Can't sit still for long. Fabulous art by @sophillustrates
Happy Halloween week!
Last night, I did an AI TwinWorkshop with Cathi Tarbox | Solo AI X. Four women nerding out over AI on a Friday night 😀
What you get: a digital version of yourself in the form of a document, which you can then use across AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Bard, etc) so they create content in your voice, your style, using words you use, and with your audience in mind. I want ChatGPT to sound like me.
How it works: We had some homework to do before the two-hour class.
Fill in a detailed doc with writing links, business info, target audience, common words and phrases to use and avoid, etc.
Record a voice note of me talking about my biz so it can analyse my words and my voice.
I signed up late so only had an hour to do this, and the voice sample wasn’t detailed enough. I’ll do it again this week. CT said to do a 2/3-min ‘rant’ about your biz, values, goals, passions, challenges, etc, so it gets a sense of your personality and communication style.
She used my doc to feed ChatGPT (AI Twin GPT), so I got a live demo of how it works and things to look out for as you go through it. Some tips: Use Extensity to turn off browser extensions, as AI doesn’t seem to like them. It also has issues with Google Docs and can’t always read them, so try again or C+P your work.
We also had a bit of fun with it. Ask it to tell you jokes. ChatGPT can be lazy and refuse to work when overloaded!, so don’t take no for an answer. “It’s like a two-year-old toddler; you have to rein it in!”
Offer a $200 tip for a longer response or say you’ll fine it $10k if it doesn’t follow your commands – seems to work 😉
I need to watch the replay, refine my doc and voice note, and then I’ll rerun it. Let’s see.
Less time at my desk/on the laptop and phone – hands-free interaction. More travel, nature, in-person meetups, and networking.
More time with my daughter and fam. J will be off to uni soon! My parents are getting older.
Automating repetitive tasks and admin – email, socials, repurposing content.
Pricing comparison: I need help pricing a new service with different tiers so asked it for market rates. Also, brainstorming new products & services.
Substack growth. Data insights from my archive so I can tweak things.
A sparring partner and brainstorming buddy! A biz/financial coach in my pocket.
More solopreneur friends, especially locally. Pier 2 Peer networking in Hastings. I wfh mostly these days, and it’s lonely.
Personal development. I don’t remember books I’ve read unless I write them down. It can pull takeaways from talks, books, and courses and save them digitally.
Health stuff – I want a personalised AI health coach to help with my RA and advice for someone I love who has CLL.
I’ve been using ChatGPT as my main tool for a year or so now. I’ve upgraded so I can use voice chat (see if I can find a sexy male voice), build custom GPTs (btw, these are great lead magnets), and now we can do real-time collaborative editing in Canvas mode. You can see where this is going…
All this for just $20/mo. I’m blown away by what AI makes possible for us soloists—fun, creative, and empowering!
It’s good to see the rates increasing for training multilingual AI systems and LLMs. Earlier this year, I was offered $15-$20/hr for flexible work. This week, I was offered $80/hr from one platform—that’s more like it. Let’s see if it’s legit…
AI or DIE was the theme at #FixFest (copywriting festival) in London this week. Just looking at what people have been saying online, how they’re feeling about all things AI, and what side of the fence they’re on.
AI is having a massive impact on the industry. Some clients want you to embrace it, others don’t want you using it at all – it’s hard to know where to position yourself. Leif Kendall at ProCopywriters is working on a ‘Code of Ethics’ for the community.
The hypothesis was this…. Could generative AI be used to bypass the years it takes for a poet to find their voice and actually go one step further in creating a democratised mass poetic voice from a room of copywriters?
I spoke to Abha about her shift from corporate to solopreneur, and launching an online course that helps working mums kickstart their AI journey with joy (scroll down for the video!)
Helping working mums use AI to work better and faster – and make their first $ online
Hi Abha, firstly, I’d love to know where you grew up and your first job.
I was born in Mumbai, India. When I was three years old, we moved to the UK and lived there till I was nine. Then, we moved back to a small town in India (Aurangabad), where I finished high school.
Luckily, I was still young and fascinated by Indian culture, so no culture shock as far as I can remember!
