After building a successful digital marketing agency for 14 years, I had to make one of the hardest business decisions of my career. We were no longer Yokel Local - we had become something entirely different.
But our name was constraining us from connecting with the clients we were meant to serve.
As discussed in a recent episode of the MindShift Podcast, this wasn't a decision made overnight or because something went wrong.
This was about strategic evolution and embracing the reality of where business is heading in 2025 and beyond.
When my co-founder Stormie Andrews and I started Yokel Local in 2011, we were in the thick of the real estate recession.
Our mission was crystal clear: help local businesses build and grow their online presence.
We focused on:
This worked incredibly well. For years, we thrived helping local businesses navigate the early days of digital marketing.
But something interesting happened starting in 2013 - we began moving beyond just local businesses.
By 2015, we became a HubSpot partner, implementing full-funnel attribution for our clients. The market was changing, buyer journeys were becoming more complex, and our clients' needs were evolving.
Over the last five to eight years, we've witnessed a continuation of this evolution across multiple channels.
While we made these adjustments internally, our external brand hadn't caught up with our capabilities.
Here's what most people don't know: "MindShift" has been with me for 25 years. It originated from one of the most difficult periods of my life - becoming a father in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
This experience fundamentally shifted how I thought about responsibility, purpose, and what it meant to lead.
As I explained in the podcast episode, the philosophy behind MindShift is rooted in a core belief: "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" - a principle I learned from Dr. Wayne Dyer and have carried with me ever since.
In this disruptive time we're living through, businesses need to adopt what we call a "MindShift mentality."
You have to shift your thinking to shift your results.
This isn't about abandoning your core values - it's about evolving your approach to match market realities.
When ChatGPT became publicly available in December 2022, we knew our industry would never be the same. But more importantly, we realized our agency name needed to reflect this new reality.
Today, AI isn't just a tool we use - it's integrated into everything:
As I shared in the episode, "We are all in this together. We all got access to ChatGPT at the same time."
The key difference is how quickly you embrace and integrate these changes into your business strategy.
Technology has never been defeated.
Think about the evolution from brick phones to pagers to BlackBerry to iPhone.
Each transition seemed dramatic at the time, but the businesses that thrived were those that adapted quickly rather than fighting the change.
While we started with local businesses just getting online, our sweet spot has evolved to companies doing $1-20 million in revenue.
These are established businesses that:
Over the past few years, we noticed potential clients asking questions like:
Our capabilities had far exceeded what "Yokel Local" communicated to the market.
This wasn't about abandoning our roots or fixing something broken.
Stormie Andrews, my co-founder, wanted to pursue other entrepreneurial ventures - a completely amicable transition that we both supported.
The rebrand was about strategic alignment between our capabilities and market positioning.
As I mentioned in the podcast: Gary Vaynerchuk said that technology has never been defeated.
We're at an inflection point where businesses must choose - adapt to AI integration or risk being left behind by competitors who do.
This isn't fear-mongering, it's market reality. Your competitors are already experimenting with AI tools, and the platforms you advertise on are using AI to optimize campaigns.
One critical point I want to emphasize: none of us has all the answers yet.
We're all learning AI together. The key is collaboration and connection rather than trying to figure everything out in isolation.
The businesses that will thrive are those willing to work with partners who are committed to staying at the forefront of these changes.
Many established businesses are experiencing what we call "strategic plateau" - where traditional approaches that worked for years are delivering diminishing returns.
This often signals the need for a strategic MindShift.
Stop hesitating.
As I said in the episode, if you're still hesitant to shift into AI, I need you to stop that right now. You've got to get real right now.
This doesn't mean rushing into every new tool, but it does mean developing a strategic approach to AI integration that aligns with your business goals.
Change is inevitable. Market disruption is constant.
The businesses that thrive are those that embrace strategic evolution rather than fighting it.
Whether you're considering a rebrand, struggling with AI integration, or feeling constrained by your current market positioning, remember this: we're here to help market leaders dominate, to help you regain or reclaim the leadership in your industry.
The question isn't whether change is coming - it's whether you'll be ready when it arrives.
We've developed a comprehensive diagnostic framework to quickly identify what's working, what's not, and what opportunities exist for immediate acceleration.
For businesses wanting guidance without full agency services, we've created a coaching plus implementation and community program.
The MindShift Podcast will continue evolving with more strategic insights, AI integration strategies, and interviews with business leaders navigating this transformation.
If anything in this story resonates with your business situation, I encourage you to download our newly revised Growth Marketing Framework.
It's a comprehensive 52-page guide with updated strategies, frameworks, and processes for 2025 and beyond.
Get the framework at: MindShiftdigital.co/framework
This isn't about how big or small your company is - it's about your commitment to excellence and your desire to impact the world through your business.
No, nothing went wrong. This was a strategic evolution based on market changes and our expanded capabilities
Yes, but we've elevated to more of a strategic advisor and partner alongside tactical services.
Our service offerings range from $2,500/month to six-figure annual packages. We package solutions based on your business needs and growth stage.
Yes, through our new Inner Circle coaching program for businesses not ready for full agency services.