Imperfect Marketing

327: How Much Should Small Businesses Spend on Marketing?

Send us a textIn this episode of Imperfect Marketing, I sit down with Danielle Hayden, founder of Kickstart Accounting, to talk about healthy business spending—and how investing in the right places can actually improve your profitability (instead of living in “cut back” mode forever). Danielle shares her journey from hairstylist to corporate accounting to building Kickstart Accounting, and breaks down the benchmarks business owners under $500K/year can use to spend smarter and grow sustainably. We discuss:The Truth About “You Have to Spend Money to Make Money”Why entrepreneurs often assume the answer is always “spend less” (and why that’s not usually the fix)How money stories from personal life can mess with business decisionsWhat “healthy spending benchmarks” reveal about what’s normal—and what’s notHealthy Spending Benchmarks That Support GrowthAdvertising + marketing: why you should group everything visibility-related together (including podcasts + marketing tools)Outside services: when hiring experts (bookkeeping, tax, attorney, VA, ops) becomes essentialPayroll + paying yourself: why not paying yourself creates resentment (and can impact relationships at home)Cash Flow + Systems That Keep You in BusinessWhy “bill early, bill often” is a CEO-level moveHow better tools and automations can reduce chaos and stabilize cash flowWhy relying on manual invoicing and checks keeps businesses stuck in survival modeProfit, Growth, and the Reality of SeasonsWhat it means if you’re highly profitable but exhausted (and why that’s a red flag)Why breaking even can be okay for a season—but not foreverThe long-term goal: building a healthy business with 10–15% profit after expensesBiggest Marketing Lesson Learned“Do it anyway”: how showing up imperfectly builds confidence and momentum over timeWhether you’re trying to grow, hire support, or simply stop feeling tense every time you look at your numbers, this episode will help you rethink spending as a strategy—not a punishment. Connect with Danielle Hayden:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danielle-hayden-kickstartaccounting Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube. From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain. Watch here

326: How to Balance Marketing Tech and Authenticity

Send us a textIn this episode of Imperfect Marketing, host Kendra Corman sits down with Audrey “Tech Diva” Wiggins—an early tech adopter with deep marketing instincts—to talk about how entrepreneurs can use technology without losing the human touch.  Audrey shares how her love of innovation started long before today’s tools, and how business owners can stay focused, credible, and authentic while navigating constant change. We discuss:The Tech + Human Balance in Modern MarketingWhy you should evaluate what you’re already using before chasing the “next shiny thing”How to keep the “human factor” front and center through messaging and real customer accessWhy customer service is still a core marketing strategy—inside companies and outHow to Avoid Getting Overwhelmed by TrendsThe “pick 1–2 things and work them hard” approach (then automate as you grow)Why choosing platforms you actually enjoy helps you stay consistent and authenticWhen to delegate to tech vs. when it’s time to bring in a VA or support teamA Real Transformation ExampleThe “Frankenstein website” problem: patchwork sites that look old, cluttered, and confusingWhy a modern website isn’t just prettier—it’s functional, cleaner, and improves the customer journeyThe importance of mobile-friendly design (because your clients live on their phones)Branding Mistakes That Quietly Cost You BusinessWhy using Gmail/Yahoo/AOL for a business email hurts credibility—and what to do insteadHow a clean email signature supports your brand without being “chunky” or overwhelmingThe self-promotion gap: why many entrepreneurs hesitate to post their own content (even when their audience is already engaged)A Hard Marketing Lesson LearnedHow choosing the wrong advertising channel can waste money fastWhy “liking the salesperson” isn’t a strategy—knowing your market and ROI isWhen advertising does make sense without ROI: “passion investments” that support causes you care aboutIf you’ve ever felt torn between keeping up with tech and staying authentic—or you’ve been tempted by marketing opportunities that don’t actually match your audience—this episode will give you a sharper, calmer way forward.Connect with Audrey:Subscribe to her weekly newsletter:  https://www.altogether.bizHer weekly newsletter, packed with actionable marketing insights, tech trends, and resource tools designed to sharpen their skills and fuel business growth. Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube. From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain. Watch here

AI Work Slop And How To Stop It

Send us a textWork Slop: Why AI Shortcuts Are Costing Teams More Than They SaveEver get an email, doc, or deck from someone and instantly think, “This is… not it”? In this episode, we’re digging into the rise of work slop—the vague, messy, low-quality output that shows up when AI is used as a replacement for thinking instead of a tool for support.Kendra sits down with Sue Justice, founder of Emory HR, to talk about why this isn’t just an AI problem—it’s a performance, communication, and leadership problem that businesses can’t afford to ignore. We explore:What “Work Slop” Is (and Why It’s Growing)How AI-generated work becomes unclear, incorrect, or incompleteWhy “slapping something together” shifts work to the next personThe difference between using AI as an assistant vs. letting it do the job This Isn’t a Tool Issue—It’s a Behavior IssueHow people have always “phoned it in,” but AI makes it faster and more visibleWhy audiences and teammates can sense when work lacks human touchThe real question leaders must ask: workload problem or character problem?What Leaders Should Do About ItWhen to coach and when to treat it as a performance issueWhy a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) matters before cutting tiesHow industry risk, trust, and legal exposure shape your response Where AI Helps—and Where It Shouldn’t LeadUsing AI for brainstorming or templates vs. high-stakes decisionsWhy contracts and policies need human tone, context, and accountabilityThe risk of letting AI output become “authority” without review Sue’s Biggest Marketing LessonWhy business owners shouldn’t try to do everything themselvesHow doing the wrong work wastes more time than it savesThe sustainability link between delegation and quality Whether you’re leading a team, outsourcing work, or using AI in your own business, this episode is a clear reminder: AI can save time, but only if humans own the standard. If the quality drops, the cost doesn’t disappear—it just lands on someone else. “AI is meant to be an assistant… not the end-all ‘I’ll do it for you’ solution.” – Sue Justice 00:00:00 Introduction to Sue Justice and why HR belongs in this conversation 00:02:06 What “work slop” is and how it shows up at work 00:03:39 Why AI misuse is really a people/performance issue 00:06:53 Skill gap vs. character flaw: how to tell the difference 00:09:57 When work slop becomes a firing-level problem 00:13:05 Transparency, AI policies, and setting clear standards 00:19:01 AI adoption is everywhere—whether companies admit it or not 00:23:04 Sue’s biggest marketing lesson as a business ownerConnect with Sue Justice:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanajustice/Website: https://emeryhr.com/ Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube. From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain. Watch here

