Tired of marketing advice that’s either obvious or outright shady? Strategic AF flips the script. It's the only newsletter that treats solopreneurs, founders, and marketers like grown-ups, not toddlers looking for the next shiny toy. Subscribe to get sharp, no-nonsense strategy advice without the cringe. No bro-marketing, no fluff — just real, sustainable growth tactics. Subscribe if you want results. Scroll past if you prefer gimmicks.
💰 What buyers want in 2026: solopreneurship trends that pay [SAF #161]
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Hey Reader, This is the last issue of Strategic AF in 2025, so I want it to make a difference for you in two ways:
Until then, let’s talk about what 2026 might hold in store for us all. In the past few months, almost all my clients and peers told me they’re in a “weird” space. Scared of what’s coming, anxious, cautiously optimistic, or excited but overwhelmed are words they used. And I felt that. As insecurity is mounting, most of us are thinking “what do people even buy anymore?” This newsletter issue will answer this question as best as possible, given what we know now. Spoiler alert: it’s not all doom and gloom. Yes, we need to do some rethinking of our offers but there are a ton of brand-new opportunities out there too. But before that, I have THE piece of news that made my week. 📣 Brought to you by 📣KitI was invited by Kit to be one of the 25 beta testers for a new feature called Subscriber Signals. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. But holy jeepers is this good! I can now see at a glance:
There are countless useful metrics in there, and I haven’t even dug that deep. This feature is still in beta and my contact at Kit estimates it will be released in ±6 weeks. But, if you’re serious about email marketing, join me on the Kit network. Even without this new feature, Kit has been responsible for most of my passive growth, so it's a good investment if your newsletter is your main source of revenue.
Want your name up here? Reserve your slot! (sold out until February 2026) OK, let’s talk 2026 solopreneurship trends and see how we can leverage them for growth. 1. Search is getting social, visual, and weirdly fragmentedDespite the countless “search is dead” posts I see everywhere, I don’t think that’s true. Search is changing but it's not going anywhere. Yes, we have the AI summaries and AI search — we all know them and probably have a love-hate relationship with them. But it runs deeper than that.
Why you should care It’s time to stop clinging to “I should rank on Google” while your buyers are typing “[niche problem] TikTok” or searching inside LinkedIn, YouTube, and Reddit. Discovery is happening in micro-search boxes across platforms, not just in SEO land. How to use this 2026 solopreneurship trend
2. 1:1 services and coaching are still printing money and they will continue to do so in 2026If the State of Solopreneurship flipped one common myth, it’s this one: services generate more revenue for solopreneurs than digital products and paid partnerships. Most high earners in this cohort rely on services, even if they are productized, like my 1:1 Strategy Sessions, for instance. The coaching industry is booming and most reports are projecting even more growth in the upcoming year(s). Why you should care If you’re busy feeling guilty for “still doing client work” because some loud guy with a Lambo told you real freedom comes from “scalable offers”, think again. Consulting and done-for-you work is THE thing keeping the lights on for most businesses People are absolutely still paying for direct access to a brain, especially when the offer is specific and tied to outcomes. I’m not saying don’t build digital products or “scalable” offers. You SHOULD do that. But be prepared for them to take a long time until they replace your 1:1 work income. How to use this 2026 solopreneurship trend Look back at your highest-grossing offers in 2025 and answer this question: “do I need money NOW (in the next 6 months) or do I have the cushion to build something scalable?” If you need revenue NOW, don’t nix your service offers. Build something else in while services pay your bills. If you’ve been relying on digital products and you feel like you’ve tapped out your audience, consider adding premium tiers that include access to you. Here’s how. 3. Courses aren’t dying. Zombie courses are.Here’s what we know so far:
Note: Take this data with a grain of salt because it usually mashes together courses created by solopreneurs/small companies AND corporate courses that are usually mandatory. I expect completion rates to be even lower. Why you should care Don’t kill your courses just yet, especially if they are evergreen. Find ways to make them work for the learners who expect a bit more than DIY. How to use this The pattern that works is something similar to:
TL;DR: Courses are doing fine. “Here’s 12 hours of video, good luck” is what’s decaying. 4. Micro-communities and memberships are beating big audiences on depth and LTVYou still need an audience and, preferably, a big one. But small communities may be a better bang for your buck, both as a founder and as a member. In the past two years, I joined three private communities (relatively small ones). My ROI has been off the charts. On top of that, the feeling of being among peers who get you and your struggles is second to none. The numbers support the growing appetite for communities.
Why you should care Most of the conversations that matter happen in private communities. This is where you find out about tactics, products that make sense for you, trends, and more. This is also where you get introduced to people who might be your clients or your partners. How to use this Consider this: do you want to be a community founder or a member? No answer is wrong, as long as you make sure you’re in a place where you don’t need a filter for AI slop. One thing to keep in mind is that people don’t want “yet another Discord”. They want a place that makes a specific business job easier. 5. Product mix, not single-hero offersMost solopreneurs have more than one offer. The respondents in State of Solopreneurship often combine 3 or 4 offers or formats. This is not accidental. The solopreneurs with stable income tend to have 3–4 aligned revenue streams, all anchored in the same problem space. Notice how I didn’t say they all fix the same problem. While one of those streams may account for most of their revenue, it’s rarely the ONE thing they sell. Why? Because building an audience has gotten harder, which means that increasing LTV (lifetime value) has become the easier way to increase revenue. Personal example: I’ve been advised to build a classic value ladder — low-ticket product, upsell to mid-ticket, then upsell to high-ticket. In this scenario, all products solve the same problem at different levels of depth and involvement. I refused to do it for a few reasons:
Why should you care? This is the perfect time to evaluate your offer stack. I’m willing to bet that there are gaps you can fill with new, low-lift products or by simply adding new pricing tiers to existing products. How to use this Instead of asking “are courses dead?”, the more useful question is: “what mix of 1:1, courses, community, and tiny products gives me stable, compounding revenue?” 📩 An invitation for youI’m building The Council, a highly-curated community of solopreneurs who are overwhelmed by noise and want one clear, trusted place to build a marketing system that actually works. Within The Council, you’ll always have me in your corner AND a community of peers. We’ll meet regularly, do growth sprints together, and more. I’m super excited to welcome the founding members and I’m hoping you’ll be one of them. Since this is very early, every founding member gets a 50% discount off the regular price for life. There are only 10 founding member seats available, which is why I'm not talking about The Council anywhere else yet — so you can get first dibs. Feel like you could use a place to get clarity on your marketing anytime you need it? Reply to this email and I’ll tell you more about The Council and whether it’s right for you or not. 🔦 Community SpotlightI discovered a newsletter that you should know about. The Thoughtful Marketer is a newsletter for entrepreneurs who want to take a stand with their brand. It shares stories and lessons from purpose-led founders who have learned how to market their businesses creatively while staying true to themselves. Spoiler alert: I’ll be featured in an upcoming edition. Subscribe here to discover stories from people worth following. Want your newsletters to feel more personal to every subscriber? If you feel like it's time to go beyond "Hi, [FIRST_NAME]", keep reading. Happy Holidays if you're celebrating! And, if not, I hope you find some time to relax.
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Strategic AF
Tired of marketing advice that’s either obvious or outright shady? Strategic AF flips the script. It's the only newsletter that treats solopreneurs, founders, and marketers like grown-ups, not toddlers looking for the next shiny toy. Subscribe to get sharp, no-nonsense strategy advice without the cringe. No bro-marketing, no fluff — just real, sustainable growth tactics. Subscribe if you want results. Scroll past if you prefer gimmicks.
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