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Most marketing advice tells small business owners to sound bigger, cleaner, and more “professional.” In this episode, I share why I’ve learned the opposite can be your edge—especially in the window coverings and window treatment industry, where trust matters more than hype.

I take you back to 2006, when I first entered the shade business, and explain how writing blogs and email newsletters became my most reliable way to connect with clients. Not with polished ads—but with honest stories: real jobs, real lessons, real mistakes, and the kind of humor that makes people feel like they actually know you.

Along the way, I talk about the unsexy foundations that made everything else possible: learning bookkeeping through a QuickBooks class, getting pulled into BNI networking, and seeing how weekly relationship-building reshapes how you think about sales, referrals, and reputation. I also share the moment personal marketing finally clicked for me—and how following Michael Katz’s work on newsletters for solo professionals pushed me to start writing consistently, even with imperfect English.

That consistency opened doors, from magazine articles about the realities of installation work to a stronger writing identity inside the industry. Now I’m turning a major milestone into a new project: 20 newsletters to represent 20 years in business, plus client comments and reflections—leading into my upcoming book Nobody Told Me That.

I also explain why I built RogerMagalhaes.com as a hub for my businesses and why I launched Stories In Motion to go deeper on the lessons behind the work.

What You’ll Learn

• Why “trying to sound professional” can actually make you less memorable
• How honest stories build trust faster than hype—especially in home services
• The practical foundations that support good marketing (bookkeeping + networking)
• How BNI-style weekly relationship-building changes your view of referrals
• Why newsletters work for solo professionals (and how to start even if it’s imperfect)
• How consistency creates unexpected opportunities and authority
• The idea behind my “20 newsletters for 20 years” project and my upcoming book
  
  #WindowTreatments #WindowCoverings #InteriorDesign #StoriesinMotion #HomeImprovement #SmallBusinessMarketing #PersonalBranding #EmailMarketing #NewsletterMarketing #ContractorLife #Podcast

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Blogs:

📩 Keep It Simple - E-commerce
📩 We Dress Naked Windows - Window Coverings
📩 Trading Secrets - Trade
📩 Stories in Motion - Business & Life

📚 Book Nobody Told Me That

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