewed our wonderful Technical Support Manager, Dan and found out all about his life and Blam Digital work. This is what he said…

What is your role at Blam Digital?

Dan Henderson is Blam Digital’s Technical Support Manager. His job title may sound straightforward, but the reality is far more involved. Dan supports both clients and internal teams with a wide range of technical issues.

From second-line support tickets to domain management and website publishing, he is the calm in the storm when things need fixing.

“On a basic level, I’m the tech support manager, of course. I have got my staff. I manage some tickets. But… I deal specifically with second line tickets. I deal with domain management, publish websites and export and import emails to new accounts.”

At the heart of Dan’s work is a deep commitment to solving problems. Problem-solving is his forte.

“Basically, I solve problems. That’s what I do. I am the problem solver… If there is a problem, 99 per cent of the time, given enough time and energy, it can be solved. It’s the 1 per cent that pains me and grieves me.”

How did you first discover Blam Digital, and what made you want to join the team?

Interestingly, Dan’s journey to Blam did not follow a conventional path. After two years of unemployment during the pandemic, he decided to put his CV out through an agency and see what came back. Blam walked into his career path. This is how it unfurled.

“It was kind of a situation where Grant found me rather than anything… I wasn’t looking for a specific IT job at the time. I just said, if I want a job, I want it to be a decent job. A job I like. A job I’ve trained for.”

The agency sent his CV far and wide, and the first interview with another company did not go well. But the next day, Dan got a call from Grant.

“He’s like, do you want an interview? I’m like, yeah, sure. Anything works. Don’t know what this is for. Let’s go for it.”

It was the right offer at exactly the right time, and thus, Dan’s Blam journey began. It was how we found our Geordie Technical Wizard.

Amazingly, before joining Blam, Dan worked in retail, including a stint at Lush in Birmingham. He embraced the pampering lifestyle with pride.

“I was the primary bath bomb salesman in Birmingham city centre… They were paying me to get massaged… It was brilliant.”

The image of Dan working in Lush is an absolute gem!

Can you walk us through a typical day in your life at Blam Digital?

Dan’s working day starts predictably with the unpredictable. Whether at home or in the office, it begins by triaging support tickets and identifying the most urgent cases.

“First thing I look at is just the support tickets. I look at high urgency ones. Is anyone using caps lock? If they’re using caps lock, deal with them first.”

Dan’s unerring sense of humour is one of the things that makes him a joy to work with. After that initial start to the day, comes email triage, ticket delegation, and reacting to real-time issues.

“By 11 am, I usually have several WhatsApp messages like, something’s on fire.”

Fortunately, Dan’s problem-solving mentality means he can put out ‘fires’ and put Partners’ minds at rest.

Next comes the production meeting. It is teamwork and communication at Blam Digital that keeps it slick, efficient and well organised.

Indeed, Dan is a core part of that machine dedicated to serving Partners and their clients.

What are your hobbies and interests outside of your role at Blam Digital?

Dan is one of several D&D geeks at Blam Digital (Alex and Jai being the other two), so in his downtime, being a Dungeon Master is his main love and joy. In fact, Dan runs three separate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns each week. It is a big part of his life outside work.

“I run a session three hours long… leading people through a wonderful fantasy land in which they get to kill goblins and all the like.”

Dan is also a huge fan of audiobooks, especially long-form epic fantasy.

“I’ve gone through the entirety of the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson… It’s some of the best literature I’ve ever read in my life. It's on par with Lord of the Rings.”

Tell me about your weekly habits as a Blam Digital team member

Monday is the most important day of the week for Dan. It starts with team leader meetings to align on strategy and progress across the departments.

“Monday’s always the big day for meetings… Touch base with all the other team leaders, Audronė, Alex, Grant… get an idea of the numbers for the coming week.”

Outside of work, Dan has committed to a consistent post-work routine that benefits both his health and mindset. 5.30 pm is when his self-care routine explodes into action…

“5:30 every day. I’ve got it set in my calendar. Stop work, even if you’re working overtime, and just exercise for a good 45 minutes. And I’ve been keeping to it, to be honest.”

When his week draws to a close, Dan turns to gaming for a release. It is all game pads and headsets galore when work is over. His game of choice is Helldivers 2.

“I love just being like, right, I’m going to kill some aliens. I will pretend they’re tickets and I will blow them up.”

He remains one of the most positive and resilient members of the team. Partners can rely on Dan to solve their week-to-week technical challenges.

What are three things you love most about your Blam Digital role?

Dan spoke openly and frankly about what he values in his work at Blam. The first was the team culture and the day-to-day camaraderie.

“My colleagues… Are they decent? Have they got good personalities? Do you have good banter? Blam always has that.”

The second is the leadership style, which makes a huge difference in the working atmosphere.

“Grant is a really good boss, to be honest… He just keeps that vibe running through the whole company, which is brilliant.”

The third is the freedom to act quickly and independently.

“I don’t have to wait for people. I can just be like, right, that needs doing. Do that. Get it done. Change the database, change the finance systems, change everywhere… that problem is solved.”

I could see that Dan really thrives at Blam Digital. Despite his busy role, he is happy with the company culture and the way things are run.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam Digital Partner?

Forever candid and frank, Dan is clear about where new partners should focus their energy. It is not on the technical side…

“Don’t be intimidated about what you have to learn… You don’t need to hold all that technical stuff in your brain. That’s our job.”

Instead, Dan avidly encourages potential partners to focus on sales and communication, trusting that support is there whenever they need it.

“You don’t need to stress. You don’t need to rush. You have all the time in the world to learn everything on trial and get used to it. As long as you communicate with us, we can help you in any way possible.”

The backroom team at Blam Digital deals with all the technical side of things, leaving the Partner to focus on sales. This is a big reason why so many people have signed up to become Blam Partners without any previous experience in websites and marketing. Having a reliable and experienced team makes all the difference.

Thanks Dan for a hilarious and enjoyable interview!

If you would like to become a Blam Digital Partner, click the button below. Let’s Talk!

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Digital Marketer Entrepreneur's Secret Superpower

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 10:22:40 GMT

Lifelong learning, the Blam Digital Way

In this article, we uncover the secret superpower of Blam Digital Entrepreneurs: Lifelong learning. Based on an interview with Blam Digital CEO Grant Stain, we find out how Partners grow into fully fledged digital marketing entrepreneurs.

The Learning Never Stops

Being a digital marketing entrepreneur isn’t about having all the answers. It is about loving the process of figuring things out. At Blam, we do not just teach systems. We build a culture of curiosity, self-development and lifelong learning.

"So what one of the things that I love about being a digital marketer or being in marketing and the creative industry, one of the things I've always loved is the way we are always working with other entrepreneurs."

With the Blam Digital Approach to lifelong learning, you continue to grow. Staying open to learning can lead to life-changing results for you and your clients.

Talking to Entrepreneurs Is the Best Job in the World

When you work as a digital marketing consultant, you are not just selling websites. You are having real conversations with real business owners. Through this, you gain powerful insights.

"Having conversations with other entrepreneurs about their business is probably just about the best job in the world because you get to really find out about somebody's why, somebody's motivations, sometimes lack of motivation.

You get to understand what makes other entrepreneurs tick because the questions that you need to ask of a business owner when you are a digital marketing consultant are the questions that get right to the crux of what makes them tick and what makes their business tick."

These conversations also build trust with clients and it is trust that helps grow your business.

Curiosity Is a Skill You Can Develop

The best marketers are not the loudest, but they are the most curious.

"Curiosity is one of the most valuable traits you can have in your business.

The more curious they are, the more questions you ask and the more questions get answered, the more you learn about how you can apply the tools and the philosophies to be able to help those other entrepreneurs."

Every client and sector is different. This means every day is a chance to learn something new. Not just about marketing though. You will also learn about human nature, sales, leadership and business.

The Foundations Stay the Same, The Tools Evolve

"The principles of digital marketing are quite straightforward when you apply them. They're not, you know, rocket science and they will never change because the foundations of digital marketing are the foundations of human nature."

But while the principles stay the same, your job as a Blam Partner is to stay up to date with the ever-changing tools, platforms and strategies that help clients get results.

That is where Blam’s learning ecosystem comes in, as well as the support you get from the Blam Digital Backroom team.

What Lifelong Learning Looks Like at Blam

We have built an ecosystem to support your growth from day one. It is a proven and methodical approach to learning that we have honed over the years based on what works and Partner feedback:

Blam Vault
This is your go-to library of resources, playbooks and strategies. There is always something fascinating to read, watch or listen to up your game.

Blam Discovery Hub
A structured training platform where you can interact and learn at your own pace:
https://training.blam-digital.com/login

Clinics and Coaching
Live support sessions and one-to-one guidance from experienced Blam coaches like Grant Stain CEO and Sales Director Alex Melrose .

Self-Development Tools

Blam Partners often use tools like The Miracle Morning and audiobooks to strengthen their mindset, avoid negativity and create space for self-growth alongside business learning.

"I don't listen to the news for the reason that I don't. I don't want my brain focusing on stuff I can't influence, and is generally mostly negative.”

David Rahman and the Blam Digital Community

David has been a vital part of Blam Digital's journey, regularly delivering live sessions that go deeper than marketing and sales. His work focuses on confidence, clarity, self-belief and the power of inner transformation. These are all crucial traits for any business owner.

Whether you are struggling with self-doubt or trying to overcome procrastination, David offers tools that help Blam Partners make real progress.

His live mindset workshops are:

Practical and relatable
Rooted in neuroscience and human psychology
Tailored to entrepreneurs navigating real-world challenges

Through techniques like visualisation, language reframing and confidence building exercises, David’s sessions give Blam Partners the edge not just in business, but in life.

Many partners say that his talks have had a lasting effect on their self belief and decision making. His sessions have helped Partners show up more confidently for clients, for sales calls and for themselves.

Learn More. Sell Better. Grow Faster.

Being a Blam Digital Partner is not about chasing trends. It is about deepening your skills so you can make a real impact on your clients.

"In order to do all of this, to be that curious digital marketing entrepreneur, you've got to put the learning in, to learn the skills, to understand what questions to ask, to nurture your own curiosity, and then to make sure you repeat them in a way that's going to scale your business too."

The more you learn, the better your consultations. The better your consultations, the more trust you build. And the more trust you build, the more results you deliver. This is the Blam approach rooted in lifelong learning.

Final Thought

"When you're helping an entrepreneur as a digital marketing consultant, this is a peer-to-peer conversation, you're finding out about their business so that you can help them from the perspective of a business owner yourself."

That is the magic of the Blam lifelong learning model for Digital Marketing Entrepreneurs. You are not just learning how to market. You are learning how to lead, listen and grow.

And in that process, your clients win. You win. And your business becomes something you can be truly proud of.

Ready to grow through lifelong learning?

Start here:

Then feel free to:

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meet Jamieson Lee Hill: Head of Content Writing and Copywriting

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:27:15 GMT

Moving from the world of curriculum design and education to content strategy and web copywriting, Jai brings a deep and thoughtful approach to his work.

Jai joined the Blam team in January 2020, following a period of personal loss and transition. What started as a learning journey quickly became a career shift into a new digital world. Let’s find out more…

What is your role at Blam Digital?

His Blam Digital role includes researching and designing new content and copywriting projects. He also consults with Partners and their clients on content strategy and planning, creating a wide range of written content. This includes 5-page website copywriting, blog articles, email campaigns, lead magnets, and sometimes digital adverts.

He is also Editor of the weekly newsletter Wham Blam, Thank You Mam, where he reviews AI tools, tips, and software. Keeping up with the latest AI developments is a key part of his role.

Jai also places strong emphasis on productivity, time management, and maintaining a positive mindset in all areas of his work. He describes himself as someone who’s seen a lot of change in the business, having joined just before the first UK lockdown.

What were you doing before joining Blam?

Jai’s background is in teaching and curriculum design. He began teaching English in 1999 and taught a plethora of subjects, including Business English, IELTS preparation, IGCSE, foundation courses, and business enterprise. In 2012, he launched a curriculum design business and began freelance work for charities, international colleges and organisations.

He became curious about copywriting after taking a course on Udemy with a traditionally trained copywriter named Len Smith. This sparked a wider interest that led him to discover Blam. He was quickly drawn to the team and ethos.

"What really appealed to me about Blam: there were two initial things. It was lifelong learning... and a positive mindset. Those were two things really dear to my heart."

How did you first discover Blam Digital, and what made you want to join the team?

Jai found Blam in 2018, after a long career in education and curriculum design. He enrolled in Blam’s full suite of digital marketing courses and set himself a challenge to complete them all.

“I signed up with Blam’s full suite of courses in autumn 2018. I’d written for charities helping women who’d been subject to domestic violence… and also hospices. Then I started the courses and I did the first one… but then my father got really ill.”

Jai returned to the UK and spent six months in hospital with his father. After he passed away, there were only two months left to finish the courses.

“So what should have been a period of grieving… I just went full systems. Working during the day and then just at night, drinking lots of coffee and studying all the courses. It carried me through.”

Soon after completing all eleven courses, he was invited to join the Blam team. That momentum became a turning point. Within a month of completing the training, he was offered a role at Blam by CEO Grant Stain.

“It was literally… I think it was about a month later, you said to me would you like to come work for us. And that was an easy decision.”

What does a typical day look like for you?

Jai’s days begin early, often with the sunrise in warmer months. He starts with coffee, water and meditation, followed by push-ups, sit-ups etc to get his energy flowing.

“Before I start work I always do meditation. If I don’t, I don’t feel prepared for the day.”

His work schedule is structured around energy levels.

“I work best in the morning… and I know my worst time for focus is four till six. So I usually put light tasks there like reading or research. The writing and the really focused tasks I do the other times either side of that.”

“ During the day, I’ll put my personal phone out of the way. I’m not getting disrupted now by friends messaging me. That is probably the biggest change.”

What are your hobbies and interests outside of your role at Blam Digital?

“I love reading. Fantasy, especially historical fantasy — Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. You can’t beat a Viking novel.”

He also plays Dungeons & Dragons online, having first started in 1980. Jai follows football religiously. He has had season tickets for Beşiktaş for 3 years and has supported Aston Villa since 1980.

Jai lives between Türkiye and the UK. On weekends, he enjoys solo walks, books, and coffee, and values quality time and personal space in his marriage.

"We’ve got a very healthy relationship. We have a lot of me time... That, for me, is the key to rejuvenating on the weekend."

Creatively speaking, Jai also writes songs as a lyricist and vocalist. To date, he has 33 commercially released songs with his 2 bands NEXUS XIII and Cordless Bungee (now called Melody Bullet). He is also a prolific poet with a 300 page poetry book ready to publish. For 20 years from 1993 to 2014, he was active as Bard of Malvern in his hometown performing and reciting poetry on Malvern May Day each year. The title has stuck even to this day.

Aside from that, Jai also loves to play with and feed street cats. Istanbul is the city of cats.

“The small things in life like this give me joy. My wife and I strive to keep an eye on the street cats, ensure they are fed, and call the council vets if they need treatment. Turks generally love animals. ”

What are your weekly habits as a Blam team member?

Jai believes in maintaining a positive mindset and being efficient. He uses time management tools like task prioritisation, a dual-phone system, and other strategies. For 30 years, he has avidly read widely and studied personal development.

He emphasises the importance of praising others at work,

"I try to compliment other people. Not all the time because otherwise it doesn’t seem sincere. But I love being part of a team and being positive about others."

Jai keeps things simple and steady in business. He sets five core priorities for each day using a priority matrix. He’s attended time management workshops and mindset training with Blam and other providers.

“I’ve been to workshops with David Rahman and a lady called Victoria in Worcester. I’m trying to push the bar with time management.”

Jai tailors his work segments based on what works best for him.

"I’ve tried Pomodoro, but for me I need to go longer than 30 minutes... I need to work in 90-minute slots."

What are three things you love most about your Blam Digital Role?

Jai points to three areas: the global experience, the creative research, and the Blam culture.

Firstly, Jai thrives on the diversity of the Blam Digital network. Having worked in multi-cultural, international teaching environments for over 2 decades, he values connecting with Partners across the globe.

"It’s got to be the interaction with such a diverse range of people all around the world in 10 countries. It really engages me. I’ve always been in a working environment with many different cultures… and I really thrive on that.”

Secondly, Jai also enjoys deep research. Each new project means diving into a new sector. It can be anything from accountancy to baby shower products. He views reading as the essential precursor to truly getting a deep understanding of a niche and target market.

“I absolutely love writing and research. That moment when I start to research is just amazing… wherever the sector. It’s never the same. Every week is different.”

Thirdly, he appreciates the culture and mindset at Blam and lifelong learning. After experiencing political environments in the past, he finds the supportive, light-hearted and no-blame ethos at Blam a refreshing change.

“I had a great time in further education, but at times it was very political. You don’t get that with Blam. I love the mindset… we support each other. We all work hard. We have a laugh. And I love the numbers thing on a Friday.”

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam Digital Partner?

Jai encourages anyone thinking about joining Blam to take their time and explore the information fully.

