Episode Summary:
Today I am sitting down with my good friend, go-to copywriter and fellow podcaster Emily Aborn to talk about all the noise around Marketing at the end of the year and why most of it simply doesn’t work for solo entrepreneurs. There is an incredible pressure to scale, the lure of shiny offers, and the shiesty marketing tactics that create fake urgency or play on guilt. Emily and I share personal stories of investments that didn’t deliver, the lessons we’ve learned, and how we now decide what’s worth our time and energy.
What I hope you take away from today's episode...
- You get to define success on your own terms, and growing really is optional.
- Not every offer, course, or campaign is meant for you right now (or ever).
- Fake urgency, false scarcity, and vague promises are red flags.
- Do an “energy audit” before you commit to anything new in the last few months of the year
- Ending the year in reflection mode can be more powerful than ending in push mode.
- It’s okay, healthy, even, to have seasons of slower pace in your business.
Links to the cool stuff mentioned in this episode...
Connect with Emily at https://emilyaborn.com
More from Emily with her Small Business Casual Podcast
The Megan Dahle Episode: Profit, Growth, and Intuition with Megan Dahle
When Slow Looks Scary… Episode
Links to connect with me...
Book a Consult HERE! (https://caffeinecreative.io/consult/)
Email me HERE! theperfectblendcaffeinecreative.io
Find me on Substack!
Detailed Show Notes
(automatically transcribed using AI Technology)
All right, welcome back to The Solo Grind. I’m so excited for today’s episode because I have a special guest with me, and I can’t wait to introduce her to you. I’ll quickly introduce myself and then bring her in.
I’m Teresa Schlup, the original Caffeine Creative. By day, I do website design and branding essentials, and for fun, I podcast. I’m not sure if that’s the right way to say it, but that’s what we’re going with today. Joining me is Emily Aborn, a copywriter, my go-to for my client projects, and the podcast host of Small Business Casual.
Welcome, Emily. I’m so glad to have you back on the show.
Emily Aborn:
Thank you! I’m delighted to be here and to be your go-to copywriter. We always have so much fun collaborating.
Teresa:
We really do. I’m so grateful to have you in my life, and I wanted you in this conversation because as we talk about finishing the year strong, there’s a lot of noise out there about how we’re “supposed” to do it. There’s advice flying around that just doesn’t move the needle for solo entrepreneurs. Honestly, some of it feels a little… shysty. And yes, I’m stealing your word.
So I thought we could share some of our own experiences—what hasn’t worked for us—and also offer up ideas that will help solo business owners wrap up the year without panic, stress, or overwhelm.
Emily:
I’m in. I’m all about helping people build the business they actually want, not the one the bro marketers are pushing. I just got an email yesterday from a copywriter who had invested $25,000 in a course or mastermind with the goal of scaling to a big agency. And she did it—it worked—but she hated it. She built this big team, couldn’t take vacations, was working more, and paying herself less.
It was a great reminder that for some people, that big agency dream is right, but for others—like me—it’s not. I want my mornings as much as I want my meetings. My business and life need to work together, not compete.
Teresa:
I get that. A few years ago, I had the same push to grow into an agency, and when I launched this podcast a year ago, I decided to undo all of it. It just wasn’t the right fit for me. You can be incredibly successful as a solo entrepreneur. We have to define success for ourselves instead of letting others define it for us.
Emily:
Exactly. And once you know what you want, it’s easier to spot those “shiny objects” that aren’t actually taking you in that direction. You can ask yourself if it’s a distraction or a real opportunity.
Teresa:
Right. For me, this time of year is always a mix of excitement for the new year and stress over whether I did enough. That’s when I’m most vulnerable to signing up for some software, course, or program.
Emily:
I’ve been there too. I’ve invested in courses thinking they’d double my prices or transform my business. Some added skills, but often they didn’t change my revenue. For example, I took an SEO course thinking it would skyrocket my rates. I do use the skills, but I didn’t go all in as an SEO-only copywriter, so it didn’t have the promised financial impact.
That’s why now, if I’m not already wanting the experience for its own sake, or already planning to expand in that area, it’s either a “not right now” or a “no.” Most of us already have enough skills—we don’t need more busy work.
Teresa:
Yes. If a course wants me to completely restructure my business in a way I wasn’t even considering, I walk away. But if I’ve already been thinking about that area, I’ll look closer.
Emily:
And it helps to remember that most of these offers will come around again. The urgency is often fake. That workshop “with only three seats left” might just be marketing. If you wait, you can decide more calmly.
Teresa:
I give myself a three-day rule. If I’m still thinking about it in three days, I’ll consider it. If I forget about it, it wasn’t worth it. I’ve signed up for things claiming “two spots left” only to find three people total in the group.
Emily:
Exactly. That false scarcity and fake urgency are everywhere. And then there’s the over-promising—claims like “this will 10x your revenue overnight.” If it sounds too good to be true, talk to someone who’s actually been through it.
Teresa:
Years ago, I worked with a coach who taught these tactics. She cared about her clients, but her business still crashed because of over-promising. It even led to lawsuits. That’s the danger of building your business on shaky, manipulative marketing.
Emily:
I also see vague marketing as a red flag. If you can’t tell exactly what you’re signing up for, that’s a problem. A good marketer can inspire possibility and still be clear and tangible about what you’ll get.
Teresa:
Yes—clear is kind. So before we talk about positive end-of-year strategies, let’s do a mindset check. Where are you at right now? Are you in growth mode or profit mode? You can’t chase both at the same time without exhausting yourself.
Emily:
I agree. And I like to do a “business audit” this time of year. I list everything—networking events, client work, marketing channels, projects, and personal life commitments. That way I can see exactly what I have capacity for.
Teresa:
That’s so smart. I do something similar, but I’m also like you—I want to end the year softer, in preparation mode instead of promotion mode. I reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what I want more of next year.
Emily:
Yes, because when you give yourself that space, you get to work on the ideas you’ve been putting off. And that’s how you stay aligned with your values instead of getting pulled into noisy tactics.
Teresa:
Exactly. And as business owners, we need to give ourselves permission to slow down. You don’t have to grow, scale, or push for massive income in the last quarter. You can choose stability and grace.
Emily:
Absolutely. And that’s a perfect note to end on—get clear on what you want your business to look like and use that as your filter for every decision.
Teresa:
I love it. Emily, thank you so much for being here. For anyone who wants to connect with Emily, visit EmilyAborn.com. I’ll link everything in the show notes. She’s my go-to copywriter for a reason.
