Issue #30: Marketing Epiphanies and Anniversary Reflections

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Thirty Issues of Building In Public

For 30 weeks straight, this newsletter has landed in your inbox. By my math, that's over half a year of writing, publishing, and sharing the unfiltered journey of figuring things out along the way.

In that time:

• I've changed many aspects of this newsletter (and most of my business ideas).

• I've pivoted my ventures — multiple times — telling myself I'm "iterating."

• I've contradicted myself more times than I can count.

But I didn't stop writing. And I didn't stop trying to be useful to you.

I know there's plenty of business advice floating around. Most of it? Questionable at best. Some of it? Decent. A tiny fraction? Actually valuable.

Hopefully, I've added more good to the mix. (Maybe even some great)

I had an epiphany this week that's been gnawing at me:

I had an epiphany this week that's been gnawing at me:

This realization has crystallized how I want to play this game.

I'm not interested in being the next tech unicorn founder or building a massive consulting empire. I'm becoming a Development Co-Pilot^TM for real estate projects, staying small and nimble with a Familypreneur^TM approach that prioritizes impact over scale.

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A Hard Look in the Marketing Mirror

After an intense day of sales and marketing training, I returned home (walking out of my home office 😀) with three things:

• a stack of highlighted notes

• a suspicion that my offer names were terrible

• the realization that I had no actual marketing strategy

Thursday morning found me at the kitchen table, surrounded by workshop handouts. Kirsten was across from me, methodically working through our monthly Quickbooks accounting.

"So according to these frameworks, my '$100K in a Day' offer is..."

Kirsten didn't even look up. "Still the cringiest name in consulting history?"

"It's direct!" I protested. "It tells people exactly what they get!"

"It sounds like one of those get-rich-quick schemes between crypto scams and dropshipping courses."

My shoulders slumped. "Fair point. The workshop facilitator said the same thing. Said it sounded like I was selling a system rather than solving a problem."

Now Kirsten looked up, eyebrow raised in her 'I told you so' face. "Isn't that what you've been saying for weeks? That you need to focus on client problems instead of your brilliant solutions?"

"I hate it when my own advice comes back to haunt me."

I flipped through pages of notes. "I've been creating offers I think are clever without considering what clients actually want."

"Like how Dan had no idea you offered implementation services because you never told him?"

I winced. "Exactly. Our entire marketing approach is backwards. We're sitting here with decades of expertise, real solutions to real problems, and nobody knows what we actually do."

The sound of footsteps interrupted our conversation as Evan, our 20-year-old marketing major, appeared in the doorway with his characteristic stoic expression.

"What's going on?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

I spun to face him. "Evan! What do you think of the name '$100K in a Day' for a consulting service?"

He considered this for approximately two seconds before shrugging. "Sounds like a scam."

"That's what I said!" Kirsten exclaimed.

I looked between them, suddenly seeing the obvious solution. "Evan, you're in your third year of marketing, right? And you need practical experience for your résumé..."

A flicker of interest crossed his face. "What are you thinking?"

Kirsten caught on immediately. "Summer internship at LandLogic. You could build our entire marketing foundation."

"Marketing Manager position," I corrected. "Sounds better on a résumé."

"Would I get paid?" he asked.

"Of course," Kirsten assured him.

"And creative control?" he pressed, showing more interest than I'd seen about anything not involving PC games in months.

"Within reason," I hedged.

His look contained more judgment than I thought possible in such a minimal facial movement.

Sometimes the solution is literally under your nose (or downstairs playing PC games).

As we head into our 30th newsletter issue, it's the perfect time to reflect on how we got here - and where we're going next.

The First 30: Lessons From A Corporate Escapee

🏢 Issues #1-5: The Corporate Detox Phase

Those first five issues were my corporate withdrawal symptoms in written form. I launched with "The Great Escape" (Issue #1), quoting Morpheus and announcing my emancipation from the corporate matrix. Meanwhile, I spent Issues #2 - #3 obsessing over Naval Ravikant's wisdom while picking fights with corporate bigwigs at Stampede parties.

The turning point came with Issue #5's "My Big Fat Ego Problem," where I finally admitted that writing a 37-page proposal about myself rather than client needs might explain why nobody was hiring me. It was my first moment of genuine self-awareness.

Evolution: Corporate rebel without a cause → reluctant admission that maybe I had something to learn

♻️ Issues #6-10: The Side Hustle Obsession

This era was marked by my frantic search for the perfect business model while dismissing everything as "pedestrian." I created fictional characters with better business plans than mine (remember Chucky and his vintage bowling balls?) and elaborate "side hustle flywheel" frameworks while my actual businesses remained theoretical.

The irony peaked when I described franchising as "cheating at entrepreneurship" in Issue #7, only to announce our chargeFUZE distribution business three issues later.

Evolution: Business model tourist → reluctant franchise distributor

🎭 Issues #11-15: The Identity Pendulum

By Issue #11, I'd done a complete 180 on franchising, announcing chargeFUZE with convert-like enthusiasm. The middle issues chronicled my adventures in "almost getting arrested at a convention" and the "5-minute research mistake that almost cost us everything," proving that entrepreneurship involved more public humiliation than my corporate career ever did.

Issue #15 marked my brief "tech bro" phase where I built an app without knowing how to code. I was trying on different entrepreneurial identities like ill-fitting hats, desperately searching for who I wanted to be.