“Really go deep with all the information… and truly ask yourself, is this something that I could do? Can I visualise myself doing this? It’s definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s going to require hard work… and you do have to follow the process. Eventually, it snowballs and the sales start rolling in.”

“Have I got the tenacity, the work ethic and the mindset to make this work? If you do… then go for it. If you think you haven’t, then be honest with yourself.”

Over the years, he’s seen plenty of Blam partners find real success and build thriving businesses and great lifestyles.

“I’ve seen partners the last five years who are absolutely loving it. They’re building really profitable, sustainable businesses… and they’re living the dream.”

Book a Discovery Call Today to Start Your Journey As A Blam Digital Entrepreneur.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Inside the Blam Digital Process: Support, Sales, and Success

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 08:35:47 GMT

From Mindset to Mastery on the Blam Partner Journey

In this latest Blam Digital blog, we uncover what the Blam Digital Process is and how it helps Partners build thriving enterprises. This article is based on an interview with Blam CEO Grant Stain.

What is the Blam Digital Process?

The Blam Digital journey from budding entrepreneur to successful agency owner is the result of a proven process. It is based on years of experience in the marketing sector, knowing what works. It starts with something deeper than platforms and products:

The Blam Process is about people first. Systems second. Sales third.

Of course, sales are the heartbeat of any thriving business. But we believe that 90 per cent of what makes someone a successful entrepreneur is their mindset.

That’s why we begin with our bespoke training programme developed by CEO Grant Stain and Sales Director Alex Melrose. It is called ‘Entrepreneurial Foundations’.

It is this training and ongoing learning opportunities with Blam that equip every Blam Digital Partner with the right tools and mindset to thrive.

“It just so happens that they're becoming an entrepreneur as a digital marketing consultant. But those foundations apply to any business.”

- Grant Stain

One-to-One Coaching That Grows With You

Everyone learns differently with a different learning style. Each Blam Digital Partner brings a unique background, pace, and energy to the table. That’s exactly why Blam’s training model is built around flexibility and human connection.

Initial Coaching

Partners work one-to-one with coaches Alex and Grant. The coaching includes building the right mindset to achieve, products, sales processes, and, of course, client delivery.

Learn by Doing

A new Blam Digital Partner is supported through their first three client consultations and deals. This helps Partners to hit the ground running with an expert coach at their side.

Weekly clinics and One-to-One Coaching

But it doesn’t stop there because Partners join weekly clinics (four a week). They can also book ongoing one-to-one support whenever needed.

This combination of tailored teaching and hands-on practice means Partners aren’t thrown into the deep end.

They’re guided and supported, and their success is celebrated every step of the way.

Strength in Community

Let’s be honest, being your own boss can feel lonely at times. Especially if you’re used to office culture and being part of a staff team.

Knowing that full well, Blam Digital provides you with a vibrant community of other Partners to communicate with. You also have the support of the friendly Blam Digital backroom team.

“We provide a community and a group of people that are utterly dedicated to supporting our Partners and helping them with their success.”

- Grant Stain

The Weekly clinics bring Blam Partners together to share advice, ask questions, and get unstuck.

New wins for Partners are celebrated publicly, from first sales to first successful client campaigns.

You’re never just another number. Blam Partners form part of a network where everyone wants each other to win.

It is that mutual support which helps drive Partners on to success.

The Sales Journey With Blam Digital

Sales isn’t about pushing prospects. It’s about solving their problems. At Blam Digital, we teach you how to become a confident consultant and someone who understands their client’s journey. We show you how to ask the right questions and offer real value to your customers.

Here’s what you’ll master:

Client Consultations: Ask the appropriate questions. Understand pain points. Position your offer.

Sales Process: Follow a proven path from the intro call to closing the deal.

Delivery and Account Management: Keep clients happy, engaged, and ready to refer.

You’re not expected to be an expert overnight. You’ll get guidance, feedback, and support on real deals, not just theory.

“Nobody’s going to become an expert overnight… But you can close your first deal with help from the team, and your confidence builds from there.”

- Grant Stain

The Blam Digital Ethos: Empowerment Without Overpromising

We won’t sugarcoat it because we know that business has ups and downs. But we will give you every possible tool to make it through the troughs using:

Personalised learning
Honest support
Proven systems
An active, real community

“The only thing you need to worry about is applying the things that you're taught to do. And that can take a lot of the load off.”

- Grant Stain

That’s the Blam Digital difference. We don’t just hand you a dashboard and disappear. We walk with you, especially during the tough parts, because that’s when it matters most.

This is the Blam Digital Process.

In a Nutshell

Becoming a Blam Digital Partner isn’t just about learning marketing or sales. It’s about growing into the business owner you’ve always wanted to be, with people who’ve been there at your back.

And when you finally land that first client?

“There’s nothing quite like sharing that win in a clinic. It just makes it so much sweeter.”

- Grant Stain

Thinking of joining Blam? Book a Call now. Your entrepreneurial journey starts today!

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meet Rachel Skinner: Web & Marketing Executive at Blam Digital

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 09:00:12 GMT

What is your role at Blam Digital?

From Work Experience to a Key Creative Role

Rachel is Blam’s multi-skilled Web and Marketing Executive. Her role spans web design, email marketing, social media graphics, internal branding, and the occasional printed flyer or brochure.

Every day is different for Rachel, and that’s just how she likes it.

“I design and manage websites, lead email marketing campaigns, and create all sorts of visual content. I also help shape Blam’s internal brand and support the wider production team.”

How did you first discover Blam Digital?

Fresh out of university with a design degree, Rachel didn’t apply with a CV. Instead, she called someone she knew in the industry: Blam Digital CEO Grant.

She asked Grant for advice, not a job. But ended up doing two weeks work experience. That led to helping out at a franchise expo and eventually a full-time role at Blam Digital.

“I literally just wanted to pick his brains about what I’d need to do to break into the industry. He took a chance on me.”

What’s a typical day like for you?

Rachel starts every day with a team huddle to discuss the priorities for that day. Next, she gets on with a mix of design, client meetings, campaign work, admin, and stats.

Her calendar is planned in 15-minute increments to stay on top of everything.

“I break down my day into tiny chunks. It helps me avoid overwhelm and stay focused. Also, I can’t start without an iced latte, even in winter.”

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Rachel loves variety as the spice of life. The freedom to switch between creative projects and help shape others’ design work keeps things fresh.

“I love that every project brings a new design style. I don’t have to stick to the same brand rules every day. It keeps my brain alive.”

She’s also started training and mentoring newer staff in graphic design. Rachel has discovered a natural talent for this.

What are your weekly habits at Blam?

Rachel likes to keep the office vibe joyful and light. She regularly offers to pick up coffees, and checks in on everyone.

Rachel might not be the official office mum, but she’s definitely the fun one. She brings a spark to the working day.

“I just try to bring a bit of joy to the office. Make people laugh. Offer a coffee. Keep it human.”

How do you keep learning and developing?

Rachel’s social media is curated for growth. Her feeds are full of graphic design, email marketing, and branding insights.

She’s learning every day from design influencers and marketers around the world.

What do you think of AI in design and marketing?

Rachel views AI as a time-saving tool that enhances her creativity. She uses it to generate content ideas, create quick mock-ups, and brainstorm visuals.

However, the design work is still all her own.

“AI takes care of the annoying bits so I can focus on what I’m good at. It helps me move quicker and finish full projects on my own.”

What do you love outside of work?

When she’s not designing, Rachel loves spending time by the sea. She enjoys weekends at her family’s holiday home in Wales, where she loves spending time on the beach and whizzing around on speedboats.

Rachel is also a huge fan of Italian food. She is a pasta enthusiast, always dreaming of her next delicious dish. Whether it is tagliatelle, spaghetti or other marvellous dishes, Rachel is ready with a glass of vino. Our Rachel goes from Web and Marketing Exec in the week to speedboat Bond girl on the weekends.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of joining Blam?

Rachel’s advice to prospective Partners is simple:

Speak to partners.
Listen to the coaching.
Show up consistently.

“Most people don’t follow through in life. If you stick with it, keep showing up, and follow the process, you’ll go further than you think.”

The Blam Team would like to wish Rachel the best of luck as she sets off on a tour of the world this autumn. She will be dearly missed. We will be thinking of you on your speedboats eating pasta. Lol.

Book a Discovery Call Today to Start Your Journey As A Blam Digital Entrepreneur.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

From Struggling Sales to Predictable Monthly Income

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:00:13 GMT

Why Blam Digital is Built on MRR

In this article, we explain exactly what MRR is and how Blam Digital CEO Grant Stain adopted this sustainable business model.

Also, why MRR is more stable and scalable than project work. Plus, we look at how Blam helps Partners to grow with confidence, even in uncertain times, using MRR.

MRR and How it all Began for Grant

Back in 2001, Grant launched his first digital marketing agency with no real blueprint. Like many first-time founders, he believed that if he built it, customers would come. They didn’t. So he knocked on doors, learned how to sell, and hustled for every contract.

“I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I winged it from the start.”

What Is Monthly Recurring Revenue

Monthly Recurring Revenue is consistent, predictable income from ongoing client relationships. It is the financial backbone of any serious digital business.

If you are tired of chasing one-off deals or scrambling at the start of each month, MRR is your upgrade.

This steady stream of monthly income lets you plan ahead, improve cash flow, and build a scalable client retention model that grows over time.

“MRR is the holy grail to a business.” - Grant Stain, CEO of Blam Digital

Why Recurring Revenue Is Better Than One-Off Projects

Traditional agencies rely on single contracts, which ultimately dry up. That cycle of pitching, landing sales, and delivering takes time and energy. The MRR model is totally different.

With MRR, you gain:

Reliable revenue streams

A foundation for growth

Less stress, more strategy

You are not starting from scratch each month as you are growing something sustainable.

“Waking up on the first of the month to know that you've got to start all over again can be soul-destroying. Especially when you've already had a taste of Monthly Recurring Revenue.”

From Burnout to Breakthrough: Grant’s Journey

When the 2008 financial crisis hit, Grant saw his own agency’s income grind to a halt. The model he had trusted, based on large upfront fees and small retainers, was no longer enough. It was a tough lesson to learn.

“All of my customers had a small retainer. It was by no means enough to rely on or cover overheads. When the recession hit, they stopped spending, and my business contracted fast.”

What followed was painful. Grant had to make unwanted redundancies and go through revenue collapse. It was a period of deep uncertainty. But this experience was formative. It forced him to rethink his approach.

“I had to make some of my best friends redundant. It was horrendous. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”

That experience became the catalyst for a complete overhaul of his business model. In 2009, he shifted to MRR and never looked back.

“I changed my business model to a monthly recurring revenue model. I reduced the upfront fee and focused on building higher recurring income.”

The Benefits of MRR: Stickier Clients, Stronger Cash Flow

MRR made it easier to attract clients and hold on to them. Lower upfront costs reduced friction and opened doors. Higher monthly retainers created stable income and long-term value.

“Customers were much more willing to come on board. And within no time, the MRR made up for the lower setup fees.”

Clients also became more loyal and less likely to cut services in future downturns. With more customers on lower-cost retainers, the risk was spread wider.

“Even if a few dropped off during a recession, it didn’t hurt anywhere near as much. The volume protects you.”

Is Feast or Famine Your Business Model?

The bottom line is that without MRR, business is unpredictable. One good month can be followed by a drought in revenue terms.

Volatility like that leads to stress, burnout and bad decisions.

Blam Digital Partners avoid this ordeal by managing multiple small clients on recurring plans. You spread your risk and build monthly cash flow. This is not about luck. It is the Blam Digital formula and structure.

“We always encourage Partners to get to the MRR that covers their overheads. That means their salary is already paid, regardless of whether they make more sales or not.”

How MRR Increases Your Company’s Valuation

If you are thinking long term, MRR is essential. It signals to investors and buyers that your business is:

Sustainable

Systematised

Future ready

Agencies with recurring revenue models are more resilient and easier to scale or sell.

“If your business has got a healthy MRR, it’s going to be worth loads more than if it relies on you or your sales team to make new sales every month.”

“You can have multiples that get really, really high when people value your business if you've got sticky customers with MRR.”

How Blam Digital Helps Partners Build MRR at Scale

Blam’s recurring revenue model is not some abstract theory. It is business model that really works. Partners are equipped with:

A proven product clients want

Built-in systems and automations
Ongoing training and support
Templates, onboarding flows, and client success tools

This means you do not just sell once. You build a portfolio of retained clients paying monthly.

“We go lower upfront fee, larger retainer. It means we can keep the quality of service, get better results, and it's a win-win for everybody.”

Final Thoughts: This Is How You Build a Real Business

Monthly Recurring Revenue gives you peace of mind. It puts you in control. With the right tools, support, and strategy, you can stop chasing cash and start building momentum.

Blam Digital’s model of MRR gives a massive advantage over competitors:

Predictable income.

Scalable systems.

A business you can trust to grow month after month, year after year.

“MRR. Love it. Let's have more of it.” - Grant Stain. CEO Blam Digital

Book a Discovery Call Today to Start Your Journey As A Blam Digital Entrepreneur.

MRR FAQs

What is MRR in a digital agency?

MRR, or Monthly Recurring Revenue, is the total predictable income a digital agency earns each month from clients on ongoing service plans.

Why is MRR better than project-based revenue?

Recurring revenue provides stable cash flow, reduces pressure, and allows better forecasting. Project-based income is harder to predict and scale.

How does MRR affect business growth?

MRR allows agencies to plan resources, hire with confidence, and scale operations. It also improves financial forecasting and business planning.

Does MRR improve company valuation?

Yes. Investors and acquirers favour businesses with recurring revenue. MRR shows strong client loyalty, operational consistency, and financial predictability.

How can Blam help me build MRR?

Blam Digital provides partners with ready-made websites, training, lead generation tools, and systems that allow you to generate monthly income from multiple clients quickly .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Profile of a Lead Designer - Audrone Kelpsaite

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 16:28:27 GMT

What is your job role at Blam?

"I oversee the production schedule, manage incoming jobs, and make sure every design project stays on track."

Audrone is the Lead Designer and Production Manager at Blam Digital. Each week, she manages the production schedule and incoming projects. She allocates work across the Blam Digital design team.

Audrone makes sure that every web design project has consistency, quality, and a strong creative identity. With Audrone at the helm, you know that you are guaranteed uniform quality.

How did you discover Blam Digital, and what inspired you to join the team?

"I was looking for a creative job where I could focus on design without needing to code."

Before joining Blam, Audrone worked in a gift shop in Birmingham. While that job included some creative tasks like window displays, she wanted to do something more aligned with her background in fashion design.

Although she studied fashion, she ultimately realised it wasn’t the path for her. Discovering Blam, Audrone was quickly drawn to the design-focused nature of the work.

Loving the idea of working visually without coding, Blam offered the support and training to help her grow successfully within the web design industry.

What does a typical day look like for you at Blam Digital?

"The first thing I do is check the calendar and go through Blam Connected to manage priorities."

Her day begins early. Audrone starts by checking the calendar. Here she manages all active projects using a colour-coded system. This helps her stay organised and on track.

Next, she reviews tasks in Blam Connected to identify any urgent matters. Blam Connected is the main platform we use to keep Partners in touch with the Blam Digital team.

It helps projects stay on track and often ahead of schedule. It also connects directly to our payment systems. Blam Connected plays a key role in keeping everything running smoothly at Blam.

Once priorities are clear, she begins working on the scheduled job.

Audrone also assigns new tasks to the team based on their strengths and project style. It is a bespoke process for each client.

Every Blam Digital designer brings their own unique approach.

What are your hobbies and interests outside of Blam Digital?

"I do realistic watercolour paintings of flowers. It helps me relax and unwind."

Audrone is passionate about watercolour painting, especially botanical and floral subjects. Her recent focus has been on realistic floral art.

With the internet awash with AI-generated images, Audrone values the human process of creating something by hand. It is a slow but deeply satisfying practice.

Audrone also enjoys hiking with her greyhound, Aira, around the parks and hills near Kidderminster.

Do you have any weekly habits or systems that help you stay productive?

"I like to colour-code everything in my Google Calendar so I can manage and move tasks easily."

Audrone uses her colour-coded Google Calendar to stay task-focused. It keeps her on top of projects and gives her the flexibility to reschedule when needed.

Audrone prefers to focus on one major project per day instead of juggling lots of small tasks.

On Sundays, Audrone loves to paint. She can switch off from work and start the new week feeling recharged.

What do you love most about your role at Blam Digital?

"Helping make digital spaces more beautiful one website at a time is something I care about.”

Audrone loves being able to create and design every day. She values the freedom and flexibility to manage her own workload and support the wider team.

Finally, she values the Blam Digital culture. The team is close-knit, and every person is recognised as an individual, not just a task-doer. That level of connection is rare and meaningful.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam partner?

"Be prepared to put in the work; nothing valuable comes easily."

Audrone advises new partners to be ready to put in the work. Nothing valuable comes easily. Follow the process and commit to your projects. The rewards are worth it.

Blam is not a shortcut, she points out. It is a platform for people who are willing to grow and contribute.

