Jake
McNally
Interview date:
22 September 2023
email:
Phone:
437884481
Expectations from the program and your mentor
Everything I learn now is from my own solo experience of individual failures and success. I have been trying to read as many books as I can but even the books I decide to read are ones I find that are recommended online and not by other experienced business owners in my area. I also learn from online courses, webinars, LinkedIn groups, and some connections on LinkedIn who are in the same industry as me but in a different country so there's no conflict of interest so they are happy to discuss ideas.
Therefore the goal and expectations I have of MiF is to meet a Perth mentor that I can catch up with to learn from over a coffee, learn from their experiences, discover if they have any recommended learning tools I should look into, and even someone who can provide advice and constructive feedback on general business issues or strategy ideas I have.
Professional status
University graduate
Professional field
Sole Founder of Digital Marketing Agency
Previously a co-owner/co-founder of a Mining Construction company where my role was Business Development and Marketing. Sold out of company successfully.
Previous co-owner of a Motorsport racing company where my role was Director and Driver.
Years of experience
3
Short term goals (1-2 years)
Grow my agency to have 30 retainer clients and hire my first employee.
I want to have more SEO clients first as that's what I am best at and reduce my reliance on Web Design and Development projects as AI technology is rapidly changing that space drastically so I am unsure of what the future holds for Website projects.
Effort spent to achieve those goals
For new work, I contact people on LinkedIn. Work on my own SEO. Cold call small businesses.
For future marketing efforts to get more clients, I am now planning a Google Ad campaign and a LinkedIn Ad campaign using the money that I have saved up.
Long term goals (3+ years)
I want to be the leading digital marketing agency in Perth and be the first agency to have an office based in Perth and an office in an eastern state, preferably Victoria in Melbourne.
I want to produce $100 million dollars in sales each year for my clients with an average ROI of $10 for every $1 a client spends with my agency.
I will need to have built a solid customer base of E-Commerce clients rather than just local businesses to achieve this goal.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths would be:
Giving it a go (whether it be starting a new business, trying to learn a new skill, etc)
Managing subcontractors / contractors and ensuring their work is up to standard
Digital networking
Digital Marketing
SEO
Email Marketing
Web Designs
Conversion Optimisation.
UX/UI Understanding how online users react differently in certain industries (to an extent)
Understanding online user journeys and where potential customers for certain products will be
Project Management
Business Strategy
Sponsorship
Sticking up for myself when I know I am right
Making clients feel heard and understood
Being transparent and honest with my clients to build trust.
Weaknesses would include:
Working solo can sometimes get lonely causing me to get distracted from my business goals
Sometimes in meetings, when it's just me but the client has 3 or 4 people sitting in on the meeting I begin to talk faster than normal when I have multiple points I need to communicate.
In-person I can sometimes stumble when communicating when trying to get my points across directly however this isn't much of an issue when digitally communicating.
Lack of confidence and question my ability when I make mistakes sometimes or feel like I don't know what I'm doing but I always find my way in the end.
When teaching myself a new skill it sometimes takes slightly longer to learn it compared to others but eventually, I believe I can outperform others in the long run.
Questions about the program
Am I too old to be a mentee at 31?
Are there any costs associated with becoming a mentee?
What approx percentage of people who are mentors started out as a mentee initially in this program?
Additional info