Happy Wednesday,
Mae’d turned one last week! Year one brought a brand, a website, unique projects, passionate clients, this newsletter, a move to Denver, and lots of reflecting. There was something new and exciting to learn every day. Here’s what shifted along the way, and one helpful thing to try in your own life or business.
Fewer tools, used better
For the first half of the year, onboarding a new client meant three different documents on various platforms: one for the proposal, one for the contract, and one for the invoice. Now proposals, contracts, invoicing, and scheduling all live in one place.
Tip: If you didn’t use a subscription this month, cancel or downgrade it. If you haven’t checked your subscriptions in a while, you might be surprised what you’re paying for.
Stop starting from scratch
Early on, every new project started in the same generic workspace, which took time to set up and didn’t feel personal. Now every client gets a Notion dashboard, and every project starts from a template customized to where each business is.
Tip: Find a task you redo from memory every week and give it a home, like a page in your notebook, a recurring calendar reminder, or a checklist on your fridge.
Keep showing up
Some of the best things this year came from following up on a conversation, an idea, or an opportunity that almost slipped by.
Tip: Revisit one goal or something you set out to do this year that got lost along the way. You don’t have to wait for January’s resolutions to get started.
There will always be a million things to do. The real progress this year came from looking at what I had, asking what could work better, and making small changes that stuck.
Looking forward to new clients, new projects, and fresh ideas in year two! Now booking for early 2027.
That’s the latest from Mae’d.
All the best,
Madeline Phillips