Senior Partner Manager at Hootsuite | Enterprise Alliances with MarTech SaaS | Head of Sales & Marketing at MyRisk | Board Director | Author of "Connect & Act - Systematic Social Selling"

I spend my days working with boutique marketing agencies across Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific helping them build businesses that feel lighter, clearer and more scalable.

Agencies don’t struggle because of a lack of talent; they struggle because they’re carrying too much alone. That’s where I fit.

ActiveCampaign gives them the tooling. I help them build the engine, the rhythm and the confidence to grow.

After moving to Australia nearly a decade ago, I found myself drawn to the agency world — the conversations, the creativity, the honesty, the challenge of wearing ten hats at once.

One thread that runs through everything I do is the belief that business moves at the speed of human connection. It’s why I’ve created my #42coffees series: slowing down enough to hear people’s stories, understand their direction and find the right doors to open for them.

The same energy shows up in the in-person events I run across Asia Pacific. When people meet in real rooms, things shift: ideas get clearer, partnerships form faster and growth feels more human.

Since then I’ve supported partners at ActiveCampaign and beforehand at Hootsuite, GoTo, Noggin, KeepItSafe and across the broader MSP and MarTech landscape. The work is always a mix of:
→ partnerships (finding the right doors)
→ automation & lifecycle systems (removing friction)
→ Social Selling (building visibility without becoming someone you’re not)
→ productised services (so the business stops feeling heavy)

What I enjoy most is watching agency founders realise they don’t need to grow through burnout — they can grow through structure.

Moving to Australia was not a straight line. A layoff opened a moment of pause which became an inflection point. I studied leadership using the time to understand the emerging SaaS ecosystem. That allowed me to transfer my experience into a new market, build a partnership-focused identity from the ground up, and develop the human-connection mindset that defines how I work today.

I’m also a long-time writer with 28 books from travel guides to Social Selling and personal development. Writing helps me make sense of things and help others do the same.

Outside work, I serve as a Board Director of Sydney’s historic Castlereagh Boutique Hotel. It’s a role rooted in community, heritage and looking after something that matters — values I try to bring into my work with agencies as well.

If you’re a boutique marketing agency founder trying to shape the next stage of your business, I’d love to hear your story. Every agency journey starts differently and no one builds it alone.

Gunnar Habitz

Did you ever return to a place that played a significant role in your life?

Alexandra and I knew each other only for half a year when we decided to go from Europe to New Zealand for a couple of month, right after uni. Here we're sitting in Auckland at a lunch break from learning English at the Auckland University. Little did I know that I would move to an English speaking country.

Exactly ten years ago we returned to Auckland, stayed with the same kiwi family and travelled - this time without learning English but figuring out if the South Pacific suits us (hint. it still does!).

Now I will come to Auckland again for the ActiveCampaign #EvolvingAgencySeries event on Thursday 19 March.

This is the perfect change to discuss with local marketing agencies the role they play with clients in an AI world to keep the human connection.

And for me it means reconnecting again with the place that built our journey already so long ago.

Looking forward to meeting our partners, my host family and fellow professionals who still remember me.

Any marketing agency who wants to explore #autonomousmarketing, please check this out:
https://bit.ly/47kxi5j

What's your impression when you returned to such an important place in your life?

Helping boutique marketing agencies scale through human connection, automation & AI-powered workflows | Agency Ecosystem Lead @ ActiveCampaign (APAC) | Ghostwriting educational email courses for authority & conversion

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Imagine this: your marketing activities focus only on social media - and nothing converts. Or you write very good emails - but nobody reads them. That's a sign of a missing element. Which one?
💡
I'm talking about customer journeys. Most businesses are deep in their services knowing the benefits for the clients in and out - but they're coming from a view of the solution, not from capturing the problem.

That's the space for an expert who understands customer journeys. One of my favourites in that area is Mando Anderson who runs his boutique agency Yeah Mando after his successful term as onboarding specialist at ActiveCampaign.

Mando and I met at my favourite café in Sydney's famous Bondi beach, the legendary Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore.

Here are my thoughts from the 92nd episode of my #42coffees series:

1. Keep the human connection in digital channels without expecting to squeeze people thought static processes.

2. Turn subscribers into raving fans with the right approach from capturing leads on social media bringing them into email nurturing.

3. Show behind the scenes with customers stories alongside those customer journeys to be relatable and personalised (ActiveCampaign can help with that).

4. Don't just talk about authenticity, act as your true self even if it is quirky, raw and unpolished. Subscribe to Mando's newsletter to you see what I mean.

How do you describe the customer journeys for your business?

#emailmarketing #CRM #autonomousmarketing

Imagine you're a creative pro and enjoy working with modern AI companies? Now you have the chance!

I could observe the power of this type of role when I got a stretch assignment at Hootsuite to improve their Social Selling online course. I created the concept of new lessons while their animators, editors, narrators and video experts created magic out of it.

Now this type of role becomes available within the creative team at ActiveCampaign! We’re searching for a talented Animator & Editor to help us bring the brand to life.

This is an exciting opportunity to architect motion designs from scratch, partner with Product Marketing, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in SaaS. 

If you live in After Effects and Premiere Pro and have a meticulous eye for typography and colour theory, you’ll fit right in.

Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4rV15K4

Founder of DirectConnect.com ♦ LiveChatMonitoring.com ♦ DriveChat.com.au

I help businesses capture more qualified leads and opportunities from their website without having to spend a cent more on Advertising!   
Our customers report an average increase of 30% (or more!) in their online leads after adding live chat to their website.

Have yu considered addline Live Chat to your marketing strategy?   Reduce your bounce rate and increase your conversion rate by adding 24/7 customer support and lead capture with LiveChatMonitoring.com

We also provide outsourced live chat teams, lead generation, online customer service, and sales support to companies of all sizes - anywhere in the world.

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Gunnar Habitz

Gavin S.

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The Battle

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Gavin S.

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Engagements

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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);}Gunnar Habitz's LinkedIn Performance

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