Devin Bramhall

Co-host: Don't Say Content. Marketing Advisor. Agency Growth Strategist. Former CEO of Animalz.

Your CEO doesn't hate marketing. They hate that you can't prove that it works.

I know because I've been the marketer pitching brilliant strategies that get shelved and the CEO wondering why marketing feels like an expensive black box.

After 15+ years building content strategies as a marketer and tripling Animalz to nearly $12M ARR as CEO, I realized the real problem:

We're optimizing for activities instead of outcomes. Checking boxes instead of driving growth.

The dirty secret? Most "content marketing strategies" are just glorified to-do lists.

My book "B2B Content Marketing Strategy" shows why "do more marketing" is killing growth and what to do instead.

Now I help companies stop doing marketing and start growing businesses as a fractional Chief Growth Officer.

If you're tired of: 
→ Defending your work instead of leading with it 
→ Following frameworks that feel like busy work 
→ Watching brilliant ideas die in committee

You're in the right place.

I help marketers ask better questions. Not “what content do we need?” but “what does the business need to grow?'"

Get weekly no-BS takes on growth: devinbramhall.com/newsletter

Chief Executive Officer

Every marketer I know has the same story right now. 

You followed the rules, the LinkedIn algorithm changed, your reach tanked, and somehow it's your fault.

So I made a carousel about it.

Shout out to Ashley Faus, Stephanie Trovato, Pranav Suryawanshi, Insiya Bharmal, and Rand Fishkin who inspired this post.

Chief Growth Officer [Fractional]. Author: “B2B Content Marketing Strategy” out now on Amazon

A survival guide for marketers

Nora DiNuzzo

You’ve worked too hard for it to be this hard.

Growing up, one thing I never aspired to be was an entrepreneur. 

Running your own company was for the incredibly wealthy (Mr. Burns) or the incredibly innovative (Doc Brown). I was neither.

But what I’ve learned about entrepreneurs over the past few years is that they have one thing in common – they desperately want to fix something that drives them nuts. 

As it turns out – throughout my life and career, a lot of things drove me nuts. 

So nuts that in October 2021, I quit a VP-level job at an ad agency to start my own consultancy – Pitcher – to help small businesses grow.

Because the fact that agencies could rarely find a way to work with companies <$25mm in annual revenue drove me nuts.

Because I believe that small businesses deserve to grow, too. 

In April 2023, I got a call from a friend that I never planned for – with an offer to create something I never considered doing less than two years into being a founder.

A second company.

Because the fact that so many brilliant agencies continuously struggle to grow drove him nuts. 

As it turns out – it drives me nuts, too. 

So nuts that I said yes – and Blood Sweat & Tears was born. 

Yes, born. I have given birth to two human children – and two businesses.

There is not a damn thing women can’t do.

Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer

You’ve worked too hard for it to be this hard.

BS&T is a committed partner to ambitious agencies frustrated by inconsistent growth.

We develop and implement a custom growth strategy that meets you where you are today – whether your goal is to stabilize, sustain, scale or sell your agency.

There is nothing greater to me than women supporting each other 💞

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking at an event for Dress for Success Pittsburgh alongside my longtime friend, Hollie Geitner, APR and newer friend Nicole Ramirez. 

Whether I have known women in my life for 1 year or 20… when they ask me to show up to support something that matters to them and other women in our community, I am THERE.

And shoutout to two special women I mentioned during our session, which was about how to use your voice on LinkedIn - Joy Hoover and Amena 🦒 Chaudhry, SHRM-SCP.

Even though you are miles away, I share your stories and I speak your names. And I know what little I shared about you - your brilliance, innovation, courage - inspired someone in that room.

I’m putting together something really special and important for women this year. Watch this space - I’ll be sharing more soon. 

If you are a woman who supports other women with your full chest - THANK YOU 🙏

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There is nothing cooler than seeing women follow and achieve their dreams.

Unsurprisingly, as someone who likes to write… so do many of my friends. And their dreams include becoming a published author ✍️ 

I met Sophie Jane Lee a couple of years ago, and knew right away she was special. She has a magnetism and spark that you can’t fake, nor can you force. She just embodies it. 