When I was 18, we moved to Dubai. I went to university in Australia and then returned to work in Dubai.
Burnout led me to quit my job and try my hand at being a travel writer in Spain. The plan was for six months; I stayed for three years!
After my stint in Spain, I moved back to the corporate world in Dubai, where I now live with my husband and two children.
My first job was when I was 18. I was a production assistant for a film company.
Interesting. So, what inspired you to start your own business?
Apart from my adventure in Spain, I’ve been in the corporate world my entire life. After I graduated, I worked in advertising, which was short-lived – and then moved to PR.
After working in PR & comms for over 17 years, a lack of flexibility and limited growth opportunities led me to quit my job six months ago to start my solopreneur journey.
I believe in the transformative power of the internet and emerging technology. It will reshape our work and personal lives by giving us limitless tools to grow and reinvent ourselves without prior skills. We just need to start using them!
As I embark on a mission to redesign my life, I’m constantly experimenting with new tools to improve my productivity and efficiency.
This is where the idea for my business came from. It revolves around building a community of working mums who want to do the same: maximise their productivity and potential by learning to use emerging technology like AI.
The biggest challenge with AI is not knowing what to use it for and not realising its potential until we see it applied to achieve a task in record time.
I decided to launch my business to address these challenges, and it’s in its very early stages.
You launched your first online course recently.
Yes. It helps mums start their AI journey whilst having some fun. It teaches you how to write, illustrate, design, and publish a children’s book in one hour by using ChatGPT, Midjourney and Canva.
I also offer free resources on using AI tools and building a side income for those interested.
The aspiration for my business is my pursuit of time and financial freedom and a mission to inspire others, especially working mums, to believe in the possibility of creating a life that combines career and parenthood.
This is now so much easier to achieve with emerging tech at our fingertips.
Yes! Sounds fabulous. What are you most excited about at work right now?
I’ve been learning and reading about how to be a solopreneur for the last two years. I’m finally putting everything I’ve learned into action and loving it!
It’s a lot of work, and being a one-woman show whilst having two small kids is no easy feat, but I believe in what I am doing and feel grateful that I get to do this!
We are lucky in Dubai that home help is easily accessible and affordable. Because of this and my husband’s consistent encouragement, I have everything in place to build a life where I have time and financial freedom.
How do you stay on top of industry trends?
I subscribe to and read alot of newsletters and pay for a handful of them! There is so much content out there – relying on people you trust and can relate to, who know what they are writing about and are enjoyable to read, is the best way to filter out the noise and stay on top of what you need to know.
In order to get the land of cool, you have to climb Cringe Mountain
How are getting yourself out there, building a network and finding collaborators?
I started focusing on my marketing efforts at the beginning of this year, and I need to get better at it and be more efficient.
Once I started on my own, I realised how much harder it is to do your own marketing than it is to do it for other people or brands.
I’m keeping my email list engaged with a weekly Substack newsletter and working on some free resources to help grow my list. I’ve been repurposing some of that content on social media.
I’ve been showing up on Instagram almost daily and being more active on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Medium. I’m also planning to launch my YouTube channel in February!
I am part of many communities and have been networking there. This has led to several speaking and podcast opportunities, all of which I have taken!
To sell my online course I had to be super active on social media. I feel like I am at the top of the cringe mountain, but I’m past caring, lol. I also experimented with Facebook and Instagram ads.
Now that I better understand what I am trying to solve, I’m finally building a website that will help me better serve my audience.
I hope all of this will give my business the boost it needs to take off. Consistency is key, as they say, for at least two years!
Good luck with YouTube. You’re very engaging on screen, so I’m sure you’ll smash it!
What does ‘success’ mean to you these days? How do you balance ambition and contentment?
I think the definition of success changes depending on which phase of life you’re in. Right now, it’s making money by doing what I love and having the freedom to do that in a way that fits with my life and kids.
My ultimate success would be time and financial freedom to spend my days as I please.
Interestingly, I feel lucky that my success and happiness are mutually exclusive. If they come together, my happiness will magnify, but I am happy nonetheless (cheesy, I know!).
