The Shortlist

Hosted by Middle of Six

Business

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Episodes

101

Latest episode

Jul 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Welcome to The Shortlist! We are exploring all things AEC marketing and answering listener questions to provide best practices and fresh ideas for marketing strategies to help your firm win the shortlist. New episodes drop each Wednesday. Listen as the team from Middle of Six shares their thoughts on proposals, interviews, websites, social media, marketing planning, business development, and countless other tactics that architecture, engineering, and construction firms rely on to grow their businesses and build strong brands.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 9, 2026Episode 10139 min

Bonus Episode: Becky Interviews Wendy

In this bonus episode, the tables are turned as Becky Ellison takes over hosting duties and puts Wendy in the guest seat. As Middle of Six celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the conversation becomes part interview, part reflection on the people, experiences, and unexpected moments that have shaped the journey. Wendy shares her experiences from a decade of business ownership, and producer Kyle Davis reminds us of the value in building genuine relationships through the simple act of being ourselves.

July 8, 2026Episode 10051 min

10 Years of Middle of Six

As The Shortlist celebrates its 100th episode and Middle of Six marks 10 years in business, Wendy Simmons sits down with Melissa Richey, Grace Takehara, Becky Ellison, and producer Kyle Davis to reflect on the moments that made both possible. From the story behind naming the company to experience shares about entrepreneurship, career pivots, and building a thriving remote-first team, the conversation is equal parts reflection and celebration. Grab a cup of coffee and listen in as the team shares "pinch me" moments and their vision for the future. It's a look back at a decade of growth, 100 episodes of conversation, and the Hustle & Heart values that guide everything MO6.

July 1, 2026Episode 9921 min

The Short(er) List: How to Get the Most out of Microsoft

Not every client or firm lives in InDesign. And sometimes, for whatever reason, you're not able to use the Adobe Creative Suite programs, but still have to produce a presentable product. It may not be ideal, but it's going to be okay. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky sits down with Grace Takehara to talk about a reality every AEC designer eventually faces: the dreaded Word doc, the pesky PowerPoint deck, or the well-intentioned Canva link. How do we make the most of these tools and create something polished and professional? We have ideas. Becky and Grace dig into how to make the Microsoft and non-Adobe programs work harder than they're given credit for, how to overcome technical limitations, and how to keep your design standards intact even when the software is fighting you the whole way. This one's for every designer who's ever opened a proposal in Word or presentation in PowerPoint and felt their soul leave their body—and who made their peace, made it work, and lived to tell the tale.

June 24, 2026Episode 9850 min

AI in AEC

AI has moved from an experimental playground to an everyday reality, and AEC firms are figuring out how to use it responsibly and effectively. On this episode of The Shortlist , Wendy Simmons, Becky Ellison, and Hana Kaneko explore how AI is impacting AEC marketing from proposal support and content editing to data organization and workflow efficiencies. The Middle of Six team discusses the opportunities and challenges of AI adoption, including security, bias, intellectual property concerns, and environmental impacts. Their ultimate stance: MO6 is Human at Heart. While AI can accelerate tasks and improve efficiency, it cannot replace strategic thinking, authentic relationships, or the creativity that helps firms differentiate themselves and win work. And robots will never be funny. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 6

June 17, 2026Episode 9722 min

The Short(er) List: Better Home Offices

In the era of remote and hybrid work, your home office is either working for you or against you. And if you're reading this from your couch with a laptop balanced on a throw pillow—you might be ready for some improvements to your situation. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky sits down with guest Hana Kaneko to tackle the space where the real work takes place, and where so many ergonomic decisions come into play. They dig into what it takes to build a home office setup that supports a happy, healthy, and efficient day—and how to keep your mind right when the tether of the desk feels unbreakable. From lighting and layout to tools and temperature, they discuss the small upgrades that can make a big difference. No, you don't need a standing desk that costs more than your car. Yes, you probably do need to stop working from the kitchen table. Settle in and get ready for some tips! Your wrists, your eyes, your brain and your back will all thank you.

June 10, 2026Episode 9636 min

The Marketers!

