November 5, 2025 • 26 mins
We break down a practical framework to move from hustle to strategy, with five pillars, a weekly blueprint, and a 90-day plan creators can actually use. Along the way, we track market shifts, share Alex’s burnout-to-breakthrough story, and give you tools to measure what matters.
• why planning beats improvisation in a fast market
• five pillars: vision, audience, offers, go-to-market, operations
• audience research and trend mapping for 2025
• designing an offer stack and pricing for value
• simple funnels and channel focus for 90 days
• systems, automation, outsourcing, and metrics
• agility with clear pivot triggers
• content calendar tied to funnel stages
• repurposing and diversified revenue streams
• Alex’s case study: burnout to focused growth
• weekly blueprint for a one-page strategy and dashboard
If you love today’s episode, please share it with a fellow creator who’s building. Drop a review, join the conversation at Not Just Candle Talk, and let me know what your one-page strategy looks like. In the show notes of this episode, I’m going to have a downloadable PDF workbook absolutely free. You can get it on the Linktree app: linktree slash not just candle talk
Collect all free downloadable checklist and access to other items https://linktr.ee/thecreatorcomebacknetwork
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:21):
Welcome back to Not Just Candle Talk, the podcast
where creators, entrepreneurs,and small business builders get
real about the hustle, thestrategy, the win, and of
course, the mess.
I'm Tony, and today we're goingdeep on strategic business
(00:43):
planning.
Not the boardroom jargon, butthe stuff you can actually use
to scale, pivot, survive, andthrive for the rest of this year
and going into the next year.
Because here's the thing, right?
You're not just building a sidehustle.
We're not doing that anymore.
(01:03):
You're building a business.
Your creativity is your fuel,but your plan is what turns it
into a sustainable machine.
And especially now, right?
With so many things happening intechnology, uh in content, how
time I'm sorry, how content getsconsumed, and and how
(01:28):
entrepreneurship actually looks.
So if you don't have a plan,you're handing your future to
chance.
A real uh quick snapshot ofwhat's coming up on this
episode.
We're gonna cover why planningmatters.
We're gonna uh get into the fivepillars of a killer strategic
(01:50):
plan and also how to implementit in your creativity and your
entrepreneur uh journey.
Um, we're gonna get into somecurrent events and what they're
telling us, and I'll leave youwith a blueprint you can use
right now.
(02:11):
So if you will, grab yournotebook, open your mind, and
let's get into it.
First, why are we even talkingabout planning?
Okay, because too many creatorsand entrepreneurs go into
execution mode without everstopping to map the territory,
(02:34):
they treat strategy like aone-time thing.
Uh they'll say things like, I'llfigure it, figure it out as I
go, but that's kind of risky.
So here are three urgent uhreasons now is the moment for
strategy.
Number one, Vatility is high.
(03:00):
For starters, AI adoption isexploding.
We all know that.
According to recent data, theglobal AI market is valued at
around 391 billion and projectedto grow nearly fold by 2033.
(03:20):
And what that means is theecosystem you operate in, things
like content creation,monetization, and digital
products is shifting underneathyour feet.
If you don't plan for change,you'll be chasing reactive moves
instead of leading.
(03:42):
Number two, business failure isreal without a plan.
One analysis is of why newbusinesses fail highlights
missing or weak business plansas a major factor, poor market
(04:03):
research, unclear value, umperception, and no defined
strategy.
So even if you're creatingamazing stuff, without a map,
you can end up spinning yourwheels.
Number three, creators arebusiness owners now.
(04:26):
You're not just making content,you're scaling a brand, building
revenue streams, automatingsystems, managing teams, or
collaborators.
Uh and that requires a differentmindset, right?
A strategic planning isn'toptional, it's fundamentally the
(04:52):
best thing to do.
So if you accept that strategicmatters, the question becomes:
what does strategy look like?
What does it look like?
What are the pillars?
