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As a business owner, I am always curious about what other business owners find helpful in growing their business, so I love reading these kinds of blogs. I love it whenever we get to peek behind the curtain to see how someone else does things.
So I decided I should do the same! In this blog post, I’m sharing 10 of my favorite business investments from 2026. These aren’t the only products, services, or memberships I purchased this year, but they are 10 that really impacted my business and marketing.
Over the past 3 years, I've kept my purchases pretty minimal while running my business as a virtual assistant, then OBM, then Pinterest and marketing manager. I don’t like to have many subscriptions, and I am really intentional about what I spend my business money on. Since I’ve been running this business part-time alongside motherhood, I try to make sure as much income as possible goes back to my family.
This year, one of my biggest projects was updating my website, so I invested in products that supported it. But I also want to highlight the great memberships and digital products I found helpful this year.
For each purchase, I’ll share what’s included, what I got out of it, and who I’d recommend it for.
10 of My Favorite Business Investments of 2026
Website Investments
The Wicked Easy Web Copy Guide
This is an in-depth guide to writing your own copy for your website from Sara at Between the Lines Copy. She provides a Notion dashboard with resources and prompts to dig into your marketing strategy before even starting your website copy. Then there is a Google Doc guide with resources, directions, and the wireframe so you have everything you need to write each section of your website.
Before this year, my website included essential information without much planning or strategy behind it. I knew I wanted a major refresh, and I wanted to do it right.
I bought the guide because I knew I’d be DIYing most of my website, and I wanted to make sure I had the right sections and was talking about what mattered. Also, anything I do for my own business fits between time with my family and client work, so I don’t have much time for projects like this. Having a guide helped me finish the process much faster than if I'd tried to figure it out myself.
I finished my website copy in a couple of months and felt like I had the capacity to include many more pages than I originally planned. The guide helped me write copy for 12 website pages.
This guide is best for:
When you need a budget-friendly option
If you’re planning to DIY your website copy but don’t know where to start
Someone who doesn’t need a lot of accountability for bigger projects
The VA Website Shop Squarespace Website Template
This is a Squarespace Website template made by Claire at The VA Website Shop. She designed website templates with virtual assistant businesses in mind and they are beautiful!
Using a template saves SO much time for a DIY website project. These templates have 15 pages, an easy-to-follow launch guide, tutorial videos, a launch checklist + graphics to share, and a FREE audit if you complete your website within 30 days of purchase.
Claire has thought of everything you need to know to launch your own website, making it so easy to design and launch quickly.
I grabbed a template because I do not know how to design a website and make it look nice.
Because the template gave such a good starting point, I was able to think through my brand, visuals, and the overall vibe I wanted my website to have, and actually execute the vision. It came together better than I could have imagined!
The free audit was the most valuable part! Having a designer’s eye review everything and make edits made my website look so much more polished and professional.
These templates are best for:
When you don’t have the budget to hire a brand and web designer
If you are a service provider looking for a polished and professional website
If you need help knowing what pages to include and how to best structure your website
If you have the time to DIY your own website
Caitie Cupple's Copy Audit
I knew I wouldn’t have the budget to hire a copywriter this year, so I went with the DIY-with-support route. Buying an audit can be a more affordable way to get professional support.
After I finished writing all the copy for my website, I booked a copy audit with Caitie Cupples Creative. She poured over every word and gave me plenty of suggestions and feedback. She didn’t just suggest better words; she also took the time to understand my messaging and audience so she could suggest better pain points or transformations to highlight.
Her support helped me feel really proud of my website. She helped me find the right way to convey what I do and why. Without a professional look-over of my copy, I would have questioned whether my website was ready to go live, and I would’ve put off launching it much longer.
This copy audit is best for:
When you want professional feedback and suggestions on copy you’ve written
When you don’t have the budget to hire a copywriter, but you want to elevate your copy
Marketing & Content Investments
The Writer’s Room – Blogging Membership
In 2025, I decided I wanted to start blogging for my business, but I had no idea how to do that. I didn’t know what to say, how to add it to my current content creation process, or what topics would be most important. Joining The Writer’s Room helped me figure all of that out and more.
It’s not like a course or a program, but rather a co-writing and co-planning membership with weekly feedback and Slack access to Natty for help along the way. It’s focused around support for taking action and getting blogs actually written and published to your website.
I had a goal to write 26 blog posts in 2026 and was able to reach this goal with the support The Writer’s Room has provided. (You can binge them all here!)
The Writer’s Room is best for:
When you are new to blogging and want to have a blog expert review your writing every week
When you want to learn a solid process to plan your blog topics each quarter
If you need accountability and like having co-working calls to make sure you’re actually writing your blog posts
And P.S. If you want to read more about my Writer’s Room experience in depth, CLICK HERE!
Swipe Files – Email Newsletter Membership
Swipe Files is an email content membership built to help you stay consistent with your email newsletters hosted by Sara from Between the Lines Copy.
My favorite features are the newsletter story idea bank where every topic idea has an in-depth “how to write this” guide and the chance to submit up to 4 emails per month to Sara for feedback. She literally edits them right in your google doc!
Before joining the membership, my newsletter was something I sent when I could get to it. Since August, I’ve sent one every week without skipping. The feedback I get has made writing so much easier and given me the confidence to actually hit send.
The results have shown up in my numbers too. My typical open rate has gone from 58% to 69%, and half of my newsletters since joining have landed above 70%. I’m also getting more replies from subscribers than I ever did before.
