What Happened When I Stopped Marketing for 5 Months
This year hasn't been business as usual for me.
Between caring for my mom with Alzheimer's, recovering from double eye surgery, dealing with COVID, and everything else life threw at me, I had zero capacity for anything beyond client work and taking care of myself. Active marketing got a hard no. Opportunities that dropped in my lap got a "no thank you."
I wasn't making a strategic decision to stop marketing. Life made the decision for me.
For five months, my automated systems kept running. New subscribers got my welcome sequence. People found my lead magnets. My funnel kept working. But I wasn't actively showing up anywhere.
Here's what happened.
My Income Went Up
I had some of my highest income months while doing almost nothing "right" in business.
Existing clients kept coming back. They hired me for new projects. They extended their contracts. Some of them had been working with me for years.
But here's what surprised me: I got referrals. Clients I hadn't worked with in two years sent me new leads. People I'd helped long ago remembered me when someone asked for a recommendation.
These new leads booked calls. They hired me. My calendar filled up without a single marketing email or social post.
What I Learned About What Actually Matters
You don't need to be everywhere. But you do need systems that work when you can't show up, and relationships strong enough to sustain you through hard times.
My automated systems brought new people in. My email funnel kept running. New subscribers entered my world without me lifting a finger. That's the power of good automation, and it's exactly why I teach it.
But here's what automation alone can't do: it can't make existing clients come back for more projects. It can't make past clients remember you two years later and send referrals. It can't fill your calendar with people who already trust you.
That's what relationships do.
I treated my clients like gold. I made every interaction about them, not my problems. I delivered results. I stayed focused on their needs even when my life was messy.
The automation kept my business visible. The relationships kept my income stable.
You need both.
Why You Need Both Automation and Relationships
Most business advice falls into two camps: either "automate everything" or "it's all about relationships." But neither one alone will carry you through hard seasons.
Life at this stage is full. Many of us are dealing with aging parents, health issues, and responsibilities that don't pause for a content calendar. We can't always do "all the things" and we shouldn't have to.
This is exactly why you need both systems and relationships.
Good automation means your business keeps running when you can't actively market. New leads come in. Your funnel works. Your email sequences deliver value. I teach this because it works, and this year proved it.
But automation alone won't sustain your business through five months of radio silence. That takes relationships.
Here's the thing: I never built my business on being everywhere online. I built it on word of mouth, conversations in groups, and introductions from people who trusted me. Then I automated the parts that could be automated.
When you focus on treating people well, doing excellent work, and being someone worth recommending, you build something that doesn't fall apart when life gets hard. Add automation to that foundation, and you've got a business that can weather anything.
Automation scales what you do. Relationships sustain why people choose you.
What I Stopped Doing During Those 5 Months
Active engagement: I went quiet. No broadcast emails, no content, barely any social engagement. My automations kept running for new subscribers, but I wasn't actively showing up.
Networking and visibility: I didn't attend events. I barely posted. I wasn't really visible anywhere.
The "always be marketing" hustle: I dropped it completely. Life got easier.
Here's what I learned: my automated systems kept working. New leads came in through my funnel. But what carried me through those five months was my existing client relationships. They kept coming back. They sent referrals. They filled my calendar.
Automation kept my business running. Relationships kept my income stable.
What I Kept Doing
Client work: I showed up for every call, every project, every deadline. No exceptions.
Quality delivery: I did excellent work even when life was hard. My standards didn't drop.
Clear communication: If something was delayed, I said so. If I needed to reschedule, I asked. Honesty kept trust intact.
Being human: I didn't hide what I was dealing with, but I didn't make it their problem either. I was real without being unprofessional.
Taking care of myself: I rested when I needed to. I didn't push through just to prove something. That actually helped me do better work.
The "Done Is Better Than Perfect" Test
Here's what this experience taught me: done is better than perfect applies to showing up, too.
You don't have to be polished. You don't have to have everything together. You don't have to hide the fact that life is hard right now.
