One year ago I launched The CMO Marketing Mindset with a simple goal: create a space for real conversations about marketing strategy and business growth. Now, 1,059 subscribers later, I'm sharing the biggest lesson from year one, the new direction for the newsletter, and where this next chapter is headed.

This small business week belongs to us: the builders, the risk-takers, and the ones who bet on themselves. created with ChatGPT by Fisher Marketing Services National Small Business Week 2026 runs May 3–9, and this year's theme hits close to home: the comeback of Main Street. Not a corporate rebound. Not a Wall Street rally. The return of the small business owner — the person who chose vision over a steady paycheck and built something from scratch. That's me. That's probably y

SMART goals were never meant to be a percentage and a deadline dressed up as a management plan. When businesses turn KPIs into goals without defining the strategy, activities, ownership and resources behind them, employees are left chasing numbers instead of business results. This article looks at how SMART goals evolved—and how law firms and businesses can bring them back to their management roots.

Content may have reach, but your brand determines what that content is representing. This article challenges the long-standing “content is king” mindset and shows how aligning brand strategy, content, SEO and the buyer experience can improve trust, lead quality and conversion.

More leads are not always the answer. This article breaks down seven marketing gaps, from strategy and client persona to intake, follow-up, and sales alignment, that can keep law firms and small to mid-sized businesses from turning marketing activity into better clients and stronger revenue.