2026 is the year of clarity!

To kick off the 18th (!) year of the Marketing Mentor Podcast, Episode 542 is a conversation with one of my favorite clients, Florian Schleicher, a marketing strategist who has been running Future Strategies only 4 years now and is already, as we say, crushing it. 

How? 

Clarity.

This chat is also a two-year check-in on how his business has evolved since we last spoke in November 2023 (Episode 487 -- listen here).

Today, Florian walks us through his four-year journey from the startup-focused consultant he was then, to the clear, confident corporate strategist he has become—sharing one milestone from each year along the way. 

He shared exactly how he shifted his target market—what he stopped doing, how he changed his messaging, and how he evaluated every touchpoint through the lens of his long-term goals.

Among other things, we talked about:

• The feast-or-famine moment that led him to invest in coaching with me and then launch his podcast (one element of his content marketing strategy) 
• The newsletter he started -- just to stay busy but which has since become a powerful content marketing (and thought leadership) tool
• The Pulse, a marketing trend report (another element of his content marketing strategy) that solidified his credibility with corporate leaders
• The solo offsite retreat he took, where Florian got clear on clarity! He asked himself, “What do I want my audience to feel about me and my brand?” For him, the answer was "clarity," which is now the underlying message woven throughout all his marketing.
  

I just love how intentional Florian has been about building relationships in his market.

Of course, we talked about his content marketing strategy and how he uses social media and podcasts as relationship-builders. We even got into his experience with imposter syndrome. (Yes, he's struggled with it too!)

This conversation is a great reminder that sustainable success isn’t about hacks or hustle; it’s about being steady, being focused and showing up long enough for the right people to be ready.

So listen here (and below) -- and be sure to listen all the way to the end when we share a peek into how Florian will be more involved with the Simplest Marketing Plan for 2026.

P.S. Giving you access to more expert coaches like Florian is just one of the many ways we’re making the SMP+ program even better in 2026 – because this is the year you stop starting over, when you go from stop and go to steady flow.

So if that resonates with you, just sign up for Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor and you’ll hear all about it very soon.

Transcript of Episode 542 with Florian Schleicher

Ilise: Hello, Florian, welcome back to the podcast.

Florian Schleicher: Hi, Ilise—so good to be back.

Ilise: Right? It was two years ago—almost exactly—November 2023, when we recorded our first episode. So let’s see how far you’ve come and what you’ve been doing. But first, as usual, please introduce yourself.

Florian Schleicher: Yes—my name is Florian. I’m a marketing strategist, and my heart beats for sustainability. I’ve been working in marketing for the past 17 years—big corporations like McDonald’s, NGOs like Greenpeace, and I was Head of Marketing at a startup. Four years ago, I started my own business, and now I do consulting and strategy for corporates.

Ilise: Okay—let’s just focus on your elevator pitch for a second. You just said…

Florian: You just said…

Ilise: So now you do strategies… for corporates? Is that what you said?

Florian: Yes.

Ilise: And you’ve been in business four years. I’m sure I asked you this in the first episode, but let’s ask again: why did you start your own business? What prompted you?

Florian: Yeah, so… I think for me, it was a moment when I was working at an agency—my first job—and I met a freelancer working for the agency. I was struck by his approach to work. He had built his own business, and I wanted to do that back then.

But I was still rather young, didn’t have enough gray hair, so I decided it wasn’t the right time. Still, I always had it in the back of my head.

Then when I finished my last job at Too Good To Go—an app against food waste—where I was Head of Marketing, I felt: this is the best time to start. We built amazing brand awareness in Austria, in Vienna, where I’m based. Every tenth person had downloaded the app. We won a couple of marketing awards, too—so there was good traction, which helped me get a good start in my business.

And what I liked most—what always fascinated me—was choosing the clients I work with, choosing the people I work with, and having the freedom to follow my passions on whatever projects I want to create, instead of being bound by corporate structures.

