First Comes Love, Then a Strategy?

Ever heard the saying, “first comes love, then comes marriage?” Of course you have. Think of the “love” stage as the planning phase before marriage. During this time, a couple decides how they’ll share their lives: Who moves in with whom? How will careers align? Do they want children? What will the household budget look like? When my husband and I got married, we combined our finances, and I was thrilled! I thought, "I’m getting paid every week now!" Trips to the mall became routine. But soon reality hit—I quickly realized that life, and finances, don’t work that way! After some initial bumps, we had a deep conversation about our financial goals, household budget, and plans for saving, investing, and building our future together.

Just like marriage, a successful business needs a solid foundation. There has to be a clear plan and a goal. In both situations, you should be asking, “What are we doing, what’s the end goal, and what steps are we taking to get there?”

Consider this: for a business, it would be unthinkable to invest large sums of money and time into a vague idea without a detailed plan. You can’t get a loan on a cool concept alone—you need a solid strategy for achieving your goals. For businesses and teams, that means setting short-term goals that ultimately drive toward the big-picture vision.

Too often, organizations get caught up in day-to-day tasks and lose sight of their strategy. Social media is filled with enticing ideas and trends, but without a focused plan, these can become distractions. Just like in a committed relationship, constantly chasing the “next best thing” leads to instability. Instead, create a plan and stick with it. Viral trends are exciting and can inspire creativity, but they shouldn’t sidetrack the core mission. Sustained, thoughtful social media engagement is key—combining posts that are fun, educational, informative, and that showcase your products through customer stories. A brand should reflect a unique personality and be seen as a thought leader in its industry.

In short, know your goals and align your plan to match them. Set a timeline and milestones to reach short-term objectives that build toward long-term success. And remember, effective marketing takes many forms. Make sure to show your brand’s personality, connect with your audience, and stay focused on the journey to achieve lasting impact.