The what are the key elements?
So let's let's walk through someof these, okay?
(05:13):
Let's walk, let's go through thefive pillars real quick of a
killer strategic plan.
Um I believe every contentcreator needs uh five these five
pillars in their plan, okay?
So we're gonna go through them.
(05:34):
Let's get let's get into thisone.
Number one, vision and purpose.
So with this, you're gonnadefine your whys.
What are you building, and forwhom?
Uh is this gonna be for thelong-term North Star?
And where do you want to be inthree to five years?
(05:58):
For creators, what legacy, whatimpact, not just revenue?
So here's an example.
We exist to empower burnoutentrepreneurs to reclaim
momentum, build smart, and scalewithout sacrificing self.
That could be your mission.
(06:18):
Okay, that's what we do here,not uh not just candle talk.
So, number two, market andaudience clarity.
Who exactly are you serving?
What problems are you solving?
What are their pains, desires,behaviors?
(06:43):
So map out your audience, thedemographics, uh where they
where they live, um, and thingslike that.
Research the market, talkingabout trends, where's the gaps
(07:03):
in the market, and uh who areyour competitors in 2025,
especially the creator economyis shifting, platforms change um
the way you make money, so youraudience clarity is more
important than ever.
(07:23):
Okay, number three, offer and arevenue model.
What are you selling?
Is it digital products, is itservice, memberships,
sponsorships, collaborations?
Um, and how do you price it?
How do you package it?
(07:45):
What are your revenue streams,your primary, your secondary,
and your passive income?
So, for example, uh for thebrand for not just candle talk,
um what is your what is our leadmagnets uh and the things that
we do, um, we do many courses,we do uh memberships, we also
(08:11):
are getting into privatecoaching, private um private um
podcast episodes, and minicourses.
That's what we're doing rightnow.
Um and that's how we package umour brand in every aspect of um
(08:37):
our um episodes and our ummotto.
Uh number four, uh go to marketand growth strategy.
How will you reach youraudience?
What marketing channels, whatcontent strategies?
What is your funnel?
(08:58):
What's the conversion path?
Because it's not just enough tohave an offer, you must have the
plan to get it in front ofpeople, convert them, and retain
them.
Consider your creator channel,various touch points.
Uh, for instance, um YouTube,social media, and your email.
(09:24):
Plan for each avenue, right?
Number five, operations,systems, and metrics.
Uh, I know that's a lot, butit's it's important, right?
All of all of these things uhmesh together.
Um what systems will you put inplace so your brand scales
(09:45):
instead of you burning out?
We talk about burnout all thetime on the podcast and how to
avoid it, how to deal with it.
Um, that's probably our one ofour our biggest drivers on a lot
of these episodes.
What matrix will you track?
Is it going to be the revenue,your lead conversion, rate, uh,
(10:06):
retention, all of those things.
If if um if you're familiar withthose, you know what I'm talking
about.
What roles, task will you haveto outsource or automate?
I've touched on this beforeabout um um hiring or just uh
(10:27):
putting certain things onautomation.
Uh without good operations,everything else falls apart.
You really have to treat yourcreator, um, your content
creating as a business.
It is.
After a while, it becomes abusiness because you have to
implement uh all of these thingsthat we're discussing right now.
(10:51):
So let's pause for a moment andlink this to current events so
we can feel the urgency.
Okay, with AI escalating, as wenoted, creators need an
effective systems and matrixmore than ever.
You can no longer wing contentcreation and hope for the best.
(11:13):
What I that's what I just said,I'm repeating myself.
I apologize.
Also, many startups and smallbusinesses are tightening
budgets, undergoing layoffs,slowing hiring.
That means your competitionmight be stiffened, investments
might be tightened, but also theadvantages go to those with a
(11:38):
plan, right?
Planning is more important nowthan ever.
Finally, uh the creator economyis maturing.
Becoming a hobbyist doesn't paythe bills.
