Marketing and Margaritas

2026 Planning and Forecasting for Your Business

Marketing and Margaritas

Show Notes

If you want a profitable, sustainable, and intentional 2026, the time to plan isn’t January - it’s right now. In this week’s episode, we dig into the strategy and structure you need to build next year on purpose instead of on the fly. We’re covering: • Why early planning is the #1 predictor of a smooth, successful 2026 • How to audit your current offers to make sure they actually align with your future goals • Mapping your campaign + promo calendar for the entire year (and why “winging it” costs you revenue) • How to set your operations and support systems up for bigger growth • The key questions you must answer before January 1st • Why your health, relationships, and personal development are business strategy, not an afterthought If you’re ready to go deeper and create a crystal-clear blueprint for a wealthy and well-supported new year, join Ruby's FREE workshop: Rich in ’26 on Thursday December 4th. We’ll build your 2026 roadmap together. Click here to save your seat (replay available for those who register)

More from Marketing and Margaritas

Oct 15, 2026

If you opened your Meta ad account right now, how many genuinely different messages would you find? For most brands, it's the same few angles on repeat. A product-focused ad, a testimonial, some UGC and maybe a founder video. But here's the problem: changing the format doesn't necessarily mean you're changing the message. In this episode of Marketing & Margaritas, we're talking about the different creative angles and vehicles every brand should be testing to reach new audiences, overcome buying objections and convert more customers. I'll break down why creative variety matters, how to think beyond the usual product benefits and social proof, and why your account needs more than a handful of ads saying the same thing in different ways. Because scaling isn't always about spending more money or creating more content. Sometimes it's about making sure your creative is giving people different reasons to buy. Whether you're preparing for Black Friday or looking to improve your everyday ad performance, this episode will give you a fresh perspective on what's missing from your creative strategy.

Oct 2, 2026

You’ve seen it everywhere: “Comment the word GUIDE and I’ll send it straight to your DMs.” But there’s a big difference between using a trigger word and actually having a strategy behind it. In this episode, Ruby breaks down the DM strategy she’s been using with clients to turn content into conversations, qualified leads and ultimately sales. We unpack how to connect your content, lead magnet and offer so there’s a natural next step, how this strategy can work for service businesses, local businesses and ecommerce brands, plus the role automation and personal follow-up play in actually converting the leads you generate. If you’ve been watching the “comment a word” strategy everywhere but haven’t known how to make it make sense for your business, this episode gives you the framework to test it properly.

Sep 27, 2026

Q4 is around the corner, and the work you do now will determine how well you perform when the busiest period of the year hits. In this episode, Madelene & Ruby take you inside the strategies we're currently discussing and implementing across our clients as we prepare for Q4. If you're heading into Q4 and wondering what you should be prioritising right now, this episode will give you plenty of ideas to take back to your own strategy.

Aug 8, 2026

Black Friday success doesn’t start when your sale goes live. It starts months before. Following on from our last Black Friday episode, we’re answering some of the biggest questions we received from business owners about what they should actually be doing now to prepare for the busiest sales period of the year. We break down how early you should launch your Black Friday promotion and how long your sale should. We also dive into how to build and warm your email list before November, what to do if your email list has gone cold, and how to improve engagement and deliverability before inboxes become flooded with promotions. Plus, Maddi shares the top-of-funnel content strategies brands should be running now; from founder and brand storytelling to objection-handling content, creator campaigns and AI cartoon explainer ads—to build awareness, trust and a warmer audience before Black Friday arrives. Whether you’re a smaller ecommerce brand or already investing heavily in paid advertising, this episode will help you build the foundations for a stronger, more profitable Black Friday period.

Jul 31, 2026

Has AI killed the traditional online course? With information now instantly available through platforms like ChatGPT and Claude, customers are no longer willing to pay thousands of dollars for another collection of videos and modules they may never finish. They do not just want more information, they want a clear result, personalised support and accountability to help them implement it. In this episode of Marketing & Margaritas, Maddi and Ruby unpack the rise of paid challenges and why this increasingly popular offer model could be the future of digital products. Using the viral Yap Challenge as an example, they explore how creators and service providers are transforming traditional courses into live, time-bound experiences that promise a specific result in a shorter period of time. Whether you already sell a course, are developing a digital product or want to create a more scalable offer, this episode will help you rethink how you package your expertise and deliver better results for your customers.

See all episodes →