What type of AEC marketer are you? Are you the Eagle Eye, catching every compliance detail? The Octopus, juggling a dozen priorities at once? The Cheerleader, keeping your team motivated? Or maybe the MacGyver; the marketer who always finds a way to save the day?! In this special episode of The Shortlist, the entire Middle of Six team jumps on the podcast to discuss "The Marketers"—MO6's wildcard personalities that celebrate the strengths and superpowers that make AEC marketers so unique and invaluable. Through personal stories, shared experiences, and plenty of laughter, the team spills the tea on how these traits show up in their daily work and how to leverage these strengths without getting pigeonholed into certain roles. Listen in, see which character sounds most like you, and take the quiz at middleofsix.com/wildcards.

June 3, 2026Episode 9520 min

The Short(er) List: Staying Grounded in AEC Marketing

There's always a lot going on in the world of AEC marketing. The deadlines are real, the pressure can build, and somewhere between all of the submittal requirements, check-in meetings, task lists, and marketing production, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the details and lose sight of the bigger picture. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky sits down with Grace Takehara for a conversation that has nothing to do with proposal strategy and everything to do with the person behind all that planning. They talk about finding balance (even in the small moments), setting up a home office that actually feels good to sit in, and how to make space to celebrate the wins—without immediately pivoting to the next thing. Whether you're thriving, surviving, or somewhere in the middle, we're got you covered with a conversation that is practical, honest, and committed to sparking joy in your day-to-day—because you deserve it!

May 27, 2026Episode 9446 min

What it's Like to Engage with Middle of Six

Have you ever wondered what it’s actually like to work with Middle of Six? In this episode of The Shortlist, Principals Wendy Simmons and Melissa Richey answer one of the most common questions they hear from AEC firms: “How does this even work?” From the first meet-and-greet conversation to onboarding, discovery sessions, project check-ins, and final deliverables, Wendy and Melissa walk through how MO6 plugs into teams to provide strategic marketing and business development support. And in classic MO6 style, they're transparent about the challenges many firms face before bringing on extra support, including back-to-back deadlines, budget constraints, team personalities, and even the fear of letting an outside consultant see behind-the-scenes. Leave those worries behind and hear first-hand how bringing on an outside perspective can add tremendous value to your in-house team.

May 20, 2026Episode 9316 min

The Short(er) List: Bluebeam Rumble!

In this episode of The Short(er) List, we're bringing you the software debate event of the century! Becky welcomes guest and sparring partner Katy Byers for knock-out, drag-out, no holds barred throwdown over the best tool for collecting proposal feedback from technical staff. Katy is team Bluebeam. Becky is not. She is very, very not. What follows is a good-natured and delightfully passionate argument about markups, workflows, and whether Bluebeam is a powerful proposal tool or just a PDF editor that engineers love a little bit too much. Becky makes her case for Adobe Share for Review. Katy holds her ground. Neither is backing down without a fight. No proposals were harmed in the making of this episode. Please leave your feedback for the team by highlighting text, adding a comment, or typing out a note in a red squiggly cloud—we're flexible, kind of.

May 13, 2026Episode 9253 min

MacGyver Proposal Hacks

Proposal deadlines have a way of testing even the most seasoned AEC marketers. No matter how carefully a pursuit is planned, you never know when you'll have to defuse a ticking time bomb, minutes before the deadline. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by designers Becky Ellison and Lauren Jane Peterson to discuss the “MacGyver moments” that happen when proposal teams are racing against the clock. From InDesign crashes and corrupt exports to oversized PDFs, emergency printer fixes, and hand-assembled printed proposals, Becky and Lauren Jane share stories from the trenches along with practical troubleshooting tips that can save a submission in the final hour. They also explore strategies for making impossible amounts of content fit on the page, compressing files under strict upload limits, and knowing when to make a sacrifice to the "proposal gods" rather than missing the deadline entirely. If you’re a proposal manager, designer, or marketer who’s ever submitted with seconds to spare, this episode offers equal parts practical advice, camaraderie, and comic relief for surviving the chaos of pursuit work. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 4