I Got Tired of Making Things More Complicated.
So I Built a Better Way.
INTRODUCING...
The Simplify Manifesto
This page is mainly WORDS. It's a complete explanation of my vision and how I got here.
It's my story. My philosophy. And why I believe your business should give you life, not take it.
But if you're tired of complexity and burnout, it might be the most important thing you read this year.
And if it resonates? Hit the share buttons below. Someone in your network needs to hear this.
Ready? Let's go.
I’ve Spent 20 Years Building Marketing Machines…
Then I Shut It All Down
Since 2007, I have helped entrepreneurs grow their businesses - by doing their marketing for them. Before that, I was employed as a graphic and web designer. Pretty much all my working life, from the age of 22, was spent in the world of online marketing. As I write this now, as a 44-year-old guy, I look back on my time in this industry and over that time, I can see the hand that I have had in so many projects.
Branding. Graphic Design. Mini-Launches. Big launches. Complex funnels. Website Design. Book Cover Design. Course Creation. Video Editing. Podcast Creation. Ads. Billboard Ads. My Own Employed Agency Team. Systems. Automations and AI.
There have been some big wins in all of this. And some big failures too.
On a trip to the USA in May 2023, everything on the outside looked like success from what people were saying to me. High fives. Request for selfies. People thanking me for the help that I have been to them - often people I had never met, but people who had bought my online training at some point.
But on the inside, it was a completely different story. I was totally exhausted.
The more I built, the more success my agency had, the more team members I employed, the more complicated everything became - for me and my clients.
I'd created a machine that looked impressive, but it wasn't joyful.
And it was when a friend asked me a question that I realised that joy really matters.
Graham and I had known each other for a while online, but had never met in person. In Austin, Texas, at the conference we were both attending, he asked me a direct question over our 7am coffee after I shared where I was at with the business. He asked me, “Why are you still running your agency?”
It was in August of the same year, just a couple of months after that question from Graham had rocked my world, that I made the decision that I was going to close and wind back my agency.
I turned down projects, didn’t renew client contracts, found them the support with other contractors they needed, and, with the exception of two team members who were asked to leave before their probation had ended, all my team moved on in good spirits to things they wanted to step into.
I then wrote a book called Simplify the Funnel®, and it became my reset button.
Since then, I've been focused on one mission…
Helping people build businesses that actually work - simple, sustainable, and free of chaos.
The Simplify Life in action.
The agency guy is gone. The complexity in my own business is gone. The simple life is being built and focused on. And your simplification guide is here. Me. To help you simplify.
Let Me Clear One Thing Up...
Simplicity Isn't Laziness.
It's Stewardship.
I believe work should serve life, not life serve us.
This comes from my faith in God and how He clearly didn't design us to live in constant overwhelm, chasing goals defined by ourselves or others, that never satisfy us.
I believe that true success is found…
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In clarity
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In peace
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In doing what aligns with who you are and what you're called to do
In seeing the positive impact you are having in the world when you apply your God-given talents to the place you are put to serve.
You see, I believe that the Creator gave us all gifts and talents to make a difference to those he brings around us. Family, friends, customers, colleagues, suppliers and lovers - all aspects of life.
With the choice that we make in our entrepreneurial journey, when we can make a difference to those that come into contact with our brand, our products or our service offering, we have a much wider impact.
I know that in my work, in helping entrepreneurs and leaders strip away the noise of worldly ambition, reconnect with purpose, and design a business that actually gives them freedom, the impact is felt by their own family and loved ones, by their customers and clients. That’s what excites me more than anything now and where I thrive.
At the end of your life, you won't wish you'd built more funnels.
You'll wish you'd been more PRESENT
More PEACEFUL
More PURPOSEFUL
I'm here to help you get there now, not someday.
The Simplify Manifesto
This isn't a set of rules. It's a philosophy - for business and life. I invite you to become part of The Simplify Life movement by adopting what you choose.
1 - Complexity is the enemy of progress.
If it's too hard to explain, it's too hard to sustain.
2 - Busyness isn't productivity.
Movement means nothing without direction.
3 - Success without peace isn't success.
If it costs your sanity or your family, it's not worth it.
4 - Simple doesn't mean small.
Simple means clear, focused, and effective.
5 - Faith fuels clarity.
Strength comes from God the Creator, not from hustle.
6 - You don't need to do more.
You need to do less, but better.
7 - Your business should give you life, not take it.
If it's stealing your joy, something's broken.
8 - The best strategies can fit on one page.
If it takes 47 steps, it might be 44 steps too many.
9 - Simplicity scales. Complexity fails.
What got complicated won't get you free.
10 - Simplicity is freedom.
And freedom is the goal.
Be Part of the Simplify Movement
I no longer run an agency.
I don't manage dozens of campaigns or build huge funnels for the masses.
I don't do retained implementation or marketing execution on contracts.
I don’t sell templates and frameworks to copy verbatim.
I work directly with business owners, leaders, and marketing teams to help them simplify - their strategy, their systems, and their lives.
Through my Simplify Consulting sessions, I help people find clarity, focus, and direction.
Through my Writing and Teaching, I share the mindset and methods that keep business simple and sustainable.
Through Retreats and Training Experiences, I create space for deep transformation away from the daily grind.
If you're done with burnout and complexity…
If you need to find true alignment with your purpose…
If you are looking for ways to simplify…
Then you're in the right place.
Please share this manifesto with others, and let's grow the Simplify Movement.
If you've read this far, you're in the “my people” camp. You're tired of the hustle. The complexity. The overwhelm. You know success shouldn't cost you everything. Welcome to the simplification revolution. A movement that will shape a better business culture. Let's build something better - together.
- Ant Hodges
Here are some ways we can connect and work together
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