Overseer of the revenue, manager of the projects, leader of the team, and tackler of all things operations - Billy Ward has fittingly joined our team as Chief Operating Officer. With over 20 years of leadership experience, and a college soccer coach no less, there's no one more fit to drive our team into shape. (Both figuratively and literally - 6 am workout anyone?)

Billy joined The Squad on the cusp of our growth from 12 to 17 team members. Billy is an energetic leader, and possesses the know-how and capabilities to truly take our team to the next level. Between starting our morning meetings with a random selection of upbeat tunes, to helping keep our team organized and on-task- Billy is sure to keep things interesting! Oh, and did we mention he is a Duke fan? We will have to find a way to forgive him for that one.

Our business is built on relationships - with our partners, clients, team, and community. Without trust-filled, truth-centered relationships we would not have experienced the growth that we have.

We've had the pleasure of knowing Marshall Fall for many years, and when we had the opportunity to bring him onto The Squad in May, we knew he would be a great asset to our business development team. As our VP of Business Development, Marshall's role is centered around relationships. He is dedicated to helping The Squad grow in leaps and bounds, all through the power of making long-lasting connections.

We hope you get to meet Marshall in person soon, but until then, read on to learn more about Marshall.

How did you get connected with The Squad?

I was drawn to The Squad via all the amazing content that found me!!! In all seriousness, it was the amazing assortment of snacks and monthly potlucks - YUMMY!!! The website was amazing and the people are great. I actually have known both Bryce and Billy for a long time. Their integrity, love for serving others, and overall love for people drew me to the company. I have also watched The Marketing Squad evolve over the years and now want to be a conduit to help it grow even larger and faster.

What’s one thing you love about working here so far?

I don't have to wear a suit and tie and can dress for success in my boots, jeans, and sports coat!!! I love the energy of the people here - it's infectious. I love the fact that this company is built and stabilized on amazing principles and core values. They are the real deal. Not fake, truth tellers, and everyone has a winning mentality and desire to tell our clients' STORY better than it's ever been told before.

What do you like to do for fun?

Anything with my wife (of 20 years) - she is amazing, beautiful, and crazy fun. As a father of 5, I love nothing better than to watch them compete and play whatever passion they have (sports, music, etc). I love to play worship songs on my guitar and sing. I love to do yard work. I love UNC basketball, playing golf, stroking a tennis ball, watching the Carolina Panthers play football, and coaching/watching/playing soccer. I also love watching the first auditions of folks on Britain's Got Talent, America's Got Talent, The Voice, etc. - I love watching someone who feels like they have no talent, they're the underdog, do something spectacular.

What are your passions as far as your career is concerned?

I have been an athlete since I could walk, and I have been a coach for the past 15 years. I have always told my players that anyone can be good, but if you want to be great, really great, then you have to make everyone else around you better. My passion for helping others, and the team concept of winning, has continued to propel me through my career. Doesn’t matter what I'm doing, where I'm going, or what the situation is, if I slow down, assess the situation, gather all the facts, apply the wisdom I have learned over the years, and put others before myself, then I will be successful. It's that easy.

Anything else people should know about you?

I was born and raised in Asheville, NC, attended Appalachian State University, and interned with Reebok while in college. After I graduated, they moved me from the Carolinas to Kentucky and that is where the story remains. I play bball, soccer, tennis, and golf, and I'm the world's greatest Candyland master, king of Uno, and the most amazing card trick artist in my house.

I coach varsity high school soccer and I play several instruments: Play piano, guitar, and harmonica, and I have a banjo and hammered dulcimer.

Born and bred a Tarheel and currently a die-hard Carolina Panther fan.

2 truths and a lie - choose the lie:

1. Spent two days with Michael Jordan.

2. Owned a two-toned jeep half decorated, front to back, inside and out, with UNC colors and logos and the other half with Clemson colors and stickers.

3.  Played guitar at the Grand Ole Opry.

I have 2 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 bunnies, a hamster, and 5 kids and an amazing and absolutely beautiful wife... God love her... Some refer to me as  "Noah" and others as "crazy"... I just say blessed!

I am a bonafied country song in the flesh - I love my girl, I love my truck, I love my boots, I love my animals, I love my guitar, have a quiver full of kiddos, and love the good ole outdoors.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Marshall! If you missed it, we introduced our new Creative Director / Director of Partner Marketing, Kevin Peterson, to you last week so check out more about him as well.

Think you’d be a perfect fit for The Squad team? Check out our careers page to drop us your resume!

Think you’d be a perfect fit for The Squad team? Check out our careers page to drop us your resume!

The Squad is excited to introduce our newest team member, Courtney Nappo! Joining our team as a social media maven, Courtney is a lover of all things social and one week in she's rocking social media management with flavor and fun.

Courtney, a University of Kentucky graduate, is passionate about research and problem solving, and has the social media experience to show it. She also has a passion for local food and is the owner of the Instagram social media venture "LouisvilleFood." When she's not at The Squad, Courtney likes to spend time with her husband John Michael and their 2 dogs Annie and Ham. Rumor has it she also has a 40lb tortoise (pics or it didn't happen), but we'll let her tell you more about that.