Of course we connected over marketing as well, and I love her branding for Electric Peach 🍑⚡️

Now reading her book, I understand just how hard she fought to get to the point where being herself seems so effortless.

Sophie says in her new book, Beyond Palatable: A Manifesto for Unapologetic Women that “the path forward is not about fixing ourselves, but about remembering who we were before the edits.”

First… A BAR.

Second… that knocked the wind right out of me.

Because you’ve been you all along.

And I’ve been me.

Along the way, as women we were told to, encouraged to, bullied into editing ourselves.

Not just the physical edits. The ones that demanded we rewire our entire personalities. 

As many of you have witnessed in my own transformation, I stopped editing myself about 5 years ago.

Dave DiNuzzo and I dubbed the pandemic year DGAF 2020 - and that’s precisely when I stopped.

Because I saw that life was too short to keep trying to be someone else’s desired version of me.

And the only person who has to live with how I am is me.

One of the greatest advantages of entrepreneurship is the freedom to be yourself.

People have said, “I never knew you felt that way.”

Now that I’m free there is not only a joy in speaking my mind, but also a responsibility to do so.

Especially because I know that many other women cannot yet.

Because it doesn’t feel safe.
Or actually isn’t safe.

Sophie’s book is going to be a transformational read for so many women. I can’t wait for you all to read it.

And to kick off her upcoming book tour, I invite you to hear Sophie and friends (including me!) speak about moving beyond palatable at the Unapologetic Voices live event next Monday, March 2nd.

It’s going to be a 12-hour marathon of incredible speakers in conversation with Sophie - including two women I’m truly in awe of, Erin Corine Johnson and Yinka Ewuola 🤩

Please join us to talk about how to use your unapologetic voice, and stop editing yourself to fit someone else’s dream or narrative.

Who you are and what you want for your life is more than enough 💗

Link to event in comments. I’m speaking at 1:30 EST. Hope to see you there 🙌

Happy to be back home in Boston to jam with the Colossus crew.

AND… can someone in a slightly warmer locale please pre-book me for next February.

🥶🥶🥶

My least favorite phrase in the English language is:

“That’s just how it’s always been done.”

I don’t accept this.

If “the way it’s always been done” is harming people - or harming you, even! - you should stop doing it that way.

My favorite word in the English language?

YET.

You haven’t changed how it’s always been done, yet - but you can.

And if you want to, you will.

If someone had told me and Dave DiNuzzo five years ago that today, we would be the founders of three businesses... I think we would have burst into a fit of laughter. 

Run your own businesses, with two little kids and no local family? Impossible. 

YET... here we are. 

I'm so proud of Dave for what he is building with DAYPACK Studio. His service model is incredibly useful to just about every business and business owner I know.

Big or small. Agency or brand. Corporate or nonprofit.

If you have creative needs and a budget that demands a just-right size solution, DAYPACK is the answer you've been looking for.

Content Production & Creative Problem Solving

Life is nothing if not an adventure. A journey we embark on one step at a time. We plan a route with the best intentions, but sometimes the best parts of the adventure happen when we deviate from the plan. 

In 2024 when I left agency life, I did so with the intention of taking a beat to focus on the important things in life. In doing so, it became apparent that the adventure of life was nudging me onto my own path.

After a year and change of planning, building and early partnerships, I’m officially launching DAYPACK Studio. 

When you start out on an adventure, it’s important to pack the right supplies, snacks and tools that will help overcome any obstacles along the way. 

Overpack and you’re bogged down with too much weight and it becomes exhausting. Pack too light and you’ll find yourself up a river without a paddle as they say. 

DAYPACK is a partner for whatever creative journey you’re setting off on. Deep experience in a variety of mediums without the bulk of a large team. The right supplies for the venture, no matter the creative problems you’re looking to solve. 

From deck design to motion graphics and podcast production to a quick photo retouch. We’re up for anything your team needs, both the quick jaunts and long excursions. 

