Somehow, I neglected to share the July / August 2025 (Volume 27 Issue 4) edition of MBC Today, and today the September / October 2025 (Volume 27 Issue 5) edition just dropped.
In fact, I've been negligent lately in posting, for which I apologize. I've been doing a lot of traveling, both for business and pleasure, and there has been generally a lot of other things going on...and writing gets back-burnered all too often. I'm also working on my first book--a long, tedious process that will take me another year or so, I imagine--so, with that, I appreciate your patience and, as always, your encouragement.
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Dear Readers,
I am so excited to see many of you later this month in Denver at AMBC's Mile High Marketing Summit.
For years, I never—or very rarely, at least—missed an AMBC event. Granted, I was on the AMBC Board of Directors for ages, but before that—before AMBC was the industry-leading non-profit organization that it is today, for which I had the honor of being a founding board member—I attended what was then-called AMPC's epic events since the 1990s. In recent years, since selling my business and transitioning to my new semi-retired coaching life, I'll admit that I've missed a couple of events. But coming back to present and network in Denver will be a very exciting time for me. I can't wait!
The focus of the Denver event is marketing, marketing, marketing. I can't wait to learn from so many experts that AMBC has lined up to present, and am honored to also be teaching a class on digital marketing, AI tools, social media, and more. No matter how long we've been marketers, we never can rely on what we think we know. Our world is changing so rapidly and how we reach our target clients is changing even more rapidly. Old ways often don't work. If we're not creating a robust online presence through content, relationships, and the new and exciting tools that keep popping up, we're leaving a lot of potential business on the table.
This issue of MBC Today serves as an event guide for the Denver event. As AMBC has done for a while now for those who can't make the event, select courses will be shared on AMBC-U to stream online, on-demand, and on your own schedule. That being said, not all classes will end up there and nothing—nothing—can substitute the knowledge shared, networking provided, and uplifts given by attending events in person.
This issue of MBC Today is also full of other great content for you to devour and grow from. Thank you to Crysta and Tommy for their fantastic articles and guidelines.
I also want to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate, commend, and express deep gratitude to Crysta for doing an amazing job as AMBC's Board Chair. She's stepping down after the Denver event, as you'll read in her letter on the following page, and her service to our organization, dedication, and selfless drive to assist other AMBC Members in their own growth has been exemplary. Thank you, Crysta. You are a dear friend, a mentor, and someone to whom I look for inspiration, regular guidance, and as an example of true gracious character.
Who will take the helm next? Could it be you? Please consider nominating yourself or another AMBC Member to join the AMBC Board of Directors. I can tell you from lots of experience that it is very rewarding. By guiding others, we discover so much about ourselves; our businesses and our teams benefit tremendously from the experience.
I look forward to seeing many of you in Denver!
With gratitude and care,
Columnist | Ask Uncle Marty™
Editor & Producer | MBC Today
Founder | Uncle Marty's Shipping Office
Communication & Vision Coach | AYM High Consultants
Co-Host | To-Be-Announced Podcast Launching Soon(ish)
askunclemarty.com · @askunclemarty · #AskUncleMarty
Dear Readers,
I've been helping at a local printing, mailbox, and shipping store a few hours a week (shout out to Milton Mail Boxes, an outstanding AMBC Member and my very well-loved and popular neighborhood shipping hub). Yes, technically they're my clients and I'm their coach, but the opportunity they give me in allowing me to assist with the occasional guest when I'm at their shop helping them streamline their processes and working with them to cultivate a clear vision for the business has been so valuable.
After selling my own business in 2023 and semi-retiring to coach and write, I've realized how quickly I've been becoming a rusty old dinosaur in the fast-moving, ever-changing industry that we exist in. Being able to help at the counter again has helped me immensely, adding value to my coaching clients because I'm more up-to-speed on what's going on...and getting necessary experience with ShipRiteNext, as I hadn't yet upgraded to that great new version of ShipRite software before my business changed hands. But more than that, spending time with Milton Mail Boxes' owners—an outstanding young couple named Zach and Angela—and seeing their heartfelt dedication not only to their business, but more starkly to their community, has been inspiring.
Angela and Zach are digital mailbox superstars. I work with a lot of clients, mostly virtually on Zoom with our AYM High Consultants monthly coaching package clients, with clients who visit our AYM High headquarters and training center for hands-on training, and with clients who hire our AYM High coaching team to travel to them to do onsite visits from time to time, but regularly being in the midst of a store that receives sometimes hundreds of packages (not counting all of the regular ol' mail) per day for their digital mailbox clients is really a lesson for me on 2025 business and where our industry is headed.
Just a year and a half removed from owning my own store, it's eye-opening to see how much has changed, and how fast it changes. I've always known this and tried my best when I was a store owner to be open to the constant change, though admittedly I'm a late adopter on many things. I was years behind the curve in my own digital mailbox implementation, for example, and will be the first to say that I waited way too long to pull that trigger.
Friends, this industry is anything but static. Over and over again, we see those who truly soar do so because they are willing and ready to adapt, add new services, and think about what's new and what's next with excitement instead of fear. But there's another component to true success: community and a spirit of giving back. Zach and Angela exhibit this sense of community in abundance; it's that spirit, much more than their agile ability to keep their fingers on the pulse of what their guests need, that will bring them tremendous success as small business owners and operators.
Please enjoy this issue of MBC Today, a publication of the truly community-focused, non-profit, #MembersHelpingMembers Association of Mail & Business Centers (AMBC).
With gratitude and care,
Columnist | Ask Uncle Marty™
Editor & Producer | MBC Today
Founder | Uncle Marty's Shipping Office
Communication & Vision Coach | AYM High Consultants
Co-Host | To-Be-Announced Podcast Launching Soon(ish)
askunclemarty.com · @askunclemarty · #AskUncleMarty
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