Remember, Reader, looking at a business month by month makes patterns harder to ignore and easier to correct, especially under real constraints.
This is a brief review of what mattered, what shifted, and what stayed steady for me this month, based on decisions already in motion, the signals they reinforced, and the adjustments it required.
Let's talk about July.
Taking a Quick Look at January through July 2026.
Seven goals entered 2026. Six months in, here is where they stand.
Four are moving in the right direction – trending upwards. The email list is growing. Visibility is expanding through new channels. The newsletter is consistent and on schedule. The speaking work has continued to build momentum through Q2.
Two goals were deferred because the conference became the organizing force of the year starting in May, and anything that couldn't run parallel to it got moved.
Honestly, that is what a goal review is supposed to produce.
One goal was rearranged because the method to GSD had shifted even if the outcome is still important. Counting it as progress.
The throughline across all six months is that the business kept moving. Social media has continued to stay quiet, but tech fluency, beyond my wildest imagination, has rapidly improved. The conference infrastructure went from concept to live pages, a running waitlist, multiple hired copywriters, and an affiliate push already underway.
What I thought would be a foundational year has proven to be so, but not in the way I was expecting - essentially I'm on a different timeline than I expected.
1. The Overall
What kind of month this was at a strategic level in one sentence.
July was a convergence month. The conference got specific and the business development engine got really deliberate, both at the same time.
2. The Reality
What actually moved and what didn’t in the business.
- Conference speaker roster majority complete. Two spots still being filled.
- Conference agenda finalized.
- Sent 4 cold emails for speaker outreach. Received 4 referrals. The roster nearly filled itself.
- Two copywriters working in parallel on conference pages, with rounds of feedback still moving.
- Affiliate recruitment underway.
- Seen On Purpose crossed 100 subscribers. Meta ads are still running.
- Room to Build group program fully designed with copywriter support.
- 25+ networking meetings held in July, all relationship and sales-focused.
- Maxed out LinkedIn weekly connection limits consistently. Added 250-plus new connections.
- Reinvested in LinkedIn Premium.
- Purchased a 90-day sales program. Committing to 100 minutes per week.
- Added to a speaker roster email diary — 30-plus new subscribers from that placement.
3. The Numbers
The metrics I paid attention to this month.
- Speaker referrals received: 4
- Cold emails sent for speaker outreach: 4
- New LinkedIn connections: 250+
- Networking meetings: 25+
- Seen On Purpose subscribers: 100+
- New email subscribers from speaker diary placement: 30+
- Seen On Purpose offer conversions: 1
4. The Removals
What was stopped.
Single-threaded conference building. The conference is now requiring two parts to be built in parallel -- agenda + attendee experience AND knowledge that it exists.
The idea that summer is a slow season for outreach. July ran at full volume and August is already shaping to share the same outcome.
5. The Additions
What I intentionally reinforced or introduced.
A 90-day sales rep system with a fixed weekly time commitment. 100 minutes per week, every week, for the next quarter.
LinkedIn as an active outreach tool with multiple uses.
A high-volume networking cadence as a standing operating mode. Five sales-focused meetings per week is a baseline.
Intentional proximity to other conference producers. Getting into rooms with people already operating in that world is its own form of research.
6. The Adjustments
What this month clarified or confirmed for my business.
Four cold emails and receiving four referrals produced an almost full speaker roster. The roster nearly filled through leveraging relationships and not a pitch fest of volume. That ratio says more about how this business works and savvy networking than any outreach campaign would or could.
Room to Build went from an idea to a fully designed program in a single month. Hiring a copywriter made that possible by adding an arbitrary deadline to get through the hardest of the work needed.
The two-track operating model — conference build and core business development — is now confirmed as the structure for Q3. Neither is on pause. Managing both without letting either slip is the balance.
August has a very clear job. Get butts in seats.
7. The Carry-Forward
What I’m taking into next month.
- Affiliate recruitment and knowledge about the conference becomes the primary focus.
- Outreach to new LinkedIn connections begins — calendar bookings, DM conversations, email threads.
- Podcast ads transition to conference ads.
- Fireside Chat - August 19.
- Unofficial ticket sales start September 1. Official promo launches September 14.
That is it for July 2026.
July built the roster and the program. August is the jumpstart to sell seats.
That's July. If something in here sparked a thought, hit reply.
Until next month,
Chanaye
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The Archive: This series runs monthly. You can find previous editions below as they’re published.
January 2026
February 2026
March 2026
April 2026
May 2026
June 2026