Ken Collins Marketing is Expanding – And I’m Just Getting Started
For a while, people kept asking me the same question.
“Are you retiring?”
I’d hear it at events.
From old clients.
From friends in the community.
And every time, I’d laugh.
Retiring?
Not even close.
If anything, I’m just getting warmed up.
Over the last couple of years, as I shifted deeper into consulting work and kept a lower public profile, rumors started circulating. Some people assumed I was slowing down. Others thought I might be stepping away entirely. The truth is the opposite. I’ve never been more focused or more energized about the work. I wasn’t winding down – I was rebuilding, rethinking, and preparing for something bigger. What looked quiet from the outside was actually the busiest season of planning I’ve ever had.
The Beginning
I started Ken Collins Marketing in 2015 after splitting off from a marketing company I helped build back in 2009.
What began as a partnership became a solo mission.
Just me.
A laptop.
And a stubborn belief that small businesses deserved better marketing than they were getting.
Not flashy marketing.
Not gimmicks.
Real marketing that actually worked.
Over the years, that solo effort grew.
I launched shows like Ken Drives and later Ken’s Think Tank on YouTube. Those conversations opened doors, built relationships, and introduced me to hundreds of business owners across the region.
As the work grew, so did the team. I brought in trusted contractors for websites, design, hosting, Local SEO, and support.
We built a solid, dependable agency.
And then everything changed.
Those early years weren’t glamorous – they were practical. Long nights, constant problem-solving, and doing whatever it took to make sure clients actually saw results. Every project taught me something new about what businesses really need and what marketing fluff they don’t. The podcast and video shows weren’t about promotion – they were about conversations. Listening to owners. Learning their challenges. Building trust. One client turned into two, two turned into ten, and before long we had a reputation for being the people who simply got things done. Steady growth. Real relationships. No smoke and mirrors.
When the Industry Shifted
Around 2020, the ground started moving under everyone’s feet.
AI showed up everywhere.
DIY website builders.
Automated design tools.
“Instant SEO.”
One-click everything.
Suddenly, the services businesses used to hire professionals for were being replaced with “good enough” software.
Cheaper. Faster. Automated.
I watched it happen in real time.
And I had a choice.
Fight it…
Or adapt.
It wasn’t dramatic – it was gradual, then sudden. Tools that used to require skill, experience, and real people were being packaged into “push-button” solutions. Some of it was impressive. Some of it was hype. But most of it was just good enough to make business owners question whether they needed professionals at all. I could have dug in and tried to compete on price or speed. That’s a race nobody wins. Instead, I paid attention. I studied what was changing, where automation made sense, and where human judgment still mattered most. The industry wasn’t dying – it was evolving. And I knew I had to evolve with it.
So I Adapted
Instead of competing with AI tools, I stepped back and asked a better question:
Where am I most valuable?
The answer wasn’t just marketing anymore.
It was strategy.
So I earned my business consulting certification, sold most of my marketing book of business, and launched Strategic Horizons Consulting.
I focused on high-level work – exit planning, operations, growth systems, workforce strategy.
And it was the right move.
But something interesting happened.
I didn’t rush into that decision. I took time to really evaluate where I created the most impact for the businesses I worked with. It became clear that the biggest wins weren’t coming from tweaking websites or launching campaigns – they were coming from the conversations behind the scenes. The strategy. The structure. The hard decisions owners avoid because no one ever teaches them how to think through them. So I leaned into that. I invested in my education, sharpened my skills, and stepped into a consulting role where I could guide entire businesses instead of just their marketing. It wasn’t a step away from the work – it was a step deeper into it.
What I Started Seeing
Through consulting – and through my new podcast Behind the Counter: Business Stories from the Four Corners – I spent more time inside real businesses than ever before.
And here’s what I noticed:
Most owners weren’t excited about AI.
They weren’t looking for shortcuts.
They weren’t trying to become marketers.
They just wanted things handled.
They wanted:
• A website that works
• Ads that bring customers
• SEO that gets them found
• Designs that look professional
• Systems that make life easier
They didn’t want another tool.
They wanted a person.
Someone they could call.
Someone accountable.
Someone who actually does the work.
And that’s when it hit me.
Sitting across from owners at their desks, in their shops, and behind their counters, I kept hearing the same thing over and over. Not complaints about algorithms or fancy tactics – just quiet frustration. They didn’t want to learn five new platforms or manage another dashboard. They didn’t want to become part-time marketers. They already had a business to run. What they wanted was simple – reliability. Someone they trusted to handle the details so they could focus on serving customers and leading their teams. That’s when I realized the real opportunity wasn’t more tools or more tech. It was showing up as the steady, dependable professional who just gets the job done.
