Most service-based businesses don't need to do all the marketing to be successful. In fact, trying to get a ton of traffic can be a big distraction. #truthbomb But your business can be successful even if you opt-out of the large-scale "get a million people on your list in 2 weeks and then sell them all your digital product" bandwagon.

Recently I was having a conversation with a business owner who was thinking of hiring me for SEO. We were reviewing her website together, and the traffic she was already getting from her blogs.

Then as I was looking at her site, a pop-up jumped out to me. “Get news and updates from the studio!” I asked her how many people sign up for the “news and updates.” Almost none. How often does she email her list? She tries for monthly. Has she ever had a solid lead come from email marketing? No.

And I said something that made her eyes go big: “Would it feel better not to send out a monthly newsletter?” She nodded. “Then I give you permission not to do it.”

And the relief in her face was palpable. But it was quickly replaced with panic. “But if I don’t have an email list, how will I capture those people?!”

“Send them to the contact form to schedule a consult, then have a conversation to figure out if you even want to work with them.”

You might not need an email list to be successful

I see this all. the. time – people writing newsletters because they think they have to. Collecting email addresses because their business guru tells them it’s important. Blogging because the big names in their industry swear by it. (And did you notice the verb choice of “capture” those email addresses? Doesn’t that sound a little like you’re wrapping them in a net they have to escape from?)

Here’s the thing: Most service-based businesses don’t need to do all the marketing to be successful. In fact, for a lot of service-based businesses — copywriters, web designers, hairstylists, interior designers, yoga studios, dentists, attorneys, financial advisors, photographers, pretty much any business that serves their clients 1:1 — that amount of traffic could crash your website, break your systems and ruin your business. #truthbomb


I don’t want to name names, but those people out there who are talking the loudest about sustainable businesses that can scale? They are built on a business model that might not be a good fit for you. And they make money from teaching you how to build a business just like theirs, even if it’s not in your best interest. (In fact, they might even shame you for choosing a business model that works for your lifestyle instead of replicating theirs.)

Those people have business models that require massive, astronomical amounts of traffic to their websites. They need to be constantly producing content in order to grow their lists into the millions because they need huge amounts of people in their programs to get them to work.

I don’t buy it. Can online businesses really be successful without an email list?

Yes, 100%. I polled my friends & audiences (so this data is a little skewed, but I tried to cast a wide net), and here are some folks who offered to be examples:

And lest you think that only B2B marketing businesses can survive based on referrals without email marketing, here are some B2C options:

  • Arianna Taboada helps pregnant entrepreneurs plan their maternity leaves. All her clients come from referrals and she says she’s never had a client who was on her email list before deciding to work together. Why does she think that is? “I work with pregnant people who aren’t trying to figure stuff out from emails and blog posts.” And I agree — any service provider who works with time-sensitive clients (and let’s be serious, pregnancy is a ticking time-bomb!) are well-served to promote a consult call instead of an email list!
  • Lori & Erin Photography are booking 18 months in advance for their wedding photography, based mostly on word-of-mouth and search results (among other keywords, they rank for “wedding photographers rochester ny”). They do have an email list, but that’s mostly to keep in touch with their family photo members. (Disclaimer: My family is a member of this program, so if you see cute pics of my kids on Instagram, now you know why.)
  • Darci Hether runs a high-end interior design studio in Manhattan — among the most competitive markets in the industry — and all her clients come from word-of-mouth referrals and industry connections … and showing up on Google for “luxury interior design new york” certainly doesn’t hurt!

TL;DR: You don’t need a fancy funnel or a giant email list to be successful in business. You just need people to find you and hire you!