7 min read
What This Post Is About: AUSSIE GOT IT co-founder J Alexander Farrar shares how a lunch meeting at Matiki Island BBQ with Las Vegas photographer Makayla Hopper of MacMo Photo turned into a brand clarity session that reinforced the power of intentional community, Meta Ads strategy, and letting relationships develop naturally.
Who It Is For: Las Vegas small business owners, entrepreneurs, and service providers who are building their brand and wondering how to grow with purpose and the right people around them.
Key Takeaways:
- Meta Ads can accelerate brand visibility for local service businesses while long-term SEO strategies develop
- The best business relationships form when you stop facilitating and start trusting the people in the room
- Knowing your customer avatar is the foundation of every partnership worth building
Mentions: Makayla Hopper, MacMo Photo, macmophoto.com, GONE (Kara and Maciej), Katheryne “Kat” Laureano, Pinnacle Staffing, Reece Farrar, Aussie Got It, Matiki Island BBQ, Las Vegas NV
Not Every Meeting Starts as a Strategy Session
Some of the most clarifying moments in business do not happen in a boardroom. They happen over a plate of food, surrounded by people who are all building something they believe in. That is exactly what happened when our growing circle gathered at Matiki Island BBQ on Jones to meet Makayla Hopper of MacMo Photo, a Las Vegas photographer whose work and business philosophy had already been making waves in our network.
Around the table: me and Reece, Kara and Maciej from GONE, and Katheryne “Kat” Laureano of Pinnacle Staffing Agency. Five business owners. One table. And a conversation that turned into one of the most encouraging brand clarity moments we have had since relocating to Las Vegas.
The Meta Ads Moment I Needed to Hear
I will be the first to admit: I have been deeply focused on SEO. Long-form content, keyword strategy, Google authority. And none of that is wrong. Building search visibility for Aussie Got It is something I believe in for the long term.
But Makayla heard that and gave me something to think about. She shared that Meta Ads were the engine behind how she connected with nearly everyone sitting at that table, including me, Reece, Kara, Maciej, and Kat. Her results were not theoretical. They were sitting right in front of her, in real time, at a real table, eating real food together.
“SEO IS THE LONG GAME – BUT META ADS CAN CHANGE THE GAME NOW”
That landed. Sometimes you need someone who has already walked the path to hold up a mirror and say: here is what worked. Makayla is that person. You can see her work and her world at macmophoto.com or follow along on Instagram.
Learning to Trust the Room
Here is something I did not expect to write about, but it is too honest and too real to leave out.
Our table number was called. I got up to grab me and Reece’s order from the counter. I am an A-type personality most of the time, and my instinct was to facilitate. To make sure Makayla and GONE were connecting. To keep the energy going. To be present for every beat of the conversation.
But I was not there. And when I came back to the table, Kara, Maciej, and Makayla were already deep into each other’s worlds. Leaning in. Asking questions. Genuinely curious. No icebreaker needed. No nudge from me required.
“PEOPLE LOVE BUYING FROM PEOPLE THEY LIKE. YOUR JOB IS NOT ALWAYS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN — SOMETIMES IT IS JUST TO CREATE THE SPACE FOR IT.”
That moment reminded me of something I have been slowly learning since we started building this business: sometimes the most powerful thing a leader can do is step away from the table. Not permanently. Just long enough to let the people in the room find each other.
There is a phrase I keep coming back to: let go and let God. And watching GONE and MacMo Photo connect in real time, without my involvement, was one of the clearest examples of that I have seen in business.
First Dates and the Foundation of Real-ationships
What struck me most about that afternoon at Matiki was the energy. It genuinely felt like a first date, in the best possible way. Everyone was curious. Everyone was generous with their story. Everyone was excited about what the people across from them were building.
“LONG-TERM STRATEGY IS ESSENTIAL. BUT THE RIGHT SHORT-TERM MOVE CAN PUT YOU IN THE ROOM WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE RIGHT NOW.”
And that is not an accident. One thing I have observed consistently across every meaningful partnership we have formed in Las Vegas is this: we all know who our customer avatar is. And our avatars are remarkably similar.
Conscious consumers. People who care about quality. People who want to work with businesses that align with their values and their lifestyle.
When your avatars overlap, your mission overlaps. And when your mission overlaps, the collaboration is not forced. It flows.
An Invitation to the Table
If you are a Las Vegas entrepreneur who wants to be in rooms like this one, come join us. Every first Friday of the month, we host the Meet and Eat at Matiki Island BBQ, a monthly mixer on behalf of MNO (Monday Night Online referrals) for business owners, creatives, and service providers who want to build real-ationships, not just referrals.
Next meetup:
Friday, May 1st at 1PM
Matiki Island BBQ
5697 S Jones Blvd Ste 160
Las Vegas, NV 89118
And when your home or business space is ready for a clean that reflects the same intentionality you bring to your brand, we are here for that too.
Book at aussiegotit.com or reach us directly.
If you have any questions and/or concerns, please feel free to call/text us direct at: (725) 294-1117.
Helpful Links: MacMo Photo | Matiki Island BBQ | MNO | Pinnacle Staffing | aussiegotit.com
