It’s my 39th birthday.
It honestly feels like yesterday I was celebrating my 30th birthday with a Harry Potter-themed party, living in my hometown, and working in an admin role at the state’s biggest grain handler.
Since then, I moved back to Perth, went back to uni and graduated with my Master’s in Marketing, started my business, have grown my business beyond my wildest dreams, and have even extended my family with the addition of Maggie the Menace.
That’s a whole lot to pack into 9 years, even before I dive into everything I’ve achieved in the 5 years I’ve been in business.
When your birthday rolls around each year, you tend to reflect on where you’re at and, of course, look forward to the future.
So, in this episode of the How I Do Content Podcast, I want to do something I haven’t done before and get a little personal.
I’m giving you a life and business update, and sharing what I’m wishing for in my 39th year of life and 5th year of business.
A Personal Life Update: Building My Legacy
Every year my birthday rolls around pretty quickly, but, I swear to dog, this year feels like it’s been on warp speed.
This might have something to do with having a 5-month-old puppy in the house. Puppy Mum life is no fucking joke! Having a puppy who demands your attention from the moment she wakes up, PLUS a Mummy’s boy who doesn’t want to share me with anyone, PLUS running a business, PLUS doing it alone is a lot.
It adds another level of pressure that not a lot of people talk about.
There are pros and cons to doing it all solo
I have so much respect for single mums and single people who run businesses, because they’re responsible for all the decision-making in business and at home, for being the breadwinner and paying for everything, for running all the errands, for taking care of the household cleaning and cooking… Not to mention, they also need to prioritise their mental health and well-being.
I 100% acknowledge my privilege here in that these are the kinds of challenges I navigate in my life, and I also acknowledge I’ve chosen this life.
I often feel like I can’t share these things because I live in a society where the milestones predominantly celebrated are getting engaged, getting married and having kids, and, if you don’t fall into these categories, you kinda get forgotten about.
So, if you’re running a business and you live solo: I see you, and you’re doing a fucking great job.
In saying all of this, one of the best things about my life (which is also sometimes the worst) is that I’m the one making the decisions – so I can change things pretty quickly if I’m struggling or want to shake shit up.
Some of these kinds of decisions include:
- Making the decision to finally hire a cleaner, so 100% of the cleaning duties no longer fall on me
- Booking things for myself, such as pedicures and ice baths, months in advance so they’re actually in the calendar and I’m doing things for me (not just for my business or my dogs)
- Playing with my work schedule to find a balance between working and living my life
I acknowledge I work a lot BUT, I’ve also created a business I genuinely love.
Solo-preneur Self-Care
I love getting creative.
I love being strategic.
I love observing trends and behaviours.
I love supporting my clients.
But I also tend to put everyone else before myself, so, this year, I’m trying to flip it – or at least move it more towards “me first”.
My main goal or wish for this year is to buy a house with a bit of a backyard for the dogs. I really want to have something that’s all mine.
In full transparency, it’s going to be pretty hard simply because of all the reasons I mentioned above – it’s ALL on me.
But, on the flip side – it’s also all on me, and I have a business that has the growth potential to get me there…it just might take me a little longer because I’m doing it on my own.
One positive here is that it’s made me get a better understanding of my finances and what I need to do to make it happen. I fully acknowledge finance isn’t my favourite thing, but instead of saying, “I’m not good at saving” or “It’ll never happen for me” – how can I make the reverse true?
So this year is all about living my life and building my legacy.
My Intentions for More Business Magic
Firstly, on the topic of finance and money…
I see a lot of people in the online space:
- Shame other people for being motivated by money. There’s a belief that if it’s your goal to make money in your business – somehow that’s a bad thing.
- Complain about other business owners using “money” in their messaging and marketing.
There’s nothing wrong with you if you’re motivated by money and want to make more money in your business – because SAME!
You need money to live and to support the lifestyle you want to live especially if you’re the sole breadwinner in your family. I want to make as much money as possible, and there’s no shame in it.
If other businesses can help me make or save more money – I want to know about them.
The reason people use money metrics in their messaging and marketing is because it works – it speaks to the desire many people have.
Of course, I don’t mean the people who only talk about how much money they make, and only share screenshots of their Stripe transactions – that’s lazy marketing.
But it’s completely ok to share how your offer helps your ideal client make money.
Money-Making Magic
My goal for this year is to make the money I need to buy Ned, Maggie and myself a house!
This means I’m always looking at ways to optimise my offer suite so it supports me to do that AND supports my clients to do the same.
2024 is the year I own my messaging and marketing wizardry, and the unique spells I possess to support you to share your magic with your community.
Support to Support More Businesses
As I’ve previously shared, I’ve made some changes to my core offer, the 1:1 Biz Wizard Series, and finding out which level of support works best for me and my clients is still a work in progress.
To support me, I’ve recently added a Content & Marketing Wizard to the team to help me create more marketing magic. I’m very excited to have Emily on the team, and she adds another layer of awesomeness to this offer. I can’t wait to see how it evolves throughout the year.
Also on the cards this year for The Social Bolt:
- I’m launching a new messaging program very soon! You’ll need it to get crystal clear on YOUR unique messaging so you can take your business to 6-figures and beyond. Join the waitlist to be first to find out when the program is released and to get the best price and magical bonuses!
- I’m also considering a little revamp of the How I Do Content Podcast. After 3 years and nearly 150 episodes, I think it might be time to give my favourite child a little spruce up! So stay tuned…
2024 is my spacious and supported era. Admittedly the first couple of months this year haven’t exactly felt spacious BUT I also know things are moving in that direction (which is all that matters right?!), so I have to just hold on tight and trust the process.
So there you have it: my life and business update as of March 5th 2024 – the day of my 39th birthday.
It was nice to do something a little different for this episode – thank you so much for reading and listening in, I’m very grateful for you.
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