Most entrepreneurs quit their marketing before the water even has a chance to change colors.
I’m not being dramatic. I’ve watched it over and over again:A few posts that “don’t do much,” a couple of videos with low views, an email that falls flat… and suddenly the story becomes, “Marketing doesn’t work for me.”
Recently, while preparing a cake of aged pu-erh tea, it hit me just how much good marketing works the same way.
Pu-erh isn’t a quick tea bag you dunk in boiling water and forget. It’s layered. It evolves. It requires multiple steeps to reveal its depth.
Your marketing is exactly the same.
Let’s walk through the ritual and translate it into something you can actually use to grow your business.
The Rinse: Your First Attempts Aren’t Supposed to Be “The One”
With pu-erh, the first steep isn’t the “real” tea.
You pour hot water over the leaves, then immediately pour it off. You’re rinsing away dust, waking up the leaves, and preparing them to release flavor.
That first steep? It’s not a failure. It’s priming.
Most entrepreneurs treat their early marketing like it should be the final product:
- The first 5 Instagram Reels
- The first 3 emails
- The first webinar or workshop
- The first couple of LinkedIn posts
If those don’t blow up, they assume they’re terrible at marketing and pull back.
In reality, those early attempts are doing critical work:
- Warming up your brand – you’re showing your face, your tone, your perspective.
- Waking up your voice – you stop sounding like a textbook and start sounding like you.
- Priming your audience – they’re learning what to expect from you and whether they trust you.
You can’t skip the rinse and expect a rich cup of tea.You can’t skip the awkward early posts and expect a rich brand.
If your first marketing efforts feel underwhelming, nothing has gone wrong. You’re rinsing.
Many Short Steps: Marketing Is Layers, Not One Hero Post
A good pu-erh cake can be steeped 8, 12, sometimes 20 times.
Each steep is short, lasting seconds, not minutes. And each one reveals a slightly different note: earthier, sweeter, more complex.
Your marketing should work the same way.
Too many small business owners keep hunting for “the” post, “the” video, or “the” funnel that finally makes everything click. That’s not how this works.
No single piece of marketing is supposed to carry your whole brand. Instead, think in layers:
- One piece speaks to their frustration.
- Another shows them a new way to think.
- Another tells a story that makes them feel seen.
- Another makes a clear, specific offer.
Together, those touches build familiarity, trust, and readiness.
Individually, they look small. Collectively, they change the flavor.
If that idea feels abstract, I break it down even more in my post on what good marketing actually does for small businesses. Spoiler: it’s not about going viral. It’s about building momentum.
Stop Waiting for “Darker Color”: Short Content Can Still Be Strong
Most casual tea drinkers steep until the water “looks strong enough.”
With pu-erh, that’s a mistake. It doesn’t need a long steep to be impactful. Especially once the leaves are awake.
Same with your content.
There’s a belief that for marketing to “count,” it has to be long, complex, or highly produced:
- 20-minute videos instead of 45-second clips
- Huge newsletters instead of one sharp story and takeaway
- Giant “ultimate guides” instead of clear, focused posts
In 2025, that’s backwards.
Your audience is already maxed out on cognitive load. They’re juggling work, kids, health, and a nonstop feed of information. They don’t need you to drown them in content. They need one clear sip at a time.
Strong marketing today is:
- Short
- Focused
- Emotionally resonant
- Easy to remember and share
Think cupcakes, not full sheet cakes. One idea per piece. One promise per post. One action you want them to take.
If you want help designing content that doesn’t overload your brain or your audience, my breakdown of the three types of content you need to grow is a good follow-up read.
Your Marketing Should Be an Experience, Not a Transaction
Pu-erh isn’t just a drink. It’s an experience.
From unwrapping the cake to the smell of the leaves waking up to that first deep, earthy sip, every step is part of the ritual.
Your marketing should feel like that too.
Not in a “fake luxury brand” way. In a thoughtful, human way:
- The first encounter with your brand should feel safe and interesting, not pushy.
- Your emails should feel like they were written for a real person, not an algorithm.
- Your content should leave people with a feeling like relief, possibility, or recognition, not just “information.”
When people feel something, they remember you. When they remember you, they come back. When they come back, they buy.
That’s how brands are built. Not from a single campaign, but from a series of small, intentional experiences that add up.
Don’t Quit Before the Flavor Has a Chance to Develop
Most entrepreneurs quit their marketing while they’re still in the rinse phase.
They never give themselves enough reps to:
- Find their real voice
- Let their audience adjust
- Refine the message
- Build the layers
So here’s my challenge to you:
- Pick one marketing channel: email, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, you choose.
- Commit to at least 10 to 20 short “steeps”: posts, emails, or videos.
- Treat the first 3 to 5 as rinse cycles. No judgment, just data.
- With each new piece, ask: What new layer of my brand am I revealing?
Then adjust. Sip. Repeat.
Ready for Marketing That Actually Fits
You?
If you’re tired of starting over every few months, trying a new “recipe,” and never giving your marketing a chance to steep, you don’t need more tactics. You need a strategy that works with your brain, your business, and your bandwidth.
That’s the work I do every day.
👉 Learn more about how I support small business owners with ADHD-friendly, results-driven marketing here: Marketing with Stephanie Scheller
Give your marketing the time and the structure it needs to develop real flavor. You might be a lot closer than you think.