It never fails that when I start writing this blog each year, all the emotions from the past twelve months come rushing back like a perfectly timed wave. And this year? This year feels different. It feels like a transformation.
Over the last 2 months, we’ve accomplished more than the previous 10 months combined. And over the next couple of weeks, you’ll witness the rollout of FocusCopy 2.0, which excites me to no end. This version of FocusCopy feels right and exciting and all the positive adjectives you can imagine. But more than that, it feels intentional and impactful.
We have bigger but more specific goals. We restructured our offers. And we have intentionally placed strategy at the forefront of our process.
It’s been a wild ride this summer as we approached this date – August 15, 2025. So here is our annual letter to give you a deeper understanding of what we’ve learned and what we’re doing differently going forward.
Want to see the other lessons we’ve learned over the years?
Read Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5
The Year 6 Mindset
There’s something about simply deciding that you’re going to do it and be successful that changes the way you approach business entirely. With Year 5 being a doozy (hurricanes, family loss, and all), I had bigger hopes for Year 6. I was pregnant with my second child, business was growing steadily, and everything felt peachy…
Until the week I delivered my son.
All of a sudden (or at least it felt that way in the postpartum fog), almost every single “guaranteed” sale disappeared faster than my morning coffee. I had to make hard decisions as a business owner – ones that I spent days and nights crying over. Sometimes, being a business owner just sucks, and that’s the honest truth.
But what came out of that season was something beautiful.
As we enter Year 6, I’m more optimistic than ever that I’m building FocusCopy to be better and greater than it’s ever been. Every single day over the last couple of months has been filled with creativity, strategic thinking, dedication, and openness to new possibilities. My mindset as I lead FocusCopy in this next era is one of intentional strategy – no more crossing fingers and hoping for the best.
6 Lessons We Learned In Our Sixth Year In Business
As we launch FocusCopy 2.0, we don’t want to forget what brought us to this point of going back to the drawing board. Here are the 6 lessons we learned in our sixth year in business that fundamentally changed how we approach everything.
Turn your inbox into a source of marketing clarity.
Each edition brings you closer to copy that works as hard as you do – without the overwhelm.
1. Just Because You Hit Year 5 Doesn’t Mean You’ve Automatically Made It (Whatever That Means)
Last year, I wrote that we officially made it. HA!
The truth is, after Year 5, there doesn’t seem to be a big milestone number to look forward to at the same level. The survival statistics stop being as relevant, and you realize that “making it” isn’t a destination – it’s a moving target that requires constant recalibration.
So while we survived until Year 5, we weren’t exactly thriving. We were comfortable, sure. But comfort breeds complacency, and complacency is the enemy of growth. This realization hit me like a ton of bricks when those “guaranteed” clients vanished overnight. I learned that sustainable success isn’t about reaching a magic number – it’s about building systems that can weather any storm.
2. Sometimes, It’s Okay To Scrap The Plan & Rebuild (And It’s Actually Liberating)
While we had been following our original business plan from the get-go, it wasn’t going to take us where we actually wanted to be. In June 2025, we opened up a fresh Google Doc and started writing a completely new plan – what would eventually become FocusCopy 2.0.
At first, I felt like this was a massive setback. I had failed to write a good enough business plan from the beginning. But when I originally wrote that plan, I was 24 – living in a tiny apartment with my husband, zero children, and dreams bigger than my experience could support.
Today, my husband and I have 2 young children, 1 large dog, 1 house, and a whole host of other responsibilities to juggle daily. Life looks completely different. I’m different (and in my honest opinion, I’m a better woman, mother, and business owner for it).
So scrapping the plan and rebuilding from the ground up didn’t feel like failure anymore – it felt natural and necessary. If you’re in this spot right now, give yourself permission to go back to the drawing board. It’s actually a whole lot of fun stepping back into that entrepreneurial zone where anything feels possible again.
3. You Need To Be More In The Weeds About What Makes A Business Profitable
I used to joke that I’m not a numbers person, and honestly, I wore that like a badge of honor. But here’s the reality check: if you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, you need to become a numbers person. And more importantly, a person who genuinely loves understanding what those numbers are telling you.
Over the last couple of months, I’ve stopped looking at vanity metrics that didn’t matter – things like social media followers, email open rates, or how many discovery calls I booked. Instead, I’ve obsessed over the number that actually determines if we have a business or an expensive hobby: our profits.
