Weird Marketing That Works: How Amber Petty Built a $900K Business Without Social Media
Abstract EssayShow Notes
Amber Petty Weird Marketing Maven, Email Marketing, Ads, Non-Social Media Marketing, Anti-Perfectionism, Bringing Weird to Your Business is the Best Way to Make Money. After 13 years as a working actor in New York City, I got tired of waiting for auditions like "woman disappointed by scale" for a Weight Watchers commercial and went into freelance writing.
From there, I got bylines, realized perfectionism was ruining my life, and went into a major depressive episode! All during a move to LA where I felt like a pale alien in a foreign land.
From this place of low energy and big dreams, I developed systems to get work done without hating myself. Without constant inner critic attacks shutting me down.
And...I kept getting work. Eventually working as a full-time copywriter for major brands and realizing that copywriting for others was not my hearts desire, but building a business of my own? Ooh!
From a free workshop to out of work actors during lockdown, my current business was born. In 5 years, I've helped creatives get bylines, start businesses, and grow their audience without feeling like an influencer posing in front of their neighbors Lamborghini.
As a disorganized oddball who doesn't shy away from a Simpsons or Little Mermaid reference, I've made $900K in 5 years and have an email list of 11,000.
Now, I run the Weirdness Way, my 4-week marketing program that focuses on creativity first, KPIs second. It's like the Artist's Way for Marketing, but you only have to do stuff 3 times a week.
And the Weird Sisterhood - a business mastermind for Weird Girls of all genders to network, connect, and grow without relying on social media.
It includes a monthly virtual marketplace where Weird Sisters get a chance to sell their stuff live to an audience that loves quirky, small businesses.
When I quit acting, I thought I wasted my life. That I spent years learning useless skills, destined to be broke forever.
Yet every single skill from "yes and" to performing for a quiet crowd, made my business a success.
There's no one way to do business. There's no one way to market. The only real rule is: it has to come from YOU. For real.
So that's me! A weird girl helping overlooked geniuses translate their many skills into words that get attention.
More from Abstract Essay
Author, nurse, hospice specialist, legal nurse consultant, and teacher Nancy Jasin Ensley joins Abstract Essay to explore how a life of service shapes the stories we tell. Drawing on her memoir Tire Swing: A Memoir About Survival and her work across fiction, memoir, and children's literature, she discusses listening to life, preserving memories, writing about grief and faith, and finding purpose through creativity.
What if the golf clubhouse became one of the most memorable parts of the day, instead of an afterthought? On Abstract Essay, Daniel Lucas speaks with Joe Carlucci about transforming golf clubhouses into welcoming, energetic, and more profitable hospitality destinations. They explore why some courses deliver a great round but disappoint at the 19th hole, where clubhouse food and beverage revenue can slip away, and how operators can improve the experience without a major renovation. Joe shares ideas on choosing the right menu, training staff to understand golfers' needs, bringing energy to quiet spaces, and balancing longtime regulars with younger players and new audiences. This conversation is for golf course managers, club operators, hospitality professionals, and anyone interested in the business of creating memorable customer experiences. Discover practical ways to rethink the clubhouse as part of the complete golf experience—from the first tee to the final toast.
Jagroop Bhumber Founder & Managing Partner, Rifmont Group Jagroop Bhumber is the Founder and Managing Partner of Rifmont Group, a Vancouver and New York-based development, infrastructure, and advisory firm known for taking on complex projects and unconventional opportunities. His experience spans real estate, infrastructure, construction, investment, and strategic advisory across North America and internationally. His work has included delivering offices and projects in some of America's most prominent cities and premium commercial locations, while Rifmont Group's advisory work extends to opportunities and partnerships globally. Jagroop and Rifmont Group have been featured in CEO Times, The New York Journal, and more than 40 media and publishing outlets. Today, his focus sits at the intersection of real estate, infrastructure, investment, and emerging technology, including the development of proprietary AI capabilities for the construction and development industry. He brings an operator's perspective to conversations about complex projects, calculated risk, entrepreneurship, real estate, AI, and building businesses designed to operate across borders.
What changes when leaders see an organization as a living system instead of a machine? On Abstract Essay, Norman Wolfe, CEO of Quantum Leaders and creator of the Living Organization Framework, explains how this perspective can help leaders respond to complexity, change, and the need for innovation. He explores three parts of organizational life: activity, relationships, and context. Discover how these ideas can shift leadership from simply managing processes and targets toward building an adaptive organization where people and teams work together as an interconnected ecosystem. Find more episodes at Universal Podcast Network.
Andra Douglas Meet Andra Douglas, a champion rugby player, women's tackle football quarterback, author, artist, and former owner of the New York Sharks. In this Abstract Essay feature, explore her remarkable path from athletics to music and entrepreneurship, including her work as a vice president and creative director at Atlantic Records/Time Warner, her 19 years leading the two-time national champion New York Sharks, and her founding of the Fins Up! Foundation for Female Athletes. A Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Douglas brings together leadership, creativity, and a lasting commitment to women in sports and at-risk teens. Learn more at Universal Podcast Network.