Summary

This is season 1’s last episode! It is surreal to me that after having this idea for a podcast back in January, launching it in March, and now closing out the first season in June with 17 episodes. I’ve loved the conversations I’ve had with my many wonderful guests, and the conversations I’ve got to have with you, the listeners on Instagram, email, etc. after you listen to an episode. It has brought a level of connection and growth that I hoped it would.

While I was looking back on the podcast’s analytics it became apparent to me that you guys LOVED the Q1 recap back in Episode 07. So I thought I’d end season 1 with a bang and recap a bit of Q2 here at Quill & Co.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• My honest highs and lows for Q2 for each month
• My new relationships with Instagram and TikTok
• And how I am still learning about client relationships
• An inside look at what is Elevate your Impact Academy
• Q2 Real numbers
• How I’m going to use the 80/20 rule to move Quill & Co forward

April

A big part of Q2 has been about getting my new signature course, Elevate Your Impact Academy, off the ground. This course is for designers that want to create an in-demand business without burnout. In April we geared up for the launch of the program. I spent time getting really dreamy about what the program would look like and how I would support other designers. I took what I saw a lack of in the online designer space and worked on creating a program around it.

I also started a TikTok account in April! Just like everyone else, I’ve been feeling the changes of Instagram in my business. What once was a place for growth has now turned into loads of work and getting only a few people to see your content.

Instead of complaining about a free platform, I’ve decided to use that to my advantage. Now, I look at Instagram as a connection platform. I use it for building community with the people that DO see my content. The audience that Instagram does show my content to are the people that want to see and engage with me so I’m embracing that.

Im experimenting with TikTok. I’m not an expert yet over there, but I’m using it more as a “top of the funnel strategy” to get in front of a new audience that hasn’t seen me before. And to my surprise, I’m loving it. I love how it doesn’t need to be curated, my background doesn’t need to be perfect, or I don’t need a filter and aesthetic. It feels freeing to put out content that’s fun in an almost reckless way.

The Bad

One of the hardest parts of April was an interaction with a client. I had a VIP day not go as expected. This was the first time I had had an experience like this. It was the first time that I felt like my process and input were really not being respected at all. The whole day felt really combative and it wasn’t working for me and it wasn’t working for the client either. Two-thirds of the way through the day, I ended up pausing the VIP and then canceled it the next day. It was a lesson that even though I’ve had lots of successful VIP days, it was a wake-up call for me. I need to keep working on setting clear boundaries, setting expectations, and communicating really clearly. It was a huge learning moment that I might dive into deeper in season 2 of the podcast.

May

We launched Elevate Your Impact Academy! Launching this program was so much fun. I held a small workshop prior to the launch for everyone that was interested in the training and learning more about Elevate Your Impact. I had so much fun during the workshop and it felt like one of the most natural and “true to me” workshops I’ve ever hosted. I’ve done a few launches now for courses and templates, and this last one felt simple, easy, and low-key launch.

Getting ready to launch this course and even preparing for the training is a lot of behind-the-scenes work. We hear a lot about launches. The excitement and buzz around them, but rarely do we hear about all of the work to create them. It was a lot of work, but beyond rewarding. It has been lighting me up.

The bad:

May ended with a little bit of burnout feeling starting to bubble up after all of the work to create Elevate Your Impact Academy. I’m craving more simplicity and leaning out some things in the business to create more spaciousness and fun. A big focus at the beginning of Elevate Your Impact is focusing on things that have a lower effort but make a huge impact on your business. To help you take action without feeling burnt out.

June

The best part of June so far has been working on the EYIA curriculum and supporting our clients inside of the program! It’s been so fulfilling. We do weekly work reviews, where clients can submit work to get feedback on it. The program also includes bi-weekly coaching calls and monthly workshops. We just finished up a workshop on content creation and next month’s workshop is going to be on sales calls.

It has been so fun to see all of the wins from our clients just from the first 30 days.

• One took a break from posting on social to think about their brand story and values and got excited about posting again! I think being excited about your business is just as important as money wins, maybe even more so.
• One raised her prices and then immediately booked a website project at her new price.
• One booked 3 new projects with an existing client using our approach.
• One had her best selling month so far.
• One raised her prices and got a “that’s perfect” to her proposal.
• One was nervous about starting a TikTok account, made a video about Lady Gaga’s new brand, and Lady Gaga herself liked it!

And that’s all just from the first 30 days! I can’t wait to see what happens in the 12 months.

The takeaway for June:

While I recorded this episode, I was only a few days into June but I feel like I’m in this pushing phase of creating and I love what I’m creating! It’s taken a lot of energy and I’m excited for when it’s all created and supports the bigger vision of Quill & Co.

Let’s Talk Numbers

It was a big hit to talk about my Q1 revenue (in real numbers) and I wanted to do it again for Q2. At the time of recording this week’s episode, my books for Q2 are still open so these numbers are still subject to change.

Total Business Revenue:

$48,780 (June 6)

• $32.5K Client Work
• $14K Group Program
• $2K from Template Shop

My expenses are currently a little bit under $30K. So far for June, I’m at $13,451.

80/20 Rule

For next month, my goal is to look at the 80/20 rule for Quill & Co. This rule states that 80% of your output should come from 20% of your work. I am planning to take a hard look at what we are doing that is making the most results and leaning out everything else. I want to start to take things off my plate and begin to simplify in Q3.

I’m the kind of person that likes to have general, big goals for the year and to create a plan for the next 90 days. I admire people that have a 5-year goal plan, but honestly, I have no idea what I’m going to want to do in the next 6 months.

The first thing we do in Elevate your Impact is to create your 90-day plan based on what’s going to make the most impact on your business with the least amount of effort. I think it’s the perfect exercise to do at the end of a quarter to start planning for the next 90 days.

A lot can change, and priorities or what you’re excited about can shift. I personally don’t like to box myself into anything. 90 days feel long enough to do something and see the results of it without it being so long that you lose interest.

So while we take a “summer break” from the podcast I want you to think about your next 90 days. What are you holding back on the most? What feels the most fun for you to do? what would make the most impact? Usually, the thing that would make the most impact on us, is what we’re holding back on.