Four weeks ago, I got laid off. Good thing is, I didn’t decide to start a business because I lost my job, I started building my biz a little over a year ago while working my 9-5. By the time I left corporate, I had already worked with 37 clients. So instead of thinking, “Oh crap, what am I going to do now?” I was excited that I could finally go all in one the biz. Biggest gain in the 4 weeks? Time! In the last four weeks I’ve been invited to become a marketing strategy advisor for The AI Collective. I’ve been asked to speak about LinkedIn Growth at CMX and The Workaround Collective. I’m getting ready to launch an exciting new program that I couldn’t launch while working. I’ve been able to give my clients twice as much time on our office hours calls. Not because I had to. Because I wanted to. I’ve also finished 3 paintings, 2 diamond art projects, and 3 beaded plants. (Where do I put all these things in my house though????) And I spent 10 days with an awful cold, which I have lovingly named “corporate shedding.” What I’ve loved the most is that I’m no longer trying to fit my life around my job. My work now fits around my life. 🥰 I decide when to work. 🥰 I decide what I build. 🥰 I decide which opportunities I say yes or no to. 🥰 I decide when I need an afternoon to do crafts or go mountain biking. I spent a lot of years thinking freedom meant having enough money to leave corporate. I’m starting to think freedom is much simpler than that. It’s waking up in the morning and knowing your time belongs to you. Four weeks in, that might be the thing I value most. For those of you who have your business full-time, what do you value the most?

You can have really good marketing and still get ignored. That's the frustrating part. Even if your offer is hella good. And your content is super helpful. Plus your website is looking professional. And people still don't buy. WHY??!!! 😤 Because "good" isn't the same as relevant. This is one of the first things I look at when someone's marketing isn't working: Are you talking about what YOU want people to know? Or what THEY care about? Those aren't always the same thing. You want to tell me about your process. I want to know if you can solve my problem. You want to tell me about your credentials. I want to know if you've helped someone like me. You want to tell me about all 14 things your service includes. I want to know what will be different for me after I hire you. Good marketing starts by entering the conversation your customer is already having in their head. Then you can tell them everything else.

Last day on vacation. I will be back posting and scheduling the next free call when I’m back. In the meantime, crazy news! I’m now 100 percent in on my business. I’m no longer the Vice President of Marketing at Techstars. No more side hustling. No more working every waking minute. I’ve officially left corporate forever! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! Just CEO Andrea here. 🎉🎉🎉 I’m so excited!

Let’s define it. High ticket $2,000 and up. Low ticket: $1,999 and below. I’ve always sold both. High ticket for 1–1 consulting. Low ticket for group coaching. In my first year, I had an almost even split in income: $50,000 for each. I truly love both. Low ticket means ad spent, more people I can help and more fun. High ticket means cold outreach and relationship building. What do you like best?

I hope to be quitting soon (or get laid off). It’s been hard to do both and my heart is only in my business. I’m a big proponent of building a side hustle while still at the 9-5 to land softly. Then the question becomes, when do you quit? Some say when you have a validated offer. Some say when you’ve made 75% of your salary. What do you think?