i'm in my "throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks" era
because when the tough gets going, the going gets tough
Wednesday Wisdom
“Hey, sis. You’re worthy of softeness. Stop being so hard on yourself. ~ Alex Elle
Morning Musings
Earlier this week, I sent a frantic voice note to my #BlackGirlBizChat. And yes, before you ask, I have a group chat for everything—books, mom life, journalism, infertility and, of course, Beyoncé. You know the saying behind every successful woman is a group chat hyping her up? Well, I took that sh*t literally.
But anyway, back to the voice note. I was panicking because well, to put it simply, business has been slooow with a capital LOW. My latest offerings haven’t been performing as well as I thought they would (or as well as I need them to) and I want to call it quits on this #FreelanceLife every other day.
On one hand, I get it. The economy is spiraling, we’re heading into a recession and everything is so damn expensive. So I don’t blame people for holding onto their hard-earned dollars (I know I am!). On the other hands, mama needs to pays these bills. How does creativity thrive in capitalism?
Within the last week or so, I’ve launched three different offerings:
A three-session writing coaching package
Drop-in creative cowriting sessions
A half-day wellness retreat for Chicago moms
You want to know how many packages and tickets I’ve sold? Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. I’m not gonna lie, it’s kinda embarrassing. And, I suppose, that’s business for you.
I met with fellow book coach Bailey Lang last week for a much needed pep talk and she pretty much confirmed that she’s also in her “throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks” era. When I tell you the sigh of relief I sighed?!
Like, okay it’s not just me. I’ve got to be honest with you…at times I worry if I’m somehow inadvertently diluting my brand by introducing all these different offerings. Even though I see Werking Moms Club and The Writing Well as natural extensions of my brand and everything falls under LT in the City Media, I can’t help but wonder if I’m confusing you, the consumer (although some people would argue your audience is different from your target client, but that’s a different newsletter for a different day).
It’s this constant struggle between feeling like I’m doing too much and simultaneously not enough. Times are tough and, as an entrepreneur, that means it’s time to get creative. That means trying a bunch of different things and seeing what lands. Throwing the proverbial spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.
In the meantime in between time, here’s how to support me if you feel so inspired:
Upgrade to a paid membership if you haven’t already (at $7/month you get to support a small Black woman-owned business and independent media company)
Share this newsletter with a friend and/or on social media (and tag me so I can reshare!)
Buy my book, Stop Waiting for Perfect (or borrow it from the library! it’s available as an audiobook as well, narrated by yours truly). Already read it? That’s great! Please leave a review, it helps more than you know!
Listen to my Werking Moms Club podcast and be sure to rate & review. New episode coming soon!
HIRE ME! Writing, speaking, consulting, coaching, wellness…I do all of that. 😌
Rooted in Rest: A Werking Moms Club Wellness Retreat
This Mother’s Day, give yourself (or a mama you love) the gift of actual rest.
Join Werking Moms Club for Rooted in Rest, a soulful morning of movement, mindfulness, and community care. Check out the itinerary below:
💪🏾 Strength & dance fusion with Ashantis Jones
🧘🏾♀️ Restorative yoga with Nia Ellis
🙏🏾 Guided meditation with me
🎵 Grounding sound bath from Candyce Jones.
PLUS:
Goodie bags + light refreshments included
A portion of proceeds benefits Free Root Operation’s The Bloom Network, centering the wellbeing of Black women and moms in Chicago
Use promo code LOREAL10 to save $10 on your ticket! 💜
What I’m Reading, Watching & Listening To…
📖 Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory: At this point, I pre-order whatever Jasmine Guillory is selling as soon as she announces it. I’m only 25 pages into her latest romance novel (this time starring two queer Black women) and I can’t wait to become fully immersed in their story.
📺 Survival of the Thickest: Okay, at this point, it’s pretty clear my #GirlCrush on Michelle Buteau and I have to say the long-awaited second season of her hit Netflix show does NOT disappoint. More smart and funny Black plus-sized women on TV, please!!
🎧 Survivor by Destiny’s Child: Every now and then again (okay, like a lot) I like to throw it back to an oldie, but goodie. Let me tell you, I wore this CD out back in the day! And “Independent Women Pt. II” > “Independent Women Pt. 1.” Argue with your mama, not me. 💁🏾♀️
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Girl! I lost track of the number of times I said “SAME!” out loud while reading this. Also tired of the freelance life, also struggling with my brand and my offerings not growing, also ready to quit EVERYTHING and when you said you feel like you’re doing too much yet not enough— I felt that in my SOUL. Thank you for your transparency and for all you do. Next time I’m in Chicago we need to meet up for pasta!
I am completely in the same spot, feeling so lost and depressed about where I'm at right now. Thanks for making me feel less alone!