Don't Do That: Don't Fall in Love with a Job Before Doing Your Due Diligence with Graham Thomas, The Compound Media

What's the career mistake that can derail your confidence, drain your energy, and impact every area of your life? For Graham Thomas, Chief Revenue Officer at The Compound Media, it's falling in love with a job before asking the hard questions.In this episode, host Kelly Waltrich sits down with her friend and industry peer Graham to discuss the evolution of digital media, the power of relationship building, and the lessons learned from career missteps. They explore what makes Compound Media unique, from the genuine personalities behind the shows to the disciplined content creation process and why most RIAs shouldn't try to replicate it.Kelly and Graham cover:00:00 – Introduction to Graham Thomas and Compound Media02:07 – The evolution from financial advisor to media sales leader03:41 – How Graham rode the wave of digital transformation in B2B media06:47 – The challenge of sales leadership in the modern digital marketing era07:46 – Why people want to interact with personalities, not brands09:11 – The disciplined content creation process behind Compound's success12:07 – The reality of podcast production and why 90% fail13:21 – The importance of helping people find the right roles15:50 – Being respectful to younger professionals and the changing guard17:07 – Dealing with rude clients and setting boundaries19:41 – Why most RIAs shouldn't try to replicate Compound Media21:33 – The genuine personalities and truth that drive viewer loyalty24:15 – Finding a niche and starting slow with content25:00 – The trap of thinking your financial planning process is differentiating26:29 – How AI content is polluting major financial sites28:47 – Graham's "Don't Do That": Don't fall in love with a job before doing your due diligence30:31 – The importance of asking the right questions during interviews35:00 – Graham's personal story: leaving a great job for a bad fit36:04 – Having a panic attack during a sales pitch and what it taught him38:08 – The "hug your company" era and appreciating what you have39:12 – Using Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and other tools for due diligence40:00 – Why skill test checks matter when hiring marketers42:12 – Questions to ask: understanding day-to-day expectations and past performance43:43 – Being transparent about the hard parts of a role46:41 – Why you'll only truly love a small percentage of jobs in your lifeAbout Our Guest:Graham Thomas is the Chief Revenue Officer for The Compound Media Inc. With 25 years of sales experience, he has held leadership positions in Media, Data and Software, mostly in the B2B space. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife, 2 daughters, a dog and a cat.📩 Stay Informed – Join Our Newsletter!Stay ahead of industry trends and get exclusive updates straight to your inbox: Sign Up Now https://intention.ly/💬 Let’s Talk!Have questions or ready to start your next marketing campaign? Contact us: https://intention.ly/contact-us/