Doubling Down on Commitment

I’ve always struggled with commitment.

It’s not because I don’t want to be committed - if anything, I’ve always felt desperate to know where the f*ck I was going - but there were a few things that would keep me on the run, like:

1️⃣ The idea of playing by other people’s rules (conformity)

2️⃣ Fear of other people’s perspective (judgment)

3️⃣ The idea of settling (boredom)

For almost all of 2023, I only did Freelance work because I was afraid of showing up.

It’s a lot easier to work on someone else’s business than it is to work on your own, and it’s also a helluva lot easier to avoid your business when you feel confused or stagnant about what you’re selling, who you’re selling to, and what you stand for.

But I’ve spent enough time hiding from commitments, and not just the ones I make in my business.

One of the biggest commitments I’ve made this past year is to move in with my boyfriend, Cleveland, and now we turned up the commitment by getting a cat.

I won’t lie and say these things aren’t scary for me - they are.

As someone who’s fought so hard to be free after being caged in Corporate, anything that could remotely make me feel tied down (even if it was good for me) would usually have me running.

But not this year.

I want to practice being committed to everything - my vision, my creative process, my relationship, my health regimen, my spiritual practice, and my connections - which requires a different version of me to show up.

A new version that is still kind of in hiding.

But I see her, and I’m letting her take it one step at a time so long as we keep making progress versus double backing.

How I’m newly committing to this phase of life:

• Being VERY picky with freelance clients (coaching and consulting is OK to be somewhat flexible right now)

• Revamping our content + introducing more programs and products (more on this below)

• Doubling down on creating content for the joy of creating (because that’s why I started being a Creator anyway??)

Are you having trouble pinpointing the perfect niche for your creator, influencer, or freelancer business?

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Behind The Numbers

Surprisingly, we made almost exactly what we did in Q1 of this year.

In Q1, we made $13,269 - only a $600 increase in Q2.

Would I have loved to make more? Duh, of course.

But this also shows me that our sales are consistent, NOT in decline.

Even when my revenue model changes - switching between freelance work to digital product sales to brand deals - we’re still bringing in revenue, and that makes me happy.

I’m setting a really strong foundation for a business I want, one that has multiple streams and can adapt and fluctuate as I see fit, and that also makes me happy.

Below you’ll find a breakdown of our monthly revenue and how much we made based on category of work.

REVENUE BREAKDOWN FOR Q2 2024

TOTAL REVENUE: $13,828

APRIL: $8,004

MAY: $3,123

JUNE: $2,700

CATEGORY TOTALS

Brand Deals: $3,515

Programs & Products: $284

Freelance Work: $9,600

Miscellaneous: $428

CONFIRMED INCOME FOR Q3: $7,500

This number reflects contract(s) that have been signed and are to be paid out. More money will be made through digital products, programs, affiliate marketing, and hyper-specific freelance clients, but they just haven’t been signed or confirmed yet.

The Good & The Bad

THE GOOD

After further analysis and journal reflections, I realized we also made roughly the same in Q1/Q2 2023 & Q1/Q2 2024 (~$13k).

After even deeper research (thank you ChatGPT), I realized there might be patterns to look out for that can help me understand my business, and my personal choices, a bit more.

This includes:

• my selling behavior (and energy)

• my audience’s buying behavior (and energy)

• seasonal changes & market demands

• offerings & launch cycles

Although I’m frustrated with what appears to be stagnancy or repetition, I’m grateful that I recognize there ARE patterns.

You can’t break patterns unless you recognize them.

Also, let’s say worst-case scenario I changed nothing - the year-over-year model shows that we’d still be making the same. 

I’m obviously not aiming for this, but it still would be a relatively good scenario from a worst-case scenario viewpoint.

My best-case scenario would be to harness the selling power from all my revenue models and blend them (which I’m slowly but surely doing).

Although I love rational business advice and sales psychology as a tool to figure out what I need to do better in business, I need to spend time this summer reflecting on my personal choices, habits, and mindset, and understand how they’re positively or negatively affecting growth.

I noticed that when I do more cool shit, like traveling, exploring, etc - and cry on the internet lol - more energy and money flows my way.

But being an oversharer and adventurer is a delicate dance that can sometimes lead to attention-seeking habits or behaviors as a means for digital validation, but I’m working through it and I’m okay with it.

