Laura Brooks is co-founder of Foundation Collective, a boutique marketing consultancy focused on CPG brands at the intersection of e-commerce and omni-channel retail. She spent her career inside brands before going independent, including time at Angie's Boom Chickapop through its acquisition by ConAgra and at Solid Gold Pet through its sale to H&H Group. That pattern of building toward an exit, then doing it again, shaped how she thinks about marketing as a function that has to serve a single, clear finish line.
The core of the conversation is a framework she calls audit, diagnose, prescribe. When fractional CMOs skip straight to execution, they execute against the wrong problem. Brooks describes starting every engagement with a structured audit before any deliverable ships, a practice she says is what converted a two-month bridge contract for Bobby Flay's cat food brand, Made by Nacho, into a two-and-a-half year engagement that ended with the brand being acquired.
She also runs the consultancy side of Foundation Collective, where she sells templates and advisory time to other fractional CMOs who want a proven framework rather than building one through trial and error. Her own firm crossed seven figures within 18 months of launching, and she attributes that directly to the same audit-first model she now teaches.
Laura Brooks is a brand strategist and co-founder of Foundation Collective, a boutique marketing consultancy specializing in CPG growth at the intersection of e-commerce and omni-channel retail. She has worked through two company acquisitions, including Angie's Boom Chickapop to ConAgra and Solid Gold Pet to H&H Group. She now works with CPG brands as a fractional CMO and helps other fractional consultants build their own practices using the frameworks she developed.
Full transcript of the conversation, published verbatim. Speaker labels come from the recording itself, not from an automated guess.
Jordan:0:00
Welcome back to the AI [High Ticket AI Systems]. man, mess up the entry.
Curve it out.
Welcome back to the [High Ticket AI Systems] podcast. Everyone, please welcome the winner, Mrs. Brooks. Laura, how you doing today?
Laura Brooks:0:17
Good, Jordan. Thanks for having me today.
Jordan:0:20
Absolutely, it's truly our pleasure. Now for those of us that do not know the name or possibly the brand just yet, can you please explain to us at a high level, what you guys do and who it's best for?
Laura Brooks:0:32
Yes, absolutely. So I'm Laura Brooks. I'm a brand strategist and co-founder of Foundation Collective. We're a boutique marketing consultancy really in that CPG space at that intersection of e-commerce and omni-channel. We write growth strategies, we audit, we diagnose, and then we write the plans for these brands so that they can scale faster and more efficiently.
Jordan:0:57
Got you. Okay, cool. Thank you for the insights there. Dumb question maybe. How did you manage to get into that specific vertical? Like the DTC.
Laura Brooks:1:04
it's been one of those wine apps, you know? Yeah. So I started in big CPG, at Clorox. So traditional brand marketing where they also rotate you between every single project. So I got the experience of the, you know, the consumer promotions, the packaging, the innovation business insights group, data analytics, and the big sexy things like the TV commercials and the brand positioning, and then move to shopper marketing.
From there, actually went to a smaller company. went to Angie's Boom Chickapop, which is the amazing popcorn company, and was there through acquisition to ConAgra. And to watch a company, one, celebrate double-digit growth numbers, not a 0.1 % share increase, it was so exhilarating. It was a completely different pace. There was so much more ownership, and I really loved. being a part of the acquisition because there was one big lofty vault and that was to sell the company. And it was like, eye on the prize, put on blinders. How do we all work together cross-functionally to make this happen? It was sprinting a marathon, absolutely. We were exhausted by the end, but it was also so fun. I couldn't wait to do it again. So I moved to Solid Gold Pet where it was a little bit different of a story, a little bit in a distressed state when I joined.
But we were able to turn around the business. We were also able to hang tight during COVID. We were able to become profitable for the first time and sold to H &H Group at the end of that. And again, it was another grueling, exhausting experience. was like, oh, I'm so tired. can't do that again. Let's do this again. the experiences that I found when I was doing that was like... the eye on the prize, the focus that is needed for these companies, especially when they have such a big lofty goal, that's actually what's missing because there's so many competing priorities. You're going to have, of course, the salespeople who are like, need to get in the doors. You're going to have the marketing who's going to look at the share. You're going to have operations who's looking at efficiencies and cost savings. And of course, everything in between. And what I loved was being the hub of marketing, how we can integrate all of that. And so I decided, you know, that's what I love doing.
Laura Brooks:3:04
So why don't I do that with other companies and then even take it step further, help other fractionals do exactly what I'm doing.
Jordan:3:13
Thank you so much for all the context there. have so many things I want to say. One is my end desire is to sell the company. So I love that vision that definitely inspires me to keep working hard every day. Second thing is sprinting the marathon. Now, so many people have said you shouldn't do that. That's unhealthy. You're going to burn out. But I'm like, that's the only way, in my opinion, that business should be ran. Like business is a marathon and like there's competition. We have to hustle. We should sprint the marathon, you know? So we'll love your feedback here in a moment.
