Hey Reader, You've probably heard ALL the typical, tired pricing advice by now. You know advice that says you should double your prices, never price by the hour, charge your worth, and so on. In a good economy, it's much easier to raise your prices and charge for your services according to this advice. But in a messy economy like the one we're experiencing now, we can't just price things on a wing and a prayer. We need a strategy, we need to know our hard costs, and we need a baseline hourly...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, I'm back from vacation, and as soon as I logged back in, I was FIRED up, and yes, that means there's a rant incoming. Every single year when May rolls around, I feel this way. It's a month of anniversaries and milestones related to my life and business, so I start taking stock of everything. Add a vacation, and I'm bursting with things to say.Starting with this...WTF are we even doing here in 2024 with this fakery of selling the BS dream of making piles of cash as a business...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, I'm coming up on my 19th business anniversary, and honestly, it's weird to think about it because that's a hell of a long time. On one hand, I'm so proud of what I've built, and I'm a little uncomfortable as I don't have a plan for the future of my business beyond a certain point. For 19 years, I've been adapting and changing, so who knows what will come next? After all, it's one thing to have plans, but what if your gut tells you something else? And it won't stop telling you it's...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader,Every month I send an exclusive essay directly to your inbox. This month, I wanted to share a bit about what's going through my mind as the online business bubble shows signs of bursting. Now, let's get down to it. We live in a world of always-on advice culture. Whenever you open your inbox or a social media app, there’s someone with an opinion on how you should build your business or live your life. As much as that advice can be helpful, it can be harmful. It’s too easy to mistake...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, For the last year, I've been in what the kids call a 'situationship' with social media.We're more than friends, but it's not a committed relationship. I ghost Instagram for weeks (or even months) at a time and I'm hit or miss on Threads. Honestly, I don't even really know why. Sometimes I'm just not feeling it. Other times the vibe isn't working for me. So when Andréa Jones started talking about rethinking how we approach social media last fall, I was here for it. She got me...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Starting this month, I’m bringing back email-exclusive essays. This is the first installment of a series where I’ll share more nuanced views about what I’m seeing, thinking, and feeling about service-based businesses. Hey Reader,“But how will I promote my business?” I recently received this as a comment on a social media post in which I said you don’t have to create content as a service-based business owner. At first, I was irritated, as I constantly get these types of comments. I always need...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader,Have you ever worked overtime, sacrificing your time and energy, all because you couldn’t say no to a client’s demands? Or are you constantly battling scope creep, struggling to control your projects and protect your bottom line? We've all been there, and that's why it's time for a check-up on your boundaries. Complaining about clients is easy, but it's up to you to set and maintain your boundaries. This is where this week's podcast episode and blog come in. Because not having...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader,Nearly every one of my clients feels they need to do MORE marketing. (Even the ones who offer marketing-related services.) But so many of them don't need to do that much marketing. They're already at capacity and have a waitlist. This is why I write a lot of permission slips for people NOT to create content. If they have simpler strategies that fill their client roster (like referrals), there's simply no need for them to spend time on content marketing. Especially as they're not...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader,Tell me if this is familiar...You're feeling maxed out with client work, but you want to be able to grow your revenue. It’s a classic catch-22 as you need to free up the capacity to grow, and you feel unable to grow as you don’t have the capacity.So you start fantasizing about throwing in the towel and opening a bookstore/cat cafe/coffee shop. The next thing you know you're considering adding a course or program to make extra income.After all, it can't be that hard, right? Selling...
7 months ago • 2 min read