SmallBiz Savvy

  A humorous but honest look at hidden complexity for creatives and solo pros.  If you’ve been freelancing for more than five minutes, you’ve heard it. “Hey, can I ask you a quick question?” “It’ll only take a second.” “I just need your thoughts on something small.” 

⏱️ The Truth: "Urgent" always costs someone something. It’s late afternoon. You’re wrapping up for the day. Then the message comes in: “Can you get this done by tomorrow morning? It’s urgent.” 

Written for freelancers and solo professionals who want systems that work quietly in the background while they focus on client work. Email marketing doesn’t have to be complicated, spammy, or time‑consuming. For freelancers and solo professionals, the goal isn’t to build massive funnels or send daily emails; it’s to stay visible, build trust, and turn warm subscribers into clients without burning out. 

Real talk for anyone building a business of one.  Freelancing looks simple from the outside: do great work, send the invoice, repeat. But anyone who’s been in the game longer than a few months knows there’s a whole layer of unspoken rules, emotional labor, and “oh… so that’s how this works” moments that no one prepares you for.

Is your desktop starting to look like a digital junk drawer? Even if you try to stay organized, files can quickly pile up, making it hard to find what you need. This kind of clutter can sap your focus before you even get started.

While solo professionals and freelancers are currently obsessed with "luxury onboarding" experiences, the real professional advantage is found at the opposite end of the project. Most collaborations don't end with a bang; they end with a cluttered Dropbox link, a brief "Let me know if you need anything else," and an invoice.

Freelancing gives us freedom, but it also gives us a thousand tiny decisions a day. And when life gets loud (client deadlines, shifting priorities, the general state of the world), even the most organized among us can feel scattered. 

Email marketing is often misunderstood by creatives, professionals, and small teams juggling client work, projects, and operations. Many assume it's only for big brands, online shops, or aggressive sales campaigns. 

The phrase “easy to work with” sounds positive, but it is often frustratingly vague. Clients say it, colleagues say it, and it frequently appears in testimonials. Yet many creatives and solo professionals struggle to define it. Is it about personality? Being agreeable? Saying yes more often? Not exactly.