The Long Game (Part 1)

Key Takeaways

• The Reality: We live in a "Microwave Society," but building a brand is a slow-cooked brisket.
• The Pain: The "June Gloom" phase (Months 1-3) is silent and painful. Most people quit here. Don't be most people.
• The Payoff: By Month 6, you aren't hunting for clients; you are harvesting them.

Series Intro: Welcome to "The Long Game." In previous series, we covered the "How" and the "Where." Now, we are tackling the "When." This 5-part series answers the hard questions about ROI, metrics, and why patience is the only currency that matters in the South Bay.

The "Microwave" Delusion

We live in a society that has lost its collective mind. We want 6-minute abs. We want our Amazon packages delivered by drone before we even click "buy." We want to post one video on Instagram on Monday and be retiring on a yacht in the Catalina Channel by Friday.

We hate to be the ones to tell you this, but... that isn't how business works.

If you think starting a video podcast is going to save your business in 24 hours, you should probably just go buy a lottery ticket at the 7-Eleven on Western Ave. The odds are about the same.

The Sound of Silence (And Why It Hurts)

Let’s describe a feeling you probably know too well.

You spend all week working on a marketing campaign. You write the perfect copy. You edit the video. You hit "Publish." You sit back, heart racing, waiting for the phone to ring.

And... nothing.

Absolute. Dead. Silence.

It’s physically painful. It feels like walking into a party, shouting "Hello!", and having everyone ignore you. You check your phone every 4 minutes. "Did the internet break? Is my wifi down?" No. The internet is working fine. It just doesn't care about you yet.

You get one "Like" from your Aunt Susan in Ohio. Thanks, Susan. That doesn't pay the lease.

This is the moment where the tears start to form. You feel foolish. You feel like you wasted your time. You think, "I should just go back to hiding."

The "June Gloom" Phase (Months 1-3)

In the South Bay, we know about June Gloom. It’s gray. It’s foggy. You wonder if the sun is ever coming back. But you don't move to Arizona, because you know that July is coming.

Marketing has June Gloom too.

When you start recording at Voxel Micro Video Labs, your first 3 months are going to be foggy. You are speaking to an empty room. The algorithm is sniffing you out, trying to decide if you are legit or just another spammer.

90% of businesses quit during the Gloom. They stop digging three feet from gold. They go back to buying expensive leads that don't convert.

The "Vons Aisle" Moment (Month 6)

But if you have the guts to keep going... something magical happens around Episode 12.

Imagine you are a Realtor in Palos Verdes. You’ve been making videos about "Landslide Insurance" and "School Districts" for 5 months to zero applause.

Then, you’re shopping at the Vons on 25th Street. A stranger walks up to you in the produce aisle, points a finger, and says: "Hey! You're the lady from the videos! We watched your show last night. We're thinking of listing our house."

Boom. The sun just came out.

That stranger didn't ask you for your resume. They didn't ask for references. They feel like they know you. The trust is already built. The sale is basically done before you even shake hands.

Hunting vs. Farming

Facebook Ads are Hunting. You go out, you shoot a deer, you eat. If you stop hunting (stop paying Zuckerberg), you starve immediately.

Video Podcasting is Farming. You plant seeds in the soil of San Pedro. You water them. It looks like nothing is happening. Your neighbors laugh at you for watering dirt.

But then, the crop comes in. And it feeds you for years.

At the Donn Allan Experience, we are Farmers. We don't do "Get Rich Quick." We do "Get Wealthy Forever."

Up Next in Episode 2: Okay, you're ready to farm. But you're terrified of messing up the crop. "Should I go LIVE on Facebook?" In the next post, we explain why going live is a terrible idea for beginners and how the "Safety Net" of pre-recording will save your dignity.

Stop hunting. Start farming.
Plant Your Seeds at Voxel Labs Today