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Thoughts on Three Years in BusinessBy Mark Cipolletti, Founder
It’s now been a little over three years since I launched my company, Pinch Hit Partners. I give thanks every day, and especially on this three-year milestone, for the opportunity to run my own business and to be a part of my clients’ businesses. One of my favorite things about Pinch Hit Partners has been working with some great people and learning about a myriad of businesses and industries where I had no prior experience. I thank each of my clients for believing in me and making me a member of their team. When I started the business, I was blazing a new trail in Richmond. I was really the first person to promote the idea of a “fractional Chief Marketing Officer” and “outsourced marketing.” It’s taken a lot of networking events and meetings to get the word out to CEOs, business owners and referral partners. (It’s a good thing I like coffee!) It’s finally starting to feel like prospects are familiar with the brand and the business model (and they like it). Most importantly, most of Pinch Hit’s new business comes from referrals. For that, I thank all of you who think to mention us to your friends and colleagues. If I’m being honest, I definitely have days when I question my choice to start my own business. Those are often the days when I’ve heard that yet another competitor has entered the market. I’m now aware of at least six people in Richmond who are promoting fractional marketing. I try to remind myself that the more of us who are out there educating prospects and winning business, the better it will be for all of us. I’m still proud that Pinch Hit Partners is the only local provider whose consultants are all former VPs of Marketing or Chief Marketing Officers. If you’re going to trust your company’s growth to someone, shouldn’t you get the most experienced provider that you can get (like Matt Smith, former CMO at SweetFrog and Virginia Farm Bureau)? Thank you for celebrating Pinch Hit Partners’ three-year milestone with me. If you are curious about fractional marketing and how it can help your business grow, please reach out to set-up a call. Thank you, Mark
Matt Smith, a direct-to-consumer marketing and branding leader, has joined Pinch Hit Partners as a fractional marketing consultant. Matt has over 20 years of experience leading marketing functions as a consultant for small companies and as an in-house executive for large corporations. As a Pinch Hit Partners consultant, he will serve small and mid-size companies as a fractional head of marketing, developing marketing strategy and overseeing marketing operations.
Most recently, Matt was the chief marketing officer for sweetFrog Enterprises with responsibility for marketing programs, brand management and business development. There, he helped grow the frozen yogurt franchiser into a 340 store, global segment leader. Matt’s career started in college sports marketing at the University of Richmond where he also helped run the media center for the 1992 Presidential Debate. Later he spent three years promoting the nation’s largest sports memorabilia conventions and coordinating appearances by professional athletes for Tuff Stuff Magazine. In 2001, Matt was hired by Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance to start an in-house marketing department. Over the next 12 years his responsibilities grew to include strategic partnerships and change management. While at Farm Bureau, Matt negotiated the naming rights for Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach and helped lead the acquisition of the State Fair of Virginia and Meadow Farm.
Hazzard Electrical, a family-owned commercial electrical contractor headquartered in Ashland, Virginia, has chosen Pinch Hit Partners to develop a strategic marketing plan that will support the company’s future growth goals. For over 40 years, Hazzard has served central Virginia with quality electrical services and we are looking forward to helping develop a marketing plan that will power (pun intended) their company in 2018 and beyond.
Pinch Hitter Matt Smith will be the lead consultant on this project. Smith recently teamed up with Pinch Hit Partners after serving as the Chief Marketing Officer for SweetFrog Enterprises and Director of Marketing for Farm Bureau Insurance. Don’t start 2018 without a marketing plan for your business. Contact us today to discuss how Pinch Hit Partners can provide your company with big company marketing at a small company price. |
Pinch Hit Partners provides fractional marketing leaders to growth-oriented companies.
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4/11/2019
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