We were lucky to catch up with Brea Woodson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Most marketing companies and agencies exist to take marketing tasks off a business owner’s plate—a valuable service that can make a huge difference. However, when I started freelancing, I quickly discovered a large subset of businesses that weren’t quite ready to outsource their marketing. Some hesitated due to cost, while others simply wanted to learn how to do it themselves.

I connected with this group immediately and fell in love with working alongside them. These are smart, capable business owners eager to learn, and when they take the time to understand marketing, they benefit for the life of their business. But the biggest challenge? Time and focus.

Business owners wear countless hats, and marketing often gets pushed aside. That’s why I designed my marketing bootcamps as workshop-style intensives—short, focused, and action-driven. Each topic is covered in a two-week sprint, with just four hours total spent together. During this time, we break down exactly what needs to be done, using quick overviews, templates, Q&A sessions, and hands-on execution.

Yes, there’s homework sometimes, but no one is left struggling with unanswered questions. In fact, participants often accomplish more in these sessions than they have in years of spinning their wheels and trying to tackle marketing alone. Best of all, the approach is sustainable—they walk away with the knowledge and confidence to apply these marketing strategies repeatedly.

And when they’re finally ready to outsource? They know enough about marketing to make informed decisions and ensure they’re never taken advantage of.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

With over 20 years in marketing, I’ve had the privilege of working on projects of major brands like Anheuser-Busch, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and Nestlé Purina. I also spent a significant part of my career leading the marketing department for a small medical business. These experiences placed me in rooms with some of the smartest and most talented business minds, shaping my perspective on what truly makes marketing effective.

When I transitioned into freelancing, I quickly discovered my passion—helping business owners who wanted to take control of their own marketing. I love learning about their businesses, understanding their missions, and knowing that the guidance I provide contributes to their long-term success. There’s nothing more fulfilling than equipping business owners with the tools and knowledge they need to market confidently.

My mission is simple: To empower small business owners to confidently and sustainably market themselves by providing clear, practical tools and proven strategies—all in a supportive and approachable way.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first launched GRT Marketing, it was designed as a self-service model, offering marketing guides that businesses could access and implement on their own. However, I realized that many business owners struggled to carve out the time to do this independently.

Based on their feedback and my own observations, I pivoted to workshop-style bootcamps—a hands-on approach where we tackle marketing topics together. This shift ensures that strategies aren’t just learned but actually implemented, often during the sessions themselves. Business owners no longer face lingering questions or unfinished plans that never get executed. Instead, they walk away with clarity, completed work, and the confidence to keep moving forward.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This goes with the story above, but just a point that if a particular solution doesn’t seem to be “working”, it doesn’t mean the solution sucks. Instead of abandoning it, take a step back, assess what might be missing, and—most importantly—seek feedback from your clients. Their insights can reveal simple adjustments that make all the difference in making a strategy work effectively.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gainretainthrive.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GRTMarketing/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brea-woodson/
• Other: Free marketing workshop:
  https://www.gainretainthrive.com/freemarketingworkshop

  Free FB group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/grtmarketing

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