Montreal Marketeers Episode 36 – Steve Daniel: Social Media Consultant & Professional Chiller

Explore how social media consultant and entrepreneur Steve Daniel turned a bold experiment with a “fake” client into MTLPromos, one of Montreal’s most recognizable Instagram brands for local promotions. In this episode of the Montreal Marketeers Podcast, Steve breaks down how strategic content, consistency, and a laid-back “professional chiller” mindset helped him build both an audience and a thriving consulting business.

When Steve decided to leave his 9 to 5 job to become a social media consultant, he had no client portfolio to prove his skills. To solve that credibility gap, he created and curated MTLPromos as if it were a real client, using the account as a live case study to showcase his ability to grow and manage an engaged audience from scratch.

That experiment paid off. MTLPromos grew to more than 15K followers and became a pivotal proof point for Steve’s consulting services. The account not only attracted paying clients but also positioned him as a go-to resource for businesses trying to navigate social media in Montreal’s competitive landscape.

Steve’s entrepreneurial journey started about eight years before the episode was recorded, and it has included major mindset shifts along the way. At 25, he thought he had “made it”: he had a good job, a car, a house, and the expected path of marriage and kids ahead. The problem? He realized that stability alone did not equal fulfillment.

Trading the security of a corporate role for entrepreneurship brought more uncertainty and anxiety, but also the excitement of building something that truly aligned with his ambitions. In the conversation, he shares how he manages that tension, finds energy in the grind, and embraces his “professional chiller” persona while still pushing hard toward his goals.

Show Highlights and Topics

• Duration: 56 minutes

• How MTLPromos started as a clever “fake” client to demonstrate Steve’s social media expertise

• The strategy behind growing an Instagram brand past 15K followers and turning it into a client magnet

• Leaving a comfortable 9 to 5 job for the uncertainty of entrepreneurship in search of real fulfillment

• Balancing anxiety, risk, and freedom while building a business from the ground up

• What “professional chiller” really means in the context of running a serious consulting practice