From Golf to Marketing: Adam Packard's Journey and the Importance of Long-Term Vision

Designing Successful Startups

Summary

Adam Packard, founder of Ninja Prospecting, discusses his journey from the golf business to starting his own marketing and business development company. He shares his experience with using LinkedIn for prospecting and explains his manual approach to avoid automation and LinkedIn restrictions. Packard also talks about his long-term vision for his business and the importance of coaching. The conversation touches on topics such as the challenges of selling advertising, the use of Sales Navigator, and the value of personalized outreach. In this conversation, Jothy Rosenberg and Adam Packard discuss the future plans for Adam's company, Ninja Prospecting. They explore the possibility of transitioning to a broader marketing focus and rebranding as Ninja Marketing. They also discuss the challenges of changing company names and the importance of long-term vision. Adam shares his source of grit as being inspired by his father's entrepreneurial success and his desire to provide a better life for his family. They also touch on the idea of slowly transitioning from the current business model to the new one and the importance of having a strong team.

Takeaways

• Adam Packard transitioned from the golf business to starting his own marketing and business development company, Ninja Prospecting.
• Ninja Prospecting takes a manual approach to prospecting on LinkedIn, avoiding automation and focusing on personalized outreach.
• The company uses Sales Navigator for prospecting, but also leverages other tools like Apollo and ZoomInfo for more specific targeting.
• Packard's long-term vision for Ninja Prospecting is to build a referral-based business and offer coaching to help clients maximize their marketing efforts. Consider the long-term vision when naming a company to avoid the need for future rebranding.
• Transitioning from one business model to another can be challenging, but starting fresh with a new company may be a more effective approach.
• Having a strong team is crucial for successfully navigating business changes and growth.
• Grit and determination are essential qualities for entrepreneurs, often fueled by a desire to provide a better life for their families.
• Balancing the current business while working on a new venture requires careful planning and management.

Sound Bites

"As a golfer, I had to get out West."

"You never have to shovel sunshine."

"Be good at marketing and have a team on the backend to be able to execute this and then, um, leverage that."

"Eventually probably change it from Ninja prospecting to Ninja marketing and be more of a marketing company.”

Links

Adam’s Ninja Prospecting: https://ninjaprospecting.com/

Please leave us a review: https://podchaser.com/AdventuresOnTheCanDo

Tech Startup Toolkit (book): https://www.manning.com/books/think-like-a-startup-founder

Jothy’s website: https://jothyrosenberg.com

The Who Says I Can’t Foundation: https://whosaysicant.org

Jothy’s TEDx talk on disabilities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNtOawXAx5A

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:12 The Manual Approach to LinkedIn Prospecting

08:37 Using Sales Navigator and Other Tools

14:43 Building a Referral-Based Business

23:41 The Challenges of Changing Company Names

27:56 Finding Grit and Inspiration in Family

29:53 Building a Strong Team for Business Growth

35:10 Balancing the Current Business with a New Venture

38:11 Conclusion and Appreciation