I Did the Scary Thing, and WOW!

I decided to bash thing scary and counterintuitive past week. Something truthful unheard of, that immoderate concern owners would deliberation I was crazy.

And I whitethorn wholly regret this…

But first, immoderate backstory…

Over the past 15 years, my absorption has been connected large, firm brands (for instance, AAA was a client.) I loved digging into analyzable stakeholder and process issues, creating out-of-the-box solutions, and helping their penning teams thrive.

Heck, 1 AAA question part saw a immense bump successful postulation aft my grooming — and this was DURING THE PANDEMIC erstwhile radical weren’t traveling.

It was truthful overmuch fun, and I loved it…

…Until I realized thing was eating astatine my soul.

I travel from a tiny concern proprietor background. I watched my parents accent implicit their furniture and bath store (RIP, Bedcetra,) trying to merchantability products and fig retired a business.

It was a batch — and this was earlier Google. I’m 100 percent definite my mother’s aneurysm decease was owed to concern stress.

I was conscionable 20 erstwhile it happened.

Today, concern owners — whether they person an bureau oregon unrecorded strictly online — person it adjacent harder than my ma ever did.

They don’t person clip to fig retired the latest Google changes.

They don’t person clip to fig retired what to constitute about.

They don’t person clip to manager themselves and get their mindset right.

So, they wage a LOT of wealth to so-so firms to assistance them.

One person pays $4,500 a period for 1 blog station that looks similar it was written by ChatGPT, positive a fewer random societal posts.

When I inquire astir show oregon a contented strategy, my person gives maine a blank look. It’s truthful bad, her blog posts aren’t adjacent attributed to her — and she’s 1 of the apical experts successful the nation. Her anserine SEO/branding institution shows them arsenic written by “Staff.”

Yeah, that’s not bully for her, Google, readers — oregon anyone.

And this benignant of &#%@ is NORMAL.

Plus, determination are truthful galore companies (maybe adjacent you) that request lone a fewer hours of assistance each month.

They don’t privation to (or can’t spend to) get stuck successful a semipermanent retainer contract. They request flexibility and affordability.

(Maybe that sounds familiar.)

This deed adjacent to location erstwhile I was chatting with idiosyncratic astir my Slow Branding package. It’s a $5K+ bundle that offers each sorts of customized assistance — basically, I disregard the timepiece and enactment with idiosyncratic whenever and nevertheless they request me.

It’s large for a seasoned nonrecreational who tin put clip and income. It’s not truthful large for idiosyncratic who isn’t making bigger wealth yet.

This idiosyncratic is astute and motivated. Yet, she’s astatine the opening of her freelance career, truthful $5K is much than she could bash close now. And I get it — adjacent if I cognize I could accelerate her learning curve truthful much.

And I won’t suggest radical “put it connected their recognition paper and see it an investment.” Yes, in-depth coaching tin beryllium transformative. But that’s a large disbursal erstwhile wealth is simply a stressor.

Although she could person worked with maine hourly, the concern — particularly astatine that level — would adhd up fast. For her, the mathematics didn’t marque sense.

That’s erstwhile the wheels started turning…

Between that experience, trying to assistance my person shave down her $4,500/month spend, wanting to assistance an integrative medicine session that’s doing astonishing enactment with ketamine-assisted therapy, and reasoning astir what makes maine happiest, I realized my psyche was astatine a crossroads.

I tin proceed to complaint precocious consulting prices and lone enactment with ample corporations — and fig small/medium businesses aren’t my market.

Basically, bash what I’ve ever done — adjacent if it doesn’t capable my soul.

And let’s look it: This is the clip successful my vocation erstwhile I tin marque that money. Many OG SEOs complaint $750+ an hour. One charges $5K a period conscionable for entree to his encephalon with nary guaranteed hours.

Or…

I could bash the scary thing, portion my hourly complaint by much than half, and assistance smaller businesses and solopreneurs who request it.

So I’m doing the scary thing.

And OMG, it’s scary — particularly since astir “experts” would archer you to (1) ne'er enactment hourly, (2) ne'er discount your prices, and (3) ever necessitate a retainer.

At the aforesaid time, I deliberation astir my favourite clients backmost successful the day, who were each paying astir $299/hr for consulting, writing, coaching — each the things.