Ilise: And that’s the dream, right? That gets sold to a lot of people who want to freelance or go out on their own. But very few people—based on my experience, and I’ve been doing this for almost 40 years—very few people actually achieve that. And it seems like—tell me if I’m wrong—but it seems like you have, in four years, managed to achieve that?

Florian: I think so, yes. And I hear from other freelancers and entrepreneurs that it’s very hard. And don’t get me wrong—it is hard.

Ilise: It is.

Florian: A lot of hard work. You have to get up every day and try to be a little better than yesterday. You have to have a vision for where you want to take this.

And sometimes it’s also luck—meeting the right person at the right time. Like: I met a client I worked with at McDonald’s in a previous job. She moved to another company. I moved on too, and now I’m self-employed. Then I met her again—at a playground—a year ago, just by chance. And she said, “Oh, I’ve heard what you’re doing. I’m thinking about a project—should we do something together?” That was luck: right time, right place.

But yes—it’s hard work.

And of course, network. Having worked in the field a long time, meeting amazing people—it helps now to approach them and stay in touch.

It feels like a good point. And I always appreciate talking about it because it reminds me: I built this, and it works.

Ilise: Yeah. So let’s talk about the evolution over the four years. I know you have a milestone for each year, which I want to hear about. But you didn’t start out focusing on the corporate market, right?

Florian: No. At the beginning, I was fresh off Too Good To Go, which is a startup, and I thought: I want to work with startups. That was my most recent touchpoint. I reached out to many startups—they knew who I was, they knew the brand. They wanted to get their brand and marketing engine going similarly. So I focused a lot on startups and also solopreneurs in the beginning.

Florian: In my first year—this was my first milestone—summer of 2022, I started writing a newsletter. Not because I thought it would become an amazing tool to acquire business later. The reason was: I was not sold out. I had a lot of time—first year. I wanted to keep myself busy, and I always enjoyed writing.

So I thought: maybe I’ll just start a newsletter. I checked today: it has 1,800 readers—from Bangkok to Amsterdam to Vancouver. It’s gone international. Mostly marketing people read it. And now, three years later, it actually helps me acquire new business.

That was year one.

Florian: In the second year, I realized: the beginning was still good, and then it went down. I felt existential fear—like many entrepreneurs and freelancers do. What you always say—feast to famine—that’s what I experienced. There were times with a lot of work, and then I crashed, and then nothing happened.

I thought: I have two options. Option one: keep the money I’ve made as close as possible and just try to get through it. Option two: invest my money into learning something.

I was listening to a lot of podcasts, and I think it was Jenny Blake’s podcast—

Ilise: Yep. Where I also listened to an interview she did with you.

Florian: —and I thought: “A marketing mentor”—that’s what I’m looking for. I reached out to you, and that was the highlight of my second year: having a couple of sessions with you.

Getting an outside perspective, being challenged, getting new ideas. For example, you pushed me to do a podcast. Now I have, I think, 40 or 50 episodes—and it’s become a driver for my business.

So that was year two.

Florian: In the third year, I felt like the basis was working. I had a mix of corporates and startups and solopreneurs. No feast and famine anymore—more balanced.

But I still felt: what can I do to reach the next stage? So I went on a solo off-site. I went to Norway for a week by myself, with about 40 questions I asked myself each evening at dinner about my business.

I thought about: where do I want to take this? And I figured out I want to focus more on corporates—there are interesting challenges there. It’s easier once you’re in—you can work with several departments. The challenges are more diverse than with startups and entrepreneurs. And what I enjoy most is doing workshops.

So in year three, I changed the focus—fully committed to working with corporates. It also made my communication easier, because I didn’t have to speak to three different audiences.

Ilise: But just focus on one.

Florian: Exactly.

Florian: And now I’m in my fourth year. My highlight this year was writing my first marketing trend report—about a topic that’s followed me for months. It’s been read over 3,000 times now.

Ilise: By a lot of leaders in marketing and communications.

Florian: And it’s become a source of people reaching out to me, wanting my perspective. I’m very happy with how it evolved.

