I was scrolling my FB feed last week, when an ad popped up that actually stopped my scroll:

Rachel Rodgers was hosting an event in Barcelona.

This never happens, I thought.

Most online business events are in the U.S. which I haven't traveled to since 2024. And now there was one right in my city!?

I bought a ticket, put my now 3-month-old daughter, Bunny, in her stroller, and wheeled over to the cafe.

Rachel called the event "In the Room" and it was about 10 people total, mostly expats, plus a film crew to capture the hot seat sessions.

With it being so cozy, I think it gave Rachel, myself, and other entrepreneurs with 7-figure businesses the guts to stand up and talk about the elephant in the room:

2025 was challenging.

There were revenue drops, market shifts, and feelings of "now what?".

The gathering felt like permission to end the "shame spiral" and finally start talking about it.

While challenges and changes are normal, I'm a firm believer that the online business world isn't dead by any means. But it has changed. I have friends who are having their best months and best years ever.

So what are the people who are succeeding doing differently?

Here's a sneak peek at what Rachel shared at her event, and what I'm seeing in my world:

#1: They're evolving their brand voice.

Not necessarily changing products, but getting more opinionated, more polarizing, speaking to what's actually keeping their audience up at night. (For my audience, it used to be "do hashtags still work." Now it's "how is AI affecting my niche?")

#2: They're going all-in on ONE thing.

Rachel kept saying this: focus on your main revenue driver. Stop trying to throw in other offers for quick cash injections. Scale that one offer that's working instead of confusing your audience with ten different things.

#3: They're leaning into high-touch experiences.

AI made information free and accessible. But people still pay for hand-holding, done-for-you services, 1-on-1 connection, and in-person events (Which is exactly what Rachel was doing with this Barcelona hang.)

When I asked Rachel for advice on scaling my business (as a new mom of 2, only ever working part-time hours), instead of giving me a cookie-cutter strategy, she asked me deeper questions:

• What would be fun for you to create?
• What's your audience really struggling with today?
• How can you bring experimentation back into your business?

Her point was you can't create products in isolation.

You have to engage with your audience, try things, be vulnerable, and let that momentum create your next offer idea. (That's exactly how On Video started...from audience feedback during my free Reels challenges.)

Bottom line is while 2025 was tough, there's still so much opportunity if you're willing to adapt.

(And if you're a personal brand, that might mean being more vulnerable than ever... hint hint, to myself.)

That brings me to my own personal challenge for 2026... how can I show up in a way that's fun, documents the journey, and brings my audience along with me for all my little experiments?

Food for thought...

~ Elise

P.S. Whatever challenge you're facing in 2026, there's probably a solution in my course library.

Take what you need... whether that's on content creation, offers, or DMs that actually sell.