Marketing has a funny way of piling up.

One platform becomes two.
Two become five.
And suddenly, you’re “doing marketing” every day… yet somehow still unsure if it’s working.

That’s usually the moment small business owners start blaming themselves.

They think they’re behind.
They think they’re missing something.
They think everyone else has it figured out.

They don’t. Not really.

What they have is clarity. Or they don’t.
And that makes all the difference.

Every year, I do the same thing.

It’s not flashy.
It doesn’t involve a new platform, a new trend, or a shiny new promise.

At the end of the year, I sit down and reflect.

I look at what I learned.
What worked.
What quietly drained me.
What I don’t want to repeat.

Not to judge the year.
Not to beat myself up.

Just to make sure I don’t walk into the next one carrying the same mistakes in my pockets.

I write everything down.

Because thoughts are slippery.
They feel clear until they aren’t.

When it’s written, it becomes honest.
You can see patterns.
You can see where you overcommitted.
You can see what actually moved the business forward.

This is where most businesses skip ahead.
They plan the future without looking properly at the past.

That’s how you end up tired by March.

Planning always starts with services and products.

My business has grown.
And 2026 comes with big plans.

I’ll be taking on more website and coaching clients where I manage all of their marketing. Not because it’s trendy — but because it works best for me and for my clients.

Those are the clients I’ve scaled to six and even seven figures.

When offers are clear, aligned, and designed around real capacity, marketing stops feeling like guesswork.
It becomes support instead of pressure.

I’m also planning new products.
Good ones. The kind that makes sense.

Every year, I review my audience.

Not to expand it.
To refine it.

I don’t work with everyone. And that’s intentional.

Because the better you know who you’re for, the less convincing your marketing has to do.

In 2026, growth doesn’t come from being louder.
It comes from being specific.

Marketing isn’t one thing.

It’s not just social posts.
It’s not just ads.
It’s not just a website.

It’s an ecosystem.

Each year, I look at:

• Which platforms deserve attention

• Which ads to run — and which to stop

• The customer journey

• Onboarding processes

• Messaging and positioning

Everything has to work together.
When it does, marketing feels calmer. Predictable. Manageable.

When it doesn’t, it feels like noise.

Because it keeps marketing intentional.

Focused.
Sustainable.

And it stops the year from becoming reactive — where you’re constantly responding instead of leading.

You don’t need more tactics.
You need fewer decisions.

Do you need to be on every platform in 2026?

No.

Trying to be everywhere is how good businesses burn out.

The smartest businesses choose:

• One or two platforms their audience actually uses

• One main growth channel

• One trust-building channel

Focus compounds.
Scattered effort just exhausts you.

How long does marketing take to work?

This is the question everyone asks.

And the honest answer is: it depends.

On your industry.
Your competition.
Your foundations.
Your budget.

But as a realistic benchmark, most businesses see meaningful traction within three months when marketing is done properly.

Fast results can happen.
But sustainable ones come from structure.

How do you know if your marketing is working?

Likes are nice.
Followers look good.

But neither pays the bills.

Working marketing brings:

• Consistent enquiries

• Clear data you understand

• Confidence in where the next client is coming from

If you’re guessing, you’re not failing.
You’re just missing clarity.

How fast will I see a return on investment? How big it is?

Every client is different, and the return you get from investing in yourself and your marketing will always depend on the nature of your business.

If you’re selling a product like coffee, your growth potential is essentially unlimited — you can scale production, sell more bags, and expand your reach. But if you’re running something like an Airbnb, you’re working with a fixed inventory. There are only so many nights you can rent out, so the strategy and outcome look very different.

How quickly you see results also depends on your market, your competitors, your current foundations, and the budget you’re working with. But to give you a realistic benchmark, most of my clients begin to see substantial, measurable growth within the first 3 months.

The key is that we tailor everything to your business model, your goals, and your capacity — so you get outcomes that are sustainable, not just quick

The biggest mistake small businesses will make in 2026

Chasing trends instead of building systems.

Trends change.
Algorithms shift.
Platforms evolve.

But clarity doesn’t age.

Good marketing works quietly in the background — even when you’re busy doing the actual work.

Want to plan your year the same way?

I’ve turned this exact process into a free Marketing Planner.

It’s the same framework I use every year to make sure the next one is better than the last.

Download it now

Just a heads up — it’s free for now.
Once my 2026 plans are locked in, this will become a paid product.

Don’t miss it.