Thank you to Niki Clark, FPQP®, Matt Weiss, Emma Knight Markrich, John Caruso, and of course Nora DiNuzzo, some of the earliest supporters of DAYPACK. Your partnership, friendship and support has meant the world in building this business.  

If you’re looking for a partner on your next creative adventure let’s connect and grab coffee or a beer and see where the journey can take us.

Consulting isn't just about achieving outcomes. It's also about ongoing education. 

One of the things Eric Brown and I find ourselves doing most is educating agency leaders about business development best practices - as well as new growth techniques, as our industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace. 

What used to work for new business teams no longer feels like a sure-fire approach. What brought in new clients at a large agency doesn't work now that you're running your own indie shop. 

GEO is changing things. Algorithms are changing things.

Clients are looking for different things from agencies. Because the demands on them are different now. Not only different than they were 2 years or 12 months ago... but different than last quarter. Or last month.

And yet despite (and sometimes, because of) this rapid swirl of change... we often miss or overlook the fundamentals of growth.

Having a clear ICP and POV.

Crafting a positioning that resonates with them - and evolving it to reflect their present moment concerns. Building a reputation as an expert they can trust. 

Having a consistent presence in front of your ICP that builds authority over the long-term. Not just having a growth strategy and plan - but operationalizing it, with daily and weekly rigor. 

Like so many leaders, you probably didn't start your agency because you're a growth expert. But that doesn't mean you can't become one. 

That's why Blood Sweat & Tears is launching Clarity Cohort next month. 

A 90-minute virtual group session for agency leaders that want to learn or re-learn the fundamental strategic and tactical drivers of growth - and talk about the new challenges and opportunities that are emerging and shifting by the day. 

Our next two sessions are on March 5th and March 19th.

DM or email me for more details, if you're interested to join us: nora@bloodsweatandtears.co

Honored to join my friend Sophie Jane Lee for this incredible live event that kicks off her next era as a published author ✍️

March 2nd (also my daughter’s 10th birthday… wow!) I will be speaking at Sophie’s Unapologetic Voices marathon.

I’m going to be speaking with Sophie about the power and freedom of using your voice as a founder 📢 

Friends, join us! My slot is at 6:30 GMT / 1:30 EST… but tune in all day, it’s a marathon of incredible speakers, including so many women I admire like Erin Corine Johnson and Yinka Ewuola 💞

It was a cold, dark, drizzly Tuesday night. Disgustingly British. And all that could be heard was me, talking to my husband about a hairbrained idea... 

I was gushing, actually, telling him how grateful I am to know so many awe-inspiring people who are doing business differently, saying what they actually think, and building things their own way.

“It’d be really cool if you could somehow bring them together,” he said, flicking through a magazine and dreaming about what he could add to the used car lot on our drive next.

BY Jingo! He’s right.

Just when you thought “surely she can’t be doing anything else”…

…I thought, why not bring together 30+ of the most brilliant people I know for a celebration of voice, visibility and reclaiming truth in business?

So, I got to asking.

“I have this hairbrained idea of running a 13-hour Unapologetic Voices Marathon LIVE in the week leading up to the launch of Beyond Palatable on the 8th March,” I said.

I didn’t at all expect it, but everyone said… YES. We’re in. What do you need?

And so, here we are.

A gaggle of the most impressive, self-expressed, doing business their own way and making bank humans I know…

…bringing you a whole day (seriously I must be mad) of fireside chats, talks, panels and inspo-freaking-ation across the nations about all things voice, visibility and self-expression in business.

And the best thing is… It’s totally free to join.

Shimmy in for one session or stay all day, you’ll have a smorgasbord of delectability to choose from.

Now I need your help.

Because madness is only worth it when shared.

Let’s get as many people as we can in these virtual rooms, because I know these conversations will be game-changing. I mean... have you seen who will be in them??? 

PLEASE SIGN UP TO JOIN US! https://lnkd.in/en6dhR3e

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The Battle

Devin Bramhall

Nora DiNuzzo

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taplio

The Battle

Devin Bramhall

Nora DiNuzzo

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Devin Bramhall's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreNora DiNuzzo's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreDevin Bramhall's LinkedIn Performance