Hi, I’m Craig Bailey and this is my personal blog where I write about technology, business systems, HubSpot and general life experiences. You can read my posts here.

(If you are looking for the Content is King post by Bill Gates it is here)

I’m involved with three agencies in Sydney:

  • The first is XEN Systems. We help government departments and mid-large B2B technology companies with their sales and marketing strategy, including implementation and training in HubSpot 
  • The second is XEN Create. We provide premium graphic design services to companies, with a focus on using the latest AI tools, including Midjourney
  • The third is XEN Solar, where we help high quality solar companies (dealers, installers) with their sales and marketing processes.

I also co-host HubShots, the podcast and YouTube show focussed on getting the most out of HubSpot. We are the creators of the HubShots Framework.

Craig Bailey presenting

Latest stories

HP ink cartridge customers

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Love this take from the Sizzle regarding customers who purchase consumables of a brand. Essentially: the brand considers you as an investment when you purchase a printer (ie they’ll make a return on you in the future when you keep purchasing more ink). Whilst it’s definitely true (as it is for all companies that sell a loss leader – as most printers are), customers generally...

A new version of the HubShots Framework is now available

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We’ve released an update to our HubShots Framework. We’ve regrouped a few sections (there’s now a dedicated section for Operations Hub and integrations), plus started adding in links to a new knowledge base (early days) of articles. Plus a new format – we’ve now made the full Google doc available on the download page. You can access the HubShots Framework from here. A quick reminder: yes...

So much for a holiday…

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In December I mentioned preparing for a fast start in 2024. And what a fast start it has been. I can’t remember a January being this busy, right from the first week, in a long, long time. It’s a good sign. Or at least I’ve decided to take it that way – you can choose your own outlook for the year ahead. Depending on which PR release you read it’s either going to be a terrible year, or a...

Layoffs in 2024?

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Always fun to read the headlines and analysis of where the job market is headed:

Mass layoffs are coming in 2024 (Newsweek)

92% of employers expect more layoffs in 2024 (ebn)

More than half of US companies plan to increase hiring in the first half of 2024 (Robert Half)

70.5% expect an increase in hiring needs (Randstad)

Pick your preferred outlook.

NY Times sues OpenAI

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The NY Times has the scoop (ahem), that they are suing OpenAI.

What a joke.

Good overview of how silly the case is here (thanks TechDirt).

That said, I am a proponent of AI companies paying to access training data (whatever that is). But this case isn’t that.

TikTok privacy lol

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The only surprising thing about the news of TikTok harvesting data without consent is that anyone is surprised by it. The Privacy Watchdog is investigating. lol. Essentially, it seems that the TikTok pixel fires, even if visitors on a site haven’t opted in to accept cookies. Since most people mindlessly click Accept All on sites these days, I can’t see why there’s such a fuss...

Strategy versus Tactics

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A handy analogy to use next time you’re trying to remind someone about tactics versus strategy.

Strategy is the recipe

Tactics are the ingredients/utensils

When you’re asked what your strategy is for the year ahead, tell them about the cake you’re baking, not the spoon and flour you’re using.

Hat tip to Chris Voss and Never Split the Difference for this reminder.

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