Swipe Files is best for:
If you don’t know what to write and it keeps you from sending emails regularly
If you want to deepen the connection with your readers
If you want to improve your storytelling
If you want expert feedback and edits before you hit send
The Designed to Sell Carousel Template Pack by Xanthe Appleyard
I always have a harder time with “sales” content, because I don’t want my posts to feel pushy or like I’ve switched into a sales voice. That’s why this template pack caught my attention.
Xanthe teaches a generosity-first approach to sales that feels more in alignment with the way I like to create content about my offers. This template pack came with customizable Canva templates with built-in hooks and gentle calls to action that invite people into your offers. It also comes with a support hub that teaches you what sells and why.
Recently, I posted my first carousel using one of the templates, and the responses surprised me.
A fellow business owner texted me to say she’s been loving my Instagram posts and that I’ve been doing a good job with my content.
Someone commented that they’ll be revisiting the post because it provided value worth saving.
A conversation in the comments led that person to say she’ll likely reach out in 2027 to work with me.
That last one is what sold me. A sales conversation started literally in the comments of a post, without me having to pitch anyone. The post invited people in, and they took the invitation.
The template pack is best for:
Anyone who wants to talk about their offers on social media without it feeling salesy
When you don’t want to spend hours in Canva.
When you’d like some frameworks to build off of instead of starting from scratch
52 Weeks of Content Prompts by Olivia Bossert
I’ve always saved hooks and prompt ideas that social media strategists share in their posts, and I have a whole folder of them to refer back to. It’s free, but it also means a lot of time spent scrolling for inspiration. That’s why I picked up this content prompt bank.
It’s one content prompt for every week of the year, each with ready-to-use hooks, real examples, and ideas for turning it into content beyond Instagram.
I appreciated how affordable it was. At £27 for a one-time purchase, it felt worth it to skip the scrolling.
Now I have a bank of hooks and ideas in one place. Instead of searching social media when I need inspiration, I can open the prompts and look there.
It’s already made creating content easier.
The “beyond the feed” ideas are my favorite part. Olivia also shares how to use each idea and hook on other platforms, like email, blogs, Substack, and LinkedIn, so one idea can go a lot further.
These content prompts are best for:
Anyone who keeps a folder of saved content ideas but would rather have a bank of hooks and prompts in one place, ready to use.
If you don’t know what to post and can easily get lost scrolling on Instagram for ideas
When you want to be more consistent with content and want to make sure what you’re posting is strategic
Community Memberships
The Work Wife Mastermind
One of the best things I did for my business this year was be a part of the Work Wife Mastermind, hosted by Ashley Mina. This is a membership community for bold women in business.
The women in this community truly want to collaborate, and they are so supportive. When someone shares a question, a challenge, or an idea, everyone jumps in with feedback, suggestions, and insights. We learn alongside each other and cheer each other on, and it feels like a room full of people who genuinely want to see each other win.
It has been the biggest game changer for my confidence in my business this year.
If you’re looking for a room that’s collaborative, supportive, and not afraid to go beyond surface-level, I can’t recommend it enough. There’s also a free one-week guest pass if you want to try it first.
Made For Mothers Virtual Village
I have loved being a member of the Virtual Village by Made for Mothers, founded by Mariah Stockman.
The workshops are the best. Each month, members get to learn from really amazing experts, and it’s the kind of learning that feels like having personal access to people who know their stuff.
Everyone here gets what it’s like to be a business-owning mom. It’s completely okay for your kids to be with you during calls with other members. Nobody is apologizing for a toddler on a lap or a snack request mid-sentence, because we’re all living it.
The online community is active. People are engaging in the chat and forum space, and there are always lots of comments rolling in during calls. It never feels like a quiet group where you’re the only one talking.
Members are open to connecting outside the community, too. Everyone is happy to connect in DMs on social media, which makes it easy to turn a conversation in the chat into a real connection.
If you’re a mom building a business and want a room full of women who understand the juggle, this is it.
Office Supplies
The Hustle Sanely Planner
This planner has been THE thing that's kept me organized through all the changes and transitions I’ve gone through over the past 4 years.
It’s not just a weekly planner; Jess Massey includes pages that help you follow the Hustle Sanely framework to create a vision, set goals, and live a life aligned with them.
When I first started my business, I was teaching and a new mom, so this planner helped me keep it all straight. Now, as a mom of two running my business alongside our busy lives, it is still what I lean on to stay organized.
This planner is best for:
If you also want help learning how to plan in a peacefully productive way
If you want space to reflect on monthly goals
If you want a framework for setting your yearly vision and planning your months, weeks, and days around that vision
The pen and paper planning girlies
And if I’m sharing about a planner, then of course I need to share all the products I use when planning.
My Favorite Planning Tools
New around here? I’m Sarah, a Pinterest and marketing manager for online business owners and content creators.
If you enjoyed this post and want to stay connected, here’s where you can find me:
➡️ Binge the blog: This is my growing resource of Pinterest and marketing tips for business owners and creators.
➡️ Subscribe to Notes From The Scenic Route: My almost weekly newsletter for business owners and creators who want their marketing to feel sustainable and intentional with Pinterest strategy, sustainable marketing tips, and real talk about building a business around a full life.
➡️ Connect over on Instagram: Where we can connect and become friends!
If you’re already creating blog content but aren’t sure how to share it on Pinterest, grab a Content Audit. I review your existing long-form content and show you exactly how to turn it into a Pinterest strategy that drives traffic to your email list.
If you’re looking for more Pinterest support for your business, CLICK HERE to learn more about my Pinterest marketing services for business owners and creators.