That’s the thread running through my blog in 2026: how businesses can stand out, communicate with conviction and turn their expertise into something customers genuinely value. From sharper positioning to the future of AI-powered professional services, I’ve been exploring what makes a business worth noticing, trusting and choosing.
Here’s a flavour of the themes – and a few articles to dip into.
Standing out without shouting louder
Too much business marketing sounds interchangeable. Everyone is “trusted”, “innovative” and “client-focused” – but what actually makes one firm different from the next? Read more>>>
In Professional Services Brand Positioning With Bite, I explore the choices that give a brand a sharper identity. Business Communication and the Signal-to-Noise Problem takes that argument further: perhaps the answer isn’t more content, but more specific, meaningful communication. Read more >>>
Making the human connection
Why do some messages stick while others disappear? And why do we trust some businesses more readily than others?
Brand Storytelling in Marketing that Actually Works puts the customer, not the company, in the starring role.
The trust equation: building trust with people and brands looks at the relationship between credibility, reliability, personal connection and self-interest.
Together, they make the case for marketing that feels less like a performance and more like a useful conversation.
Read more about the Trust Equation
Read more about brand storytelling
Asking what AI really changes
AI is one thing. Rebuilding a professional-services business around it is quite another.
In Future of Professional Services: v1.0 to v4.0, I look beyond the tools to the business model: what happens to hourly billing, traditional career paths and client expectations when work can be delivered very differently? It’s a look towards 2035, with questions that firms need to consider now.
Challenging the marketing rule book
How many times does someone need to see an advert? Which familiar sales assumptions deserve another look? And what happens when a brand crosses the Atlantic and discovers that the same language doesn’t carry the same meaning?
Advertising Frequency: Krugman’s Three Exposure Theory revisits the thinking behind repetition and recall. UK Market Entry for US Brands: A Practical Guide explores why successful expansion requires more than changing spellings—and why culture, credibility and local relationships matter.
Looking beyond growth to business value
A growing business and a valuable business aren’t necessarily the same conversation.
Understanding Business Valuation and Why It Matters brings the discussion back to the owner’s perspective: understanding value isn’t just something to do when a sale is imminent. It can inform better long-term decisions about the business you’re building.
Leave a Reply