January 2025 - Pulse of the Sphynx

Letter from the Editor

I'm back. New year brings new possibilities!

And when I say possibilities I refer to your possibility to reach your business goals faster and more efficient than in 2024. All thanks to me. 🙋♀️

Assuming you will build a CRM and engagement roadmap for 2025 (you should so please do), you will need three categories to keep you sane (trust me on this): Drivers 🚗, Enablers 🛣️, and Nice-to-Haves 🍦.

Let’s break them down.

Drivers are the rockstars – the activities that actually move the needle. These are your growth hacks, MVPs, POCs, and all the other acronyms that sound flashy but, in this case, really matter. They’re the things that propels your business forward and deliver results you can brag about.

Enablers are the backstage crew making sure the show doesn’t fall apart. They help you scale and execute Drivers efficiently. For example, if your growth hack involves sending marketing emails, you’d better have consent (because lawsuits are not the vibe). And if you’re running initiatives across multiple markets, you’ll need a platform to deliver and measure your communications. Think of Enablers as the behind-the-scenes magic that keeps everything running smoothly.

Nice-to-Haves are exactly that—nice, but not urgent. These are the tasks you know are important but don’t need to obsess over right now. Things like pressure rules, audience prioritisation, or cleaning up your platform. Don’t ignore them forever, but don’t let them distract you from what really matters.

Why does this matter? Because if you treat all tasks as equally important, you’ll get overwhelmed fast. We’ve seen clients do this—they start with clear goals, but when everything feels like a priority, nothing gets done. It’s like trying to carry 15 shopping bags at once: ambitious, but not gonna happen.

So, categorise your tasks. Focus on your Drivers, get your Enablers sorted, and tackle the Nice-to-Haves when you’ve got breathing room.

I hope this helps you prioritise and keep things moving. And hey, if you end up making big wins, I expect an invite to the celebration.

Love,

Anna

Event Coming Up

We're hosting our first SCHMACK event in London! If you've been to our events before, you know it’s going to be something special. If you’re London-based, make sure to sign up here and join us!

Always Raising the Bar

At SCHMACK, one of our core values is RTB – Raising the Bar, and our team keeps proving it! Harry has renewed his L1 and L2 Braze certifications, and both Harry Fremantle and Ben Koolen have earned the brand-new BrazeAI™ Skills Badge. Check it out here: Braze AI Certification

January Starters

As we kick off the new year, we're excited to welcome four new SCHMACKERS to the team:

From Stockholm, Clàudia López Torrents , our new CX/UX Design Intern, swears by cinnamon buns – especially the saffron ones! Madelein Fagerlind , joining as a Project Specialist, has a soft spot for cupcakes, particularly those with lovely frosting.

Meanwhile, over in London, Ben Koolen , our new Lead Application Consultant, sticks to the classics with a good old butter croissant. And Sandra Palmgren , our new CRM Project Manager, can’t resist Swedish chocolate balls.

STHLM-LDN SCHMACK Fusion

This month, the Stockholm 🇸🇪 SCHMACK team visited our team over in London 🇬🇧 to support onboarding of our new starters. It’s great to see the UK team growing!

The Growth Exchange

A new episode of The Growth Exchange is out! Our podcast explores growth and entrepreneurship, and in this episode, Anna Madeleine Wangerud is joined by Mikael Johansson , founder of Swinton International GmbH, specialising in Viral Marketing. The episode is in Swedish – so for our Swedish-speaking readers, tune in here!