Alex Medick, Founder, TNS
Hey! I'm Alex Medick, your favourite marketer.⚡️ Ventures I'm working on include INSIDE.COM, TNS, and Kuppy. I also occasionally invest in startups. I aim to carve my own path in business and life while also doing my best to build a better tomorrow where I can. I also have a weekly newsletter where I write about life, marketing, entrepreneurship, and Bitcoin.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Twitter is by far my favourite social platform. Truthfully, it's where the greatest minds I know connect to share ideas and world views. Also, it's great for connecting. I used to embark on massive application and sales sprees when getting into startup and tech marketing. Now, I network fully through Twitter, and my opportunities have increased dramatically since making that call.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
By trade, I am a full-stack digital marketer. My areas of expertise include paid advertising, SEO, funnel design, email marketing, and website design. But that's the boring technical description. So, I really just call myself an out-sourced CMO the majority of the time. I work with tech startups and SMBs to grow their businesses online.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
I love what I do so much, and it's insane. I get to work with some of the smartest people I have ever met and get introduced to worlds shaking up the future. I got into marketing when I realized how much I love sales, creativity, and technology (specifically the internet). Modern marketing incorporates those three pillars to help businesses scale like never before.
Yes, things are always changing and evolving, but I love it. A bonus of modern marketing is that you never stop learning. You're always growing, experimenting, and testing the waters. Being a marketer is the ultimate merger of creativity and analytics. It's amazing.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
I have received two marketing advice tips in my day that I think about constantly.
You have to have tough skin to be a marketer. Be prepared to fail and learn a lot. But don't let the failures get you down. It's a learning experience that makes you better in the end.
If you find a growth hack working, don't stop at the first sign of an oil strike. Keep digging until there is nothing left, but don't leave the well too soon.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
I'm inspired and motivated by books, podcasts, and certain marketing and entrepreneurial leaders I follow/know for practical advice. On a very personal level, I have financially done okay in life, so at the stage of the game, I am mostly motivated by doing killer work that makes me proud, keeps me growing, and I feel I will help leave a legacy for myself.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
Simple: My wife and kids. They're the best.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
For me, networking on Twitter, Signal, and Email is step one of the game. After that, video calls are cool. Maybe I'm just burned out on video calls as of this interview, but written communication is way more effective for my life at this time. To zoom out, even more, asynchronous comms is so vital to my work life right now.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Two major skills of mine are storytelling and team activation. I think that enthusiasm, the ability to sell, and getting people to buy in and take charge are skills that really help me continue to grow in my life.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
Oh damn, so much! I guess one thing is you don't have to memorize it all - don't be afraid to learn the basics, practice them, and Google a lot as you grow. Someone once told me that "the power of Google is something every marketer and developer needs to realize." I absolutely believe that!
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
Alright, here's the copy of the list I keep in my SimpleNote app titled "Business Leader Inspiration and Aspiration."
General Leaders
Justin Kan
Ashton Kutcher
Matt Mullenweg
Joel Gascoigne
Jason Fried
Jack Dorsey
Marketers I Admire
Christopher Lochhead
Presh Dineshkumar
Ryan Bonnici
Rich Ux
Ezra Firestone
Jordan Platten
Andrew Chen
Sean Ellis
Investors I Admire
Jason Calacanis
Chamath Palihapitiya
Chris Sacca
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
When I'm not working, I'm truly spending all of my time with my family. So, of course, hanging out with them is my favourite thing. But, for hobbies, I also love to read, surf, hike, and listen to music.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
The pandemic actually didn't hurt business all that much. At first, yes, I was crushed, and I panicked. Then, the day lockdowns were announced, my three largest clients fired me because they didn't know what to do. After the first month, though, work picked up with a vengeance, and I was back and bigger than before.
In late 2020, I was recruited to be a part of the media startup Inside.com as well, which was an opportunity I couldn't pass up at all. So, work hasn't been all too shabby between Inside and TNS (my digital marketing consulting co).
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Not on a one-on-one basis. Jason Calacanis, the founder of Inside.com and the legendary Angel Investor, has been a massive cheerleader of mine and always guides me if I have questions or he sees an area of improvement. That's been amazing for me. Jason, if you read this, thank's for always answering my SOS and advice texts!
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Simple: Work hard, network on Twitter, and focus on adding value before closing the sale. Adding value to others always pays off in the end.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
I think the most common reason people fail is that they don't stick with the basics. I know the basics are boring sometimes, but the basics win ballgames - stay the course! Also, because there are no silver bullets in marketing, people tend to get overly disappointed when a marketing experiment or thesis fails.
Guess what, we all fail… a lot - keep on going!
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
Peace, love, and punk rock!
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
There are a few companies that I super dig that are doing things right:
Basecamp
Hubspot
HEY
Magic Mind
Buffer
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
In my eyes, success is doing work I'm proud of, growing professionally, and leaving a great reputation/legacy behind. I can't emphasize enough that there are no silver bullets for success in the marketing field - keep experimenting, hacking, and testing your way to greatness.