So the offer and revenue modelpillars must be solid.
(12:00):
Okay.
Now let's get practical.
We've heard the pillars.
Now, here's how you actuallybuild your strategic strategic
strategic plan.
Sorry about that, step by step,and plug it into your creator
business.
Okay, so let's get into that.
Step A (12:23):
Write your one-page strategic document, your vision
and purpose.
Okay, two sentences.
All right.
With your audience, you're goingto define a niche, of course.
We heard that we hear that allthe time.
For an example, creators who areburnt out but still have a spark
(12:46):
and want to scale smart.
Okay.
What is your core offer?
Lists one to three.
Your key growth channels, listsone to two to focus on for the
next 90 days.
Your key metrics, track and listthree.
(13:08):
This one pager becomes youranchor.
Okay.
Step B, the 90-day tacticalplan.
Break down what you will do thisquarter, which is 12 weeks, to
move forward.
Week one, uh refine audiencesurveys and do deep dives.
(13:29):
Week two, audit your content andyour monetization offers.
Week three and four, create yoursignature offer.
Weeks five through eight, launchfunnel and promote.
Weeks nine through twelve,optimize and plan for your next
(13:53):
quarter.
There's that word again, plan.
Assign task, deadlines.
Um even if you just even if it'sjust you um still uh make note
those tasks and make thosedeadlines, okay?
(14:16):
Step C monthly and weeklycheck-ins.
At start of each month, reviewyour 12-week plan.
Adjust based on what's working,okay?
Weekly, review matrix such asyour leads, your conversions,
your revenue, and your contentperformance.
(14:36):
If a matric is off, ask why andpivot fast.
Step B, build systems andautomation.
Use tech and tools such as emailautomation, scheduling, and
content repurposing analysis.
(14:57):
And you can outsource whatdoesn't move the needle, okay?
Like uh graphic design orediting.
Document your processes.
That way you can scale withoutburning, without burning out.
Step E, stay agile.
Remember, planning doesn't meanuh doesn't mean that uh you have
(15:27):
to um not understand what thethe platforms mean or um how
your monetization models evolve.
Okay, it means all of that.
You have to stay agile.
Your plan must have a pivottrigger.
(15:48):
If funnel conversions drop 2%,perform your audit as quickly as
possible.
Because as we noted, AIcreators, startup uh ecosystems
is evolving rapidly.
So you got to stay like uh stayin the know of everything that's
(16:10):
going on on each platform.
Okay.
All right, so let's talk aboutcontent creation uh
specifically.
Uh, like many of you are who arelistening, you often have
additional layers.
You have your community, yourauthenticity, and your brand
(16:30):
voice.
So here are the three creator umspecific planning tactics.
Okay, content creator uhstrategies.
We can you can also you can useum a calendar, you can plan your
content to support your offerand your funnel.
(16:52):
Okay, um, you can repurposesmartly, um, and you can put all
of your monetization ondifferent streams, don't rely on
just one um stream of income.
Maybe uh you can dosponsorships, you can do a
(17:14):
course membership, uh, you cando a light live events.
Uh, all of this is backed byyour strategic planning.
Okay.
Okay, so let me tell you a ministory real quick.
Let's let's step away from thethe um all of the business
(17:35):
stuff.
Let's let's let's talk about areal uh real story.
Um young lady named Alex, um,she was a content creator who
lost the who uh launched, I'msorry, uh a podcast and made
some content and got some uhtraction, but she didn't have a
(17:59):
plan.
She had no uh no clear funnel,no conversion strategy.
She had nothing, she didn't plananything.
Uh and of course, what happened?
She got burnt out.
This is what we talk about on alot of my episodes on this
podcast.
After she did her burnout andand and got back on her feet,
(18:22):
she decided to um planeverything from top to bottom.
And it and this is what planningdoes, it helps creators scale
their personal brands uh andgenerate more income, grow your
(18:42):
grow an audience base.