Evolution: Franchise convert → convention criminal → amateur app developer

🪞Issues #16-20: The Reflection Era

The end of 2024 brought some much-needed reflection. Issue #16's "Lab Report" tallied our first six months: real estate advisory revenue of $10,000 (after giving away "$500,000 in free advice") and a newsletter generating a whopping $142.50. I was officially a business tycoon.

By Issue #20, I was sharing "How Three Months of Silence Became a $5 Million Mistake," finally returning to lessons from my actual expertise: real estate development. The pendulum was swinging back toward my strengths after months of entrepreneurial flailing.

Evolution: Failed empire builder → reluctant return to expertise

💎Issues #21-25: The Value Rediscovery

Issues #21 to 23 marked a recommitment to my real estate roots, with topics like "How to Lose a $500,000 Sale in Minutes" and "Adding Value at $30k Per Minute." I was finally leaning into the expertise I'd spent decades building rather than chasing entrepreneurial fashion trends.

Issue #25 introduced "The Perfect Wedge" concept and my "$100K in a Day" service—the first offering I'd created based on actual client needs rather than entrepreneurial fantasies. After months of flailing, I was building something that leveraged my real strengths.

Evolution: Refocused expert → creator of value-based services

🚀 Issues #26-30: The Professional Reemergence

Issue #26 detailed my first "$100K in a Day" session, where I delivered $250K in savings despite my "system" being more "human-powered" than "AI-enhanced." I was learning that delivering value matters more than having perfect processes.

The most recent issues explored market entry strategies, value creation, and my painful realization in "The Assumption Trap" that clients can't read minds. Despite identifying $100K+ in opportunities, I nearly lost an implementation contract because I never actually told a client what services I offered. Marketing, it turns out, involves telling people what you do.

Evolution: Value creator → accidental services provider → marketing novice

Where We're Headed: Development Co-Pilot

Looking back at these 30 issues, I can see the winding path that led me here – from corporate refugee to side-hustle enthusiast to accidental consultant to whatever I am now. But the path forward is becoming clearer.

I'm not a guru, an influencer, or a "thought leader" (gag). I'm a Development Co-Pilot for real estate projects across Western Canada. After 30 years navigating the complex world of land development, I know where the turbulence is, which routes to avoid, and how to land safely even when conditions aren't ideal.

Besides my every day crazy consulting adventures, this newsletter will focus on what's actually happening in Western Canadian real estate development. I'll share the trends I'm spotting, the tools I'm testing, and the tactics that are working (or spectacularly failing) in real-time.

I'm committed to keeping LandLogic small, nimble, and stealthy – leveraging AI and technology rather than building a massive team. It's a familypreneur approach to business that prioritizes impact over empire-building.

And yes, if you're reading this, you're technically in my marketing funnel – though it's less of a funnel and more of a conversational rabbit hole. If that makes you uncomfortable, the unsubscribe button is always there.

In the coming weeks, I'll be introducing more ways to engage – polls, questions, maybe even the occasional contest.

Thanks for coming along for these first 30 issues. Here's to the next 30 – with slightly less public embarrassment but just as much authenticity.

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Logical Links

🔧 How I Used ChatGPT to Simplify a Zoning Headache

I woke up with a complex zoning comparison on my to-do list and a brain stuck in neutral. The task: determine which local zone best aligned with our "Toy Box" mixed-use concept (those industrial-residential-retail hybrids that are reshaping urban landscapes).

Instead of losing a day slogging through municipal code, I uploaded both documents to ChatGPT (or your favourite AI program)—the project we were benchmarking and the local bylaw—and had it perform a targeted analysis. The key was how I framed the request: not just for a comparison, but for a strategic assessment from a development perspective.

It didn't just parse the documents; it understood the development implications. The AI spotted nuances even my caffeine-deprived brain might have missed—conditional uses buried in subsection 4.2.3.b, height bonusing provisions that would affect our pro forma, and setback requirements that would impact our buildable envelope calculations.

What would have been a 3-hour spreadsheet marathon became a 30-minute strategic decision. The AI handled the grunt work while I focused on the higher-level trade-offs. Within minutes, I had a clean PDF comparison ready for partners showing exactly how each zone would impact our GFA, unit mix, and parking requirements.

But here's what made it truly valuable: I still needed to interpret what these differences meant for our IRR and exit strategy. The AI can parse bylaws, but it can't understand market dynamics or investor priorities. That's where 30 years of development experience comes in.

⬇️ ChatGPT Prompts You Can Steal ⬇️ 

Reply with “basic” to let me know if this was too basic, and I will ramp up to more advanced tools based on feedback.

Help: Your Development Co-Pilot Is Standing By

👉 Facing development challenges that keep you up at night? Whether it's navigating byzantine zoning codes, optimizing your pro forma, or finding that perfect strategic positioning in a crowded market, I've seen it all in 30 years of development trenches.

Here's how I can help:

• Strategy Sessions: One conversation could save you six figures in avoidable mistakes

• Deal Analysis: Get a second set of experienced eyes on your numbers before you commit

• Development Roadmapping: Clear, actionable plans that anticipate the potholes ahead

• Stakeholder Navigation: Learn how to speak the language of planners, politicians, and partners

Don't waste time reinventing the wheel. Every month you spend figuring things out on your own is another month of carrying costs eating into your returns.

Hit reply with "DEVELOPMENT 911" and we'll set up a quick call to discuss your specific challenges. No obligation, no sales pitch – just straight talk about your project and how I might be able to help.

Alternatively, reply with your biggest current development headache and I'll send you my quick-take perspective at no charge.

See you next Friday.

Cheers,

- Greg