It's been a while since I shared a behind-the-scenes update from Cheer Up Marketing HQ, and given we're past the mid-point of 2025, here we go!
This year has been… weird so far for my online marketing business. I've made less revenue than at this point last year, and I've had to make some big changes to my marketing services and how I'm selling them.
The good news is that my revenue is more consistent than it's ever been. But I can't help criticising myself because I think the figure should always be going up! The reality is that year-on-year business growth isn't always possible, especially if, like me, you run a part-time online business without a large team.
Navigating the 2025 Revenue Plateau
This revenue plateau conundrum has caused me some sleepless nights. I've been struggling to crack the code on what's going to work for my marketing business for the rest of 2025 and into 2026.
When business is good, I find it easy to switch off. When it's challenging, I just can't stop thinking about work until I've got a solution I'm happy with. I've even been thinking about digital marketing and sales strategies all night long whilst I'm asleep (yes, really!), then jotting down potential campaigns and plans the next morning.
The Challenge of Time and Shifting Strategies
Part of my struggle is a lack of time to implement marketing strategies. I can have all the great ideas, but I lack the luxury of time to test everything. I've had to choose very carefully which ideas to go forward with because, frankly, if I invest my time into something that doesn't work, I'm in a worse position than I was before!
My usual strategy is to look at what's worked well in the past and do that again. But that's not working so well right now. It seems 2025 business trends are a different beast to the 2020s that came before it.
I share this business review because if you've been running an online business for longer than two years, you're probably seeing new business challenges too. It's not just you!
June has seen an uplift in revenue, which is down to the marketing strategies I came up with in my sleep 😅. It's also down to some serious planning and action-taking, so I can give myself a pat on the back for making some changes that have paid off for my small business.
Wins from Early 2025 at Cheer Up Marketing
Here are some of the good things that have happened in 2025 for my business so far:
Most consistent revenue months in my business to date.
Passive income sales thanks to my hard work on my funnels – a great result for my online marketing efforts.
Taught marketing strategy to entrepreneurs at the University of Nottingham.
Regular co-working dates with my buddy Charelle.
School holidays filled with days out, friends, and family. I genuinely love school holidays, and this is down to my flexible online business – so grateful for that.
Enrolled my highest number of clients ever into Electric Email.
Annual pass retention rate for Spark subscribers exceeded my expectations.
I've loved working with every single client this year. Last year, I had a nightmare client that took over six months for me to recover from!
Found my mojo again after feeling flat at the end of 2024. Big thanks to Katie Cooper for her excellent mindset and business strategy coaching.
Saw my favourite band, Deftones, play in an incredible venue with my best friends.
Challenges & Tough Moments in My Business Journey
And here are some of the not-so-good, sad, or challenging moments from 2025 in my online marketing business so far:
I messed up by not saving enough for my corporation tax bill, which has stressed me out.
Some of my online marketing offers didn't sell as well as they used to!
I had an illness that made me hear my pulse in my ear for two weeks, which set off mild panic attacks, and I couldn't get to see a doctor. It's gone now.
My daughter still gets upset going into school some days, which makes me feel sad.
It feels like I've had to work harder for the money I'm making because I've had to try new marketing strategies, which is time-consuming.
Adam and I lost a friend too young.
My cat died.
I love reading small business updates like this, so I hope you enjoyed this 2025 mid-year business review too. I don't share a lot of my life on socials etc., and I forget that sometimes there are people in my audience who don't really know me as a person.
If you enjoyed this style of post and would like me to write more updates like this, leave a comment below!
You can read my 2024 Business Review in full here.
Here are some powerful questions you can use to carry out a business review of your own.