Scroll down to explore my latest “Blog Papers” Bite-sized insights on the future of work, women’s leadership, business systems, and AI strategy.
Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™: Future-Proof Your Strategy for 2026
A free AI-powered, strategy-first diagnostic built for women in leadership
See exactly where your business is leaking time, clarity, or revenue, and how to close the gaps fast.
Your vision isn’t the problem.
The way forward is.
Discover the exact gaps costing you hours and thousands in lost revenue,
and how to close them fast with a clear, strategy-first roadmap.
This is the same framework used by top Fractional CMOs, adapted for women-led teams who want clarity before committing to another campaign.
Get your instant GPT-powered clarity report in minutes and receive your personalized Future-Proof Framework Guide™ within 48 hours.
You don’t have A
marketing Problem.
You have a clarity Problem.
I’ve watched too many women-led organizations invest thousands of dollars into coaches, courses, tools, templates, marketing agencies, websites, and ad campaigns, only to end up right back where they started: uncertain about what’s working, and exhausted from trying to figure it out alone.
One of my past clients spent over $25,000 on a marketing firm that promised results.
Six months later, they still didn’t have a documented strategy, a 90-day plan, or clarity on who they were even trying to reach. What's worse is that they had 0 ROI, POOR LEADS, $0 CONSISTENT OR NEW REVENUE.
The agency was reactive instead of proactive.
They never conducted a full client profile. They kept producing content without a system, message, or measurable outcome because no one had defined a strategy.
The business owners didn't know what they didn't know
It was difficult to watch, because what they needed wasn’t more output.
They needed direction.
That’s why I created the Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™ — a simple, GPT-powered tool to help you see exactly where your business is leaking time, clarity, or money… before you spend another dollar on marketing.
This audit brings the strategy-first framework that top Fractional CMOs use — but designed for women founders, directors, and executives who want to make smarter, calmer business decisions.
This audit gives you the clarity you’ve been craving.
Get a clear,
data-driven picture of what’s really holding your business back.
The Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™ isn’t a quiz or a quick checklist.
It’s a strategic clarity report, powered by AI, grounded in real marketing intelligence.
In about 15 minutes, you’ll see exactly where your business stands and what to do next.
Here’s what your personalized audit reveals:
Your “One Thing” — the single undone project or process quietly draining focus, time, and energy.
Estimated Financial & Time Leak — a data-based look at how much inefficiency is really costing you each month.
Soft Power Readiness Level™ (Foundation, Alignment, or Strategic) — shows whether you’re ready for a full strategy engagement or should begin with a focused “One Thing™” project.
Strategic Insights — clear, human-level recommendations drawn from CMO-grade frameworks used to align your systems, team, and marketing.
Next-Step Pathway — a direct link to your best next move:
complete your “One Thing™” or begin your Soft Power Strategy Engagement™ for a full roadmap.
Receive your Future-Proof Framework Guide™ within 48 hours.
You’ll receive your results instantly on-screen, no waiting, no pressure, just clarity.
How the
Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™ Works
A calm, strategic process designed to help you stop guessing and start growing, with clarity that compounds.
Every business leader deserves to make marketing and operational decisions with confidence.
Here’s exactly what happens when you take the audit:
1. Start the Audit (5–15 minutes)
Answer a few simple questions about your business model, team, and goals.
The system will analyze your responses using a proven CMO-level diagnostic to uncover blind spots across six key areas:
Strategy • Systems • Messaging • Delegation • Client Experience • Focus
2. Receive Your Personalized Results (Instantly)
You’ll see your results right on-screen—including:
- Your “One Thing” (the single fix that unlocks progress)
- Your Soft Power Readiness Tier (Quick-Fix or Strategy-Level)
- Your estimated time and revenue losses
- Strategic insights to refocus your efforts
3. Email Your Results for Next-Step Guidance
You’ll see your results instantly on-screen and feel confident to take one of 2 next steps, start:
•That One Thing Implementation Sprint -for a focused project,
or
• Go deeper with a Soft Power Strategy Engagement - for a full roadmap and 90-day plan.
Once you have your report, simply copy your results and email them to [email protected] to receive your personalized Future-Proof Framework Guide™ within 48 hours.
4. Take Action With Confidence
No more guessing, no more duct-taped marketing.
You’ll know exactly what to focus on, what to fix, and how to move forward with strategy-led precision.
Your clarity report is ready whenever you are.
See your revenue gaps & marketing through a CMO’s eyes.
Gain the strategic clarity, systems insight, and next-step direction your business has been missing.
The data doesn’t lie, most marketing & revenue struggles aren’t creative problems, they’re strategic ones.
This audit helps you find and fix the right ones, fast.
