A Gift Guide for the Busy Small Business Owner (What to Gift Yourself This Year in Life & Business)

The holiday season often has us thinking about giving to others—but what about gifting yourself something that makes your business easier to run?

Small business owners and DIY marketers often spend so much time juggling the day-to-day that it feels impossible to step back and invest in tools, systems, and support that actually save time and reduce stress. This year, I want to share a few of my favorite “gifts” that make marketing simpler, systems smoother, and life as a small business owner more sustainable.

Design & Branding Support

A strong, consistent brand presence sets you apart and builds trust with your audience.

• Scott Hofford – A brand designer and illustrator who helps businesses stand out through custom visual identities and storytelling. Recent work includes the artwork for Dutch Bros Coffee's headquarters installation and editorial illustrations for Chevrolet. He’s also a good friend of mine!

• Canva – Perfect for creating quick, polished graphics, blog covers, social posts, and client-facing documents. Keeping brand colors and templates saved makes every project faster. A free plan is available.

Content Planning, Creation & Scheduling

Stop spinning your wheels trying to come up with what to post each week. These tools make planning and repurposing content easier:

• Metricool – My favorite all-in-one scheduler. Plan, post, and track content across multiple platforms in one place. Skip logging into each app just to post, and avoid distractions or doom-scrolling. A free plan is available!

• Airtable Content Hub – After initial content planning in the Capture the Chaos Planner (see below), I use Colie James’ digital template to organize my long-form content and break it down into smaller pieces that fit every platform. There are a ton if helpful sections for all of things that you may need to access quickly, and you can easily modify and duplicate it for multiple brands under your business if needed. Just $9!

• My upcoming content planning mini course and workbook – How to Plan 12 Months of Valuable Content in Less Than 2 Hours. This will walk you through the system that simplifies your content planning and ensures that your content actually serves your dream clients. Stay in the loop on the release by signing up here!

SEO, Searchability & Visibility

Search-driven marketing is what helps people find you long after you hit publish. It’s also one of the most sustainable ways to market your business. More info on SEO/AEO/GEO here.

• Google Search Console – Submit or update your sitemap to make sure that your website and blog posts are being indexed. Free!

• Pinterest Business Account – Quickly create or convert your personal account. Treat Pinterest like the visual search engine that it is, and not just like a social media platform. Pinning your blog posts, freebies, and services (using keywords in the pin titles and descriptions, of course!) creates long-lasting traffic to your offers. It’s free, with an option to run paid ads! More info on using Pinterest for your business here.

• Google Business Profile – Create one for your potential customers who are searching locally and/or who aren’t on social media. If all of your info is behind a social media login screen and they don’t have an account, they can’t reach you! Keep your Google Business Profile updated with location, hours, offers, contact info, photos, and posts. It’s free.

See also: Why Your Business Needs an Evergreen Resource Library.

A Website That Works for You

Your website is your digital home base, and it should be working on your behalf every single day.

• Squarespace – My go-to platform for building attractive websites that scale with your business. I’ve used it for my own website, blog, email campaigns, online store, scheduling and marketing hub since 2015. Multiple pricing tiers and various add-ons to grow and evolve with you, and fairly easy to work with.

See also: Why Your Business Needs a Website That Works for You.

Brand Photography & Videography

Professional visuals build trust quickly, and they become the foundation of your marketing for months (even years).

• Brand & Head Shot Photography – I’ll be reopening exclusive local session dates soon for local clients (southern Oregon) who are working with me for additional marketing services. These photos become your best assets for everything from your website to social posts. Stay up to date on availability joining my email list.
  If you’re local to Roseburg, Oregon and looking for a commercial photography referral before my availability reopens, I also recommend Sierra and Isaiah over at Caravan Content for stunning photo and video!

• Freebie: Brand Photo Shot List & Prep Checklist – Plan out your own strategic brand photography session with my free checklist.

Email Marketing & Direct Communication

Social platforms are noisy and constantly changing. Having a direct line to grow your relationships with your clients and community is priceless. There are many email services out there. As mentioned above, I added this onto my yearly subscription with Squarespace.

• Build your list (see: Why You Need an Email List).

• Use your blog posts as resources you can link in your emails.

• Offer lead magnets (like my free checklists) to grow your audience.

Paid Ads That Work Smarter

Organic content builds a strong foundation, but paid ads can amplify your reach when used strategically. Especially when they are set up and managed by a professional in this area.

• Social Ellaments – Alisha specializes in approachable, ROI-driven ad strategies for small businesses. Not only does she create the ads strategy, she creates the actual working funnel, assesses performance for any potential areas of improvement, and communicates regularly with her clients. I know this first-hand from working with her for Meta ads last year.

• Even a small budget can help extend the life of your best content, freebies, or offers. Not able to invest yet? Check out the freebie from Social Ellaments at the link above if you’d like to dabble in paid ads on your own.

Business Planning & Admin Tools

Behind every polished marketing strategy is a system that keeps things running smoothly.

• Capture the Chaos Planner – My favorite tool for blending family life and business goals in one place. The 2026 planner drops soon and you can grab it here. For 15% off your order, use code: ALYSHA15.

• Google Workspace – The simplest way to keep business communication and files organized. Free!

Gift Yourself a Community

No small business owner should feel like they’re doing this alone. Building community—both online and locally—is one of the most impactful gifts you can give yourself and your business. The right connections bring encouragement, accountability, fresh ideas, and even referrals.

Ways to gift yourself community this year:

• Join or Start a Mastermind – A small group of business owners who meet regularly to share challenges, wins, and accountability.

• Attend Local Mixers or Meetups – Step into rooms where relationships can grow. These connections often lead to collaboration and referrals.

• Volunteer with Local Economic or Nonprofit Groups – Giving back to your community not only feels good but builds visibility and credibility for your business.

• Schedule Coffee Dates or Accountability Partnerships – Sometimes the simplest step—grabbing coffee with another entrepreneur—sparks the biggest breakthroughs.

• Feature Fellow Businesses in Your Marketing – Blogs, newsletters, and social shout-outs strengthen relationships and grow your audience together. See my post: How to Feature Local Businesses in Your Marketing (and Grow Together).

Community fuels confidence and resilience. Whether online or face-to-face, investing in these relationships is just as valuable as any tool or resource on this list.

Final Note

This season, gift yourself the things that lighten your load. Whether it’s a tool that saves time, a strategy that helps you get visible, or support that makes your brand shine, these investments are about more than business—they’re about creating space for the life you want to live.

And if you’d like more weekly encouragement and practical strategies, subscribe to The Friday Mix!

Stay tuned, too, for my upcoming mini course: How to Plan 12 Months of Valuable Content in Less Than 2 Hours. It’s the shortcut that will change how you approach your marketing in the year ahead!