Build momentum by marketing your business, your way
Your expertise is your business. Let’s make it easier for the right people to understand your value and want to work with you. Together, we’ll clarify your message and focus your marketing strategy around your strengths, audience and resources. Plus, I’ll provide the guidance and accountability to help you spark more of the conversations that lead to clients.
Leave with your next marketing move, whether or not we work together
Good at what you do? Feel like marketing is another story?
Like many coaches, consultants, speakers and other specialists, you may find yourself:
Explaining what you do a little differently every time and finding your elevator pitch never quite lands
Saying so much that your prospects still aren’t sure what you actually do even though you spelled it out
Second-guessing where to focus, or putting marketing off because you’re not sure where to start
Watching marketing eat into the time you’d rather spend with clients or doing the work you love
Posting or networking constantly, or speaking for free, without it turning into paying work
Working through courses and programs, then being left to figure out how to apply it all on your own
Months later, you're back where you started. And still wondering what to do next.
It doesn’t have to stay that way.
You started your business to do things a better way
Yet so much marketing advice hands you the same formula to follow as everyone else.
When it doesn’t fit your offer, audience or the way you like to work, you end up busy with marketing that never quite feels right. And often fails to produce results.
I’m Mike Schuster. And I’ve spent more than 30 years in marketing and, for a decade, ran a nearly $20 million company as president and general manager. When its strategy was failing, I led the turnaround by working with our teams to build on what the business already did best.
So, I understand marketing. And how a business actually runs.
Now, through FiddleSmart Marketing, I work closely with specialists who are building businesses around their expertise.
I help people like you see what’s hard to spot from inside your own business.
My approach is called Strengths-First Marketing™. Together, we start with your strengths, the clients you serve best and the time and energy you have to work with. Then we shape a clear message and a practical way to put it into action.
“I was amazed at his ability to see what I couldn't about myself and how I was representing myself…"
Stacy Kaat, Business and Personal Brand Photographer
A few of the specialists I’ve worked with …
How Strengths-First Marketing works
Three steps to building a marketing system and structure that works for you:
1
Clarify your message
Get clear on who you serve best, the difference your work makes and what your marketing needs to do. This gets shaped into a clear and compelling message that helps the right people understand your value.
2
Simplify your approach
Choose the channels and activities that align with your audience, strengths and resources, plus the steps that turn interest into clients and referrals. This becomes a focused plan for building momentum within your budget.
3
Amplify what makes a difference
Set a simple rhythm for taking action, reviewing what’s working and adjusting as you go. Know where to focus now, next and later. So you keep improving and moving the business forward without feeling like you’re starting over.
Leave with your next marketing move, whether or not we work together
Find your path to momentum
Whether you want a new set of eyes on one challenge or steady support over time, there’s a way to work together that fits.
Get help when you need it
Deep Dive Strategy Session. Work through a marketing challenge or some burning questions in a 3-hour or 6-hour session. From $1500.
Momentum Calls. Focused 30-minute calls to use when you need a sounding board or quick advice. $1875 for a bank of 10 calls.
Build a marketing plan you can keep up
Tell Me More Marketing Playbook. A 90-day intensive where we work side by side to craft your message, strategy and now, next, later action plan. $5000.
Learn alongside others
Workshops and Retreats. Small-group, in-person experiences where you’ll work on your marketing alongside other coaches, consultants, speakers and specialists. Starting at $97.
Free Online Training. A 45-minute live session on building a marketing strategy that starts with your strengths.
Ready to take the first step?
Interested in a workshop, retreat or online training? Let me know when you book, or send me an email, and I’ll share upcoming dates.
What changes when your marketing fits you
People understand what you do without a long explanation.
You know where to focus this week, and what can wait until later.
Marketing fits around your clients and your calendar, so you keep showing up.
The right people reach out, and more of those conversations lead to clients.
“Where I had chaos, Mike brought clarity. He helped me find the threads that tied them (speaking and coaching) all together and a strong marketing message that not only represents the core of what I do but is easy for others to grasp and act on.”
- Paula Houlihan, Keynote Speaker and Executive Coach
“Soon after we began adjusting our marketing based on Mike’s recommendations, we received many positive comments from leads and prospects. They now better understood our unique offering. Many made statements similar to ‘it felt like you were in my head’…”
- Bruce Holoubek, Contracted Leadership
“He helped me choose specific marketing strategies that fit into my style, which was so different from the overwhelming and generic firehose approach I had experienced with others. Mike also reignited my excitement and enthusiasm for my business…”
-Tina Hallis, Speaker and Author
“From just a single 90-minute call, I gained greater confidence and new clarity in my messaging, along with actionable next steps.”
- Brandon Galici, Galici Financial
Want to see what’s possible for your business?
Is this a good fit for you?
I work with coaches, consultants, speakers and service-based business owners whose clients come through trust and real conversations.