Laura Brooks:3:39
Yeah.
Jordan:3:43
The number three, kind of off topic here, on our first conversation, I believe you were training for a triathlon or you were doing some intense physical activity. What do feel like that comes from? You just seem like an extremist in a very healthy way.
Laura Brooks:3:54
Yes.
Laura Brooks:3:59
thank you. I appreciate that. I can answer both questions almost the same way. It's like the eye on the prize. It's absolutely the eye on the prize. So first, I'll start with the training piece because I'm sure that through people for a loop right now. Yes, I am training for two. extreme endurance events both through the organization 29 0 29. The reason it's called that is because I'm going to the first event is in june I'm going to hike up a mountain I'm going to take the gondola down and then I'm going to hike up the mountain and take the gondola down and I'm to keep doing that and repeat for about 36 hours until I reach 29,029 vertical feet because that's the height of Everest.
So it's an amazing organization that really puts on a whole event so that all of the climbers were safe. It's community. We're well nourished. They have the most amazing food, very well hydrated with fabulous volunteers that are cheering us on along the way. But it is a 36 hour.
It's definitely not a sprinting a marathon, but it is absolutely a grueling hiking through the night exhausting event that you cannot replicate. Even if you're doing a marathon and you're on the slower end, we're talking five, six hours, but this is a 36 hour event. And so it takes a lot of preparation, a lot of eye on the prize. And of course that wasn't enough. So I decided to also do three trail marathons in three days with the same organization in September.
So training for both of those, but I think the reason I love it is the theme of there is one really big lofty goal at end of this. There's a clear plan to get there and now you execute the plan. So you build the confidence by the time you get to that final milestone, you know you're going to execute with excellence. And I think that's exactly what it goes back to when you're building a business as well. It's like you have your end goal. Your end goal may be
Laura Brooks:5:45
one year down the road, three years, five years, 10 years. It doesn't matter how far down the road it is, but you have to think of what is the ultimate end goal and then build your plan backwards from there in those key milestones. So let's say if it's a five-year plan, now what's going to happen in year three? Now year two, year one, and now six months, three months, this month. And I love the methodical linear process of that thinking because if you just go straight to that end goal, you start running and sprinting towards something, but you don't know if you're laying the right stepping stones to get there. And so everything I do from my business to when I'm working with clients is to think of end goal, eye on the prize. And now let's build a sustainable plan that can scale and help everyone get there with those key milestones. Cause ultimately we're going to have to pivot at some point, but how do you pivot without getting distracted by those shiny pennies so that you're not burning out or wasting your time? You're still staying focused on that end goal.
Jordan:6:44
Okay, do you mind if I ask you personal question?
Laura Brooks:6:46
Of course, go ahead.
Jordan:6:49
It's on topic. Do you feel like you will ever be satisfied with any result that you achieve? Or do you feel like you'll always want more?
Laura Brooks:6:58
That's such a good question. I mean, that's why we all go to therapy, It's like, girl, trying to strive for more, but you have to be content along the way. And so I think that's where I'm at, is that, of course, I'm always wanting to get to the next level. I always want to test and pressure test. Excuse me, but. have to be happy with the process. If you're not happy with the process you're only sprinting towards the end goal. So yes keep your eye there but make sure that you're happy with the process. Excuse me you're happy at the process and how it's going. I better take a drink of water.
Jordan:7:35
You're fine. laugh and smile so hard because my therapist tells me the same thing all the effing time. Like I feel like I do not enjoy the process. I might, I might enjoy the process, but like I'm always reaching for the end as a result. And once I have it, I want more. Like it's a, it is a deep issue that I go through. So I wanted to ask you because you obviously push yourself in every vertical possible. So I just wanted to ask you directly. Thanks for opening up back to business. So
Laura Brooks:7:39
You
Laura Brooks:7:49
Yes.
Laura Brooks:7:58
Absolutely. It's like, and it's there's nothing wrong with wanting more. But as long as you're celebrating those little wins along the way, absolutely. Like you have to be happy in what you do. You have to like live your life, add life to your years, not just years to your life. And as long as you are content, you're happy. Yes, you can keep striving for more because the day that we're content and staying still, that's the day it just kind of fizzles. So be content with the process.
Jordan:8:30
Well, you don't really, there's nothing, there's no such thing as remaining stagnant, right? Or remaining still. You are either growing, going upwards or declining and decaying, right? So I think the moment you actually do take a second and you say, I'm actually good right here. I don't want any more is the exact moment you start decaying. So I like that mindset. When it comes to reverse engineering, when it comes to reverse engineering goals, that's actually my favorite process with a client.
Laura Brooks:8:41
next
Laura Brooks:8:45
Thank you.
Laura Brooks:8:49
Good point, good point.
