I’m not going to beat around the bush and tell you that branding isn’t expensive. Because it is. It needs to be.

Your $10k months are none of my business.

Are $10k months nice? Sure! Are they something to aspire to? Go for it, if that's what you're wanting. Should it be a goal that you're only focused on? Probably not.

To be honest, I really do not care about how much money you make. The $10k month rhetoric can be damaging, but it can also be uplifting. It can be inspiring, but it can defeat others who aren't at that level (yet).

There's so much information out there for business owners — do this, do that. Don't do this and definitely don't do that! It's overwhelming and can be so daunting. As business owners, especially when you're on the cusp of something great, on the verge of your next major breakthrough, there's one thing that no one will tell you. It's also something that not a lot of business owners do, but they definitely SHOULD BE!

Trends are there to have fun with, experiment with and use just because. But only if they form a very small part of your brand and marketing strategy. While we love taking part in fun reels, trending visuals and content, we always know there is a time and place.

These last 6 months have been a major period of reflection for me and TGS, which means I'm tackling the next 6 with a plan and a clear head. With mid-year also comes the end of the financial year, so of course, it's the perfect time for a little goals refresh.

While I'll never truly know the exact reasons for losing followers (no posting consistently, not prioritising video, the algorithm, etc) it's most likely because that rapid increase of people following my account meant that they weren't actually engaged (or real) followers.

Instead of telling you all the things that you should be doing in your business, I'm going to share a few unrealistic expectations that have been put on me and TGS over the years and why we're no longer telling ourselves those stories, and why neither should you.