I am also of the mindset that I am so blessed that I get to be on this journey, so I have an obligation to succeed! The failing is in giving up; if I don’t give up, I know I will make it. That’s my current mindset.
“Dubai has THE best food in the UAE!” Dishes to devour when you get there…
You mentioned burnout earlier and quitting your job. How do you take care of your health?
As I’m just starting my business, I am very driven and tend to skimp on sleep; there is so much to do, and I am eager to get on with it. I am so wired, but therefore also tired.
I am very aware of it, though, and I try not to ignore how I feel for too long. Reminding myself of the law of diminishing returns is very helpful in these cases. So, if I feel exhausted, I choose rest – even if I don’t want it!
I am also trying my best to do the basics consistently. Exercise is non-negotiable, and I workout a few times a week. I’m trying hard to take breaks.
I also try to eat clean at least five days a week, but it’s hard when you’re at home and you know where the keys to the snack cupboard are!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
You don’t learn anything by osmosis. You learn by taking action. Get comfortable taking messy action! – Jessica DeRose…also an online business coach.
Yeah. That’s my mantra. It’s easy to get stuck in the ideas phase and think we have to have it all perfectly in place before taking action. But life is too short!
Are you happy? Is there anything you’d change?
I’m the happiest I have been in ages. Not having a stressful and depleting job has shifted my energy enormously. I am using this newfound energy and optimism to build my own business.
I get to see my kids more and manage my own time – I really could not ask for more!
Now I just need to make it work so I never have to go back to a 9-5 😁
Can you recommend one book, podcast, and course for digital entrepreneurs?
This is the last book I read, and it’s been a game-changer for how I think about time.
As a working mum, I struggle with time and have always seen it as being in short supply. The book introduces the concept of ‘Einstein Time’, which makes you realise that WE are the source of our time.
This means time is not finite, and because we are the producers of time, we can create as much of it as we want! This book also introduced me to being in your ‘Zone of Genius’, which was revelatory!
Steph Taylor is a student of Amy’s, and she has a great podcast focused on the magic of taking ‘imperfect action’ and how done is better than good. It’s an important reminder not to get stuck on our quest for perfection that rarely moves us forward.
Who should we interview next and why?
Anna Burgess Yang would be great for you. She left a 15-year career in fintech during Covid (and her husband did too, I think) as a product manager to pursue work she loves. She creates resources for solopreneurs and small businesses.
I’d be happy to connect you if you’re interested?
Definitely – thank you! Also curious to know more about your Spanish adventure…next time! And I need to get my ass over to delicious Dubai for some sunshine and shopping.
How can readers get in touch with you?
My website is almost ready! It has all the information here.
Check out Abha’s wild ride so far! You are a part of it, so let her know what you think.
If you enjoyed reading this, join The Shifties for the full experience.
I did a masterclass in newsletter growth this week (want to get mine to 10k members this year).
An overview of the top six channels you’ll need to use from Sparkloop – their tools, of course – Upscribe recommendations and their Partner Network. Louis shared some helpful growth tips too (he’s working on newsletter growth all day, every day so knows his stuff!) You can watch it here.
Interesting to hear him say the old tools and techniques for email marketing don’t work anymore – what are these?
Masterclass #2: Roadmap to 1M+ Subscribers is on Weds 25 Jan – you can register here.
Overall, a productive hour (great questions, love this community). I’m excited to try some new things this year.
My goals for ‘23 – getting to 10k subscribers (+ £10k monthly income overall) and I want to develop my paid product and promote it better – haven’t pushed it. I’ve struggled with time (client work) and differentiation. Nobody wants more of the same, so it needs to be an entirely different product, not apaid newsletter.
Names and positioning are important in terms of perceived value.
Josh Spector sent me some helpful tips, and I’ve bought his newsletter course. Questions coming over for your podcast – thanks, Josh!
So I’ve called the paid product Do One Thing – a behind-the-scenes look at how I do something specific to grow my newsletter and business. A deep dive into my creative process and my first solopreneur six-figure year.
It’s about doing one thing well and doing less – newsletters are a huge time commitment, and if you bring in something new, you need to let something go, so part of my strategy is saying no to things. Focus and consistency.
