Tasmanian-born marketing whiz Mike Jones is known in the TCI office for his awesome calmness, inability to walk somewhere when he can run, and addiction to designer sneakers (think of a colour, and it’s a pretty good bet Mike owns them.)
To the TCI community, Mike’s talents are even more varied and valuable. As the school’s digital marketing master, he is the orchestra conductor behind the Dream Team’s global campaigns from inception to launch and beyond.
The 31-year-old’s love for marketing began during his business degree at the University of Tasmania, when he discovered “the power of how informed communication can change someone’s life and change the world for the better.”
Post-graduation, he worked for a Melbourne training employment provider then a business coach while growing his marketing chops with a diploma from a UK business. After a European holiday, Mike landed the marketing co-ordinator role at TCI which kickstarted his rise to his senior role: “It was love at first sight.”
Weeks into TCI's inaugural Make It Happen Marketing Challenge, Mike shares his professional journey, where he wants to be in five years and insider personal details (yes, karaoke!)
What do you love most about what you do at TCI?
“That it’s not a job. I love the ability to create something that no one ever thought was possible, to generate results nobody ever thought were possible. If something doesn’t work, I love the opportunity to try again and figure it out. The ultimate thing is we get to actually impact people’s lives in a positive way and not a lot of people can say they do that.
Biggest challenge in your role?
“I am someone who likes to do it myself, so I will try and make it happen on my own, it’s ‘Get the fuck out of my way’ so it’s where I am learning to involve and inspire other people.
Your best marketing tip/strategy?
It’s marketing 101 but you can’t make it about yourself. It needs to be about how you can help your market. And be okay with failing, nobody ever gets it right first time. We’ve launched thousands of things since I’ve been here and we don’t get it right every time. The best thing is you get instant feedback and within two days you know if something isn’t working. Then you can immediately change it, it’s not set in stone.
You work 500 hours a week. Where does the drive come from?
I come from quite a competitive background, I played a lot of sport—field hockey and I raced go karts semi-professionally. My parents, my mum, sacrificed so much for me and that has driven me to make sure I’m the best I can be. I want to make my parents proud.
Career highlight/milestone?
Since I’ve been at TCI I’ve been part of taking the Dream Team from cash negative to a million dollar online team for the last two years.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I am pretty nimble on my feet. I don’t really have too much of a five year plan but the thing I want to do is help this business succeed more than it ever has before. I want to help TCI become the world’s number one coaching school, and create a bigger team and have more more fun along the way.
What does your ideal dream day look like?
Okay. So shower is done, I’m on my way to the office and I check our Facebook account and all ad campaigns are within benchmark, best thing ever. I check online sales results and things are looking awesome. I run the best Dream Team meeting we’ve ever had, everyone is pumped, and we start the day with five bell rings. We all dance really hard and then I’m creating, running, launching something we’ve never before which will break some kind of record and change people’s lives. Then I head home for dinner with my girlfriend Christine, if she’s cooking it’s most likely some sort of vegan pesto pasta, if I’m cooking it could lbe quinoa tofu salad with an insane amount of soy sauce.
Your passions outside work?
Before COVID I used to socialise a lot with friends, party pretty hard. I love playing disc golf—it’s like frisbee golf, in the wilderness. I frequent sporting events like Formula One and AFL. I love the NBA, I love travelling and have been to the US five times and Europe a couple of times. I love new experiences.
Secret talent?
I’m really good at dancing!
If you weren’t a marketer you would be …
It was always my plan A, I didn’t have a plan B.
Favourite karaoke song?
The song I like to sing the most is probably Will Smith's Men In Black.
What do you wish you were better at?
Languages. My [interior designer] girlfriend is German so it would be good to be better at speaking that. We met 12 years ago as friends of friends so we’re sort of of uni sweethearts.
Life motto?
Do more, do better.
ABOUT DREAM TEAM
Dream Team is the award-winning marketing and innovations hub for The Coaching Institute and the coaching industry. Whether it's testing new ideas or challenging the old, updating best practices or disrupting conventions, Dream is here for you with the latest and best in the coaching industry along with tools, tips, strategies and case studies of real-world results that are breaking industry records.
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