End the Year Smart: Your Secret Weapon for a Profitable January
Phil Gee
As the Christmas chaos fades, I always make time for another crucial ritual: the year-end review.
That time between Christmas and New Year, when everything slows down, is gold dust. I use it to look back at the entire year, tally up every piece of new business we created, and genuinely give myself a pat on the back for the hard work.
It's a hugely motivating exercise—and one that always throws up surprises.
The Power of the Cold Hard Truth
You might think, "Ah, networking didn't work this year," or "I wasted too much time on that social platform." But when you actually sit down and trace every single client or prospect back to where they first found you—whether it was Google, a referral, an email, or that one awkward networking event—the truth often looks very different.
I’ve realised that sometimes, the marketing I felt didn't work, actually performed brilliantly. This exercise isn't just about feeling good; it’s about making sure I don't stop doing the things that quietly bring in money.
Your Secret Weapon: The Client Management System (CRM)
How do I do this efficiently? I rely completely on my Client Management System (CRM).
A CRM is just a clever tool that keeps track of every conversation, every client detail, and every potential sale in one central place. It acts as your business's memory.
The most important thing about a CRM is making sure you log where the enquiry came from—the source of the sale. This simple piece of information makes the entire year-end review easy, quick, and incredibly powerful. If you don't have one, setting up a CRM should be your first business resolution.
The January Springboard Strategy
Once the review is done, you know precisely where your best customers come from. This knowledge becomes your springboard:
- Stop Wasting Time: You immediately stop spending time on marketing that definitely doesn't work.
- Double Down: You invest more time and effort into the areas that delivered great results (e.g., specific networking groups or local search visibility).
- Instant Focus: You head into January already focused on proven strategies, giving you instant momentum and a huge head start on the competition.
Don't just watch the New Year unfold—use this quiet time to decode your success and build a truly profitable plan for the year ahead.
Ready to stop guessing and start knowing where your best customers come from?
Let's discuss how we can help you set up and integrate an easy-to-use Client Management System and analyse your business results, ensuring you make 2026 your most profitable year yet.
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Look, I've seen a lot of changes in the digital world since 2007. I was there for websites, social media, and everything in between. But I’m telling you straight: this AI shift is the biggest opportunity of our lifetime. You're seeing it, you're hearing about it, and you might even be scared by it. But while everyone else is debating or procrastinating, you need to be running. This is why you need to stop messing about and jump on the AI train now. 1. The War Is Already Here (White Collar Too!) People are losing their jobs right now, and this time, the AI is coming for the office work—the admin, the drafting, the repetition. Nobody cried when robots took over the most mundane tasks, but suddenly, when AI touches the manager's job, it's a problem. Here’s the punchline: Nobody owes you anything. This is business; it's war. You need to adjust, figure it out, and use this technology to protect your business. Don't waste time on excuses or silly ideologies. 2. You Are Sitting on a Gold Mine If you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur, or work in marketing or customer service, you are uncomfortably fortunate. You are in the sector that will taste the impact of AI first, hardest, and fastest. This gives you an incredible advantage. Why? Because you are already interacting with the tools and seeing what works in real life, not just in PowerPoint decks. You have the chance to be the loudest, most practical voice in your organisation, but only if you become a practitioner of these tools. 3. The Two Rules to Win: Tech Mastery and Deep Humanity To win the next 25 years, you have to go hard in two completely opposite places: Rule 1: Tech Mastery (The Hands). Don't be the architect who delegates; be the practitioner . I still write the copy for my own posts because you have to understand the tools deeply. Your knowledge of how to use the software is your biggest asset. Get your hands dirty now. Rule 2: Deep Humanity (The Heart). As the AI handles the mundane tasks that used to eat up your time, the human part becomes incredibly valuable. We need to scale the unscalable: genuine kindness, surprise and delight, emotional connection, and showing you truly care about your customer. This is the difference between a real connection and a cold, automated answer. 4. Speed is Your Only Moat While big corporations are still holding meetings about meetings, you, the small business owner, are already running. In business, speed beats scale every time. The window to gain an advantage is right now. The Ultimate Business Truth: Everything in business is bullsh*t except for two things: Your Team (most important) and Your Customer (everything else). Use AI to free up the time you spend on the busywork so you can focus 100% on serving your customers with humanity. The Brand Battle: As technology commoditises service and data, Brand is the ultimate moat . Build your personal brand and reputation now, because in a world where AI can automate everything else, the battle will be fought over who has the deepest, most trusted emotional connection with the customer. This Is Your Moment. This technology sits on the Mount Rushmore of human innovations. It is electricity; it is like when the plane was invented. You are in the right spot, but you have to squeeze this opportunity hard enough . Don't look back in five years with regret. Ready to build a strategy that combines Tech Mastery and Deep Humanity?