Um and by doing that, uh you cango to different avenues of uh
platforms for different income,right?
Um, and within six months aftershe started planning, uh she
(19:05):
took her time and she doubledher revenue.
Um I this episode was based onAlice's story.
She reached out to me um viaemail, and she told me, look,
why don't you do a podcast aboutplanning?
And and I'll tell you somethings that I went through and
(19:27):
just hit on it, uh hit on thistopic, and I would greatly
appreciate it, get my story outthere, get how important, get
this message out there, howimportant it is to plan,
especially now.
Um because in 2025, we're seeingthat the landscape is tougher
(19:47):
for those without strategy,right?
For example, many startups are,like I said before, they're
cutting costs and refocusing.
Okay.
Uh this is pulled from aheadline a biotech firm cutting
30% workforce to uh extend cashrunway.
(20:09):
This signals a budget shrink,competition rises, and value
must be cleared.
For content creators,entrepreneurs, that means you
can't rely on hope.
Again, you need a plan.
Also, the AI boom means toolsare cheaper and more accessible.
(20:30):
So the barrier of entry islower, right?
And that's what we want.
We want high results at a lowcost.
Unfortunately, um that's howbusinesses ran.
That also means morecompetition, right?
The ones who will stand out arethe ones who strategize.
(20:53):
This is not, this is nothingnew.
This is how businesses ran,right?
The raw data, 90% of techworkers now use AI in their
jobs.
So if they're using it in jobs,rest assured, entrepreneurs,
creators, small business owners,it's a must.
(21:14):
Two, these tools are universal.
Strategy becomes the competitiveedge.
You want to implement them assoon as possible.
So let's wrap this with someactionable steps.
You can start today.
I uh also challenge you by theend of the week to draft
one-page strategic plan.
(21:36):
And here's your blueprint.
Block one block out of one hourevery every day this week or
start next week, however, youwant to do it.
Define your vision and purposeand write it down.
The next day, identify youraudience, do a mini survey or a
(21:59):
poll in your community.
What's their number onechallenge?
Within three days, map youroffer stack.
What are you selling now?
What could you upsell or add in90 days?
Okay, after those weeks, afterthat one week, I'm sorry, when
you after you do all of that,it's a lot.
(22:22):
I know, I'm sorry.
Build a 12-week tactical plan.
And go back to this episode, seestep B above when I was doing
all the steps, uh, assign tasksand deadlines within uh a few
(22:42):
more weeks.
Set up your matrix dashboard andchoose three matrix to trap
track weekly.
Okay, and every week review yourmatrix.
Every month, review your plan,every quarter, revise your
12-week plan.
(23:04):
Okay, I know this is a lot, uh,but it's so necessary.
It's so necessary.
I want you to commit to this, ifyou will.
By your by the next podcast orby the next 12 weeks, you can uh
you'll have your one-pagestrategic plan ready.
(23:25):
Share it.
Share it with me.
Even if you send a screenshot ordo it on your socials, or do it
on uh you can send it on mysocials.
You can DM me if you if youwant, send it through an email.
Um, and and let's see yourprogress in it.
Uh, join join not just candletalk community and uh let's talk
(23:47):
about it, okay?
All right, so now you have thedeep dive in strategic building
planning, why it matters, whatthe pillars are, how you execute
it, and a blueprint you can usethis week.
If you are a creator or a smallbusiness builder who's ready to
stop hustling blind and startplanning smart, this right here
(24:09):
is your moment.
And by the way, if you lovetoday's episode, please share it
with a fellow creator who'sbuilding.
Drop a review, join theconversation at not just candle
talk, and let me know what yourone-page strategy looks like.
I said that uh a little whileago.
Let me let me know what's youknow how's it going for you.
(24:32):
Um, as always, thanks for tuningin.
Uh stay raw, stay uh strategic,and I'll catch you next time.
