While many freelancers reported a "terrible" start to 2025...
Those who got on top of their marketing saw things turn around mid-year.
And still others, who've been marketing themselves all along, had a "banner" year - like my friend and Simplest Marketing Plan coach, Andy Brenits, of Brenits Creative.
Andy's celebrating a decade in of self-employment this year. And he's always looking for smart ways to streamline his marketing and workflow.
His "Year by The Numbers" post is filled with tips & insights you can borrow to use in your own business in 2026.
Here's an excerpt:
2300+
That’s the number of prompts, chats, and queries I ran through AI this year.
I leaned into AI in a more intentional way than ever before. Not because it’s the newest shiny toy to play with. Most of the tools I use already have AI baked in. This was the year I started building real workflows and systems around it. For my business. For client work. For thinking.
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and NotebookLM became part of how I explore ideas, pressure-test decisions, document my thinking, and move faster without rushing.
A Little Context
I last wrote my year-end recap in December 2019. It was, by all accounts, a good year. Then, in March 2020, everything shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While my business grew that year, due in part to a wave of new solopreneurs navigating layoffs, furloughs, and unexpected pivots, I knew many businesses were struggling. Writing a celebratory “by the numbers” post at the end of 2020 didn’t sit right with me, so I stopped.
2025 feels like the right time to bring it back. Though it was another banner year for me, I’m still hearing about small businesses struggling. My hope is that this is seen as nothing more than insight, perspective, and inspiration.
And so, encouraged by my business coach, Ilise Benun, and inspired by Deidre Rienzo’s long-running “By the Numbers” posts, I’m returning to this format with a fresh perspective. It won’t be another five years before I write the next one. I plan to do this again next December. Who knows, maybe there will even be a mid-year check-in.