It's been a while
A long overdue look at how it's going this year
It’s been a while since I last checked in with you and shared how my business is going this year.
In this post, I share updates on my 2024 business and financial goals, how I feel like my business has reached a new phase, and what’s next. This is a long post, so grab a cup of tea and settle in—or scroll down to the section that looks most interesting to you :)
Business goals
#1 Run group programme Marketing without social media in March-July
#2 Sell 5-15 spaces for Marketing without social media
I ran this group programme in March-July with 7 participants and it was both delightful and stretchy. The programme is largely self-paced: I included no live elements, although participants could check in with me (and I with them) through the community on Podia and through the (monthly) recorded office hours.
I’ve taken my time to consider whether I want to run this programme again and have decided I will. The name will most likely change to something like Grow, and I’ll be swapping out the community for a monthly (live and recorded) planning call. Stay tuned for more info about this, or send me a message to be the first to know when the programme launches!
#3 Raise 1:1 mentoring prices and consider the same for Substack
I did this earlier this year and it felt really good. I also phased out single sessions, as I thrive in going deep with clients and that is best done by spending 3-4 months together.
#4 Refresh logo and brand colours
Done! I worked with the lovely
of These Are The Days and am so pleased with the new logo (I never had one!) and how the colours for my website and newsletter now match.
#5 Meet with bookkeeper
Not very exciting, but I did hire a bookkeeper and am now using their software to keep track of my accounts. It was a bit of a learning curve, but I feel calmer now (especially with financial changes coming my way, see below under ‘money’).
#6 Potentially do another podcast mini-series
I enjoyed doing the mini-series around the launch of Marketing without social media, and would like to do something in the future, although I don’t have a specific plan for it right now. I like the possibilities of podcasts: a small private one feels intimate and community-building in a way I love, a public one could be a good way of doing some gentle and evergreen marketing.
#7 Create an offer around writing for small business
#8 Sell at least 10 copies of Small business newsletter magic
Small business newsletter magic launched on October 1st! 🎉 It’s a self-paced, 7-part course in which I support small business owners, freelancers and creatives like you to feel (re)inspired about your newsletter. I guide you in making your newsletter a more organic part of your business, generate topics, develop your voice, land on a strategy that feels good and grow your list.
I feel proud of this course and I know that this is the kind of thing that is needed—it’s based on my own 5+ years of experience and the advice I give my clients.
But so far, sales have been…slow. 2+ weeks into the launch I feel okay about this—a bit disappointed, but perhaps because a lot of other things have been going on in my life, I also feel quite open about it. I’m even enjoying experimenting with the kinds of emails I’m sending about the course.
#9 Have 100 paid subscribers by the end of 2024
#10 Continue to grow community around Female Owned
I’ll share the exact numbers for Female Owned below, but I’ve not reached this goal yet. And in all honesty, it’s not that important to me anymore.
What I’ve realised is much more important to me is building community. I love feeling connected to you through these posts, I love reading your plans in the monthly Accountability Club and cheering you on, I love getting your questions for the mini-mastermind. Your comments are the number one reason why I enjoy being on Substack.
Substack has been a bit wild for many people these past six months. I’ve seen many others comment on churn—i.e. the number of people that are not renewing their subscription. It’s definitely been a much higher number for me than in my first year of paid subscriptions. But when I take a closer look, I also notice that new people are becoming paid subscribers every month. Subscription numbers for me are not necessarily going down—they’re just not particularly going up either.
#11 Make money without chasing the numbers, write without focusing on conversion
This has been a reminder to myself throughout the year. I’m doing well on writing without focusing on conversion. If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that there is no way of predicting which posts will convert or not. I don’t want to spend my energy and brainspace on trying to crack the formula (which, I believe doesn’t really exist anyway).
The first part of this goal—make money without chasing the numbers—has definitely been a learning curve this year. But when I look back even just five years, let alone ten, I am amazed at how much I’ve grown when it comes to my own feelings about money. I am so much less scared. I recognise unhelpful money stories when they pop up (and I recognise how they are usually not mine).
And then there are moments when I freak out about money. When the scarcity pops up. Interestingly, almost never are these moments tied in with the actual numbers. More often, I start feeling this way when I’ve been too tired for a while, when I’m not feeling well mentally or physically. When my defences are down, the scarcity gremlins come out.
The numbers
You don’t have to do business alone.
Feel supported through bonus posts, the accountability club and mini-mastermind as you build a slow, gentle and profitable business and join our community of small business owners, freelancers and creatives just like you. It’s time for business the anti-hustle way—join us! 💪🏻