Most small business owners have a general idea of how much money they made last quarter. They couldn’t tell you much beyond that. Which webpage brought in the most visitors? Whether those visitors did anything once they got there. Which part of their marketing actually moved someone toward buying, and which part just kept them busy? That stuff stays fuzzy for most people, most of the time. And without that picture, every quarter looks a lot like the last one. That used to be as far as you could take it without hiring someone to dig in with you. Not…
I am working on a situation right now that reminded me why I keep talking about this stuff. Someone had a website built years ago. She just had it updated by someone new. The newer developer ran into trouble, did not quite know how to fix it, and started going quiet on her. Now her domain is stuck because the person who originally built the site has the login information. We are depending on them to send the right codes and get things moving. It is not their fault. It is just not their priority either. Neither of the two…
I saw something this week that I haven’t been able to shake. A creator announced they’re automating their Instagram DM replies and then teaching a class on how to do it. Not scheduling, not email sequences. The actual back-and-forth with real people who reached out. I keep thinking about that alongside everything I read about how lonely people are right now. Happiness levels are dropping and disconnection is everywhere, and the fix we’re building is a bot that replies to someone who took the time to reach out? I understand the logistics of a huge account. That’s not what’s bothering…
Your website reads like a resume. Credentials. History. Awards. Everything you have accomplished and why you are the best option. Your customer landed on your page with one question. Can this person fix my problem? If your website does not answer that in the first five seconds, she leaves. She has four other tabs open, and nobody has time to dig through a business biography looking for a reason to stay. I see this with non-profits too. Websites written entirely for funders and grant committees, full of impact statistics and organizational history. Meanwhile, the people the organization exists to help…
So I’m moving my entire online business to a new platform right now. Website, shop, emails. All of it. And instead of just popping up on the other side as if nothing happened, I figured I’d pull back the curtain. Because if you ever have to do this (and let’s be honest, you probably will at some point), you deserve to know what it actually looks like. Spoiler: it looks like my dining room table covered in sticky notes. The part that actually went well: I used AI to write a Python script that extracted 100 blog posts and 63…
The trap I didn’t see coming (and you might not either) Here’s a question worth 10 minutes of your time today: If you needed to move your website tomorrow, how hard would it be? Not “would you want to” – how hard would it actually be to take everything with you? I’ve been on Kajabi for 6-7 years. All-in-one platform. Convenient. Until the recent price increase made me reassess whether they’re actually doing anything spectacular enough to justify what they charge. So I decided to move. That’s when I discovered something I’d never thought to check: I can’t export my…
Think you are at a disadvantage in marketing because you are an introvert? Think again. Discover how your natural strengths like deep listening and empathy are actually your secret weapons for building a brand without the loud self-promotion.
You put an offer out, and it doesn’t quite do what you hoped. It doesn’t crash and burn. It just… underperforms. A few people pay attention, someone says, “This looks great,” but the sales don’t match the effort you put into it. And after a while, you start wondering what needs to change. So you go back to the page. You add context. You clarify your thinking. You explain the process more carefully, layer in more detail, and try to make the value unmistakable. All good instincts. The problem usually isn’t that people don’t understand what you’re offering. It’s that…
Most businesses treat their “About Us” page like a dry, boring resume. But did you know it’s usually the second most-visited page on a website? They are usually filled with long stories and big words that do not actually mean anything. You have probably seen them—the ones that use jargon to sound important but leave you feeling more confused than when you started. Let’s be honest: those are just fancy ways of saying nothing. When a prospect clicks that link, they aren’t just looking for your start date—they are looking for a reason to trust you. They want to know:…
367 followers. 4 likes. All from other business owners. Sound familiar? That little voice in your head is screaming, “What’s the point?” You’re posting consistently. You’re using the right hashtags. You’re doing all the things the gurus told you to do. And yet, you’re still invisible. I’m here to tell you it’s not the algorithm. It’s not your consistency. It’s your content. It probably sucks. The Myth of “Value” We’ve been sold a lie. A big, fat, glittery lie that goes something like this: “Just provide value!” So you do. You share tips. You share tutorials. You share your “expertise.”…