Oh, also before I go, I'm sorry.
Um, in the show notes of thisepisode, I'm going to um have a
uh downloadable PDF workbookabsolutely free.
(24:56):
Um, you can get it on theLinktree um app.
Uh we have Linktree slash notjust candle talk.
All the um downloads orchecklist um are in um on that
platform.
Again, that's link tree slashnot just candle talk.
(25:19):
Uh all of the downloads arefree, as I said before.
But um for this episode, I'mgonna download a workbook, all
right, so we can keep track ofthis, and um, I'll talk to you
soon.
Thank you so much for listening.
Welcome back to Not Just Candle Talk, the podcast
where creators, entrepreneurs,and small business builders get
real about the hustle, thestrategy, the win, and of
course, the mess.
I'm Tony, and today we're goingdeep on strategic business
(00:43):
planning.
Not the boardroom jargon, butthe stuff you can actually use
to scale, pivot, survive, andthrive for the rest of this year
and going into the next year.
Because here's the thing, right?
You're not just building a sidehustle.
We're not doing that anymore.
(01:03):
You're building a business.
Your creativity is your fuel,but your plan is what turns it
into a sustainable machine.
And especially now, right?
With so many things happening intechnology, uh in content, how
time I'm sorry, how content getsconsumed, and and how
(01:28):
entrepreneurship actually looks.
So if you don't have a plan,you're handing your future to
chance.
A real uh quick snapshot ofwhat's coming up on this
episode.
We're gonna cover why planningmatters.
We're gonna uh get into the fivepillars of a killer strategic
(01:50):
plan and also how to implementit in your creativity and your
entrepreneur uh journey.
Um, we're gonna get into somecurrent events and what they're
telling us, and I'll leave youwith a blueprint you can use
right now.
(02:11):
So if you will, grab yournotebook, open your mind, and
let's get into it.
First, why are we even talkingabout planning?
Okay, because too many creatorsand entrepreneurs go into
execution mode without everstopping to map the territory,
(02:34):
they treat strategy like aone-time thing.
Uh they'll say things like, I'llfigure it, figure it out as I
go, but that's kind of risky.
So here are three urgent uhreasons now is the moment for
strategy.
Number one, Vatility is high.
(03:00):
For starters, AI adoption isexploding.
We all know that.
According to recent data, theglobal AI market is valued at
around 391 billion and projectedto grow nearly fold by 2033.
(03:20):
And what that means is theecosystem you operate in, things
like content creation,monetization, and digital
products is shifting underneathyour feet.
If you don't plan for change,you'll be chasing reactive moves
instead of leading.
(03:42):
Number two, business failure isreal without a plan.
One analysis is of why newbusinesses fail highlights
missing or weak business plansas a major factor, poor market
(04:03):
research, unclear value, umperception, and no defined
strategy.
So even if you're creatingamazing stuff, without a map,
you can end up spinning yourwheels.
Number three, creators arebusiness owners now.
(04:26):
You're not just making content,you're scaling a brand, building
revenue streams, automatingsystems, managing teams, or
collaborators.
Uh and that requires a differentmindset, right?
A strategic planning isn'toptional, it's fundamentally the
(04:52):
best thing to do.
So if you accept that strategicmatters, the question becomes:
what does strategy look like?
What does it look like?
What are the pillars?
The what are the key elements?
So let's let's walk through someof these, okay?
(05:13):
Let's walk, let's go through thefive pillars real quick of a
killer strategic plan.
Um I believe every contentcreator needs uh five these five
pillars in their plan, okay?
So we're gonna go through them.
(05:34):
Let's get let's get into thisone.
Number one, vision and purpose.
So with this, you're gonnadefine your whys.
What are you building, and forwhom?
Uh is this gonna be for thelong-term North Star?
And where do you want to be inthree to five years?
(05:58):
For creators, what legacy, whatimpact, not just revenue?
So here's an example.
