What I have learned building brands, websites and campaigns for small businesses across Macomb County and Southeast Michigan — written for the person running the business, not for other marketers.
Latest posts
Everything I have written
Newest first. Most of it answers a question a client actually asked me.
Print Design
Professional Services
Financial Services
Client Spotlight: Thrivent's Great Lakes Advisor Group
We designed retractable pop-up banners for Thrivent's Great Lakes Advisor Group. Financial services banners have to clear compliance review and still land from ten feet away with a handful of words — a tighter brief than it looks.
What Is Brand Strategy and Do Small Businesses Actually Need It?
Most small businesses think brand strategy is for big companies with big budgets. Jonathan Petrous explains what it actually is, why every small business needs it, and what's at stake when you skip it.
An Ad Spot Just Opened Up and You Don't Have Artwork. Now What?
A sponsored ad slot opened in the chamber newsletter and Kristie Lohmann wanted it — but had no artwork and no tools to make it. Short-notice advertising opportunities go to whoever can produce fastest. Here's how to stop missing them.
Someone Left a Fake Review About Your Business. Here's What to Do.
A one-star review from someone who was never a customer. What's actually removable, how to report it properly, and why the first ten minutes matter most.
How Do You Build a Website Your Team Can Actually Update Without Calling a Developer?
A racing venue's schedule changes every week — events added, rained out, rescheduled. If updating the website requires a developer, the schedule is always wrong, and a wrong schedule costs ticket sales. Here's how we fixed that.
Why Your Logo Doesn't Matter as Much as You Think (And What Does)
Your logo matters — but it's not the most important thing about your brand. Jonathan Petrous explains what actually drives recognition and why strategy always comes before design.
Introduced through Cruis'n Media, JpCS served as an on-call creative resource for Milan Dragway's former owners — rebuilding the event calendar so the team could update a constantly moving race schedule themselves, plus flyers, social content, and on-brand documents.
The Small Business Marketing Checklist: Where to Start When You Don't Know Where to Start
Not sure where to start with your small business marketing? Jonathan Petrous shares a clear, no-fluff checklist of the foundational steps every business needs to take first.
This month: two numbers I couldn't verify anymore, why I pulled my own service guide off the site, and how doing the real math on one of them found a bigger, more honest number than the one I'd been guessing at.
Why Do Businesses Offer Discounts for Google Reviews? (And Why You Shouldn't)
That sign offering ten percent off for a review is a policy violation — and an FTC issue. Here's why it's so common, what actually happens, and what works better.
How Do You Design Artwork That Has to Work on a Tap Handle and a Poster?
Noble Mutt's artwork has to work at two inches on a tap handle and at wall size on a poster. One of those versions is competing for a two-second decision at a crowded bar. Here's how you design for both — and the production change that made it work better.
The Smartest $500 You Can Spend on Marketing Right Now
If you only had $500 for marketing, where should it go? Jonathan Petrous breaks down the three highest-leverage moves for local service businesses on a tight budget.
