Jamie Christensen

Cleaned Transcript

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and readability. The conversation's meaning and tone have been preserved.

Henry Harrison: Welcome to the Henry Harrison Podcast — entrepreneurs, business, and finance. Today we're lucky to have Jamie Christensen on the show. She's the founder, CEO, and owner of Fuse Associates, which I'll let her explain, but it's a unique, niche marketing firm, among other things. She'll do it more justice than I just did, but I wanted you to hear it from her.

She's had the business 10 years. I've met clients and friends of hers, and they love working with her and her team. We met locally — we live in the same area and work in the same way — ended up having some friends in common, and made some introductions for each other. So it's been a lot of fun to have a new friend. Hello, Jamie.

Jamie Christensen: Good morning, Henry. There we go.

Henry Harrison: Good morning. Let's talk about how you started, or what caused you to start Fuse — because you've had years of success since then.

Jamie Christensen: Sure. I think I'm officially unemployable at this point. I worked in corporate, specifically institutional finance, for 15 years at some very large firms. I loved what I did, but I got to the point where I really didn't like the bureaucracy, and I had the opportunity to go off on my own.

I moved down here from Des Moines, Iowa about 14 years ago and was fortunate enough to end up in Dallas, which, as you know, has a great small business environment. When the opportunity that brought me here didn't work out as planned, I said, "I'm done. Let's figure it out."

So I figured it out. What that looks like for me and my team is working with small and growing businesses across the U.S., focused on fractional marketing teams. Whether someone needs a website, a full marketing strategy, or a marketing assessment, businesses up to about $20 million in revenue come to us to help with whatever marketing looks like for them.

Henry Harrison: I'd like to define the word "small business," because I think the U.S. generally says a small business is 400 employees or less. So $20 million in revenue — that's a sizable business. Probably not a one-person shop, unless they're just getting started. But you tell me.

Jamie Christensen: Most of the time our clients are in the $1 to $20 million revenue range. We don't look as much at the employee count. But I do have some solopreneurs, as well as revenue-generating partners who need personal branding. I'd say 80 percent of our clients fall in that $1 to $20 million range, and the rest are under that but still high performing and in need of their own marketing help.

Henry Harrison: That's nice to know — the personal branding, and that they're high performing, so you can give them that specialized service. I mention employees because, depending on the industry, $20 million in revenue can mean a lot of employees or not many. When people say "small business," I'm not sure they always picture a company with $10 million in revenue and 30 employees. But that is generally the definition.

It's interesting, because since we've talked I know you're from Kansas, then went to college and got an MBA in Iowa — finance and marketing. If you were going to characterize someone, you'd probably say those are two different people. But you're one person with a diverse set of skills, so I imagine that helps when you go into a company and can understand their finances as well. There are plenty of marketing agencies, but it seems unusual to spend 15 years in finance and then start one. I think that's neat.

Jamie Christensen: Yeah. What I thought I wanted to do was be an emerging markets portfolio manager or investment analyst, because I loved international business — I love business. But I don't like spreadsheets, and I'm not an analyst by trade. So I accidentally ended up in marketing, because I still wanted to be close to investment management, just not the one managing the money. A lot of what I did then, and a lot of the clients we have now, are very technical, because finance is technical. That tends to be a sweet spot for us.

Henry Harrison: So you have the creative streak and the analytical, numbers streak — which is pretty neat. What was it like when you started? Was there a day when you thought, "I don't want to do this anymore, but I do know what I want to do," or was there a precipitating event, a process you went through?

Jamie Christensen: I manufactured an exit for myself out of corporate — that's probably the nicest way to say it. At that point I was really burned out and knew I wanted to go off on my own. I had the opportunity to leave the job I was in, and I just thought, "Okay, let's figure it out."

Henry Harrison: Figure it out. How did that go initially? That's a big step.

Jamie Christensen: It went great, because I'm in Dallas, and Dallas is such a special place for making connections. Look at how you and I met — just in the neighborhood. I don't think there are a lot of places it would have worked as well as it did here. I was fortunate. I did some fractional CMO work within four months of leaving my full-time job, and that bridged me to building my own clientele.

Henry Harrison: It's interesting — you introduced me to Zach with Suite Leap, and he started the same way. He left, became a fractional CFO, then grew it into a company that provides fractional CFOs. In many cases, that's what you're doing: a business doesn't have the expertise, the desire, or the willingness to have a full-time marketing person, so you step in. Are you also sometimes helping their full-time marketing person?

Jamie Christensen: I do both. The premise of Fuse — I started as a fractional CMO, but I quickly realized that most small businesses, as we've defined them, shouldn't have a full marketing team. If they don't have one, it does me no good to hand over a strategy, because there's no one there to implement it.

So while I love the strategy work, strategy is probably 20 to 30 percent of what we do. The rest is the implementation of that strategy. Small businesses, by definition, have smaller budgets, and we have to figure out which marketing tactic is going to move the needle. If all they have is a fractional CMO — one person — I don't care how amazing they are, they can't cover the breadth of marketing.