The Gap Nobody Was Filling
AI didn’t replace marketing.
It just made it confusing.
And in the process, a lot of real, human service disappeared.
Business owners who didn’t want to wrestle with AI were left out in the cold.
Graphic design? Harder to find real designers.
SEO? Everyone selling automation.
Ads? “Set it and forget it” nonsense.
Social media? Templates and bots.
But real businesses still needed real help.
That gap?
That’s where I belong.
The more I looked around, the more obvious it became. The industry didn’t get better – it just got noisier. Everyone promised speed, automation, and shortcuts, but fewer people were actually rolling up their sleeves and doing the work. Business owners were left comparing tools instead of getting results. They weren’t lacking software. They were lacking support. They didn’t need another login or another subscription. They needed someone experienced, accountable, and present. Someone who answers the phone and takes ownership. That missing piece – the human side of marketing and operations – is exactly where I do my best work.
So I Went Back to Work
Quietly.
Behind the scenes.
Rebuilding.
Expanding.
Growing the team again.
Not with software.
With people.
Real designers.
Real marketers.
Real ad managers.
Real humans who care about outcomes.
Today, Ken Collins Marketing is bigger than it has ever been.
We now offer 22 expanded services across Design, Marketing, and Advertising – while still delivering high-level consulting through Strategic Horizons.
At this point, we’re not a niche shop anymore.
We’re a full-service agency.
If your business needs something done – we do it.
Not “help you figure it out.”
We handle it.
Need flyers, business cards, or banners?
Done.
Need SEO, content, or social media?
Handled.
Need Google Ads or paid campaigns?
Covered.
Need operations, strategy, or an exit plan?
Let’s talk.
Big or small.
Simple or complex.
If it matters to your business, I can take it off your plate.
There wasn’t a big announcement. No flashy relaunch. Just steady work. Rebuilding the team. Expanding the services. Putting the right people in the right seats. Piece by piece, the agency grew stronger than it had ever been. Today, when a client calls, there’s no scrambling or outsourcing roulette. There’s a real team ready to execute. Design, marketing, advertising, strategy – all under one roof, coordinated, accountable, and done right. So instead of juggling vendors or trying to figure it out yourself, you hand it off and move on with your day. That’s how it should feel.
And maybe most importantly – this isn’t built on trends or shortcuts. It’s built on experience. Years in the trenches. Hundreds of businesses served. Real problems solved. We’re not experimenting on your company or learning as we go. We’ve done this before, we know what works, and we know how to execute without drama. When something needs to get done, it gets done. No excuses. No disappearing acts. No passing you off to a chatbot. Just real people doing real work that moves your business forward.
And One More Thing
Yes, we use AI tools internally.
Everyone does.
But your work isn’t handed to a robot.
It’s done by real people collecting real paychecks.
When you hire Ken Collins Marketing or Strategic Horizons Consulting, you’re supporting real families, real professionals, and real craftsmanship.
Not an algorithm guessing how many fingers a human has.
AI is a tool – nothing more. We use it for research, organization, and efficiency, just like any modern business should. But strategy, design, decisions, and execution? That’s still human work. That’s experience. That’s judgment. That’s care. The things that actually make marketing effective can’t be automated.
When you work with me, you’re not buying software. You’re hiring people who think, solve problems, and stand behind the results. People you can call. People who answer. People who take ownership.
Because at the end of the day, businesses aren’t built by algorithms.
They’re built by people.
And that’s exactly how we work.
What’s Next
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be walking you through each of our new services – one by one.
Clear. Practical. No hype.
Just straightforward solutions that work.
If you’ve worked with me before – welcome back.
If you’re new here – glad you found me.
Either way…
I’m not going anywhere.
And I’m ready when you are.
– Ken Collins
This isn’t a big relaunch or some flashy reinvention – it’s simply the next, better version of what I’ve always done: showing up, solving problems, and helping business owners move forward without the noise. If you’ve got a website that needs fixing, marketing that needs traction, ads that need results, or a bigger strategy you’re trying to figure out, you don’t have to piece it together from five different vendors anymore. You can handle it all in one place, with one conversation. Explore the new services, follow along as I break each one down, and when something clicks, reach out. We’ll talk it through and get to work.
