In this solo episode 73 of My Kind of Business, I’m sharing the five business decisions I’d love you to make before January. If you’re a small business owner, freelancer or solopreneur feeling the pressure to have a polished 2027 plan ready to go, this one is for you. Drawing on nine years of coaching hundreds of small business owners, I explain why a good plan starts with a few simple foundations, and none of them need a complicated spreadsheet or a whole week off.

Each decision comes with one small action you can take today, so grab a pen and a notebook before you press play.

In this episode:

• Why strong foundations need to come before goals, numbers and quarterly plans
• How to get honest about who you really want to work with in 2027
• Three questions to help you decide which offers stay and which ones go
• Why I’m retiring my power hours, and what that decision has freed up
• Pricing from fear versus pricing from value, and whose voice is really behind your doubts
• How one graphic designer raised her prices and filled her diary for three months
• Choosing one main marketing channel instead of trying to be everywhere
• The difference between being visible and actually inviting people to buy
• Why plans slip when nobody checks in, and how to find the people in your corner

BOOK YOUR 2027 BUSINESS PLANNING WORKSHOP
A relaxed, practical workshop to look back on 2026 and plan your next 12 months in a way that fits your real life. All stages welcome.
Every ticket includes a pre-workshop mini audit, my simple goal-setting and planning framework, a guided visualisation, a panel of three business owners sharing their planning habits and a bonus online accountability session in mid-January.
Choose your date:
Shrewsbury: Tue 24 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Lion & Pheasant Hotel
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningshrewsbury
Woburn Sands: Fri 27 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Frosts
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningwoburn
Online: Wed 2 Dec, 10am to 12pm
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningonline
Tickets: £48 in person, £38 online, or add £100 to go VIP and get a 60-minute 1:1 with me. In-person guests also get a printed workbook, pen, surprise goodies, pastries and refreshments. Spaces are limited.
Business training can often be tax deductible, so check with your accountant.

Timestamps
00:37 Welcome to episode 73 and why November is a good time to reflect
01:06 Why you need strong foundations before a 2027 plan
02:24 An overview of the five simple decisions
03:31 Decision 1: Who you want to work with
06:54 Decision 2: Which offers stay and which go
10:39 Decision 3: Your prices
14:10 Decision 4: Your main marketing channel
18:16 Decision 5: Who is in your corner
21:24 Recap of the five foundations
22:19 2027 Business Planning Workshop dates, venues and tickets
24:01 Make one decision today

Connect with me
Website: alexmccarthycoaching.com
Instagram: @alexmccarthycoaching

In this solo episode 72 of My Kind of Business, I’m opening up about something I’ve found hard to talk about: how becoming a mum affected my confidence, creativity and identity in business. If you’re a mum in business, a freelancer raising little ones, or a female business owner who feels like the fog rolled in after having children, I hope this helps you feel less alone.

I share the story behind what you see online, from an unexpected first pregnancy and moving from Shrewsbury to Bedford, to the reality of two under two and why I chose to shift my business down a gear.

In this episode:

• Why my confidence grew as a mum but dropped in business
• The unexpected pregnancy with Luna and how it changed everything
• Losing my local business community and why it hit harder than I expected
• What two under two really felt like, from brain fog to feeling wired and exhausted
• Why I couldn’t access visioning or clarity in survival mode
• Putting my business into first and second gear, and why maintaining still counts
• Loving your current life and missing your old one at the same time
• Building a business around your life and defining what enough looks like

BOOK YOUR 2027 BUSINESS PLANNING WORKSHOP
A relaxed, practical workshop to look back on 2026 and plan your next 12 months in a way that fits your real life. All stages welcome.

Every ticket includes a pre-workshop mini audit, my simple goal-setting and planning framework, a guided visualisation, a panel of three business owners sharing their planning habits and a bonus online accountability session in mid-January.

Choose your date:
Shrewsbury: Tue 24 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Lion & Pheasant Hotel
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningshrewsbury
Woburn Sands: Fri 27 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Frosts
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningwoburn
Online: Wed 2 Dec, 10am to 12pm
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningonline

Tickets: £48 in person, £38 online, or add £100 to go VIP and get a 60-minute 1:1 with me. In-person guests also get a printed workbook, pen, surprise goodies, pastries and refreshments. Spaces are limited.

Business training can often be tax deductible, so check with your accountant.

Timestamps
00:00 Why this vulnerable episode felt important to record
00:58 What you see online versus the full story
02:53 Confidence in motherhood versus confidence in business
04:16 The fog, changing identity and planning around family life
05:41 Why the fog is starting to lift
08:06 The unexpected pregnancy with Luna
09:31 Building confidence through community in Shrewsbury
10:29 Moving to Bedford and losing my network
12:21 Loving your life and missing the old one
13:15 Going from one child to two under two
15:13 Zooming out on a hard season
16:10 Brain fog and feeling wired and exhausted
18:00 Why I couldn’t access visioning in survival mode
18:57 Putting my business into first and second gear
20:57 Being kinder to myself as the fog lifts
21:29 Deeper empathy for business-owning mums
23:13 Building a business around your life
24:04 Defining what enough looks like for this season

Connect with me
Website: alexmccarthycoaching.com
Instagram: @alexmccarthycoaching

In this solo episode, I’m doing something a little different. Instead of talking you through strategy, I’m taking you on a 15-minute guided future self visualisation, made for small business owners, freelancers and solopreneurs who are tired of running on autopilot.

Running a business can feel lonely and heavy. There are money worries, there’s the comparison trap, and there’s that nagging feeling you should be further on by now. So many of us spend the year reacting rather than choosing. This meditation gives you space to put all of that down for a while, meet the version of you who is twelve months further along, and hear what they want you to know. You’ll come out of it calmer, clearer and with one honest first step for 2027.

If you’ve been wondering whether this is really the business you want, or you’re ready to plan next year in a way that fits around your life rather than swallowing it, I’d love you to give yourself these fifteen minutes. Find somewhere comfortable and press play when you can close your eyes.

In this episode:
- Why a future self visualisation is such a powerful mindset tool for goal setting and business planning
- Letting go of the guilt, comparison and not-enoughness so many business owners carry
- Stepping into a day twelve months from now, with work that lights you up, clients who value you and money that finally feels steady
- A heartfelt conversation with your future self about what to let go of and what to do first
- Why you haven’t been failing, you’ve been learning

After you listen, write down the first step your future self gave you and keep it somewhere you’ll see it every day. If something big came up, spend ten minutes journalling about it. Those feelings are worth listening to.

BOOK YOUR 2027 BUSINESS PLANNING WORKSHOP

If this episode stirred something, my annual business planning workshop is where we turn that feeling into a real plan. It’s a relaxed, practical morning to look back on 2026 and plan your next 12 months with clarity, without the hustle. All stages welcome. Every ticket includes:
- A pre-workshop mini audit
- My simple goal-setting and planning framework
- Guided visualisation
- A panel of three business owners sharing their planning habits
- A bonus online accountability session in mid-January

Choose your date:
Shrewsbury: Tue 24 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Lion & Pheasant Hotel
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningshrewsbury
Woburn Sands: Fri 27 Nov, 10am to 12.30pm, Frosts
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningwoburn
Online: Wed 2 Dec, 10am to 12pm
https://alexmccarthycoaching.as.me/2027businessplanningonline

- In-person guests also get a printed workbook, pen, surprise goodies, pastries and refreshments.
- Tickets: £48 in person, £38 online, or add £100 to go VIP and get a 60-minute 1:1 with me.
- Spaces are limited, so book your place soon.
- Business training can often be tax deductible, so check with your accountant.