Feature: Have Company Podcast

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I have admired Have Company from afar for years. The content, drive, dedication and focused business owner kept me following along and engaged. The content — clear, concise and opinionated. The drive — felt like that of a business owner with decades of experience. The dedication — to the community at large and creatives. The focus — was the result of all of the above plus a little magic. 

When I first met Marlee, in real life, it was through her workshop: How to Not Always Be Working. I sat with 7 other professional women to listen, contribute and analyze what was and wasn't working in all of our lives. I loved it. As a participant it proved the the value of setting aside time to understand my own life and find solutions to make my work/life balance a choice. 

Marlee & I stayed in touch and lucky for me, she ended up moving to my city. Over the last six months, we've become real friend and love to bond over professional and personal growth. Marlee invited me to record our conversation so the world could hear our slightly ADD but deep conversations about how to be a creative business owner. 

An overview from Marlee:

[We] talk through the fears of being a sellout, choosing between making money off of artwork or having another job and making artwork outside of work. This episode goes on longer than others, because they have a BIG important conversation about strategies for working for yourself- from bucketing time, to structuring your week, the guilt that comes with success, forgiving yourself when you get off track, and drawing boundaries.

Some quotes from our conversation: 

“If you can understand everything you need, truly… Be real with yourself about what you need. I think there is a lot of creative freedom that happens when you get really clear about your vision and your finances.”

“There is beauty in owning your own business, because you can make enough money to get by, you can then make enough money to put aside money, or you can make enough money to really create a future for yourself… And then the other beauty of business is that you have control over the situation- you are not stuck in your office, answering to a boss.”

Check out this episode and more.

Let's Talk About 2016

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“New work, goals achieved and everyday accomplishments all happen in a flash. Months of work and here you are, looking like you didn’t break a sweat. But what about acknowledgment and celebration? Look at the goals you reached and let it sink in that what was once an idea is now a reality.

You CREATED something from nothing. You! A persistent genius!

Incorporating reflection & celebration is essential to a business owner’s life. It helps prevent burnout, aids in staying present and most importantly, it gives the rare opportunity”

A few days ago I was working on my 2016 overview and 2017 planning. I was met pretty early on in the exercise with the prompt, "How did you celebrate your achievements?" I couldn't think of anything specific. Was paying my rent and monthly expenses enough celebration? Not at all. 

The world around me felt like it was spinning too quickly to celebrate. Or maybe I felt like there was too much to do to acknowledge the tremendous accomplishments. So now, as I do with my clients, I will model good business owner behavior and celebrate what has happened, even if only to look back on it with admiration a decade from now.

My website

Oh, this website. What a dream come to life.

Moving forward with ideas, without being paralyzed by perfection, makes for a lot of success. I was without this tool for the first two years of my business and I grew and thrived because I exceeded expectations. But I have to say that this site feels pretty close to perfect and that's a great feeling. 

This site was a 2016 resolution to come into the world six months later. I honed my skills, I wrote out what I wanted, and got comfortable with my dream. It felt (feels) so good. I was in good hands with my good friend, Chelsey as the designer (here is more of her amazing work) The site was celebrated on the website TypeWolf (a really big deal!) and the branding will be put to use for many years to come. 

Promotion

With the website came recognition. I was ready for the site and I was ready to talk about what I do to the world. These were my pieces: 

New clients + workload

I got busy! And I learned while doing it. I figured out how much work I could handle on my own and when to say no (or quit). I learned how to manage more contractors and more complicated projects. I learned that everyone needs something a little bit different and that’s a really good thing. I worked out my systems so I could be better at my job and that system included staying put, which brings me to… 

My office! I moved into an office! 

In October I looked at my business with a fine-tooth comb. Something wasn't right. I was tired, felt overworked, and barely had time for myself.  I had to figure out where I was spinning my wheels. I realized that I needed to make myself accessible without compromising important work concentrations hours. It took time, but I found the perfect space. My clients are happy to come to me and I am so much better at my job now. Just two months in and my exhaustion is almost non-existent. 

Does simply making it to 2017 count as and accomplishment? 

I think it does. Cheers! 

Transformative Campaigns for Social Justice

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Social justice and community engagement. 

Is it a faux pax to connect the efforts of a social movement campaign to use to our benefit in the product & sales sphere? I believe in brands that have depth.

A past of hard work, education ... depth. You can come across a number of brands and people who have the right logo or the right photographer, but are they able to deliver? Does their brand have a depth to withstand growth and sustain itself? 

Read my inspiration here. 

Quoting this beautiful article: 

1) Start with Values and Vision
2) Intentionally Sequence, and Plan to Implement, Structural Reforms
3) Engage, Constantly, in the Battle of Ideas
4) Commit to Scale: Embrace Culture Work, Civic Engagement, Field-Building, & the Technologies and Partnerships to Achieve Them
5) Trust in Leaderful Networks Taking Direct Action
6) Shift Individualism to Interdependence
7) Create Solutions for All of Us Through an Inclusive, Specific and Targeted Approach
8) Move Into a “Forward Stance” and Expand the Realm of What Is Possible

 

Taking my own advice

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I am my worst client.

Step away daily work and focus on business development. When? How?? 

I help you see that stepping away from the daily grind will pay off big time. You will thrive now and it seems like effort and backtracking now, but in the long run it pays off. 

How can you know where you're going and what you want to do if you haven't created a path? By working together we set aside time to think about the bigger picture and set goals to move forward.

I have been so fortunate that clients and projects have come from the coveted network of friends and referrals. I am working with one of my favorite humans, Chelsey Dyer, to guide this digital space into a gorgeous launch pad for ideas and theories. I am thrilled to expand my network with this website. 

Please be in touch if you have questions about working together. Let's move forward with confidence!