Should You Participate in Black Friday?
A Framework for Coaches, Consultants & Service Providers
It's happening again.
Your inbox is filling up with "early access Black Friday deals." Your Instagram feed is wall-to-wall sales announcements. And somewhere in the back of your mind, a voice is asking: Should I be doing something for Black Friday?
Maybe you feel pressure to put together an offer. Maybe you're wondering if you're leaving money on the table by not participating. Maybe you've done Black Friday before and it left you feeling gross, but you're not sure what else to do.
If you're a coach, consultant, creative, or service provider, Black Friday can feel like it doesn't quite apply to you. It's not like you're selling physical products or running a retail shop. But in the last 5-10 years, Black Friday has evolved into something any business owner can (and many feel they should) participate in.
The question isn't whether Black Friday exists for service-based businesses. It does. The question is: should you participate, and if so, how do you do it without compromising your values or burning out?
This guide will help you make that decision strategically, not reactively.
Why Black Friday Feels Different Lately
Before we get into whether you should participate, we need to talk about what's happening right now with your buyers.
There's collective fatigue everywhere. Uncertainty. Skepticism. Low energy. And if you sell to other business owners (B2B), there's specific distrust around launch seasons, sales tactics, and Black Friday itself.
People are numb to false scarcity. Countdown timers. "Only today - 90% off!" claims. These tactics have been so normalized, especially in the online business world, that they've corroded trust rather than built it.
At the same time, there's a growing desire for connection, fulfillment, and meaning. People want to buy from businesses that feel human, transparent, and values-aligned.
So if you decide to participate in Black Friday, you need to do it differently than what you've probably seen most people do. And if you decide not to participate, you still need a strategy for this noisy season.
This Isn't an Ethics Test
Let me say this clearly: You're not a bad person if you participate in Black Friday. You're not a better business owner if you opt out.
We're all business owners inside late stage capitalism, navigating massive political, social, and economic uncertainty. Part of your job as a founder is to generate revenue in a way that is most helpful and least harmful.
This framework isn't about being "good" or avoiding being seen as part of the problem. It's an invitation to be curious, informed, intentional, and strategic with whatever choice you make.
I've participated in Black Friday. I've opted out. I've created alternatives. And honestly? I've also made decisions from a wounded, scared place of "please don't think I'm a boss babe" that resulted in me judging other business owners just to position myself as one of the good ones.
That's not integrity. That's fear.
So as we go through this framework, I want you to ask yourself: If I wasn't trying to be good or avoid being seen as bad, what would be the right choice for my business?
The 5-Check Framework: Should You Participate?
Before you decide anything, run through these five checks. Get a notebook, open a Google doc, whatever works for you. Answer these honestly.
Check #1: Your Values
Question: Does this decision align with the way I want to make money and how I want people to feel when they interact with my brand?
This is foundational. If participating in Black Friday (or opting out vocally) doesn't align with how you want to be known and how you want people to experience your business, the answer is already clear.
Think about:
What am I drawn to offer or share?
Does this support or contradict my brand values?
How do I want people to feel after interacting with this?
Check #2: Your Timing
Question: Does offering a sale right now support my energy and capacity, or does it drain it?
Be honest about your bandwidth. Black Friday is in late November, right before the holidays. Do you have the capacity to plan, execute, and deliver on a Black Friday offer? Or will it cut into time you planned to rest?
Also consider: Does offering a sale right now support my ideal clients' energy and capacity, or does it drain theirs?
Check their emotional schedule. What's their reality like between now and the end of the year? What would actually help them versus add to their stress?
Check #3: Your Audience
Question: Are the people I want to reach primed to buy right now?
Have you been talking about the thing you'd want to offer? Have you been seeding it? Is it seasonally relevant for them, or will it just add noise?
Think about:
What problems are top of mind for them right now?
What would actually move the needle for them before January?
Am I in conversation with them already, or would this feel random?
