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Happy New Year, friends.

There’s something about January first that always makes me want to believe things can be different.

Not in a “new year, new me” way. More like… a clean slate. A chance to look at what didn’t work and ask, “What if I tried something else?”

And I’ve been thinking a lot about what that means for creative entrepreneurs, service providers, people like us who are building businesses.

Because here’s what I keep hearing as we rolled into the new year:

People are tired. Stuck. Wondering if this is just how business is supposed to feel — hard, isolating, like you’re constantly pushing a boulder uphill by yourself.

What if it doesn’t have to be that way?

What if 2026 could be the year you stopped building the way you’ve always built?

What if this was the year you tried collaboration instead of competition? Community instead of constant Googling? Support instead of the solo grind?

I’m not talking about resolutions. I’m talking about a fundamental shift in how you approach your business.

Because I’ve watched what happens when people make that shift. And it changes everything.

What Hasn’t Been Working

Let’s be honest about what hasn’t been working.

A lot of us end the year feeling like we should be further along than we are.

You worked hard. You showed up consistently. You tried new strategies. You invested in courses and tools.

And yet… you’re still stuck at the same revenue level. Still feeling overwhelmed. Still wondering why it feels so hard.

The story you might be telling yourself: “I’m not doing enough. I need to work harder. I need to figure out what I’m missing.”

But what if that’s not the problem?

What if the problem isn’t that you’re not working hard enough?

What if the problem is that you’re trying to build something that’s really, really hard to build alone?

Think about it.

You’re trying to be:

• The strategist
• The marketer
• The salesperson
• The client manager
• The tech support
• The content creator
• The bookkeeper

You’re Googling everything. Figuring out every platform. Troubleshooting every tech issue. Making every decision by yourself.

And when something doesn’t work, you have nobody to ask. So you assume it’s your fault.

When you hit a plateau, you don’t have anyone to help you see what you’re missing. So you just keep pushing harder.

When you feel burned out, you don’t have anyone to tell you it’s okay to slow down. So you just keep going until you crash.

That’s what hasn’t been working. Not your capability. Not your work ethic. Not your talent.

The model. The solo grind. The belief that you have to figure it all out yourself.

The Question That Changes Everything

What if you didn’t have to do it alone this year?

What if you had people in your corner who actually understood what you’re building?

People you could ask when you’re stuck. People who would refer clients to you. People you could collaborate with instead of compete against.

What would your business look like?

More importantly — what would your life look like?

What Happens When You Stop Building Alone

Here’s what I’ve seen happen when people stop building alone:

They Get Unstuck Fast

Those problems that kept them spinning for weeks? Solved in a conversation.

That decision they were agonizing over? Clarified by someone who’d been there before.

That tech issue that made them want to throw their laptop? Fixed by someone who knew exactly what to do.

When you have people to ask, you stop wasting time on things other people have already figured out.

They Grow Faster

Not because they’re working more hours. Because they’re leveraging other people’s networks, expertise, and resources.

They’re:

• Getting referrals
• Collaborating on bigger projects
• Learning strategies they never would have thought of on their own

Their growth isn’t limited by their own capacity anymore. It’s multiplied by their community.

They Feel More Confident

When you share what you’re working on and people say, “That’s really smart” or “Have you thought about this angle?” — you realize your ideas have value.

When you hit a setback and someone says, “Yeah, that happened to me too. Here’s what I learned” — you realize failure isn’t personal. It’s just data.

When you’re surrounded by people who are building what you’re building, you stop feeling like you’re the only one who doesn’t have it figured out.

They Actually Enjoy Their Business Again

Building with other people is fun.

You’re not just grinding alone in your office. You’re having conversations. You’re celebrating wins together. You’re problem-solving as a team.

Your business stops feeling like something you have to survive and starts feeling like something you actually want to do.

What’s Possible for You in 2026

I think this year, you could:

✓ Land three of your best clients through referrals from people who actually understand the value of what you do

✓ Launch an offer that sells because you had people giving you feedback, helping you refine your messaging, and supporting you through the whole process

✓ Solve problems in days instead of weeks because you have people to ask who’ve already been there

✓ Collaborate on projects that are bigger and better than anything you could do alone, and actually make more money while working fewer hours

✓ Hit revenue goals you’ve been stuck on for years because you’re not limited by your own capacity anymore

✓ Actually enjoy building your business because you’re not doing it in isolation

That’s what’s possible when you build differently.

