This week's Better Together Round-Up is here! Think: one strategy that actually moves the needle, the resources you didn't know you needed, and a few fun favorites we're loving right now. Quick to read, packed with value. You in? 🕒 3-minute read, unlimited inspiration.

Hi Reader,

The girls turn 13 this week. 13!!!! I can’t wrap my brain around it yet.

When I started this business, they were in kindergarten. I was working full time. And lucky me, I thought 2020 was the year I was going to go all in. Hired a business coach before I had a business and now was we were thick in the middle of a pandemic.

All I wanted back then was to be at the bus stop every afternoon. That was the whole plan. Except the buses stoped, we were now homeschooling (because there was no other option) and I was still trying to figure out how to build this thing!

Six years later, here we are. What a wild ride. I also love birthdays around here, so thought it would be fun to share 13 things I know now. Each one comes with something to listen to or read, so think of it as a birthday playlist. 😉

1. The life things go on the calendar first. You knew this one wa going first. Bus pickup is still the first thing on mine every day. Dance competitions go on next. Work fits around both.
→ Read: The Life-First Business Model​

2. Put a date on it. Twenty-two years into corporate, I sat at my desk and asked myself what I was doing. Then I gave myself 20 Mondays to build this. I put in my notice and never looked back.
→ Press play: How 20 Mondays Replaced My Corporate Salary (Ep. 605)

3. A small list can carry a big business. This one reached seven figures with under 5,000 people on my email list. It retired Scott too. What if you focused on quality over quantity?
→ Read: The System that Books Clients​

4. Email pays the bills. I write this email every Tuesday so it sounds like the week I really had. 71% of our sales come from email. Don’t skip this framework.
→ Read: The 4C Newsletter Framework​

5. Social media is just a tool. I spend under an hour a week on it and it brings in 3% of our leads. I would rather give that time to Real Housewives. #truth
→ Read: My under-an-hour content plan​

6. Go where the people already are. I have been a guest on 300+ podcasts and spoke at a summit this week. 40% of our leads come from rooms like that.
→ Press play: How to Get Booked on Podcasts (Ep. 645)

7. Pick one thing and keep showing up. The podcast is 600+ episodes in. I batch the recordings and the show takes the summer off. It still brings in 20% of our leads and creates ALL our content.
→ Press play: Your Podcast as a Discoverability Engine (Ep. 640)

8. Take care of the clients you have. This month our Co-Op clients were at my actual house for Fall Fest. 20% of our leads are referrals. I do not think those two things are unrelated. What can you create where you are showing up as an authority in your space?
→ Read: How to Grow Your Business Through Partnerships​

9. Be easy to find. I run an SEO and GEO audit on my own site every month. 50+ people a month now find us by asking ChatGPT or Claude for a recommendation. 18 months ago that number was zero.
→ Press play: When Someone Asks ChatGPT for an Expert, Are You Showing Up? (Ep. 627)

10. Let things go. We skipped a September launch this year. And moved to one signature program. Less is more.
→ Read: Why I’m Celebrating a 30% Revenue Drop​

11. Book the trip. We travel every quarter. We took the whole family off-grid in Alaska for our 20th anniversary and the business kept running. Last weekend we went to a concert. In December we are going to NYC. What can you put on the calendar to celebrate life?
→ Press play: How to Grow Your Business on Just 10 Hours a Week (Ep. 533)

12. You have to slow down to speed up. My dahlias do not bloom faster because I am in a hurry. Some seasons are not for sprinting.
→ Press play: Why Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Work (Ep. 623)

13. Do not do the math alone. Katy, our COO, was my scariest hire. She has also moved the needle the most. Your numbers make more sense with other people in the room too.
→ Press play: 7 Numbers to Track Weekly So Your 2027 Plan Actually Happens (Ep. 644)

That last one is next week.

​The Backstage Pass is October 21 and 22. Two lunch hours, 12pm ET.

Day 1, you build your scorecard with your real numbers. Day 2, Katy and I walk you through your 2027 Revenue Roadmap so you know exactly what to do next to hit your goals, and then we open the hot seats.

It is $22 for both days.

Now if you need me, I will be celebrating 13 years of being their mom. Times two.

If you have already made it through the teen years, hit reply and tell me the one thing I need to know.

XO,
Holly (mom of 2 teenagers, officially!)

---

Your Weekly Anti-Social™ Shift

Write your own list What do you know now that you did not know when you started? Most of us never write it down. We keep planning like the woman who started, with none of what she has learned since. This week: write five things you know now. Circle the one you are not acting on yet. Bring it Wednesday. Save my seat for $22 💛

Worth Clicking

Open tabs I haven't closed yet. If the legal side of your business is still on your someday list, Monday is your day. Sam Vander Wielen is teaching a free live legal workshop on October 19 at 3pm ET, and there is a replay. I am one of 23 business owners in Carly Clark Zimmer’s free audio series, Beyond the Bottleneck. My episode is about what happens when the life things go on the calendar first. Practical Magic 2 has a streaming date and the couch night is already planned. My new favorite pants. Yes, another pair. What the girls wanted for their birthday, because everything needs more sparkle. Some of the links I share may be affiliate links, which means I might earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you decide to make a purchase. I only ever recommend tools and resources I truly love and use myself. Think of it as a little thank-you for supporting what we do around here. 🫶

This Month in the Community

October 20: The Anti-Social School™ Monthly Marketing Call.

October 21 + 22: The Backstage Pass. Two lunch hours, your scorecard, and my whole team. Open to everyone for $22.

October 29: Monthly Planning Party. Map your November with us.

November 5: Get in the Room with Kim Roy. How to pitch yourself onto stages, podcasts, and press.

Club and Anti-Social School™ calls are for members. The Backstage Pass is open to everyone.

Not in a room yet? The CTR Club is the easiest way in, Anti-Social School™ is where you build the whole system, and the Collective Co-Op is by application, opening soon in 2027.

Quick Picks

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​Please note: All of these words are mine. We use AI to review and schedule.

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