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I’m telling you straight: What’s happening with AI right now is the biggest opportunity we've seen since the internet first hit retail. I was there for the websites in '97, I was there for social media in '07, and I’m telling you, this is the one you absolutely cannot miss. Most people are still debating the concept, while the smart money is already running. This is the truth you need to understand: 1. You Are Uncomfortably Fortunate. If you are a small business owner, an entrepreneur, or anyone working in marketing or customer service, you are in the perfect spot . Your industry is the one that will be impacted first, hardest, and fastest by AI integration. Why? Because the tools are designed to streamline the very tasks you do every day. This means you have an unbelievable advantage if you choose to act now. You have the chance to be the loudest voice in your industry, simply because you’re a practitioner and you’re experiencing these tools in real life. 2. The Two Rules to Win: Hands and Heart You have to go hard in two completely opposite places—and this is the punchline: Rule 1: Go All-In on the Tool (The Hands). Do not be the manager who delegates AI; be the practitioner . You need to get your hands dirty with every single tool available. Your knowledge of how to actually use the software is your greatest asset. As technology makes things like writing copy a commodity, those who deeply understand the mechanics of the tools will be the ones who win the game. Humility is the pathway to success here—get stuck in and master the tech. Rule 2: Double Down on Humanity (The Heart). As the 'robot' part of your business grows, the 'human' part becomes uncomfortably valuable. The more we lean into AI for the mundane tasks, the more we need to scale the unscalable parts of business: genuine kindness, surprise and delight, emotional connection, and showing you truly care about your customer. This is the Flintstone mentality —it’s the human touch that AI simply cannot replicate, and that is where your market leverage lies. 3. Speed is Your Biggest Advantage. While big corporations are still holding long meetings about their 2026 AI strategy, you, the small business owner, are already running. In business, speed beats scale every time. The window to gain an advantage is right now, and it will not last. You must make the time, cut out the pointless admin, and prioritize mastering these tools. 4. Brand is the Ultimate Moat. As technology commoditises data and service delivery, the only thing that separates you from the competition is brand and reputation . When buying decisions become passive (e.g., an AI agent reorders deodorant for you), the battleground is set on who has built the deepest, most trusted, emotional connection. Build your personal brand now—it's your greatest protection for the future. This Is Your Moment. Do Not Live with Regret. You are sitting in the perfect moment in history. You have the opportunity to transform your business with unparalleled efficiency. Don't live with the regret of letting this moment pass you by. Ready to stop messing about and build the two-sided strategy—Tech Mastery and Deep Humanity—that will make your business unstoppable?
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Web apps aren't a brand new idea, but they've come a very long way! They have a great history of making business and technology more accessible for everyone, not just tech experts. The History: In the early days of the internet, websites were just static pages with information. Then, clever developers figured out how to make them interactive, so you could fill out forms or click a button to do something. These were the first web apps. They were all about giving people a better, more interactive online experience without having to download software. The Present: Today, with huge advances in technology, web apps are incredibly powerful. They can look and feel just like a traditional app you'd find in an app store, with fast loading times and smooth performance on any device. The key difference is that they are built with clever, flexible web technology, keeping them low-cost and easy to update. The Future: The future of web apps is all about getting even smarter and more personal. They're starting to use AI to help with things like creating content, organising tasks, and making personalised recommendations. This means that a web app can become a super-smart assistant for your business and your clients, doing more than ever before to help you succeed. For your business, this means you can have a cutting-edge, low-cost app that grows with you, always staying up-to-date and providing a professional service without the limitations of traditional apps.
Many people use the words "website" and "app" to mean the same thing, but for a business, the difference is very important. Understanding this can help you decide what you need to grow. A website is mainly for showing information . Think of it like an online brochure or a digital shop window. You go there to read about a business, see their products, and find their contact details. While it might have a contact form or a blog, its main job is to present content for you to look at. A web app , on the other hand, is a tool for doing things . It’s software you access through a web browser. The user actively interacts with it to get a task done. For example, a web app could be a secure client portal where your customers log in, a project management tool for your team, or a personalised planner for your coaching clients. It’s an interactive tool that performs a specific function for the user. A good way to think about it: A website is like a book you read. A web app is like a computer programme you use. For your business, a website is essential for being found, but a custom web app is what makes your business run smoother and helps you provide a better, more personalised service to your clients.
You’ve probably got dozens of apps on your phone or tablet, from your banking app to your favourite games. These are called traditional apps or native apps . They’re brilliant, but building one for a small business is often a massive, expensive project that takes a long time. Then, you have to convince people to go to an app store and download it, which is a big hurdle. This is where a web app is a game-changer. Think of a web app as a smart tool that lives on the internet, not on a person's phone. Your customers don't need to download anything; they just click a link, and it works perfectly in their web browser, whether they're on a computer, a tablet, or a phone. Why does this matter for your business? No App Store Hurdles: You avoid the huge costs, long waiting times, and strict rules of the app stores. Your web app can be built and launched much quicker. One App for Everyone: Instead of building a separate app for Apple and Android, a web app works for everyone on every device. It’s a single solution that reaches a much wider audience. Easy to Share: You can share your app with a simple link on social media or in an email, making it instantly accessible to your clients. For most small businesses, the aim is to solve a specific problem or streamline a process, and a web app is the fastest, most cost-effective way to do that. It gives you all the power of a professional tool without the app store fuss.