You just have to show up for the people counting on you.
I showed up on calls without makeup after eye surgery. I rescheduled when I needed to. I was honest about my capacity. Nobody cared.
They cared that I delivered results. They cared that I was reliable. They cared that I treated them well.
The rest was noise.
What This Means for You
If you're in a hard season right now, here's your permission slip: you don't have to do everything.
You can take a break from active marketing if you have two things in place: automated systems that keep working, and strong relationships that sustain you.
Without automation, you have to show up constantly or your business stops. That's exhausting and unsustainable.
Without relationships, your automation brings in strangers who don't know you, trust you, or stick around. That's a leaky bucket.
With both, you build something that can weather hard times.
Focus on the people who've already hired you. Treat them so well they can't stop talking about you. Do work that gets results. Be someone worth recommending.
Then automate the parts that can be automated. Your welcome sequence. Your lead magnets. Your follow-up. The systems that keep your business visible when you can't be.
When clients trust you, they come back. When you deliver results, they tell other people. When your systems work, new people find you even when life gets hard.
That's a business built to last.
Why This Approach Works Better After 50
Women over 50 are good at relationships. We're good at reading people, understanding what matters, and delivering on what we promise. We've been doing it our whole lives.
And we're also smart enough to know we can't do everything manually forever. That's where systems come in.
There's a lot of advice out there saying you need to be on every platform, posting constantly, building funnels, running ads, chasing algorithms. And some of that can help you grow.
But here's what your actual clients care about: that you understand their problem and can solve it. That you're trustworthy. That you're competent. That takes relationships.
And here's what keeps your business running when life gets hard: systems that work without you having to show up every single day. That takes automation.
You already have the relationship skills. Adding smart systems to that foundation means you can build a business that doesn't require constant hustle.
When life gets hard, and it will, you can survive by combining what you're already good at (building relationships and doing excellent work) with systems that keep working when you can't.
That's not just a nice approach. It's sustainable.
What Happens Next
I'm back now. I'm feeling better and ready to re-engage with my email list and show up more consistently.
I might post on social media again. I might create new content. I might do some of the marketing things I dropped. But now I know something I didn't know before: marketing is part of building a business, but it's not the foundation.
The foundation is automation + relationships working together. Your systems keep things running. Your relationships keep people coming back. Marketing amplifies both.
You're not scrambling to post because you're terrified your business will die without it. You're choosing to show up when it makes sense, knowing your systems and client relationships are what actually keep things running.
If you're juggling a business while dealing with real life, that's the strategy that works. Not because it sounds good, but because I just lived it.
Questions I've Been Getting About This
What if I'm just starting and don't have clients yet?
Start with relationships. Focus on doing excellent work for your first few clients. Treat them so well they tell everyone they know. Once you have a foundation of happy clients, add automation to scale what's working.
Does this mean I should never do social media or email marketing?
No. Marketing is part of building a business. It helps you reach more people. But if you're terrified to take a break because your income will disappear, you're missing the relationship foundation that actually sustains you through hard times. And if you're doing everything manually, you'll burn out. You need both systems and relationships.
How do you actually "treat clients like gold"?
Show up on time. Deliver what you promised. Communicate clearly. Be honest about what you can and can't do. Care about their results more than your next sale.
What if I don't have any automations set up yet?
Start simple. An email welcome sequence. A lead magnet that qualifies prospects. A follow-up system that stays in touch with past clients. You don't need a complex funnel on day one. You need systems that keep working when you can't actively market.
How do I know if my business is built to survive hard times?
Ask yourself: If you stopped actively marketing tomorrow, would your systems keep bringing in new leads? Would existing clients still hire you? Would past clients still refer you? If any of those answers is no, you're missing a piece of the foundation.
Ready to figure out what actually matters in your business? Let's talk about where you're spending energy that's not bringing in income, and what you should focus on instead. Book a free discovery call and we'll get clear on your next steps.
It's time to stop doing what you "should" and start doing what actually works.
