I spent a good chunk of last week tweaking my business (and content) strategy.
To be fair, I do that quite often.
I know where I want to be in a few years, but the path there changes, so it needs adjusting.
You learn what resonates, what falls flat, what creates conversations and what just disappears into the void.
So I keep coming back to it, tweaking things, refining ideas, trying to stay honest about what’s actually working and what isn’t.
And yes, of course AI is part of that process now.
Why wouldn’t it be?
I use it a lot. As an editor, a sounding board, a notetaker, a researcher, a thumbnail designer, a way to organise thoughts faster.
It’s incredibly useful.
But there’s a big difference between using AI as an assistant and expecting it to build your relationships for you.
And I’ve been wondering whether we’re starting to confuse the two.
Because while everybody online seems to be trying to automate attention, scale content, optimise output and game the algorithm, I noticed something interesting recently.
A few weeks ago I was in Berlin with my wife who was taking a yoga certification course there.
While she was out, I took time to catch up with people over coffees and beers.
Some were old clients. Some were friends. Some were people I hadn’t seen in years.
Rio & I worked with a bunch of German SME in the past
And every single time I sat down with somebody, something opened up.
Sometimes it was a new idea. Sometimes it was perspective. Sometimes it was energy. Sometimes it was an opportunity offered.
I never would have gotten these sitting behind my laptop trying to optimise another content funnel.
A few of those people directly control budgets. Others know people who do. But more importantly, it reminded me that business is still deeply human.
That struck me quite hard because while I’d spent days trying to optimise content and figure out what works online now, the biggest ROI for my business that week probably came from simply sitting across from a few people and having a proper conversation.
No funnel nor growth hack.
I still believe content matters deeply, by the way.
If you run a solo business and you’re not creating anything at all, I think you’re making life harder for yourself.
It's still the cheapest way to get you and your work out there. Good content keeps you top of mind.
But content is not the relationship.
That’s the distinction I keep coming back to lately.
Especially when you sell professional services: people still want to work with people they trust to help them navigate something important.
Someone who can make a complicated situation feel less overwhelming. And in my experience, that trust still gets built fastest through actual interaction.
That human part still matters enormously.
In a time when we're drowning in AI, it's the perfect time to double-down on being human.
Because if everybody suddenly has access to the same tools, the same prompts, the same content systems and the same optimisation tricks, then human judgement, chemistry and trust become even more valuable.
Not less.
Which is why there’s a danger in spending all day obsessing over algorithms while neglecting actual relationships.
Especially if your goal is business and not vanity metrics.
Actual work.
We were talking about this earlier today in a community of content creators I’m part of.
Somebody asked how everybody was feeling about their content lately, and almost everybody said some version of the same thing:
"A bit tired of it." "A bit burned out." "A bit out of love with creating." "Not really on the ball lately."
Which is interesting, because these are people who genuinely love creating content.
My guess is that a lot of people are seeing the diminishing returns of the current landscape.
It’s becoming harder to know what genuinely cuts through at the moment, which is something I touched on in last week’s newsletter.
Platforms like LinkedIn seem to constantly change what they prioritise without warning. One month this format works, the next month it disappears into the abyss and something else gets pushed instead.
It’s frustrating.
And I think that uncertainty is exhausting people more than they realise.
Besides, we all need human connection.
So, what do you do with all this then?
Well, first question: is content creation currently energising you or draining you?
Because if you’re pouring huge amounts of energy into content while seeing very little movement from it, and what you actually need right now is business, maybe the better short-term move is simply reconnecting with people again.
And by the way, before somebody says “easy for you to say, I’m an introvert,” I don’t think this has much to do with introversion versus extroversion.
You don’t need to turn yourself into some networking machine. It’s not performative.
I just think real things tend to happen when human beings spend time together.
I’m sure there are people you’ve worked with over the past year or two that you genuinely liked. Reconnect with them.
Drop them a line. Hop on a quick call. Meet them for a coffee.
At the very least, it’ll probably give you some energy back.
At best, it might spark a new idea, open a door, lead to an opportunity, or simply put you top of mind again.
Either way, I doubt much bad comes from spending more time around good people.
Content is still important. I’m absolutely not questioning that.
But content is a long game.
And if what you need right now is momentum, connection or actual business opportunities, there’s a good chance a real conversation will get you there faster than another week spent trying to beat the algorithm.
Make it a great day.
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P.s. I recently changed my entire LinkedIn profile and cause it was hurting my message. Why I made that shift, and what I learned from it, is something I’ll share with you next week.
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The Best Business Aren't Built Alone​​ My buddies Eddie, Laurenz and I talk about partnerships, combining strengths, and why trying to do everything yourself can quietly hold your business back.
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