Henry Harrison: Do you get good results? I've heard some good things. Do you have a story in mind?

Jamie Christensen: Yes — and this gets into AI, which I know we're going to talk about, and how it's transforming what marketing can do. I have a recent client with an online education business. She had been spending a million dollars a year on Google Ads and getting a negative return. She kept doing it because she didn't know what else to do.

We were able to go in, figure out why her ads weren't working, and redistribute that money. But what we realized was that she was also missing $900,000 in revenue simply because she wasn't following up with the people who had clicked on her ads.

That's what happens when only one person is in charge — maybe they're specialized in Google Ads, it isn't working, and they're not thinking about the broader strategic picture of the whole business. In about six weeks, we turned that around pretty significantly. Now not only are her ads making money, we're at a 2X on them.

Henry Harrison: A million dollars down the drain — how about that. My first internship, really, was at Coopers & Lybrand doing government consulting, so I learned the jokes about consultants: they come in, say "you should do this," and then they leave. I love the 80 percent part, because that's where everything happens. It's not always as easy as following a report someone hands you. In fact, it probably never is.

Jamie Christensen: Often business owners are practitioners — great in their trade — but that doesn't equate to being great at running Google Ads, writing a website, or knowing the messaging that will resonate with their clients.

Henry Harrison: Something else I like: my first business was a home building company, and there was a man named Lee Evans. He hadn't been a home builder himself, but he was the leading consultant at the time, and I'd go to his seminars. He had so much experience because he saw all the other home builders — what they were doing wrong, how he helped them, how they helped themselves. He knew more about home building than the average home builder because of that vast exposure. You're touching so many different businesses, so I'm sure sometimes you think, "Okay, I've seen this one before. Let me tell you what we did last time."

Jamie Christensen: There are absolutely things we know will work across different industries. What works well in legal may also work well in online education. But there are also absolute no-nos, and we don't have a single package we offer — it's not one size fits all. We really look at what's unique about a business, how we can leverage that, and what will get results within their budget.

Henry Harrison: You're agnostic toward the type of business — maybe there's the occasional exception. I know you do a lot of work in the legal field, but basically if someone needs help marketing their small business, they can talk to you, right?

Jamie Christensen: We do. We mainly focus on professional services and home services. I've got a great network, so if it's something in CPG, retail, or restaurants, I'll absolutely refer those out. But professional services and home services are our bread and butter.

Henry Harrison: Okay, so I was mistaken — that's the specialty. But you're very well connected in the area, and it can work around the country, so you'll help no matter what if someone wants to reach out.

Jamie Christensen: Absolutely.

Henry Harrison: When you were a child growing up in Kansas City, did you think you'd have your own business? Was that a family characteristic?

Jamie Christensen: I absolutely knew I never wanted to be a business owner. I wanted to be like Dad. Dad was a corporate IT guy his entire career. My mom actually owned a brick-and-mortar music store — instrumental lessons. So I grew up in a family business, and I just never wanted to do it myself. And here I am.

Henry Harrison: You probably learned quite a bit — maybe more than you realized at the time. Retail tends to be long hours, which I imagine was a negative in your mind. Not that you don't work long hours for your clients, but retail is more confining that way.

Jamie Christensen: That's exactly right. Mom and Dad worked his day job and then the music store until 9:00 at night. Long hours, no vacation — that wasn't what I was looking for. But looking back, Mom especially, back in the '80s and early '90s, gave me a great example of what I could do.

Henry Harrison: There were probably fewer women owning businesses back then than now — not that there weren't a number of them. So she was somewhat progressive.

Jamie Christensen: Absolutely. And I don't give her enough credit.

Henry Harrison: That ties into AI, too. You obviously have to dig in on a new business and learn the specifics, because you're not selling a training system — you're looking at the actual business, partnering with them, helping them define and reach their goals. But at the same time, there's so much we can do now that's changed just in the last month. In the other room I've got Billy helping Doug set up an agent to do CRM work on his computer — a connection that wasn't there a month ago. You used to have to build it out separately; now it's there. You almost can't have a business conversation now without discussing AI. So how is AI helping, and how can you help people with it?

Jamie Christensen: It's been amazing to see the difference it can make. AI has been around five years now, but the leaps and bounds — it's that hockey-stick curve. The type of work I can deliver for my clients was previously outside not only my team's ability but my client's budget.

A perfect example is the online educator. We were able to take thousands, even millions, of data points, compile all of it, look at what was working and what wasn't, and create both an assessment looking back and a plan going forward — tied to ROI results. Previously that would have taken my team months. It would usually have been a McKinsey or Boston Consulting Group engagement, six figures easily. We can do it in a matter of days now.

Henry Harrison: How long did you say it used to take?

Jamie Christensen: Days now. I've built repeatable processes, but we still get in there — there's a lot of checking and work.

Henry Harrison: Of course. It's remarkable. What software do you use?