Audrone also encourages open communication within the production team. While there are clear standards and systems, the team stays flexible and open to new ideas.

Collaboration makes everything better.

Book a Discovery Call Today to Start Your Journey As A Blam Digital Entrepreneur.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meet Alex Melrose: Sales & Marketing Director at Blam Digital

Fri, 23 May 2025 10:35:02 GMT

Meet Alex Melrose: Sales & Marketing Director at Blam Digital | Leadership Profile & Partner Insights

Quick Profile Summary

Name: Alexander Melrose
Role: Sales & Marketing Director, Blam Digital
Expertise: Digital marketing, partner sales, business growth, coaching
Passions: Helping small businesses, lifelong learning, supporting global partners

As Sales and Marketing Director, Alex is dedicated to helping small businesses succeed. His hands-on style and commitment to Partner success make him a driving force within the Blam team.

What’s your job role at Blam Digital?

“I'm the Sales and Marketing Director at Blam Digital. I started off in Partner sales and was lucky enough to learn the tricks of the trade working closely with Grant.”

Alex wears many hats at Blam Digital, but he is the Sales and Marketing Director at the core. His journey with the company started during the early days of the pandemic, around the time of the second lockdown. Initially joining in a Partner sales executive role, Alex quickly proved his value. Working closely with CEO Grant Stain, he learned the business from the ground up.

Over time, Alex has taken on broader responsibilities, moving from sales into marketing leadership and then Partner success. His main focus is on growing and supporting Blam’s growing network of Partners.

What inspired you in your teenage and university years to get into business?

When Alex was a child, he fondly remembered watching The Apprentice . He didn’t embrace its ruthless portrayal of business but he was captivated by how each week brought a new project and fresh ideas. That spark stayed with him.

As Blam Digital Sales Director, Alex sometimes felt he had to be amazing at everything. However, he soon realised, “You don’t have to be the master of everything, you just need to get the best out of everyone on your team.” Both Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice played a part in igniting his early calling to become a businessman.

As a teenager, he ran his own tuck shop out of a 40 litre rucksack, much to the annoyance of his teachers. Always a bit of an outsider and contrarian, he was obsessed with improving things and thinking outside the box. He found clever ways to cut costs, openly counted his cash in front of teachers and even rattled the kitchen staff, who feared he might take all their business.

At university, Alex joined Fox’s Lair, a Dragons’ Den style initiative. His team secured second place in a competition to run their own enterprise. They pitched to investors for a few million pounds to buy 1,000 hectares of land in Argentina, where they planned to cultivate switchgrass, then an up and coming bioethanol feedstock.

He went on to complete a Master’s in Project Management, opting for an in company project instead of a traditional dissertation. Alex was placed at Go Inspire alongside his former Blam colleague Jave to launch a new business unit for data driven marketing. Working with major clients such as Tesco, they consolidated customer spending data and ran sophisticated algorithms to identify the most loyal, high value customers and devise strategies to boost their spending. They also developed plans to convert occasional buyers into repeat customers. The project ran for a full year.

It was during this placement that Alex made his first cold calls. He earned a first-class grade and the top mark for his project, confirming that he had the skills to excel as a project manager.

Shortly afterwards, he joined Blam and put all his newly honed abilities into practice. One day, Alex plans to run his own business, an ambition that Grant has pledged to support.

How did you first discover Blam Digital, and what made you want to join the team?

Alex's introduction to Blam Digital was no accident. It came through a trusted contact called Jave, Blam’s Head of SEO lead at the time.

"Jave introduced me to Blam, and my skill set in go-to-market innovation and working with small businesses was a good fit. It just clicked."

Before Blam, Alex had worked in large corporate settings and spent time navigating the unpredictable waters of the pandemic. That experience left him craving something more personal, agile, and growth-focused, exactly what Blam offered. Joining the team felt like his natural next step.

Can you walk us through a typical day in your life at Blam Digital?

Alex believes that how you start your day matters.

"I'm a big fan of a strong morning routine. I start the day off around 7:00 AM, and head to the gym to get an awful workout done which doesn't feel very good at the time but after the fact does set you up nicely for the day.”

After getting his blood pumping, Alex jumps into work. By 10:00 AM, he's in a daily sales meeting with the team. The rest of his day is a blend of coaching Blam Partners, helping them convert prospects, fine-tuning production briefs, and offering real-time support.

Because Blam Partners operate across the globe, Alex doesn't stick to a rigid 9-to-5. Mornings are usually reserved for Australia and South Africa; evenings often involve partners in the UK and North America.

Alex always reflects on his day before clocking off.

“What I do rather at the end of the day is like a plenary of the day, so what have I completed. I will write what I'd like to get done for the day at the start of the day and any tasks and then at the end of the day, what did I get done.”

What are your hobbies and interests outside of your role at Blam Digital?

When Alex stops work, he doesn't exactly slow down. Football, gaming, and Dungeons & Dragons keep him happy and busy.

" I'm a massive Liverpool football fan; indoctrinated from an early age by my dad."

He’s an avid video gamer, especially excited by the recent Oblivion remaster. Fortnightly D&D sessions keep his strategic mind sharp. Most evenings include long walks with his wife Jess and their dog. Plus, the occasional conversation about her work as a local politician.

Tell me about your weekly habits as a Blam Digital team member.

Alex is a great believer in lifelong learning to keep up-to-date about the latest developments in digital marketing…

“I make sure that I'm always training on something….because the digital marketing world is ever evolving. There's always something new going on with AI or Google. Google's changed more times in 18 months than it has done in 18 years. Our job is to educate clients on that so we can give them the best marketing consultancy. ”

Every week, Alex carves out time for learning. Whether it’s brushing up on new marketing trends or tackling the latest AI updates. He also steps in to help across the business when needed. It’s all part of keeping the Blam machine running smoothly.

What are three things you love most about your Blam Digital Role?

Global Conversations
“I get to have conversations with people from all around the world, amazingly in pretty much real time, which you take for granted.”
Alex thrives on real-time interaction with people from all corners of the globe. The variety in his work keeps boredom at bay. Nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing a struggling business turn into a success story with guidance and support.
Variety
The second thing Alex loves is the variety of his work, which keeps things fresh and challenging.
“My job is so broad. I work on different projects every day. It probably helps my kind of impulsive side of my nature because I do not like being stuck doing the same things.”
Managing multiple projects is an opportunity to grow, says Alex. Leading the marketing rebrand at Blam, from the new website to the discovery pack, was one of many projects that make the role rewarding.
Impact
Thirdly, Alex finds great satisfaction in working with small and medium-sized businesses. Helping them strengthen their marketing and grow sustainably is a major motivator for Alex:
“I really enjoy the fact that I can help clients direct, but also help Partners and see their business flourish from tiny little acorns to grand old oak trees.”

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam Digital Partner?

Transformation
Alex stresses that Blam isn't for everyone. Success demands learning digital marketing, mastering the sales process, and connecting to your deeper entrepreneurial "why."
For Alex, it is not just about running a business. It is about committing to personal transformation: “What you are actually paying for is a transformation from where you are right now.”
Success and Factors
Success at Blam demands more than following a proven sales approach. It requires learning the Blam process and following its structured approach with a strong entrepreneurial purpose. The desire to change must outweigh the comfort of staying where you are, says Alex.
Support and Resources
Alex explained that Blam provides tools to help people make informed decisions. Prospective Partners can access free training on YouTube, explore the Discovery Pack, study the DigitalMarketer courses, and join discovery calls with a partner coach, and meet the team in the flesh at a monthly Discovery Day at Blam HQ.
“We are aiming to give you entrepreneurial coaching as part of your discovery so that if you do decide to do something else, or decide maybe it’s not for you, at least you are going into that with open eyes.”
Alex recommends exploring some of the free resources before deciding if Blam is for you. He reminds people that success is a partnership; the team will offer full support, but commitment must come from within: “At the end of the day, it takes two to tango. You are not going to get customers waiting for you on a silver platter without having to do any work.”

Alex believes that Blam has the system, training, and guidance to build a successful business. But you have to be coachable, entrepreneurial and ready to take action.

Thanks Alex for taking the time to talk about your Blam Digital role!

Book a Discovery Call Today to Start Your Journey As A Blam Digital Entrepreneur.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Understanding Traffic & Conversion for Online Success

Wed, 14 May 2025 11:00:06 GMT

Traffic and Conversion: How to Be Successful on the Internet

If you want to be successful on the internet, you need to grasp one key concept:

Building an online business comes down to two main things: traffic and conversion.

Whether you're selling products, offering services, or building a personal brand, if you can attract the right people (traffic) and guide them to take action (conversion), you're in line for online success.

This article examines the relationship between traffic and conversion and how harnessing AI-powered websites and tools can deliver online victory for a business.

What Is Website Traffic and Why Does It Matter?

Website traffic refers to the number of people visiting your site. In other words, it is the digital equivalent of footfall in a shop. The more visitors you get, the more chances you have to generate leads or make sales.

Traffic can come from many different sources: search engines like Google, social media, paid ads, email marketing campaigns, or recommendations from other websites.

But the volume of traffic is not the only important thing.

It is the quality of traffic that also counts, i.e. the % of visitors who convert into paying customers. The secret source of any online business is to keep traffic flowing into your sales funnel. This increases your chances of acquiring new customers.

In 2023, McKinsey & Company highlighted what the best-performing companies practised,

“Growth champions are turning tech innovation into impact by focusing on growth analytics, sales productivity, and omnichannel experiences.”

Source: McKinsey & Company, 2023

In 2025, the focus on acquiring better traffic can be achieved through the use of AI tools and software. The foundation for success lies with the ability to target the right traffic to AI-powered websites and make data-driven decisions for business growth.

What Does Conversion Mean in Digital Marketing?

Conversion is what happens when someone lands on your site and takes meaningful action, i.e. booking a consultation, downloading a free resource, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase.

To continue the earlier analogy, if traffic is the "footfall", conversion is when someone walks up to the till and says, “I’m ready.”

As Forbes highlights, conversions happen when your website experience truly speaks to your visitors’ needs and challenges.

“To maximise conversions on your website, you need to understand your customers' needs, preferences and pain points. Only then is it possible to create a user experience that resonates and drives action.”

Source: Forbes, 2024

The main takeaway is this:

The more you understand your customers and reflect that in your website layout, copywriting, and offers, the higher your conversion rate will be.

The Role of AI-Powered Websites in Digital Success

AI-powered websites go beyond pretty design or templated pages. They use AI to analyse behaviour, tailor content, recommend improvements, and automate actions behind the scenes.

AI-powered websites help you deliver the right message to the right visitor at the right time. This helps to convert visitors into leads or paying customers.

McKinsey confirms that many high-performing companies view their websites as dynamic platforms built to convert sales.

“High-performing companies increasingly treat their websites as conversion engines, not just digital brochures. The focus is shifting from clicks to real outcomes.”

Source: McKinsey & Company, 2024

Websites built to convert are pure selling machines. No more chasing ‘vanity metrics’ like page views. It is all about AI-powered websites that generate traffic and lead to sales conversions.

How to Get More Traffic Using AI Tools and Smart SEO

To increase online traffic, you also need a strategy that speaks both to people and AI search engines. In layperson’s terms, that means:

Using natural search terms.
Writing helpful content.
Making sure every page is fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate.
Using your website like a live engine for growth.

Combining AI tools with smart keyword planning should make a big difference to your AI website’s conversion rate. But attracting more visitors is only part of the battle. If those visitors don’t take action, you’re missing the boat which brings us to the next point…

How to Increase Your Website’s Conversion Rate

“Conversion rate optimization has evolved from a nice-to-have into a core business growth strategy, especially as paid traffic becomes more expensive.”

Source: Forbes, 2023

As Forbes points out, optimising your conversion rate for your website is an essential activity. Websites can achieve this by:

Having clear headlines.
Using engaging and clear calls to action.
Creating content that matches what the visitor is looking for.

All of these factors combine to remove confusion and add clarity. They also anticipate objections to purchasing and build trust with prospective customers.

A website that converts efficiently increases your return on investment across every channel. If you are spending money on paid advertising to drive traffic to your website, every missed conversion is money wasted.

Therefore, optimising your website conversion rate is vital.

How to Optimise Content for AI Search Engines

This is now a major consideration because of the widespread use of AI tools as search engines. AI tools will pull content from websites that are:

Clearly written.
Well-structured
Semantically rich.
Solving real problems customers have, and written in plain English.

Key Takeaway

Write naturally.
Use question-style subheadings like "What is conversion in digital marketing?" or "How do I get more traffic to my website?"
Then answer these questions clearly and directly underneath.

Leveraging Traffic and Conversion For Online Success

“While everyone else is obsessing over traffic numbers, you now know that the real opportunity lies in optimisation. The businesses that will thrive in 2025 aren't just the ones driving traffic-they're the ones turning that traffic into results.”

Source: Thrivethemes.com, January 2025

In 2025, optimisation of traffic and conversion is the secret of online marketing success. Strategic conversion of traffic into sales or visitors into paying customers is key.

To win online, the modern business website needs both traffic and conversion working hand in hand.

Businesses using AI-powered websites can achieve higher conversion rates for many of the reasons already mentioned.

In 2025, leveraging traffic and conversion through AI-powered websites and AI search is yielding much higher sales than traditional methods…

“AI-powered search is transforming e-commerce, driving over 50% higher conversion rates by understanding user intent and personalising results in real-time.”

Source: Marquo.ai, February 2025

Traffic and conversion in collaboration with AI tools is the sure-fire pathway to sustainable online success.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AI Marketing Myths, Truths & How To Win

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:29:33 GMT

In this article, we explore three myths surrounding AI in marketing and uncover the truths that marketers should embrace to stay ahead of the competition.

AI is Everywhere

AI has become a daily presence. It's in our inboxes, powering our search results, running websites, and even generating images and written content. The shift is happening so fast. According to a new McKinsey report, businesses are set to invest more in generative AI tools.

“Over the next three years, 92 percent of companies plan to increase their AI investments."

Source: McKinsey, 2025

AI is becoming as common in usage as the internet itself. It is no longer about whether your business should use AI; it’s about how you use it smartly.

Myth: AI Will Take All Our Jobs

“Investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates that 300 million jobs could be lost or diminished in the United States and Europe by this fast-growing technology. Lower-wage occupations, such as customer service representatives and administrative, retail, warehouse and restaurant positions, are particularly vulnerable to automation due to the repetitive and routine nature of these roles.”

Source: Forbes, 2024

Stats like these from Goldman Sachs are starting to ring alarm bells for many, especially those in lower-level marketing or administrative roles. But….

Truth: AI Will Create as Many Jobs As It Takes

AI will replace basic functions at work but not human creativity, empathy, and nuance. A recent McKinsey report claims staff will drive the AI transformation.

“Employees will be the ones to make their organisations AI powerhouses. They are more ready to embrace AI in the workplace than business leaders imagine.”

Source: Mckinsey, 2025

According to the World Economic Forum in 2020, AI would displace 85 million jobs by 2025 but create 97 million new ones, many of which will be more engaging and meaningful. Therefore, AI is part of a whole scale transition of labour and skills.

Our forefathers must have felt much the same way with the Industrial Revolution and machines replacing many jobs, but new skills and jobs were being created as a result of mechanisation.

“The workforce is automating faster than expected, displacing 85 million jobs in next five years…The robot revolution will create 97 million new jobs, but communities most at risk from disruption will need support from businesses and governments.”

Source: World Economic Forum, Oct 2020

Myth: AI Makes Everything Easier

While AI can generate marketing content quickly, it doesn’t mean the content will be good, accurate, or relevant.

In fact, marketers who blindly publish AI-generated text without editing it to align with their brand voice and target audience are liable to be down-ranked by Google.

Google's Senior Search Analyst John Mueller stated at Search Central Live in Madrid that quality raters are being instructed to flag pages with main content generated by automated or AI tools as the lowest quality.

“The Lowest rating applies if all or almost all of the MC on the page (including text, images, audio, videos, etc) is copied, paraphrased, embedded, auto or AI-generated, or reposted from other sources with little to no effort, little to no originality, and little to no added value for visitors to the website. ”

Source: Searchengineland.com, April 5th, 2025

AI is therefore a starting point, and not the finished product. It gives you rough draft content to edit and improve.

Truth: AI Saves Time

AI’s speed is its core strength. Content that used to take hours e.g. newsletters, blogs, product descriptions, social media posts, or landing pages, can now be drafted in seconds. That means more time for creative thinking and empathy in your marketing.

Also, AI is not just about saving time for written and visual content. It is also helping businesses with their SEO, data analytics, campaign management and much more as this Forbes quotation illustrates.

“AI is much broader than what you read in the news. The technology provides advantages in a myriad of marketing functions, including data insights, personalisation, campaign optimisation, SEO, idea generation, and short-form content,”

Source: Forbes, 2024

AI can certainly handle repetitive tasks. That allows you to focus more on storytelling, strategy, and creative problem-solving.