Check #4: Your Integrity
Question: Am I using real urgency, or manufacturing it? Am I sharing something I genuinely believe is valuable?
This check matters whether you participate or opt out.
If you're selling something, is the urgency real? Is the offer genuinely helpful based on their needs and timing, or are you just slapping a discount on something to capitalize on Black Friday?
If you're opting out publicly, are you doing it constructively, or are you positioning yourself as morally superior to other business owners who participate? (I've done this. It's not a good look, and it comes from fear, not integrity.)
Check #5: Your Nervous System
Question: How does this plan feel in my body?
After running through the first four checks, sit with your decision. Notice what comes up.
Is there contraction? Fear? Judgment? FOMO? Scarcity? Reactivity?
If you feel any of those, pause. Interview that part of yourself. Ask: "What do you need me to know?" Then run back through the checks to see where there's stickiness.
The goal is to make a decision that feels grounded, intentional, and aligned - not reactive, pressured, or performative.
Path 1: How to Participate (If You Decide to Sell Something)
If you've run through the checks and decided to participate by offering something for sale, here's how to do it in a way that builds trust rather than erodes it.
1. Create One Clear, Genuinely Valuable Offer
Do not - and I mean this - throw together a random bundle of existing things. Do not artificially drop prices just to manufacture scarcity. Do not offer your time unless you've really looked at your calendar and set firm boundaries.
Instead, ask yourself: What could I offer at a price point that feels aligned with Black Friday energy, that will actually be constructive for my people right now?
Base this on their emotional schedule and their reality in November and December. What would help them end the year strong or set them up well for January?
Some ideas that have worked well:
A low-ticket workshop with async support (with clear boundaries)
A resource bundle or toolkit that solves a specific end-of-year problem
A limited number of strategy sessions or audits with a quick turnaround
Access to a course or program they can start immediately
The key: it should feel like a perk and an entry point, not a cash grab.
2. Be Transparent About Your Strategy
One of the ways I've built trust in my sales process is by breaking the fourth wall. I call them "transparent marketing moments."
When I'm running a sale or creating urgency, I tell people why. I explain my reasoning. I share how it benefits them. I name when I'm creating a deadline and why that deadline exists.
For Black Friday, this could sound like:
"Transparent marketing moment: I'm offering this at a lower price point during Black Friday because I know a lot of you have been thinking about this work, and the timing actually makes sense. If you start now, you'll have [specific result] before the end of the year, which means [specific benefit]. I'm limiting this to X spots because [real reason], and the deadline is real because [real reason]."
This level of honesty builds trust. It also helps you stand out in a sea of manufactured urgency and vague "limited time offers."
3. Focus on Accessibility and Value, Not Pressure
Make your Black Friday participation about making something more accessible, not about pressuring people to buy.
The frame should be: "I'm excited to offer this in a way that makes it easier for you to say yes" - not "You'll regret it if you miss this."
When you approach it from a place of genuine service rather than scarcity, your people will feel the difference.
4. Build Safety Into Your Marketing
Use clear timelines - for you and your people
Be honest about pricing (no fake "original price" inflated just to show a discount)
No fake scarcity (don't say "only 2 spots left" if that's not true)
Make it easy for people to ask questions
Your goal is for both you and your buyers to feel good about the process. Not stressed, not pressured, not manipulated.
5. Protect Your Energy
Set boundaries around delivery and communication. Be clear about:
When you'll deliver what you're selling
What happens if someone tries to buy after the deadline
What systems and automations you need in place
What time off you have planned and how this won't interfere with it
Do not let a Black Friday offer bleed into your planned rest time. That's a recipe for resentment and burnout.
Path 2: How to Participate (If You Decide NOT to Sell Something)
If you've decided not to sell anything during Black Friday, you can still leverage this time of year strategically. Here are some ways to participate without offering a sale:
1. Celebrate Instead of Sell
Tap into the gratitude season. But make it rich, specific, and relevant to your brand and the problems you solve. No generic "I'm grateful for my community" posts.