Jordan:8:58
because I'm such a math geek, like math just makes sense. I may not be the best with numbers, but math is like law. Like it's either true or it's false. And if you have the end goal in mind and you know every metric or variable or KPI that we should hit along the freaking way, we can literally reverse engineer the desired result. And I think whenever I go through that process with clients, their mindset, their eyes are like, my gosh, this makes so much sense. Like now they get fired up because it's applicable. It's...
Laura Brooks:9:00
Yeah.
Laura Brooks:9:07
Mm-hmm.
Laura Brooks:9:17
Yes.
Jordan:9:26
Factual and there's actionable items that we can take to achieve that goal, you I just don't think more people do that often or more people should do that more often if that kind of makes sense, you know what mean?
Laura Brooks:9:39
Oh, absolutely. I'd say the one downside though is if you're good at marketing math, as I like to call it, you can spin the numbers. So if you could have the like, let's just say there's a 50 % bounce rate, I could say 50 % bounce rate. That is absolutely amazing. We're only losing half the people that are coming here. The rest are looking around and digging their buying the products whatnot. But I could also say 50 % bounce rate. That is absolutely horrible.
That means that half the people are not getting the information that they need and they're leaving. And then of course you can say, half the people are getting what they need on the homepage. So it's great. And so that's the only problem when looking at those KPIs is I always say, what is the intent of the KPI? Tell the story before you even know what the data is going to say. So that way you have a reason for measuring and you're not just measuring for sake of measuring.
Jordan:10:32
Very good insights. I have not thought about that. I think I knew that internally, but I haven't like conceptualized what you articulated right there. Very, that makes sense. Good job. Good job on you, Laura. You, so you have two divisions, right? You have the brand strategy side with DTC companies, and then you have the consulting. I'm going to butcher this. Please correct me. You have the consulting aspect that is very,
Laura Brooks:10:40
Yeah. Yeah.
Laura Brooks:10:54
See ya.
Jordan:10:58
of niche with other fractional CMOs and other CMOs, correct? Can you elaborate on kind of what you do to help CMOs become better CMOs?
Laura Brooks:11:05
Yes, absolutely. So I got my start working with the clients because I had been a founder. I've been an operator. I've also been the one doing the work. I've gone toe to toe with investors, with retailers, with board members, but I also can set up meta ads or Amazon PPC. And so I'm an operator who can actually put together a plan that is reasonable and makes sense without blowing the budget or having too much of a resource constraint. So that was really my shining power of why I'm the one to partner with. these businesses. When I started, a lot of it I found out is they hire a fractional CMO because they either have a gap in leadership or they've been told they need somebody more senior but can't afford full time. Both valid reasons, but they come in already with an idea of what needs to be done. So then fractional CMOs like myself, we start working, we're told you need to create a TV commercial or you need to put together a media plan or a retailer, sell story or an XYZ. You're prescribed what you need to do.
But the downside of this is they're hiring a strategic senior marketer and it's for a reason. They are not the marketer. So a CEO is having the CEO lens. They may not even have a marketing background. So they're telling you what they think needs to be done. It's not always what needs to be done. However, we're hired for a job. So we start executing the job. So the downside is fractionals jump in. start executing to prove and build proof points of why to justify the retainer or the cost of the project. And then it falls flat because expectations are missed because they said, well, now the business still isn't fixed. And then you take a step back as the marketer and you say, well, that's because I would have done this X, Y, Z differently. So what I found is that when I take a step back and I start every engagement with an audit and then I diagnose the problem and then I prescribe what the plan should be, I actually have a longer term contract than just executing what the business thinks they need. When I flipped the switch there, not only was I able to retain my clients longer, but I was also able to scale and take on more because I took the upfront time to really diagnose what that problem was, prescribed the plan. So now I know what I'm going to do for the next 12 months. So then the following month, I could actually onboard another client while I keep my other afloat and then onboard another client while I keep me other two afloat. And so it was a way to scale so that now
Laura Brooks:13:25
I'm getting paid for my value, not my time. As a fractional resource, many of us are saying, well, here's a contract for x hours for x dollars. Now we're only paid with time.
So when I flipped that script, I could scale faster, more efficiently. I could also retain my clients to scale even better. So I've decided, you know what, why don't I share this? There are so many new fractional CMOs, fractional COOs, fractional anything that are coming on board these days. And I think it's absolutely right for them to give it a try, but they need to learn from my mistakes and they need to take that time to do the audit. to then diagnose and prescribe the plan. So I also have the other side where I have templates so that the expert comes in, they're ready to start their own fractional consultancy. Now they have a template so that they can more quickly do that audit, diagnose and prescribe the plan. So they also can scale faster and more efficiently as well.
Jordan:14:22
That's amazing. I think whenever you try to trade time for money, it is by definition not scalable because time is obviously not infinite, you know, but if you trade dollars for value, that is infinitely scalable. So great job on you. How did you learn that three step? It was a three step process. How did you learn that three step process? Was it through trial and error or did you just like wake up one day? This is it. I'm going to run with this.
