My Business During Corona + New Online Class - Coming Soon!
Hello friends, it’s so nice to sit here today with good tunes playing and my coffee nearby. I’m watching the ice rain (!) fall gently outside thinking, “Ok, the weather sucks, Corona is totally in “game-on” mode, so it’s the PERFECT time to improve a business and do what you’ve always wanted to do.”
Right? Oh yeah.
And this is exactly the truth. It’s time. There is no other time like the present, particularly with Corona, no vacations to plan or go on, no parties to attend or throw, holidays and birthdays are a bust, nothing to distract - you can’t even indulge in a little retail therapy… Yet there is a silver lining and it’s this: there is NO TIME LIKE NOW for figuring out what you want to be when you grow up or to level up your current business.
THERE IS NO DISTRACTION!
Yes, maybe the kids are homeschooling (my boy is only in school every other day for half a day), and you have a struggle getting time management down if you’re home with the children. I get that. I’m with you. Or perhaps you aren’t working as much and trying to make ends meet. Perhaps you ARE working but just damn sick of doing the same ole same ole. If that’s the case, maybe you have thought:
I SERIOUSLY NEED TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS FROM HOME.
Well, have you thought that?
You can run a home-based business. Believe that.
I’ve worked from home since 2005. No joke. I resigned from my corporate job, back then I was earning 75K a year as a project manager. I resigned and made $0 for the first 3 months. But I started my blog, decor8, and within a year, I was earning what I made in corporate, and by the second year, I was earning double that, and now it’s been 15 years working freelance, running primarily a home-based one-woman show, and I’m 100% certain I can sustain this until retirement and beyond. I will always be an entrepreneur.
Yes, there have been some minor (and a current major speed bump) along the way, but the major speed bump came after nearly 15 years during 2020. It took a GLOBAL PANDEMIC to disrupt me and my business. A pandemic.
If Corona hadn’t occurred, I’d still be running my business as securely as I had for 15 years. If I can do it, so can you. And after Corona, we WILL all do it if we get it together NOW. At the moment, I’ve decided to pivot a bit. I’m using this precious time to really think about what I love, what I miss, what I don’t miss, and what I need going forward to make me, and decor8, better.
Here is what I’ve decided so far:
1 / I need to make my business more digitally-focused (and fun!) again.
2 / I want to be in closer touch with my people (all of you) because it fuels my creativity and makes me happy.
3/ I will write my 5th book, a big coffee table book, part two of DECORATE.
4/ I must get back to teaching, online and in-person because I taught online from 2009-2018, and before that, part of my job in corporate was as a trainer for 7 years, so it’s just part of my DNA to teach.
5/ Create something from HOLLY magazine that makes me happy and has value to all of you.
6/ Eventually build something brand new that I’ve never done before to mix-in, just to keep me entertained and happy. Maybe a retail shop (yeah, I know - of all things).
7/ Once fairs start, attend only 4-5 each year vs. 10+
8/ Launch online classes again because they are the heart of my heart and always brought me the most light and happiness.
9/ Be less shy of video and start doing my own, more and more, evolving it into something greater.
10/ Not accept being called an Influencer anymore (especially by brands), cutting myself out of that market altogether, because I don’t like what it conveys. I don't want to influence or force anyone, I want to represent, guide, teach, be known as a tastemaker even… But not an influencer. I’m far beyond that in my career, with my experience, and at my age. I don’t want to dance or sing on TikTok.
So that’s my list.
What things have you decided for yourself and your business for 2021 and even, beyond?
And what is your list? Can you share it below?
Next, in line no. 8 above, I’m relaunching Blogging Your Way online classes under a new name: decor8 courses. Very simple and directly related to my brand. Blogging Your Way evolved throughout the years to include styling classes, photography lessons, Instagram training and so much more than traditional blogging. It makes sense to rebrand simply as decor8 courses because then I don’t have to stick to one topic.
I also decided to create a community around decor8 courses so that my students can always stay logged in months after the class is over and talk to each other, and receive regular drips of content from me. Students will also have lifetime access to the class, and when I update the class modules for future students, they get all of the updates for free because it’s included in their one-time payment when they originally enroll in the class.
This means I also dissolved bloggingyourway.com and I dropped WordPress where the class had been built by my husband, and drop the forum on that site that he had worked to develop over the years. It’s over and I’m fine with it and so is he. He left decor8 in 2018, he was a partner from 2009 until 2018, but he went his own way with his business and I went my way. He does work for interesting brands, like Skandinavisk, and I’m happy for him - because he is using his skills, what he was trained in, and what he’s best at for brands that need him. He’s an expert at extracting data and making sense of it and as a result, helping businesses to really grow and thrive. Working together indefinitely on my classes was never part of our plan, it just sorta happened based on the urgency of the moment. My classes were hugely popular and I needed help and he was there, he is technically gifted, and so he became the go-to for managing my teaching platform.
With him out of the business, I had to consider how to rebuild the classes going forward because WordPress, multiple plug-ins, and having regular conversations with plug-in developers, etc. just wasn’t my thing. I shopped around and found two sites that should make my teaching dreams come true, with platforms that I can maintain alone.
When the next class goes live for enrollment, if you want to get your business back in shape, or make your current business stronger and better, you really need to invest in this class. It will be a total game changer for you. It’s affordable at $329, but for everyone who wants to save a little more, you can get in for $279 if you sign up for my mailing list, because I’m giving $50 off enrollment to my subscribers and early birds.
This new class will be better than any I’ve ever taught online - fuller, richer, more dynamic, more guest experts, lifetime access, a lifetime community (and no, not a Facebook group!), and just better all around. But for $329 ($279 with the code) you can experience something quite fantastic and loaded with all the help that you need to take your blog, Instagram and newsletters to the next level because really, these are THE three core channels, the foundation, of any successful online business and that’s why I’m kicking off the new decor8 courses with a class dedicated to those topics.
SO my dear friends… that’s an update from my home office to you. Wishing you much love and support in these difficult times. I’m here for you (always) and once the class is live, I’ll let you know and you can enroll and then, we can be together for 5 weeks and ROCK YOUR BUSINESS.
Love,
Holly
Photos by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
