🏍️ Handlebar Marketing: Built for the Ride
The Origin Story
In mid-2023, Brandon McLean had a moment of clarity:
He wasn’t just running his businesses—he was spending all his time marketing (and running them.)
Here’s what his life looked like:
🏡 Real Estate Hustle → Needed marketing
🏕️ Vacation Rentals → Needed marketing
🎸 Rock & Roll Band → Needed marketing
💉 Wife’s MedSpa → Needed marketing
And what did he need from a system?
To be able to...
📅 Book appointments with customers
💸 Collect money online and (especially) in person
💳 Accept credit cards anywhere
🗃️ Manage a centralized database with customer history + notes
📲 Send automatic follow-up emails + texts
📧 Build email lists for the band + past Airbnb guests
🖊️ Let people book Botox appointments + sign consent forms
📲 Generate QR codes for several different purposes and functions
🧙♂️ Always just work without needing to be an internet marketing wizard
🛠️ Skip the hassle of 10 clunky software subscriptions
💰 Stay reasonably priced forever!
⚙️ The Agency Hack
After hunting for months, Brandon found the gold:
agency-level marketing tools—the same stuff agencies use to charge $3K–$12K upfront, plus sky-high monthly retainers.
The catch? You couldn’t even sign up without an “agency name.” Brandon’s solution?
AJNC1. Why? It stood for "Agency One"—simple, clean, and slick when abbreviated.
💥 Enter Zech + Marketing Mondays
Everything shifted when Brandon connected with Zechariah Williams.
Zech showed up at the very first Marketing Monday, Brandon's underground collab session.
Here’s the vibe:
📅 Marketing Mondays → Every 1st + 3rd Monday, every month
⏰ 10 AM – 8 PM (marathon day, drop in anytime or book a slot)
📍 Usually held at the Handlebar Headquarters in Wendell, NC
🛠️ Free Help + Collaboration for small business friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, and of course, our clients
💬 Topics: Facebook, Instagram, email/text marketing, websites, Canva, videos, print, direct mail, event planning—you name it!
💻 Can’t come in? We’ll Zoom you in
Zech and Brandon hit it off—and they’re still holding open office hours on Marketing Mondays to this day.
🥸 The Handlebar Revelation
At the time, both guys were sporting epic handlebar mustaches (think Wyatt Earp + Hulk Hogan).
A random joke about using it for branding turned into 300 motorcycle metaphors and bicycle/handlebar puns, and Handlebar Marketing was born—and it hasn’t hit the brakes since.
🚀 Fast Forward: We’re On the Road
Today, Handlebar Marketing is helping small businesses that were stuck in the slow lane, like:
🧽 A Commercial Cleaning Service
🥪 An Italian Sub Shop
🍸 A Speakeasy
💥 A Comic Book Store
❄️ A Residential & Commercial HVAC Company
🦸♀️ An Annual Comic & Fandom Conference
📸 A Social Media Content Creator
🎸 A Local Rock Band
🤝 The Rotary Club of Wendell
We’ve taken them from:
❌ No website
❌ No online presence, no social media, nothing
❌ No way to accept payments or credit cards
❌ No booking system or appointment calendar
❌ No automation, no follow up, no connectivity
…AND their mess of:
📄 Paper invoices stuffed in folders
💵 Checks + cash only, no card reader in sight
📊 QuickBooks half-used or cobbled together
🗂️ Customer info scattered across old spreadsheets
✍️ Handwritten notes + appointment books on the counter
📪 Zero email list or texting system for customer updates
…to looking like PROS and running like well-oiled machines.
From back-of-the-napkin to badass — let’s get your business road-ready. 🏍️💥
Mission
To empower small businesses with smart, effective marketing strategies that drive growth, build brand authority, and make running a business easier—so owners can focus on what they do best.
Goal
To provide high-quality, results-driven marketing that helps local businesses look, operate, and compete like industry leaders—without the big agency fluff or budget-breaking costs.
Core Values
- Strategic Over Scattershot
- Work Smarter, Not Harder
- No BS, Just Results
- Small but Mighty
- Relationships Matter
- Creative Meets Conversion
Built on Tools That Replace the Mess
Our websites often replace:
🌐 Wix
🌐 Squarespace
🌐 WordPress hosting
🌐 GoDaddy hosting
🌐 Leadpages
One platform, One login.
One system that connects your website to your marketing, automation, and follow-up.
Global Websites Built by Local People
We don’t outsource your website to someone who’s never heard of Wendell, Knightdale, or Ocean Isle Beach.
We’re local.
We understand local search.
And we build websites that help local small businesses win locally.
If you want a website that finally feels right—and actually works—this is where it starts.
FAQs
How does Handlebar Marketing stand out from other Marketing Agencies and Web Designers?
Led by a long-time small business owner, we understand what it takes to keep your business balanced. We focus on personalized, innovative strategies tailored precisely to meet each clients unique goals and needs.
Because we’re right here in Central NC, we understand local search behavior, community culture, and the competitive landscape in Raleigh, Wendell, Knightdale, and Ocean Isle Beach—giving you an edge that national firms can’t match. Local SEO, local strategy, local relationships—that’s our superpower.
Unlike agencies that outsource your work to virtual assistants in the Philippines or call centers in India, we do things in house or with trusted local partners who actually care about your success.
What kind of results can I expect from your Digital Marketing and Web Design Services?
Results vary but we aim for improved traffic, visibility, lead generation, and increased sales.
We don’t do fluff, buzzwords, or confusing reports full of jargon.
What you get instead:
✅ Clear messaging that reflects your brand and values
✅ Systems that follow up automatically (so you don’t have to)
✅ Real conversations, real strategy sessions, and the option to meet face to face
✅ A partner who treats your business like it’s our business
Think of us as your co-pilot, not just your vendor.
How important is social media in our overall marketing strategy?
Social media matters because it’s where real conversations happen. It’s how customers discover you, interact with your brand, and start to feel like part of your community. But posting alone isn’t the magic.
What really moves the needle is the platform behind the posts.
When your social media is connected to an integrated system, every like, comment, message, and click can trigger something meaningful—automatic follow-ups, review requests, payment links, booking confirmations, and smart messaging that feels personal without you being glued to your phone.
That’s how the big brands do it.
Not by posting more—but by connecting everything together.
We help small businesses use social media as part of a larger, smarter system that ties into automations, payments, reviews, and messaging, so your marketing actually works while you’re busy running your business.
Is SEO Really Necessary for my business?
Yes, SEO is essential for increasing visibility in search engine results, making it easier for potential customers to find your business online among your competitors. It's a foundational element that supports broader marketing efforts.
What Kind of Website do I Really Need?
Your Website Should Work Harder Than You Do.
A website shouldn’t just look nice—it should get found and turn traffic into customers. We design sites that support SEO best practices, local search visibility, and clear calls to action—because ranking in Google and converting visitors is the only real win.
Smart Marketing Starts With Systems That Work Together
Your business deserves systems that help you attract, engage, convert, and retain customers—not scattered tools that waste time and money.
We build systems that run like a finely-tuned machine:
Website Design & Development tailored for search visibility and conversions
Funnels & Landing Pages that capture leads and drive action
Forms, Surveys & Lead Capture Tools to understand your audience
CRM & Automation Workflows for follow-up that feels personal (but runs on autopilot)
SMS, Email & Call Sequences so no lead slips through the cracks
Subscriptions, Payment & Invoice Setup so you can get paid faster
All built on an all-in-one platform that replaces a stack of tools and integrates directly with your marketing and sales workflows. This means fewer moving parts and more consistent results.
