Go behind the scenes of a real week running a marketing agency in Grand Rapids Michigan. See how Launch Kit onboards clients, runs social campaigns, and builds systems that work.
It was officially the coldest week in Grand Rapids, Michigan on record. Lows dropped to negative 20 degrees. The city was quiet. Roads were empty. We still had one of our most productive weeks at Launch Kit.
This is the behind the scenes look at what that week actually looked like.
I walked outside Monday morning and immediately understood the situation. 8:30 AM, not a single car on the road. The kind of cold where your face starts stinging within 30 seconds.
I posted up at the Launch Kit HQ, ate not one but two bagels (no shame), and got to work.
One of the things I wanted to share this week is something so simple that I think most small business owners overlook it.
I want to show you what I think is the easiest way to create a culture of getting things done while staying insanely organized.
It's a single shared to do list.
That's it.
We use ClickUp for ours, but you could do this in Notion, Asana, Monday.com, or really any project management tool. Here's how it works:
That person gets notified, sees the due date, reads the context, and gets it done. If the task is more complex, I'll record a quick Loom video explaining what I need.
This is the most simple version of our system. We have more advanced setups for specific client projects, but this companywide to do list is where it all starts. You could set this up today with any tool. All you need is the ability to assign, set a due date, and leave a comment.
We would be lost without it.
Tuesday we headed up to Rockford to meet with Kellermeier Plumbing, Heating, Cooling.
We actually have a bit of history with them. We used to work with Travis when he owned Turning Point Heating and Cooling. His company got acquired by Kellermeier in 2025, and Travis reached out to bring us in for the new company's website and marketing.
That's one of the coolest things about doing great work. Your past clients become your best referral sources, even when their businesses evolve and change hands. If you do great work, the relationship lasts a lifetime.
Mackenzie, Evan, Austin and I drove up, toured their facility, and kicked off the onboarding process.
Another thing I showed this week is something I've been building for years and it's become one of our most valuable assets.
It's a knowledge base.
Think of it as a glorified database where I take ideas out of my head and put them in writing so I can share them with the team. We use a list inside ClickUp, but you could build this in Notion or Airtable too.
Here's what makes it powerful:
This means team members don't get bottlenecked waiting for me to answer questions. They can find what they need fast and keep moving. If you're a small business owner and you feel like your team is always coming to you with the same questions, a knowledge base will change your life.
One of the best things you can do to breathe some life into your business's social media accounts is run a giveaway campaign. This week I walked through how we set one up for our client Antor Travel.
Sam (the owner) really ponied up for this one. The giveaway was a trip for two: seven nights, roundtrip flights, all inclusive meals, and the winner even gets to pick where they go.
Here's how the system works:
We also boosted the post with some ad dollars to reach Sam's local target market (Rockford, Michigan). The result so far? Over 1,239 comments and counting.
This is just one example of how you can fuel the flames on social media, build brand awareness, and capture leads all at the same time.
Thursday I was down bad. Got the flu shot and the COVID vaccine the night before and felt like I got hit by a train. Thankfully we have a culture where people can work from home when they need to.
I hopped on a call with Kellermeier to get their social media accounts set up, then headed to the office for two interviews. We're hiring for an associate website plus ads position, and I'm really excited about both candidates.
By 6:45 PM I was in bed with HelloFresh on my lap watching The Morning Show. Sometimes that's just how the week goes.
Friday was supposed to be a production day with Green Shield, but it got rescheduled. And that's totally fine. Here's why.
We shoot on a recurring basis. For Green Shield, that's three times a month on a rolling schedule. So when one session gets bumped, we have content in the bank. Posts for this week and next week are already scheduled.
That's the beauty of a recurring content system. It removes the panic. It keeps things consistent. And it gives everyone breathing room when life happens.
Even during the coldest week Grand Rapids has ever seen, we onboarded a new client, ran a giveaway campaign pulling in over a thousand comments, interviewed candidates for a new role, and kept every client's content running on schedule.
That's what systems do. They let you show up and execute no matter what the week throws at you.
If you're a small business owner looking for help with your website, content, social media, or paid ads, that's exactly what we do at Launch Kit. Check out the video above for the full behind the scenes look at this week.
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