Ideas:
Share wins from the year with specific stories
Invite your audience to reflect on their year
Create a celebration thread in your community
Spotlight clients or customers
Give back to your community in a specific way
Pair this with transparency: "I'm not participating in Black Friday by selling anything. Here's what I'm doing instead, and why."
This positions you as a thought leader with clear values, which is brand-building.
2. Give Your Audience (and Yourself) a Rest
Black Friday week is noisy. So is the rest of November and December.
You could choose to go quiet and let people breathe… yourself included.
Draft one email or post that says: "I'm slowing down right now while everyone else is ramping up. I'll be back on [date]. In the meantime, here's how you can work with me at my standard rates, and here's why it might be seasonally relevant to do so even without a sale."
Then actually rest. Schedule some evergreen content if you want, but give yourself permission to step back.
3. Create an Alternative Experience
A few years ago, I created something called "Un-Black Friday." Instead of selling anything, I offered free decision-making support via Voxer to help people decide whether to buy the things they were considering during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
It didn't have to be related to my business at all. I just wanted to help people make more intentional purchasing decisions during a time when impulse buying and FOMO run high.
I limited the spots (because boundaries), and I made it donation-based. It was one of my favorite things I've ever done.
This kind of alternative participation:
Shows your values in action
Builds trust and authority
Creates goodwill
Positions you as someone who thinks differently
Can actually lead to future sales (though that shouldn't be the primary goal)
What I've Learned From My Own Black Friday Experiments
I've tried a few different approaches over the years:
Un-Black Friday (as mentioned above) felt the most aligned. It was genuinely helpful, it attracted people who shared my values, and it built trust in a way that led to future client relationships.
Name-your-price custom offers seemed like a good idea at the time - people would tell me their budget, and I'd create a custom offer. But honestly? I don't recommend this. It was exhausting to create individual offers for everyone, it devalued my work, and it attracted people who weren't actually my ideal clients.
Opting out publicly with judgment was something I did early on when I was terrified of being seen as part of the "boss babe" problem. I'd post things criticizing other business owners for participating in Black Friday, positioning myself as one of the good ones. That came from fear, not integrity, and I'm not proud of it.
The lesson: whatever you choose, make sure it's coming from strategy and values, not fear or FOMO.
Your Black Friday Action Plan
Here's what to do right now:
If you're participating by selling something:
Run through the 5 checks
Create one clear, valuable offer based on your audience's real needs
Be transparent about your strategy and reasoning
Focus on accessibility and value, not pressure
Set boundaries to protect your energy and rest time
Execute with integrity
If you're not selling anything:
Decide how you'll still show up during this season
Consider celebrating, resting, or creating an alternative experience
Be transparent about your decision and reasoning
Use it as an opportunity to demonstrate your values
Don't judge others who are participating - stay in your lane
Either way:
Make the decision from intention, not reaction
Use this as a brand-building moment
Stay human, stay transparent, stay in integrity
Final Thoughts: It's Not About Being ‘Good’
Black Friday participation (or non-participation) isn't a moral litmus test for your business.
What matters is that you're making an intentional, strategic decision based on your values, your capacity, your audience's needs, and what will genuinely serve your business.
You can build trust whether you participate or not. You can make money whether you participate or not. You can demonstrate your values whether you participate or not.
The key is to stop operating from pressure, FOMO, or fear of judgment, and start making decisions that feel grounded and aligned.
If you want to talk through your Black Friday plans - whether you're thinking about participating, opting out, or creating something different - my DMs are open on Instagram. I'm happy to be a sounding board.
And if you decide to do your own version of Un-Black Friday and offer decision-making support to people navigating all the noise? Please let me know so I can send people your way.
Whatever you choose: make it intentional, make it transparent, and make it yours.
Want more on selling with integrity? Check out my guide on selling in 2025-2026 and the trust recession, or subscribe to the Resonance Effect podcast for weekly insights on messaging, sales, and building a business that doesn't burn you out.
