Hey Reader,

If I was sitting here at the end of August with a business that looks successful from the outside but still feels like I'm pushing a boulder uphill every single day, making decent money but constantly wondering if I'm doing the right things or just keeping busy. here's exactly what I'd be doing this week:

1. Pull your past client data like a proper detective

I'd export every single Stripe transaction from the last 12 months and go client by client, purchase by purchase. Not just what they bought, but who they are. Did we have conversations in the DMs? Do they reply to my emails? Where did they originally find me? Have they bought multiple things or just the one?

I'd be looking for patterns I've been too busy to notice. The clients who engage vs the ones who ghost. The ones who buy once vs the ones who keep coming back. The traffic sources that actually convert vs the ones that just look pretty in my analytics.

I'd make a proper hit list. Not for some massive launch campaign, but for genuine reconnection. These are people who already trusted me enough to pay me once. September conversations with past clients often reveal the biggest opportunities sitting right under your nose.

2. Sense-check with people you trust

Not the ones trying to sell me their £10k mastermind, but the business owners who'll give it to me straight. I'd ask: Has this year felt different for you? What's actually been working? Are you seeing the same patterns I am?

3. Talk to people who are thriving

I'd make a list of 3-5 people who genuinely seem to be doing well, not just posting about it, but actually doing the work, and I'd reach out for a genuine exchange. Even just a voice note swap or a quick Loom. Not to copy their strategy but to understand what they're seeing in their business that I might be missing in mine.

4. Refine who you actually want to work with

If I was thinking about getting clearer on who lights me up vs who drains my energy going into Q4, I'd write down four proper questions I wish I could ask them. Not surface-level stuff, but the real questions about their challenges, their goals, what keeps them up at night.

Then I'd actually reach out and ask those questions. Because I guarantee you already have something sitting in your Google Drive or your brain that could solve their exact problem. You just haven't connected the dots yet because you've been too busy delivering to step back and see the bigger picture.

5. Make a plan and stick to it

Not a rebrand. Not a new funnel. Just one core offer, one clear message, and a way of showing up that actually works for you.

And here's the crucial bit...I'd stick to it. No tweaking halfway through. No deleting posts because they didn't get enough likes. No burning it all down because I had a wobble on a Tuesday.

Just 90 days of showing up as the solution my people are actually looking for.

The thing is, when you're in the thick of running a business that's already working, it's nearly impossible to see these patterns yourself. You're too close to it. You need someone else's brain on your numbers, someone who can spot what you're missing because they're not living it every day.

Which is why I'm running VIP 1:1 Strategy Half Days in Manchester, Birmingham, and London this autumn. We'll dig through your actual data together, not some generic framework, but your specific business, and I'll show you exactly where the opportunities are hiding.

You'll leave with a clear 90-day action plan that makes your business feel lighter, not harder. The kind of plan that actually makes sense for where you are right now, not where some guru thinks you should be.

Not sure if a Strategy Half Day is the right fit? Reply and I'll send you my very official Google doc with all the deets.

£1800 + VAT. Proper lunch and 3 x 45 minute follow ups included. Maybe even a cocktail if you can stand it.

Anyway, try these 5 things but if you can only do one - make it point 5. Then come back in December and tell me it didn't change everything.

Z x