Here’s what recent industry research shows:
- 63% of small businesses invest in marketing without a documented strategy.
- Those that do have one experience 60% higher revenue growth. (CoSchedule, 2024)
- Women founders are 30% more likely to delay delegation and systemization due to burnout or overwhelm. (LinkedIn Future of Work, 2025)
The cost of unclear strategy compounds over time.
That’s why the Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™ is built to stop that spiral and restore clarity where it matters most.
When you complete your audit, you’ll gain:
✔️ A clear focus — no more wondering what to prioritize next.
✔️ A measurable roadmap — see exactly how much time and money your inefficiencies are costing you.
✔️ A confidence shift — the calm that comes from knowing your next step is backed by data and strategy.
✔️ A next-step plan — whether that’s fixing your “One Thing” or starting your full strategy engagement.
This audit was built for women who lead, not just manage.
The Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™ is designed for women in leadership who are ready to stop reacting to their marketing and start leading it strategically.
It’s for you if you’re:
A women who is a Director, VP, COO, or Founder leading a service-based business or internal team of 5–50 employees.
A visionary leader who knows your business could run smoother, but you’re too close to see what’s actually slowing things down.
A high achiever who’s tired of duct-taped marketing, inconsistent messaging, and wasted effort.
Someone who values emotional intelligence and calm execution just as much as performance and results.
Curious about AI and automation but want a trusted, human-guided plan to integrate them wisely.
If you’ve ever thought, “We have great ideas, but no one’s steering the ship,” this audit was built for you.
See exactly where your business is leaking clarity, time, or money.
Meet Your Fractional CMO, Digital Business Architect & Future of Work Strategist
I’m Shirley L.A. Brooks — founder of YSWS Growth Firm, creator of Soft Power Systems™ and your calm-in-the-chaos systems strategist.
After 20+ years in corporate logistics and operations, I learned one truth:
Most visionary women don’t fail because of bad ideas, they stall because their systems can’t carry the weight of their vision.
I help women bridge the gap between big ideas and done through emotional intelligence, automation, AIm marketing architecture, and practical structure, so they can grow with more flow, not more force.
About the Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™
This free audit combines the precision of a Fractional CMO with the insight of AI -powered marketing architecture to help women leaders future-proof their marketing and operations for 2026.
Built for Directors, Founders, COOs, and VPs leading service-based businesses, it reveals exactly where you’re losing clarity, time, and revenue and what to fix first to scale sustainably.
2026 Is the Year Strategy Meets Soul
We’re entering a new marketing era.
The brands that will win are those that combine data, strategy, AI, and human intuition, led by women who refuse to sacrifice clarity for chaos.
Here’s what’s shifting in marketing right now, and why leaders like you can’t wait:
Hyper-personalization at scale:
In 2026, AI will evolve from segmentation to prediction, clients will expect you to know them before they tell you. Fuze7 Digital Marketing
Authentic, human-first branding:
As AI becomes ubiquitous, the brands that thrive will be the ones led by real people with real values, not faceless automation. (As one marketing thinker put it: “Unshittification” is the next wave. ) Think Like A Publisher
As a woman leader, you bring something many teams don’t: emotional intelligence, relational nuance, and values-driven leadership.
Pair that with a strategy-first approach and you become a future-proof brand, not just a service in the noise.
You don’t have to guess at trends.
You can lead them.
Begin your Free Soft Power Business Readiness Audit now and get the clarity you need to move into 2026 with purpose, power, and alignment.
Take the Soft Power Business Readiness Audit and position your business for the future of strategy, systems, and soul-led growth.
Interactive & voice-first experiences:
Static content is becoming table stakes. Quizzes, voice search, calculators, these will be the quiet engines that convert. Sink or Swim Marketing
Real Results from Women Leading with Ease
Tanya Reynolds -
Career & Leadership Coach
Shirley is a powerful force in the area of Business. Her approach has helped me solidify my vision on the growth and development of my company. Her well thought out step-by-step process ensures that you are thinking about every aspect of where you are, where you want to go and who you want to serve. She is patient and thoughtful in her approach and her support.
Thank you, Shirley!!!
You can’t fail this audit.
Even if you do nothing else, your results will show you exactly what’s costing you growth today.
no overwhelm, just awareness, strategy, and space to breathe.
You don’t need more tools, templates and campaigns.
You need strategy, focus and better flow.
Take 15 minutes to run your Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™ and see what happens when strategy meets ease.
Even one done thing, clarity on your strategy forward or half those hours reclaimed would create more freedom, focus, and flow, that’s your Soft Power Advantage.
HEY,
if you made it down here welcome!!
these are my “blog papers”
My love for strategy and storytelling comes from years of helping women turn chaos into clarity.