Not someday. This year.

“But I Don’t Have Time to Build Relationships”

I hear this a lot. And I get it.

But here’s what I want you to consider: you don’t have time NOT to build relationships.

Right now, you’re spending hours — maybe days — figuring things out that someone else could help you solve in minutes.

You’re turning down opportunities because you’re at capacity and you don’t have anyone to refer them to.

You’re stuck in your own head, making decisions in a vacuum, second-guessing everything.

That’s costing you time. Money. Momentum.

Building relationships isn’t something extra you add on top of everything else. It’s the thing that makes everything else easier.

What I Saw Happen in 2025

Let me tell you what I watched happen with people who made this shift:

A strategist went from scrambling for clients to having a consistent pipeline of referrals — all because she built relationships with people who were serving the same audience.

A designer broke through her revenue ceiling by collaborating with other service providers on bigger projects instead of trying to do everything herself.

A course creator finally launched successfully after getting feedback and support from people who’d been exactly where she was.

An OBM built a business she actually enjoys instead of one that drains her — because she stopped trying to figure everything out alone.

None of them worked harder. They just stopped building alone.

And 2026 can be that year for you too.

What Building Differently Actually Looks Like

It’s not complicated. It’s not some huge shift that requires you to blow up your whole business.

It’s:

• Showing up in spaces where other people are building what you’re building
• Asking for help when you’re stuck instead of Googling for three hours
• Offering to help someone else when you see they’re struggling with something you’ve figured out
• Saying yes to collaboration instead of trying to do everything yourself
• Referring clients to people you trust when something’s not the right fit for you
• Being honest about what’s not working instead of pretending you have it all figured out
• Investing in relationships, not just courses and tools

That’s it. That’s building differently.

And when you do that consistently? Everything changes.

The Power of Deciding

You know what I love about January first?

It’s not actually magical. The date doesn’t matter.

But there’s something powerful about deciding that this year is going to be different.

Not because you’re going to work harder or hustle more or finally get your act together.

But because you’re going to try a different approach.

You’re going to stop believing that you have to do it alone.

You’re going to start building with people instead of in isolation.

And that decision? That’s the thing that’s going to change your business this year.

What Would Your 2026 Look Like?

Ask yourself:

What would your 2026 look like if you built differently?

If you had:

• People in your corner who actually understood what you’re trying to create
• The ability to ask for help without feeling like you’re not good enough
• A consistent source of referrals instead of constantly trying to find new clients
• Opportunities to collaborate on bigger projects instead of being limited by your own capacity
• Support instead of isolation
• A business you actually enjoyed building instead of just trying to survive

What would be different?

I’m not asking you to imagine some far-off future. I’m asking you to imagine what this year could be.

The People Who Thrive

Here’s what I know to be true after watching hundreds of creative entrepreneurs build their businesses:

The people who thrive aren’t the ones with:

• The best ideas
• The most talent
• The biggest following

They’re the ones who stopped trying to do it alone.

They’re the ones who:

• Built networks
• Invested in relationships
• Collaborated instead of competed
• Realized that asking for help isn’t weakness — it’s strategy

And they’re the ones building businesses that are sustainable, profitable, and actually enjoyable.

That could be you this year.

Not because you’re going to work harder. But because you’re going to build smarter.

Your Move

2026 doesn’t have to look like 2025.

You don’t have to keep doing the same things and hoping for different results.

You don’t have to keep building alone, wondering why it feels so hard.

This could be the year you build differently. The year you find your people. The year you stop grinding solo and start collaborating.

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Ready to build differently in 2026?

Join us in coCreator Society, where creative entrepreneurs, strategists, OBMs, designers, and community pros are building smarter, not harder.

Ask questions and get real answers. Get referrals naturally. Experience collaboration that beats competition every single time.

We’re kicking off a sprint this month, but the sprint is just the beginning. The real value is the community. The relationships. The support. The network you’re building that will serve you all year long.

→ Learn more and join coCreator Society

What if this was the year you built your business differently?

Not alone. Not isolated. Not grinding yourself into the ground.

But with people. With support. With collaboration at the core.

That’s what I want for you in 2026.

Happy New Year. Let’s make it a good one.