Would I change things if I did it all over again? Yes, of course—but that’s always hindsight. At each point, it felt like the right decision, and it worked out.

Ilise: That’s awesome. And I think I said this in the first podcast, too: you’re one of those clients who, when we first met, I gave you a little direction and you took the ball and ran with it—which is unusual, but I love it. Because marketing works when you do it, and you are really doing it.

And I want to dig into some of the tools you mentioned. But first: a lot of people have questions about shifting or narrowing their market. When you decided to focus on corporates, I’d love to hear: how exactly did you shift? What did you stop doing? You said it was easier to message to one audience than three—how did that show up specifically?

Florian: Let’s look at my channels. In the newsletter, I used to write for three audiences: simple things solopreneurs could use, advice for startups, and occasionally strategic content suitable for corporates.

So I skipped all the freelancing/entrepreneurial stuff and focused on: what would a Chief Marketing Officer or Head of Marketing be looking for? I lost some readers—but it helped narrow it to my audience.

Another thing: I stopped going to events where I knew my target audience wouldn’t be present. I also skipped speaking at startup events—even though it brought in a bit of money—because I knew it wasn’t helping me build the business I want.

I looked at all the touchpoints: my website, what I write there, what I write on LinkedIn, who I reach out to. I kept re-evaluating: will this help me build a track record with corporates or not?

And it worked. It’s still a journey—I’d still like two or three more corporate clients. But at the beginning of 2025, my goal was to bring in new corporate clients.

I structure goals in three levels:

• Small success: 1 new corporate client

• Medium success: 2 new corporate clients

• Epic success: 3 new corporate clients

And now—almost at the end of the year—I acquired three new corporate clients. So it’s been a full success. It’s satisfying: you set out to do something, you do the hard work, you change the things, and then you see: it works.

Ilise: Okay, now part of me wants to ask: what are your three levels of goals for 2026? Do you know yet?

Florian: Not yet. I always write three goals, and each has three levels.

My first goal was what I called “corporate success.” Second was “financial relief”—not thinking about money all the time, building a more robust buffer, building a more consistent stream of monthly income. And the third goal was qualitative: finding and spending time with people who live the lifestyle I want—people who help me grow, inspire me, and challenge me.

Ilise: Nice. I love that. I want to borrow it.

Florian: Because I really feel the more you surround yourself with people who are on the same level—or slightly above—in an area you want to grow, the more you will grow.

I met amazing new people this year who inspired me and were there for me. For that, I’m deeply thankful.

Ilise: I love that—especially the people part. Because when it comes to freedom: yes, financial freedom is important and helpful. But the freedom to spend time—because time is really all we’ve got—with people who help us grow, and who bring out the best in us… that’s the ultimate freedom to me.

Florian: And that’s also not easy. What I saw over the last four years is that with some people I started this journey with, we’re not on the same level anymore—

Ilise: Clients or colleagues?

Florian: In terms of where our businesses are. And I like to call myself an entrepreneur, not a freelancer. For me, an entrepreneur builds a business, whereas a freelancer works project to project.

Some people are still freelancers. And I don’t get as much out of meeting with them anymore. The hard part is saying no to some people—because you can’t just let new people into your life forever and keep all the old ones. You have to restructure.

I’m a big believer—and I tell my clients this whenever they want to start something new—ask: What are you willing to let go of? You can’t just add and add and add. You need to let go of some things.

Ilise: Okay, now I have two thoughts. One is about when you shifted your content focus. And I want to talk about your content marketing because you do a lot of awesome content marketing.

Florian: Thank you.

Ilise: When you shifted the focus, you got rid of things that weren’t what corporate marketing leaders need to hear or want to know. So it makes me want to ask: what do they need to hear and want to know?

Florian: First: they have super busy lives. They’re at the top of their careers. They get thousands of emails and tons of outreach from freelancers and companies that want to work with them.

