My British husband recently informed me that ‘blah, blah, blah, fish paste’ is a uniquely South African term. As I had planned to do my first blog of the year and intended to waffle at you about various South African brands that are killing it - I figured it’s the perfect title for this.

I also figure other countries must be incredibly boring not to have sayings like that.

South African marketers love to talk. They’ll tell you SEO takes a year, that you need to be on every platform, and that their “full-service” package means you can relax while they handle everything. Spoiler: most of it’s rubbish. These lies keep small businesses wasting time, money, and energy on marketing that never moves the needle. It’s time to stop believing the hype and start demanding results that actually make sense for your business.

Half of South Africa’s small businesses say they might not survive the next year. The truth is, “average” won’t cut it anymore. The next 12 months will separate the businesses that adapt from the ones that keep waiting for things to “go back to normal.” Client habits are shifting, costs are rising, and the old tricks aren’t working.

If you’re still boosting random posts and calling it marketing, you’re already behind. It’s time to strip it back, get focused, and build something that can actually survive what’s coming.