Laura Brooks:14:41
Yes.
Laura Brooks:14:48
Absolutely trial and error. I'd say it's been trial and error probably my whole career as it should be like you have to learn on the job you have to learn from the experience but even thinking back to when I was in a more corporate setting you still took the time to do the planning. In fact you took a lot of time to do the planning and that's what's missing from startup world. Any of these companies that are you know south of
Jordan:14:54
You
Laura Brooks:15:11
really 300 million it seems like they're so focused on the growth goals hitting the quarter hitting the month hitting the XYZ. There's no wrong reason for that, but they're not taking the time then to set that strong foundation, which is why I call it foundation collective, because you do, you need to take that time to set the strong foundation so that you can keep building upon something strong that won't fall flat. And so it has been trial and error, which is another reason that I encourage the new fractionals that are coming up to take the time, invest in the template, because I've had years, literally years of that trial and error to really perfect these templates over time to figure out what works with the clients.
Jordan:15:54
Got you. From your branding strategist business standpoint, can you list off one case study that comes to mind that kind of showcases your expertise, what you did, when you stepped in, what you implemented and then obviously what the result was? Can you go into detail if you don't mind?
Laura Brooks:16:13
Sure, absolutely. you know, but it's funny because actually this was one of my learning experiences. So I started working for Bobby Flay actually for his cat food brand, Made by Nacho. And I was hired for a two month, very temporary bridge the gap as they brought in new leadership because the new leadership would bring in the new team. And then my job at the get go was to create the first ever TV commercial for Made by Nacho. So Said, okay, that is the job I'm going to go in. I'm going to do it. I started to do that. And then I realized, you know what, actually timing isn't right because we're not integrating with the retailer resets. And we also need to make sure that we're in a healthy inventory spot. And we're also going to be doing a packaging refresh. So why would we advertise when we're going to be changing the packaging in just a couple of months anyway? And so.
It was an interesting thing where I learned of, well, I need to execute the task I was hired for. I only have two months to be here. I need to complete this, but I also see so much opportunity. And so that's where I went straight into the, sure, I will execute the task because we've already got in the works, already contracted, already have the studio time and Bobby's times at a premium. So we can't reschedule, but in the background, let me go ahead and do an audit. Let me look at what is going on in the marketplace. What is going on in the cat category, which is growing like crazy these days, which is amazing. And how do we really refine our positioning so that when the TV commercial hits air, when we have the new packaging that's out there, we can really hit the ground running and grow the business even faster, more efficiently. And so that was really the impetus of me saying, you know what, actually, I need to stop taking the execution at face value and really think through the full structure for how is marketing integrating with operations.
What is the sales story? What is the innovation? And of course, what does the team structure look like so that we can make sure we're rooted in data and make decisions without distractions from all those shiny pennies, which are meant, they're going to happen. But how do you keep your eye on what to do without getting distracted? And so my two months actually turned into about two and a half years. We did reposition to a cat crafted cat food. We also moved to the voice away from Nacho, Bobby's cat being the face of the brand.
Laura Brooks:18:31
bringing Bobby to the forefront to really root ourselves in culinary, do some competitive audits and also some consumer research to find out that really these natural, no artificial ingredients, premium proteins that Bobby really stands for in his cooking life is what's coming to the forefront for why people come to Made by Nacho and they stay for taste. So how do we elevate the entire dining experience? We called it redefining meal time so that you can have these chef-crafted pet food. for your cat and feel good about feeding it. So long story short, my two months turned into over two and a half years and the business was recently acquired by I-11U earlier this year.
Jordan:19:11
That is so freaking awesome, Amazing case study. Thank you for that. That's freaking awesome. Now, when you are working with fractional CMOs on the consulting side of things, what, like if I were a fractional CMO and I were to work with you directly, or if I were to work with you in the company, how would that look? Like from a deliverable standpoint, from a curriculum standpoint, from an access to you standpoint?
Laura Brooks:19:38
Yeah, so just like I would work with a branded client there's anything from the just here's a template go fill it out yourself to the white glove of Let me walk you through the process. Let's have bi-weekly meetings to check in This is your time to have a thought leader help you pressure test and build the template and so on our website So if you go to foundation co. Agency if you look around there's a template in there You can purchase the template if you want the self serve model. You're like, I've already got my first client. I've been in marketing. I know what I'm doing. I just need the framework to get me there faster because if you build from scratch, you absolutely can. It just might take you, I mean, literally dozens of hours to pull together your own framework, your own template, your own way of presenting. So by buying the template, you already have something that you can fill in. It's still your thought leadership. You just have. something to fill in to help guide you to get there with even a set of prompts of how to think about it. So that's one end of the spectrum of irony know what I'm doing, just give me the template so I can get there faster. Great. Just go to the website purchase. Otherwise, if you're like, that's I want that but now I need a little bit more of some troubleshooting whether it's how do I think about this or where do I find this information? How do I frame it with the client? That's when you can also contract us for those advisory calls could be bi weekly could be a monthly whatever you're needing but think of it as exactly how to use an advisor in the business side of things of you're coming with a set of this is what I need. It is my time. You ask them the people who have been doing this. We were able to scale Foundation Collective to over seven figures within 18 months. And that was because of these templates. And so if that's not a proof case, if you want to do that the same thing, you have access to us for an advisory call as well as often as you need just paying for time in that aspect.
