I love playing with new strategies. New tech. New tools. I’m always optimizing, always testing, always coming up with ideas to do things better.

And that’s great — until it’s not.

Because what happens when you’re like this is you layer on more and more stuff. Eventually you look up and realize you’re doing a lot of busy work for the sake of busy work. You’re not focused. You’re not creative. And you’re definitely not working on the things that actually matter.

So every six to twelve months, I sit down and strip out what’s not working. I simplify. I cut. I get back to basics.

Because that’s when my business works best.

At the end of last year, I did this again. The four changes we made freed up space, allowed us to focus, and helped us have our best months ever while still working part-time around my family.

Here’s what happened.

The Simplification Trap Most People Fall Into

Before you can simplify effectively, you need a way to actually assess what’s working and what’s not. Otherwise you’re just cutting things randomly and hoping for the best.

I use something I call the Traffic Light Process — and it’s the framework I took our Funnel Club members through at the end of last year.

It’s dead simple, forces you to be brutally honest, and takes about an hour to do properly. In the full episode I walk through exactly how it works and how to apply it to your marketing, sales, and offers.

But here’s what it helped me see in our business.

The Four Things We Changed

1. We Brought Ads Back In-House

Most people think bringing ads in-house means more work. For us, it was the opposite.

The way Facebook Ads works now has completely changed. And what I realized was that the part that actually takes time — creating the ad creatives — is better done in-house anyway.

The result? Less people to manage. Faster decision-making. And we’ve scaled up faster and more profitably than we’ve been able to in years.

I break down the full reasoning and what changed in the episode.

2. We Pulled Back on Social Media

We already have content creation down to a pretty refined system using AI. But I still felt like we weren’t getting enough bang for our buck with Instagram specifically.

So I had three options: go all in and try to make it work, keep doing what we’re doing, or pull it back completely.

Here’s what I realized: Social media is not a top-of-funnel channel for us.

It’s mid-funnel. People click on an ad, then come to Instagram to find out who we are. Or they’re considering working with us and want to see recent client wins and results.

So I made a call about what that actually means for our posting frequency and strategy. And it’s been one of the most freeing changes we’ve made.

3. We Ditched Video Podcasting

Up until the end of last year, we were doing video podcasts. Trying to do a two-for-one — record once, use it everywhere.

The problem? Creating video is infinitely more work. Lighting. Hair. Outfits. Editing. Lead times.

I looked at the numbers and realized the video side wasn’t worth it for us. So we went back to audio only.

And now everything is faster, more nimble, less stressful. The full breakdown of what we were spending versus what we were getting is in the episode.

4. We Simplified Our Offer Suite

We retired a bunch of programs over the holidays and even renamed some to make it clearer what they were and who they were for.

For example, our long-running Empire program is now The Funnel Club.

And we went from multiple programs to just three core offerings plus a couple of adaptive low-ticket options.

The result? It’s easier to market. Easier to explain. Easier to deliver. And it’s opened up massive space in my calendar for what’s coming next.

I explain the full offer structure and the thinking behind each piece in the episode.

What Actually Happened When We Simplified

Here’s the thing most people get wrong about simplifying: they think it means their business will shrink.

When we simplified all of these things, our business didn’t shrink. It grew.

We’re back to having our best months ever. I’m still working part-time around my family. Still planning amazing holidays. And I’m spending most of my time actually serving clients — not doing endless admin, people management, or content creation tasks.

Because simplifying isn’t about cutting things for the sake of it. It’s about freeing up space to focus on what actually moves the needle.

If you’re constantly running at capacity, constantly doing busy work, you don’t have room to think. You don’t have room to grow.

Listen to the Full Episode

Want the full breakdown of the Traffic Light Process, the exact numbers behind each decision, and how to apply this to your own business?

Listen to the complete episode.

Ready to Simplify Your Sales and Marketing Strategy?

If you’re ready to strip back the complexity and focus on what actually works, check out our programs. We help online coaches and course creators build six-figure funnels with all the support you need to actually make it happen.

See which program is right for you

P.S. The Monthly Editorial Meeting I mentioned? It’s the AI process I use to plan an entire month of cohesive, strategic content in about 90 minutes. If you’re interested in doing this in your business grab it here.