This week I’m joined by Dean McKenna, Co-Founder of Cassia Digital Agency to unpack what digital strategy really means for founder-led businesses. Dean also shares why so many digital investments fail to deliver a return and the hidden cost of weak websites.
Dean shares insights from a career spanning blue-chip corporates, Amazon. He also talks about how he now works hands-on with SMEs who are frustrated by underperforming websites, unclear messaging, and digital activity that doesn’t translate into growth.
It’s an honest, practical conversation about bringing structure, clarity and commercial discipline to digital; without jargon or shiny distractions to address weak websites.
Some of my favourite parts of our conversation include:
✅ From corporate to consultancy: Why Dean and his wife Anne left global organisations to work directly with founders, and what SMEs can learn from big-business thinking.
✅ Your website through your customer’s eyes: Why most sites are written for peers, not buyers (and the “grandmother test” every business should apply).
✅ First impressions still matter: How homepage clarity, credibility and navigation shape trust before a conversation even starts.
✅ AI, search and the future of visibility: What founders need to understand about ChatGPT, Google and how people now find businesses online.
✅ The G.R.O.W. Model explained: Gather, Reframe, Outputs, Wins creating a structured approach to turning digital activity into measurable business results.
✅ Strategy before spend: Why skipping the strategy phase is the fastest way to waste money, and how it actually protects ROI.
✅ Metrics that matter: The KPIs founders and CFOs should care about when investing in digital, from traffic and SEO to leads and cost of acquisition.
✅ Real-world case study: How Cassia Digital Agency helped an Australian startup turn a strong idea into a scalable digital business, all while juggling day jobs.
✅ Book recommendation: An unexpected but inspiring pick: Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the business lessons Dean took from it.
If you’re a founder or finance leader trying to make sense of digital investment, justify spend, or move beyond “we should probably fix the website”, this episode is a grounded and commercially intelligent place to start to guide you in addressing the cost of weak websites.