Myth: AI Is a One-Size-Fits-All Tool

AI tools are diverse in their applications for your business, but they’re not universal, one-size-fits-all solutions. What works for a SaaS business might be inappropriate for a wellness brand. The target audiences are totally different with different expectations and needs.

Every company has a unique tone of voice, target audience, and mission. Therefore, prompts for your AI tools like ChatGPT need to be tailored to your sectors and niches.

Truth: Human Editing & Emotion Make a Difference

You still have to research your Customer Avatar Profiles or Personas and tailor your marketing content to target audiences. Successful marketing is about combining AI tools with human editing and experience, as Kevin Mitch illustrates below.

“AI must be tailored to fit specific business goals and contexts. What works for one industry or company might not be effective for another. It’s essential to have a clear strategy, identify the areas where AI can add value, and choose the right AI tools accordingly.”

Source: Kevin Mitch Group, 18th Nov 2024

AI tools can help generate ideas, but they can't replicate the emotion, intuition, or lived experience that makes content truly engaging. To connect with audiences, human editing is essential for adding authenticity, humour, and personal insights.

“Human editors bring context, creativity, and empathy to AI-generated content, transforming it from preliminary, information-giving drafts into polished pieces that engage readers.”

Source: New York Weekly, Nov 2024

The human touch still wins hearts. Use AI to build the framework. Then personalise. Add meaning. Tell a real story.

How to Win With AI

Here are a few tips to remember when using AI:

Use AI for drafts, not decisions. Let it help you brainstorm and structure, but you own the final message.

Avoid the SLOP trap. Don’t hit publish without reviewing and editing it to a more natural human voice. If it sounds like a bot wrote it, your audience will move on.

Tell stories only you can tell. AI doesn’t know your client’s reaction, your backstory, or why your work matters. You do.

Stay curious, but stay grounded. New tools are great, but your strategy still matters more than the tech.

Balance speed with substance. Fast content is useless if no one reads it or remembers it and Google will downrank content if it AI generated with little or human editing to make it authentic and original.

The Final Word

AI is not the enemy of business. In fact, it is a powerful tool for your business to be used with skill, purpose, and personality.

The future of marketing isn’t robots replacing writers and graphic designers. It’s human marketers who know how to work with machines without sounding like one.

As Sharma said, “The future of marketing belongs to those who can harness the power of AI to create truly exceptional experiences.”

Source: Forbes, 2024

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Profile of the Director of Blam Africa: Marius

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:31:35 GMT

Profile of the Director of Blam Africa, Marius

Marius is the Director of Blam Africa; he manages SEO, PPC, Social Media, and the CRM for Blam Digital.

Having joined as a Partner in 2020, Marius became Blam Africa's Director after running his own Partnership for five years. It is a testament to his hard work and self-belief and shows the scope for success within the international AI website and digital marketing franchise.

How did you first discover Blam Digital, and what made you join as a Partner?

Marius first discovered Blam Digital when he was searching for franchise opportunities. Initially, he came across another company, but when he compared it to Blam Digital, the difference was clear:

Blam offered better support, stronger systems, and a sense of community.

“The moment I realised that there’s a big brother, that you can ask for help and questions, I knew this was for me.”

Can you walk us through a typical day in your life as a Blam Digital Director?

Twice a week, he does CrossFit. The rest of the week, he wakes up and has coffee with his wife. Then he takes his daughter to the bus stop for school. Then he heads home, freshens up, and reviews his vision board and goals for the day before getting to work.

“It’s not about how much time I spend on it, it’s just the focus and intention behind it.”

Once in the office, Marius clears emails and then moves on to sales tasks. He also conducts a production meeting to ensure everything is running smoothly and oversees new product development and testing, a key part of Blam’s success in the marketplace. The day is also broken up with finance checks, Blam Partner meetings, and planning.

In the evenings, he makes coffee, chats with his wife, and updates his cash flow report to stay on top of his business.

Marius explained that he and his team follow the Blam Africa’s Rules for Success:

“Measure everything, be ruthless with your time, say what you do, do what you say, smash each week, work like maniacs, and be customer-centric. All my staff signed up to say we will obey these rules.”

Does your position as Blam Director give you the financial and time freedom to be with your family?

On Saturdays, he breaks away for a mountain biking session with friends, but then it’s straight back to work, for Marius, dealing with so many people all over the world and with cutting-edge marketing technology work is fun!

And he maintains that he isn’t a fan of shopping trips or too many social outings anyway, lol.

Work is his passion, and being Blam Director for Africa allows him to be fully immersed in building the business. As a Partner, the Blam Digital Model allowed him to decide how many days and hours he worked. As Blam Africa Director, Marius really enjoys his work.

“I love my work….it gives you the opportunity to be who you are and really focus and work hard.”

Tell me about your weekly habits as a Blam Africa Director

On Sundays around 5:00 p.m., Marius sits down with his diary and plans his entire week. He reviews his vision board, budgets, and sales targets. From there, he maps out his daily agenda, assigning tasks to himself and his team.

“It’s a meticulous system, but it ensures I have a successful week, and if every week is successful, so is the year.”

Marius loves to use a handwritten diary for his schedule; black ink is for his tasks, blue ink is for staff tasks, and red pen is for follow-ups. Nothing goes undone.

What are three things you love most about being Director of Blam Africa?

1. Giving Back to Blam Digital Partners

Marius likes to give back by helping Blam Digital Partners, especially on technical sales calls, where he shares his knowledge.

“It gives me a lot of joy to help, to let them feel what it was like when people helped me when I started.”

2. Blam Digital Business Relationships

The second thing he values is the relationships he’s built with other Partners. He regularly talks business with like-minded Blam Digital entrepreneurs.

“Many of my friends don’t understand what I do, so being able to connect with others who do is invaluable.”

3. Having a Blam Digital Mentor

The third thing is having Grant, CEO of Blam Digital, as a mentor.

“It’s a confidential and trusted relationship that helps me navigate the highs and lows of business.”

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a Blam Digital Partner?

First, believe in yourself, set goals, and don’t stop until you reach them.

Second, keep a positive mindset because it is everything. And third, work hard.

“There’s no substitute for discipline and dedication.”

Looking back on his journey, Marius is often amazed at how much he has achieved in a short time, and he credits it all to sheer hard work and following a proven system.

“There’s no magic formula, just focus, action, and commitment.”

Thanks, Marius!

Have you got what it takes to be a Blam Digital Partner? Book a demo call today to see if you're the right fit!

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Profile of a Blam Digital CEO: Grant Stain

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 12:46:34 GMT

Why Did You Want to Become an Entrepreneur?

From a very young age, Grant Stain had a clear vision of his future.

“If you’d have asked me when I was seven what I wanted to do, it was all mapped out.”

His father was a business owner, and although he warned Grant not to follow in his footsteps, particularly in the building trade, entrepreneurship ran in the family blood. Grant’s natural ambition and inspiration from watching his father led him to pursue a business life, even if the journey didn’t go exactly to plan.

“I thought I’d be a millionaire by the time I was 29,” he joked, “but life gets in the way.”

What Got in the Way of Your Teenage Ambitions?

Straight out of university during a recession, Grant didn’t have many job prospects. So he did what few would; he took his early Apple Macintosh computer, knocked on doors, and offered to work for free.

“I said, if you pay me the same as unemployment benefit—50 quid a week—I’ll bring my own Mac and work for you.”

That hustle paid off. The role quickly became salaried, and he gained invaluable experience working with a true entrepreneur who became a role model. Over time, Grant was poached by a printing firm that promised him shares and his own department. While he enjoyed the company, the promised equity didn’t materialise as hoped.

Eventually, with the support of his wife Abby, he made the bold decision to remortgage his home and launch his own business in 2001.

“I handed in my notice, gave back the keys to my company car, bought some equipment, and rented an office.”

What Was Going Through Your Mind When You Were Starting Out?

The early days of Stain Design, his first agency, were all about self-belief and action. Grant designed a letterhead and business cards, sent out mailers, and knocked on doors when the phone didn’t ring.

“I just thought, I’m going to go knocking on doors, because that’s what you’ve got to do.”

Looking back, Grant recognises that his proactive nature was rare, even then.

“If a young person knocked on my door now with a computer and said they’d work for free, I’d snap their hand off.”

That tenacity and willingness to act without overthinking became part of his DNA.

What’s Your Opinion on the ‘Soft Generation’?

When asked about young people today being labelled a “soft generation,” Grant expressed genuine concern.

“People are brought up communicating without talking. Their attention span must be really low.”

He believes society has made it easier to avoid real human interaction, which is why initiative has become so rare. But rather than judging, he encourages empathy and structure; suggesting, for example, that banning smartphones under age 12 might be a good start.

“There’s so much easy distraction. It’s no wonder people don’t push themselves like we used to.”

What Inspired You to Be an Action Taker?

The desire to take action came partly from personality and partly from his father’s example.

“My dad was 100% an action taker. Very dynamic. That definitely influenced me.”

But Grant believes action-taking is also about self-awareness and recognising your natural instincts.

“If I have an idea, I just do it. I don’t really overthink it. I just get cracking.”

What Scared You in Your 20s?

While Grant admits he was probably ‘an overconfident teenager,’ the pressure of leadership brought unexpected challenges.

“I started suffering from panic attacks while public speaking. It caught me completely off guard.”

He described feeling calm mentally but being overwhelmed physically during presentations. This was especially when speaking to people he admired. That experience helped him understand the emotional toll of imposter syndrome.

“I think everybody feels like an imposter when they start a business. It’s natural.”

His solution was ‘radical honesty’.

“Disarming honesty. Just tell the truth. If you’re nervous or new, say so. People respect that.”

Should Entrepreneurs Go All In?

There’s a myth that entrepreneurs must risk it all, but Grant offers a more balanced take.

“I knew exactly what I needed—£1,300 a month to survive—and I gave myself six months.”

Although some promote the ‘burn your boats’ approach, Grant favours Richard Branson’s model: expect the best, plan for the worst.

“A plan B helps me sleep at night. But I still go all in on Plan A.”

What Makes You Happy in Daily Life?

Grant’s happiness stems from gratitude and structure.

“The first thing I do when I wake up is visualise my day and think about all the good stuff.”

He has a solid morning routine that gives him energy and focus, and now that his children are grown up, he has the time to invest in it.

“It’s about appreciating what you’ve got, not just striving for more.”

What Advice Would You Give to Someone Starting Out?

Grant’s advice for a 20-year-old dreaming of launching a business is simple:

“Just start. Don’t wait for the perfect moment, it’ll never come.”

He believes action is the greatest teacher, and that youth is the perfect time to take risks.

“You’ve got nothing to lose. So take the risk, enjoy the ride, and ask for help when you need it.”

Final Thoughts

Grant Stain’s journey is a combination of grit, gratitude, and grounded wisdom. As the CEO of Blam Digital, Grant brings a real-world, no-nonsense approach to entrepreneurship that resonates deeply in an era of overthinking and overwhelm.

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from them. And most importantly, have fun.”

Would you like to run your own AI Website and Digital Marketing Agency with support from Grant Stain and the Team at Blam Digital? Book a Discovery Call Today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

What is a Blam Digital Partner?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:35:19 GMT

Escape the 9-5 with a Profitable AI Website & Digital Marketing Agency

The traditional 9-to-5 job can feel like a trap. Many people spend their careers working long hours to build someone else’s business, never exploring the possibility of running their own.

The Blam Digital Certified Partnership Program provides a structured path to break free and build a thriving business in AI websites and digital marketing. But it is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it requires hard work following a proven system. With over 200 Partner agencies in 10 countries worldwide, let’s find out exactly what a Blam Digital Partner is…

What is the Main Role of a Blam Partner?

So let’s start with the basics. A Blam Digital Partner manages an AI Website and Digital Marketing agency white labelled under their own brand. The backroom team at Blam Digital handles the technical aspects, allowing Partners to focus on acquiring clients and growing their business. This approach reduces the daily struggles of a normal start-up because training, support, and ready-to-deliver services are provided. All in all, it is a low-risk approach to starting a new business.

How Does a Blam Partner Help Businesses Stand out Online?

In a saturated market for websites and marketing, Blam Partners are specialists in helping SMEs shine online. Small and medium-sized businesses rely on digital marketing to stand out in the online world of over 1 billion websites.

A Blam Digital Partner provides essential services such as AI-powered websites, SEO, social media management, and online advertising. These key services help businesses generate leads and sales.

Does A Blam Digital Partner Need Technical Knowledge?

You would naturally think that running an AI website and digital marketing agency would require technical expertise…

…It doesn’t because the Blam Digital Partner is the front man or woman of the business selling services to SMEs. The Blam Digital backroom team does all the heavy lifting with the technical delivery of services.

Technical expertise is not required because the Blam Digital team provides it all. All Partners receive the training to run a successful agency. That leaves the Partner to focus on building client relationships, lead conversion, and business growth.

What is Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)?

The financial security of owning a Blam business is one of the main reasons for becoming a Partner. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) means financial stability for Partners. Unlike traditional businesses that rely on a one-at-a-time sales strategy, Blam Digital’s structure generates consistent revenue streams through ongoing services such as hosting, maintenance, and digital marketing.

The more clients that one signs up, the higher the MRR.

Is it Scalable?

Scalability is the key driver behind becoming a Blam Partner. Some choose to work part-time and continue in their 9 to 5. Others scale it and go much bigger. The Blam Digital process is designed to be simple and scalable.

New Partners receive a branded AI website, marketing materials, and digital tools to support their business. The Blam Digital Training covers client acquisition, sales techniques, and agency management, to build a foundation for success.

For the first few months, the focus is on mastering the system, refining sales strategies, and establishing a client base. Putting in the hard work eventually bears fruit but patience is needed.

Do Blam Digital Partners Work Part-Time or Full-Time?

The freedom to choose is a big benefit, especially when people have busy lives and limited time. Many Blam Digital Partners begin part-time, balancing their agency with existing working commitments before going full-time.

It is ideal for people looking for a greater work-life balance. Some Partners even have existing businesses and choose to open a Blam Digital Partnership on top of this.

Can You Work Where You Want?

Freedom of location for work is a dream for many people. It allows a lifestyle that is not possible if you have a 9-to-5 job. Flexibility is at the heart of the Blam Digital Partner structure.

It is not necessary to have an office, commute, or a rigid schedule. Each Partner decides where to work; all they need is an internet connection.

Do Blam Digital Partners Support Each Other?

The answer is 100% YES. Belonging to a group of like-minded entrepreneurs is fantastic. Blam Digital Partners join a global community of professionals who share knowledge, experience, and strategy.

This support system means that no Partner is working in isolation. Partners thrive in an environment of continuous learning and growth.

Digital Marketing is Growing

The digital marketing industry is growing year on year. Businesses recognise the need for strong online visibility. Many small and medium-sized businesses lack the time or expertise to manage digital marketing effectively. This is where a Blam Digital Partner comes in. They bridge this gap by providing professional AI websites and digital marketing services supported by the Blam Digital support team.

More Than Just a Business

Without a doubt, becoming a Blam Partner is not just about earning an income. It is an innovative shift in career direction, developing a new mindset, and having the time freedom to pursue your life goals with a stable financial income. That can mean more time with family and for hobbies as you establish your agency.

How to Get Started

If this sounds like the life for you, the first step is to check out the video below to find out what it takes to survive and thrive in business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Blam’s Website Platform vs WordPress: Helping SMEs Without the Hassle

alex.melrose@blamwebsites.com (Alex Melrose) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 11:48:08 GMT

If you’ve been thinking about starting your own business or offering websites as part of your services, you will probably have heard of WordPress. It’s a big name in the world of website building, powering over 40% of the web. But is it the best choice for you?

Let’s take a closer look at how WordPress stacks up against Blam’s Website Platform , a tool designed to make life easier for you and your clients.

The Blam Platform: Built for Simplicity

When it comes to building websites, WordPress is known for its flexibility. You can add endless plugins, customise designs, and host your site wherever you like. Sounds good, right?

Well, not so fast. With all that flexibility comes a lot of work. Choosing the right hosting, updating plugins, and troubleshooting issues can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you’re managing multiple client sites.

Blam’s Website Platform takes a different approach. It’s built specifically for professionals who want a simple, powerful, and reliable tool for creating websites.

What Makes Blam’s Website Platform Different?

1. Everything in One Place
With WordPress, you need to source hosting separately, install themes and plugins, and handle your own updates. It’s a lot of moving parts.

Blam’s Website Platform bundles everything together. Hosting, security, and updates are all taken care of for you. No extra services to manage, no hidden costs, just one reliable system.

2. Built-In Security
WordPress relies on third-party plugins and themes for most of its features. While this gives you options, it also creates vulnerabilities. In 2022 alone, 93% of WordPress security issues were caused by plugins.

Blam’s platform is a closed system, meaning every feature is built-in and tightly controlled. No risky plugins, no unexpected security problems; just peace of mind.

3. Designed to Rank
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is essential for getting websites seen online. WordPress sites often require multiple plugins to optimise for search engines.