Get to Know Courtney

How did you get connected with The Squad?

I first was introduced to The Squad through Alea Petersen. Alea and I had worked together in the past and she had been raving about how much she loved working for The Squad. I heard about the opening for a Social Media Manager and I jumped at the opportunity. To say the least, I am pumped to be apart of such an all-star company.

What’s one thing you love about working here so far?

I love being surrounded by such a talented team. Everyone is so creative, and already in just a couple weeks I have been inspired and stretched in new and different ways than ever before. The team is very supportive, and the work culture is dynamic and innovative.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love fun! I adore Louisville, so finding fun and exciting things to do around the city is one of my favorite things. Local food, music, festivals, culture - this city has so much to offer. I also love hiking, painting... just creating in general. My husband and I have recently been designing our own board game.

What are your passions as far as your career is concerned?

I truly love everything social. I love people, and connecting people to information they need has always been a passion. I am thrilled to bring new creativity and strategy to the social media side of the business. Personally, I am very excited to grow in my knowledge and depth of social strategy. The social world is always evolving and I plan to be on the front lines of the new and upcoming trends.

Anything else people should know about you?

I do in fact have a 40lb Tortoise, Big Tina. My husband John Michael and I love animals in general and also have several other exotics. Additionally I have no sense of smell. People always think that is crazy, especially considering my work with LouisvilleFood.

Building a meaningful and sustainable organization that will impact your community, your industry, and the lives of those around you is a marathon and not a sprint. Even in our fast pace, technology-driven world, slow and steady still wins the race. Of course slow is relative. However, steady is essential for success in the "long haul."

Business is all about value creation and in basic terms, value creation means creating revenue, which exceeds expenses, which results in a profit. Peter Drucker expanded this idea of business value creation when he said, "Indeed the modern organization was expressly created to have results on the outside, that is, to make a difference in its society or its economy."

Patience and Persistence

"Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." - Napoleon Hill

Planning for the long haul requires patience and persistence. Patience doesn’t always mean a slow pace but it does mean that you stick to a plan long enough for it to work. In the world of content marketing I often see even experienced business leaders chase the next shiny trend and leave a good plan before it can get traction. I have also experienced the dividends paid when a business owner is patient enough to give a content marketing plan time to work. This patience and persistence resulted in building a new warehouse to accommodate new growth.

Long-Term Planning

When planning for the long haul it requires a different perspective. Louisville, Kentucky and our surrounding areas includes the spirits industry. From century old bourbon distilleries to the relatively new wineries, the spirit industry is alive and well in the "Bluegrass State." The spirits industry is a great example of the importance of long-term and annual planning. Some of these successful organizations had to work a plan and wait for years before realizing any revenue from there efforts. That takes proper funding, planning, and a lot of patience. Therefore, I believe there are lessons to be learned in long-term planning from this industry.

There’s No Substitute for Time and Experience

While the spirits industry call it "The Art of Aging," I believe that there are no true substitutes for time and experience regardless of industry. This is one reason why seasoned business owners are able to quickly get perspective when a "storm hits." They’ve seen it before and understand that panic and knee-jerk decision making is not the best path for their organization. Instead, they make methodical informed decisions that align with their long-term plans and mission.

Here at The Squad we are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year. Bryce Raley founded Simplified Solutions, LLC which became The Content Squad, DBA a little over six years ago. Last year we rebranded to The Marketing Squad, DBA. While we have adapted in name and methodologies, our long-term plan as well as Bryce’s vision for our organization remains very much in tact.

Let us know if you would like to discuss how we can help you achieve your long-term plans and vision for your organization.

So I made the mistake of having my work email on my phone. I looked down one Sunday and saw a massive amount of emails. I quickly browsed through to see if there were any emergencies (there weren't), then I waited to tackle it Monday.

Since I knew what I was walking into Monday, I came up with a strategy - a game plan if you will.

My Email Game Plan For Dealing With Too Many Emails

1. Outstanding Needs.

If you have a pressing task and you've been waiting for that one email, then go ahead and get it done. Scan through and look for those first.

2. Emergencies.

If there are that many emails, then usually something is the matter. Take a breath and see what's the matter. If it's something that won't take more than 15 minutes, go ahead and address it. If it's going to take your whole day, then put it aside for 5 more minutes. You will thank yourself later.

3. Easy tasks.

If it's just a quick response to a question, or a 1-4 minute email, then go ahead and get them out of the way. My co-worker, AK, talks about the 5-minute rule all the time - if you can do it in 5 minutes, then don't let it clutter your to-do list or mind, just get it done right away.

4. The Other Stuff.

You get industry news, spam, auto-emails, and such. Some you look through, some you don't. Do some quick glances, then move on to what you really need to tackle. I just use this time as a quick breather before I tackle the real stuff (like that emergency).

I used this after I was gone on a week long vacation (don't get me started on all of those emails) and it was a massive help. I hope you can find the same solace I did in a bit of organization and planning.

Have your own system? Tell me in the comments your best game plan for too many emails.