EPISODE 70 OF WHAT WOULD THEY DO? THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PODCAST FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
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A lot of what I teach and build is grounded in first-hand data rather than assumptions or predictions.
Last year’s State of the Customer Survey fundamentally shifted how I think about what online business owners and their customers need in the online space.
Right now, I’m running it again, because 2026 feels like a very different conversation.
In this short episode, I’m telling you exactly what’s in it for you when you take five minutes to add your perspective.
Recape the 2025 State of the Customer Report in Episode 29 right here.
What we cover:
Why 2026 needs its own data set and what’s shifted since last year
How the two-hat structure of this survey gives you perspective on your own business
Why a more diverse respondent group makes the findings more useful for everyone
What you get for completing the survey and leaving your details
How your answers shape the conversations happening in the online business space this year
Soundbites:
“Business owners are telling me they’re working harder for the same or less results. And at the same time, customers are getting more discerning about where they spend their hard earned dollars and where they invest their attention. Which means that gap between a forgettable customer experience and a remarkable one has gotten even wider.”
“Your voice matters in this exercise. And the more diverse the group of people taking the survey, the more useful the data becomes for everyone. So whether you’re just starting out, whether you’ve been in business for years, whether you have a membership, you sell services, you offer courses, a mix of everything, you name it, your answers add an absolutely valid layer of nuance that I can then report back on and look at in the bigger picture of responses.”
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Episode Transcript:
Nadine (00:00)
Hello, hello, and welcome back to the podcast. In today’s episode, I have a question for you. One that contributes to something bigger down the track. So stay with me. a lot of what I teach and build is
Grounded in first hand data instead of assumptions and predictions. If you’ve been around for a while, you would know. You would also know that last year I ran my very first State of the customer survey, and the results of said survey fundamentally changed how I think about what online business owners and customers need and want right now.
If you’re curious and you missed the report, I actually explored the survey findings in episode 29. So you can go back and listen right after this episode. But today I’m not here to report back because 2026 feels like a different conversation. A lot has shifted in the last 12 odd months since I ran that first survey.
It feels like the noise has gotten louder. AI is now literally everywhere. trust feels even harder to earn and much easier to lose.
business owners are telling me they’re working harder for the same or less results. And at the same time, customers are getting more discerning about where they spend their hard earned dollars and where they invest their attention.
Which means the gap between a forgettable brand experience and a remarkable one has gotten even wider. So I want to know if what I’m hearing in conversations with my customers, and with my members is also showing up in the data because I have a gut feeling, but I want to find out.
Firsthand. And I actually want your experience to be part of that bigger picture. But instead of just running any survey, I’m being super strategic, surprise, surprise, about how I gather that data. So the survey, the second version, asks you to again wear two hats: a business owner hat and a consumer hat. And that two hat structure.
Is where things get really interesting, right? Because most of us assume we’re delivering something our customers love, something that really resonates and stands out.
But we rarely stop to check if our customer experience we’re delivering actually matches what our customers experience. the survey takes about five minutes to complete. You can do so anonymously, or you can leave your details and score some.
Sneaky goodies, but I’ll get to that in a second. what it gives you either way is perspective for your own operation. And it hopefully helps you reflect on what you value as a customer and what you’re currently delivering on a as a business owner and where there might be some disconnect.
your voice matters in this exercise. And the more diverse the group of people taking the survey, the more useful the data becomes for everyone. So whether you’re just starting out, whether you’ve been in business for years, whether you have a membership, you sell services, you offer courses, you run a mentorship.
A mix of everything, you name it, your answers add an absolutely valid layer of nuance that I can then report back on and look at in the bigger picture of responses. And I will actually report back on everything. We’re talking the surprises, the tensions, the gaps, the opportunities, the challenges.
Also, things we are collectively getting right as business owners, and some things that we’re potentially lacking in, particularly in 2026. this data and the findings can then become the foundation for the bigger conversations that are happening in the online business space, but also the conversations that I’m going to have.
With my one-on-one clients and retention lab members all year round. So, what’s in it for you? Apart from contributing to something that is genuinely useful for the wider online business community, there’s some sneaky rewards for you, as I mentioned before. if you complete the survey and leave your details, you will receive $9 in Can Do! cash, which is
my store credit to use on anything I sell in my business in the next six months. You’ll also receive the 2025 State of the Customer report into your inbox instantly so you can see where we were at 12 months ago and then hopefully connect the dots when that new 2026 version comes out.
You also get front row seeds to a live debrief that is happening as soon as I sifted through the responses in a few weeks’ time. The link to the survey is in the show notes. it’s open for submissions right now and will be open until the 16th of July 2026.
The survey takes five minutes max to complete. It is absolutely free, and your answers are going to shape the conversation happening in the online space over the coming months. And I would absolutely love your experience to be the heart of this story.
If you need one more reason to be part of this experience and complete the survey, it’s this one. The most valuable thing that you can do for your customer experience right now is understanding it from the inside out. And this survey is going to be a small step towards understanding where you’re sitting as a business owner,
What you expect as a customer and where there could be potential disconnect and gaps to fill. that is it from me today. A short and sharp one. make sure you head straight to the show notes, complete the survey, and I absolutely can’t wait to hear what you have to share.
I’ll be back in your AirPods next week. Have a fabulous week and I’ll see you then.
