Goodbye to all that marketing
This issue of Marketing Fix is about me leaving marketing to write some books, and your last chance to learn from me before I'm off.
"Goodbye to All That" is the title of an autobiographical essay by Joan Didion. While I share very little of Didion's sentimental outlook at leaving New York in the mid-1960s, I've always felt a strong affinity with the essay's title.
I've always been one to say adieu: to projects and jobs, to places and dreams.
And now, it's time for me to say goodbye to marketing.
At least for the next 2 years, for I'm finally ready to take the leap of faith and focus on writing my debut novel.
It feels a little bit insane and a great deal scary.
It feels like the absolutely right thing to do.
It feels like... Freedom and purpose, which I've lacked for a long time.
Read on if you want to know why + what's next.
- Why I'm jumping the marketing ship
- How you can join my very last DIY Marketing Audit course
- What's next in my writerly pursuits
On leaving marketing
There are two key reasons why I'm leaving the marketing world for at least the next 24 months.
Reason 1: I no longer enjoy working on marketing in its current AI era, where the sole goal is automation and efficiency. Meanwhile, creativity and integrity are as good dead. Perhaps, things will have (re)turned for the better in 24 months. I remain an optimistic pessimist.
Reason 2: I find meaning and purpose in art, literature, poetry. Reading, thinking, and writing make me feel that the real world, external to the screen, still exists. I've been working on my debut novel for the past 3 weeks, and it makes me feel grounded, focused on one thing, instead of jumping between messaging apps.
What about the ongoing projects & the Marketing Fix newsletter?
All my marketing-related projects are going into a looong hibernation. So there won't be any more Marketing Fixes for the foreseeable future.
Also, I won't be taking on any new consultation projects.
There is one last marketing project I'm going to do, and that is teaching one more 6-week DYI Marketing Audit course. More on this below.
Your last chance to learn all my marketing wisdom learned over 10+ years
In February 2025, I launched the DIY Marketing Audit course for 15 hand-picked participants.
Over six weeks, we met on a call to learn about one new topic (strategy, reporting, paid ads, social media, SEO, etc.). After each study session, the marketers went to write their audits. After they finished a chapter, I reviewed it and gave in-depth feedback and additional ideas.
As a result, the participants had a 60+ page audit and an actionable marketing plan for the next 12 months.
Because I feel this LIVE course had a lot of practical value, I'm going to do one more round, starting on October 22, 2025.
I will send one additional email about the course next week. But apply fast and before October 10. There are only 15 seats.
Here’s a little sneak peek of some of the things you’ll learn & create in the DIY Marketing Audit course:
- How to structure and write a 360-degree marketing audit.
- The crucial differences between good and bad marketing: in strategic planning, reporting, paid advertising, social media, website branding, and content marketing.
- The secrets to effective competitor & industry research that leads to new ideas for your marketing.
- The prioritisation of TOP 3 focus areas for your 2026 marketing success.
So, what's next?
Some people go on jobbaticals. Some take breaks from work to have kids.
All I want is to return to a world free of the always-on hustle and noise. To think, experience, and work on something meaningful.
I returned to London in early September with an idea for my debut novel. Since then, I've been going to the British Library five days a week.
Writing a novel is like having a full-time job, and I can't remember when was the last time I felt so inspired and determined.
And so, I decided to use my savings to buy 24 months of freedom.
Not to "hang out" or travel, but to work harder than ever.
If you'd like to follow my writerly pursuits and be notified about my upcoming poetry pamphlet, come join me here or say hi on Instagram.
How I'm feeling:
What I'm fearing:
But hey, it's better to fall
than waste away your life
not having any fun at all
Et voilà, a little poem to end this letter.
Thanks for reading!
Karola