Blam’s platform is “SEO-ready” from the moment you start building. It includes features like:

Automatically generated schema markup
AI-powered metadata
Core Web Vital optimisation

This means websites built on Blam’s platform are faster, easier to find, and ready to grow.

4. Made to Scale
Whether your clients are small businesses or growing brands, they need websites that can handle their success. With Blam’s platform, every site comes with unlimited bandwidth and storage, so there’s no worrying about traffic limits or downtime.

Compare that to WordPress hosting plans, which often cap the number of visitors your site can handle unless you pay for premium packages.

Small businesses need websites that work (without the drama!). They don’t have time to deal with hosting issues, security risks, or slow load times.

Blam’s Platform makes it easy to deliver high-quality websites that:

Load quickly and look great on any device
Stay secure and up-to-date without any extra effort
Rank well on Google, helping businesses attract more customers

Start Building Smarter

If you’re looking for a simple, professional solution for creating websites, Blam’s Platform is the answer. It’s built for people like you, professionals who want to offer small businesses the tools they need to thrive, without getting bogged down in technical headaches.

Why not leave the complexity behind? With Blam, you can focus on what matters most: helping businesses succeed.

Ready to get started? Contact us today to learn how you can build better websites with Blam.

Keep Moving Forward

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 10:59:49 GMT

Why is making decisions quickly such a rarity!

Decision-making can be really, really hard!

Should I, shan’t I, what if this, what if that, but x could happen or y could happen, sound familiar?

This goes on when you are “thinking” of starting a business and can be daunting, and it's not always easy to make decisions that will impact your success.

However, I’d like to share with you some advice that I've learned through my own experiences and the teachings of some of my go-to coaches.

One of the most important things to remember is to

“never stand still, keep moving forward”, one of our core values at Blam.

Grant Cardone says, "Success is your duty, obligation and responsibility." This means that you have a responsibility to yourself to succeed, and the only way to do that is to keep pushing forward, even when things get tough.

This is a mindset that I've adopted throughout my own entrepreneurial journey. Whenever I've been faced with a tough decision, I remind myself that I have a responsibility to keep moving forward.

Another coach who has had a big impact on me is Tony Robbins. He says, "Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions." This quote is particularly relevant when it comes to decision-making. It's important to acknowledge the problems or challenges that you're facing, but it's equally important to focus on finding solutions. When I'm struggling to make a decision, I try to focus on the potential solutions and how they could benefit my business, team and family, and I aim to do this with speed.

Of course, there have been times in my life when I've struggled with decision-making. One example that comes to mind is when I was deciding whether or not to expand my business into a new market. On one hand, it was a great opportunity to grow my business, but on the other hand, it was a risky move that could have had negative financial consequences. I found myself going back and forth on the decision, and it was costing me time, my most valuable resource.

In situations like this, it's important to take a step back and gather as much information as possible. This is where diligence comes in. You need to be diligent in researching the market, the competition, and any potential risks or challenges. As Tony Robbins said, "The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment." By committing to gathering as much data as possible, you'll be able to make a more informed decision and have a greater impact on your business.

This means you have to trust that you will make the right decision with the information that you have access to. And if that decision turns out to have been a bad one, you don’t spend time worrying about what you should have done instead because you know you made the right decision with the information you had at the time.

Make no mistake, making decisions efficiently is a key factor in successful entrepreneurs. You can't afford to waste time going back and forth on a decision. As Grant Cardone says, "Be obsessed or be average." This means that you need to be passionate about your business and committed to making it succeed. If you're not willing to put in the effort and make difficult decisions, then you're not going to achieve the level of success that you desire.

In conclusion, I want to encourage you to keep moving forward, even when the decisions you're facing seem daunting. Remember to focus on finding solutions rather than dwelling on problems, and to be diligent in gathering as much data as possible before making a decision, but do this as quickly as you can. Making informed decisions efficiently is a key factor in successful entrepreneurs. As I always say, "keep moving forward" and you'll be well on your way to achieving your goals.

Remember, success is not a destination, but a journey. Embrace the challenges that come your way and keep pushing forward, enjoy every day but keep making decisions!

To your success,

Grant Stain

CEO, Blam

Why You Should Be A Dog

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 11:49:09 GMT

Why You Need To Be More Like A Dog

I love dogs and recently I’ve been wondering as to why dogs always make me so happy and I believe I’ve finally managed to crack the code. The reason I love dogs is because of their attitude to life, that ability to live life to its fullest. I think there is a lot we can learn from them in terms of how to live our lives and how to approach our business. Because the most successful among us aren’t simply lucky, they are dogs.

Here’s a list of attributes most dogs have that I think we all need if we are to be successful in business and life:

They don’t overthink anything
They are incredibly persistent
They will work until they drop
They are incredibly loyal
They are instantly forgiving
They never give up
They will keep chasing relentlessly
They are always happy to see people
They have a super positive attitude
They expect success
When they don’t achieve success, it doesn’t phase them
They are endearing
They are great at selling themselves

When I see dogs out and about when I’m on my regular local walks, they always make me smile. When I see them greet strangers, chase balls and demonstrate a positive excited happy attitude to be out enjoying the simple things in life, it reminds me to “be like a dog”, relentless but positive, happy but eager, hungry and determined.

This mentality is key to growing your business and achieving more than you truly believe possible. In our daily lives, it is so easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day and grow frustrated or tired. However, if we approach things with a positive and new perspective, we can start to make major strides.

Building a business isn’t easy. In the early stages, there will likely be more stumbling blocks than successes but if we reshape our thinking around those stumbling blocks, we can start to bounce back faster. Don’t view failure as a negative thing, view it as an opportunity to grow and be like a dog. Be persistent, never give up, be positive and don’t let your failure define you.

So if the metaphorical ball you are chasing ends up floating down the river, remember what a dog would do…

Don’t dwell on it, chase a new ball!

To your success,

Grant Stain

CEO - Blam Websites Ltd

The 'R' Word

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 11:30:10 GMT

The 'R' Word - How to prepare for a recession

A lot of people are saying a recession is on the way and the continued news of rising bills and energy costs are only getting louder.

The Bank of England has cautioned us over recent months that the UK economy will hit a recession "for more than a year this Autumn". A recession is defined as 2 back-to-back quarters of negative growth and this is combined with record inflation levels (+13%), it’s a recipe for disaster and it can leave many of us facing tough questions in our career.

That’s why I’m writing this to you today. I want to help you survive & thrive in the latest recession. Most Blam Partners come from one of 2 camps, employees or small business owners. If you’re a salaried employee or you get paid hourly, then you have to be honest with your situation...

Are you a revenue generator - or another expense?

If you’re in some kind of support or management role, you’re probably an expense, especially in a smaller business. Maybe the HR Manager won't say it like that but that’s how the bosses really view you. During a recession, being seen as an expense is a perilous place to be. Expenses are often the first things to go when cost cutting is discussed so your source of income is no longer reliable.

The only way to secure your long-term future would be to move from the expense column to the revenue-generating column ASAP.

OR you can position yourself to be ahead of the curve. Why not take the time and effort you will expend to make your own boss richer and invest it into running your own business (without having to quit your job)? You suddenly go from being on a tightrope with no net to walking on firm ground.

It’s a win-win.

If you’d like to do this, but don’t know where to start, I have a 25-minute training session to help. Whether you’re a small business owner or a regular employee, there’s always something you can do to stay recession-proof and provide yourself with the security to be able to focus on the future, not just the here and now.

You just have to be one step ahead of the curve.

Need help?

Get access to my free training here: https://agency.blampartners.com

To your success,

Grant Stain

CEO - Blam Websites Ltd

The Cost Of Career Freedom

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 11:21:47 GMT

What is the cost of freedom in your career?

I have a privileged job. At Blam, my primary role is to help people start and grow their business, one of the biggest steps they have taken in their lives. I help because sometimes finding the balance that motivated someone to start their own business can be hard to achieve when things start to really take off.

That’s where I can really help.

Most people who start their own businesses started because they wanted freedom.

Freedom from their boss
Freedom to spend more time with their spouse
Freedom to go on holiday whenever and wherever
Freedom to have more choices
Freedom to spend time with their children
Freedom to work from anywhere
Freedom...

Sorry to go all Shawshank Redemption on you there but freedom is a big driver for a lot of our aspirations in our career and our lives. However, being pre-programmed as we are, a lot of entrepreneurs who start businesses end up with less freedom than they had before! Working twice as hard for less money and having to keep selling each month in order to keep the business going.

This isn’t freedom, it’s the entrepreneur's trap. You may be under less pressure from the boss but that pressure just comes back in other forms and it’s even worse as all of that pressure is solely on you.

However, that’s why the business model that we promote at Blam is aimed squarely at a system that delivers freedom and providing reliability and consistency in the form of MRR.

Monthly Recurring Revenue

This model is the vehicle that delivers all of the above “freedoms”. At Blam, when a Partner sells a website, app or social media package, the Blam team takes care of the rest, but the partner keeps getting paid.

Our Partners still need reminding of this though, as years of indoctrination can mean they forget that it’s actually okay to work in accordance with their “freedom plan”. That’s where I come in and help them map out their diary in accordance with that plan, and find that true balance that they craved for so many years before.

Getting there takes time and effort, but when achieved really helps find the meaning in life and attain the freedom we all deserve.

So maybe your goal is to work whilst travelling the world or to work a 10-hour week. In my experience, there are many different dreams of the perfect work-life balance. Whatever your preference is, having a business model backed by the accountability of a coach who understands the end goal is key to that freedom.

The great news is it is attainable, and if your passion lies with helping small business owners with your own digital marketing agency, working with Blam could be the next step to gaining your freedom.

To find out more, just send the word "freedom" to grant(@)blamwebsites.com and I'll reach out to book a 1-2-1 to walk you through the process and find out how you can achieve it.

To your success,

Grant Stain

CEO - Blam Websites Ltd

Are you attractive?

grant@blam.online (Blam Websites) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 09:33:09 GMT

We lost a true legend in the business coaching world last week when Bob Proctor passed away at the age of 87. Anyone who has been around the business world for some years and taken an interest in personal development will know of Bob, and many will remember him for his part in the famous film/book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

I read The Secret 15 years ago and was intrigued (but skeptical) by this concept that “the Law of Attraction” influences everything in the world and all that we do. Bob was one of the key contributors in this book and I can still hear his voice from the audio stating that we attract what we think about “by law” of nature, a scientific fact.

That got my interest and I started to dig deeper. It turns out the theory that we attract what we think about was not a new concept. I’ve recommended before the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill in another article, and in my view this is the business owners version of The Secret, with practical applications of how the law of attraction can work for you.

It’s fair to say that those two books had a huge influence on my life and therefore the lives of the people I’ve coached and influenced since. Now the idea, that Bob was so articulate in purveying, is a part of my everyday life and no longer a fringe idea that may not have any substance.

So how can you be attractive to the things and people in life that you want?

Well, that’s the big question, and I’m still on my journey to achieving all the things I think and work for. However, what I can say is that when you have a goal that you are single-mindedly focused on. A goal, you think about all the time, make plans to achieve, talk and write about it consistently. Then you are employing the Law of Attraction to bring that goal closer to you, and in my experience one way or another you will get there with persistence.

There is nothing strange or “woo woo” about that, it’s just common sense. What we can do is help control how much we think about something, charged with positive thoughts and outcomes. Visuals like vision boards can help you do this and goals that are written and printed in line of sight at your desk.

Using these techniques over the years I have achieved many goals and created wonderful memories that look just the way I had visualised them. As I sit here writing this, as I do every Sunday morning, in front of me at my desk is my vision board, my goals list and my gratitude bag, all reminding me of where I’m going and being grateful for where I’ve been.

I now teach some of these techniques to Blam Partners and help them see how they can influence their future by being more attractive to it. Many find it inspiring and uplifting and that’s what’s so great about some of these practices, at the very least they make you feel good!

Life is a journey we are all on together learning from each other, and now one of the great teachers of this journey has made his way to the next stage, I want to keep his flame burning as he was a hugely positive influence in my life, rest in peace Bob.

Grant Stain - CEO, Blam Partners

Tune into the Digital Revolution and Get Your Business Flying!

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 12:19:25 GMT

5 Digital Marketing Trends That You Must Be Using for Your Business in 2022

Every cloud has a silver lining as the old saying goes and 2020/2021 epitomizes this. With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Digital marketing became more important than ever before. Whilst we all endured the tedium of lockdowns and restrictions, on the positive flipside, social media use skyrocketed, more people turned to eCommerce for shopping and businesses had to go digital.

During an incredibly tough period, a digital boom occurred across the world and new trends emerged as digital became the norm for all. Let’s explore the 5 things that you should be doing with your business to keep up with the Digital Revolution in the new year.

1. Artificial Intelligence is the Bee's Knees!

Mention A.I. and immediately thoughts of robots taking over the world, Terminator and cyborg humans spring to mind. However, in the business world Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now an even bigger driving force in the world of digital marketing.

AI has been implemented by businesses in areas like product recommendations, basic communication, email personalization, content creation, and e-commerce transactions. In the small business sector, A.I. websites engage and personalise responses to prospective customers, meaning that even while you sleep your A.I. Business website is generating leads for you.

The big multinational companies like Amazon and friends have been using A.I. technology for a long time, but now A.I. websites are affordable to small and medium sized businesses as well. Investing in A.I. website tech has been shown to increase sales by 19%.

As 2021 draws to a close, the prominence of A.I. technology for Small to Medium Size Businesses (SME's) is seeing accelerated growth in revenue and cost savings in the sector. Enterprise level tech that the Big Companies have is now available for all businesses whatever your size.

2. Chatbot Solutions

Chatbots are also seeing a big increase in use in 2021. They were already quite common across numerous company websites, but 2020 saw a boom. In 2020, they powered more than 80% of customer service, and that number is sure to rise by the end of 2021. Whilst many may prefer the personable touch of speaking to a real person, chat bots earn money for your business in times when you are too busy to handle leads and like A.I. websites, while you are sleeping.

Clever chatbot software responds to customer questions and also can take their contact details, so you can wake up in the morning to newly generated business leads. The fact that chatbots offer real-time interaction with customers and can be used to address issues and answer queries round-the-clock is very appealing to small, medium and large businesses. For a small business, it is like having an extra member of staff without the cost of paying another salary.

An increasing number of brands are now also offering their services via chatbots e.g. Lyft, a rideshare brand, allows its customers to request rides via chat across platforms like Slack and Facebook Messenger.

Just think what chatbot software could do for your business in terms of saving you time and generating you leads and sales! It is the perfect digital solution to grow your business.

3. Live Streaming is the New Rock 'n Roll for Businesses

Live streaming has come into its own during Covid-19 pandemic. More and more companies have turned to live streaming for conducting workshops and other forms of promotion. Suddenly pretty much everyone everywhere is live streaming across the world from celebrities to DJs to influencers to Digital Marketing gurus. In 2020, there was a significant surge in the percentage of people viewing live videos across all major platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

The E-commerce giants like Amazon have also gotten in on the act too with Amazon Live which allows influencers to promote their favourite products and services. The beauty of live streaming is that it helps to connect brands with their loyal customer base and it establishes trust and authority because companies can showcase their know-how.

Putting a friendly face to a brand in a live-stream is a great way to engage new followers that in turn become buying customers. If you haven’t tried live streaming yet, it is an excellent way to engage your target audiences.

Get on and get live!

4. Inclusivity Matters In the 21st Century

Equality and diversity issues and showing your customer base that you care are of vital importance during these times. It was the caring and socially aware brands that grew the most during these pandemic times.

2020 saw the 'Black Lives Matter' movement come to the fore again, and globally, with issues such as diversity and inclusivity at the forefront of the public’s consciousness. Also, we saw the anti-racism movement grow massively in the world of sport, in particular football, with professional athletes worldwide taking the knee to show solidarity with the cause.

It is important to be authentic and empathetic with inclusivity matters because if prospects think that your brand is just jumping on the bandwagon, then it could have the opposite effect. So choose your campaigns carefully and sensitively and it is best to avoid contentious political issues. Show that you care and it goes a long way with many customers in these times.

Many brands have welcomed the inclusivity discussions and made efforts to show that they were inclusive and appreciative of diversity. In return many of these companies have been rewarded with positive feedback from customers and an increase in revenue. The likelihood is that in 2022, more and more brands will openly showcase their cultural values in digital marketing to capture this wave of interest in equality and diversity.

How can you bring inclusivity into your business and brand and promote it on social media platforms ? Think about issues that you are particularly passionate about, but as I said before be authentic and do your research first!

5. Newsletters and Podcasts Galore!

2020 also saw the popularity of newsletters and podcasts boom into a wider sphere of audiences. For businesses, podcasts and newsletters are the perfect way to keep their brand at the forefront of customers’ minds.

Both podcasts and newsletters are a fabulous way for your audiences to consume your content and build brand awareness and loyalty. The secret is to provide valuable content which provides solutions to customer problems and to understand what your clients are interested in.

