Summary

When it comes to marketing and marketing strategies for small business owners, the question is always where do I start? 

In today’s podcast, Trudy speaks to Sam Hurley, founder of Marketing Entourage, who helped the OBL Program identify the gaps in our Marketing Strategy … which we didn’t even know existed.

In today’s discussion, Sam talks about what can help you as a small business owner, especially learning to think more strategically when it comes to your small business. 

In today’s episode Trudy and Sam talk about: 

• The most common marketing skill small business are missing
• The role data plays in online business today 
• The overwhelming amount of options out there and the role those options can play with getting a bigger bang for your data buck
• Marketing tips to help your business grow 
• Knowing your ideal client and different techniques to find them 
• A special tip for those just starting out on their business journey

No longer.  These days LinkedIn is THE place to showcase your business and look for leads.

The transcript for this episode can be found here. 

Today's Guests

Sam Hurley  

Sam believes that business can be a force for good and that, given the right tools, it will be the people behind purpose driven business that can create the change we need.

Sam is passionate about working with purpose driven businesses to create sustainable growth and scale, through ideation to commercialisation or business change and transformation using a human centred approach that incorporates strategic foresight, design thinking, Lean and Agile methodology, behavioural science, and the importance of the customer/user experience.

Sam has over 20 years experience in senior roles with a sales & marketing, customer experience, and global strategy focus; using innovative frameworks and human centred thinking to lead international teams through technological changes in the creative, media and publishing industry. 

Sam was part of a small team that developed the technology that revolutionised the media industry in the early 2000s. Sam worked with NFPs, Social Enterprises, start-ups, purpose driven SMEs, and Corporate Innovators to help them to be more innovative, customer-centric, and truly understand their market and customers as well as how to create customer experiences that align with their business objectives.

Sam’s advised and collaborated with councils and universities for innovation and entrepreneurial development, including creating and facilitating a Digital Design Hack for the City of Melbourne’s Future Melbourne 2026 initiative, a panel member for RMIT’s Industrial Design presentations, a panel for Melbourne's GovJam, and classes and workshops at General Assembly.