November is here and the buzz among business owners and business coaches everywhere is how to set up your Black Friday Sale. But does your business actually need one?
Every year our inboxes overflow with “Biggest Sale Ever” emails and the collective urgency builds among business owners who are made to feel as though if you’re not offering a Black Friday deal, are you even in business? But for many small and service-based brands, diving headfirst into deep discounts just cause everyone else is doing it can do more harm than good.
According to research by Drive Research, nearly 75% of consumers planned to shop online for Black Friday in 2024, with many spending over $1,000 on deals and promotions. That’s a tempting statistic for entrepreneurs looking to increase revenue fast. After all, having a handful of clients spend $1000 or so on your services over one weekend would be a hit for every business owner I know.
Yet, as Forbes reported in November 2024, Black Friday is actually losing popularity with certain consumers who are becoming more mindful of overconsumption and sustainability. The frenzy, once symbolic of savings, has begun to feel like noise.
And that noise can drown out your brand’s true message, especially if your client is leaning more toward intentional buying than frenzy purchases.
The Hidden Costs of “Everyone’s Doing It”
The pressure to participate often comes from comparison, not strategy. But selling more doesn’t always mean earning more. An analysis by SBO Financial found that while sales volumes rise dramatically during Black Friday, many small eCommerce businesses see lower profit margins because of the steep discounts necessary to compete with big-box retailers or bigger brands in general.
Beyond profit loss, there’s another issue, and quite frankly, my biggest issue with Black Friday Sales: brand perception. According to GlowSphere Marketing, businesses that run frequent, heavy-discount sales risk training their customers to only buy when prices drop. “Black Friday shoppers are deal hunters by nature,” their 2024 report notes, “and they often buy once and never come back.”
This is where integrity and intuition, two of the most underrated business tools, matter most. Just because the market shouts “sell more” doesn’t mean your soul-led brand has to echo it.
When a Sale Becomes a Stress Strategy
For wellness-centered and service-based entrepreneurs, a Black Friday sale can feel like a short-term fix to a long-term systems problem. You might see a quick influx of cash but find yourself energetically drained, overextended, and serving clients at a discount who don’t align with your ideal audience – hence why they didn’t buy from you before – and are depleting your energy for your actual dream clients.
A 2025 Xero small business survey found that 54% of entrepreneurs say cash flow limitations are one of the major reasons they tend to skip large seasonal sales events. The same study found that nearly one-third of small businesses simply can’t afford to offer major discounts without hurting their bottom line.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t engage with the energy of the season—it means you can do it differently.
The Alternative to a Sale
If the idea of slashing your prices is off-brand or out of alignment, there are other ways to create excitement and loyalty without cutting into your profits:
- Reward your repeat customers. Offer exclusive bonuses, free upgrades, or early access to a new product or service for your existing clients. These gestures deepen relationships and encourage repeat business rather than one-off sales. This can be easily done through what we call Inner Sales inside the Simple Business System.
- Create a “value-add” instead of a markdown. For example, add a limited-time bonus session, downloadable resource, or gift with purchase. Studies on consumer psychology show that perceived value increases just as powerfully with added benefits as with discounts (IE Business School, The Psychology of Discounts on Cyber Monday and Black Friday, 2023). If you’ve learned to develop your Unique Profit Map you can easily bundle some of your Profit Points together.
- Focus on community and story. If your brand values purpose, sustainability, or wellness, use the season to highlight impact and those values over pressure buying and discounts. Showcase how your business gives back or creates change.
These alternatives keep you connected to the spirit of abundance without sacrificing your brand’s integrity or profitability.
You can still join the holiday buzz without discounting your worth.
Choosing Profit with Purpose
At the end of the day, the question isn’t whether you should have a Black Friday sale, but whether it aligns with your brand’s rhythm, margins, and mission. If your intuition says no, trust that. There’s power in quiet confidence and in knowing that your business doesn’t have to shout “SALE” to be successful.
For a deeper look into how to decide if a Black Friday sale fits your business model, and what to do instead, listen to this week’s Chats with GiGi podcast episode, where I’m offering a list of questions you can ask yourself to determine if this Black Friday will hurt or help your business.
Success isn’t about following the noise. It’s about leading with clarity, confidence, and intention.
