3 powerful habits to adapt if you’re a creative business owner or solopreneur

I’ve been working with creative business owners for 10 years, first as part of the wonderful world of Notonthehighstreet, and then independently for six years as a business coach and mentor.

In that time, I’ve had thousands of one-on-one sessions. I’ve run workshops and courses. And I’ve led weekend-long retreats. I’ve worked with tiny, just-starting-out businesses, and female founders now leading huge seven-figure turnover enterprises.

And one of the things I’ve noticed? Something magical happens when creative business owners start doing three things. No, it’s not posting on Instagram every day, or creating Facebook ads. It’s not having a wholesale catalogue, getting professional photography, or signing up for every course going. Those things (and lots more I haven’t mentioned) may be the right actions for you to take. But the three things I’m about to share are legitimate game-changers that everyone can do, no matter where you are in business.

Ready? Here are three things you need to stop avoiding:

1. Checking your numbers regularly.

I see you, avoiding looking at your bank account, sales figures, tax return, and open rates. I know it’s vulnerable. I know it opens you up to feeling bad about your business, your ideas, and your self-worth. I’ve been there.

But it’s soooooo worth getting courageous on this one!

What you need to do: 

Here’s what I recommend: choose 5-10 key numbers you’re going to check each month, such as your turnover, your expenses, your profit margin, and a couple of key marketing numbers, like your email open rate or Instagram followers. Book a time in your calendar every month, and try to make it the same time and day, like the first Tuesday afternoon of the month.

Key action: 

Make it enjoyable! If that means ordering “I’m a proper business lady” brownies or going to a local coffee shop, do it. You could meet up with a business bestie, take the afternoon off afterwards, or get yourself all cosied up with a candle, some good music, and a pot of tea in the studio.

Why it helps: 

The reason checking your numbers regularly is a game-changer is that it gives you a whole load of accurate, up-to-date data on what’s working on your business, and what’s not. That data, in turn, helps you make smarter business decisions that are totally right for you.

2. Valuing your creative skills and talents

Hooooooo-eee. If I had a pound for every creative who undercharges, doesn’t value their own skills, or doesn’t prioritise their creative time, well, I would go on a nice fancy holiday!

You’ve been creative most of your life, and you’re pretty damn good at illustration / graphic design / sewing / [insert your own talent here]. So you wouldn’t pay someone else to create something like that for you – because you can do it yourself! But there are millions (billions?) of people across the globe who CAN’T create the way you can, but they want a home and life filled with creativity nonetheless.

The other part of not valuing your creativity is that you don’t prioritise creative playtime. Your creativity is your greatest asset. It’s the golden goose that will create income-generating designs for years to come. As long as you allow yourself to cultivate it and develop. If you can’t remember the last time you had time to brainstorm, play with ideas, go to an inspiring art gallery, it’s time for that to change.

What you need to do: 

First, check your pricing. Are you charging in a way that values your time, energy, and talents? Chances are, you’re not. (I typically tell 75% of new clients to put their prices up by 20%.) Plan a price increase and get courageous with it.

Key action: 

Book design time into your week or month. I’m not kidding! Regular time to play with ideas (without the pressure of creating the next bestseller) is a HUGE investment in the future of your business. Make it a regular habit now, and you’ll thank me later. (And please do – I like hearing it’s paid off!)

Why it’s important: 

Oh boy, this one’s not just important for you, it’s a whole movement; it’s important for society and our culture and our children and our future. Ultimately, this one’s a mindset shift, as well as actions to take. But shifting that perspective will allow you to continue building a business that is profitable, sustainable, and a powerful force for good in the world.

3. Prioritising your time (and your to-do list).

Did you notice both the first two points included adding some time to your calendar? That wasn’t a happy coincidence. Lots of creatives like going with the flow (me too!) and being in the mood to create (still me too), but we can also end up trying to do wayyyyyy too many things at once, without any of them paying off.

You can still have fun creative time (see above), but prioritising your time and to-do list is so worth doing, I’m tempted to march round right now and help you do it!

What to do: 

Choose three or so goals to focus on. That means you’re not trying to do a billion different projects all at once. Once you’ve set up your new website THEN you can get stuck into Facebook ads – just don’t do both at once! 

Key action: 

With your goals in mind, you can prioritise your to-do list on a daily or weekly basis, so that your time is spent doing urgent and important things that are really going to make a difference.

