So it’s the time of year where I’m having to renew some subscriptions. I’ve bought many subscriptions that have helped me in various ways as a content creator, teacher, and coach, including Twee, YouTube Premium, and Genially. But as I’m struggling to make an income, I’ve chosen to focus on what I really need to create content and interact with clients. I’ve determined these will be my essential annual subscriptions moving forward: - Gamma – $180 - Canva – $120 - ChatGPT – $240 - Zoom Pro – $160 - Sellfy – $264 - Carrd – $20 - Calendly – $120 - Namecheap – $60 - Fathom – $180 - Kondo – $198 - Skool - $108 Total Subscriptions: $1,650 per year Monthly installments end up costing more in the long run, so I try to go annual when I can. This is really helpful for me because I know now what is necessary to keep making genuine progress. And I’ve set a financial boundary for myself. But with health insurance that costs over $400 a month, I still worry I won’t be able to make back my investments. I guess my question is when you see some progress, but not enough to make up what you’ve lost, how do you decide when it’s safe to keep going and when it’s time to call it quits? I’m not ready yet because I feel good things coming, especially when my Skool launches, but I’ve been hopeful for awhile and the concern is still in the back of my mind.

Hey guys! If all goes well, my Skool community Job Search Joy, a place where job seekers, especially those in gaming, come together to “defeat the villains” of the job hunt like the "Interview Assassin" and the "Mission Statement Fog", will launch in September. The idea is to give job seekers not just strategies, but also a new perspective that makes the search less lonely and more empowering. I’d love to explore a collaboration with someone who appreciates games or pop culture in general, but I'm not sure in what capacity. Perhaps helping create marketing opportunities or community management? In return, I would be willing to provide feedback on your Skool community if it's in the beginning stages, be a guest for your podcast (if you have one), or promote your Skool if you're looking for visibility (I have over 8,000 connections on LinkedIn.) Let me know if you're interested in speaking, and we can schedule a chat! Jade Arthur

Hey guys! I had a great call today that I wanted to tell you about and give you some tips I used that really made it go better. Before I even met with this person, I spent time looking through her LinkedIn profile to anticipate what might be holding her back which Kev recommended. One villain stood out right away: ⚔️ The Bio Section Bully – Her About section was polished but generic. It listed her background and achievements, but nothing that really told her story or made her stand out from thousands of other professionals in her field. Going in with this in mind meant I could: - Ask questions that confirmed my suspicions (like: Did she have a pitch? Had she written a pain letter before?) - Show her exactly what these villains were in her job search - Give her clarity on what aspects of her job search were being overlooked During our session, we also identified: ⚔️ Mission Statement Fog – She realized she didn’t have a clear, one-sentence pitch that tied her skills and experience directly to an employer’s needs. This was especially tricky because she was trying to appeal to both the gaming industry and other sectors at the same time. By the end, I had explained out how fixing these would give her a stronger, more confident message across her About section, cover letters, interviews, and networking. And this is a person with 16 years of experience in gaming that I helped today! Wow! That I could help someone with so much more experience is insane. She’s planning on reviewing my services/pricing to determine if she wants to move forward. But even if she doesn’t, I learned more about what I’m capable of today. And that is a big win!

Hey everyone, I'm going to start a Skool Community! 😁 Now that there is a $9 a month option, I finally get to make it a reality. And I'm pretty excited about it! This is what it will focus on: 🧟‍♀️ Weekly/Monthly Villain Challenges A new “Job Search Villain” (e.g., The Mission Statement Fog, The Resume Phisher, The RTO Reaper) introduced every week or month depending on the villain Guided strategies to “defeat” each villain through mindset shifts, writing tools, and community support 📚 Weekly Live Lessons Live sessions where we break down the villain, share success stories, and practice tactical strategies Includes Q&A and live feedback sessions 💬 1:1 Coaching Support Option to book individual writing/mindset coaching calls for custom support Feedback on resumes, bios, LinkedIn content, and interview prep 🏆 Gamified Engagement + Rewards Earn XP, badges, or “anti-villain tools” for: Completing mini-challenges Attending live sessions Supporting others in the community Sharing wins or lessons learned Redeem XP for: Free or discounted courses Bonus challenges or power-ups Access to hidden boss levels (advanced workshops) 📖 Access to Exclusive Content Mini-courses, checklists, templates, and strategy decks unlocked by progress 💡 Peer Power-Ups Community feedback threads (villain-related prompts, writing critiques, encouragement posts) What I'm doing first though, is having people in my community complete this Google feedback form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerNByWSESUc0xFlW6KvFB8wejRaT_q50h3z3Z3RcMXWnlwDw/viewform?usp=dialog I highly recommend you guys do this first to gauge interest. You can use similar versions of the questions in the form as well. And give people a reward for filling it out. I made a sale today because of it! :) If you want to know how to do this, let me know! And if you have any suggestions about what I should do, send 'em my way.

Well, this wasn't as call-filled a week as I'd hoped. 🙁 2 people canceled and have yet to reschedule (no surprise.) As far as the two calls that did occur, 1 went very well, the other, not so great. Sill hasn't led to conversions, but the difficulty led me to realize that I need to make a clearer path for my clients. He felt like a lot of information from other sources was pulling him in different directions. As he said, "I don't feel like I'm making any forward progress, and I just need a direction to go in, even if it's not, like, the perfect direction, right? Like, just having one direction to go in instead of all these different ones." So I asked him, "Has what I said felt like a path moving forward, or does it feel like another one?" His response: "I could see a path there. I'm not 100% sure it's the path I need right now, but I'd have to think on it more to really digest it all." I got intimidated here because this was a person who's been in gaming for a while and wanted to transition to a different area in gaming. I should have probably said, "What would make this path what you need right now?" or "Why isn't this what you need right now?", but I just didn't think of it. Hopefully, if I come across that kind of situation again, I'll be able to utilize those lines of questioning to get at a deeper answer. Alanis, take it away!