Have you ever opened Pinterest to “get inspired” for your business… and somehow ended up planning a fictional life in Italy instead?

Same.

In this episode of the Big Bad Marketing Podcast, we’re talking about how to create a vision board for your small business that’s not just vibes and pretty pictures, but something that actually guides your decisions, keeps you focused, and helps you build the business you keep thinking about at 2 am.

We break down:

• Why vision boards work (even if you’re allergic to woo-woo)

• How a vision board can act as a strategic filter, not just inspiration

• The two types of vision boards your business might need right now

• How to visualize revenue, impact, and growth without turning it into a manifestation cliché

• How to turn your vision board into something actionable using habits and consistency

• The most common vision board mistakes small business owners make (and how to avoid them)

This episode is part strategy, part mindset, and part “who do I need to become to support the business I say I want?”

✨ Bonus for listeners:
If you love the idea of pairing vision with habits, you can get 15% off a Sticker the Habit calendar using code BIGBAD. It’s a simple, analog way to track habits and actually follow through on the vision you’re creating.
👉 https://stickerthehabit.etsy.com?coupon=BIGBAD

And if you want monthly marketing inspo that actually helps you think bigger without burning out, sign up for the Big Bad Marketing Newsletter at bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter.

Flyers. Postcards. Brochures. Snail mail.
Is any of this actually working anymore… or are you just paying to be tossed straight into someone’s recycling bin?

In this episode, we’re breaking down whether print marketing via mail still works in 2026, and the answer might surprise you. We’re walking you through when direct mail makes sense, when it doesn’t, how much it actually costs, and which types of small businesses see the highest ROI. (Spoiler: print is far from dead.)

We even brought receipts from our friend Nikki Bernet at Local Trend, who shared insider data on targeting, budgeting, offer strategy, and why global brands like American Express and Domino’s still rely heavily on direct mail.

You’ll learn:

• Why postcards and targeted mailers still convert

• The difference between saturation mailers (like EDDM) vs. refined mailing lists

• Which industries see the best return on print

• What types of offers work best (and which ones fall flat)

• How much you should expect to spend mailing to 1,000, 5,000, or 10,000 homes

• Who shouldn’t use direct mail

• How to test the waters affordably using cooperative mail

If you’ve ever wondered whether sending physical mail is worth it or how to effectively send print campaigns without wasting money, this episode gives you the clarity you need.

Want to learn more about affordable, targeted print campaigns? Connect with Nikki at localtrendcharleston.com.

📬 Sign up for the BBM newsletter: bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

One year ago, we kicked off this podcast with a scrappy little elevator pitch and a mission: help real small business owners DIY their marketing on a budget. And honestly? That messy first draft was exactly what we needed to get started.

Now, one year later, we’re revisiting our original elevator pitch, breaking down what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and how our own clarity has evolved as Big Bad Marketing has grown. We’re also sharing the biggest lesson we’ve learned after working with small business owners all year long: if everything in your business feels hard, it usually starts with a fuzzy elevator pitch.

In this episode, we’ll walk you through:

• Our original 2024 elevator pitch (and whether we’d change it today)

• The 5-part template you can still use to nail your own pitch

• How your elevator pitch exposes deeper issues with your offers, pricing, or audience

• How to test, refine, and evolve your pitch as your business grows

If you want to reshape how you talk about what you do, and finally make it clear, confident, and easy for customers to say “ohhh, I need that”, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen to our original elevator pitch episode:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-elevator-pitch-how-to-sell-yourself-in-30-seconds/id1793837831?i=1000687632491

📘 Read the companion blog post:
https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/blog/heres-how-to-perfect-your-elevator-pitch

📬 Get our monthly BBM newsletter:
https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

Let’s do this.

Before you set a single goal for 2026, you need to take an honest look at what actually happened in 2025. In this episode, we walk you through our Big Bad Biz Review, the six-page reflection we use for our business to understand the real story behind what happened this year.

We cover the numbers that matter (revenue, margins, leads, LTV, CAC, and more) and the reflection questions most business owners skip: what felt heavy, what felt energizing, what decisions made your life easier, and where you fell out of alignment.

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of your patterns, your wins, your lessons, and the mindset shifts that deserve to follow you into the new year.

This episode is part strategy, part therapy, and part truth-telling, the perfect reset before you build your 2026 plan.

