Let’s be real – business owners, and most specifically, the entrepreneurial folks are magpies. We see something shiny, and suddenly it’s, “We HAVE to try this! It’ll change EVERYTHING!”
Spoiler: it rarely does.
Shiny objects for entrepreneurs come in all forms, and while they’re fun to chase, they’re also the reason your to-do list looks like a scroll from the Middle Ages.
Trust me, I’ve been there. And honestly, I’m still there. I love all this stuff, it’s exciting and it’s great and will change my life–except it won’t. I battle my inner magpie daily, because I have four businesses to run and people who rely on me, both clients and family.
You, and the sector need to give it a go too, otherwise we’re doomed. *Sort of, Not really*
It’s part of our DNA to want to try new things and live close to the razors-edge. But remember, we also complain when a certain search engine makes a change. The point is, focusing on unproductive “shiny” things is a nice distraction, but it’s just that, a distraction from growth.
The buzzwords hit your inbox first: “AI-powered,” “hyper-personalised,” “frictionless customer journeys.” You nod along. Yes, this does sound like the solution to all you or your business’s inefficiencies. Will this be a cool thing to integrate into the whole business? WHAT 20% off on annual plans… Sign me up yesterday!
You buy it. It costs more than your office coffee budget. Six months later, your team is still toggling between 12 different dashboards, and someone’s asking, “Wait, do we even need this thing?” Turns out, you don’t—but the onboarding consultant was delightful. Also, it’s probably just an LLM wrapper anyway. You’re tied into it because you paid up front, thinking it was gonna be the fix you yearned for.
Marketers are particularly vulnerable here. Remember Clubhouse? I remember the usual industry talking heads losing their minds over it, suggesting not adopting wasn’t smart. Be honest—how much of your time went into figuring out “what our brand sounds like in live audio” before it became a ghost town?
Every platform looks like the next big thing until it isn’t (cough cough BlueSky). TikTok? Brilliant—for the right brands. For others? It’s just Sarah from HR trying (and failing) to lip-sync trending audio.
Remember: If it’s where your customers are, then it’s probably worth investing time and maybe resources into. If it’s something you see “competitors” on doing a trend like GRWM then you might want to spend your time elsewhere. Professionally speaking, that is… who doesn’t like a good video to watch in downtime.
Ah, the shiny client with the BIG budget and bigger expectations. You know, the one with 47 people cc’d on every email. I think I spent nearly 18 months courting a potential client once, dumb in hindsight, waiting for the RFP to drop. The CMO was “sold” and just needed to wait for the incumbent to lapse. Dinners, drinks, ad-hoc support all out of pocket with this fantasy that it’d be a marquee client and massive accolade to the business. The CMO was fired, and I never heard from him again. The company didn’t even know we existed.
Have you ever chased a shiny new client contract for longer than you ought to have, just hoping, even though it was a dead duck from the get-go?
Meanwhile, your bread-and-butter clients—the ones who don’t make you cry in the shower—are wondering why your response times have suddenly tripled.
Marketing teams often mistake busy-ness, a Gantt chart or a PDF with a table for strategy. It’s tempting to latch onto tactics like multichannel retargeting, interactive infographics or guerrilla TikTok ads because they sound bold, innovative, and immediate. They give us the rush of doing something. But here’s the problem: tactics without strategy are like throwing spaghetti at the wall—most of it won’t stick.
When someone in the brainstorming room inevitably says, “Let’s do them all!”, the team scrambles to execute every flashy idea. The result? Eight campaigns running simultaneously, each pulling in different directions, with no clear purpose or cohesive narrative. And with limited resources (poor Alex the designer is practically weeping over their Canva login), none of those campaigns reach their full potential.
Instead of focusing on meaningful objectives, you end up with a pile of lukewarm tactics that look busy on a report but fail to drive measurable outcomes. Worse, this approach makes you reactive, not strategic. You’re chasing shiny things instead of stepping back, defining clear goals, and crafting a strategy that aligns with what actually matters: long-term results and business impact.
Shiny tactics might feel like progress, but real strategy is the unsexy work of asking, “Why are we doing this, and how does it move the needle?” Skip that step, and all the whizzy reports in the world won’t save you.
Marketing businesses and tools are suckers for a rebrand—or more accurately, an expensive refresh. A new color scheme? A sleeker logo? It all feels like progress, but let’s be honest: none of it will move the sales needle. Clients don’t choose you (or stay with you) because you’ve shifted from teal to periwinkle.
It gets worse. These refreshes are often framed as “transformational”, but they’re really just cosmetic. They won’t make your team happier—unless you plan to give them a pay rise shaped like your new logo. They won’t make clients stick around longer or magically boost campaign results. I can guarantee that the “values” and “mission statement” on the About Us page isn’t as memorable to your team as it might be to you.
What actually moves the needle? Real change. Things like refining processes, investing in training, or revisiting your value proposition. Work that might not look shiny on the outside but delivers impact where it counts.
