Joshua McNary is a business technologist. Through his firm, McNary Marketing & Design, he helps clients select the right technology for their business and then get more out of it by building strategic systems and processes that maximize efficiency. He’s not just savvy about websites or CRMs; he knows how to make business tools talk to each other so that staff can spend less time connecting the dots and more time connecting with clients.  

How did you first meet Brad?

I met Brad for the first time almost a decade before we started working together. After bumping shoulders at a Mac Enthusiast event in Chicago, we stayed in touch via newsletters and LinkedIn. At the time, I was only a couple of years into my business. 

Fast forward to 2021, and I’m a burnt-out marketing firm owner burning the midnight oil and running into all kinds of capacity issues and staffing roadblocks. Suddenly, Brad starts sending emails about his coaching work and the stuff he’s talking about…it feels like he’s reading my mind. So, I reached out.

What’s different at McNary Marketing & Design because of your work with Brad?

Two things immediately come to mind. One is explicitly about my business; the other is more of a life skill. Let’s talk business first.

Brad helped me rethink how I sell my services and to whom. Within our first couple of calls, he showed me that I was giving a ton of strategy advice away for free. Strategy was embedded in every step of my process, but I wasn’t charging for it. Not everyone can or wants to pay for strategy, but that’s where my superpower is: the intersection of business and technology. I know how to help people think strategically about their business tools.

The other thing I want to highlight is a business skill, but it’s also a life skill. Brad’s helped me slow down and stay present. I tend to be a planner, so I’m often looking ahead, thinking about what’s next, and making contingency plans. Whether I’m at work, on the ice with my hockey team, or spending time with my kids, this idea of slowing down and focusing on the next step has helped me live more of my life in the present tense. And it’s been good for business, too.

What’s one of your favorite things about working with Anchor Advisors?

I appreciate all the different touchpoints – coaching, Mastermind Groups, and regular emails. In between a coaching or Mastermind session, I sometimes reach out to Brad or the Mastermind leader with an idea or a question – maybe sparked by something I read in one of Brad’s emails or a resource mentioned by a fellow Mastermind member; I always get a thoughtful response. 

Another example of what I’m getting at – sometime last summer, I was driving through Chicago, and I reached out to Brad to see if he was free to grab breakfast. Right away, he was on board; a few days later, we met and caught up over pancakes. This may seem like just an anecdote, but to me, it says so much about the value Brad places on relationships. I’ve learned volumes as an Anchor Advisors client, and I want my clients to experience our services the way I experience Anchor Advisors.

If you had to sum up Brad’s services in just three words, what would you say?

Oh, that’s tough. Okay, the first word is “faith.” Faith in the process and moving forward.

The second word is “next.” Working with Brad has helped me stop over-planning and instead focus my energy on the next thing and then the next.  

My last word is “calm” – sometimes, you just need to slow down and take a chill pill. Brad’s helped me see that.

Faith, next, calm.