Jordan:21:28
That's amazing. I heard this one quote from Jerry Haynes and it's essentially about coaching programs or consultancy firms. It's like, dude, you're smart. Like you're obviously not a dumb dumb or else you wouldn't be this successful already. Like you don't pay me because you're not going to figure it out. You pay me to just get you there faster. duh.
Laura Brooks:21:49
Faster yeah Yeah Actually in fractional capacity your time is money and so it's like who doesn't want to get there faster Like I am very open with my mistakes I'm also open with my wins And so if you want to learn like let's just let's have a conversation so you can do the same thing I always think of like sure you might be competition in terms of we're going after the same clients But at the same time the more fractional star the more success stories are the more the category in general will grow and so I see Fractionals in general, even if they're the going after the same clients if they're winning we're all winning together
Jordan:22:24
100 % and great team mindset there. And I think since COVID, I think the whole fractional play has significantly increased because there's a lot of companies out there that would love to have an executive CMO come on board, but they cannot pay a freaking CMO or a VP of marketing salary quite just yet. However, they want the expertise. And if you have the expertise, why not be that go-to person? Right. So I love it.
Laura Brooks:22:51
Absolutely, especially if you already have a team that's great that can execute. They're the ones that know the business. They've been there, you know, they might be more junior resources, but that's the benefit is that they are hunkered down on the task at hand. Their goal is to execute what is in front of them and look at the next three months. That way you have the fractional whose eye is now let me look at the next six months to three years so they can what I like to say a block and tackle to help empower the team and get there. They don't need to be in every meeting. You already have a fat fabulous team who knows how execute, they can bubble up issues if they come up. But the fractional then can focus on that integration piece of it and have that playbook in that line of sight.
Jordan:23:31
Gotcha. Okay. This might be a dumb question again, but for your primary, not primary business, but the other business that's not the consultancy firm. Do you act as a fractional CMO there, or is that an agency specifically built for DTC companies?
Laura Brooks:23:38
Yeah.
Laura Brooks:23:49
That I am. That's a great question. So the flexibility of being a marketing generalist is that I can do all the things. The downside of it is that I don't have a quick elevator pitch. It's not like I'm Selling social media of I will execute a calendar for you every month or do your management or paid ads I will run your meta and Google paid ads like those are things that are so quickly understood from the fractional CMO perspective I would say well it could be a traditional one in terms of I'm still gonna audit diagnose and make a plan Then I go to retainer model where I will lead your team. Yes, that is much more of the traditional fractional CMO work Or it could be project based. And the reason why I push the project based piece of it is because that is a very clear scope. It's not defined by hours. It is like, you need to build your first ever shop or marketing organization. Great. My task is to build the plan, hire the team. manage the team as they execute, or it could be we need to now we're, we're in DTC. Now we're launching into brick and mortar retailer. Great. Let me work with your VP of sales to create the category management story, the data insights collection, sell in. And that's more of a very clear, it's this not on email and meetings all day. so It's a long answer because it's what is the meat of the business? And then let me tell you how to get there. More often than not, I get the problem that comes to me and then I can prescribe. it a fractional CMO retainer? Is it a project based?
Laura Brooks:25:21
Or is it a hybrid model where I'm fractional and then I have my collective, a team under me that can help execute as well. I have specialists that I can bring in that are also freelancers and fractionals, everything from paid media to trademark lawyers to R &D regulatory to PPC and basically every single thing in between. I can then tap the collective to come in and act as that specialist for the business for the duration of the project.
Jordan:25:48
Gotcha. Okay, cool. Thanks for the context there. Might be another dumb question I tend to ask these a lot, but if you were to describe like a perfect fit client for both the, your current fractal CMO company and then the consultant firm, the consultancy firm where you help other fractal CMOs, what is like a perfect fit ICP for both?
Laura Brooks:26:05
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The perfect client for the business side of it where I'm actually as the fractional CMO would be a business that has product market fit, meaning they are already selling, they have repeat rates and whatnot, and they're in both e-commerce and brick and mortar. It can still be a small subset of brick and mortar. It can also be a small subset, just D to C as an example, but they have both because my specialty is how do you raise all water levels. How do you make sure that your D to C site is actually growing Walmart and everything in between? And so perfect client product market fit. So I'd say between I'd say floors, probably 20 million could go up.
