New Things I Introduced Into My Business in 2025

Every year, I try to do a few new things in my solo business. I work as a freelance writer for tech companies. I also create resources for fellow freelancers and solopreneurs.

I try to stretch myself in a few ways: improving my processes (something I work on constantly!) and expanding my offerings. At the beginning of the year, I'll make a list of new things I want to try or accomplish in Notion. Then each quarter, I'll choose a few to work on.

2025 was unusual. I had a lot of plans to offer new things — such as a live cohort and creating a course for solopreneurs. Then I found out that I had a brain tumor in May and had to shut down everything in my business following brain surgery.

Because of that, I didn't accomplish most things on my list. And that's fine: I had to focus on my health and recovery.

But I was able to come up with a list of a few new things I added to my business.

Created Airtable field agents

When Airtable first released AI features, I was unimpressed. I don't need AI to build an Airtable database for me, and the search wasn't that interesting.

Then Airtable released field agents: AI that can complete specific tasks within fields. This is incredibly useful for how I use Airtable. I was doing a lot of things manually (that couldn't be automated through Airtable automation or Zapier). But field agents could handle the work.

There's no reason to do a bunch of menial, manual tasks. I automated until I couldn't automate anymore, and now using AI to fill in the gaps.

I wrote an article about how to set up Airtable field agents. And wrote this article about how I'm using field agents to write teasers for my blog posts.

Organized ChatGPT and Claude projects

I started experimenting a lot more with ChatGPT Projects this year. With Projects, I can save instructions and add files for context. This has dramatically improved the output (along with improvements in the underlying LLMs).

For example, I created a Voice and Tone Guide that outlines my writing style, target audience, and content goals. I have the Voice and Tone Guide attached to various writing projects.

Toward the end of the year, I started using Claude instead of ChatGPT. I've found that Claude is better for writing tasks, especially with the Opus 4.5 model. However, Claude has some usage limitations on its Pro plan (especially using Opus), and I'm not willing to pay for the Max plan. So I'm using both: ChatGPT for some projects and Claude for others.

Here's how I use Claude for my writing projects. It's not a replacement for my words, but rather a helpful writing assistant.

Spent more time on Threads and Substack Notes

I joined Threads on the day it launched, hoping I'd finally found a Twitter alternative. For a long time, it was just a fun hangout space, which was fine, but not something I took too seriously.

Then some of my Threads posts started getting traction. Meanwhile, LinkedIn's reach has plummeted. LinkedIn is still the primary place where I find clients for my freelance writing business, but Threads seems to be the place where I can connect with fellow solopreneurs. It's more conversational and less "uptight" (compared to LinkedIn).

I also started publishing on Substack Notes. This is hard because there's no API. In other words, I can't use Buffer [affiliate link] to pre-schedule my posts the way I do for other social platforms. However, the engagement on Substack Notes is very high. Nearly everything I post gets reactions, comments, and subscribers. So it seems like a worthwhile use of my time.

I'll continue to experiment with both Threads and Substack Notes in the upcoming year.

Explored a cohort and course launch

In the spring, I prepared to launch a cohort. I had selected a course platform (Thinkific), mapped out the curriculum, and was ready to collect registrations.

Then literally the day after I announced the launch to my waitlist, I found out that I had a brain tumor. I had to shut everything down. Even though I technically had time to complete the cohort before my scheduled surgery, I knew I wasn't in the right frame of mind to lead the cohort. (Plus, I had to prep other parts of my business for an extended medical leave).

I still want to bring these things to life, so I’m glad the legwork to figure out the infrastructure is done. When I'm ready to return, it will be ready for me.

Returned to a one-page website

A full-blown website is something I've continually put off. I don't need it for my freelance writing business. So right now, everything is hosted on different platforms: portfolio with Journo Portfolio, digital products with Gumroad, blog with Ghost, email marketing with Kit [affiliate link], and courses (someday) with Thinkific.

Whenever I do migrate to a full-blown website, I want to consolidate everything so it's easier to manage. But that is a giant project, and probably expensive since I'd pay someone to design a site for me.

I was using Journo Portfolio for the main pages of my website, but didn't like how it looked. So I went back to Carrd [affiliate link], which offers clean, simple one-page websites.

I also figured out that Carrd integrates with Kit, so I can start using it to collect webinar registrations. This is fantastic, since I don't like Kit's landing pages. I also used Carrd for a workshop I hosted, with a link to a Stripe checkout page.

Dictated blog posts

I've used dictation to write blog posts for a long time. But this year, I used dictation to get out my ideas and then someone else actually turned my ideas into a polished post.

While I was recovering from surgery, I couldn't use a computer (in the earliest weeks). I set up a process to dictate a post, and Zapier sent the transcript and audio file to an editor. She polished it, and then my virtual assistant added it to my website.

During my recovery from surgery, typing was exhausting—but I still wanted to write. So I experimented with dictation: speaking a blog post aloud, sending the transcript to an editor, and having them prepare it for publishing.

The process worked really well. And while I'll continue doing my own writing and publishing for the foreseeable future, it helped me see what's possible when other people are involved in the process.

You can read about my process to get blog posts published.

Things I postponed

In addition to pausing my cohort and course, there are a few other things I postponed this year.

Launching a podcast

I believe it's important to offer content in multiple formats. Not everyone wants to read. I see a lot of potential in turning some of my blog posts into a podcast, but it wasn't realistic with everything else I had going on. I'll start exploring in the new year.

Growing on Pinterest

I think Pinterest is an interesting search channel, especially since I already have a large volume of content. I bought Meagan Williamson's beginner course, and had my designer create some templates in Canva. But I wasn't able to maintain a cadence. I'll have to see if it's worth exploring again (especially since I'm also experimenting with Threads and Substack Notes).

Things I abandoned

Some projects I cut completely, and I'm not sure if I'll ever return to them.

Video content

After my surgery, I had some vision issues and facial paralysis. In addition to "not feeling up to it," I wasn't comfortable being on video. While my face muscles are almost back to normal, I still have double vision. I'm not sure when I'll return to video (and how it fits into the rest of my content strategy). If I do video content, it might be faceless — like showing a tutorial in an app I use.

Hiring a marketing/project manager

I had planned to bring on help for product launches. It's a lot to prepare landing pages, email sequences, social posts, etc., when I launch a new product (or re-promote an existing product). A lot of my digital products follow a similar format every time, so I thought that I could bring on someone to help me manage this.

However, hiring additional help isn't a good financial decision right now.

But with the income dip during my recovery, it wasn’t the right financial decision. Instead, I simplified my processes and leaned harder on automation.

Setting goals and staying flexible

When I learned about the tumor at the end of May, every plan I had for the summer and fall disappeared.

I’ve written before about 90-day goals, and it honestly took me until late Q4 before I felt like myself again. I had to reconsider what I could do, what needed to wait, and focus on keeping my business stable during my long-term leave.

In the past, I've been hard on myself when I don't reach the goals I set for my business. This year taught me grace. And while I have some new things I want to do in my business in the new year, I also know how to think flexibly.

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