Stop chasing trends. Build something that lasts.
Too many service providers chase trends. Clubhouse in 2021. Threads in 2023. Bluesky today. Then? They crash. Clubhouse lost 98% of its downloads in ten months. Threads dropped 87% in six.
I’ve watched coaches and freelancers pivot wildly, betting that the latest thing will be the big break. It won’t. The hype cycle is real and it’s brutal.
You’re a coach, a consultant, an agency owner trying to stand out. The hype promises a shortcut. It’s a detour. The smarter move is to focus on what lasts.
The cost of chasing trends
When I ran my home health agency, online documentation was the hot new thing. Palm Pilots. Dial-up modems. It sounded great. We spent tens of thousands of dollars on equipment and training.
Disaster.
The tablets crashed. The staff had to double-document on paper. Batteries died constantly. Training costs ballooned. After six months of frustration and a 15% hit to our margins, we pulled the plug and went back to paper.
Years later, when iPads and cellular connections made mobile documentation actually work, we adopted it without a hitch. The difference was waiting for the tech to catch up instead of jumping in too soon.
Four principles that don’t fade
Trends come and go. Principles compound. Four that have worked for decades:
Eugene Schwartz’s “Stages of Awareness” (1966). People move through stages before buying. Unaware. Problem-Aware. Solution-Aware. Product-Aware. Most Aware. Human psychology hasn’t changed. Whether people are buying from a door-to-door salesman in the 1960s or clicking “buy now” on TikTok, they follow the same decision process. Match your message to where your prospect actually is. If they don’t realize they have a problem, don’t pitch your solution yet.
A business coach I worked with was about to jump into livestreaming because everyone else was. Instead, we applied this framework. Her prospect was Solution-Aware but hesitant. So instead of pitching her program immediately, she asked the right questions. What solutions have you tried? What held you back? What would solving this problem mean for you? Meeting the prospect where she was, she closed a $7K client on the spot. Her competitors were still fiddling with their ring lights.
The Pareto Principle (1896). 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. It’s math, and math doesn’t lie. One coach I know tripled her revenue by dropping half her marketing tactics. Discovery calls were her 20%. She doubled down on those and ignored the noise.
Jobs-to-Be-Done (1990s). People don’t buy products or services. They hire solutions to get a job done. Clients pay for outcomes, not for fancy marketing. A financial advisor I know ignored the crypto hype. His clients weren’t chasing trends. They wanted security in retirement. Focusing on that, his retention rate jumped 18%.
The Loyalty Ladder (1990s). The goal isn’t just getting a client. It’s turning them into someone who refers other people. Happy clients bring referrals. Cold leads don’t. An agency owner I advised shifted focus from lead generation to delivering better client results. One happy client turned into five referrals. No ad spend.
These aren’t theories. They’re tools. Trends feel fast and slow you down. Principles feel slow and help you move faster.
How to spot the trends that stick
Not every trend is bad. Some become game-changers. The trick is knowing which ones. Use the LAST test:
Lasts? Does it tie to a real human need — security, connection, status, identity?
Adoption? Is it still niche, or has it gone mainstream?
Strategy? Does it fit what’s already working for you?
Test? Can you try it on a small scale before committing?
Palm Pilots failed this test. The tech wasn’t ready and it didn’t fit our business. I wish I’d known better. Don’t chase trends. Test them.
Build what lasts
Start with principles. Every strategy should map to something timeless. Stages of Awareness. Pareto. Jobs-to-Be-Done.
Balance your resources. Seventy percent on what’s working. Twenty percent on refining it. Ten percent on small-scale trend testing.
Invest in transferable wins. Your email list. Your skills. Your relationships. Things that hold value no matter what platform crashes next.
The bottom line
Clubhouse, Threads, Palm Pilots. They all flared and faded. Trend-chasers start over every cycle. Principles compound. Each year you build on Stages of Awareness or Jobs-to-Be-Done, you’re creating assets that grow.
Hype feels fast and slows you down. Principles feel slow and actually get you there faster.
What principle are you applying this week? What trend are you ignoring?
About the Author
Ron Tester is a physical therapist with thirty years in the field. He built, grew, and operated a multidisciplinary home health company employing PTs, OTs, and SLPs through a successful exit. He now coaches outpatient PT, OT, and SLP clinic owners on operating at the owner level. Certified Executive Coach and Book Yourself® Solid Coach. Learn more at https://rontestercoaching.com/about.