North of 300 million. There's such a broad spectrum there. The key though is when do you call me? It's because you're stagnant. You're stagnant in growth. You're losing share. You are stuck. You don't know where to go next or you have an opportunity in front of you that is so big and you don't know what to do. Like you're selling into Costco for the first time. It is such a big, table stakes right there. Like there's a lot of skin in the game. How do we make sure that we actually execute with excellence without blowing the budget? So product market fit.
Ecommerce plus brick and mortar and you're either declining meaning there's a problem you're stagnant You're not growing or you have a big opportunity. You don't know how to handle that growth. That's when you call me from the consultancy side of it, I would say it is a It doesn't even need to be a new fractional CMO, honestly, because really the beauty of it is that I'm just going to help you get there faster, as we've been talking about. And so this would be somebody who already knows what they're doing from a marketing perspective. They just want a playbook to help them scale a fractional consultancy, their own fractional consultancy, faster. It could be project-based. It could be fractional CMO. Honestly, this could even work with fractional COOs, with growth marketers, with freelancers in general.
Laura Brooks:27:58
But it is somebody who is, they already have the chops, they have the knowledge. I'm not going to teach you how to create a target persona or what an aperture map is. Instead, you just need the framework so you can get there faster with a proven model that's helped me scale to a million dollars more than, if that's you, that's when you'd buy the template.
Jordan:28:15
Perfect. Looking back over your career, what is one thing you wish you knew when you first got started that would actually accelerate your own growth?
Laura Brooks:28:23
you know, as much as I hate it, I know it's true business development. my goodness. One of those things I was I was very fortunate that when I launched my consultancy, I was over capacity. I took on too many clients from the beginning. And normally that doesn't happen. It's normally your
Jordan:28:29
You
Laura Brooks:28:43
networking, you're trying to get your first client. And I was lucky that I was over capacity from the beginning. And I kept saying yes, because I'm like, the floor is going to drop. I'm a client is going to drop. But I was over capacity for the first two and a half years of my launch. Very fortunate spot. But I then did not take business development calls. Because I'm like, why would I do that? I don't have time to take on another client. And then made by nacho sold. there goes a client. Another one had a transition at the leadership level. So I was like, this is perfect time. You can hire a full time person. I'm going to exit. And luckily I had some other clients along the way, but I had not, I didn't do the business development because now suddenly it was like, Oh, I got to find the people. But because I have a clear need of, I need to find the businesses that have the product market fit and they just need to fix the problem. They're at a very specific growth stage.
You do not hire a fractional CMO because you need a warm body you hire a fractional CMO because you have something you need to accomplish and you don't know how to get there and so to try to find the right business that's at the right growth stage That's honestly a challenge because not there's plenty of businesses out there who are at the right growth stage They just don't have the problem yet There's also plenty of businesses out there that have the problem, but I'm not the right solution. I will be the first person to fire myself if I feel like I'm too expensive for what they need. And it's good because I can build trust in my clients. also can then take pride in my work. But the downside is then I have to make sure that I'm top of mind for when those clients do have a problem they need solving, that I'm their first phone call. So it wasn't until about last year that I realized, wait, I should have been doing business development this entire time. So learning. into all the fractionals you can take from my mistake is one, don't jump into execution. Learn that one. We've already discussed that. And then two, always have those business development conversations. Because if you have the conversation now in a year or even two years down the line, you can be the first phone call when that client is ready.
Jordan:30:39
man, so many things I want to say. One is I come from a hardcore, like, you know, face to face sales, knocking on doors, cold calling, just a very strong, cold sales background. Okay. I love sales. Now, as I branched off into owning my own business, I am a firm believer that if you know how to market yourself or your business, you know how to sell, you'll never go hungry. Now I'm not saying don't work on the product.
I'm not saying that by any means, but what I am saying that is that if you are proficient at sales and marketing, you'll never go broke. I'll leave that there. Second thing I want to say is you touched on something so very important that not many businesses, even myself learned until recently where you prescribe things your prospect does not need. That built so much goodwill and trust into the, into the listener, into that prospect, because like, wow, Laura said, I don't need this. I don't need this. typically salespeople are like, yeah, you need this, you need this, you need this, and you're gonna need this over here, you know? But you kind of do the opposite. And again, it builds goodwill and trust. Now, when it comes to business development and in your world, what are the, not non-negotiables, but what are the best avenues to take when it comes to biz dev for yourself or even fractal CMOs out there looking to scale up their own throne?
Laura Brooks:32:00
Yeah, you know, I'm actually a big proponent and show your value before they even spend the money on you. And so any first conversation I have, if it's even just a simple networking call and I don't even know what direction it's going to go or what the need is yet, I'm going to go ahead and do my research. I'm going to go do a store visit. I'm going to buy the product. I'm going to sign up for the emails. I'm going to act as if I already have the job because I already know the first thing I'm going to do is to audit the business anyway to figure out what the true problem. I know that the problem they're going to tell me probably isn't the problem that needs to be solved. So I'm gonna start my diligence ahead of time. I'm going to get completely invested in as if I have this job. What am I already seeing as a consumer, as a shopper? What problem do they need to solve? How would I solve it? And what would the timeline look like? And so I already go into that meeting thinking of that so I can provide them with the insights. I'm not gonna say, and then I will prescribe a plan once you pay me. Instead, I'm gonna say, broad ballpark, I don't know the exact cost, but here's the range of how I would execute the plan, tactically how it would come to life, how long it would take, and what the perspective ROI would be on this. So that way they already understand and set the expectations. Because I'd say one thing, other than just executing and executing the problem that's not actually the right problem, the other problem I see with fractionals is that expectations aren't set.
