The advertising and marketing world is constantly evolving, demanding professionals who can navigate its complexities with both vision and strategic thinking. With over 25 years of experience in the advertising and marketing industry, Beth Mach has established herself as a leader. As the COO and co-founder of Spacely, she has dedicated her career to driving growth for Fortune 500 brands through innovative marketing, media, and technology solutions. Her journey has led her to explore the intricacies of decision-making, resulting in a tool designed to help people align choices with their core values.
Simplifying Decision-Making
Most people overthink decisions. Beth keeps it simpler. “Choice by definition is the act of making a decision when you’re faced with two or more possibilities,” she says. But here’s where it gets interesting: “There’s two parts to that – first is the act of choosing which is selection, and second is the power of choosing which is option.” Beth didn’t pull this insight from thin air. She watched countless teams tackle hard choices, from massive marketing campaigns to career-defining moments. Time after time, she noticed how people got tangled up in the details while missing the bigger picture. Smart folks would stare at spreadsheets and pro-con lists, but still couldn’t pull the trigger on decisions that mattered.
Something was missing from the way most people approached big decisions. Through years of watching both wins and missteps, Beth started seeing patterns. The best decisions came when people stayed true to their values – but hardly anyone had a system for doing that consistently.
Identifying Priorities
“Don’t forget you’re the master of your own destiny,” Beth reminds people who come to her stuck between options. She’s big on knowing what matters most: “Know your non-negotiables – what are you not willing to give up? Time with your family? Relocating to a new city?”
The tricky part? All the stuff that messes with our choices without us noticing. Beth points out the hidden players: “Understanding your emotions and following your gut instincts, seeing through cultural expectations or peer pressure and habits.” These sneaky influences shape our decisions whether we see them or not. Beth pushes people to get everything out of their head and onto paper. Doing this “allows you to create your own path, it gives you a sense of agency and control over your life.” More than just clearing mental clutter, writing things down “contributes to your growth by seeing it as a learning opportunity and it really focuses and forces us to take ownership of the consequences of our actions.”
Creating a Decision-Making System
When Beth hit her own career crossroads, she couldn’t find a tool that felt right. “This change in mindset for me led me to build a tool when I was struggling with my career path,” she explains. “I needed something to organize my thoughts and create clarity.” What started as her personal solution turned into something bigger. She called it iHap.os. The framework looks at four basic questions: “First is intelligent – does it make me smarter? Second is happiness – does it make me happier? Third is amplification – does it make me more famous? And fourth is prosperity – does it make me richer, and I don’t always mean money.” For twelve years now, Beth has watched this simple system help people get unstuck. Her scorecard cuts through the usual decision-making headaches: “fear of failure or the unknown, being overwhelmed or thinking you have to know it all, and even when you don’t know it all or just being under pressure.”
Beth designed her framework to bend without breaking. “Revise the questions to make it meaningful for you and your situation,” she tells people. That flexibility means it works for all kinds of decisions, not just career moves. Anyone can access the framework from Beth’s LinkedIn profile and can make it their own. The goal isn’t to make perfect decisions but choices that feel right, and are in line with your values.