My Word of the Year for 2026 is No

Send us a textIn this New Year’s episode, Kendra Corman gets candid about why she’s heading into 2026 tired, excited… and fiercely committed to one word: no. After a 2025 defined by “forge” (building, growing, expanding), a family crisis and an overload of opportunities forced her to re-evaluate sustainability, boundaries, and what it really takes to preserve creative focus.Kendra shares the behind-the-scenes story of her year—what went right, what went sideways, and why the systems and people you build now are what save you later. What 2025 Taught Kendra About Growth and OverloadKendra went into 2025 with momentum, capacity, and big goals—and hit them hard.A strong first quarter with focused, energized work timeA goal of 25 speaking gigs that turned into 35+ eventsMovement on major business projects, including a second edition of her bookA huge personal “yes”: becoming a full-time assistant professor at Rochester Christian UniversityThe Moment Everything ChangedA serious fall and ICU stay for Kendra’s mom pulled her into months of caretaking and travel.What stood out most wasn’t just the disruption—it was the proof that what she’d built actually held up:Her assistant (Carol) triaged inboxes, managed tasks, and kept clients supportedSystems like Asana and strong relationships prevented a total business collapseThe experience reinforced how vital support structures are—even for solopreneursKendra realized: capacity isn’t just about time. It’s about what you’ve built to hold you when life happens.When “Forge” Turned into “Fracture”Even with major wins, Kendra stretched too far.Weeks with multiple speaking events, including one with four in a single weekDrift from a 4–5 day workweek back to 7 daysFeeling like she was working constantly but not moving forwardBook revisions stalled, and recovery time evaporatedThe truth she landed on: success without boundaries becomes burnout in disguise.Why “No” Is Her Word of the Year (Again)Kendra revisits a tool that once helped her escape burnout in 2022: saying no first.So in 2026, “no” is back as the guardrail.Her challenge to listeners:Block vacations nowProtect pre- and post-travel buffersPut the important stuff on the calendar before it gets crowded outKey TakeawaysSystems and support are what keep your business stable when life interrupts.Saying yes is exciting—but on Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube. From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain. Watch here

Stop Tracking These Marketing Metrics (They're Costing You Money!)

Send us a textWhy Vanity Metrics Are So TemptingClicks, impressions, and giant top-line numbers feel good—and they’re easy to measure. Anthony explains that brands and agencies often lean on these because they make progress look “sexy” in a deck, even when they don’t connect to business outcomes.The Metrics That Actually MatterKendra presses on what marketers should track instead. Anthony breaks it down by funnel stage and business model:For B2B and lead-gen teams:Lead volume and lead qualityConversion behavior after the click (time on site, page depth, engagement paths)Feeding those quality signals back into ad algorithmsFor e-commerce:Revenue per campaignCost per acquisition (CPA) vs. customer lifetime value (LTV)Target CPA thresholds to ensure profitabilityAnthony’s bottom line: The two most important metrics are CPA and LTV—and every other KPI should support them. When Algorithms Work Against YouA huge chunk of the episode is about how campaigns go sideways when the wrong signals are optimized. If you optimize for clicks, the algorithm finds more clickers—not buyers.They dig into how metrics aren’t bad—they’re just often misused.Examples Anthony gives:ROAS is critical for shopping/e-commerce conversion campaigns.Video view-through rate matters for awareness campaigns, since the goal is warm-audience building.Target impression share is valuable in branded search as a defensive move, ensuring competitors don’t steal your brand traffic. Competitor Bidding: Old Advice vs. NowKendra asks about the old-school thinking that bidding on competitor names doesn’t work. Anthony clarifies the difference between:Branded defense campaigns (protecting your own name)Competitor conquesting campaigns (showing up as an alternative in a buyer’s search)He argues conquesting can be effective because you only pay on clicks, yet still gain impression value and market-share opportunities. Balancing Short-Term Pressure with Long-Term GrowthB2B cycles are long, and clients want fast wins. Anthony recommends a full-funnel budget split:Some spend for the 1% ready to buy now (lower funnel)Significant investment to warm the other 99% (awareness + consideration)Biggest Lesson Learned: Simplicity ScalesAnthony closes with his core marketing takeaway: The best campaigns aren’t the busiest—they’re the clearest. When you focus on the right audience, the right offer, and the right KPIs, everything improves: creative, reporting, and results that compound over time. If you want to connect with Anthony or learn more about Volo Media, check out the links below.  And if you’ve ever been sold a pretty dashboard full of meaningless numbers… this one’s for you. Connect with Anthony:Website: https://www.vallomedia.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonychi Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube. From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain. Watch here