Podcasts in particular, experienced a significant spike in popularity, as people can consume them on-the-go. Newsletters saw an 14% increase in 2020 and around 55% of Americans were listening to podcasts in 2020. What’s more is that the popularity of podcasts has also led to increased spending on them by advertisers. That means that podcasts are here to stay as long as audiences tune in.

If you want to engage your audiences, start planning a monthly or weekly newsletter sharing exciting and useful information for your prospects. Also, it is worth investing in some broadcasting equipment to start putting out your own podcasts. It is a superb way to engage the public and drive leads and sales in your business. At Blam we are getting an increasing number of SMES hiring us to write their company newsletters each month.

Listen to the Get Ahead in Business Podcast on Spotify Too.

Automatic For the People

The key takeaway is automation. Marketing automation helps you do things better, smarter and faster, so you get some time back. Small business owners are busy doing everything themselves and marketing can often seem too far out of reach because of the time pressures of other tasks. The simple solution is to leverage the power of automated marketing using A.I. websites and chat bots. Plus it is worth showcasing the caring and socially aware side of your brand with inclusivity themes in your promotions and social media. But always remember to keep it real and genuine because the modern day consumer can smell insincerity a mile away!

Blam is all about making it easy for SME owners to understand the power of digital marketing and we help countless businesses harness the power of A.I. websites and digital. We have even developed our own chat bot system for clients.

Last but not least, get your content out there with a company newsletter, podcasts and live streaming! In 2022 get on it with the digital methods that are building businesses into thriving ventures!

If you're considering any of these strategies but need advice on how to execute effectively, get in touch here

How to Make Your Content Marketing Strategy Boom in 2021!

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 12:22:43 GMT

Top Tips to Get the Most from Your Content Strategy

Content Marketing is the El Dorado for your business if you do it correctly and with some foresight. One of the worst pitfalls is trying to do everything and be present on every social media platform. It is much better to focus your attention on valuable and useful content on a few channels rather than spreading it far and wide across lots of different social media platforms. Let’s take a look at what your Content Marketing Strategy needs to consider in 2021...

What does Content Marketing give to Businesses?

Content Marketing needs to be plain and simple in its intentions:

It is all about increasing visits to your business website and social media with the intention of ascending those visitors into buyers.
In giving free and valuable content to your target audience you build the authority and reputation of your business. The more trust your brand has for being expert in your field, the more likely people are to buy from you and stay on as a loyal customer.

The crux of the matter is that your business content needs to be strategic in approach so that you attract and engage with the correct audiences. Subsequently, those engaged audiences will hopefully lead to paying customers. Nevertheless, it is not just about creating content, it is also about placing and distributing valuable content to enhance the reputation of your brand.

The Five Key Elements of Content Marketing Strategy

Fifth Element? Bruce Willis and surreal 90s sci-fi movies spring to mind. No, not the Fifth Element, but five elements. So what are they? Let’s find out...

1. Positioning Your Brand in the Market

Consistency is the secret source in marketing. You need to make your brand clear as to what it is and what it represents. If you can have consistency of purpose with your branding and create the correct image for it, then you are likely to experience great success.
To achieve this you need to take into consideration a few different factors right at the beginning. Ask yourself the following questions:
Who are your existing and potential customers?
What consumer experience are they seeking?
Who are your competitors?
What is unique about your brand that makes it stand out from the crowd?
What are the key aspects of your brand personality?
What customer problems are your products or services solving?

2. Owned Media Value Proposition

Sounds like a mouthful! It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue as an expression. What it means is that you should establish yourself as a credible publisher by designing the owned media value proposition. You can do this by:
Researching your audience by identifying the type of information they want.
Analysing the content strategies used by your competitors.
Once you develop owned media, you have to consider all content published in your sector as potential competitors.

3. Set out your Business Case

It is not about firing out content willy nilly. No siree! You need a focused, well-thought out and comprehensive content plan. As said before, you need to deliver value to your audiences and that takes some thought and planning.

However, beware of vanity metrics on social media; likes, comments and shares are not important on their own unless they co-relate with an increase in sales. Your content should be set to drive your business forward in a strategic manner. How do you do this?

Well, you need to:

Start by identifying the goals of the business and how content marketing can help you get closer to those goals.
By having a documented business case, you will be able to understand the costs, risks, and benefits of implementing the content marketing strategy.

Make sure that you can measure the KPIs of your content to your business goals to evaluate how successful your content strategy is.

4. Implementing Your Strategic Content Plan

Once you have set your business goals, you need to focus on how you will implement your Content Strategy, step by step. You should plan ahead with your content, at least 3 months in advance. Consider the types of content you will create, how you will deliver the content to your target audience and how to measure the success of your content. Remember it is sales and revenue that matter most, not just shares and likes.

5. Social Media and Other Channels

It is better to choose 2 or 3 social media channels to promote your content and do those 2 or 3 platforms well. The biggest mistake businesses make is trying to be everywhere on every social media platform. You will end up with half-finished bridges, to quote the leading DigitalMarketer CEO, Ryan Deiss.

Eight Steps For Creating and Implementing a Content Strategy and Content Plan

Remember that a successful Content Strategy requires purposeful planning and consideration. It should also be aligned with your company goals, anticipate challenges and allocate your resources in the most efficient way.

If you take the following 8 steps, you will be well on your way to a successful content marketing that strengthens your business:

Audit your Existing Content:

Look at existing content if you have any and analyse it to understand the quality of your content. Also, discover the types of content that attract the target audience you want and that generate leads and sales. If you are a new business jump to Step 2.

Analyse your Competitors’ Content:

Look at your competitors and the type of content that performs very well and in relation to high sales of products and services. The trick is to emulate the success of your competition because there is no point in reinventing the wheel. Notice the techniques and approaches that they use and apply them to your own marketing. But obviously change the content, so it is not a carbon copy as otherwise you will be breaking copyright laws.

Set Your Content Goals:

In order to have clear goals for your content strategy, you need to sit down and write out what it is that the content is trying to achieve in relation to your business plan.

Identify Your Target Audience:

It is essential that you know your audience and what their problems, needs, aspirations, lifestyles etc are. Use a Customer Avatar Template to guide you in this process. It can be the basis of your Content planning and you may have more than one customer avatar depending on your type of business. Download the template in the blue link and always use a Customer Avatar before you create any content. This is best practice for Content Marketers.

Create a Content Plan:

Using an Excel sheet or similar, write a plan for at least 3 months in advance. But be sure to tweak and add to it to reflect changing trends in the markets or to leverage the power of trending topics. Your editorial team should use the plan to allocate resources and staff in the most effective manner. Also, you can set deadlines for when content needs to be created by and scheduled to post.

Plan the content production:

Consider carefully the purpose of each piece of content and make sure that you cover all parts of what is called the Customer Value Journey. The CVJ and Customer Avatar are two of the most valuable nuggets of information that every marketer needs to know and understand to maximise their leads and sales and build a strong brand with their content.

Content Distribution Planning:

Your channels of distribution will obviously include your website and then 2 to 3 social media channels too. You can also consider Content Distribution networks where you pay to promote your content.

There is also the scope to publish press releases and be featured in the media and also to use paid advertising to promote your best content. It is all about staying in front of your prospects’ mind and attention, so they don’t forget your brand. That way you can build brand awareness and loyalty.

Content Analytics and Performance- It is vital that you understand what types of content your audience connects with and to analyse its performance through certain metrics. Most social media platforms have built in analytics to show you how well your content is doing in terms of views, impressions, likes, shares etc.

You can also use content metrics like user behaviour, SEO results, company revenue, dwell time on page, clicks on links and so forth to measure performance. Tools such as Google Analytics give a deeper insight into performance.

Looking Forward!

So there we have it, we have covered the five elements of a successful content strategy and also the 8 steps that you can take. The key takeaways are to make your content purposeful and aligned with your business goals. To have content plan or editorial plan for at least every three months. To consider the types of target audiences and what works best. To monitor and analyse the performance of your content through metrics and analytics and that way the best performing can be used and emulated again and again. Oh and don’t forget, look at what the competition are doing in terms of content and emulate their best content and strategies!

Last but not least, to save you time and to schedule content weeks and months in advance, you need to use a Content Tool. Blam Social is one of the easiest and user friendly Content Tools on the market today. We use it with all of our customers.

To book in for a FREE MARKETING AUDIT click here

Eight Things Every Blog Needs in 2021

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 17:42:50 GMT

Top Blog Tips for 2021

Are you a blog writer or are you thinking of creating blog posts for your business website?

If so, read on…

Blogging remains one of the most important and powerful tools of digital marketing. Every blogger, company, and Digital Marketer needs to consider these 8 key points in 2021.

1. Longer is Better

Not so long ago, the conventional wisdom around blogging was that short blogs of around 500 words performed best. This was largely based on the fact that people have shorter attention spans and prefer brief content. However, more recent studies have shown that search engines give preference to in-depth and longer content.

Google now tends to rank longer blog posts of quality information as opposed to short posts which have little to offer the reader. SERPS or Search Engine Results pages are the web pages that users find when they search for something on Google. The user will type in certain keywords and phrases and then Google shows the SERPS.

With longer blogs containing quality information and keywords, your article is more likely to be found in SERPS. Comprehensive and useful articles can help your blog and website climb the rankings in Google.

2. Create Evergreen Content

So what is it? In a nutshell, evergreen content is content that stays relevant and valuable over a long period of time. It doesn’t grow old fast. It may need refreshing and updating from time to time, but the main content is useful to prospects for the long term.

Evergreen content helps you drive continuous traffic to your website. Posting content that solves a prospect’s problems with a solution means guaranteed visitors to your website. The beauty of evergreen content is that you can use it again and again and also promote it.

Examples of evergreen content include a cheat sheet, a how-to article, a short guide to something important for the target audience, a tool etc.

3. Don’t Be Salesy, Offer Value First

A basic rule of thumb for blog posts is that the content should offer valuable information and not try to sell to your customers from the word go. The Customer Value Journey is about gradually building a relationship with your prospects by giving them value first.

Today’s consumers don’t want to read content that is blatantly written for the purpose of selling. They can detect it easily and are likely to leave your blog as quickly as they came.

Your blog content should be the bridge builder that will give authority to your brand and build trust. It should show the internet that you are a problem solver for your target audience and not just in it for a quick sale.

Every website should have a lead magnet which is basically a free giveaway of a really valuable piece of content to help your prospects solve a problem e.g. a pdf document on How To achieve something, a cheat sheet, etc. A lead magnet is given away in return for a prospects’ email, so you can start marketing to them.

4. Visual Content Draws In Traffic

Combine your text with stunning images and graphics, so your content has a greater impact on the reader. Well-written and compelling content with attractive visuals will help prospects have a better understanding of your brand.

But don’t just post random images or create bland banners. Choose and create your images and graphics to properly lure in your audience with content based on their needs.

There is a range of fab free graphics tools online such as Canva and Snapsneed. Also, you can get a range of images from Stock image websites some of which have free photos e.g. Pexels

5. Repurpose Existing Content

Repurposing content is about reusing existing content into different formats e.g. a blog can be made into a case study, a podcast, a social media post etc.

A successful content strategy writing is more than just writing blogs from scratch. By repurposing your old content, you can leverage your old content to draw in more traffic. Rewriting, refreshing, and changing your old content to make it purposeful again will help your website get better rankings on SERPs.

It is important to monitor the performance of your existing content to see which pieces were the most popular and then refresh, rewrite and repurpose them to gain a wider audience.

6. Having a Content Strategy and Plan

A successful business plans its content at least 3 months in advance. Without the right strategy, you won’t get valuable results. A well-planned content strategy predicts what type of content will suit your brand the best, who your target audience is, where do you want to head, and what is the appropriate roadmap for your brand.

Using an Excel document or similar, plan at least 3 months ahead and write down the topics and subtopics which you will cover each week.

Also, do SEO keyword research to include keywords in your blogs so that they are picked up in the SERPS on Google. Plus, include links to external websites to improve your rankings.

7. Stand Out From the Crowd With Your Company Voice

Whilst keeping an eye on the competition and emulating their successful content, it is also important that your company has a distinct and unique voice.

In today’s digital world, your business needs a distinct voice to get ahead of the game. If you simply follow what everyone else is doing, you won't attract the attention of your customers because there won’t be anything unique about your content.

So it is fine to write blogs on topics that are trending (and most of the big corporations do this), but it is important that your brand voice stands out as different from everyone else.

Equally important in today’s worry-ridden world, is that your content should have bundles of positivity. Also, show empathy and support to your target audience and win the hearts of your readers with practical solutions to their problems. Sites like Think With Google are packed with useful ideas about market trends.

8. Monitor the KPIs of your Content

It goes without saying that every piece of content should have a goal and a purpose . To check that content has reached its goal, you need to measure Key Point Indicators (KPIs) to see how each post has performed. Here are some KPIs you can use for blog writing:

Brand loyalty and awareness: this is a little trickier to measure, but you can carry out social listening to see what people are saying about your brand on social media. Also, from the comments, likes, and shares on your blog posts.
Conversion rate - how many readers who discovered your blog became paying customers?
Customer retention and engagement - how many customers who have encountered your brand via blog posts remained as customers?
Email responses - what is the open rate on your email campaigns? You can send your blog posts via email too.
Return on investment (ROI) - how much revenue did you make from your specific content campaigns compared to the cost of creating the blog posts? Particularly relevant if you are paying a Content Writer.
SERPs ranking - How are your blog posts performing in the search engine results of Google and other search engines?
Social media engagement - What are the stats for engagement on social media? E.g. views, impressions, comments, likes, shares etc.

Monitoring analytics and optimising your content requires knowledge of how to read the KPIs and stats of your social media platforms and to use tools such as Google Analytics. If you don’t have the time or inclination for analytics, you can always hire a Digital Marketing expert or team to do this for you.

Well, that’s all folks! Remember that a well-planned Content Strategy for your blogging can help build your brand authority and convert prospects into buying customers. Lead with value to build customer relationships and don’t be salesy from the start.

Remember this - the most successful of blogs is based on well-written, valuable content with compelling images!

For more info on blogging strategy, contact the Blam team on info@blamwebsites.com

"Dealing with your imposter syndrome early is really important "

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 10:53:46 GMT

Blam Partner Testimonial #15 Testimonial | Jon B. CEO DoodleBug

The following transcript is from this video interview here . Jon Bugg, CEO of We Are DoodleBug describes his journey to becoming successful as a Blam Partner.

Grant : Hi guys and welcome today to Mr. Jon Bugg, Director of We Are Doodlebug. Welcome, Jon. We are gonna have a chat today because John's been with us a while now and he's at quite an interesting point in his journey of being a Blam Partner, so I wanted to have a chat with him so he could share his journey in the hope that we can give information to prospective partners and also give inspiration to new partners and partners that are interested in seeing the way other people are running their businesses.

So, pleased to have you with me Jon and I must say, first of all, I'm loving your background. You've got it all going on with the logos. There's no chance of us not knowing where you're from.

Jon : Well that was the idea because I found people were going on Zoom and they're putting little labels at the bottom with all their details in. So I just put it in the background via Canva.

Grant : Here you go, tip number one, Canva is your friend. Brilliant so let's just start with a bit of background. So what industry were you in prior to starting your digital marketing agency?

Jon: I was in education, so I've been a teacher since the mid-90s. I rose up to headmaster level and found myself at the end of one month, having walked around the school realizing that I've seen 400-450 kids that day. I was sitting in my office and thought, 'how long is it since I've seen my daughter awake during the week?' It was a good four weeks and I realised that this [work-life balance] is not really for me. I've had my pound of flesh and I need to do something more for myself. So I went off to do some consultancy work in education and, as part of that, I had to learn about marketing/digital marketing and how that all fitted together. I did a course on that and loved it, absolutely loved it. It just lit fires in me that I hadn't experienced for years and it was exactly where I wanted to be.

I found myself talking to headmasters who are supposed to be talking about behaviour systems, special needs, and coaching their senior leaders. Instead, I was talking about how they were marketing their school. So then I was like 'this is a sign for me', that's where I need to move to.

"I had to make a decision to go 100% full-time on this and that was probably the best decision I could have made!"

I looked at different options and there were a couple of franchises that came up. I was just scanning through one of those sites and Blam popped up. I thought, 'that looks interesting', so I filled out the form and had a chat with you guys [Grant Stain and Edward van der Kleijn] and basically ended up signing up. I ran it concurrently to start off with so there wasn't a cliff edge, I didn't jump off and go bang - I'm all digital marketing now. It [my consultancy work] reduced over the years and the marketing work increased, but when Covid-19 hit the [education] consultancy work obviously disappeared completely. So I had to make a decision to go 100% full-time on this and that was probably the best decision I could have made!

The time [I spent on my digital agency] before gave me a good grounding in what I was doing. I [already] had clients and things [in place] and I'd learned a lot, but it [Covid-19] was the push I needed. Once I'd recovered from actually having Covid -

Grant: Yeah, you were really ill as well. I remember speaking to

you and it really knocked you off your feet, didn't it?

Jon: Yeah it was early days when I caught it in sort of mid-March or early-March 2020 and so it was a scary experience. I don't mind admitting there was one night where I thought my chips were up and that was it. You go through an experience like that and then it comes in waves. Every month or so I'd have another bout of it, but not as bad as that first time.

