2 questions to shift focus in 2026 ... [🐝U]

This year reminded me of something uncomfortable.

You can be good at what you do
Get paid well for it
even “in demand”

& still build a business that drains you.

Not because the work is hard
But because the "fit” is wrong.

No matter how much someone needs your "thing"
You have to believe in theirs 1st!

Most of us skip this part.
We jump ahead.

& what I’ve learned is …
Just because you can help “everyone”, doesn’t mean you should

My clients often hear me explain that with...
"You don't want to be a vegan working for a dairy farm”

Unfortunately, that’s not a metaphor.
It actually happened to 1 of my clients.

When your “thing” becomes the trap

She was sooooo focused on “email marketing” because that was her “thing”
It’s the skill she invested in.
& she had years of experience doing it in a job & as a volunteer
So she believed it was also the service she had to sell

yes … & no

But she didn’t stop to look at WHO she was reaching out to
or why … beyond the “I do something they need”

Sure, she set her client up with a newsletter
& something was better than nothing

But it wasn’t her best work
& she hated every second

Because she not only didn’t believe in what her client did
She was fundamentally against it

So when they asked if she would continue
& help with their blog
She ran for the hills

This isn’t a 1-off … it’s a growing trend

& here’s the uncomfortable truth…
When you lead with your “thing”
You’re doing to your prospects exactly what frustrates you as a buyer

What if her client had been a vegetable farm?
same skills
completely different experience for her
which would have meant even better results for them!

I often hear aspiring copywriters & marketers ask…
→ which industry pays the most
→ what’s the easiest/fastest/etc way to “6-figures”

They’re destined to be like
“a vegan working for a dairy farm”

“But I don’t love every part of my business”

Of course you don’t!
Neither do I

But there ARE things you’re going to have to do you don’t enjoy…
like marketing your business, bookkeeping, etc

& you’re going to have to do those things until your business can support delegating them

What isn’t normal OR sustainable…
Building a business where you resent the people you’re supposed to be helping.

That’s not entrepreneurship
It’s a self-made prison that’s WORSE than a dead-end J.O.B

Why everything feels so “salesy” right now

I hear a lot of people complaining …
“everyone’s always trying to sell me something”

That’s especially true once the Black Friday sales start.

After talking with some of them, they’re just frustrated they bought things & expecting them to solve their problems.

News flash: everything does work … but …
not everything works for everybody
& when it does, it needs to be at the right time

Now put yourself in your prospect’s shoes.
They’re all hearing & experiencing the same thing you are
→ everyone has the “thing”
→ everyone has grand promises
→ everything’s a “bargain”

& while you believe you’re different
you’re not showing it

Because all they’re hearing is:
→ “Here’s my thing.”
→ “Here’s how it works.”
→ “Here’s why it’s a good deal.”

What they aren’t hearing is:
“I see you. I understand why this is hard.”

They’ve been “burned” the same way you have.
They’re tired of it … just like you are.

This is where burnout starts to sneak in

When the work isn’t fun
& you’re dealing with “nightmare clients”
it starts to feel like you’re building a cage instead of a business.

Cue the burnout.

the vegan that worked for a dairy farm…
she burned out & gave up

a few years ago, I burned out too
I focused on the wrong things…
& even though I was paid very well
ended up with bad nightmare clients…

eventually, my body forced me to pay attention
& bloodclots in my lungs were the wake-up call

The quiet truth about marketing

You don’t get freedom & flexibility by chasing tactics.

You get it by:
→ helping your people
→ in a way that actually feels good to you

Because you can’t truly connect with your prospects
if you don’t “get” them.

& you definitely can’t do that
when you’re focused on yourself.

They don’t care that you:
→ write blogs
→ build websites
→ design products
→ create campaigns

What’s in it for them?

Hint: it’s never the email, blog, website, or any other “thing”
It’s feeling understood

Everything I’ve shared keeps me coming back to the 2 questions most of us avoid …

1 - WHO do you want to serve?
2 - WHY?

Those are far more important than talking about
- what you do
- or how you do it.

When it’s the right people…

When you’re talking to the “right” prospects about WHY
You’re not trying to convince them of anything

You’re describing their challenges so clearly
They feel seen instead of sold to

& when that happens,
You’re not “pitching”
You’re helping

& even if they’re not your ideal client
Your passion shines through
Chances are they’ll not only know someone
They name-drop for you

That’s why results are better

It’s not magic.
It’s not clever psychological persuasion

When you work with the “right” people
You naturally do better work.
& you enjoy doing it

You ask better questions.
You notice things sooner.
You suggest smarter next steps.

You care.
You genuinely want to help them
As much (or more) than the paycheck.

That’s not selling more.
You’re serving better.

Scaling without burnout

When you choose your people first…

You don’t just get better results.
You get repeat results.

Clients stick around.
They trust your judgment.
They ask for help with the next thing & the next.

Over the past 3 months, I’ve had the same availability for mentoring.
But the quantity & quality of the calls has been improving.

I’ve been calling people out on no-shows & rescheduled calls a lot more than I used to. Some people appreciate it.
They legitimately either didn’t realize they were doing it.

Others didn’t.
There were lengthy emails with very-well detailed excuses for not showing up & not giving a heads up.
Week after week

When I stopped putting up with it
& started holding them more accountable for their actions, something shifted

The people who stayed started showing up differently
better prepared
more engaged

& they started seeing results in their business
while my results improved too

So take some time to think about
WHO you want to serve
& WHY

talk about THAT instead of your “thing”

Make it a great “year-end“ week!
EG

PS:

I’ve had several people ask about monetizing newsletters & websites … some have said they don’t want clients because they don’t like “selling”.

Hopefully this issue helps address some of that.
because even when your newsletter or website is “clientless” you still need to put it in front of your target audience

& they still need to read (& click)

But looking at money-making part, you don’t need to start “selling” ad space or reaching out to people individually.

beehiiv does a good job promoting that
& i probably spend as much time reading through every ad option as I do writing the content for it.

because it needs to be relevant to you …
or it needs to be structured in a way you can “reverse-engineer” & benefit from

& Google AdSense has started focusing on that too.

Because we all hate those recipe websites with 1,000,000 irrelevant pop-ups & 5-minute scrolls through the ads.

Banish bad ads for good

Google AdSense's Auto ads lets you designate ad-free zones, giving you full control over your site’s layout and ensuring a seamless experience for your visitors. You decide what matters to your users and maintain your site's aesthetic. Google AdSense helps you balance earning with user experience, making it the better way to earn.

Take control of your ads

Then there’s HubSpot who’s started to focus on letting AI be the “middle man”

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They’re all touching on the “I hate being sold to”
& they’re doing well with hitting your biggest pain points & benefits
The future pacing’s there too

Let me know if you want to learn more about copywriting & marketing by dissecting ads next year so you aren’t just learning, you’re seeing how it’s applied

PPS:
Every email is based on what you ask for … the more something’s asked for, the faster it finds its way to the top of the to-write-about pile
📣 Tell me what you want to read about … here

🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn … here

📈 Want to talk about better marketing results for your business by being yourself?
Find a time that fits your schedule.