A Reflection on 2025 at First Touch Marketing

2025 was a year of making necessary progress.

Not in a flashy, overnight-growth way, but in a way that actually mattered. It was a year of growth and consolidation, and compared to 2024, everything felt clearer and calmer. The direction became obvious, and that alone made a huge difference.

At First Touch Marketing, 2025 wasn’t about chasing everything. It was about nailing a few important things properly.

What I’m Most Proud Of

The biggest win this year was settling into a strong client structure. I ended the year with three core retainers: one full-time role with Immotion, and two additional clients that fit around that work sensibly. Alongside that, I made steady progress with other clients and relationships without overloading myself.

That balance matters. It’s allowed me to do better work, protect my energy, and actually enjoy the process again.

There were also a lot of quiet wins that won’t show up in a highlight reel. One of the biggest was committing to continued professional development. First Touch Marketing is a one-person business, and it’s going to stay that way. That means learning, improving, and staying sharp is non-negotiable. This year, that finally became a habit rather than an intention.

Consistency That Actually Stuck

Two things I didn’t fully expect to maintain this year were weekly blogging and a full website revamp.

The blog, in particular, became a cornerstone. Writing every week helped clarify my thinking, improve how I explain what I do, and slowly build a body of work that reflects how I actually approach marketing. It’s been one of the most valuable things I’ve done for the business.

The website refresh was long overdue. It had been put off for far too long, and getting it done removed a weight I didn’t realise I was carrying. It now feels aligned with the work I’m doing and the direction I’m heading.

Social content also became more regular. It’s not yet at the standard I want it to be, but it exists — and that consistency matters more than perfection at this stage.

Clients, Industries and Better Fit

The type of work I’ve been doing has shifted. In 2025, I moved further away from very small, one-person businesses and towards larger teams with proper marketing plans. That’s been a positive change.

Marketing works best as part of a system. Being one cog in a wider team has produced better outcomes than trying to do everything alone. You can see that reflected in the work with Immotion, ReservAway, and Boom Fireworks — all of which helped define the year in different ways.

Because of the stability that came with the full-time work at Immotion, I became far more selective about additional projects. Anything outside of core hours had to be right — in terms of budget, brief, and what I’d actually get from it. That confidence has made the business healthier.

Existing client relationships also deepened. Going into a third year with some clients is something I don’t take lightly. Trust compounds over time, and 2025 reinforced how valuable that is.

Systems That Made Life Easier

Notion became the backbone of everything. Managing my own business through it, and bringing clients into that system, has made work clearer and more organised. Clients understand it, like it, and benefit from it.

Structuring my weeks better was another big improvement. With a lot of work happening outside of traditional hours, planning became essential rather than optional. That structure made the workload feel manageable instead of overwhelming.

The one area that still felt clunky was social media. It didn’t move as much as I’d hoped, and engagement flatlined at times. But even there, the value came from visibility. When people do discover First Touch Marketing, they see consistency — blogs, socials, and a clear message. That still counts.

Challenges and Lessons

Balancing work with personal life was the hardest part of 2025, especially while recovering from knee surgery. Energy became a real constraint, and that forced better decision-making.

One big lesson was realising that trying to do six or seven things at once doesn’t work. It’s far more effective to pick one main thing, do it properly, and keep showing up for it. You get further by finishing things than by juggling everything badly.

What I’m Grateful For

More than anything, I’m grateful for my family, my fiancée, my cat, and the client roster I’ve built. If the business stayed exactly as it is going into 2026, I’d be more than happy. Anything else is a bonus built through relationships, not pressure.

2025 wasn’t about proving anything. It was about building something sustainable — and for the first time in a while, that feels genuinely achievable.

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First Touch Marketing
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