Brand Messaging
You are not losing clients because your Instagram feed isn’t original enough. But you could waste a shocking amount of time trying to fix that anyway. How Much Time Goes Into Looking Right Since you started your business, how many hours have gone into making the outside of your marketing look right? The photos on your website. The colours. The fonts. The Canva templates. The Instagram grid. Whether the last post looked too much like the one before it. Now compare that to how much time you’ve spent figuring out the actual words. What do you want to be known…
The Math You Run Before You Say “Good, Busy” Money is the thing you think about most and say out loud the least. Someone asks how business is going. You say, “Good. Busy.” But you checked your bank balance before you answered. You already know which invoice is late, which payment comes out next, and how many clients you need this month, even while you keep pretending you haven’t done the math. The math never really stops. You run it in the car and again when someone asks if you want to make plans next weekend. If that client pays…
What if the biggest growth opportunity in your business has nothing to do with marketing? The Growth Opportunity That Has Nothing to Do With Marketing Chances are you’re spending more time and money trying to find new customers than you are taking care of the ones you already have. When I worked at a bank, we did call nights a few times a year. You’d sit there with a list, calling strangers, trying to get them in the door. I could offer a new customer a better rate than someone who’d been with us for ten+ years. The people who…
Why Half the Year Gone Feels Like a Problem Just so you know, it’s June 22nd. Summer’s short in Canada, and we take it seriously. I’ve been juggling travel, end-of-year school events, and the general chaos of kids finishing up. I’ve barely had a chance to look up. But I looked up this week and realized the year is halfway through. It’s also the point when your marketing strategy for small business deserves another look. And I know some of you just panicked reading that. When you’ve got big goals, and you hear “the year is half over,” your brain…
Why isn’t my low cost offer selling? Charging $27 feels like the safe place to start. It usually turns out to be the most expensive. You’ve watched it happen in real time. A guru posts the screenshot. A $27 offer, hundreds of sales, a number big enough to make your eyes go wide. Sometimes it’s sitting right there inside the free community you joined to learn from. So you think, that’s where I’ll start too. Something small, while I work up to the bigger thing. The reason it appeals isn’t that the math is compelling. It’s that the screenshot makes…
Getting an official ADHD diagnosis last year was a bit of a shock. And also made complete sense of my entire life up to that point. Like, when you have an appointment at 2pm, the whole day is basically a write-off. I never understood that about myself. You have five hours before that appointment, so use them. But my brain doesn’t work that way. The appointment is all I can see. And when I get home after, I feel like the day is already over, so why start now? Getting that diagnosis meant I could finally stop thinking something was…
Brand messaging for small business means being clear enough that the right person reads one sentence and thinks: that’s for me. Cleverness has nothing to do with it. Most small business owners skip this and go straight to tactics: better reels, more consistent posting, a new content strategy. And underneath all of it sits the thing nobody wants to say out loud: the content goes out, people keep scrolling, and nothing much changes. The problem is not your content calendar. Most small business owners are skipping the one thing that makes everything else work: clear brand messaging. Until that piece…
You’ve heard me say “brand messaging” probably a hundred times. And I’d bet half the time you’re hearing it, you’re nodding along but not totally sure what I actually mean. That’s not on you. Nobody talks about it plainly. Everyone’s selling you something else instead. Most of you are chasing followers. Engagement. Going viral. Because someone sold you a course that promised if you got those things, everything else would follow. It doesn’t work that way. You’ve been sold clarity by people who profit from your confusion. And that confusion is expensive. Brand messaging is boring by comparison, so it…
You’ve tried the tactics. Posted consistently, tweaked your bio, maybe hired someone to run your ads. Some of it worked for a bit. None of it stuck. And now you’re sitting here wondering what you’re missing, because you know your offer is good and you’re putting in the work. What is the ROAD Method? It’s the framework that answers that question. Four steps that build the foundation your marketing needs before any of the tactics actually work. Most people skip the foundation and go straight to the tactics. That’s why nothing sticks. Why Marketing Feels Like Guesswork Without a Foundation…
Getting a good review feels like a performance review you actually want. That little hit of dopamine when someone says, “This was exactly what I needed.” We all know reviews are important. But knowing they’re important and actually getting them are two different things. Most business owners are terrible at asking for them. It feels awkward. Salesy. So we don’t do it, or we do it half-heartedly and then wonder why no one follows through. Here’s what’s actually happening. Your clients aren’t avoiding leaving you a review. They’re just not thinking about it. When they love your work, their brain…