You can sign up for Do One Thing here. I hope to build this into a helpful resource and community.
I’ll also invite you to set up a free 1-1 call with me to find out what you’re working on and how I can help. This will help shape my strategy and any products I create.
Cool tools for newsletters
Swapstack – drive growth with newsletter sponsorship at scale. Collect tips, run affiliate deals, or sell ads
Growth groups on Facebook, ugh, but they’re really good. And everyone’s there. Bookmark them, then you don’t have to use Facebook – Newsletter Nerds (1.9k), Newsletter Creators (4.7k), Substack Writers (3.6k)
If you’re writing a newsletter, send me the link so I can check it out and share it. Substack’s new Recommendations tool is awesome – I’m getting daily subscribers.
I’d also love your recommended reads on creativity, culture and tech – making a list.
The other thing that’s really helped me is having an accountability buddy – thank you, Marianne Lehnis for reaching out. We’re at a similar stage with our businesses and she’s local so we can co-work and go for walks (Wealth Walks are something else I want to get going!)
Writing a newsletter can be a lonely venture, and our little chats have kept me sane. It’s worth reaching out to someone in a similar niche to see how you can help each other.
Why I Create Annual Themes | Trevor McKendrick on the benefits of doing brand advertising for the values you want to live. My theme for 2023 is ‘Keep moving!’ hence the sign off.
Makers + Mavericks Off Grid 2023 – a one-day event from the gods of content creation | Hiut Denim. 100 people max (it’s a small barn). Love their newsletter and it’s built their community. See the M+M 2022 list here.
The House of Beautiful Business – a global platform that connects over 25k members who want to get more out of business and out of life. You can now join for FREE! Next Open House is tomorrow, Mon 23 Jan – Dispatch from Davos | WEF.
Playlist of the week
Corsage the movie
Best film I’ve seen lately and very of the moment. Imagine being told you’re officially old at 40 and it’s all downhill from here.
Mesmerising.
Feedback, questions, ideas? Hit reply or email me: nika@nikatalbot.io
I’m struggling to get my tax return done. It’s been in the diary for ages, but I’ve let (more interesting) things take priority this week.
I want it done so I can take a break in August. I’m normally on it as soon as the new tax year starts — like to do it early, so I know how much I have to pay.
I realise I need to do it before school’s out on July 21st. I’m not as focused with a teenager in the house. The energy is different, and my attention is split between work and domestics.
Also, the heat is making me restless. I want to be outside. Long walks. Runs. Hanging out. Living in Hastings is like being on permanent holiday 🤩 🌊
Time to revisit my systems and processes. Look at what I do every day — personally and professionally, and work out how I can maximise my output with minimal effort.
I want to work on my business and myself in August — reading, travelling, studying, and the bigger picture. Set some goals for September — the new year.
Designing better systems will give me more headspace and freedom to be present in the moment — whether I’m writing an email, talking to a friend or shopping with Julieta. It will also help me see what I can outsource.
It’s a mix of digital and physical:
• Notebook and pen (handwriting activates the brain and boosts creativity)
• Trello boards (to plan, move things around, inspirational backgrounds — a visual reminder of where I want to go next)
• Templates for newsletters, emails, and reports I do regularly
• Calendly — set times for calls with an automated Zoom link
• Batching tasks, e.g., Marketing Monday, Fridays for creative writing and personal projects, checking emails at set times
• Hootsuite for social media scheduling (5 x daily posts on the free version)
• Groove app for 50-minute focus sprints — just 4 of us; I love how intimate this feels. One task at a time. Writing an email, making dinner, sorting the garage — it’s all work
• GrowthDay — the first all-in-one personal development app. Underpins it all. Brendon’s energy is infectious! ( here’s my link)
Listen to an audio version of the article on this episode of The 21st Century Creative podcast, starting at 7’’18.
Learn to Thrive as a Creative Pro: get the FREE 26-week course. It will help you look at your creative career’s bigger picture. Do something new every week to develop your skills.
Happy holidays! See you in September 😎
As always, get in touch if you have something to share, a link suggestion, or just want to say hi 👋
Nika Talbot 