Resources we mention in this episode:

• 2025 Year in Review Template: https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/s/2025-Big-Bad-Year-in-Review.pdf

• Business Math Guide: How to understand revenue, profit, margins, and what your numbers are really telling you
  https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/blog/business-math-revenue-profit-margins

• Happiness Podcast Episode: The podcast we referenced about what actually drives happiness
  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-1-happiness-expert-if-your-friends-get-divorced/id1291423644?i=1000642058696

• Offer Blog: How to create a compelling offer that converts
  https://www.bigbadmarketing.com/blog/how-to-create-a-compelling-offer

In this episode, we walk through how to build a sustainable, stress-free marketing plan for 2026. Topics include:

• Why you burn out with marketing (and how to prevent it)

• Choosing the right platforms for you

• Creating a cadence that’s more than doable

• Why your first 3 months of the year should be detailed, and the rest flexible

• How to repurpose instead of reinventing

• A simple sample plan:

  • 1 email per month

  • 1 social post per week

• How to Choose the Right Marketing Channels for Your Small Biz

• User Personas: How to Actually Understand Your Audience

If your marketing hasn’t been working, it’s probably because you’re doing what most small business owners accidentally do: sending traffic to something that’s not fully built yet.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why your marketing isn’t converting (and why it’s not your fault)

• The real reason paid ads, boosted posts, and fancy websites flop

• The 3 questions every small business must answer before marketing can work

• The 8-step foundation every small biz needs:

  • Clear, sellable offers

  • Biz math + pricing that makes sense

  • End-to-end delivery process

  • Your buyer’s journey

  • User personas + competitive landscape

  • Messaging + brand voice

  • Platforms

  • Website basics

• What to focus on in 2026 to show up consistently without burning out

• How to create a simple, sustainable marketing cadence you’ll actually stick to

Related Big Bad Marketing episodes:

• How to Build a Sales Funnel: Part 1 + Part 2

This week, we’re doing something a little different. This episode is a vibes-only, behind-the-scenes check-in. Because let’s be real: some weeks in business are just a lot.

We’re talking about what happens when everything hits at once, deadlines, prospect calls, launches, life, and how we find the will (and the mindset) to keep going when we’d rather throw our laptops out the window.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying your whole business on your back or wondering if it’s supposed to feel this hard sometimes, this one’s for you. It’s honest, it’s messy, and it’s proof you’re not alone.

Running a business comes with a never-ending to-do list, deadlines, and the occasional meltdown in front of your laptop. Stress is real. But so are the little rituals that help you reset.

In this episode of the Big Bad Marketing Podcast, we’re getting real about the practices that keep us grounded and sane while building our business. Think of it as a menu of stress-busting ideas you can pull from when your brain feels fried.

Here’s what we dive into:

• How we define stress (and why it shows up so often in entrepreneurship)

• Simple daily resets: water, movement, breaks, and knowing when to stop

• Creative outlets that unlock flow: pottery, watercolors, doodling, guitar

• Body and breath: yoga, kundalini, strength training, dance cardio, breath work

• Cozy vibes: cooking, gardening, reading, cleaning, skincare, face masks

• Social and mental resets: belly rubs (yes, really), meeting people IRL, keeping a clean desk

💌 Want more behind-the-scenes convos like this? Join our Big Bad Marketing newsletter for tips, strategies, and the real talk of running a business: bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

🎧 More BBM episodes you might like:

• Take these 3 simple steps to make marketing feel less overwhelming

• The $500 marketing budget challenge (because money stress is real, too)

Running a business doesn’t mean running yourself into the ground. Tune in for a reminder to breathe, reset, and get back to creating.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a Big Bad episode!

This Halloween, we’re digging up the cursed advice that haunts small business owners everywhere.

From “post every day no matter what” to “your product will sell itself,” we’re calling out the scary, bad marketing advice you should definitely not follow.

Brooke and Jenné break down why these ghostly mistakes happen, how to fix them fast, and what to do instead so your marketing doesn’t end up six feet under.

💀 Sign up for the October BBM Newsletter at bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter for smart (not spooky) marketing tips and our free 2026 Marketing Calendar!

Ever put weeks of effort into an event only to feel like crickets when the doors open? We’ve been there. In this episode of the Big Bad Marketing Podcast, we’re breaking down exactly how to promote an in-person event so people actually show up, without blowing your budget.

Whether you’re hosting a workshop, pop-up, open house, or expo booth, this step-by-step guide will help you:

• Map out your event goals and plan ahead (so you’re not scrambling)

• Build a smart digital promotion timeline that creates hype and urgency

• Use print the right way (flyers, postcards, signage) without wasting money

• Create must-have collateral and avoid last-minute rush fees

• Follow up after the event so you keep momentum and turn attendees into customers

We’ll share what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons we learned the hard way so you don’t have to.

💌 Want more step-by-step marketing tips like this? Join the Big Bad Marketing newsletter at bigbadmarketing.com/newsletter

🎧 More episodes to check out:

• How to crush your first expo without being cringey

• The $500 marketing budget challenge for when you need to stretch your dollars and still get results

If you’re serious about filling seats and creating buzz for your next event, this episode is your playbook.

👉 Be sure to hit subscribe so you don’t miss all the upcoming goodness!