The TL;DR, Introducing A New Perspective


A bi-weekly roundup of refreshing outlooks on common problems
August 17 - August 30

Research-Driven Checklists of Perspective, On Sale Now

As I mentioned in the last TL;DR, I recently came off a multi-month series of interviews with small marketing agency professionals. I heard all about the problems these small businesses face, from Communication and Culture to Operations and Scaling.

TL;DR- the problems that small agencies face are not terribly unique.

That being said, the problems small agencies face are not simple, straightforward, or easy to identify.

What's even harder is that when you are in the thick of it, those problems seem more complex, impossible to navigate around, and come across as subconscious feelings rather than visible problems.

The first step to solving those problems: "I'd like some fresh, clear, well-seasoned perspective."

I can suggest a good wine to go with that: the Small Agency Assessment.

This is a new service that Learn to Scale is offering, specifically and only for small marketing agencies. The Small Agency Assessment is designed to uncover root issues, prioritize which issues to tackle first, what tools/systems will solidify a foundation for scaling, and a roadmap to grow with confidence.

Or, in other words, "Perspective."

I'm celebrating this new launch AND the upcoming Startup Boston Week (where I also serve as COO) by discounting this service 10% until the end of September.


A TL;DR from the CRO

A poodle's point of view simplifies things: things are a stick or not a stick.

-Roman Noodles, Chief Ruff Officer


New Blog Post: Why I'm on a Mission to Crack the Code For Small Marketing Agencies

Get an overview of the research and key insights that helped shape the Small Agency Assessment.


Conference season is upon us.

Not only will I be at Startup Boston Week from September 9-13 (ps. it's a free 5-day hybrid conference), but also Hubspot's Inbound the following week.

I specifically bought new walking shoes for this month. Last year at SBW2023 I clocked 162K+ steps in that conference alone.

I'm guesstimating I'll be over 200K steps in two weeks this September.

If you're attending either of those two events, please give me a high five: I'll be the guy wearing the shamelessly branded Learn to Scale hat:

Yep, you can wear this hat too.

Step up to September,

Dan from Learn to Scale


Opt-out from the newsletter | Unsubscribe from all emails | Update your Preferences | www.learntoscale.us, Boston, MA 02119

PS. In case you forgot the plot to Ratatouille, this'll bring it right back.

Dan Newman

Entrepreneur, Professional Learner, & Proud Failure. Writes about sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship from the eyes of a learning and development nerd. Lead teams, manage people, scale a business, and learn better through the biweekly irreverent newsletter, the TL;DR.

Read more from Dan Newman
A man with feedback feeling unsafe next to a woman who is overly confident

A bi-weekly roundup of quietly suppressed opinions October 4 - October 17 What If Your Slack Got Wikileaked? Picture this: imagine that whatever you and your team use for private communication (Slack, Teams, long rambling email threads, texts, etc.) became public knowledge. And when I mean public, I don't only mean to other internal team members, but also clients, prospects, job candidates, etc. Yes, even Charlie. He's...horrified. And hurt. That mental image that's giving you the willies is...

Learn to Scale turns 6 years old

Hey Reader, For six years, I’ve been a founder. The journey has been a winding road of trial, error, and a whole lot of learning. I’ve sold to HR departments, consulted for startups, and chased opportunities across different industries, always feeling like I was just one step away from "figuring it out." I was a generalist trying to solve everyone's problems. And it was exhausting. But looking back, a clear pattern emerged. Every time I did my best work, every time a client had a true...

an entrepreneur who has accepted his failures and is brainstorming how to move forward with refreshed offerings

A bi-weekly roundup of insights from six years of failure September 20 - October 3 Stitching A New Birthday Suit Next week, Learn to Scale turns six years old. I've been a professional failure for almost six years. I don't know about you, but birthdays make me reflective. It's a special event that connects you to previous versions of yourself: the person who used to believe one thing is the same person that you are today, but you've changed what you believe. And every year, the Dan from...