Why it’s important: 

When you focus and prioritise, it’s much easier to learn about what you’re working on, and do it well. If you’re just focusing on Instagram, rather than allllll the social channels, you can learn which hashtags work for you, you can get excited about creating content that people enjoy, and you can really get into the swing of making it work for you. Trying to juggle too many things leads to burnout, lack of enthusiasm, and big business disasters. 

Stop avoiding these three key things!

I’m not saying these are the only things you need to do in order to get that thriving, sustainable, and meaningful business. But they are things creatives commonly avoid (at various levels), but that really unlock potential.

So maybe you’ll just do one at a time, or maybe you’re ready to get going with all three. If you do get started, let me know so that I can cheer you on!

And if you’d like some help, I thoroughly recommend checking out The Better Business Collective, the membership group for makers and solopreneurs ready to strengthen their business from the inside out.

I’m running a FREE workshop all about Habit 1: Checking your numbers regularly through a Game-Changing Success Ritual. What the f is that? Join me on Wednesday 2 September to find out!

I’m not great at following recipes, but here’s why it helps my business

I love to cook. Okay, the one-year-old and lockdown juggle might be holding me back a little right now, but mostly I enjoy the creativity of preparing meals.

And that’s just it for me: the creativity. Like a lot of things, I’m in it for the creative flair, and sometimes that doesn’t necessarily work out in my (husband’s) favour.

I want to be able to just throw in a dash of this and a dollop of that. I want to be able to sense when the souffles are done. (I’ve never actually made souffles, but you know what I mean.) And I want to be able to play around and produce something yummy that everyone enjoys.

Sometimes it works. There are dishes I can vary depending on my mood, like a risotto with a select combination from the fridge and cupboard, or a slow cooked casserole. Usually, I can play around with these meals because I’ve learned the recipes by heart and made them many times.

Because guess what I resist, literally and metaphorically, in the kitchen and in life? Recipes.

Friends, I do not like being told what to do.

Partly, hello, I’m a rebel. Partly, I want to be able to intuit the best formula for a dish.

But you know what helps me to learn how to cook and discover the best formula for a dish? Recipes.

So what do recipes have to do with business?

You might have guessed that – just like this recent post about cake – there’s a food-based metaphor going on here. (I just love a metaphor, especially a food one.)

Just like in cooking, there are recipes in business, too. Not in exactly the same way, but pretty close. Processes, structures, templates, tips, and step-by-step instructions. Using things is art and science, formula and instinct, logical and creative.

Just like in cooking, you can discover a process in business and once you’ve got the hang of it, you can play around and make it your own. (Or even write it from scratch in the first place.)

Let’s say you want to be able to create a delicious marketing offering. You can learn about how to create different types of content – photos, videos, written pieces – and schedule them. You can follow some suggested recipes and guides. And as you practice, you’ll learn your favourite flavours, and the ones your family (customers) love the best.

Maybe you’ll find some crowd pleasers. Maybe the first time you make a souffle, it won’t rise. (Chances are.) But maybe on the third attempt, it’s just right: perfectly light, gooey in the middle and a little crispy on top.

I love reading about marketing and business. It’s a bit like browsing Pinterest or a good cook book for foodie inspiration.

There are also times when I find a recipe I want to learn by heart, like a basis for making my own granola (that was a pre-baby obsession) that I can mix and match when I like.

My game-changing recipe realisation

Realising and accepting that recipes are in fact helpful and not something I need to rebel against has been GAME CHANGING for me. The structure they give me allows me to be at my creative best. (And yes, I’m kind of talking about business here, not just oat to raisin ratios…)

If you, like me, have realised the value of having a structure and a recipe, I think you’re going to like The Better Business Collective. It has a whole load of templates for sending email newsletters to your subscribers (a VERY worthwhile marketing endeavour), as well as a stunning, magical, easy-but-doesn’t-mean-we-do-it Game-Changing Success Ritual that has the power to level UP your business and your mindset.

You’re oh so welcome in The Better Business Collective if you:

  • Want to raise your business savvy up a level
  • Know that you want to work ON your business rather than IN it but struggle to actually make that happen on the regular
  • Love learning and implementing business and marketing strategy live and in community with other humans in business
  • Are a rebel, like yours truly, and want to get out of your own way 
  • Aren’t a rebel, but would love to unlock your potential and create your own version of success

Let’s get cooking, shall we?

How To Re-Engage An Old Email List

If you’ve got an email list that’s looking a little dusty and unappreciated, you’re not alone. Plenty of my clients have been in the same position: busy firefighting, working on their social media, and putting off getting their thoughts together enough to send out an engaging email.

And the longer you put it off, the harder it is, right?

Because what if no one remembers you? What if they all unsubscribe? What if no one opens your email?

