ABOUT MICHAEL ABONITALLA

Most Marketers Chase Trends. I Build Systems That Outlast Them.

My Story

My first website went live when Google was still a Stanford research project.

I didn’t have a business plan. I barely understood what I was building. But I knew something fundamental: the internet would change everything about how businesses connect with customers.

So I learned by doing. Hand-coding pages at 2 AM. Testing banner ads when clicks cost pennies. Building email lists before “email marketing” was even a term. Watching businesses explode overnight and collapse just as fast.

Twenty-plus years later, I’ve evolved from solo web developer to serial entrepreneur to marketing strategist. I’ve built companies, scaled them to six figures, and sold them. I’ve spent millions on advertising—some brilliantly, some painfully. I’ve seen every tactic, trend, and “guaranteed system” come and go.

Through all of it, one truth became crystal clear: Marketing isn’t about doing more. It’s about building systems that do the work for you.

Why ThriveWhiz Exists

Ten years ago, I watched too many great businesses fail—not because their product sucked or their service was weak, but because their marketing was a mess.

They were throwing money at Facebook ads with no strategy. Posting on social media with no plan. Chasing every shiny new tactic without understanding the fundamentals.

So I built ThriveWhiz with a single obsession: Create a framework that eliminates the guesswork.

No fluff. No vanity metrics. No “let’s try this and see what happens.”

Just proven systems that consistently deliver 25%+ growth because they’re built on two decades of trial, error, and relentless optimization.

What Makes Me Different

I’m not a theorist. I’ve built and sold businesses. I’ve scaled companies from zero to six figures. I’ve failed, pivoted, and learned what actually works when your own money is on the line.

I don’t do cookie-cutter solutions. What works for a SaaS company in San Francisco won’t work for a local service business in Cagayan de Oro. My systems adapt to your market, your customers, your reality.

I’m obsessed with efficiency. Why hire five people when smart automation can do the work of ten? Why waste 50% of your ad budget on bad targeting when data can cut that waste to zero?

The businesses dominating their markets aren’t the ones working harder—they’re the ones working smarter.

My Mission

I help entrepreneurs who are stuck. You know your business has potential. You know you should be growing faster. But you’re caught in the daily grind with no clear path forward.

That’s where I come in.

I build marketing systems that:
– Target the right customers with surgical precision
– Reach them where they’re already paying attention
– Respond to their needs before your competition does
– Retain them so they keep coming back
– Refer their friends, family, and colleagues
– Generate Results you can track, measure, and scale

This isn’t magic. It’s methodology. And it works.

Beyond Business

When I’m not building marketing systems, I’m deeply invested in the entrepreneurial ecosystem:

Co-founder: Cagayan de Oro Bloggers Group (CDOBloggers, Inc.)
Member: Google Partner Agency
Brand Ambassador: Hootsuite Asia Pacific Region
Past President: Junior Chamber International Kagayhaan Gold (2003)
JCI Senator: No. 70662

I believe in giving back to the community that shaped me. Whether it’s mentoring young entrepreneurs, speaking at events, or simply sharing what I’ve learned—I’m committed to lifting others as I climb.

Why This Blog Exists

This is my knowledge vault.

Everything I’ve learned about digital marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, technology, and startups—it’s all here. No gatekeeping. No holding back the good stuff for paid clients.

I publish insights, strategies, and frameworks that cost me years and thousands of dollars to figure out. If it helps you avoid a costly mistake or spot an opportunity sooner, it’s worth it.

The best entrepreneurs are relentless learners. Consider this your unfair advantage.

Let’s Build Something

If you’re still reading, you’re my kind of person—someone who refuses to settle for mediocrity.

Maybe you’re running a local business that’s plateaued. Maybe you’re launching something new and don’t want to waste years figuring it out. Maybe you just know there’s a better way.

There is. And I can show you.

Subscribe to Mike’s Marketing Minute my bi-weekly newsletter where I break down the strategies, systems, and insights that are actually moving the needle right now. No fluff. No BS. Just actionable intel delivered straight to your inbox.

Or if you’re ready to move faster, let’s talk. Book a discovery session and we’ll map out exactly what your business needs to break through to the next level.

The businesses winning tomorrow are being built today.

Let’s make sure yours is one of them.

Mike Abonitalla

Founder, ThriveWhiz Marketing Systems
Building growth engines since dial-up was fast.