So I always try to add value to their work. I don’t reach out saying, “Hey, do you want to work on a project?” or “Here’s something I created—don’t you want it?” Instead, I give them tools, questions, and thoughts that I would’ve liked to get when I was a marketing leader.

So number one: always add value.

Second: build long-term relationships. It’s still a people business. I’m under no illusion that I’m the best strategist available, but the people who work with me want to work with me. So I need to show them who Florian is.

I have two content categories:

1. Educational/inspiring: deep dives, frameworks, showcasing work

2. Entertainment: how I approach work, highlights, what frustrates me, what doesn’t work

That entertainment part gives an emotional layer and shows I’m a human being. Some leaders won’t enjoy it, but others feel a connection—like, “Okay, this is someone I’d like to work with.”

Then from there: build the relationship, meet people, talk.

And the challenge—if you have a consulting/service business—you need endurance. It’s a marathon. Some clients I work with now, I first had contact with two years ago. You show up, build trust, and at some point—as you like to say—they’ve marinated enough in the content that they think, “Okay, now I’m ready. I want to work with you.”

That requires trust. And the entertainment/social part—plus showing up and showing my face—really matters.

Ilise: That’s a nice segue into social media. Tell me your social media strategy.

Florian: Should I talk about LinkedIn or Instagram? They’re different.

LinkedIn: my strategy has shifted. The problem with social media is I don’t think it’s social anymore—it’s algorithmic media. The algorithm decides what gets pushed out. So on LinkedIn, I have to provide more entertaining content than inspirational content, because the algorithm punishes me for just posting deep dives.

People want pictures. They want people smiling into the camera, or a certain mood in their eyes.

So whenever I post, I think: what photo of me will work with this? Then the algorithm pushes it further, and I add the value in the text.

I’ve tested a lot. For me, videos don’t work as well on LinkedIn. Photos of me—looking into the camera, or in action on a stage or in a workshop—work better, with value in the caption.

Instagram: I do more videos—short snippets of inspiration. It’s a bit more clickbaity, because that’s the language of the channel. I aim for about 50% video and 50% carousel or photo that adds value.

And one learning from the past year: I have one Instagram channel that’s both personal and private. So when I go on vacation or do something fun, it’s up there too. If you follow me, you’re up for all of it.

Ilise: And you’re saying that works? Or would you do it differently?

Florian: It works—and it was a big learning. In my second year I was thinking: where do I separate work-self and private-self? With a job, you shut the laptop and you’re off. Now I think about work all the time—because it’s my business, I’m involved, and I like it.

But what I learned is: I had to become one person. In business conversations, I bring my private side. In private conversations—even on a date—I’m also the entrepreneur. My Instagram reflects that. It’s not for everyone. If you want highly polished posts, my channel probably isn’t for you. But for people reaching out and coming back to me, it works.

Ilise: Beautiful. All right—let’s talk about your podcast. And then, to wrap up, we can give listeners a question or two to reflect on for next year, so they can move in the direction you have, if they want to.

What I find interesting about your podcast is: your prospects are the guests. You’re doing it for the prospects and the conversations—not for how many people listen, right? What’s the strategy?

Florian: The strategy is… first: my podcast focuses on sustainability and how to communicate about it. That’s my passion. I want to provide a stage for companies doing something good in sustainability—to share their message so others can learn.

I invite companies and people I find fascinating. And in the end, my goal is the same: build relationships.

I had a case where I interviewed a marketing leader two years ago. We stayed in touch because we had a great conversation. We had virtual coffees afterwards. And then two years later she asked, “Hey, I’m working on this project—would you be the right person to work with?” And I said yes. And I’m traveling to the company next week for a full-day workshop.

I don’t want this to sound like my plan is always to turn guests into clients. Sometimes you realize: interesting company, but we don’t vibe personally. Other times, you meet someone and it’s like, “We could talk for hours.” So let’s do this.

I never push anything. But the relational part matters. For me, the podcast is a way to open a door—and then we’ll see where it takes us.

Ilise: I love that. All right—we could go on for hours, but we’ll have to do another episode.

