December 2025

I. Make at Least One Strategic Investment for 2026
A single smart investment now can improve your business all year long.

II. Why I’m Retiring a Freelance Service, & Why Now
Consider removing services that no longer make sense.

III. A Simple Year-End “Thank You” Goes a Long Way
Sending a sincere note to clients can grow your working relationship.

I. Make at Least One Strategic Investment for 2026

A single smart investment now can improve your business all year long.

No matter how detailed your yearly business planning is, it will involve deciding where to put resources in the coming year. That means figuring out where you’re willing to spend.

Sometimes even a small investment can help you increase efficiency, attract more clients, or pick up new profitable skills.

Choose a Strategic Investment to Solve Your Own Pain Points

Perhaps you write copy for clients that’s meant to address their customers’ pain points.

Try looking at yourself in the same way. You’re the consumer.

What products, services, training, etc. could remove friction in your business? What investments would offer the most value?

Here are some to consider:

• Advanced training related to higher-fee services. (such as Peter Bowerman’s Well-Fed Craft for example, with the special offer above)
• Software or research tools clients expect their freelance pros to use (such as SEO software and services if you write web copy or online articles)
• Professional services (such as an accountant to help you get your records in better order, a financial planner to help you set up a self-employed retirement account, or a lawyer to review or help draft your standard contract)

Try a new tool, service, or learning opportunity. Start with one strategic investment to get your New Year off to a better start.

II. Why I’m Retiring a Freelance Service (& Why Now)

Consider removing services that no longer make sense.

I’ve offered copyediting almost as long as I’ve been in business. But that’s about to change.

Next week, I’m retiring all copyediting services.

Why Retire a Freelance Service?

There are plenty of reasons you might choose to retire a service.

• You don’t enjoy that work anymore.
• Those projects don’t pay as well as others.
• There isn’t enough demand for that service

For me, it’s a mix of these things.

• I prefer coming in during the planning and strategic phase, then taking on new writing projects from the start.
• Copyediting was at one time a good income source for me. As my rates increased over the years, so did client push-back. Clients would assume their draft didn’t need much work. It did. Higher-priced writing services became the easier sale.

These aren’t my only reasons though.

I’ve cut back on client work in recent years, and I’m streamlining my services more around the thought leadership side of things.

And then there’s the issue of AI…

Too many editing requests, including from long-time clients, revolve around wanting someone to handle AI mop jobs.

Clients figure they’ll save money by having generative AI tools provide barely salvageable content from the most basic of prompts. Then they’ll have someone edit it.

I’m all for integrating AI tools into your business. But this isn’t it.

I don’t touch AI generated content if the client can’t prove they have the full rights to it, such as them using AI tools to re-work their own older copyrighted works.

Anything else risks being an infringing derivative, and by taking it on for further “edits,” I’d be taking on potential liability as well.

At this point, I already have other reasons to retire my copyediting services. This change lends further support to my decision.

Sometimes it makes sense to add new services to your offerings. Sometimes it makes more sense to let them go.

Consider evaluating the services you advertise and assessing their value to your business. Maybe you’ll also find it’s time for a change.

III. A Simple Year-End “Thank You” Goes a Long Way

Sending a sincere note to clients can grow your working relationship.

This is the time where I like to wrap up the year’s business with a few quiet “thank you” notes.

They might be emails. They might be holiday cards. No matter the form, they’re brief, sincere notes to clients I’ve worked with during the year.

I find that small gesture of appreciation goes a long way toward helping you stand out.

Keep it simple, but specific.

When sending a year-end “thank you” to your clients, keep it simple.

Thank them for something specific such as:

• the opportunity to work on a particularly interesting project;
• something you appreciate about your point person or their team.

Show clients you see them as partners, not just paying projects.

Be genuine and this small gesture will stick with people. When you leave a positive impression, those clients tend to come back.