These are all very real possibilities. Which is why I’ve put together some key actions on re-engaging your list thoughtfully, as well as preparing you for getting it going again (because getting your head and heart in the right place is always a good idea).

Why bother re-engaging an old email list?

Before you write off your email list because it’s too old, or thinking they’ve probably forgotten who you are, it’s worth giving these wonderful humans a chance to reconnect with your brand.

  • You’ve already done the work. Whether you had a thriving list a few years ago or have just been collecting emails at checkout, you’ve already put effort into collecting email addresses. Time for it to pay off!
  • It’s about who stays. You’ll get some unsubscribes, and we’re going to clean your list in a few weeks, too. That’s okay. It’s about who stays – they’re your people.
  • It’s great practice. If your aim is to cultivate a thriving email list, this is a great place to practice emailing your audience, and figure out what works and what doesn’t.
  • What’s the BEST that could happen? You might make some sales, or get some valuable feedback. You might make such a great impression that your customers start sharing your brand. There’s so much potential…

Getting in the right mindset

Before we get into the nitty gritty of content and what to send, I want you to take a moment to connect with why you’re interested in having an engaged email list.

The energy you bring to your emails – the tone, the content, the imagery, the style – is what cultivates connection between you and your audience members.

Your email list is one of the greatest assets your business can have. Unlike many other marketing channels, you have unique and sole ownership over the email addresses you collect. These are real humans who have actively chosen to hear more from you!

They’re saying YES to receiving updates about your wonderful products and services. Which is basically business gold.

When you send out an email to your list, it’s an opportunity to start or continue a conversation with them. You can talk to them on an individual basis, showing them that you know them, and helping to make their lives better. Your emails are a window into your brand. Imagine them like the doors on an advent calendar, each revealing something exciting and beautiful, something that enriches your customers’ days.

So it’s not just about chucking some products together once in a blue moon. It’s about cultivating relationships, creating narratives and stories you can share together. It’s about inviting real humans into your world (they’ve already RSVP’d after all).

How to re-engage your old email list

  1. Write your emails. Yep, there’s an s on the end of emails. You’re going to write three emails to your old list. (More on that in a minute.)
  2. Schedule your emails. Schedule your emails a week or two apart (but no more). We want your audience to remember you!
  3. Clean your list. If, at the end of this short email sequence, they’re not opening your emails, we’re going to say farewell, even if they haven’t unsubscribed themselves.
  4. Keep going. Once you’ve gone through this step-by-step, keep sending weekly or fortnightly emails. Build your narrative, share your stories, and feature your products.

Email 1:

  • SUBJECT LINE: It’s been a while…
  • Include a recognisable image of you or your brand – use bestselling products and strong brand features.
  • Remind them that they signed up, but it was probably a while ago.
  • Share a bit about who you are and what you do. What are the must-knows about your brand?
  • Call to action: Follow us / Discover more / Your turn to share!

Email 2: (a week later)

  • SUBJECT LINE: What’s been going on lately…
  • Share a brief story about what’s been going on for you and your business lately.
  • Include a very similar image as your first email for consistency.
  • Remind them about the ways you help to improve your customers’ lives.
  • Call to action: Shop now / See the full collection
  • Share a recent review or testimonial.

Email 3: (a week later)

  • SUBJECT LINE: It started with a {product / story}
  • Share your origin story: how did it all begin? What was the moment you knew you wanted to run your own business?
  • Include then and now images.
  • Feature two or three key products: a long-term customer favourite and a newer piece.
  • Call to action: Shop now / See the collection / Join the {product} club
  • Include a testimonial or review.

You might also like to check out the 30 Email Subject Lines free download for more inspiration, too!

Now clean your list

A few days after your last email has gone out, log in to your Email Service Provider and find all the people on your list who haven’t opened a single email. You’re going to unsubscribe those people.

This helps to keep your email list healthy, and also prevents your emails looking like spam to other subscribers.

(And you can feel free to do this every three months or so from now on. Go on, pop a reminder in your calendar.)

Then keep going!

Now that you’ve re-engaged your list and hopefully seen a few opens, click throughs, and maybe even some sales, KEEP GOING! Email them every week or fortnight (monthly isn’t often enough), and keep telling your story.

Want more inspiration and support?

If you liked this, you’re going to love the email support in The Better Business Collective, which opens for registration next week.

Want the re-engagement emails pretty much written for you? They’re in there. Plus you’ll get weekly emails ready to plug and play from September to January – yep, all through Christmas. Be the first to know when it opens up.

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