Hey everyone, welcome back to The ACMO!

This week, we’re talking with Praveen Kumar, a digital marketing consultant whose journey started in the ‘90s with nothing but curiosity and self-taught HTML.

He shares how the internet has evolved, why marketers often overlook the power of credibility, and what it really means to grow in an industry that changes overnight. From flipping websites to building a consulting business, Praveen opens up about the lessons that only come with time and experience. He also talks about learning to price his work with confidence and how that shift changed everything.

This conversation is honest, grounded, and full of the kind of insights you only get from someone who’s seen the digital space from the very beginning.

Let’s dive into the episode.

Episode Topics:

00:00 - 01:05: Introduction
01:06 - 03:09: How Praveen started in digital marketing in the late 90s
03:10 - 06:00: Building and selling websites in the early 2000s
06:01 - 08:55: How marketing trends evolved over the years
08:56 - 11:58: Underrated strategies for lead generation and personal branding
11:59 - 13:54: Why real-world experience beats theory
13:55 - 14:41: Pushing beyond comfort zones for growth
14:42 - 16:35: Advice for budget-conscious clients: where to focus first
16:36 - 18:35: Why focusing on one channel matters
18:36 - 20:06: Learning through mistakes and building skills over time
20:07 - 21:59: Setting personal goals and choosing the right clients
22:00 - 23:51: Lessons from building a sustainable business
23:52 - 24:53: Advice to his younger self: play the long-term game
24:54 - 25:16: How to connect with Praveen

🔗 CONNECT WITH

👥 https://www.linkedin.com/in/spk100/

💻 https://www.wildcreekstudio.com/

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Hello everyone, welcome back!

In this episode of The Aspiring CMO, senior growth hacker Katarina Dahlin shares how she went from university admin to automation expert.

A challenge on her affiliate blog led her to build a custom workflow using Make.com and ChatGPT, an experiment that completely reshaped how she approaches content, scale, and growth.

She breaks down how automation really works, the human role in AI-generated content, and why tools are only as powerful as the people behind them.

From SEO and automation to building a marketing career from a nontraditional path, this conversation is packed with insights for anyone trying to stay ahead in a fast-changing industry.

Let’s get into it!

Episode Topics:

00:00 – 02:19 — Intro

02:20 – 03:07 — What Katarina does as a senior growth hacker

03:08 – 04:15 — The first problem she solved using automation

04:16 – 05:39 — How she automated product descriptions with Make+ChatGPT

05:40 – 07:10 — Why product optimization is often ignored

07:11 – 08:55 — How AI saves time, but still needs creativity

08:56 – 10:29 — Will automation replace marketers?

10:30 – 11:25 — Why automation still needs a human eye for quality

11:26 – 13:35 — The one thing that makes AI content work: taste

13:36 – 15:19 — Make vs. Zapier

15:20 – 16:06 — A look inside her day-to-day workflow

16:07 – 17:17 — Collaborating with different teams and clients

17:18 – 18:39 — The key skills marketers need in the age of AI

18:40 – 19:42 — How her psychology background shaped her marketing approach

19:43 – 20:30 — Advice to her younger self

20:31 – 21:10 — Where to find Katarina and connect with her work

🔗 CONNECT WITH

👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarina-dahlin/

💻 Website: katarinadahlin.com

💻 Blog: https://www.slowflowergarden.fi/

🎤 SEO Vibes, Zakopane (Whitepress), May 2025 🎤 WTS Fest Berlin, June 2025

ASK Anything on The Aspiring CMO show and get your questions answered right on the show!

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Subscribe to The Aspiring CMO

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What’s it really like to build a successful agency while handling the pressure of leadership and mental health?

Tom Jauncey, co-owner of Nautilus Marketing, didn’t follow the traditional path. He started freelancing at 16, turned a side hustle into a thriving agency, and learned firsthand that success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about people, culture, and well-being.

In this episode, Tom gets real about the highs and lows of running a business. He opens up about the mental toll of leadership, why therapy became a game-changer, and how he’s built a company that actually supports its employees.

From hiring the right team to navigating the fast-changing world of marketing, he breaks down what worked, what hasn’t, and what he wishes he knew earlier.

If you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, or just trying to grow without burning out, this one’s for you.

Episode Topics:

00:00 - 01:41 Introduction

01:42 - 03:15: How Tom got started in business at 16

03:15 - 07:50: Challenges of starting a business from scratch

07:50 - 12:40: Turning passion into a profitable business

12:40 - 17:25: Creating a company culture that feels like family

17:25 - 21:55: Why mental health matters in entrepreneurship

21:55 - 26:30: Bouncing back from setbacks and failures

26:30 - 30:45: The hardest and most rewarding parts of running an agency

30:45 - 34:10: The different ways to build a career without a degree

34:10 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

🔗 CONNECT WITH Tom

👥 tom@nautilusmarketing.co.uk

💻 https://nautilusmarketing.co.uk/
🎧 https://nautinerds.com/

ASK Anything on The Aspiring CMO show and get your questions answered right on the show!

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