We exist to empower burnoutentrepreneurs to reclaim
momentum, build smart, and scalewithout sacrificing self.
That could be your mission.
(06:18):
Okay, that's what we do here,not uh not just candle talk.
So, number two, market andaudience clarity.
Who exactly are you serving?
What problems are you solving?
What are their pains, desires,behaviors?
(06:43):
So map out your audience, thedemographics, uh where they
where they live, um, and thingslike that.
Research the market, talkingabout trends, where's the gaps
(07:03):
in the market, and uh who areyour competitors in 2025,
especially the creator economyis shifting, platforms change um
the way you make money, so youraudience clarity is more
important than ever.
(07:23):
Okay, number three, offer and arevenue model.
What are you selling?
Is it digital products, is itservice, memberships,
sponsorships, collaborations?
Um, and how do you price it?
How do you package it?
(07:45):
What are your revenue streams,your primary, your secondary,
and your passive income?
So, for example, uh for thebrand for not just candle talk,
um what is your what is our leadmagnets uh and the things that
we do, um, we do many courses,we do uh memberships, we also
(08:11):
are getting into privatecoaching, private um private um
podcast episodes, and minicourses.
That's what we're doing rightnow.
Um and that's how we package umour brand in every aspect of um
(08:37):
our um episodes and our ummotto.
Uh number four, uh go to marketand growth strategy.
How will you reach youraudience?
What marketing channels, whatcontent strategies?
What is your funnel?
(08:58):
What's the conversion path?
Because it's not just enough tohave an offer, you must have the
plan to get it in front ofpeople, convert them, and retain
them.
Consider your creator channel,various touch points.
Uh, for instance, um YouTube,social media, and your email.
(09:24):
Plan for each avenue, right?
Number five, operations,systems, and metrics.
Uh, I know that's a lot, butit's it's important, right?
All of all of these things uhmesh together.
Um what systems will you put inplace so your brand scales
(09:45):
instead of you burning out?
We talk about burnout all thetime on the podcast and how to
avoid it, how to deal with it.
Um, that's probably our one ofour our biggest drivers on a lot
of these episodes.
What matrix will you track?
Is it going to be the revenue,your lead conversion, rate, uh,
(10:06):
retention, all of those things.
If if um if you're familiar withthose, you know what I'm talking
about.
What roles, task will you haveto outsource or automate?
I've touched on this beforeabout um um hiring or just uh
(10:27):
putting certain things onautomation.
Uh without good operations,everything else falls apart.
You really have to treat yourcreator, um, your content
creating as a business.
It is.
After a while, it becomes abusiness because you have to
implement uh all of these thingsthat we're discussing right now.
(10:51):
So let's pause for a moment andlink this to current events so
we can feel the urgency.
Okay, with AI escalating, as wenoted, creators need an
effective systems and matrixmore than ever.
You can no longer wing contentcreation and hope for the best.
(11:13):
What I that's what I just said,I'm repeating myself.
I apologize.
Also, many startups and smallbusinesses are tightening
budgets, undergoing layoffs,slowing hiring.
That means your competitionmight be stiffened, investments
might be tightened, but also theadvantages go to those with a
(11:38):
plan, right?
Planning is more important nowthan ever.
Finally, uh the creator economyis maturing.
Becoming a hobbyist doesn't paythe bills.
So the offer and revenue modelpillars must be solid.
(12:00):
Okay.
Now let's get practical.
We've heard the pillars.
Now, here's how you actuallybuild your strategic strategic
strategic plan.
Sorry about that, step by step,and plug it into your creator
business.
Okay, so let's get into that.
Step A (12:23):
Write your one-page strategic document, your vision
and purpose.
Okay, two sentences.
All right.
With your audience, you're goingto define a niche, of course.
We heard that we hear that allthe time.
For an example, creators who areburnt out but still have a spark
(12:46):
and want to scale smart.
