02/09/2026
If you’re plotting your autumn/winter 2026 marketing plan, please dear god, start by putting your annual leave into the plan FIRST.
You’re building a business because you have life goals and ambitions. You know what you want running a business to feel like, yet so often it ends up one big compromise.
I think that’s because we plan wrong.
We lead with the business outputs and tactical things instead of the end goal.
If your end goal is to be able to jump out of work so you can go to your kid’s Xmas plays, you need to plan for that.
If your end goal is to take annual leave every 3 months, you need to plan for that.
If your end goal is that you want to take Fridays off, you need to plan for that.
Because I don’t want you to get to the end of this year and feel like you’ve just missed out on living because of a marketing plan you set out to achieve.
Marketing is a tool. It’s a tool which helps you achieve your business goals.
And most of the time those business goals are actually about the live you want to live.
You need to make sure you’re planning with that life in mind, and it doesn’t become an after thought.
So, as you’re looking at your plans for the quarter ahead, I want you to start by plotting in your annual leave, afternoons off, coworking days - the things which you want to actually happen.
Then look at the time left and plot in your campaigns, events, networking, writing time.
