From the blog.
Written by me, in plain English, for busy people who run real businesses. Every post should leave you thinking: "That made sense. I know what to do now."
I Don't Care Which Marketing Strategy You Use. Just Pick One and Stick With It.
The perfect marketing strategy you keep swapping will always lose to an ordinary one you stick with. Here's why we keep switching, and how to stop.
19 October 2026 · 5 min readRead it
Marketing Will Never Be Easy (But You Can Make It a LOT Easier)
Marketing will never be easy, but it can be a lot easier. See the picture on the lid, get the foundations right, then build one system at a time, in order.
12 October 20266 min read
I Was Letting AI Run My Business (Here's What I Changed)
AI made it easy to build more and more, until my business was a pile of half-finished bits. Here's how I stripped it back and put myself back in charge.
5 October 20264 min read
Do you actually need a new website? An honest checklist
Five honest questions to tell you whether to rebuild your website, patch it up, or leave it alone and fix the thing that's actually costing you the work.
24 June 20263 min read
What Should a Website Actually Cost? (What You're Really Paying For)
Ask five people what a website costs and you'll get five wildly different numbers. Here's what actually drives the price, and the questions that expose a quote.
17 June 20264 min read
The First Business to Reply Usually Wins the Job
Speed beats polish, price and even reviews when it comes to enquiries. Here's how to be the first to reply without living in your inbox or on your phone.
10 June 20263 min read
The 30-Minute Google Business Profile Tune-Up
Six quick jobs, five minutes each, to get your Google Business Profile running properly. A practical half hour that helps more locals find you and ring you.
27 May 20264 min read
Local SEO for Service Businesses (The Plain English Version)
Local SEO sounds technical, but most of it is common sense. Five things you can sort yourself so people in your area find you when they search on Google.
21 May 20264 min read
One Piece of Content, Five Different Posts (How to Stop Starting From Scratch Every Time)
You don't need more ideas, you need to get more out of the ones you've already got. Here's how to turn one blog post into five social posts for your week.
21 May 20263 min read
Your About Page Is Probably All About You (And That's the Problem)
Most About pages read like a CV, and nobody reads a CV for fun. Here's what yours should say instead if you want it to turn visitors into real enquiries.
21 May 20263 min read
Your Google Business Profile Is Free. So Why Are You Ignoring It?
Your Google Business Profile is where local customers decide who to ring. Here's why it matters more than most of your marketing, and why so many leave it.
21 May 20263 min read
Your Thank You Page Is the Most Wasted Page on Your Website
Someone just filled in your form and they're interested. Then your Thank You page says "we'll be in touch" and nothing else. Here's what to put there instead.
21 May 20262 min read
The picture on the lid: why strategy beats tactics every time
You're not bad at marketing, you're doing a jigsaw with no picture on the box. What strategy actually means, in plain English, and how to find your own.
13 May 20263 min read
Why I Don't Do Long-Term Contracts (And Never Will)
Twelve-month marketing contracts protect one side, and it isn't yours. Why I earn my keep month by month, and what to check before you sign anything new.
29 April 20263 min read
Why I'm Moving My Clients Away From WordPress (And What I'm Using Instead)
I've built more WordPress sites than I can count, but for most service businesses it's not the right tool any more. My honest reasons, and what to check.
30 March 20266 min read
Half-Built Bridges (And Why Your Marketing Isn't Working)
Most businesses aren't short of marketing, they're short of finished marketing. Why half-built bridges hold you back, and how to pick one and finish it.
20 March 20265 min read
Version One ALWAYS Beats Version None
Stop waiting for perfect. A version one website, freebie or welcome email that's live and working beats the perfect one still in your head, every time.
20 March 20265 min read
Your Messaging Is Your Foundation (Get It Wrong and Nothing Else Works)
You can have the best marketing plan in the world, but if your message is muddled, none of it lands. Here's how to say what you do so people get it fast.
20 March 20265 min read
Why Your Marketing Feels Broken (And What to Do About It)
You're not bad at marketing. Nobody showed you how it all fits together. Why your marketing feels broken, and the one thing that makes it feel manageable.
19 March 20265 min read
The 12 Week Year: Book Review
My review of The 12 Week Year. Why planning in 12 weeks instead of 12 months gave me the urgency I was missing, and the one idea from it I use every week.
9 March 20265 min read
The Go-Giver: Book Review
One of my favourite books, and one I think every business owner should read, because it's all about connecting with your customers on a much deeper level.
9 March 20262 min read
What Disney Can Teach Us About Marketing
I didn't want to go to Disneyland Paris. I came home with a list of marketing lessons for your service business, from storytelling to the Mickey pizzas.
9 March 20265 min read
Your Social Media Following Isn't Yours
Your followers live on someone else's platform, and the rules can change overnight. Here's why your email list is the bit of your marketing you actually own.
4 March 20264 min read
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