The saddest week of the year is almost over, and you can still turn it around.

People love making New Year’s resolutions just before the new year comes in.

Some gyms see 300–400% spikes in signups.
But the second week of January is also when most people realize they won’t go to the gym, stick to their diet, or write that book.

So my only ask of you this week: choose the smallest thing you can and go get it.
Make the second week one to remember instead of one to regret.

In today’s Storyletter:

For almost 13 years of running my marketing agency, Streetwise, we went through many phases, scaling our services, pricing, and the industries we ventured into.

For the longest time, I focused on getting clients before even vetting them. It was all about the next client through the door, the next deal, and making sure payroll was covered.

And it worked. With a price attached to it.

I was tired and exhausted, even as the team was growing.

I teach this lesson to my clients, and I think it’s one of the most important ones:

There is an endless number of clients.
We don’t need all the clients. We need the right ones.

So I stopped selling and started looking for the right clients.
Those who need my services, are willing to pay, put in the work, and understand the value of working with us.

While marketing people love using blue or red oceans as metaphors for competition, I think that’s the wrong thing to focus on.

One of my favorite clients probably has only 30–50 relevant potential clients a year, with fierce competition. They’re winning deals because we focus on value creation rather than selling at all costs.

And this comes down to one simple thing: connection.

Your marketing needs to be connected to your sales. Marketing should be relentless in creating content, opportunities, and enough value for the right people to show up at your doorstep.

Your sales team should look for mutual benefit and personal connection before pushing a sale no one actually needs.

Your sales team also needs to understand what the product offers, in plain English. Underpromise and overdeliver. But also know how to invite the client to be part of your journey, not just another vendor relationship.

Once we let go of the red ocean idea and understand it’s about how much bait we can put out there, we can grow. From a small fish to a white shark. It’s up to you.

The more content, budget, and exposure you have, the easier it becomes to choose and attract the right clients. Clients who will be happy to work with you and, more than that, will bring their friends along.

This week, I had a great catch-up call with Shivani, my dear friend from Australia.
We talked about life, our books, and creating more retreats for her clients.

She also reminded me of an episode we recorded together a while back.
Thought you might enjoy it.

The empty calendar era is over.

In 2024, I implemented an empty calendar policy, going with the flow and focusing on adapting to whatever came my way.

This week, following the previous one, was packed with meetings, ideation sessions, content creation, and pretty much everything I could fit in.

The main reason is the 2026 plan, going deep into my business storytelling services and product lines.

I’ve built this plan around a few assumptions:

Let’s talk services and products for a second.

What I plan to offer includes consulting, workshops, keynotes, book sales, online products, and specific sprint services.

To monetize this, there are two numbers I love talking about:

Every week, I collect things I enjoy online. This is my curated top three: playlists to work with, trailers, videos, or just fun stuff.

🎧 Music
This week’s Storyletter was written while listening to this indie playlist
👉 🎧 Listen

🎬 A Rave in the Desert – trailer
He went looking for his daughter in places he shouldn’t have
👉 🎬 View

🍿 The World Is Going to St**
“Please Don’t Die” says this trailer, and I like the concept
👉 🍿 View