Okay.
What is your core offer?
Lists one to three.
Your key growth channels, listsone to two to focus on for the
next 90 days.
Your key metrics, track and listthree.
(13:08):
This one pager becomes youranchor.
Okay.
Step B, the 90-day tacticalplan.
Break down what you will do thisquarter, which is 12 weeks, to
move forward.
Week one, uh refine audiencesurveys and do deep dives.
(13:29):
Week two, audit your content andyour monetization offers.
Week three and four, create yoursignature offer.
Weeks five through eight, launchfunnel and promote.
Weeks nine through twelve,optimize and plan for your next
(13:53):
quarter.
There's that word again, plan.
Assign task, deadlines.
Um even if you just even if it'sjust you um still uh make note
those tasks and make thosedeadlines, okay?
(14:16):
Step C monthly and weeklycheck-ins.
At start of each month, reviewyour 12-week plan.
Adjust based on what's working,okay?
Weekly, review matrix such asyour leads, your conversions,
your revenue, and your contentperformance.
(14:36):
If a matric is off, ask why andpivot fast.
Step B, build systems andautomation.
Use tech and tools such as emailautomation, scheduling, and
content repurposing analysis.
(14:57):
And you can outsource whatdoesn't move the needle, okay?
Like uh graphic design orediting.
Document your processes.
That way you can scale withoutburning, without burning out.
Step E, stay agile.
Remember, planning doesn't meanuh doesn't mean that uh you have
(15:27):
to um not understand what thethe platforms mean or um how
your monetization models evolve.
Okay, it means all of that.
You have to stay agile.
Your plan must have a pivottrigger.
(15:48):
If funnel conversions drop 2%,perform your audit as quickly as
possible.
Because as we noted, AIcreators, startup uh ecosystems
is evolving rapidly.
So you got to stay like uh stayin the know of everything that's
(16:10):
going on on each platform.
Okay.
All right, so let's talk aboutcontent creation uh
specifically.
Uh, like many of you are who arelistening, you often have
additional layers.
You have your community, yourauthenticity, and your brand
(16:30):
voice.
So here are the three creator umspecific planning tactics.
Okay, content creator uhstrategies.
We can you can also you can useum a calendar, you can plan your
content to support your offerand your funnel.
(16:52):
Okay, um, you can repurposesmartly, um, and you can put all
of your monetization ondifferent streams, don't rely on
just one um stream of income.
Maybe uh you can dosponsorships, you can do a
(17:14):
course membership, uh, you cando a light live events.
Uh, all of this is backed byyour strategic planning.
Okay.
Okay, so let me tell you a ministory real quick.
Let's let's step away from thethe um all of the business
(17:35):
stuff.
Let's let's let's talk about areal uh real story.
Um young lady named Alex, um,she was a content creator who
lost the who uh launched, I'msorry, uh a podcast and made
some content and got some uhtraction, but she didn't have a
(17:59):
plan.
She had no uh no clear funnel,no conversion strategy.
She had nothing, she didn't plananything.
Uh and of course, what happened?
She got burnt out.
This is what we talk about on alot of my episodes on this
podcast.
After she did her burnout andand and got back on her feet,
(18:22):
she decided to um planeverything from top to bottom.
And it and this is what planningdoes, it helps creators scale
their personal brands uh andgenerate more income, grow your
(18:42):
grow an audience base.
Um and by doing that, uh you cango to different avenues of uh
platforms for different income,right?
Um, and within six months aftershe started planning, uh she
(19:05):
took her time and she doubledher revenue.
Um I this episode was based onAlice's story.
She reached out to me um viaemail, and she told me, look,
why don't you do a podcast aboutplanning?
And and I'll tell you somethings that I went through and
(19:27):
just hit on it, uh hit on thistopic, and I would greatly
appreciate it, get my story outthere, get how important, get
this message out there, howimportant it is to plan,
especially now.
