We were lucky to catch up with Tad Hargrave recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tad, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

I think the best investment I’ve ever made is into my own business. There are so many kinds of investment out there but our businesses can give us such stability and control over so many of the factors that other kinds of investing don’t. There’s so much more possibility of getting a higher return with better strategies.

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

I run a wee business called Marketing for Hippies. I grew up as a hippie and then I ended up learning a lot of pushy and aggressive marketing tools and drank that koolaid and had to learn to become a hippie again./

Since 2001, I’ve been weaving together strands of ethical marketing, Waldorf School education, a history in the performing arts, local culture work, anti-globalization activism, an interest in my ancestral, traditional cultures, community building and supporting local economies into this work I do.,

At the hear of the work it’s about helping people create profitable businesses that are ethically grown while restoring the beauty of the marketplace.

So many clients come to us either avoiding marketing because they can’t find an ethical way to do it or doing marketing that is effective in the short term but that doesn’t let them sleep at night. A lot of them have been burned by other coaches who pressed them to market in a way that didn’t feel right.

Our work tries to braid together ethics, effectiveness and beauty.

Our main focus is on helping our clients (largely coaches, holistic practitioners and other service providers) to get their foundations right. We call these the Seven Fundamentals:

1) Create enough SPACE in your life so you can prioritize your business.
2) Root yourself deeply in an ETHICAL approach to business.
3) Clarify your NICHE
4) Hone and articulate your POINT OF VIEW
5) Craft a simple, sustainable and satisfying BUSINESS MODEL that makes it safe for people to check you out from a distance.
6) Identify the core HUBS who can help you promote your work.
7) Choose your core approach to SHARING your work (we tend to recommend 60 minute, online Signature Workshops).

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I didn’t change what I did over and over. I’ve had, basically, the same business for about 25 years now. And I’ve proceeded ethically. It’s all grown organically and slowly. When I’ve blundered, I’ve apologized and done my best to make it right. I’ve worked hard to under-promise and over-deliver. And I work hard in my marketing to help people understand if this work is a fit for them or not. My focus isn’t on getting the sale but getting to the truth of if it’s a fit.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

In 2003, after a year of slogging along in the early days of my business, I went to Fairfield, Iowa, home of the Maharishi University of Management. Half the town are the “roos,” (short for gurus) who meditate twice a day. The other half the town are the “townies” who definitely do not meditate. I had been there, replacing my friend Ocean Robbins as a speaker, for their Eco-Conference. I’d spoken, led a fundraising workshop, a marketing workshop, and a circle for young activists. I became a D-Grade celebrity for a few days in Fairfield, Iowa.
And so, one year later, it seemed to me like a fine place to go and lead one of my first workshops on the road. Two weeks before leaving for Fairfield, my desktop computer (which I couldn’t bring with me on the road) had died. And I travelled to Fairfield a month before my workshop there. So, in the six weeks rolling up to the event, I was both without a computer and on the road, and I couldn’t promote it. Plus, Facebook didn’t even exist yet and people didn’t use the internet as ubiquitously to promote and find out about workshops.
I showed up in Fairfield because I already had my plane ticket, but nobody had enrolled in my weekend workshop. Nobody. We should note that it is always rich when you’re doing a marketing training for which nobody signs up. It would be like walking up to teach a relationship workshop and everyone can see you in a huge fight with your partner outside of the hotel. I imagined people thinking, “What does he know about marketing? He can’t even get anyone to show up for his own workshop.” It was painful. I led two, three-hour introductory workshops. The first one was on the Wednesday night before the weekend. Three people showed up to it. I left that night utterly discouraged and spent the night trying to rationalize it and think positively about it. The next night there were 16 people.
And so I levelled with them, “Look, here’s the deal,” I said. “Nobody has signed up for my weekend workshop. I was here a year ago to speak at your Eco-Conference and lead a workshop. I was so excited to come back but my computer died before I left home over a month ago and I haven’t been able to properly promote this workshop. But I’m here, my plane ticket doesn’t leave until Monday and I’d rather do something useful while I’m here. I normally include three, hour-long coaching sessions post-workshop but I have a thought that wouldn’t include those. Why don’t you just come to the weekend and pay what you want at the end?” Over the next 24 hours, perhaps aided by the fact that Fairfield is a small town and word spreads quickly, 12 people signed up immediately for the whole weekend. If I’d insisted that they pay the full $1,500 with the follow-up coaching sessions included, I’d have maybe gotten one or two. At that point, it’s not a workshop anymore. It’s a consultation.
I was amazed that 12 people had signed up so easily with virtually no pitch from the front of the room. I assumed I would get $20 a person. I had no idea what anyone might pay. I’d hoped it might pay for the plane ticket but I was really readying myself to lose money on the whole venture. I had already tried to reframe the whole thing in my head saying to myself, “Okay, it’s an investment, I’m here making contacts. This is really about setting the foundation for my next trip,” trying desperately to pretend that I didn’t feel crappy about it. I can’t even remember exactly what the participants ended up paying, but I do remember that they paid enough that I actually made money on the trip.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marketingforhippies.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketingforhippies/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hippymarketer/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tad-hargrave/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marketingforhippies
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/marketingforhippies

Image Credits

https://www.instagram.com/acehicksphotography/
https://www.instagram.com/stasia.garraway/