Welcome to 2026!

If you’ve felt like things are all over the place lately — especially if you run a service business online — you are not alone. The pace of change right now is enough to make anyone feel fried.

So to ring in 2026, I thought I’d spend January sharing some of my observations about larger trends in the business world, and how those are likely to impact small business owners, especially those selling their services and expertise, this year.

First up, let's talk about one of the biggest and most distracting trends for business owners right now: AI.

I’m not saying AI is a trend that’s going to die anytime soon, or ever. But I see too many business owners distracted with AI, trying to make it work and failing to actually grow their business.

So let’s dig into what AI is actually going to be useful for, and where it can just be another shiny object that doesn’t move the needle for your business.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• Why AI is making a lot of businesses busier, but not more profitable
• The difference between efficiency and effectiveness (and why it matters)
• Where AI is genuinely helpful and where it robs you of your authority
• A behind-the-scenes story of how I tried to use AI to write my next book… and why I ultimately had to stop
• What the real differentiators are right now

Resources:

• Get on the Early Readers List
• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

Molly Godfrey is someone who I got connected to through our amazing No BS Agencies Mastery community. I have now personally worked with her, and she has shared her absolutely golden insights into content strategy with our community.

She’s just too good and too valuable to not have on the podcast. You’re going to learn so much from Molly about how to make LinkedIn work for your service-based business.

Molly Godfrey is a viral content creator and LinkedIn strategy evangelist. She successfully scaled her first online business in the coaching space to multiple six figures all from the power of writing online. Now she works 1:1 with founders of service based businesses to help them turn their LinkedIn presence into an effective business development and lead generation tool. 

Tune into this episode to hear:

• Why copy-pasting content from other social media platforms doesn’t work with LinkedIn
• The importance of nailing your bio headline
• Molly’s top advice for making your profile speak to your ideal client
• How LinkedIn’s emphasis on quality content over quantity of posts benefits creators
• Why LinkedIn is a long game, but one that pays off in high-quality leads and connections

Learn more about Molly Gofrey:

• Website
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Impressions Community

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

I have a very special holiday treat for you!

I am sharing my full conversation with Seth Godin from our No BS Agencies in-person retreat back in May 2025.

Listening to Seth can really change the way you see your business and he shared so much wisdom and knowledge during this chat. I know you’re going to get so much out of it. We’re still talking about it regularly inside Mastery seven months later!

Seth Godin is an author, entrepreneur, and most of all, a teacher. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 21 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, What To Do When It's Your Turn (And It's Always Your Turn), This is Marketing, and This is Strategy. Though renowned for his writing and speaking, Seth also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!). He is credited as the inventor of email marketing (the good kind) and has given five highly popular TED talks.

By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, Seth has motivated and inspired countless people around the world.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• What it really means to be an entrepreneur, a freelancer, or a small business owner in today’s market
• What Seth learned from hundreds of publisher rejection letters 
• What luck has to do with whether a decision is good or bad
• Why people struggle with thinking strategically instead of tactically 
• Why the right setting is as important to landing clients as the right audience

Learn more about Seth Godin:

• Website
• Seth’s Blog
• Akimbo Podcast
• Facebook: @sethgodin
• Stop Stealing Dreams

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

A lot of us are feeling uncertainty heading into 2026. 

As humans, we like certainty. We want to feel like we have control over our lives. Not knowing what’s coming can be scary as hell. 

Things are all over the place right now, politically, economically, you name it, and if that’s making it feel extra hard to be a business owner right now, that’s fair and your feelings are valid. But we’re not in a full-on apocalyptic collapse, which means we do have the opportunity to put ourselves in the best possible position to make sales, even when some clients are feeling hesitant.

Today, I want to talk about how I’m approaching all this uncertainty, and share some thoughts on where to double down when everything feels up in the air.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• Why I’m leaning into the fundamentals of marketing my business
• Why sometimes you just have to take a less-than-ideal client or project
• Why you need a clear action plan, even when the future feels extra unpredictable

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

I want to make the case for building your authority as essential to surviving and thriving as AI tools become more and more prevalent and sophisticated. Your ability to think and communicate critically and strategically is what will continue to set you apart from everyone else. 

How you communicate and build your authority in online spaces is also rapidly changing, and as much as I hate to say it, I don’t have a magic bullet answer for you. So rather than pretending I know what’s coming and how to respond, I’m going to share how I’m approaching authority building strategy for now and the foreseeable future, knowing the tactics can and will change, but that authority is more vital than ever.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• Why authority content is so vital for expertise-based service providers
• How AI is making us more skeptical and human interactions even more important
• Why investing in your referral network and relationships is going to be key to maintaining your pipeline
• The myth of forever consistency in your business
• How the purpose of online authority content is evolving

Mentioned:

• E. 245: Selena Soo: Build Rich Relationships, Not Just a Network
• Rich Relationships: Create a Million-Dollar Network for Your Business
• Ryan Levesque
• E. 219: Eleanor Hancock on Making the Big Leap, Changing Everything in Their Business, and Finding the Most Valuable Piece of Any Client Project
• Number 75 Design

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

What does it really take to become an authority in your space?

If you’ve ever wondered why building authority feels slow, confusing, or downright impossible sometimes, this episode is going to feel like a deep exhale.

