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âAre you⌠OK?â
Thatâs what at least three people said to me when I told them I was leaving my job at Pepsi. I had just had my first son. My job was the job to have at Pepsi: I led equity comms for the brand, which meant I was in charge of all the fun stuff: all of our social, experiential, and cultural marketing. I had meet Andy Cohen, for goodnessâ sake, and if you know me, this is peaking.
All this is to say, it made no sense I was leaving. And even less sense that I was leaving with no other job offer.
So was I OK? Sure I was.
The short of it was I didnât want to spend my career slinging soda in Westchester. Pepsi was - and is - an amazing company with remarkable, bright marketers. I just knew in my bones this wasnât the long-term path for me, and if I didnât leave now, I might never make the leap.
And the tiny truth that I hadnât really said out loud: I wanted to build my own business. I wanted to start my own thing, work for myself, and have a little more agency over my life.
My husband was supportive, albeit a bit nervous. We agreed to give me six months to make some money - and if I didnât, weâd call it.
I had no entrepreneurship experience, no client prospects, and no idea what an LLC was. Even with my work experience and an MBA, I was not prepared.
Over the next five years, I built a multi-six-figure business from basically rubble. It was really, really hard. It was really, really rewarding.
Looking back, I wish I had two things early on:
Real resources from other solopreneurs. Not people selling a class on how to grow on Instagram. (No shade to those people. They just arenât building the same kind of business I am). I wanted to hear from people who had a skill and built an offer, pitch, and business around it.
A community of other people doing the same so I felt less scared.
And thatâs what Iâm building here.
Building a business? Sales + Marketing Giving you the Ick? Welcome.
This newsletter is for anyone looking to build a business around their expertise. Accounting, home organization, marketing, tarot card reading, whatever it is - if itâs legal, I want you to be able to make some money at it.
I cover everything that I think gives most entrepreneurs hives, including:
How to Get Clients: Selling, positioning, and getting comfortable with putting yourself out there.
How to Make Money: The stuff no one wants to talk about: what to charge, how to charge, how to make sure you get paid.
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