Your site needs an FAQ. Seriously. You’ve probably had this thought more than once. If more people saw this, it would work. It feels logical. Your stuff is good. Your offer makes sense. The business has legs. The only thing missing, it seems, is eyeballs. More traffic. More reach. More people at the door. So you keep trying to get louder. You post again. You tweak the headline. You wonder if you should finally try that other platform everyone keeps talking about, even though the idea makes you tired just thinking about it. But here’s the thing that’s easy to…
“Six months. Twelve subscribers. Three are family.” You’re doing everything they told you to. You have a freebie. You mention it in your social media posts. You’ve even put a little sign-up form on your website. And yet, your email list is a ghost town. A few tumbleweeds roll by now and then, but for the most part, it’s just… quiet. You feel like you’re shouting into the void, and the void isn’t even bothering to echo back. You think you need to be louder. More aggressive. More… annoying. You’ve been told that if your list isn’t growing, you’re not…
Most of December, we were talking about your website. And from your replies, I know a lot of you made small changes that created real movement. So let’s keep going. It’s a new year. If we’re going to spend time on anything, let’s pick the work that actually improves your business. And I need to say this clearly: Social media feels urgent. But it is not the most important thing in your business. Since summer, my posting has been inconsistent at best. And I’ve still been fully booked. To the point that I’ve had to start pushing projects out. What…
“Nobody wants another ‘10% off’ popup.” They tell you to “build your list.” They make it sound so simple. Just offer a freebie, they say. A checklist. A guide. An “ethical bribe.” And so you do. You spend a week creating a PDF that you’re actually proud of. You put it on your website. You wait. And then… crickets. Or worse, you get a handful of subscribers who download your freebie and then vanish into the digital ether, never to be heard from again. It feels… transactional. Like you’re starting a relationship with a handshake when you’re looking for a…
They ask you to write another email. And you’d rather scrub your grout with a toothbrush. You know you need to email your list. You know it’s the only marketing channel you actually own. But the thought of coming up with another idea, writing another subject line, and staring at another blank screen makes you want to throw your laptop into the ocean. It’s not that you don’t have anything to say. It’s that the pressure to be brilliant, witty, and strategic in every single email is exhausting. It feels like a marathon with no finish line. You think you…
Don’t Hate Me… But This Part of Your Site Needs to Change Last week, I told you there was another small moment on your site that creates more friction than you would ever expect. It is subtle, familiar, and easy to miss because almost everyone does it without thinking. It is the social media icons sitting in your menu bar. Most small business owners add them with the best intentions. It feels friendly. It feels modern. It feels like one more way for people to find you and follow along. But when someone is on your website, something different is…
They ask your price. Your voice goes up like a question. You feel a hot flush of panic. You start explaining. You justify. 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 the number you probably already under-charged. Sound familiar? Your voice goes up like a question. You’ve been told to “know your worth.” You’ve seen the inspirational quotes. You’ve probably even done the math, figured out your costs, and landed on a price that feels… okay. But when it comes time to actually say it…
Why Your Customers Aren’t Telling You About This Problem Unfortunately, your customers won’t email you to say this. There is a moment on your website that almost no one pays attention to, and it is where more sales disappear than anywhere else. It happens right after someone enters their email into your pop-up. The Hidden Friction in Your Checkout Process You offer a small discount to help them take the next step. They type their email because they are already interested. They hit submit expecting to keep going. Instead, everything slows down because the next thing you ask them to…
You have 47 different ways to describe your business. None of them feel right. You’ve tried to be clever. You’ve tried to be unique. You’ve spent hours trying to find a new way to say what you do, because you’ve been told that’s how you stand out. But the blank stares you get in return tell a different story. The polite nods. The quick subject changes. Nobody is getting it. And it’s costing you. Here’s the truth no one is telling you: The easiest way to stand out is to be painfully, unapologetically clear. And that’s actually much harder than…
Fifteen seconds into explaining. Their eyes glaze over. You know the look. That 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. Your work isn’t boring. But somewhere between “So what do you do?” and your answer, you lost them. And here’s what nobody’s telling you: this isn’t about your elevator pitch needing work. It’s not about confidence. It’s about…