So, unless your current brand identity is genuinely driving clients away (spoiler: it probably isn’t), skip the Pantone charts. Focus your time, money, and energy on changes that create growth—not just the illusion of it.
Nothing gets marketers frothing like the words, “There’s a new algorithm update.” It’s the SEO equivalent of the Bat-Signal. Cue the all-hands Slack alert: “Google’s done it again!” Hours later, you’re still speculating about its impact while your clients are asking for that report you promised last week. Hey, let’s all spend the week bemoaning the change and new terminology, that’ll get us clients!
Or, you’re booking tickets to every digital marketing conference, convinced this one will have the insight. Instead, you leave with a tote bag full of pens and the same advice you could’ve Googled: “Content is king.” Groundbreaking. (Note from Chris: There are lots of great speakers and conferences so this isn’t a dig at one or all of them.)
If the conference delivers new insights, go. If your clients attend GO! If not, then read about it on X, BlueSky, LinkedIn or maybe even Clubhouse 😂.
Does it improve outcomes for your clients or just your portfolio? Additionally, you should be able to articulate what that value is to someone else. Picture explaining it to a skeptical colleague who’s giving you the side-eye of judgment. Your answer should not only justify the effort but convince them to get on board.
Are you building a process or just burning time? It’s harder to quantify, but here’s a simple rule: If I spend a day on this now, will it save me hours (or even minutes) repeatedly in the future? If the answer’s no, it might not be worth pursuing.
If the main selling point is “Everyone else is doing it,” it’s probably more trend than strategy. As Warren Buffett advises: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.” Don’t get swept up in the herd unless there’s clear, measurable value.
(Of course, this doesn’t apply to everything – you don’t want to be the entrepreneur proudly chiseling pitch decks into stone tablets because “everyone is using computers.”)
Shiny things aren’t inherently evil, but they’re seductive. The key is to be clear-eyed about their purpose and value before diving in headfirst. Focus on what moves the needle, not what looks good in a case study.
Dear Reader, Remember Your Role… The Decision Maker
Let’s get one thing straight: you’re not just here to chase trends, tweak logos or jump on the latest shiny bandwagon. You’re the decision maker. The captain of the ship. The one who steers the course while everyone else gets dazzled by the glare of “game-changing innovations.”
And here’s the truth: shiny things aren’t the enemy—they’re just distractions. It’s your job to decide whether they belong in your strategy or in the “nice idea, maybe later” pile. You hold the reins. You set the pace. You get to say, “No, we’re not doing this right now because it doesn’t move the needle.”
The role of the decision maker isn’t about being the fun police or killing creativity. It’s about balance. It’s about knowing when to experiment and when to double down on what works. And most importantly, it’s about keeping your eye on the long game—serving your clients, delivering results, and growing your business(es) in a way that lasts.
So, before you get swept up in the latest buzzwords or sign up for another “essential” platform, take a beat. Ask yourself: Am I making this choice because it will genuinely help my clients and team succeed, or am I just chasing the thrill of something new?
Go make the decisions that matter.
Before diving headfirst into the next shiny thing, run it through this simple framework:
🤔 – Does it fit with your goals?
💪 – If it doesn’t align with your client outcomes, team efficiency, or long-term growth strategy, leave it on the shelf.
🤔 – What outcome will this deliver?
💪 – Be clear about the value it brings. If you can’t articulate the payoff to someone skeptical, it’s probably not worth pursuing.
🤔 – Can you measure its impact?
💪 – If you can’t quantify how it will improve your processes, profits, or client results, it’s likely more flash than substance.
🤔 – What’s the opportunity cost?
💪 – Every shiny object comes at the expense of something else. Will chasing this mean neglecting what’s already working or more impactful priorities?
Yes, yes I invented a framework to fit this article, sue me!
With the F.O.M.O. Framework, you can flip the script and let FOMO guide you away from distractions and toward meaningful decisions. Keep your focus on what moves the needle, not just what’s trending.
Here’s the deal: shiny things are everywhere. They’re fun, flashy, and make you feel like you’re innovating. But more often than not, they’re just distractions dressed up as progress. They pull you away from what actually matters: serving clients, building sustainable growth, and making decisions that move the needle.
The real challenge isn’t avoiding shiny things entirely; it’s about learning how to decide what’s worth your time and energy. That’s where frameworks like F.O.M.O. come in handy. Use them to stay grounded, focused and clear-eyed about what truly drives results.
Remember, being a decision maker isn’t about saying “no” to everything shiny—it’s about saying “yes” to the right things. The things that align with your goals, deliver real value, and create measurable outcomes.
So, next time a shiny object comes your way, ask yourself: Does this fit? Will it deliver the outcomes I need? Can I measure its success? And what’s the opportunity cost of saying yes?
Make the decisions that matter. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about chasing shiny things—it’s about building something that lasts. Now, go make it happen.