d2b2 brings data science thinking to paid marketing and revenue operations. We audit your stack, build the systems, teach your team how they work, and hand you the keys when the engagement ends. Services include paid marketing setup, revenue analytics, marketing infrastructure, and answer engine optimization.

What is the d2b2 engagement process?

Every d2b2 engagement follows three phases. The Audit: a structured review of your stack, spend, and data to understand what exists and what needs fixing. The Stack Build: implementing tracking, attribution, AI tools, and automation that work correctly from day one. The Handoff: full documentation so your team can run everything independently after the engagement ends.

Who does d2b2 work with?

d2b2 works with small businesses and growth-stage companies where marketing has historically been reactive and underpowered. All engagements are project-based, not retainer-based. Based in San Diego, CA, serving clients across the US.

How is d2b2 different from a traditional marketing agency?

d2b2 applies data science thinking to marketing rather than relying on intuition or waiting on monthly reports. The goal is to build systems you own and understand, not dependency on an ongoing agency relationship. Every engagement ends with a complete handoff so the client can run the work independently.

HubSpot for Small Business: What to Set Up First

HubSpot’s free and starter tiers have enough functionality to run a real sales process. The problem most small businesses run into isn’t a lack of features. It’s setting up too much too fast, building workflows nobody actually uses, and ending up with a CRM that doesn’t reflect how the business actually works.

Here’s the order that makes sense for most small businesses starting with HubSpot.

1. Define your pipeline stages before you build anything

The most important decision in HubSpot setup happens before you log in for the first time: what does your sales process actually look like?

Default pipeline stages in HubSpot (Appointment Scheduled, Qualified to Buy, etc.) don’t match most businesses’ real processes. Before creating any deals or contacts, map your actual stages:

What does a prospect look like at each point in your process?
What action moves a deal from one stage to the next?
What’s the average time spent in each stage?

Build your pipeline around real behavior, not aspirational behavior. Five clear stages you actually use beats ten stages where deals pile up in stage two.

2. Connect your email

HubSpot’s value multiplies when it has access to your email. Connect Gmail or Outlook through HubSpot’s inbox integration. This lets you:

Log emails to contact records automatically
Use email templates from your inbox
Track opens and clicks

The two-way sync means your CRM doesn’t require manual logging for every interaction, which is usually why CRMs fail.

3. Install the tracking code

Add HubSpot’s tracking snippet to your website (or connect through Google Tag Manager). This enables:

Contact timeline activity showing which pages contacts have visited
Form submissions creating contacts automatically
Traffic source attribution for deals

Without the tracking code, HubSpot is just a contact database. With it, you have behavioral context for every lead.

4. Set up forms for your highest-value conversion points

Create HubSpot forms for your contact page, any lead magnets, and any places where prospects request information. Keep forms short. Name, email, and one qualifying question is enough to start.

Forms automatically create contacts, trigger workflows, and give you lead source attribution. Replace whatever forms you’re currently using on your site with HubSpot forms, or use the HubSpot JavaScript embed to capture submissions from third-party form tools.

5. Build one automated sequence before building ten

The most common HubSpot mistake is building complex automation before you know what you need to automate. Start with one workflow:

A basic lead nurture sequence:

Trigger: contact submits a form
Action: send an immediate confirmation email
Action: wait 2 days, send a relevant piece of content
Action: wait 3 days, send a direct outreach email from the salesperson

This single workflow handles follow-up consistently, without manual effort, for every new lead. It’s the foundation. Add more automation only after you’ve seen this one work.

6. Configure your deal properties for reporting

Out of the box, HubSpot’s deal properties include Close Date, Amount, and Deal Stage. For useful reporting, add:

Lead source (where did this deal originate?)
Deal type (new business vs. existing client)
Close reason when deals are lost

These properties make your pipeline reports meaningful rather than just showing you how many deals are open.

7. Set up one dashboard you’ll actually look at

HubSpot’s reporting module can produce dozens of charts. Build one dashboard with five to eight reports:

Open deals by stage
New deals created this month vs. last month
Close rate
Average deal value
Lead source breakdown

Pin this dashboard to your home view. If you’re not looking at your HubSpot dashboard weekly, you’ve probably built too much and maintained too little.

What to defer

These are features that seem important early but should wait until you have baseline operations running:

Lead scoring requires enough lead volume to calibrate. Build this after 6 months of data.

Complex multi-branch workflows: start with linear sequences.

Custom objects: the standard contacts/companies/deals structure handles most SMB use cases.

Predictive analytics: only useful once you have significant historical data.

d2b2 sets up HubSpot for small businesses and growth-stage companies as part of marketing infrastructure engagements. If you’re starting from scratch or cleaning up a system that’s gotten out of control, get in touch.