Team Empathy · Your roadmap
Your six months,
stage by stage.
Where Five Star Napkins is today, what comes next, and what we need from you
Your six months: 13 October 2026 to 13 April 2027 | Updated 29 October 2026
They started at the kick-off call on 13 October (12 October in New Jersey). With production starting in December, the last stretch may run a little past April.
Where we are this week
- Kick-off is done, and your Brand Kit and entity pack are back with us.
- You're in Notable: your site is crawled, Search Console and GA4 are connected, and your Brand Kit is loaded from Darren's homework, ready for your review.
- The technical audit is underway. The bulk fixes start once the Shopify connection is in (A1 below).
- Your September report is live on this site, under September 2026.
Notable is taking longer than we planned. We're taking more time to get Notable's writing right before it writes for you, so your content goalposts sit further out than our original plan. That means most holiday content lands after this year's peak, so the technical fixes come first, getting the store in shape for the season.
A project lead is joining the team. We're wrapping up the final details with Zoe, and she looks set to join us very soon. She's been one of the top-performing content engineers at AirOps and has started a couple of businesses of her own, and she's coming on board because she's excited to help us build the world's best AI search app for Shopify. She'll be client-facing: leading your project day to day, helping with your content and keeping you updated every week.
The eight stages
The goalposts below are windows, not fixed dates. We update this page as each stage moves.
7. Authority and reputation
01Getting started Done
September to October
The kick-off call and your homework, so we know your brand before we write a word.
Done
- Agreement signed 9 Sep
- Shared Slack channel set up 11 Sep
- Brand Kit and entity pack returned by Darren 12 Oct
- Kick-off call 13 Oct
- Onboarding record published on this site 13 Oct
We need from you
Nothing right now
02Your starting point Underway
October to November
Where you stand today in Google and AI search, measured before we change anything, so every month can be compared against it.
Done
- AI-search readiness scored: 27 out of 100 8 Sep
- September monthly report published 14 Oct
Next
- Your full baseline captured: search traffic, rankings and revenue, with your brand searches separated out
- AI visibility tracking set up in Notable on the questions your buyers ask, with the list confirmed with you
We need from you
Nothing right now
03Technical foundations Underway
October to December
The behind-the-scenes fixes that let Google and AI tools read your store properly: product details, star ratings, clean collections, titles and descriptions.
Depends on: The Shopify connection (A1) for the bulk fixes
Done
- First checks in our September research: AI tools can reach your site; speed and page addresses checked 8 Sep
Next
- Structured data so Google and AI tools can read your product details and star ratings
- Duplicate, test and old promotion collections tidied up
- Page titles and descriptions rewritten, for your approval before anything changes
We need from you
- Create the Shopify connection using Alex's 10-minute guide, then send us the two keys A1
04Your brand in Notable Underway
Now to November
Your Brand Kit goes into Notable, our content platform, so everything it writes sounds like Five Star Napkins.
Done
- Your Notable workspace set up, with your site crawled and Search Console and GA4 connected 29 Oct
- Your Brand Kit loaded into Notable from Darren's homework 29 Oct
Next
- Your review of the Brand Kit and company facts, on the review page we've sent you
- Your changes folded in, then your approval, which unlocks your content strategy
We need from you
- Darren: OK or change each item of your Brand Kit on the review page B1
- Debra: your company facts and the open questions on the review page (type an answer or attach a file) B2
- Darren: the customer demographic export from Shopify B3
05Your content strategy Up next
November to early December
Notable maps the topics your buyers search and ask AI about, and we agree the priorities with you.
Depends on: Your Brand Kit approved in Notable
Next
- Notable builds the strategy from your data and our research
- We review it together and you approve the priorities
We need from you
Nothing right now
06Content production Later
December to April
New articles and refreshed pages written in your voice, published through Notable, answering the questions your buyers ask.
Depends on: Your content strategy approved
Next
- The first three pieces written with you and reviewed closely together
- Your feedback folded back into the Brand Kit
- Then steady weekly output through to April
We need from you
Nothing right now
07Authority and reputation Later
December to March
Getting Five Star Napkins named on the sites and round-ups that Google and AI tools trust.
Next
- An audit of the sites that already link to you (started)
- Foundational listings and links, then PR angles from your story
We need from you
Nothing right now
08AI-Ready and handover Later
March to April
We re-score your AI-search readiness, working towards 80 out of 100, and hand Notable over to your team.
Next
- Re-score against your starting point
- Notable handed over to your team, with training
We need from you
Nothing right now
What we need from you
| Ref | Item | Stage |
|---|
| A1 | Create the Shopify connection using Alex's 10-minute guide, then send us the two keys | Technical foundations |
| B1 | Darren: OK or change each item of your Brand Kit on the review page | Your brand in Notable |
| B2 | Debra: your company facts and the open questions on the review page (type an answer or attach a file) | Your brand in Notable |
| B3 | Darren: the customer demographic export from Shopify | Your brand in Notable |
Your team
Ben Male
Overall direction
Your strategy and the big decisions.
Alex Stuart
Technical and strategy
The technical foundations and the bigger pieces of work.
Zoe
Your project lead, joining soon
Your day-to-day contact, your content and your weekly updates.
Is it working?
Each month gets its own report tab on this site, measured against where you started. Your September report is the first.