Your agency doesn't have a sales problem. It has a people problem. I spent 15+ years building teams, from scrappy startups, to scaling tech companies, to huge agencies like GroupM and WPP. Now, I give small agency owners the SOPs, frameworks, and hard truths they need to build high-performance cultures that run without them.
The TL;DR, Stepping Up To 2022
A bi-weekly roundup of old tweets and 1M steps
December 11, 2021 - January 7, 2022
Getting Back Into InstaFaceTok
Back in 2013 when I was deep in higher education and student affairs, I ended up applying on a whim to be on the board of a professional organization.
It was that time of the year (LIKE NOW) where your boss says to you, "So let's talk career stuff. What are you doing for your career?"
I shrugged.
She said, "How about you try running for something you don't think you'd win?"
With that encouraging advice, I applied to be the Social Media Coordinator for the Massachusetts College Personnel Association. I put in some stuff about being a millennial who grew up on social media and, thoroughly surprised, I ended up getting it.
In this new role, I was responsible for the strategy and posting for all the social accounts- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and FourSquare (remember competing to be Mayor of Jamba Juice?!)- for a couple hundred members across New England.
I was such an Achiever that I upheld my position with 110% enthusiasm. I sent thousands of tweets, live-posted event updates (this was before livestreaming was a thing), and agonized over single-digit click rates on my meme posts.
Two years later, my term was over and I completely stopped posting on social media.
Perhaps it was social burnout, but I think it was an evaporation of purpose. As an Obliger, I depend on external accountability to perform. Once I was off the executive board of a professional org representing student affairs professionals, who cared if I tweeted?
Well, 2022, I'm hoping that you care.
As part of my Learn to Scale OKRs for Q1, I intend to post a ton more on social media. There are amazing stories, very cool insights, and meaningful experiences that's happening in and around the work for a business to learn and scale. Every day I learn something new, so why not share that? I also personally love to teach, so I'm indulging myself a bit with this goal.
Help me reach my goals by holding me accountable! Featuring this goal in the TL;DR is one way of putting skin in the game, but knowing that you are watching my every post and reel is another way of helping me stay consistent and motivated. You might learn a thing or two. Or just get a little giggle.
To help set myself up for success, I published an Instagram Story detailing how I set up my physical space to crush 2022. Check it out, and consider following Learn to Scale on your favorite social platform.
| How I'm Tackling My New Year's Resolutions |
A TL;DR from the CRO
Happiness can stick to you but it doesn't last forever, so have fun often.
-Roman Noodles, Chief Ruff Officer
TL;DRs From Around the Internetverse
- According to Dunbar's Number, falling in love means you lose 2 friends The Atlantic
- Being fat is associated with moral failing and that's bullshit Culture Study
- 16 habits that will make you successful ASCD
- Three decision-making models and how to do each one well Harvard Business Review
- Whether you have ADHD or not, paper planners are the way to go ADDitude
The TL;DR on What's Cool: Postal.io
Imagine this:
- Someone signs up for a free consultation with your business.
- They automatically get sent a bag of coffee from their local coffee merchant, due to arrive the day before the meeting.
- The prospect is so impressed that they end up purchasing your service.
- They automatically get sent a thank you box of truffles.
- They never churn for the rest of their life and talk about how cool you are.
The "automatically" here could be done by a direct mail service that's plugged into your tech stack so you don't have to remember to be exceptionally thoughtful every day.
I had no idea a service like this existed until I met Adam from Postal.io. He shared tons of examples like the one above, including one involving 12 Apple Watches, ten executives, and a $200K 3-year contract. That's a zinger.
If you're doing any kind of B2B sales and are looking to boost conversions, increase customer loyalty, or just be hella cool, these 15 direct mail ideas are delicious. Postal is also offering a two-week free trial through our Learn to Scale partnership.
Gifts are nice, but automatic gifts are DOPE.
Another one of my new years resolutions is to hit a million steps in 90 days. It sounds like a crazy goal, but it shakes out to about 12K steps a day, only a short stroll more than the recommended 10K a day. Two short and one long walk with CRO Roman Noodles nets me about 12K steps.
Last year I shot for 1M steps by April and I just eked it out. It took a few long March hikes, but I did it!
This year I'm adding a new level of challenge: my friend has to hit 1M steps too. It's a Step-Pact.
Not only that, but I plan on sharing out my step counts here in this biweekly newsletter. Right now, on Day 3, I'm at 33K steps. My goal date is April 5th. I still have to figure out a reward for myself...thoughts?
You're welcome to try to hit my step goal too. Wanna walk on FitBit with me?
Step up,
Dan from Learn to Scale
Opt-out from the newsletter | Unsubscribe from all emails | Update your profile | www.learntoscale.us, Boston, MA 02119
PS. "The more you are pushed, the thicker your skin. The thicker your skin, the higher you'll go."
Dan Newman
Your agency doesn't have a sales problem. It has a people problem. I spent 15+ years building teams, from scrappy startups, to scaling tech companies, to huge agencies like GroupM and WPP. Now, I give small agency owners the SOPs, frameworks, and hard truths they need to build high-performance cultures that run without them.
A bi-weekly roundup of how to fit your business on a single sheet of paper December 27, 2025 - January 9, 2026 Nine Boxes Closer To Nirvana Skip the New Years Resolution, To-Don't List, and Accountabilibuddy Pact. Do a Lean Canvas instead. The Lean Canvas is a one-page business modeling worksheet that should take about 15 minutes for you to fill out if you know your business model and a couple years if you don't. Think of it less like a business plan and more like an annual physical for your...
A bi-weekly roundup of everything TL;DR from the past year December 13 - December 26 A Brief Year In Review Don't forget to enter my end-of-year holiday Cliftonstrengths & 1-1 Giveaway! Contest ends on Monday the 29th. Enter now! The end of the year always puts me into a reflective mood, and out of all my content channels, this newsletter has always been the place I feel most present. The ritual of waking up early on a Friday, putting on vibe-y instrumental music, and setting the lights to...
A bi-weekly roundup of ways to make EOY reviews a little less awkward November 29 - December 12 What Wrapping Paper Do You Use For Tough Love? It’s December 12th. You can practically smell the holiday break. But there is one thing standing between you and that final "Out of Office" auto-reply: The End-of-Year Review. If you are like most small agency owners I know, you are probably trying to find a way to wiggle out of it. You might be telling yourself: "We’re a small team, we talk every day....