A client called me last week in full panic mode. She’d just gotten off a discovery call. The prospect loved her, loved the offer, loved everything. Until she heard the price. “She said it was too expensive. Should I just give her a discount?” No. Hard no. Why Discounting Backfires Here’s the thing about discounting: the second you do it, you’ve told the prospect two things. One, the price you gave her wasn’t real. And two, if she pushes harder, you’ll probably fold again. You’ve basically handed her a coupon book for every future negotiation. How to Handle a Client…
Someone asked me at a workshop last week: “What’s your cold outreach strategy?” I said, “I don’t do cold outreach.” You should’ve seen their face. Like I’d just admitted I sacrifice small animals under a full moon or something equally unhinged. The truth is, cold outreach feels spammy to me, and I’m not doing it. You know what I hate? People showing up at my door trying to sell me things. So much so, I recently bought a “No Soliciting” sticker for my doorbell because I’m done with strangers asking if I want my lawn mowed, my house painted, or…
They want to learn, not outsource. That’s the secret your best clients wish you knew: they don’t want you to do it for them, they want you to do it with them. They don’t want you to do it for them. They want you to do it with them. But the done-for-you model is exhausting. You’re constantly chasing clients, battling for results, and feeling the pressure to single-handedly drag projects across the finish line. It’s a recipe for burnout, and it makes you think, “Maybe I should just do it all myself.” It seems like the logical next step: more…
Right now, I feel like I’m behind: there’s too much in motion, too many open loops, and definitely no work-life harmony to be found. I’ve been here before. Every time I start measuring myself against what’s not done, it looks like I’m standing still. That’s when I go back to a simple tool I picked up a few years ago from a book called The Gap and the Gain. It’s stuck with me ever since. Most of us only track “the gap”, the distance between where we are and where we think we should be. But the gain, that’s the…
They ask your price, and your voice goes up like a question at the end of the sentence. A hot flush of panic hits, and you start explaining. You justify the number, and you might even offer a discount before they’ve even blinked. You’re so worried they’ll think it’s “too expensive” that you preemptively apologize for a number you probably already under-charged. Sound familiar? You’ve been told to “know your worth,” and you’ve seen the inspirational quotes about it on every marketing account you follow. You’ve probably even done the math, figured out your costs, and landed on a price…
You have 47 different ways to describe your business, and none of them feel right no matter how you combine them. You’ve tried to be clever, and you’ve tried to be unique. Hours have gone into hunting for a new way to say what you do. Someone told you that’s how you stand out from everyone else in your industry. But the blank stares tell a different story. The polite nods, the quick subject changes, the small talk that fills in where a real answer should be. Nobody is getting it, and it’s costing you clients. The easiest way to…
Let’s be honest. If your product description or sales page starts with “4 modules, 3 calls, handcrafted, ethically sourced, bonus video, unlimited access”… you’ve already lost her. You’re not selling a microwave, you’re offering a turning point. But somewhere along the way, the internet taught us to list features like we’re on QVC. To rattle off bullet points and bonuses like the fine print sells itself. It doesn’t, because no one buys the parts, they buy the feeling: the sigh of relief, the quiet exhale, the subtle but unmistakable moment when something in their life gets easier, clearer, lighter, all…
Fifteen seconds into explaining what you do, their eyes glaze over. You know the look: the polite nod, the smile that doesn’t quite reach their eyes. The person who asked what you do is now mentally writing their grocery list while you’re mid-sentence. It happens at networking events, family dinners, even on sales calls with people who should want to hear this. You’re not boring, and your work isn’t boring. Somewhere between “so what do you do?” and your answer, you lost them anyway. Something deeper is costing you clients, referrals, and the recognition you’ve earned. Your elevator pitch isn’t…
You run a business. Ideas come easy to you. You probably have ten new ones before lunch: half-mapped offers, notes in your phone, folders labelled “someday.” There’s nothing wrong with that. Until the pile of new ideas starts to bury the one that could actually work. That pressure to create something new all the time isn’t strategy, it’s noise. But most of the time, it’s just another way to avoid the boredom of staying with one clear message. Sometimes, the Best Thing You Can Do Is Write the Idea Down Drop it in Notion, name the folder “Later,” and put…
You’ve done what they told you. You bought the course. Downloaded the workbook. Filled out the template. You answered the three “smart” questions every program swears will fix your marketing: What do you do? Who is it for? Why does it matter? And yet… You’re still watching good posts die in silence. Still wondering why no one’s clicking, buying, or reaching out, still questioning if maybe you’re just not cut out for this. You’re not the problem. The process is. Because those questions can work, but not the way they’ve been sold to you: not inside a fill-in-the-blank worksheet, not…
