Running a marketing department or agency can feel a bit like being in that Jay-Z song. And I gotta admit, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by 99 problems that come my way. So I appreciate the ray of sunshine who is my next guest, who reminds us that ‘Solving problems for people is a privilege, not a burden.’ To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Rich Davis, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, ThinkSpark (https://thinksparkinc.com/). In five years, ThinkSpark has grown its gross revenue from $600,000 to a projected $6 million for 2023. Davis leads a team of 15 at ThinksSpark. Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketing Some lessons from Davis that emerged in our discussion: Many of the day-to-day annoyances that inspired him to sell, he actually missed after he soldMost clients would rather have passion vs perfectionDon’t look at delegating as a taskBe true to your brandLet others talk first. Always let them finish their thoughts. Leadership can be more about listening than talking.Solving problems for people is a privilege, not a burdenYou can’t please everyoneRelated content discussed in this episode Get the power of 10,000 marketing experiments. Play with MECLABS AI at MECLABS.com/AI (MECLABS is the parent organization of MarketingSherpa). Copywriting and Value Proposition: Unleashing the power of compelling copy (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/copywriting/copywriting/) Servant Leadership in Marketing: We are only as good as how we handle humbling moments (podcast episode #54) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/servant-leadership) “Authenticity” vs. “Professionalism”: Should you be your authentic self in your brand’s content and marketing? Or must you adhere to certain strictures considered “professional” in your industry? (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/authenticity) Marketing Leadership: Embracing questions and overcoming pretense (podcast episode #74) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-leadership-podcast) Customer Service Chart: How likely customers are to let your brand fix its mistakes (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/how-likely-customers-let-brand-fix-mistakes) Customer Loyalty Chart: Just how big of an effect does customer satisfaction have on loyalty? (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/loyalty-effect-customer-satisfaction) Get more episodes This article is distributed through the MarketingSherpa email newsletter (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters). Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes. Apply to be a guest If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application