You spent thousands on a beautiful website. You picked the perfect fonts, the exact right shade of beige, and a photo of you laughing with a coffee cup. It’s pretty. It’s professional. And it’s doing absolutely fuck all for your business. Your website is like a gorgeous, expensive sports car with no engine. It looks the part, but it’s not going anywhere. It’s not bringing in clients, it’s not making you money, and you’re starting to wonder if you just flushed a giant pile of cash down the toilet. Here’s the gut punch: Your website isn’t a brochure. It’s a…
Okay, let’s talk. You’re staring at your phone, a half-written caption mocking you, and the pressure to post something, anything on Instagram is giving you a low-grade anxiety buzz. Some guru, somewhere, told you that if you don’t post every single day, your business will shrivel up and die. How’s that feeling? Like you’re on a hamster wheel powered by your own tears? Yeah, we thought so. Here’s the skinny: that “post every day” rule? It’s for influencers. You know, the ones whose entire job is to be popular online. If your business is selling a product or a service—something…
Let me guess. You’ve spent hours agonizing over your Instagram grid, trying to find the perfect filter, writing and rewriting captions… all for a handful of likes and a DM from a bot. Meanwhile, your Google Business Profile is sitting there like a sad, neglected houseplant. You probably set it up once, filled out a few fields, and then promptly forgot it existed. And in doing so, you’re ignoring the single most powerful, high-intent client-attraction tool you have at your disposal. Here’s a gut punch for you: 97% of people look for local businesses on the internet. And where do…
Let’s play a game. It’s called “I know I need to email my list, but I’d rather scrub my grout with a toothbrush.” Sound familiar? It’s not that you don’t have anything to offer. It’s that the pressure to be brilliant, witty, and profound in every single email is enough to make your brain shut down completely. So you just… don’t. And another week goes by, your list gets colder, and the cycle continues. AI is supposed to help with this, right? But if you’ve ever typed “write a newsletter” into ChatGPT, you know the generic, soul-crushingly boring garbage it…
You know that feeling right before you hit ‘send’ on a newsletter? That little voice that whispers, “Am I annoying them? Is everyone going to unsubscribe? Does this make me look like a desperate, spammy asshole?” Yeah, that one. That feeling is why your email list is gathering digital dust. You know you should be emailing them, but the thought of actually doing it makes you want to go clean your oven or organize your spice rack. Anything but face the blinking cursor. Here’s the gut punch: That fear isn’t about you being annoying. It’s about you not having a…
You know what nobody tells you about running a business? That you’d spend more time writing Instagram captions than actually doing the work you want to do. The work you’re good at. The work that actually serves your clients. Last month, how many hours did you lose to marketing tasks? Not strategy. Not relationship building. Just the repetitive grind. Writing captions. Scheduling posts. Tweaking email subject lines. Reformatting the same content for different platforms. If you’re like most business owners, it was easily 10-15 hours. Maybe more. And at the end of it, you were exhausted, the content was mediocre, and…
It’s 10 PM on a Tuesday. The house is quiet. You finally have a moment to “work on your marketing.” You open Instagram, and the scroll begins. An hour later, you’ve watched 17 Reels about nothing, saved a few posts you’ll never look at again, and felt a fresh wave of anxiety wash over you. You’ve posted nothing. You’ve engaged with no one who matters. And the only thing you’ve accomplished is feeling like you’re failing at a game you never asked to play. This is the reality of social media overwhelm for countless entrepreneurs. If you’re an entrepreneur staring…
You know that feeling when you’re drowning in your own to-do list, but somehow adding “post on Instagram” feels like the most urgent thing? When you’ve got actual business to run, but you’re paralyzed by the thought of what to caption that photo you took three days ago? When you’re lying awake at 2 AM wondering if you’re the only entrepreneur who feels like social media is slowly sucking the life out of your business? You’re not. And that crushing weight of social media overwhelm isn’t a character flaw—it’s the predictable result of a system designed to keep you spinning…
Why Your Website’s First Words Matter More Than You Think There’s a spot on your website where people disappear faster than anywhere else. It happens before they scroll, before they click, before they even know what you offer. And yes, this matters all year. But in December, it matters even more. People are rushed. They’re distracted. They’re scanning, not reading. Here’s the part most small business owners never realize: people decide whether to stay or leave based on the very first words they see. And for most websites, those first words don’t actually say anything. You’ve seen these lines everywhere:…