In this first installment of a two-part mini-series, I’m pulling back the curtain on my 10+ year journey of building authority — what worked, what didn’t, what took way longer than I expected, and the uncomfortable truths I’ve learned from teaching authority to hundreds of business owners.



And yes… some of it might be hard to hear. It was hard to say. But it needs to be said.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The four different types of authority and why they each matter
• How I accidentally built authority in my early years (and why it worked)
• The real timeline it takes to be seen as an expert in your industry
• Why experience, reps, and client work matter more than any social media hack
• The gritty truth about pricing, expertise, and the limits of short-cutting
• Why building authority is still one of the best long-term investments you can make

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

Sara Chambers is back to celebrate the launch of her new book, Do It Fat: An Unapologetic Guide to Taking Up More Space Regardless of Your Size. 

She has done incredible work opening herself up for her own growth and for the good of so many others around her. I am so excited for you to learn more about Sara and her message.

Sara Chambers is a brand strategist, TEDx speaker, best-selling author, and the CEO of Elly and Nora Creative, a full-service agency that builds brave, bold, brag-worthy brands for entrepreneurs who are ready to lead with purpose and power. With a background in marketing, PR, and communications for nonprofits and a variety of personal and lifestyle brands, Sara has spent nearly two decades helping thought leaders clarify their message, amplify their mission, and own their space. She’s also the founder of Chicks Who Give a Hoot, a nonprofit mobilizing women entrepreneurs as a force for good through media, mentorship, and community.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• What set Sara on her journey to grapple with why she (and so many women) struggled to be at home in her body
• Why our feelings about our bodies too often keeps us playing small
• What Sara needed to let go in order to write with more nuance and depth
• How Sara’s experiences with clients brings a unique lens to the book
• The invaluable support and accountability Sara received from the No BS community throughout the writing process

Learn more about Sara Chambers:

• Elly and Nora Creative
• Instagram: @sarachamberscreative
• Do It Fat
• Do It Fat Workbook

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

All this month, I’ve been getting real about the changes that are happening in my business.

There have been so many decisions to be made about how to market, how to design offers, and how I can best help people really do the thing I’m teaching them to do. 

Here’s the thing, I don’t really think of myself as a coach, even though I’ve been in the coaching industry for years. I tend to think of myself as a consultant, a guide, or a teacher because I focus on tactics and strategies in our programs. And we have other people do a lot of the “real” coaching.

But even though I don’t call myself a coach, I’m part of this industry. And I have a lot to say about what sucks about it and the big misconceptions people get sold about it.

Today I dig into why coaching isn’t just showing up, giving advice, and collecting enrollment fees in your sleep. Helping people get what they want and achieve their goals is actually one of the hardest–but most rewarding–things I’ve ever done.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The behind-the-scenes practical and emotional labor that goes into coaching
• Why coaching is extra challenging if you’ve got even the slightest control freak tendencies
• How the coaching industry can take teaching radical responsibility to toxic places
• The moments that keep me coming back to teaching, even with the industry’s issues 

Mentioned:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

As we’re making big changes in the business, I’m reworking our marketing language and it is bringing up all sorts of feelings for me. 

I’ve internally struggled with marketing throughout my career. I want to give people all the nuance behind what I’m offering, but nuance doesn’t tend to fit into an attention-grabbing soundbite. And then I get into my head about it, worrying that I’m somehow adding the culture of crap marketing for snake oil even though I have tons of evidence that our methods really do get results for people.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. So let’s talk about it.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• The challenge I had with Blueprint to 30K Months (and why it works)
• What I learned about getting people’s attention from my stint in real estate
• Why I get tied up in knots about creating messaging that nuanced or punchy
• The comments from trolls that still live rent-free in my head
• The mindset that I’m working to carry forward through these big changes

Mentioned:

• Michelle Mazur (@drmichellemazur)
• Duped Podcast
• E. 25: What's Possible: Stop Trading Dollars For Hours And Start Scaling Your Business With Confidence And Clarity Featuring Rachael Won
• Rachael Wonderlin (@cant_hustleanyharder)

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com

Building a business is not always sunshine and roses. There are hard decisions and challenges, and sometimes the hardest part of all is dealing with the trash talk in our own heads.

Last month, I told you about the No BS Clients Lab, but that’s not the only shift in our business that’s coming down the pipeline. I’m super excited about the direction we’re going, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also really scared.

Over the next few episodes, I’m going to share with you how the business is evolving and all the worries, fears, and challenges that come with it. I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes look at what I’m working on and grappling with because even with a business that is, for all intents and purposes, successful, there are mindsets and habits of being that are hard to shake and I have them too.

I hope it will be helpful for you to hear about some of the raw, unfiltered trash that still comes up for me, even after years of work. Because we all deal with this stuff and you’re not alone in your fears and struggles.

Tune into this episode to hear:

• What we did wrong when creating our first course, the Brandup Bootcamp
• Why we decided not to scale an online course
• Why I’ve hesitated to teach the No BS processes to business owners who aren’t doing branding
• How I’m expanding my niche
• The big fears about changing my business that I’m confronting, even as I’m excited 

Resources:

• No BS Clients Lab
• No BS Agencies Mastery
• The Price to Freedom Calculator™
• No BS Agency Owners Free Facebook Group
• Start reading the first chapter of my book
• Piasilva.com