You’ve got a folder. The one full of free downloads, swipe files, and checklists you swore you’d “circle back to.” You’ve created some, saved a dozen more, and chances are, you’re still not sure what to do with any of them. But hey, you’re adding value, right? Clients Don’t Pay You for Adding Value Here’s the hard truth: clients don’t pay you for adding value, they pay you for creating perceived value. And perceived value is a different game, so let me show you. Let’s say you’re a health coach. You post a Reel: “5 tips to reduce stress.” It’s…
You’ve spent an hour picking the right Instagram filter and rewriting the same caption four times. That gets you a handful of likes and maybe one DM from a bot. Meanwhile, your Google Business Profile is sitting there like a houseplant nobody’s watered since spring, even though it’s free and it’s already set up. A real Google Business Profile strategy takes ten minutes a week. It’s also the part of your marketing most likely to actually bring in a client, not just a like. You probably set the profile up once, filled in a few fields, and never opened it…
The ManyChat conference this week was two days packed with smart people and sharp strategies. (If you’re not familiar, ManyChat is a tool that automates messaging on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and you’ve probably seen it in action when someone says “Comment YES and we’ll DM you the link.”) Everyone was talking about how to grow faster, connect better, and automate smarter. But one message came up again and again: “You need to get clear.” Clear on your audience. Clear on your offer. Clear on your message. And they’re right. Why Clarity Is Hard But if you’ve ever tried…
I was planning to work yesterday. I’m in the middle of a project I’m really enjoying. One of those where you just want to keep going because it’s getting good. But my computer has been c-r-a-w-l-i-n-g. Spinning rainbow, tabs barely loading, never sure it’ll make it through the next meeting. If you’ve got a MacBook, you know the pain. I know shutting it down helps, but with a Mac, you never know how long the restart will take. I’d had enough. I can’t do another week like last week. Or the one before. Cleaning Up Digital Clutter So instead of…
You’ve got the experience. The results. The ideas. But turning that into a clear, working system that consistently brings in clients is where things slow down. Not because you’re doing it wrong. Because you’re doing it alone. You’re trying to connect the dots between messaging, content, tech, and offers without feedback. That’s a system problem, not a focus problem. That’s why I created The ROAD Method. A hands-on marketing lab that helps you: Refine your message Optimize your assets Automate your systems Drive forward with a strategy that fits you It’s about building the infrastructure that makes your marketing work,…
Every email flying at you this week is a masterclass in how brands try to sell: fast, loud, and often messy. In fact, it’s proof, not just noise. Of what works. Of what doesn’t. And of how people write when the stakes are high. So don’t just delete. Collect it. Here’s how to turn your inbox into a marketing lab you can use all year: Step 1: Make a “Black Friday Swipe” folder in your inbox. Dump everything into it. Retailers, software, big brands, small shops, even the emails that make you cringe. Instead, the point is to see the…
If you could hand off just one part of your business, it would be marketing. Not the work you love. Not the clients. The part where you have to explain what you do over-and-over. Show up “consistently.” And perform on platforms that don’t even feel like you. Here’s what no one tells you: You’ve been sold clarity by people who profit off confusion. You’ve been told you have to grow your business one way… because that’s the only thing that coach knows how to teach. They built their business on Reels, or cold DMs, or a 17-step funnel, so that’s…
The “hurry before it’s gone” emails. The AI courses. Those $999-now-just-$37 programs. And the promise that this, finally, will be the thing. And I know what that does to you. You open a tab to check one thing. You emerge an hour later with 7 “limited-time” deals in your cart and no idea what you were even looking for. Then comes the crash. You close the tab. You feel the pit in your stomach. And you hear it, that voice that whispers, “Why do I keep falling for this?” My fall cycle and the truth behind the hype This used…
The brands that slapped mint green on their logos this week? The ones pretending to be fans while hunting for customers? In fact, they’re using the exact same playbook as the marketing “gurus” who’ve been selling you bullshit for years. Same lie. Different costume. The Guru’s Playbook, Step 1: Create an Impossible Standard “You need a 7-figure funnel!” “You have to be everywhere online!” This week it was “You have to be like Taylor!” Because it’s designed to make you feel inadequate from the start. The Guru’s Playbook, Step 2: Sell a “Secret” Solution They sell you the “one weird…
I listened to the entire “New Heights” podcast. Not for the marketing tips. Not for the “strategies.” But for the real shit. The stuff that actually matters when you’re building something that lasts. And what I heard was a masterclass in everything the gurus get wrong. Here’s what Taylor Swift actually said about building a business (and why it’s the opposite of everything you’ve been taught): 1. On Owning Your Work: When they asked about buying back her masters, she didn’t talk about ROI or investment strategies. Instead, she said: “I want it because this is my handwritten diary entries…