Jamie Christensen: Our go-tos: I have a specific marketing software I use for a lot of my strategy and messaging called ELLA — it's very niche. I also use Manus, which was recently bought by Facebook; that's the most progressive one I use, and the results are just insane. And I still do some things in ChatGPT. There are so many systems out there. I could play with them all day, but those are the three I'm tied into the tightest.

Henry Harrison: Terrific. You could spend all your time shopping for the right software. How'd you come up with the name Fuse? I like it — it's inspiring, like the fuse that gets things going. You've got nice graphics and a nice picture behind you. Is that from your firm, or did you buy it?

Jamie Christensen: That's Oprah. Years ago I heard her say, "I can, and I will," and that fits me perfectly, so I had it designed. As for Fuse — when I was trying to figure out what to name the business, I was sitting with a great marketing strategist, and we were talking. When I think about marketing and communications, it's about connecting. In everything I do, I'm very relationship-driven, and that name just fit perfectly for what I was looking to build.

Henry Harrison: Walk me through a first step. I know it changes depending on the company, but say someone contacts Fuse — maybe from the podcast, maybe a referral — they've heard good things. What happens typically?

Jamie Christensen: We have a conversation to figure out, number one, whether they actually have a marketing need. Not everyone does. Maybe they're already working with someone, and I can help them determine whether it's working. If it is, I'll tell them it's working. It's really an exploratory meeting. I also love to connect people, so I'm figuring out whether there's a way I can help — through marketing, through my network, or just through conversation.

And I have to put in a plug for rescue dogs and pit bulls, because my life revolves around my three pit bulls.

Henry Harrison: Yes. You're trying to get one recognized — what did you say? It's on your website.

Jamie Christensen: Faith. Follow Faith Christensen on LinkedIn. She's the first LinkedIn dog influencer.

Henry Harrison: And ProVisors has been an important part of your ability to help people, too, through networking?

Jamie Christensen: Absolutely. ProVisors is a national networking organization focused on attorneys, bankers, and CPAs, which fits very nicely with my business. I've led a group now for almost six years, and most of them are my closest friends. A day like today, I'll start at 7:00 in the morning with ProVisors and end at 8:00 PM. That's my choice — not everyone's that involved — but it's been a huge part of my life.

Henry Harrison: I believe you said your business has grown over the last year or two. And while you've been in business 10 years, almost everyone has had challenges. If they don't share them, it's usually just because they don't want to. It's the nature of being a small business owner. How did that go — what changed, or what did you overcome?

Jamie Christensen: You want to go there, Henry?

Henry Harrison: You can give me one sentence, or you can go there. I'll let you pick.

Jamie Christensen: What changed goes back to ProVisors. I was married, and in an abusive relationship, for 28 years. The way I got out of it was through my business, through ProVisors, and through my network and friends. That happened three years ago.

The business wasn't working before that, and a big part of the reason was that it's very hard to be successful when you're being squashed all the time. So my challenges were more personal, and they led into issues in the business. Once I was able to get out and into a positive environment, things shifted pretty dramatically. I also work with an amazing coach who helped me through all of that transition.

Henry Harrison: I wasn't sure if you'd want to share that — that's fine, it could have been anything. I think people will find it inspiring that you can overcome something like that, and see how wonderful your life and business are now. How rewarding you find it, how many friends you have, your employees, your dogs, your rescue work.

Jamie Christensen: It's pretty amazing to look back, and I'm extremely thankful for every day. Miss Faith is lying right next to me right now. The year I left, I tripled the business, became a first-time home buyer on my own, lost 40 pounds, and adopted two more dogs. But again, that's having the right people surrounding you.

Henry Harrison: I think it always is in life — the people around us. Are your parents still with us?

Jamie Christensen: My mom is. She's over in Florida. It was a few years after my dad passed that I went off on my own. His best years were right up until he died, when he went off on his own and consulted. I thought, "I want to do that, but much earlier in life, so I can enjoy it."

Henry Harrison: What do you see for the next year, five years, ten years?

Jamie Christensen: I'm going to ride this AI wave, keep improving, and build repeatable processes. My biggest theme this year is impact. I can have more and more impact on my team, my clients, and my community by leveraging AI to get results. I'm going to keep doing that as long as I can.

Henry Harrison: I think you'll be able to do it as long as you want to. So, more of the same — and better — for you and everyone around you.

Jamie Christensen: Yes, exactly.

Henry Harrison: Is there anything else you'd like to say, or wrap up with? The website's easy — it's FuseAssoc.com, right?

Jamie Christensen: FuseAssoc.com. Yes.

Henry Harrison: I knew it.

Jamie Christensen: I want to thank you, Henry. I'm so glad we met. Things are serendipitous once in a while — it's fun. We're doing this virtually, but I know you're only five minutes away. Thank you for the opportunity. I'm excited to see everything you're doing and everything the people around you are doing.

Henry Harrison: Vice versa. Absolutely. We'll see each other soon.

Jamie Christensen: Absolutely.

Henry Harrison: Thanks a lot.