Jordan:33:21
Mmm.
Laura Brooks:33:21
Again, we're talking, we're working with people who are not the marketing experts because we're coming in as the marketing expert. And so sometimes I will get a client who like on my early days before I started doing the auditing prescribing plan.
I would have the clients and say after three months, well, we haven't grown enough to have an ROI on your your costs, your retainer costs. Like, well, that wasn't part of the plan, because first we need to do a packaging refresh so we could start selling the product. But because expectations weren't set on the get go, they were unhappy. I was confused because I was justifying my job. And it just was like, well, you know what, I'm let me find a junior resource for you to execute ads, because that's actually what you need. And so, you know, all of that to say, it's the expectations are so critically important of you have to set the expectations in the upfront and you can do that by showing the value. I always try to show value before I even signed the contract. So that way they know what they're getting. Expectations are set by day one when I first start to do that execution audit.
Jordan:34:22
I feel like when you demonstrate competence, expertise, giveaway free value upfront, the hints, like a keyword, they're free without somebody paying you. It builds so much trust in goodwill. Like that is essentially the secret sauce behind all content, right? Whether it's YouTube, whether it's podcasts, but demonstrating expertise before somebody pays you really builds like goodwill for the audience. I'm really, really glad that you, that you do that.
Second thing that I want to ask is I'm a little maybe uneducated when it comes to it's like fractional CMO work, but it sounds to me like you are the overall strategist behind the system that you're going to put into place. You may not know how to like click all the buttons on the computer, but you have an overarching understanding of like, okay, we're here. We have to get to here. Here's how we're going to do it. And then you essentially just kind of put people in place, sometimes put people in place to make it happen. Am I far fetched there or am I like right on point?
Laura Brooks:35:24
That's exactly it. I like to say that you are hiring a CMO, you're just not paying me for the water cooler talk. So I'm not in every meeting, I'm putting a lot of trust in my team that they are going to be the experts, they're going to give me the information that I need, I can still make the decision, I will still get it up to leadership for full approval, I will also still relay it down. Like for the fractional CMO, like you are still Cmo you are still the operator of the marketing organization. You should still have PNL ownership You should still be in the leadership team meetings I always tell a CEO and founder when I first start working with them You need to pretend like I'm a full-time employee if a full-time employee would have access to XYZ system I should as well if you if I'm facing to a retailer I need an email address for you as well at treat me as if I'm a full-time see mo Just know that I'm not going to be on Slack and green all day. I'm going to be managing my own time. And you're also going to have to trust that I'm going to communicate both timely and efficiently, but also as needed. And I'd say that as an as needed in terms of you have to trust that I am synthesizing the data down to be as efficient as possible. think my love language is efficiency. And that's why being a fractional works out so well, because I don't have to spend time. It's not that it's.
I will get in the weeds. will get into Excel and Google Sheets and I love a good spreadsheet, but I also won't waste my time on formatting if that's not the end goal. If that's not what's going to add value to get the business to sell the business, to get the retailer, to get the fundraising, I will choose my battles.
Jordan:37:00
I love the energy. cannot agree more with the whole efficiency you find there. Laura, I had a question. If it ever made sense to actually work full time with one org and they were to bring you on as a full time CMO, would you ever explore that option?
Laura Brooks:37:18
Yes, absolutely. I've been full time before. I would go full time again, but it would have to be truly for an organization a product that I Absolutely believe in because I put my heart and soul into all of my clients and the companies that I work for no matter how big or small the contract is So if I were to go full-time Stop the project based off the fractional work. I absolutely could but because I'm love I on the prize It has to be a prize that I'm truly passionate about I'd say in the health and wellness space the fitness space especially a women's health space like something that I can be completely passionate about that fits my, you know, my professional goals, but also fits my morals and my values, my personal values, and something that I feel like is doing good in the world that is needed. I would absolutely entertain going full time for the right position.
Jordan:38:15
Without getting too explicit, what are your professional goals? out of curiosity.