I certainly believed I was going to get better those times but yeah it kept coming on again and again and again. But even with dealing with that over the last sort of 18 months, I've still managed to grow the business so it was a pretty awful time but we're at the other side of it now and this year, in particular, has been really, really positive.

Grant: Well you've really got some traction now and I think it's interesting, I just want to go back to what you said, because I actually wrote a blog about this over the weekend. You would not believe how many Partners have had a similar situation where they - prior to the pandemic - were running their business as a bit of a side gig and they were balancing it between either being in full-time or part-time work. Then when the pandemic and lockdown came, they decided to take the plunge. Either their other business [was affected], they were furloughed or they were in an industry that shut down and they committed fully to their business. It's happened so many times and every single one of them has said the same as you - 'I wish I'd have done it sooner' or 'it was just the push I needed'.

"It felt like I was perpetually winding and winding and winding and winding and then suddenly BANG! I took off."

Jon: Yeah it is, but there was also an element of... at the moment things are going really well. But, you know when you were a kid you had one of those elastic band airplanes where you'd wind it up and wind it up and wind it up? It felt like I was perpetually winding and winding and winding and winding and then suddenly BANG! I took off.

I think sometimes it's easy to lose sight of the end goal when you're so stuck in that winding stage and you're trying to get things up and moving. It feels like everything's hard work but, actually, once you've done that it's a really great foundation and you can take off.

Grant: Yeah, so I think to a certain extent I would say that [after] speaking to lots of Partners like yourself when you've got a side gig you're balancing two careers it provides you the opportunity to make mistakes. You learn your craft and get your confidence going so that you're not committing to it fully but you still need that push.

Jon: I remember some of the early clients I spent hours doing things that should have been done like that [*snaps fingers*] that nowadays I'll set aside an hour to do that job and it'll be done. And back then it was like, 'oh, everything's brand new I've got to work out how to do this and I've got to contact Blam, I forgot to ask the client this'. But once you've done it and you've got that schema in your head of how it all works then it's so much easier, so much more intuitive.

Grant: Well...digital marketing is a broad church, there's a lot to learn. I said to a new Partner yesterday we do try really hard to not give you information overload but we usually fail because there is a lot to learn. But, we've got a way of showing Partners how, even when you're at that early stage, you're an amateur you can use that to your advantage. We call it the 'Dummy Curve' and it is part of our training. We teach being a 'dummy' is a great sales tactic, [it] can make you feel a bit uncomfortable but you know I'm still a 'Dummy' now, it works for me.

Jon: Yeah I'm sure that's not true!

[Laughter]

The thing is... I've said to you before I was in a public sector [job] where the money is what the money is and you just do the jobs to the best of your ability...One of the big learning curves for me was the sales process and how to manage that. Don't get me wrong, it appeals to me because I like the process. I like to know 'I've got to do this, this and this' and then 'we'll do this and this' and work it through as we go along. It's something that has become an obsession of mine. I had no real experience and I got some great pointers from you guys to start off with to make sure that I actually got myself out there. I always think of it as the 'phone your friend' bit but that's not what you call it is it?

Grant: No, it's your hot leads.

"Dealing with your imposter syndrome early is really important "

Jon: That's it, it's about getting your hot leads and leveraging your network because one of the things I do now is...I go to a lot of events and talk to people, present, and stand up in front of people. Dealing with your imposter syndrome early is really important and I'm not saying stand on a big stage in front of everyone you know immediately but talk to as many people as you can about it [your business]. Even if they're not gonna buy from you, engage them in a conversation around it and they'll test your knowledge. They'll ask you questions and two things will happen: you'll realize you knew more than you thought you did and number two you'll find that you've got a good checklist of things to go and find out.

Grant: That is absolutely brilliant advice that is. The more conversations you can have with people about your business and put yourself in situations where you're having conversations is exactly [what I recommend], I couldn't have put it better myself. You've got that ability to grow and that's when it will just start becoming natural and now we were talking earlier about the fact where you now have the experience of knowing when a client is a good fit or not, and that's really difficult to know when you first start out because not every client is a good client.

Jon: Do you want me to tell that story?

Grant: Go for it, because I get this a lot by the way and, just to caveat the story, quite often if a Partner is new they are very keen to get customers on board...and that's a brilliant place to be but occasionally you get customers that aren't a great fit - a bit over-demanding, they might not be very nice people sometimes and when you're new it's difficult to say no. I always think that when a Partner starts to be more discerning and understands the difference between a good fit and a bad fit they're really getting it so with that in mind, tell me about your experience.

Jon: It's pretty much exactly what you said there. It was early days, I knew I needed to replace the consultancy work that had gone with Covid. I needed to get people on the books and this guy came along and he seemed really lovely, really nice but there were little hints as we were going through the process that actually he was a bit of a gas lighter. So he was presenting things as an agreed thing that I'd said I would do and I knew because I'd written down it was all in in the quotes and in the schemes of the schedules of work and all that sort of thing. But 'no, no that's not that's not right' and he went on and on and on. He always came across as really nice and in the end, I realized that I was spending the majority of my days thinking about one client who was a relatively small part of the business, obsessing over how I was going to manage him. At that point, I realised this isn't right and he basically complained that something hadn't been done so I said to him, 'Right, this is the original schedule that we agreed. This is the schedule, this is how it's been impacted by the extra things that you've thrown at me' and he couldn't argue with that because it was right in front of him. I said, 'what I'm going to do is I'm going to quote you for the schedule that we've got here' - which was about three times as much as what he paid for [originally] - um 'and there are no hard feelings, you can walk away that's fine or we can do the work and you'll be paying for what you're getting'. So I quoted him and he said no and he went off. That was a good way of dealing with that particular situation and then I thought there were early warning signs here that happened early on where he was almost too nice or he was saying things that were, it was difficult to put my finger on it, so what I did was I used one of the avatars that we've got from the digital marketing courses and I built an avatar of early warning signs and clients that I don't want to work with.

So now when I'm having conversations and I'm thinking that doesn't feel quite right then I'll extract myself. So for example I might say, instead of offering them an audit I might send them to the audits page so they can do their own audit and then submit their details and I'll then send them the outcome which is due. If I've done a face-to-face with someone, I always add some notes and give them my top three hints for the best bits to do next and it's a really strong part of the sales process.

Whereas with those ones [unsuitable clients], I'll send them the details and hope they don't get in touch.

Grant: You know what I think? It definitely shows that you're now getting experienced and I love that avatar idea. It's kind of like I've got a 'not-to-do list'. It's a bit like not to work with traits.

Jon: Yeah that's it and I think it empowers you to say, 'I'm not imagining this, this has happened before and however hard I work at this relationship it's never going to be a positive professional relationship'.

Having the confidence to say, 'right, I'm going to step away from this because I've got X number of meetings next week with X number of conversions and there's more in the pipeline.' It does take time to get that pipeline flowing. It sounds easy when I say it like that but it took months to get it to the point. I remember having conversations with Ed about the pipeline being empty. You have to get to the stage where you've got plenty going on at once, managing your time around that and keeping your head straight around what you've got to manage. It is difficult so calendar management, time management, multitasking, perseverance [is important], but when your funnel's full, all those things become easier.

Grant: That's weird isn't it? It's been topped up.

Jon: Yeah you've confidence there's no edge coming up where you're going to fall off and you've got no work.

Grant: A couple of things I wanted to touch on with you as well. So you're at the stage now where your business is growing and you're starting to think about the next steps. At some point, you're going to need to think about having somebody else work with you and as I've said to you before, Partners tend to fall into two different categories. You've got the Partners that love selling and want to carry on doing that and they'll take on an admin person. Then you've got the Partners that are the other way around that want to hand over the selling to somebody else. Ultimately not all Partners want to grow either, they just want to get to the point where their MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) is providing a fantastic revenue for them and it's ticking along nicely, they might add one or two clients a month but it's manageable.

But you're obviously in the school where you want to grow your business and this is the bit that I'd like to touch on because quite often, particularly with new Partners or prospective Partners, one of the things we often get asked about is how are you going to teach me to sell? You've not got any experience of selling and now selling is what you want to do and you want to recruit the admin. So I'd just like to dive into that a little bit more and find out what is it about that side of it that appeals to you?

"What I really like is getting out there talking to people...it's become something I'm slightly obsessed with."

Jon: Yeah so the model is that there's a client manager and a fulfilment person who keeps everything in the background running and all that sort of thing is something that I wanted to push [for] because I was used to being a figurehead and having people who did that stuff for me. So it's not a strength of mine the admin stuff and what I really like is getting out there talking to people. I like presenting, I like meeting new clients and as I learned more about the sales process - how it can be structured and how you can work out what you need to be doing at different stages - it's become something I'm slightly obsessed with. it's almost like you know you get the sale and you go, 'where's the next sale?'

"It's not something I knew a lot about but it's a process that I've really come to enjoy. You get an adrenaline rush when you sell..."

I have to have to remind myself it's really important that I fulfil this and do it properly. So that understanding [of the sales process] is what has really got me and that's what I wanted to focus on. It's not something I knew a lot about but it's a process that I've really come to enjoy. You get an adrenaline rush when you sell, it gives you a buzz. If I do a big one, I'll be downstairs telling my wife and kids - the youngest one's only 3 she didn't care! I've even been known to tell the dog if they're out and so you get those hits and that'd be something I'd really miss if it was all someone else doing it.

Now that's not to say that in the future I don't want a sales team because you know my vision is a bigger business where we've got a fulfilment department and a sales department and it becomes a machine. But that's still got to have my kind of character running through it because it's a busy market, websites and digital marketing, it's busy. Don't get me wrong, everybody needs it now and it's a bigger part of every

business, especially with lockdowns. There's plenty of room for us all,

it's not something where we're going to be squeezed out or

anything but you've still got to stand out, you still have to be the person who [clients] come to. For me, because I need to have people who I like working with, it needs to be people who are engaged by me and so that's got to be a major part of the [growth] process. So, I think if you want a business that is growing, you've got to sell. If you want a business that you enjoy working in, you've got to enjoy working with the clients and if you want people [clients] who fit you then you've got to put yourself out there and be that front. If you're - and I'm not saying this is wrong I'm saying this it's not for me - you're staying in the background and someone else's personality is out there, I'm going to be dealing with their ideal client coming through and that's doesn't suit my personality.

Grant: Yeah I can relate to that or all of what you said. It's awesome to see that you've gone from somebody who's not necessarily got a sales background to somebody who actually gets to see the buzz. Equally some Partners will go the other way as well, they'll prefer being the account manager or dealing with the admin and getting somebody else to do the sales. But my belief is, and this is absolutely key to anybody that's watching this who's thinking of becoming a Blam Partner, you have got to learn how to sell yourself first. It's such an important part of being a business owner, of being an entrepreneur and, even if you don't do it as

the business grows, you've got to be the one that is leading the way in that respect. Because, if you're going to take on salespeople you need to know they're doing it properly.

"Yeah, I had to work on it [the sales process], but boy was it worth it!"

Jon: Yes, yeah that was brought home to me by one of my clients actually. I'd been dealing with the general manager and the sales director and they were great and I had a really good relationship with them. Then I met the owner who basically went to the general manager himself and all his questions were about 'how many form submissions have we got? How many meetings are booked? How many design meetings have you got?' It was all about those early stages because he knew how his funnel worked and that was his obsession - making sure that they had the right levers in place so that they knew they were going to get the right number of sales out of it. It wasn't what he did day to day, but he understood it absolutely to fine detail, exactly what his team needed to be doing. So, if you have no sales experience, you can learn it. Don't get me wrong, if you've got a background in sales you're going to find it a lot easier to do the sales because you will have a whole mountain of knowledge and experience that you can draw on. But, those of us who don't have that experience are building it up. My mountain of knowledge was understanding the psychology of people, how they work, what their reactions were, what they meant by things and how to design and run a system. Once I realised that it was just a different context for that it all fell into place. Yeah, I had to work on it, but boy was it worth it!

Grant: That's awesome! I love what you just said about the funnel because part of our job is helping businesses, that's what we do and when we can relate to what they do we can apply simple marketing tactics and it's really rewarding to see. I always say with our clients, it's peer-to-peer, we're dealing with other business owners and entrepreneurs. I always say if you've got that instinct to run your own business, you're different [from most people] and we tend to get on, entrepreneurs tend to get on. That's why I love doing what I because all the Partners that I deal with are like me; they're ambitious, they're in a business, they love sales they love talking about business. When we go out to have a beer we talk about business for fun not because we have to. Other people don't talk about work, but I talk about work all day long and all night - I love it.

Jon: Absolutely. I spoke to a contact of mine, talking about business... she's brilliant, she's got a lot of skills that would be really valuable and she said, 'Look, Jon, you read business books for fun that's all you talk about so, of course, you think it's easy. I'm not in that place.' It wasn't right for her but I was dazzled by the fact that it was what I loved.

Grant: Yeah that's it, it's the five percent of people who are that way inclined. They're the ones that we really get on with.

So just to wrap things up. What I like to do with these chats is help Partners who are new to us and Partners who are looking to gain some traction. What advice would you give to a Partner right now who's new, they're learning their craft and they're just dipping their toe in the water. What would you give them as advice thinking back to what it was like for you back then?

"I think it's really important to remember that the grafts you're putting in when it doesn't feel like you're getting the reward for it...will come back to you and it will come back as revenue eventually."

Jon: I think it's really important to remember that the grafts you're putting in when it doesn't feel like you're getting the reward for it - if you're following your systems and you're doing the right things - it will come back to you and it will come back as revenue eventually.

Making those calls, sending those emails, going to those meetings, the networking events, and all that can feel like you're doing a lot for no reward. It took a good three months of doing that before it became

comfortable and before my funnel was filling up. Now I've got people who I spoke to a year ago who are coming back and saying, 'yeah I'm ready to go now'. They haven't just appeared, there's a lot of work that went in the early days.

"It's like a tanker: it takes time to get moving and to get the momentum going and then once the momentum is going it gets a lot easier to keep it going."

If you make a phone call and just basically have a good

conversation with someone and learn about the business but they're not really ready at the moment, whack it in the diary in six weeks. Ring them back and ask 'how's it going now?' Not only do they give you a chance to go over your sales process again but you will also nurture their understanding, they will start to trust you and they'll start to believe that you can offer what you're saying you'll offer. When they're ready, they'll come to you because they like you, they know you, they trust you and they want to give you their money to do their web design. That was a big learning point for me; realizing that those phone calls that didn't result in the sale weren't wasted, it was all building up the momentum for the business. When you get that momentum, it's like a tanker: it takes time to get moving and to get the momentum going, and then once the momentum is going it gets a lot easier to keep it going. But it takes a massive effort to get that movement in the first place.

Grant: A good analogy that is and like you were saying more and more of your business is now coming from referrals.

Jon: Yes so people I've worked with who like what I've done but also people who I've met in networking events and even just randomly who know, like, and trust me. When they're talking to someone, you appear in their mind and they think, 'oh I know someone who I can refer you to' and if they trust the referral is going to be seen to, they want to refer you because it means that they're then seen positively by that person who they might be doing business with. So the momentum building around your network grows and you're then able to leverage the fact that people know you and what you do.

Also, don't be too worried about obsessively talking about it [your business] because people are interested in how digital marketing works and websites. They don't know as much as you think they do and it's those conversations that help build your authority up and help people to know that actually you do know what you're talking about and you can fulfil what you say you can do.

Grant: That's a good one to finish off on because Partners often have - we talked about earlier, didn't we? Imposter syndrome.

You've done your certification, you've done your digital marketing courses, you know you've got all this knowledge...but you still feel like. 'blimey, I only know like a fraction of what I need to know!' But, at that point, you still know loads more than 99% of the people that you speak to by just doing those two bits.

Jon: And there's a saying that gets divined a lot around, 'fake it till you make it'. What that actually means is dealing with your imposter syndrome so it's not making something up and pretending you

know it. It's actually dealing with the fact that you know this stuff but you just aren't confident in it yet. The fake it till you make it is all about dealing with that imposter syndrome and saying, 'It's okay. I should put myself in that position and I should talk about it and just go for it.' You'll be surprised what comes out of your head.

Grant: Yeah that's so true, that's so true and I see that happen all the time. People are often quite like, 'I actually dealt with that! I think that

went really well!' They're quite surprised. That's awesome.

Brilliant, well finally I'd just like to try and get a little bit of insight from you about Blam just to give people that are watching this who are potentially thinking of joining Blam - it's always good just to hear it from

the horse's mouth. I haven't prompted you on this, so just speak honestly. So what's it been like dealing with us? Obviously, I'll just cut it out if you slag us off.

[Laughter]

Jon: Right, so what I'd say about working with Blam is just give them

the work to do because they make you look good. I'll submit a sign-up form and immediately get an automatic response to say you've

got it. I know that if there are any questions about it, I can respond to that and someone will get back to me.