• I became an embedded portion of their businesses and worked with them for a fewer hours each month.
• I felt similar I was helping friends, truthful their successes became my successes.
• I was capable to assistance much freelance writers and solopreneurs
• I felt much respect. (I’ll ne'er hide the big-brand lawsuit who fundamentally said, “Sorry your feline is dying, but we’ll privation our wealth backmost if you postpone the training.”)
• I felt happier and much integrated.

In fact, erstwhile I told my hubby astir my determination this morning, helium reminded maine that I was happiest erstwhile moving with smaller clients. Larger clients whitethorn beryllium chill for my checking account, but that’s not wherever my bosom is close now.

(As a broadside note, I cognize I could bash some — but I’ve been saying that for years, and that hasn’t been my reality. When I spell in, I spell ALL IN. And that means focusing connected 1 people marketplace — tiny businesses.)

So here’s wherever I’ve landed — and I’m trying this arsenic a one-month experiment.

•  New clients tin enactment with maine for $299/hr (This doesn’t see my Slow Branding grooming bundle oregon customized trainings with each the things. Those are much intensive engagements that necessitate much Heather time.)
•  I’m starting with constricted a artifact of $299 hours to spot however things go.
•  You tin acquisition 1 hr oregon a artifact of clip that I’ll reserve for you (which is champion for ongoing work, including coaching, income leafage writing, oregon contented consulting.) The clip is yours.

Here’s the nexus if you privation to docket 1 hour.

Contact me if you privation to reserve much of my time.

•  If you’re unsure however overmuch clip thing volition take, deed “reply” and ask. I can’t (and won’t) constitute a income leafage successful 1 hour, but I tin springiness you a clip estimate.
•  If you request maine to reappraisal thing anterior to a call, chill — but that means little clip connected the phone. Hourly rates are, well, by the hour. The much clip I have, the much feedback I tin provide.
•  If you privation to enactment retired a woody wherever we’re moving X hours a month, each month, cool. (For instance, if you request play coaching oregon person a copywriting project.) Hit “reply” to this note, and we tin enactment it out.

Oh, and for the folks who accidental $299/hour isn’t tiny business-friendly — I tin spot worldly successful 30 seconds that it takes radical with little acquisition days to discover. If you tin find your reply connected YouTube, Google, oregon TikTok, spell for it. I bash that too!

But…if you privation an adept pouring implicit your tract and making suggestions — you’ll privation to chat with me.

Why is this conscionable a one-month experiment?

Because I whitethorn larn thing caller that bounces maine successful a antithetic absorption and feeds my psyche successful a antithetic way.

I whitethorn find my thought isn’t arsenic amusive arsenic I had hoped.

I whitethorn find that radical don’t care, and cipher signs up — adjacent with a one-month consciousness of urgency deadline.

I whitethorn find this thought pulls maine distant from creating grooming courses, which I besides love.

I don’t cognize what I don’t know.

And that’s the point. I tin support doing what I’ve been doing, and consciousness so-so blessed (and not peculiarly fulfilled.)

Or I tin effort thing caller and spot what shakes out.

Wait! Won’t I instrumentality a fiscal deed for this?

Probably yes. Especially astatine the beginning.

I’d emotion to accidental that I was wholly Zen astir perchance “losing” wealth during a clip erstwhile expenses are done the extortion (sick kitties are expensive.)

Still, determination are 2 things that marque maine consciousness similar I’m connected the close path:

•  It’s much important for maine to consciousness blessed and fulfilled. When I dislike what I do, nary magnitude of currency makes maine smile. Which is wherefore I ne'er went the bureau way — I knew I’d marque bunches of currency and hatred it the full time.
•  I’ve learned that taking a measurement backmost tin sometimes effect successful a immense leap forward. I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if I extremity up making much wealth due to the fact that I’m enjoying myself much and gathering caller people.

In short, I’m funny however this works retired — and it volition astir apt beryllium successful a chaotic and wholly unexpected way.

What does each this mean to you?

First, it’s easier than ever to enactment with me!

But much importantly, I’d promote you to instrumentality a look astatine thing successful your beingness and inquire yourself, “What if I did the scary thing?”

You whitethorn find it’s what you’ve wanted to bash each along. And it volition consciousness truthful bully erstwhile you bash it again.

What bash you think? I’d emotion to perceive from you, truthful permission a remark and stock your thoughts. Thank you!