GET UNSTUCK

Collaborate with a trusted writer & strategist.

Untangle your website, newsletter, and software systems.

Get past the digital, mental, and emotional obstacles that block creative work.

Let's Chat
THIS SHOULDN'T BE CONTROVERSIAL, BUT...

You'll stay stuck until your actions match your values.

And getting results shouldn't mean sacrificing what's important to you.

That's where I can help.

Collaborate with a trusted writer & strategist.

Create effective brand strategies for your marketing and sales systems.

Best projects to start with.

Website Audit

Newsletter Audit

Tech Systems Audit

Services I provide.

This is how we can start stacking some sizable progress. See where I can help you create the most leverage.

Click to expand:

Writing Services

Writing/ghostwriting services to grow your brand with long-form content.

  • Best for:
    • Building long-lasting trust through thought leadership.
  • What we fix:
    1. Inconsistent publishing.
    2. Disconnected brand narrative.
    3. Cohesive storytelling across assets and channels.
  • What you'll get:
    • An updated brand messaging guide.
    • Value-driven storytelling across:
      • Website copy and profile bios.
      • Long-form articles.
      • Email newsletters.
      • Podcast scripts.
      • Sales playbooks.
      • Technical products.
Newsletter Setup

Start building, or migrate, an email list.

  • Best for:
    • Early-stage creators and founders looking to grow their email list
  • What we fix:
    1. Technical account setup.
    2. Web formatting.
    3. Email settings.
  • What you'll get:
    • Systems for writing and publishing consistently.
    • The tools and skills to grow an email list.
    • Simplified processes for the platforms and software to use.
Systems Consulting

Simplify the tools and processes you use for your business.

  • Best for:
    • People stuck in constant troubleshooting mode.
    • Small teams who juggle too many tools without getting results.
    • Folks spending more time maintaining their software than using it.
  • What we fix:
    1. Tech stack overload and disconnected processes.
    2. Misalignment between sales, marketing, and technology teams.
    3. Stalled pipelines, underperforming lead gen, clunky service handoffs.
  • What you’ll get:
    • A new, simplified roadmap for your systems and workflows.
    • Trimmed processes that remove stress instead of adding more.
    • A repeatable framework that lets your team do great work AND have a life.
Newsletter Consulting

Turn your thought leadership into a sustainable growth engine.

 

  • Best for:
    • People who are publishing great content, but not seeing great results.
    • Folks struggling to keep up with inconsistent publishing systems.
    • Those with plenty of tools, but who still feel like they're drowning.

 

  • What we fix:
    1. Tech setup that’s slowing you down.
    2. Creation, formatting, and distribution roadblocks.
    3. Unclear metrics to measure and/or vague growth plans.

 

  • What you'll get:
    • A fully operational newsletter system that:

       1. Attracts and converts inbound leads.
       2. Grows your business not your to-do list.
       3. Gives you a repeatable process for writing, publishing, and scaling.

How we'll get there.

We'll make sure everything's lined up so there's a solid foundation to grow from. See more of what that looks like.

Click to expand:

Strategy
  • Go-to-market strategy and campaign development.
  • Focused discussions to refine your goals and overcome challenges.
  • Streamline your sales and marketing processes for predictable revenue growth.
Website
  • Build simple, human sounding websites and landing pages tailored to your audience.
  • Align messaging, content, and tools to support seamless buyer journeys.
  • Copywriting and layout recommendations for optimal performance.
Operations
  • Optimize CRM, automation, and reporting for data-driven decision-making.
  • Lead segmentation and email list troubleshooting.
  • Form strategy and conversion rate optimization.
Marketing
  • Email newsletter set up, configuration, and optimization.
  • Increase engagement, click-through rates, and conversions.
  • Sequences for nurturing leads, driving sales, and retaining customers.

Why my approach works.

Problem solving for effectiveness, not just efficiency.

A better way of prioritizing.

I'll help you remove the digital, mental, and emotional obstacles blocking your creative work.

In a world that's trying its hardest to speed up, real progress doesn't come from chasing the latest and greatest. Especially when it means staying trapped in the burnout cycle. 15+ years in marketing, software systems, and leadership development led me to create an alternative.

Hey, I'm Derek MacDonald, founder of Unobstructed and The MAP Year Project. Leveraging what you already have before adding more is how my business designs durable systems for others. My approach is used by billion-dollar companies, small creative teams, and Becoming Unobstructed readers from over 32 countries.

Sure, I can help you build content strategies that create long-term trust...

But, the real goal should be doing it in a way that can evolve with you, and without sacrificing your voice. Or trying to play clickbait games.

Can I show you what I mean?

A photo of Derek MacDonald.

 

 

START GETTING UNSTUCK

My framework for finding clarity.

It's not just about simplifying software...

This is about getting rid of the feeling that you’re always playing catch up.

LEARN MORE
LET'S SKIP THE SILLY KPIs, SHALL WE?

How we'll use it to make progress.

Whether collaborating with billion-dollar companies or small creative teams, I needed something that didn’t solely focus on performance marketing KPIs…

So I built this to measure:

  1. The effectiveness of your effort.
  2. The battery life of your team.

 

Get Started

What it's like.

A reframe for how we get there.

siobhan forbes testimonial export

 

BECOMING UNOBSTRUCTED

This is for people trying to carry too much.

Need a hand? That's what this is.

I don't like performative problem-solving. Or, settling for only treating the symptoms. I care about what's actually in the way—even when it's hard to admit.

Learn from honest conversations about what personal growth, leadership, and building mental wealth are really like.

THE NEWSLETTER

New posts every Sunday.

START EXPLORING
THE PODCAST

New episodes every Wednesday.

START LISTENING
THE MAP YEAR PROJECT

Daily reflections and updates.

START READING
START SIMPLIFYING

Try my approach with your Substack newsletter.

THE SUBSTACK SIMPLIFIED NEWSLETTER

Untangle your settings.

This is for cleaning up your Substack settings so you can focus on creating instead of fixing.

START SIMPLIFYING
HANDS-ON HELP

Use the implementation system.

This is a 4-week group program for new and growing Substackers who want to set up their publication without getting stuck.

SEE IF THIS IS FOR YOU
A review of working with Derek by Kim Shannon
A review of working with Derek by Jane Hiatt
A review of working with Derek by Isobel Straub
STILL DECIDING?

Start with the publication.

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