Inspired by @Maria Bello talkimg about taking a step back to be with her daughter over Christmas ♥️ What are everyone’s plans? 🎄 Are you hosting? Or going away? Are you looking forward to it?

Hey 👋. I’ve been a bit quiet this week, sorry. With being away Monday and Tuesday on a 1:1 business retreat and then playing catch up with all my client appointments it’s been bonkers! What have you been up to this week and what are your weekend plans? I know @Kay Rowlands flies of to New York today, lucky duck. I’ll be seeing @Gemma Stone for dinner tomorrow 😊 and Sunday will be Christmas wrapping day (for the ones I have bought anyway 🫣. What about you? 🎄

Here is something I see all the time. Most people didn’t actually choose their branding. It just appeared over time without much thought behind it. A colour you happened to like one afternoon. A font that looked clean. A logo a friend knocked up quickly. A photo shoot from a completely different era of your business. A tone of voice you slipped into because everyone around you sounded similar. Before you know it, you are carrying a brand that reflects older versions of you rather than the business you are growing into. This is extremely common. Most brands sit two or three versions behind the person running the business. Today I want you to look at something simple and honest: Why did you choose the branding you have right now? Was it intentional or did it just evolve without much awareness? Here is the follow-up question: Does your current branding represent who you are now and the clients you want to attract next, or does it reflect where you were years ago? No pressure. No judgement. Just a moment of clarity for yourself. This is usually where the real alignment begins. If you feel like sharing what came up for you, pop it below. Everyone will recognise themselves in this.

Sorry I’ve been a bit quiet in here. I’ve been away on a 1:1 retreat with a client, mapping out her strategy for 2026, and it reminded me why I love doing this work in beautiful environments. Coffee appearing at the table while we’re deep in conversation about the next stage of her business. A slow lunch where ideas actually have room to land, instead of being squeezed in between calls and emails. Cake in the afternoon, purely because we felt like it. Champagne delivered at 4pm while we looked at the bigger vision. A roaring fire in the background the whole time, creating that kind of quiet you just don’t get at home or in the office. It’s incredible how different your mind works when you step out of your usual environment. The clarity hits in a way it just doesn’t when you’re rushing. Decisions make sense. Things click. You can actually feel the excitement for the year ahead rather than forcing it. I'm off to Tenerife for a week in the new year with another lovely client to map out 2026 for their businesses and can't wait for the sunshine. I love the motivation and excitement that gets re-ignited on the back of these goal setting sessions. It's so contagious. It got me thinking about planning in general. Some people don’t go near their goals until January. Others start feeling into them around now. Some don't do it at all. What about you, do you wait for January or do you start mapping things out earlier?

If your content gets engagement but not sales… chances are you’re speaking to the wrong crowd. In my marketing business, it is not unusual for businesses to come to us having spent a lot of money a time on creating content and increasing their audience, which in itself can be a full time job, only to have no one actually convert to buy. Often small business owners are creating content to entertain or impress their leads, instead of converting them. Yes, it feeds the algorithm, but not the business. Classic vanity-metric trap. If you’re not speaking to the right people, it doesn’t matter how many are listening. It's the last day of the 'ideal client work' = reflection day. Ask yourself: - Are the people engaging with your content actually the people you want to work with? - Are your enquiries aligned with your ideal client, or completely random? - Does your brand match the psychology and expectations of the clients you want? - Are you selling what they genuinely want… or what you prefer offering? - Are you meeting your audience where they are… or where you are? These kinds of questions shift a business fast, by removing the guesswork and helping you with clarity. Based on this week, what’s the #1 thing you’ve realised about your ideal client? Have you found this 'series' useful?