The Savvy CMO

10/24/2026

October is when many businesses start to feel the year-end rush. Deadlines stack up, planning for next year starts, and the urge to do more often wins over the need to think. This month’s issue is about the opposite: why stepping back on purpose can make you more effective, not less.

The idea: rest is a planning tool
Marketing decisions made in a rush tend to be reactive. You launch a campaign because a competitor did, post because the calendar says so, or chase a number because it’s the end of the quarter. Those choices cost money and attention, and they rarely build anything lasting.

A deliberate pause gives you room to ask better questions. What did this quarter actually produce? Which activities are still earning their place? What would we stop doing if we had to choose?

I wrote about this in more depth in [link to “The Pause: Why Slowing Down Is Your Smartest Business Strategy This Fall”]. The short version: slowing down isn’t the opposite of growth. It’s often what makes growth sustainable. https://www.thesavvycmo.com/post/the-pause-why-slowing-down-is-your-smartest-business-strategy-this-fall

This month’s seed
In the RREV Growth Ecosystem, Values comes after Revenue, Relationships, and Ethics because it’s the test that everything else must pass. Before you commit to a new initiative, ask whether it reflects what you stand for. If the answer is unclear, the initiative probably needs more thought, not more effort.

Try this before November
Block 45 minutes on your calendar this week. Write down three things you’d keep doing into next year, and three you’d stop. Share the list with one person on your team, or keep it as your own reference for the planning season ahead.

Reader question
“How do I take time off without falling behind?”

The honest answer is that you usually fall behind on the things that were never urgent. Protecting planning time, delegating one recurring task, and setting a clear end point for busy seasons makes space without pausing the work entirely. If this is on your mind, reply and tell me what your busiest month looks like. I may use your question in a future issue, anonymously.

Coming up in November
We’ll look at planning your next year in one hour, with a simple worksheet you can use before the holidays.

If your year-end is already full and you’d like a second set of eyes on priorities, you can book a discovery call.

With gratitude,
Michelle Silva

The connection between fall's natural rhythm and the need for intentional pausing in business is perfect - especially as we head into the end-of-year chaos that so many business women experience.

06/29/2026

I found an old business card this week. The business name and info are long gone. My old tagline never left.

Be seen. Be heard. Be remembered.
I printed that card around 2010, back when I went by Michelle Ulrich. And yes, that’s Larry in the corner. If you know, you know.

And speaking of those days. Anyone else remember the SacTweetups? We’d roll into a new restaurant almost flash mob style, order food and the signature drinks, and tweet about the whole experience. We were giving love to local spots and making friends at the same time.
Honestly, we were doing influencer marketing before anyone had a name for it. Some of the people I met around those tables are still my friends 15+ years later.

I’ve been doing this work since 2003. Whether in my own business, with clients around the world, or inside global organizations and local businesses, it’s all the same. Finding the nuances and stories that bring a client’s vision and voice to life.

The business has a new-ish name now, just over two years old. The heart of it hasn’t changed. Different industries, different seasons of my life, different versions of the internet.

Because here are the compliments I still chase. Not metrics. Moments where I’m fully in my element like, building an entirely new brand for someone, and they look at the work and say, “Wow, these look great, they exceeded my expectations, and I’m going to refer you to people I know.”

Or during a recent conversation with a client who told me I really brought my “A-game”.

These kinds of things happen again and again. Each time, I’m surprised, validated, and excited I nailed “it”!

All these years later, it still lands the same way. Helping my clients “Be seen. Be heard. And Be remembered.” is what it’s all about.

🗝️Some things are worth keeping. What’s one thing about your work that has stayed true, no matter how much around you has changed?

06/20/2026

Tomorrow is the summer solstice. The longest day of the year, and the moment the light quietly begins its retreat.

I always feel it before I understand it.

There's something about this time of year that makes me crave the coast. The cold fog, the sound of waves that don't care about your to-do list. Just salt air and the reminder that you are very small, and that is actually a relief.

We're halfway through 2026. And growth, real growth, rarely looks the way we expect it to.

Sometimes it's a bold win you can point to. A number, a client, a moment where you think, okay, I built that. But more often it's quieter than that. A conversation that shifted something. A boundary you finally held. A decision you made from your values instead of your fear. Those micro moments stack. They compound. And one day you look back and realize the foundation under you is stronger than you knew.

That's what this season asks of me. To slow down enough to notice what's actually changed. Not just in my business but in me.

The solstice doesn't announce itself. The light just peaks, and then, almost imperceptibly, begins to soften. Nature models the kind of change I want to live. Gradual. Rooted. Honest.

I'm still learning to trust that quiet.

What small shift have you made this year that you haven't given yourself credit for yet?

06/04/2026

Work isn’t all there is in life…

My dog recently participated in a boarded training program for 30-days. Here we are reunited in this photo. We’re both incredibly happy together again. We’re back to our morning and evening walks in the neighborhood. My heart is happy! 🥰🐶🐾

Getting away from my desk several times a day gives my mind the mental breaks, gives me time to chat with neighbors, check out my neighbor’s beautiful landscapes, and get my body moving.

My client and philanthropy work is more thoughtful and I feel more engaged when I sit back down to tackle the next project or task.

I’m grateful for my dog for so many reasons. ❤️

04/22/2026

Growth shouldn't cost the earth or your values. 🌍

We partner with leaders committed to building something that lasts, because profit with purpose is the only way to build a legacy.

Book a call with Michelle. Link in bio.

04/21/2026

Innovation = Authenticity. 💡
We believe in questioning business as usual and building brands that stand for something bigger than a transaction.

Learn more about our values-driven approach. Link in bio.