"I don’t have money to spend on marketing."

I feel that. Truly. But it raises a bigger question: how is the business doing?

If you’re cashflow poor, the answer can’t be to stop looking for customers. That’s a slow fade.

Marketing is how you buy tickets to future revenue. Especially when done right - predictable, consistent, measurable. Share of voice = share of market. If no one hears you, no one remembers you. And if no one remembers you, they don’t buy from you.

"I’m doing okay without marketing."

That’s a great place to be. It probably means your product is good and people already like what you do.

But now ask yourself: are you happy staying here? Or is there more potential?

Marketing doesn’t just scale revenue. It scales reputation. It puts you in conversations where your name already carries weight. It prevents you getting overtaken by your competitors. The more recognised you are, the more reputable you become. And if you already have brand equity - don’t just protect it. Compound it.

"I get my customers from word of mouth."

That’s the gold standard. Word of mouth is the most trusted form of marketing.

So let’s do more of what works.

If people love what you do, marketing helps bring in more people. And more people mean more word of mouth. It feeds itself - feed the funnel.

"I don’t like advertising. It doesn't suit my business."

Advertising is for every business. Even the ones that don’t think they’re advertising.

Ever seen a business without a logo? Without a name? Without a story? Marketing doesn’t always look like a billboard. Sometimes it’s a homepage. A tone of voice. A recommendation engine. A Google review.

You’re already advertising. The question is - are you doing it well?

"I tried marketing before and it didn’t work."

That’s frustrating. But here’s the truth:

Only 5% of your audience is in “buy now” mode. The other 95%? They’re in “maybe later” mode. And if you ghost them after one post, one ad, one campaign - you’ll never make the long list, let alone the short one.

Marketing isn’t a scratchie. It’s compounding.

As investor Morgan Housel once said about long-term wealth: “There should be a book on the S&P 500 called ‘Shut Up and Wait.’”

Same goes here. The best results come from showing up, staying consistent, and building trust. Not tricks. Not quick wins. Just time, effort, and the right message. Over & over - because it works.

Final Thought

If you don’t believe in marketing, maybe what you really don’t believe in is bad marketing.

Good marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like connection, like relevance, like reputation earned over time.

And if you believe in your product - marketing is what helps the rest of the world believe in it too.