What began as a fascination with systems and human behavior has evolved into a mission to help women leaders think deeper about the future of work.
Think of this section as your quick update, just like the old fashioned newspapers.
Each Blog Paper blends AI insights, emotional intelligence, and real-world strategy, bite-sized reads to help you lead smarter, softer, and more sustainably in business and life.
READ, REFLECT, ACT!
Blog Paper #1 - 09/15/2025 -
How AI Will Shift From Automation to Anticipation in 2026 (and What Women Leaders Need to Know)
Automation is no longer the finish line, it’s the foundation.
The next era of AI will be anticipatory, not reactive.
According to Fuze7 Digital Marketing’s 2025 trend outlook, 2026 will mark a shift toward AI systems that anticipate customer needs and behavior through predictive personalization. From inbox prompts to content scheduling, the tools we once used to “save time” are evolving to make strategic decisions with us.
But here’s the opportunity: The businesses that thrive in this next phase will go beyond automation, training AI to reflect their brand’s tone, values, and decision-making patterns.
That’s where women leaders have the edge.
Emotional intelligence and discernment, the ability to sense timing, tone, and trust, will define brand success. AI can model patterns, but only people can model principles.
As you look toward 2026, consider three small but powerful shifts:
1. Teach your tools your tone, train AI to reflect your brand voice.
2. Use automation to enhance empathy, not replace it.
3. Audit your systems quarterly to ensure they align with your goals, not your old habits.
You don’t have to chase every trend. You simply need a system that learns from you, not over you.
Reflection prompt:
How much of your current workflow is reactive versus anticipatory?
🖤 Next step:
See where your business stands with the Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™.
Start your free audit or email me your thoughts at [email protected] , I read every message.
Topics: AI trends 2026, anticipatory marketing, women in leadership, AI-powered strategy, predictive personalization
Blog Paper #2 - 09/30/2025 -
The Great Unshittification Shift: 2026 Marketing Trends for Leaders Who Value Integrity
The word may be bold, but the message is clear: audiences are done with noise.
Marketers are calling this shift The Great Unshittification, a cultural return to clarity, craftsmanship, and genuine connection.
As highlighted in Think Like a Publisher’s 2025 trend forecast, brands are moving toward a season of simplification, prioritizing clarity and authenticity over noise. Audiences are craving content that feels human again, less algorithm-chasing, more authentic storytelling.
The brands that win won’t be the loudest ones. They’ll be the ones that speak softly and consistently to the right people.
For women in leadership, this is your moment to redefine authority.
Integrity is your new SEO.
Your energy is your algorithm.
Here’s how to apply the Unshittification Principle in your business:
✔️ Choose clarity over cleverness—say what you mean.
✔️ Audit your content for depth, not just reach.
✔️ Lead with values in every campaign, not vanity metrics.
It’s not about being everywhere, it’s about being understood.
Reflection prompt:
If someone read your last five posts or emails, would they know what you truly stand for?
🖤 Next step:
Find out if your messaging aligns with your mission.
Take the Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™ or share your reflections with me at [email protected] .
Topics: unshittification, marketing trends 2026, authentic branding, women in business, trust in marketing
Blog Paper #3 - 10/15/2025 -
90% of Businesses Say AI Boosted Efficiency, But Only 5% Realize Strategic Value
By mid-2025, surveys from multiple sources, including Salesforce and BCG, showed that a majority of small businesses had adopted AI tools primarily for operational efficiency.
Yet a Boston Consulting Group report (September 2025) found that only about 5% of companies are achieving AI value at scale, indicating that most have yet to turn efficiency gains into real strategic advantage.
Why?
Because efficiency doesn’t equal direction.
Automation is a powerful ally, but without clarity on what it’s in service of, you end up doing the wrong things faster.
And that’s the quiet epidemic I see among women in leadership, high output, low alignment.
AI can generate, but it can’t discern. That’s your job.
Here’s how to close the gap between efficiency and strategy:
1. Define the purpose of every tool you use, what decision does it inform?
2. Assign ownership, who measures its success?
3. Revisit quarterly whether your tech stack matches your stage of growth.
Women-led businesses are especially well-positioned for this next phase of AI maturity, where logic and intuition, data and discernment, will need to work together.
Reflection prompt:
Are your tools building freedom, or just busyness?
🖤 Next step:
Run the Soft Power Business Readiness Audit™ to find out where you’re efficient, but not yet strategic.
Start here or email me your insight after reading this piece at [email protected] .
Topics: AI small business statistics, AI adoption 2025, AI leadership, women-led business strategy, business clarity audit
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Future-proof marketing 2026
Free AI-powered marketing and operations audit for women in leadership. Discover your readiness level and strategy roadmap for 2026. strategy