Since it’s the end of one year and the beginning of another, let’s give listeners a question or two. From your 40 questions in Norway—what’s one of the most effective?

Florian: One of the best questions—and I use it a lot in workshops—is: What do you want your audience to feel about you and your brand?

We’re so in our heads. We think: “This is the message, this is my positioning.” But we’re emotional beings. It’s more important to leave an impression as a feeling.

So I ask myself: what feeling do I want to evoke with my whole marketing strategy? With one Instagram post? When I go to an event?

And even when I meet someone on the way to a meeting, I think: what do I want them to leave the conversation feeling?

Just one feeling—not a lot. One.

Ilise: Because then we get confused and overwhelm the other person. It’s really just one thing.

Florian: Exactly. One feeling.

Ilise: Then I have to ask you: what’s the feeling you want people to get from your brand?

Florian: Clarity.

Because there’s so much information out there. I work with amazing people with great strategies—but what gets lost is clarity: What are we doing? Why are we doing it? How are we doing it? That’s what I want to give my clients.

Ilise: And that begs one final question: do you ever struggle with imposter syndrome?

Florian: I haven’t met a really intelligent person who doesn’t struggle with imposter syndrome. If I meet someone who doesn’t have it, I get cautious. So yes, I struggle with it.

When I published my first trend report, I was like: will anybody read my thoughts? It’s 75 slides. It doesn’t follow a structure I copied—it’s my own findings and examples of brands using the insights.

Sometimes when amazing people invite me to speak, my first thought is: why are they inviting me?

Then I give the talk or do the project, and afterwards they say, “This was great.” And I have to remind myself—that’s where the voice gets a little quieter. I don’t think it goes fully away, but it gets quieter.

Ilise: Right. And I asked because listeners might assume you’ve done all these amazing things, had success quickly, and therefore… you don’t have that problem.

Florian: No, I do. I do.

Ilise: I feel like a lot of people do.

Florian: It’s natural.

Ilise: How about you, Ilise—do you struggle with imposter syndrome?

Ilise: Not anymore. I used to, for sure—but I was kind of arrogant and cocky, and if it was a problem I didn’t pay attention. I was like, “I don’t care. I’m doing it anyway.”

So it didn’t get in my way. And over the years, at a certain point—when you get to be a certain age—you’re like, who cares anyway? I don’t care what those people think. I’ve got so many options.

That’s why I always say: marketing is the solution. Because if you have many irons in the fire, what one person thinks doesn’t matter. If one client fires you, it doesn’t matter. You know how to go get more. It’s fine.

So hearing that won’t cure everyone, but the hope is: the more practice we get, the more mature we get, the older we get—some combination—the more we can relax. Because the problem with psychological baggage is it becomes an obstacle to doing what needs to be done. And then you can’t achieve success.

Florian: Yeah—when you get into freeze mode, or flight mode. Bridging that gap is just doing it. Learn on the way. And every negative feedback is just a data point: for this specific example, this did not work.

Ilise: Exactly.

Ilise: Beautiful. That “data point” is the perfect bookmark. We will definitely continue this conversation.

And I’ll reveal right now: you’ve agreed to be one of our coaches for S&P Plus in 2026—so more coming soon. A little cliffhanger.

Florian: I’m super excited to be part of this.

Ilise: Of course. I think you’ll be perfect for it. In the meantime, tell people where they can find you online.

Florian: You can find me on LinkedIn—my name will be in the description, because my last name is Schleicher and it’s difficult to pronounce. You can also go to future-strategies.com—my website—where you can find my newsletter, my podcast, and all the work I do, and get an impression of how I approach what I do.

Ilise: Beautiful. And you mean “future hyphen strategies,” right? “Minus” is the same thing, but we don’t say it that way—just so everyone understands.

Florian: Then let’s use the hyphen, yes.

Ilise: Great. Florian, thank you so much—and I’ll talk to you soon.

Florian: Let’s do that. Thank you for having me.

Ilise: Of course.