Don’t Flip the Switch: How One Agency Nearly Killed Its Referrals (and What to Do Instead)
Interview: Laura Boyer on Niching Into Industrial Marketing, Trade Shows That Actually Work, and Building a Human Agency Culture
Haus Advisors Live with Laura Boyer, Founder of Black Bean Industrial Marketing (B2B agency based in British Columbia, serving manufacturing, mining, chemical, and other industrial sectors)
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Prefer the highlights? Key takeaways and summary below.
TL;DR – Key Takeaways
Laura started her agency out of frustration: agencies mistreating teams and not being accountable to clients.
She chose industrial because it’s ignored by most agencies (fewer competitors) and the communication style is more direct.
They niched down using a simple audit: impact + profit + fun (inspired by Win Without Pitching).
Biggest mistake: in January 2021, she rebranded and repositioned overnight during COVID… and basically cut off referrals.
Reality check: SEO and marketing take time. If you kill referrals instantly, you can create an 8-month scramble.
Best growth channel for them: trade shows (plus co-branded webinars with industry associations).
SEO doesn’t work well in her niche because decision-makers often don’t know “industrial marketing agency” is a thing, so they don’t search for it.
Trade show playbook: pick “human-sized” events, pre-post on LinkedIn, get attendee lists, book off-floor meetups, follow up nightly.
Retention playbook: keep experience consistent from sales → delivery, have a strong PM, and actually become real humans with clients.
Talent playbook: flat-ish hierarchy, generous PTO, output-based work, no weekend email, and forced office closures when people won’t take vacation.
Meet the Guest
Laura Boyer is the founder of Black Bean Industrial Marketing, a B2B agency based in British Columbia.
She’s lived all over (including 10–15 years in China) and brings a very European/direct communication style. She even joked that her Canadian team made her add “two exclamation points per email” to soften her tone — which honestly is the most relatable “international team” detail I’ve heard in a while.
Black Bean focuses on industries that often have a brand perception problem or are generally underserved by modern marketing:
manufacturing, mining, chemical, and adjacent industrial categories.
Episode Summary
1. Why Laura started an agency at all
This wasn’t the usual “freedom and lifestyle” pitch.
Laura’s motivation was more like:
she watched agencies treat teams like disposable parts
she watched agencies under-deliver and over-promise
she wanted to create a better experience for everyone in the orbit: team members, clients, partners, vendors
That’s a strong founding “why,” because it’s not about ego. It’s about standards.
2. Why industrial marketing (and why it fits her personality)
Laura’s take is straightforward:
industrial is ignored by most agencies → fewer competitors
decision makers are direct, practical, less “marketing theater”
it matches her Swiss/German/Dutch style: less small talk, more truth
I’ve seen this play out: the right niche isn’t just “where money is.” It’s also where your default personality doesn’t get punished.
3. How they picked the niche: impact + profit + fun
They did a client audit (inspired by Win Without Pitching):
Where did we make an impact?
Where did we make money?
Where did we actually enjoy the work?
Patterns emerged around “blue collar” industries and longer B2B sales cycles—work where they could embed deeper and act like a real growth partner.
4. The big mistake: flipping the switch overnight (January 2021)
This is the part that should be printed on a warning label.
Laura repositioned and rebranded overnight in January 2021.
Two problems hit at the same time:
COVID timing (Canada/US border stayed closed until November 2021)
Canadian manufacturers couldn’t travel → marketing budgets froze
And the “hidden” killer:
she killed their referral power in one move
while SEO/inbound takes time to ramp
Result: about 8 months of pain until marketing started producing inbound.
Misconception worth challenging:
A lot of founders think “once I decide my niche, I need to rebrand right now.”
Laura’s lesson is the opposite: you can decide quickly, but implement gradually.
Analogy: it’s like swapping engines mid-flight because you’re excited about the new one. Even if the new engine is better, the timing can still crash the plane.
5. What actually grows their business: trade shows + association webinars
For Black Bean, SEO isn’t the hero channel. Why?
Because many prospects don’t wake up thinking:
“I should Google ‘industrial marketing agency.’”
They don’t search for what they don’t know exists.
So they lean on:
trade shows (primary)
webinars with industry associations (secondary but powerful)
Associations already have trust with members. Black Bean “borrows” that trust by co-branding and teaching.
6. Laura’s trade show playbook (super practical)
This was gold. Here’s the distilled version:
Pick events where your buyer is actually present (not just engineers/sales reps)
Avoid massive events where everyone’s busy and no one talks
Aim for “human-sized” events: not 6,000 people, not 50 people in a sad ballroom
Start posting early on LinkedIn + tag the show
If you can get attendee lists, reach out ahead of time and book coffee/drinks
The best conversations happen off the floor: hotel bar, breakfast, ferry, hallway moments
Follow up daily (she did 30 minutes each night), don’t let leads rot
Lead with value: send benchmarks, reports, useful resources
On booth vs sponsor vs attend:
they’ve only attended so far
next step: exhibit
sponsor only if it includes a speaking slot (otherwise it’s just expensive logo placement)
7. Client retention: “continue as you started”
Laura’s retention philosophy is simple:
If the client loves the founder-led sales experience… and then gets handed off to a totally different vibe… that drop-off kills trust.
So they keep the experience consistent and lean on:
a strong project manager who flags issues early
delight + fun + friendship (within reason)
a small client roster (around 12 max) so relationships stay real
low-pressure check-ins (Friday afternoon calls) where clients will tell you what’s wrong
8. Sales mindset: business development, not chasing
Laura frames it as:
build relationships
help people in their role
don’t chase aggressively
position the agency as an equal partner, not an order-taker
Her line basically was:
“If you want an order-taker, go to Upwork.”
That’s a strong boundary—and boundaries tend to attract better-fit clients.
9. Talent: the agency as a “good place to be a human”
Laura’s talent strategy is very “European workplace values,” in the best way:
flat-ish hierarchy, everyone has a voice
generous PTO (and she’s forced office closures because people weren’t taking time off)
output-based work (results > hours)
summer hours (Friday afternoons off)
no weekend email unless real emergency
she doesn’t email the team on weekends (TikToks don’t count 😂)
That stuff isn’t fluff. It’s a retention engine.
Notable Quotes
“I decided to flip the switch… overnight. That was the wrong thing to do.”
“You can make a decision. Doesn’t mean you have to implement it overnight.”
“SEO doesn’t really work for us… they don’t know such an agency exists.”
“The most meaningful connections happen off the trade show floor.”
“Continue as you started.”
Learn More / Get in Touch
LinkedIn → Laura Boyer
Email → laura@blackbeanmarketing.com
Website → blackbeanmarketing.com
Instagram → Black Bean Marketing (she sometimes answers DMs)
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