Tag: solopreneurs

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How to grow your newsletter in ’23

Dark Freshness by Kandinsky

Explode from 100-10k subscribers in 2023!

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 a paid 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.

Here’s a good book on the art of subtraction and the untapped science of less.

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

The Newsletter Booster and Newsletter Tips Collection | Josh Spector

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)

Not Another Newsletter and 30 Ideas to Improve Your Newsletter This Year | Dan Oshinsky, Inbox Collective

Substack Course – by Casey Botticello. Foundational topics, tips, and strategies to accelerate your growth on the platform

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.

Keep moving!

Nika

5 Things

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.

33 Unusual Tips to Being a Better Writer | James Altucher on the most important writing (and communication) advice he ever got, No coffee, no creativity…👌

The Common Path to Uncommon Success: A Roadmap to Financial Freedom & Fulfillment | John Lee Dumas. Loving the energy in his daily podcast – 30-mins is the sweet spot. An inspiring read on quitting everything and six-figure podcasting.

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

Enjoy reading this? Why not buy me a Negroni?🍹

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Systems can set you free 🤓

Systems can set you free

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)

Here’s Mark McGuinness | Creative Coach on how to create systems that serve you.

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 👋

Originally published at https://nikatalbot.substack.com on July 31, 2022.

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Newsletter

Making the world a better place to freelance ✏️🌍

Featured Artist: Gadost

Welcome to Issue #89!

A group of organisations, including Bravand, is working to make the world a better place to freelance.

Thinking about how they can pool resources and create shared values between freelancers, companies, and agencies.

“Something akin to the Diversity Charter, with the words ‘Don’t be a Dick’ written in large friendly letters,” says Ross Musgrove, Insight & Strategy Director at Bravand.  

Early stages – they are gathering data on what the three groups might want from an initiative like this. Check out the videos here.

Bravand has teamed up with Freelancer Magazine to run an event. If you’ve got a fuckup story worth sharing, thoughts on freelancing, or want to support the initiative – get in touch.

I’d like to see:

• Freelancers/contractors are brought in earlier to meet teams and help shape strategy – not last-minute to ‘fix the words.’

• Rewards and incentives on freelancer platforms, e.g. earn credits for Yon Living stays worldwide.

• More private talent clouds like Braintrust and Distributed. Building independent careers with better benefits than permanent employment. On the waitlist!

• Better onboarding and offboarding. To see the final project if a contract ends early. I want to feel part of the team and have a sense of completion!

• Better security solutions: I have my own tech stack and don’t want to receive a corporate laptop through the post.

• Learning & Development: Shaping your solopreneur/squiggly career – defining ‘success’, upskilling and training. I’ve joined BIMA to access roundtables, masterclasses, FutureLearn courses, and peer networks – creating my own CPD!

• More freelancer/contractor reviews on Glassdoor. You can give feedback on clients as a freelancer, but it’s underused – I appreciate the legalities! But helpful if you’re considering taking on a big project.

• A minister for solopreneurs to help put the policy into action. Jane Hunt MP is the new small business minister.

Be a good business

Sign up for a Code of Conduct to show you’re serious about running a fair workplace:

• NUJ Freelance Charter

• Coalition for Change: The Freelance Charter

• Underpinned: Freelance Charter

A Wikipedia for freelancers?

ProCopywriters has created a wiki just for copywriters. See their work in progress.

FreelanceWiki: a free, open encyclopaedia for freelancers and solopreneurs. A single source of truth and a place to gather resources.

There’s a pool of talent, resources and communities, and it can feel overwhelming.

The latest episode of The Nowhere Office is about the rise of the solopreneur. Have a listen👇

Stay cool. Work-lite this week – my flat is like a greenhouse 😎 🌊🍷

– Nika 

Written by Nika Talbot – an independent content designer and UX writer based near Brighton.

Get in touch if you have something to share, a link suggestion, or just want to say hi 👋

The Shift is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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State of Solopreneurs 🏄🏻‍♀️

Featured Artist: neirfy

Welcome to issue #87!

I signed up for Groove this week, a digital co-working community for solopreneurs.

‘Get shit done, and meet some pretty rad people while you’re at it.’

Productivity, but fun.

50-minute focused sprints with 2-4 solopreneurs. Or set aside time to rest, meditate or learn. They are beta-testing, so it’s free for now – join the waitlist.

Interesting to read on their blog that they’re taking a break from posting on certain social channels to focus on creating longer-form content and experiences for the community.  

I’ve heard a few people talk about quitting social media lately. It’s not something I can afford to do as a small business owner – clients want it. And most of the time I enjoy it! Chatting to Twitter friends, learning, and sharing useful stuff. It’s how I find internet gold for this newsletter, and it helps me feel connected to the world wfh. 

Having constraints is helpful. I time block and use Hootsuite to schedule posts. I’ve set up my dashboard so it’s quick and easy to find good content and comment. I don’t use the Twitter interface or app much anymore, as it’s super distracting.

I’m focusing on just two platforms: Twitter and LinkedIn, so I can show up and be consistent. I’ll try Notes when they open it up. Basic UI, I like that. Simple is good. It’s all about the ‘network factor’ after all – if it takes off, Medium, watch out.

Groove: Take the survey and help create their first State of Solopreneurs report.

An opportunity to stop and reflect on your creative career! There’s not much research out there about this growing field – solopreneurship – vs freelancing, so I’m curious to see the findings. 

👀 🎬 Everything Everywhere All at Once

Something for the week. The multiverse. Parallel work lives. Angry tax officers. The overstimulation of 21st-century life. Big ideas and butt jokes.

Motivation to get my tax return done!

– Nika

5 Things 🔗 🏄🏻‍♀️

Why we love (async) voice memos – Growmotely was founded by voice memo. How we can use them to shape company culture – and our lives for the better. A unique tool for your productivity box. Intimate, easy – and an opportunity to step away from your laptop.

By marketers – a marketplace for buying and selling your original marketing content. Find case studies, templates, and resources that the community shares online. Save time, help someone, and make money from your work. Very cool! 

Work smarter, not harder, with automation. A 54-page guide on how to increase your income while decreasing the time you spend working so you can set yourself free from the daily grind for good. Turn your knowledge into an online course that runs on autopilot… Thanks to Marianne at The Green Techpreneur for the tip-off. 

Creative Doing: 75 practical exercises to unblock your creative potential in your work, hobby, or next career. A collection of activities, mental models, and true stories – Herbert Lui spent a decade researching and talking with practising artists and creatives of all kinds. 

Another brilliant book from Holloway. Where tech meets publishing…

Let’s talk about how to find new forms of collaborative work. 5 July, 5 pm GMT. A chance to check in, share your experiences and gain insights from TPC community. Every other week, they focus on one area of portfolio working life to help your career journey. 

Find clients: they’ve launched a talent-matching service, connecting startups and scaleups with entrepreneurs who want to make a difference.

Written by Nika Talbot – a content designer, tech storyteller and strategist based near Brighton.

Get in touch if you have something to share, a link suggestion, or just want to say hi.

PS. I’ve started a new band: The Digital CEOs! Come backstage and meet the crew. Smart, funny and passionate people on a road trip to financial freedom, creative fulfilment – and an extraordinary life 💃💥

The Shift is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid member.