What I’m taking into 2026, and what I’m not

If the Christmas season feels like it’s dragging on, you should try living in Spain.

Here, the Three Kings roll into town with parades on 5 January, and the main gift day on the 6th. Talk about stretching it out.

Talking of stretching things, if I eat another polvorón or mantecado, my new wetsuit will be getting chopped in for an XL.

Anyway, back to the waves before Jules comes home (see below)...

So, with the year winding down, I’ve been thinking about one simple business question:

What are you taking with you into 2026, and what are you leaving behind?

Here are mine...

Taking with me:

1. Clarity over complexity
   One clear offer, one clear journey, one clear next step.

2. Friction removal as a growth lever
   Fewer clicks, fewer links, fewer dead ends. Make buying easy.

3. Human follow-up
   Replying to comments, DMs, emails, and enquiries properly. Trust is built in the reply.

4. Compounding systems
   UTMs, tags, clean automations, consistent onboarding. Boring, but it scales.

5. Proof over posting
   More case studies, screenshots, outcomes, testimonials, before and after. Less noise.

6. Calendar-driven marketing
   Plan launches and campaigns like a grown-up business, not a panic sprint.

7. Focus on one main metric
   Pick the metric that matters (leads, calls booked, conversion rate, churn) and keep score weekly.

8. Build for retention, not just acquisition
   Better onboarding, better community prompts, better renewal reasons.

9. Audience conversations as research
   Use 1:1 calls, replies, surveys, and comments to shape messaging and offers.

10. A single “signature” customer journey
    Opt-in → nurture → offer → checkout → onboarding → result.

Leaving behind:

1. The “more content will fix it” belief
   If the funnel leaks, posting more just feeds the leak.

2. Half-finished builds
   Draft pages, broken links, confusing checkout, messy tags. Finish beats start.

3. Ghosting and slow replies
   Not replying costs trust. People remember how you made it feel to engage.

4. Too many offers
   Choice kills conversion. Simplify the menu.

5. Vanity metrics
   Likes and views without leads, calls, sales, renewals.

6. Random acts of marketing
   Posting when you remember. Launching when you panic.

7. Tech debt in Kajabi
   Old automations, duplicate tags, outdated pages, unclear access rules.

8. Discount-led selling
   Attracts the wrong buyers and trains people to wait.

9. Perfection before publishing
   Get it live, then improve it. Version one wins.

10. Blaming the algorithm
    Not denying it exists, but I’m building owned attention, not rented reach.

What about you? Hit reply and let me know.

Stop adding stuff. Start stopping churn.

If you have (or are planning) a coaching business and a membership, churn is the one number that decides how calm or chaotic 2026 will feel.

Churn is partly inevitable, yes. People move on. Budgets change. Life happens.

But a chunk of churn is optional. It happens because members join, love the vibe, then get lost.

• No clear “start here”

• No success path

• Too much content, not enough direction

• They do week one, then disappear

• You only notice when the cancellation email lands

Also, it costs more to replace a member than to keep one. Studies often cite that acquiring a new customer can cost around 5 to 7 times more than retaining an existing one.

So if you’re going to focus on one thing in 2026, focus on why people leave.

Not with more bells and whistles. With clarity.

The 3-step churn stopper (do this in January)

1. Ask leavers one question
   “What was missing, or unclear, that would have made you stay?”
   A short form with one field - make it easy for them to answer.

2. Build a simple success path for new and existing members
   In plain English:

• Start here

• Do this first

• Do this next

• Come back here weekly

3. Add one re-engagement moment
   Before month-end, message the quiet members:
   “Where are you stuck right now, and what would help this week?”
   You’ll be surprised how many stay just because you noticed.

Retention is not glamorous, but it’s where the money and momentum live.

Our Kajabi Life: The boss is coming home.

After freezing her behind off for 3 weeks, Jules arrrives back in Spain next week. 

So it's time to get the place shipshape and my ducks (and geese) in a row.

I’ve been home, properly “de Rodríguez”, as the Spanish say. And let’s be honest, when you’re on your own, standards slip.

Not in an “animals live here” way. More in a “how did I end up with three mugs on my desk and a to-do list held together by hope” way.

So this week is "Operation Mop" (if I can find it).

Which brings me to the business point.

When you’re running solo, things can go the same way as the house:

Little piles of dust appear. A few “temporary” fixes stick around. You add one more step to the customer journey because it seems valuable. Before you know it, everything just about works, but it’s not clean for you or them.

Not because you can’t handle it, but because often you can’t see your own blind spots when you’re in it every day.

Sometimes the best “new year strategy” is getting someone sharp to look at your business with you, spot what you’ve stopped noticing, and help you get it shipshape before the year takes over.

Same business. Same offer. Just cleaner, clearer and easier to run.

If I can help with that, you can book a 1-hour Strategy Call with me here...

Full steam ahead for 2026.

And Finally...

A Happy New Year to you from us both.

2025 was a fantastic year working with our amazing clients. Here's to another year of growth, exciting times and fun along the way.

Andy & Jules 🎄