Laura Brooks:38:20
Well, you know, honestly, right now, like this has been amazing. I absolutely love the fractional work and helping the fractional CMOs, the next generation of fractional CMOs, because everything I'm doing is focused on an impact. And as a high achiever, like I love checking the boxes. I love getting that next goal. I love getting bigger and bigger each time, like collecting these accolades essentially. And that's what I love. I love I love partnering with founders because when I think of the founder, their goal is to have that big, huge, unrealistic goal of what they can be. They're the ones bringing the passion. They're the ones who thought of the product to begin with. My job is to block and tackle and bring it down to reality. So they may say, I'm going to be a hundred million in three years, which I hear so often. And I then get in there and say, you know what? You can be a hundred million, but it looks like it's going to be year five or six. And in order to do that, here's what we need to do first, and here's when we need to sell into this retailer, and here's when we need this fundraising. And so they can still have the big vision. They're not the ones that are trying to get down to reality. I'm the one that's bringing it down to reality. And I absolutely love that. So right now, I'd say that's it's been great. Where I would love to keep going is actually now helping the next generation of those fractional CMOs, because I have seen so many different sides of it. I've done a lot of things right. I've also done a lot of things wrong. And so I want to be able to help especially unfortunately in today's day and age there's a lot of layoffs and unfortunately there's gonna be more layoffs and I love that people are taking the step into like I'm tired of working for the man I don't want to be in corporate I want to give this fractional try absolutely I say give it a try but also if you're doing it on your own build your network and I can be part of that network to help you get there faster, more efficiently. And also just to help commiserate when things do go wrong, when they are slow, when you do make a misstep, let me help you bounce back on your feet faster. So I'd say my career aspiration is right now loving doing the fractional piece. We'll continue to do that. And now it's how do I really help this next generation of fractional build their own businesses and also scale.
Jordan:40:32
Yeah, no, the way you are tickling yourself on this podcast clearly demonstrates you are the expert. what? But kudos to you. I was laughing earlier because you just love reality checking people, huh? No, I'm kidding. But I think that's a great asset because I and I would like not to bring up my personal life, but me and my ex would always not get into this. But I was big dreamer, like big picture thinker, big picture thinker. And she was always like, bring me back in reality. I'm like, no.
Laura Brooks:40:44
Yeah.
Jordan:41:01
save that shit over there. I don't want to hear that. But you actually need that. You do need somebody to check you when you're you're tripping, like check you when you when your dreams are really, gigantic. You know what mean?
Laura Brooks:41:14
Yeah, and there's no problem dreaming big, but then you have to make sure that you're on the right path to get there and
Jordan:41:21
We're two backwards from that, yes.
Laura Brooks:41:23
Yes, exactly. And again, goes back to expectations. If they think like, I'm going to be a $1 billion unicorn by next year, and I'm going to sell the Unilever or something. It's like, well, let's what if you actually sold for 500 million, like that is still something to celebrate. But if their goal was 1 billion, and they sold for 500 million, they're going to be like, I missed my goal by 50%, where somebody else would be like, my gosh, that was insane. That's huge. You should celebrate it. And so that's goes back to the marketing math. It depends how you look at it. And so I can be if I bring them to reality, then I feel like you can celebrate more. And that's what you should do in life is you should celebrate all these wins, the big ones and the small ones.
Jordan:42:05
It's a challenge, okay, Laura? It's not as easy as you freaking think it is, okay? Maybe time for one or two more questions. What is one thing that you're looking forward to the next 12 months for Adder and Five for the business?
Laura Brooks:42:10
Fair, fair.
Right.
Laura Brooks:42:18
Yeah, other than finishing my training for my climb so I can be done with it. I I only have like 20 more weeks left. But other than that, I'd say...
Jordan:42:23
Right.
Laura Brooks:42:29
Taking the time to focus on helping the fractional CMO. So we had our first webinar a couple of months ago to just general questions of answering like, what's it like? What are the missteps? What are the mistakes? What are the things I wish I would have done differently? And we had a great turnout as well as lots of great questions that came from it. so I know that there is a there there, as they say, like I know there's a need. I know this information, the community is very much needed. I just hadn't taken the time to focus on how do I help other fractional. So I'm excited that in next 12 months I'm going to start to focus there now that my client base is back to steady. I'll start looking at how do I help reach more of those fractional, what kind of content are they needing, what questions they have, what other templates can I do to help support them so they can also grow their careers.
Jordan:43:17
Gotcha. Okay, cool. And.
I typically have one question I want to leave it with I always blank my editor is so good. He's definitely edit this part out
Laura Brooks:43:26
Yeah.
Laura Brooks:43:31
amazing.
Jordan:43:37
Hmm. I don't know. Let's see. Laura, where can they find you?
Laura Brooks:43:42
You can find me on LinkedIn slash L. E. Brooks. So look me up there foundation collective. You can also reach me at Laura at foundation co. agency. If you want to send me an email directly.
Jordan:43:54
Perfect Laura, it was so much fun having you on the show. I laughed my ass off a lot of times, so thank you again. And we'll have to have you back on like nine to 12 months to see how things are going for you.
Laura Brooks:44:03
That would be great. Thank you, Jordan. Good talking to you.
Jordan:44:06
Absolutely.
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