THE BAD

Nothing is really “bad” at the moment, but I’m feeling frustrated.

At the rate of $13k every 3 months, or ~$4,333/mo, I’m making just under the national average salary of $59k.

The benefit of being a business owner is that I keep ALL the money I make because of strategic write-offs versus being a W2 employee who’s getting taxed at $59k (so their take-home is more like $48k here in Texas).

I’m beyond grateful that what I make on average is the same as I did in Corporate after taxes - but this isn’t going to cut it.

Additionally, the volatile months make it extremely difficult to plan anything or save (and I now have an employee to budget for).

After doing this for 3 years, I expect and demand better of myself, but I don’t yet 100% know what my solution is.

I can generate a lot of money from freelance work, but then I burn myself out and get resentful for neglecting CQ.

I can focus all my energy on CQ, grow my following easily, and provide a ton of value, but then my finances often suffer.

I can use brand deals as a way to ‘easily’ create a cash injection, but it’s volatile and then I feel like all I’m doing is selling something that isn’t mine (even if I wholeheartedly believe in it).

Some of the ways I’m combatting this are:

• Charging more IF I choose to take on a freelance client

• Becoming more of a specialist vs. generalist (freelance only)

• Training my new assistant while things are slow-ish so that when things get busy, my system can sustain it

• Making my resources, products & programs better so those who use them don’t need my energy 100%

Overall, I think I’m doing well in business.

Nothing looks how I’d like it to, but that’s expected and it’s okay.

All of this - the debt, the creative plateau I sometimes hit, and the endless frustrations - are okay.

We’re doing this for the plot (and my future NYT best-selling book obviously).

I’ve talked about this in previous newsletters, but a business is built in bits, I’m willing to continue to practice patience even if it means kicking and screaming on the ride.

I also started reading The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday (it’s a super short book - highly recommend) which has been really helpful when dealing with pain-in-the-ass obstacles.

I need to approach business differently, which I’ll get into below ⏬

Ideas & Progress

I did a full 180º - in Q2 I focused mostly on freelance work, but in Q3 I’m mostly focusing on brand campaign and Quitter work.

The money is great, but the thing that I’m most excited about is that it’s forcing me to flex my creative muscle again when it comes to static video content (I’ve been hiding in IG stories tbh).

🔮 PROJECTS & PROJECTIONS FOR Q3 

Brand Work

I’m working with some really exciting brand partners (Novo and GPT-Trainer) to not only build successful campaigns but also contribute to their product development (meaning better tools for biz owners).

It’s a lot more work to be DEEP into the business versus just creating a piece of content and never speaking to the brand again… and that’s what sets me apart in the ‘influencer’ world.

It’s also what makes me wayyyy more money ($10,600 in the past few months to be exact).

Quitter Work

I’m in the middle of fully revamping everything, consolidating my systems (again), and adding digital products that have been on the back burner for a while because I was a chicken shit and was afraid to put them out.

This includes The Niche Navigator, Insurance Guide, Taxes Guide, Retirement Guide, business contracts, How To Grow on Social Media, How To Get Clients, How To Get Brand Deals, and our famous Quit Kit + Quitter Starter Pack.

We got A LOT going on, and because I put a pause on freelance work, I now have more creative capacity to actually do these things.

If you have ANY suggestions when it comes to content or programs, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know 🥰

GOALS FOR Q3

💜 Learn & embody ‘desire marketing’

💜 Beef up CQ digital products, freebies & 7-day challenges

💜 Prioritize moving my body every day

💜 Continue new creative cadence (pod, newsletter, etc)

💜 Show up online for joy, not views

Are you having trouble pinpointing the perfect niche for your creator, influencer, or freelancer business?

Join The Niche Navigator!

💜 Quick Results: Start taking action immediately

💜 Reduce Overwhelm: Simplify the decision-making process

💜 Build Confidence: Gain clarity and direction for your business

💜 Community: You’ll be working alongside dozens of other biz owners

Career Sabbaticals

This past week I had an incredible discussion with Justin Peters and we talked all about the FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and how to know if it’s time to quit your job or just take a break or career sabbatical.

Tune in to find out more!

Episode 151: Exploring Career Sabbaticals and the FIRE Movement with Justin Peters