Most likely a great fit if you:
✅ Want marketing that sounds like you and fits how you work
✅ Value long-term client relationships and the referrals they bring
✅ Are ready to focus on a few things done well
✅ Want a thinking partner and are willing to put the plan into action
✅ See your values as something worth protecting as you grow
Probably not the right fit if you:
🚫 Want an agency or freelancer to run your marketing for you
🚫 Are looking for a quick-win formula or overnight results
🚫 Prefer high-pressure sales tactics or doing “whatever it takes” to get the sale
🚫 Measure success mostly in likes, followers or going viral
🚫 Can’t set aside time to act on a plan right now
If this sounds like you, I’d love to help find your next move
See your marketing strengths in two minutes
Find your top two marketing strengths and get ideas for building your strategy around them.
Seven quick questions. No email needed to see your results.
Questions you may have
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No. We’ll talk about your business, look at what’s getting in the way and chart your next marketing move.
If one of my services could help, I’ll tell you. If you’d like details, we can cover them. Or set up time to discuss later. If not, you’ll still leave with a clear next step.
People get significant value from the session alone and walk away with clear direction on what to do next.
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Most programs teach one approach and leave you figure out how to make it fit your business. We start with your strengths, the clients you serve best and the time and energy you have. Then we work on your strategy and message together, with guidance and accountability as you put it into action.
You’re also learning as we go. I’d rather help you learn how to best promote your business instead of making you dependent on my services. -
My work is done with you. We’ll shape your message and strategy together, and I’ll help you stay on track as you put it into action.
If you need help setting up tools or with specific pieces, like website copy, we can talk about what makes sense. Or I can refer you to specialists I trust.
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Start with the free Clarity Session. We’ll figure out together whether a Deep Dive, Momentum Calls, the Tell Me More Playbook or a workshop fits where you are.
No pressure. Simply an honest conversation. You decide what’s best.
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No. Your plan is built around the time, energy and money you actually have. The goal is marketing you can keep up, week after week.
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That's exactly why the FiddleSmart Marketing approach exists.
Together, we’ll build a marketing system that feels natural and aligns with your values.
No pushy tactics, no manipulation, no compromising who you are. If it doesn't feel authentic to you, we don't do it. -
You'll begin to gain confidence and clarity immediately. And that's the foundation everything else builds on.
But this is about playing the long game where efforts compound over time.
So, for sustainable business results, it can often take 6 - 12 months of consistent activity.
That’s because we're building momentum through authentic relationships rather than just feeding advertising systems with dollars. Or doing whatever it takes to get transactions.
We want to see what's resonating and gaining traction before amplifying it.
If the needle isn't moving after 13 weeks of consistent effort, we refine the approach. -
I won't promise to 5x or 10x your business. There are too many factors outside our control for those kinds of guarantees.
What I can promise is this: Clarity in your message and approach leads to confidence.
Confidence enables focus so you no longer waste time second guessing decisions and starting and stopping techniques before they have a chance to work.
And when it's all in alignment, your marketing works more efficiently.
You'll waste less money on ineffective tactics. Spend less time on marketing activities that don't generate results. And enjoy better conversations with prospects.
The real value is in building a sustainable foundation that continues working long-term.
You’re not chasing fads that get a quick results that fades away. -
While it helps to be established, the approach works whether you’re just starting to promote your business or if you’ve been in business for years.
The principles of clarity, focus and alignment apply regardless of your revenue level or how long you’ve been in business.
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No. We'll identify the platforms and approaches that work best for your specific situation and strengths.
You don't need to be on every platform or use every tool. We focus on what actually works for your business and audience.
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AI can be a great tool, and I use it too. What it can’t easily do is ask the right follow-up questions, challenge your thinking or see what you can’t see about your own business. Together, we can help you get more out of it.
“I especially appreciated how he combined his expertise with AI and helped me get more out of it than I could on my own!”
— Tina Hallis, Speaker and Author -
No problem at all.
Start with the free Clarity Session to get immediate value and clear direction.If you want ongoing marketing insights and actionable tips, join my email newsletter. You'll get regular guidance that helps you build momentum while you decide on next steps.
There's no pressure to move faster than feels right for your business.
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Yes. Thanks to online conference tools, our sessions can easily be conducted virtually.
So, your location doesn't matter as long as we can find meeting times that work for both of us.
And, if you’re based close to Madison, Wisconsin, we can also meet in person instead of online if you prefer.
Still have questions?
Reach out or let’s talk about them in your Clarity Session.
Ready to build momentum by marketing your business, your way?
Your expertise has real value. Let’s help more of the right people see it.
Picture talking about your work in a way that feels natural. Conversations that flow easily. And clients who refer others because they love working with you.
Or you can keep wasting time and money sorting through advice that was never meant for your business. And feeling like you’re starting over every time you sit down to market yourself.
You get to choose. Let’s build a message and strategy around your strengths and resources, so more of your time and energy goes to the work you love. And you enjoy the life you envisioned when you started your business.
No pressure. No pitch with artificial deadlines. Leave with your next marketing move, whether or not we work together.