The Ambition Incubator Podcast: Gordon Van Wechel's Letter To his Younger Self

Gordon Van Wechel's 'letter to his younger business self' is in turns funny, warm, and wise. He shares five pearls with us, that are not to be missed!

I don't often ask my guests to write a letter to their younger selves, but when Gordon Van Wechel appeared on on my radar, somehow, I just knew....

Gordon has an absolute wealth of experience both in building diverse businesses and helping clients to build theirs. His letter is an utterly charming distillation of advice that applies not just to business, but to the wider sphere of life itself.

In addition to the five gems that Gordon chose to give his younger self, I couldn't help wanting to dive into Gordon's book, 'Core 5 Marketing'. This, btw, is available free on his website, and I can guarantee you, having been around the block a few times myself, this is book will set you up to understand the marketing process in a way that others charge $$$$ for!

The book is written in the most straightforward terms, and clears up a lot of the mysterious mumbo-jumbo that tends to come with marketing. And it goes deeper than that, with sections that help us consider how Google is serving their customer, and why our websites and landing pages need to take that into consideration!

The other thing that's interesting about Gordon's approach is that it was developed as he built his own businesses. He really understands what small and emerging businesses need - and having been on that journey myself I can tell, this is the good stuff!

For more than 17 years, Gordon has been helping hundreds of small to medium size businesses and professional practices develop marketing and business growth plans that have brought
millions of dollars in added revenue. This has been accomplished through his agency, The Alchemy Consulting Group.

In 1995, he began partnering with several NGOs to teach micro-enterprise principles to people in underdeveloped nations. This work has taken him to more than 50 countries resulting in the launch of more than 1000 businesses, 27 schools and many
community development programs. He continues to be active in this work today.

An enduring lesson from these experiences is the importance of business growth that is both consistent and predictable. Today’s business and professional practice owners must be aware of market trends and be able to pivot quickly towards new opportunities in order to survive.

In addition to focusing on growth, Gordon also works with owners to enhance the value of their business. He believes that even if selling the business isn’t a goal, every entrepreneur should analyze their enterprise as if they were a buyer.

Gordon strongly believes that small to medium sized businesses are the engine that drives the economy.

You know, I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to have these conversations with such a diverse range of people, each an expert in their own right. But every now and again, you know you've had a conversation with a real gentleman, and that also makes a difference.

In case you missed the link earlier, you can head over to Alchemy Consulting to find out more.

Categories: advertising, advice, business, business development, business experience, business wisdom, entrepreneur, letter to my younger self, marketing, marketing agency, online marketing, sales, solopreneur