If your business is not profitable, it’s not a sustainable business.
Ouch.
Believe me, I’m saying this more to myself than to you. But this shift in focus changed everything about how we structure our offers, price our services, and choose which opportunities to pursue. Every decision now gets filtered through one question: “Does this make us more profitable?”
4. Be Honest & Ask For Help (Even When It Hurts Your Pride)
Earlier this spring, when every single “guaranteed” sale evaporated, I found myself upside down financially. I was embarrassed, frustrated, and borderline depressed about the whole situation. I had failed, and I felt like I had to figure it out alone.
But my sweet husband went full Hulk mode on my behalf – sending countless texts, making phone calls, and setting up meeting after meeting for me to get the help I desperately needed. I had always sat comfortably in the camp of “I’m going to nurture and be the sweet and kind people pleaser.” But that approach wasn’t getting the results we needed to survive.
Andrew’s version made me tactically aggressive, more direct, and a million times more impactful in my communication. Instead of dancing around what I needed, I started asking for it directly. Instead of hoping for results, I started asking very specific requests.
Let me tell you, the results of those honest, direct conversations are exactly what started the development of FocusCopy 2.0. Sometimes, you need someone else to fight for you until you remember how to fight for yourself.
5. Keep Your Listening Ears On & Actually Listen (Don’t Just Wait For Your Turn To Talk)
During many of those difficult but necessary conversations, I kept hearing the same feedback over and over again:
“You need to build packages, not just custom work.”
“You’re more of a Copy Strategist than just a copywriter.”
“Be more direct in your messaging and sales process.”
Instead of hearing that I was marketing wrong or building my business unsuccessfully (which is what my bruised ego wanted to focus on), I actually started listening to what these trusted advisors were really saying:
“There’s an extreme amount of untapped value in FocusCopy’s process – show it clearly!”
“You couldn’t have gotten to this level of expertise without experiencing the last 5-6 years of client work and market changes.”
“Be confident; you have the experience, expertise, and authority to command attention and premium pricing.”
This feedback became the foundation for everything FocusCopy 2.0 represents. Sometimes, the medicine you need comes in the form of hard truths from people who care enough about your success to tell you what you need to hear.
6. Decide Every Single Day Is A Good Day (Even The Hard Ones)
Every day isn’t going to be an easy one, and most days definitely won’t go according to plan. But I’m a true believer that if you decide it’s going to be a good day, it somehow transforms into exactly that.
This mindset shift didn’t happen overnight, and I’m not suggesting toxic positivity here. Bad things still happen. Clients still disappear overnight. Kids still get sick at the worst possible moments. But when you approach each day with the expectation that something good will come from it, even if it’s just a lesson learned or a problem solved, you start looking for those good things instead of focusing on everything going wrong.
This daily decision became the fuel that powered every late night working on FocusCopy 2.0, every difficult conversation with potential partners, and every moment of doubt about whether we were on the right track.
Year 7, Here We Come!
FocusCopy 2.0 is officially rolling out, and I’ve never been more excited about what we’re building.
FocusCopy® is the Copy Strategist that Service Providers hire when they’re ready to stop watching revenue slip away because of their weak messaging. Every touchpoint in your business either makes you money or costs you money – there’s no neutral ground. Your prospects decide within seconds whether to engage or walk away. Without strategic copy systems, you’re gambling with every email, every web page, and every conversation.
Our team of copywriting strategists embeds with your business to build the messaging infrastructure that grows your revenue consistently. We don’t simply write pretty words – we develop strategic messaging systems specifically designed to convert your ideal clients. Our embedded approach means we understand your business deeply, anticipate your needs, and create copy infrastructure that scales with your growth.
When you partner with FocusCopy, you eliminate the #1 profit killer in most businesses: inconsistent messaging.
Since 2019, we’ve proven our systems work for over 150+ clients, and the results speak for themselves. But more than the numbers, we’ve learned that successful businesses aren’t built on luck or hope – they’re built on intentional systems that work whether you’re having a good day or fighting through a challenging season.
The next few weeks are going to be filled with exciting announcements, new offers, and behind-the-scenes insights into exactly how we’re restructuring everything to serve you better.
Want to be the first to know about every change we’re making and get exclusive access to the strategies that are transforming FocusCopy 2.0? Subscribe to our Copy Roast newsletter – because this is where we’ll be sharing all the details as they unfold.
Trust me, you won’t want to miss what’s coming next.
