Mike Munter shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Mike, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Routine is important to me. So, every morning is usually the same. I get up, make coffee, empty the dishwasher and straighten the kitchen from the night before.
When the coffee is ready, I plop down with my phone and check emails and read the Ravens website. It’s a relaxing time that lets me ease into the day. Always 2 cups of coffee and during the second cup, I do a 15-minute expressive writing exercise, which helps me stay sane. The is a practice I learned from David Hanscom and I do it daily. By writing down all of my negative – and positive – thoughts, it’s like a mental reset. The practice started in 2019 and was a key ingredient in helping me cure my depression naturally.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, my name is Mike Munter. Professionally, I provide white label SEO and reputation management services. I have a handful of end-user clients, but most of my partnerships are with agencies. I’m a big systems guy. I love to scale and automate my work to help free time and improve efficiency. I never wanted to build a “company.” I got to experience corporate culture for 25 years and no longer enjoy it.
Since launching my business in 2011, I’ve had two-part time assistants who help me run the things we can’t automate. I like to keep things easy, simple, and fun.
On the personal side, I’ve been working on a memoir about adoption since 2024. Writing has been cathartic, challenging, and at times, dark and depressing. My writing is Jennifer Lauck and I’m currently attending weekly online classes with other budding writers. I’m learning that writing well and communicating is no easy task. Jennifer keeps reminding us that this process takes years and so the practice for me has been to go easy on myself as I try to figure out how to tell my story in a compelling way. I hope I can finish it.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
In 1996, I worked for the Bowie Baysox, the double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. It was getting close to the start of the season and we were woefully behind in our billboard sales. Billboards are the fence signs that hang on the outfield fence. They’re one of the team’s primary sources of revenue and one of the measures of whether or not you’re a good salesperson.
With about forty days to go before opening day, our Vice President Keith Lupton called a mandatory meeting with our entire staff. There were ten of us around the table. One by one, Keith called on each person, asking how many billboard leads they had. And one by one, each person—many of them seasoned sales people with much more experience than me—admitted they had no leads.
When Keith called my name, I rattled off seven leads – among them were USPS, Tropicana, Midas, and Target. I’d been working on building relationships with these companies, their agencies, and web of decision-makers for years and they were all coming to fruition.
Keith said, “Do you think you can close all of those before opening day?”
I replied, “Yes.” And I did.
It was such a huge moment and spoke to how hard I’d been working. Nine other sales people had zero leads. I had seven and I closed them all. Right after the season started, I was named co-assistant general manager which I believe happened as result of that meeting.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. In 2013, I was two years into my business as an SEO specialist. I only had a few clients and wasn’t making much money.
I worked 8-10 hour days grinding it out. I didn’t have systems. I was doing everything myself.
Needless to say, I was stressed and not enjoying it. I asked my girlfriend at the time for permission to quit—not that I had to, I just had to talk about it and asking for compliance was my way of processing what I was feeling.
She said, “Yes, if you hate it, don’t do it.” It was a weird thing, as soon as I had her okay to give up, I doubled down and over the next six months, things got easier.
But in the first few years, I had to learn how to be my own boss. I had to figure out how to be an entrepreneur, how to set personal boundaries and guard my time. It was a tough lesson, but I’m glad I stuck with it.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe in energy. I love the mystery of things. When you walk into a crowded room of people you don’t know, there’s an energy in that room – sometimes it’s upbeat and you can feel it. Sometimes, it’s negative and you can feel that, too.
Some people were attracted to and it’s mutual—what is that? You can feel that attraction. Why do you feel it with some people and not others?
I recall meeting a guy one time years ago. From the jump, I hated him. Even before I met him or spoke to him, I didn’t like him. With some investigation, I figured out what it was—his face. He reminded me of someone who bullied me in elementary school. After that realization, I took the time to get to know the guy and he was nice and friendly.
I think we need to look deeper at things. I also believe one day, we will be able to measure “energy” but for now, we have to trust both science and faith.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What false labels are you still carrying?
That I’m not good enough. This belief of having to be perfect in order to be loved—it comes from childhood. It’s a hard thing to unlearn and it’s also a vulnerable thing to admit.
Which, speaking of that, being vulnerable has never failed me. It’s one of the hardest things to practice because it flies in the face of ego. Vulnerability is scary, but every single time I’ve chosen to be vulnerable, it has built connection.
Never have I been made fun of or ridiculed. It’s the hardest thing to do and it’s led to such joy for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mikemunter.com/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/affordablerepmgmt
- Other: https://affordablereputationmanagement.com/
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