Um because in 2025, we're seeingthat the landscape is tougher
(19:47):
for those without strategy,right?
For example, many startups are,like I said before, they're
cutting costs and refocusing.
Okay.
Uh this is pulled from aheadline a biotech firm cutting
30% workforce to uh extend cashrunway.
(20:09):
This signals a budget shrink,competition rises, and value
must be cleared.
For content creators,entrepreneurs, that means you
can't rely on hope.
Again, you need a plan.
Also, the AI boom means toolsare cheaper and more accessible.
(20:30):
So the barrier of entry islower, right?
And that's what we want.
We want high results at a lowcost.
Unfortunately, um that's howbusinesses ran.
That also means morecompetition, right?
The ones who will stand out arethe ones who strategize.
(20:53):
This is not, this is nothingnew.
This is how businesses ran,right?
The raw data, 90% of techworkers now use AI in their
jobs.
So if they're using it in jobs,rest assured, entrepreneurs,
creators, small business owners,it's a must.
(21:14):
Two, these tools are universal.
Strategy becomes the competitiveedge.
You want to implement them assoon as possible.
So let's wrap this with someactionable steps.
You can start today.
I uh also challenge you by theend of the week to draft
one-page strategic plan.
(21:36):
And here's your blueprint.
Block one block out of one hourevery every day this week or
start next week, however, youwant to do it.
Define your vision and purposeand write it down.
The next day, identify youraudience, do a mini survey or a
(21:59):
poll in your community.
What's their number onechallenge?
Within three days, map youroffer stack.
What are you selling now?
What could you upsell or add in90 days?
Okay, after those weeks, afterthat one week, I'm sorry, when
you after you do all of that,it's a lot.
(22:22):
I know, I'm sorry.
Build a 12-week tactical plan.
And go back to this episode, seestep B above when I was doing
all the steps, uh, assign tasksand deadlines within uh a few
(22:42):
more weeks.
Set up your matrix dashboard andchoose three matrix to trap
track weekly.
Okay, and every week review yourmatrix.
Every month, review your plan,every quarter, revise your
12-week plan.
(23:04):
Okay, I know this is a lot, uh,but it's so necessary.
It's so necessary.
I want you to commit to this, ifyou will.
By your by the next podcast orby the next 12 weeks, you can uh
you'll have your one-pagestrategic plan ready.
(23:25):
Share it.
Share it with me.
Even if you send a screenshot ordo it on your socials, or do it
on uh you can send it on mysocials.
You can DM me if you if youwant, send it through an email.
Um, and and let's see yourprogress in it.
Uh, join join not just candletalk community and uh let's talk
(23:47):
about it, okay?
All right, so now you have thedeep dive in strategic building
planning, why it matters, whatthe pillars are, how you execute
it, and a blueprint you can usethis week.
If you are a creator or a smallbusiness builder who's ready to
stop hustling blind and startplanning smart, this right here
(24:09):
is your moment.
And by the way, if you lovetoday's episode, please share it
with a fellow creator who'sbuilding.
Drop a review, join theconversation at not just candle
talk, and let me know what yourone-page strategy looks like.
I said that uh a little whileago.
Let me let me know what's youknow how's it going for you.
(24:32):
Um, as always, thanks for tuningin.
Uh stay raw, stay uh strategic,and I'll catch you next time.
Oh, also before I go, I'm sorry.
Um, in the show notes of thisepisode, I'm going to um have a
uh downloadable PDF workbookabsolutely free.
(24:56):
Um, you can get it on theLinktree um app.
Uh we have Linktree slash notjust candle talk.
All the um downloads orchecklist um are in um on that
platform.
Again, that's link tree slashnot just candle talk.
(25:19):
Uh all of the downloads arefree, as I said before.
But um for this episode, I'mgonna download a workbook, all
right, so we can keep track ofthis, and um, I'll talk to you
soon.
Thank you so much for listening.
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