We've had problems with [clients'] security certificates and then

your guys get back to me straight away and say 'yeah

I've done something' or 'no, Jon you've got to wait forty-eight hours'. And that's the other thing actually, they're very good at... I can be fairly abrupt and I do know that...but they always come back to me they're always friendly, they're always wanting to help. When I did my first e-commerce site, one of your developers sat with me and went through how the spreadsheet worked and how it all fitted together.

"Without Blam, the business wouldn't be where it is now"

The service has been excellent, really really good and if I don't know how to do something they'll show me how to do it in a way that means I can do it in the future. Without Blam, the business wouldn't be where it is now. I'd be fiddling about still, learning how to do things that don't really interest me and I know that anything I hand off to Blam comes back down really well and I love that about them.

Grant: Thanks mate, appreciate that. It's our goal to support Partners in any way we can and obviously, we've got the fulfilment side of it and then we work really hard with the motivation, the mentorship, and the whole sort of entrepreneurial world. Because I always think with

Blam you've got the fulfilment side of it which we've got to deliver the best products in the world and we've got to deliver the best service - for me that's a given. The other side of it is, how do we help a new entrepreneur? Somebody new to business, who might be new to sales, and might be new to working on their own. That's the other big side of what we want to deliver so that people can you know-

Jon: I can clarify that then because, as I said earlier, there are things I've just never done before and the reason I do them now is because you guys coached me through those early days. 'This is how you start off, this is what you need to do first your phone you know you do your hot

leads list...Then I made a comment about the audit not working properly so you were straight on the phone. You personally rang me up and said you're doing it wrong Jon, so I changed it and did it better and now it's an integral part of the sales process. If I don't do it, the conversion rate goes down massively. I started off if they [clients] came to me and they knew what they wanted, I just went straight into the website pitch but actually doing the audit first is a much stronger way of converting them, they're much more likely to convert. And, as I said earlier, I really enjoy that bit.

The bit I don't enjoy is the bit that you guys do day in day out for me which is why I focused on that...I'm just thankful every day that I don't have to do all that stuff.

Grant: I must admit, I'm with you. The team take care of it for

me as well.

Jon: But my firm belief is that in any sort of business or enterprise you have a role to play and if you play to your strengths then it's going to work really well. If you obsess over your weaknesses, unless you can turn them into a strength, then you know [it won't work]. So sales for me

was a weakness turned into a strength but admin for me is a weakness and it will always be a weakness. So I'm going to balance it out.

Grant: Brilliant well it's been an absolute pleasure talking to you Jon. I really appreciate your time and I'm really pleased to see how things are going for you and expecting big things. Looking forward to having those conversations with you where we are

recruiting and seeing that growth because that's the bit you know I love to get involved with. I've got a lot of Partners in that position at

the moment and I've got something I want to talk to you about that I hope is going to get you excited that can really help you on that

journey. But, with that little teaser, I'll say thanks very much and I will speak to you very soon.

Jon: Thanks Grant speak to you soon cheers

"You guys are genuinely about helping partners"

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 12:10:17 GMT

Blam Partner Interview #14 Jenani Paul, CEO of Digital Consultants Canada

Toronto, Canada

Blam Partner Interview #14 Jenani Paul, CEO of Digital Consultants Canada

Toronto, Canada

Here’s the original video link to view the testimonial in full https://youtu.be/sDfv0HdHuDE

Grant Intro: I've got Jenani Paul with me, one of the Blam Partners over in Toronto, Canada . So although you are in lockdown at the moment [13th May 2021] as we record this we are still in the pandemic. I'm guessing people are going to be watching this for years to come so you will remember these days and we're all learning to live with these restrictions. But, of course, being in digital marketing doesn't stop us from doing business - we're still rocking and rolling.

Today, Jenani, first of all, thank you for joining me. I appreciate that she's taking some time out of her busy schedule. I know she's very busy so I'll try and keep this short and sweet to talk about her business and a little bit about the Blam Partnership. I'm hoping that we can help inspire other Blam Partners to follow in your footsteps and you can help inspire some of the new guys that started. Then also for people that are looking at us and thinking of becoming a Partner, this will give you the benefit of her

experience.

Grant: You've been a Partner for quite a while now, how long has it been?

Jenani: It's been a while, almost five years I think.

Grant: Wow that was it yeah because I remember actually when you first started. Were you originally working alongside your husband?

Jenani: Yes I was. My husband and I decided to start it together part-time because we were both doing different consulting and insurance jobs.

Grant: For a while, you kind of dipped in and out of the business didn't you

Jenani: I did, I was trying to do this at the same time as I was working as a consultant for large corporations and the projects would take between 16 to 24 months. Then around the end of 2019, we're like okay we have to kind of make a decision: 'what do we do?' At the start of 2020, we decided I'll go full-time as a Blam Partner and my husband will continue with his job. So, yeah, it's been an awesome uphill drive since then.

Grant: There have been so many partners that join us who take a similar trajectory. It's quite often that partners join us and they've already got a job or they're busy doing their own thing and they take their time to get going -four years is extreme!

"I wanted to build a business where I can manage everything without always being in the building."

Jenani: I think I had my legs in both oceans: 'which way am I going right?' I loved digital marketing, I loved working with you guys and, from a website perspective, this is the direction right now in the future because businesses need to have a digital presence.

I wanted to build a business where I can manage everything without always being in the building.

Grant: I've done a few interviews like this since we started in lockdown and we've had a lot of partners that finally took the plunge to go full time on their business. Ones that had their feet in both sides [before Covid-19] and I think it's given a lot of people the confidence to say: 'Right, I can do this full time now!'

So let's talk about that journey from when you took the plunge and decided to go full time. I suppose the benefit of doing that was that you'd already had a few years of experience with just just a handful of clients?

Jenani: Yes, I had just a handful of clients and they were quite needy from the client's perspective which was great. For me, it was more about understanding the ins and outs of the onboarding process, how to deliver a good experience for them to be able to transition online and get their website launching.

"I was used to corporate vocabulary and long, drawn-out projects."

I think it took me a while to figure out because it's a little different from the corporate world of consulting. When you're dealing with smaller businesses as well, they can be so different from one end of the spectrum to the other. Plus, I was used to corporate vocabulary and long, drawn-out projects.

Then I realized, these guys are just different in the way they understand the process. They don't need a whole document explanation, they don't need an approval process, they just make a decision and they run with it. The turnaround time is a lot faster and the communication is so much easier because there's not a large number of people having to make decisions so it's different.

Grant: It's interesting and you're not unusual in that respect. When you come from a corporate world and you are used to drawn-out processes and decision-making it's often strange when you deal with an entrepreneur who makes decisions about their own business.

We were just talking earlier about how you can actually close the deal on a first appointment and it doesn't come naturally when you've been in a

corporate environment does it?

Jenani: Yeah, no because you think you have to get all the risks signed off and communicate all the issues. Whereas entrepreneurs and small businesses are all about taking risks so for them it's like 'let's just do it and let's see how it goes'. I had that mentality of having to cover every boundary, I had to put it all into a detailed document and that's the learning curve that I've been on.

Grant: That's one of the exciting things when somebody actually commits to going with you for their digital marketing whether that be the website, an app, or something else. Although yes, it is a big commitment because it's an important part of their business; financially it's not a big decision for them to make because you're not going to be walking off with tens of thousands of dollars. It's not a big risk for clients in that respect because of the way that we go about helping our customers. We try to take as much of that risk out of it as possible. If somebody's not happy, we don't tie them into a contract we're not going to say: 'well, you're paying me for the next three years whether you like it or not'.

Jenani: Exactly, it gives clients more freedom to say, 'okay you know what I can try'. I personally don't like contracts much either, so why would I want to put my clients in one as well? If we do a great job why would they want to leave? So my goal is just to get them over the line and then show them how good it is.

Grant: Yeah exactly, so with that in mind how have you enjoyed dealing with the team? Are you now getting a good rapport and getting what you what in terms of the service and the design?

Jenani: The experience with Blam's designers has been very positive. Originally I was thinking to do the designs myself but

it would take so long and it was a lot of pressure on top of what I was already doing. I think we have a good flow happening right now where I understand what the client wants to get out of their value proposition, what they're trying to communicate, and then brief it over to Blam's designers: Hey, can we professionalize this and make it more modern?

I think the website team at Blam probably knows us very well now and hears from us at least once a day.

Grant: That's good, that's what we're there for. Hopefully, you don't mind me getting into this but you are at that stage now where you've built a solid foundation. You've got a substantial number of clients now you've and you're at that point where you now start to think how do you scale?

Do you take on employees to grow your business? So at the moment, you've got a lot on your plate.

"I’ve got to figure out ‘what’s the best use of my time?’... it’s a good problem to have!"

Jenani: Yeah definitely because as an entrepreneur you try to do everything on your own. I've got to figure out what's the best use of my time, I think that's where I'm at - where, when, and how do I get a team together? I have taken on some recent graduates who are helping me figure out how to simplify and streamline some of the activities so that frees me up to talk to more new clients and be able to communicate the value of being online. So yeah it's a lot but it's not a bad problem, it's a good problem to have.

Grant: I always love it when Partners get to that stage because typically - for the benefit of people that are watching - Partners tend to fall into two different camps in my view. I'm delighted to hear you say you actually want to go out and deal with the clients and do the sales because when you are looking to recruit for the admin side of things, customer retention, and support, you know we'll be working on that together to help you grow. We've got lots of partners that have been through that stage and it's the tipping point where you just can't do it all on your own.

[Jenani loses connection]

Grant: Oh, I've just lost her. Hopefully, she'll come back in but while we're waiting for her, this is for me the exciting bit for partners when they're just at that point where they're starting to scale. We can then help them. Just to point out that at Blam, we can take a lot of the account management and the support away from partners. I hope Jenani, won't mind me saying this when she's not here. Part of what I'm going to be helping her do is show how she can use us more because she's so used to being hands-on

and supportive and super helpful...

[Jenani rejoins the session]

Grant: Don't worry I was doing a great job of filling.

Because you've been through quite a rapid growth stage last year where you were very hands-on and you really want to deliver an absolutely A-plus service by giving all your customers loads of support. It means that you get pulled all over the place, so we can actually help you with a lot of that support by helping you put systems and processes in place...for me, you're at the most exciting stage.

Jenani: Yeah I think so too. I'm excited, looking forward to scaling up and getting to a place where we're going onto the next stage of growth.

Grant: So yeah exactly, as you start to come out of lockdown then I guess you will see lots of lots of positivity this year. We've just come out of lockdown in the UK, we were in lockdown for 4-5 months - it feels like forever! - so the light is at the end of the tunnel.

As you look to the future, where do you see yourself taking the business? What do you see the business looking like in the next two to

three years?

Every partner's different with that as well some people want to grow a beast, some people want to have a boutique and some people want to

stay on their own.

Where do you see yourself?

"I want to grow to become a medium-sized business with at least 150-200 clients this year"

Jenani: I want to grow to become a medium-sized business with at least 150-200 clients. So we're trying to be aggressive in our sales but it's not about us just building websites and apps then never seeing the customer again, we're not that kind of business. It's a partnership with our clients where they're able to see us as their digital consultancy team and, in turn, have a service from Blam as well. This approach also means I'm at the point where referrals are coming in or people are talking to us because of the good experience our clients are having. So yeah it's growing. I don't see it being a small boutique agency but I don't know if I'd be seen as a big large corporation either so somewhere in the middle would be good. I don't want clients to just feel like a number, I want them to know their business is important. When you go into a bank you know you're just a bank account number and they don't know you personally. I don't have to know every single client personally, but at least someone in my team knows them and has their best interests at heart.

Grant: Just briefly, before we wrap things up...How many of your clients are from referrals or have you just done the numbers yourself?

Jenani: I would say a bit of both. The majority [of new clients are from] are referrals because I connected with them through networking meetings or they heard about us. Then there are few other things I do such as pure cold calling or just emailing. During the lockdown, it was a lot easier because the market kind of pointed towards our direction which helps. After making a lot of connections, a lot of calling, and getting to know new people I've been able to get more and more referrals.

Grant: I'm delighted to hear as well because if you're getting referrals it means you've got happy customers. You've got people that are happy to refer to you, which is always the best way to get new business.

Jenani: Yeah, no definitely it is and then you know that you're doing it right to some extent as well. Because if I have clients who can't refer me then are we actually adding value to them?

Grant: Yes, we have to ask ourselves that question. Brilliant, well it's been a pleasure talking to you and catching up. I really appreciate you taking the time as I know you've got lots on at the moment. So do you want to give yourself a little plug?

"You guys are genuinely about helping partners"

Jenani: Well we're Digital Consultants Canada and we love helping people. You know what? We also want to thank you, Grant, you have been a superstar in helping and supporting your Partners and you know I try as much as I can to come to your live [training] sessions on Facebook. You guys are genuine which is why it would be hard for me to part ways or take on full-time consultants because you guys are genuinely about helping partners.

Grant: Oh it's really kind of you to say that thank you. I didn't ask her to say that!

[Laughter]

Brilliant, well thank you so much and it's been a pleasure. Good luck with the expansion and I'll speak to you tomorrow on our call.

To find out more about starting your own business go to our Free Resources Page here

Make the most of the season by following these simple guidelines

grant@blam.online (Blam Websites) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 11:57:26 GMT

The new season is a great reason to make and keep resolutions. Whether it’s eating right or cleaning out the garage, here are some tips for making and keeping resolutions.

Make a list

Lists are great ways to stay on track. Write down some big things you want to accomplish and some smaller things, too.

Check the list regularly

Don’t forget to check in and see how you’re doing. Just because you don’t achieve the big goals right away doesn’t mean you’re not making progress.

Reward yourself

When you succeed in achieving a goal, be it a big one or a small one, make sure to pat yourself on the back.

Think positively

Positive thinking is a major factor in success. So instead of mulling over things that didn’t go quite right, remind yourself of things that did.

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

grant@blam.online (Blam Websites) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 11:57:26 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

grant@blam.online (Blam Websites) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 11:57:25 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.

The Blam Digital Blog

Meet Fern, Blam’s Production Account Manager

Fast Facts: Fern

The Role: Structure, Not Chaos

A Business Mindset from the Start

Blam Culture

A Day Built on Routine

Stable Routines

Life Outside of Blam

Learning, Connection, and Support

Three Words

Advice for Future Blam Digital Partners

Final Words

AI Job Cuts Are Here: Build an Online Business Now

AI job cuts are no longer a warning sign

AI Replaces Roles, Not Owners

Automation Punishes Time Sellers

AI Increases the Value of Human Judgement

AI Job Cuts in the Real World: A Blam Partner View

Three Truths About Automation and Employment

Frequently Asked Questions

The Safest Option Has Changed

About Blam Digital

Starting a Digital Agency Without Experience

Overcoming the Fear of Starting a Business

Fear of Failure Comes From Not Knowing the Path

You Do Not Need to Be Technical to Succeed

Selling Becomes Simple When the System Is Followed ﻿

Doing It Alone Is Where Most People Go Wrong

The Principle That Determines Results

The Value That Separates Results From Stagnation

Social Proof From Blam Digital

Why Blam Digital Is Trusted

What Drives Results for Blam Digital Partners

Frequently Asked Questions

The Truth You Need to Hear

Meet Nik Andrews, Blam Digital Partnership Consultant

Fast Facts: Nik

What’s Your Job Role at Blam Digital?

How Did You First Discover Blam Digital?

A Background Built for High-Stakes Conversations

A Typical Day at Blam Digital

Sales Built on Honesty, Not Pressure

Life Outside Blam Digital

What Nik Loves Most About His Role at Blam Digital

Three Words to Describe Yourself

Advice for Future Blam Digital Partners

Final Words

Why the Human Factor Is Still Important in a World of AI

How Blam Digital combines AI efficiency with human judgement

The Blam Digital Approach: 80% AI, 20% Human ﻿

Why Human Interaction Is Becoming More Valuable

Backlash Then vs Now

The Internet Removed Gatekeepers

AI vs Human Marketing: Why Smart Brands Use Both

What AI Is Actually Good At

Where Humans Still Win

Reflections on AI vs Human Factor ﻿

Grant’s Goal Setting Challenge for 2026

Why This Time of Year Matters More Than You Think

The 10X Mindset That Unlocks New Possibilities

Why Blam Partners Grow Faster with Clear Goals

Grant’s 7-Goal Framework for 2026

1. Health

2. Learning

3. Wealth

4. Relationship

5. Business

6. Giving

7. Fun

Making a Statement of Intent

Building Momentum Through Simple Daily Habits

Blam’s Support System for Goal Achievement

Blam Partner Success Stories

Final Thoughts

Meet Leo Celestre; From virtual assistant to Blam Digital’s App Lead & Production

Fast Facts: Leo

From Virtual Assistant to App Lead

Working While the World Sleeps

Learning Through Action

Selling Becomes Simple When the System Is Followed

The Blam Digital Approach: 80% AI, 20% Human

Reflections on AI vs Human Factor

3. Understanding Your Psychology

Her philosophy is simple: creativity isn’t a gift; it’s a skill perfected through practice and experimentation.