Hi Reader,
Earlier this year, grief pulled me away from my business.
And while there’s never a silver lining to the death of a loved one, I did notice something:
Having some space from the day-to-day brought me back to something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
As a passenger princess on long drives or while sitting in hospital waiting rooms, I started jotting down new ideas in my Notes app.
My creative energy was coming back—something I hadn’t even realized had gone dry.
I could feel something new starting to take shape.
I was excited to share it all with my pal Amelia and brainstorm the details. But during our chat, it hit me:
My business wasn’t working.
Or rather—the way I’d built things no longer worked.
Not because I wasn’t good at what I do.
Not because I didn’t love my clients or the work.
But because it no longer matched the moment we’re in.
High ticket, custom 1:1 strategy just isn't what my clients want in this economy.
And honestly? It’s not how I want to work anymore either. The one good thing to come from my unplanned business break: free space on my calendar.
I could no longer ignore the quiet voice in the back of my mind telling me this wasn’t sustainable.
Or the not-so-quiet voices of a few trusted biz friends and mentors I chose to ignore for… well, longer than I should’ve. 👋 Avery!
It was clear that I needed to rebuild.
Not just the backend.
Not another Notion dashboard or a few clever Zaps to automate my way out of overwhelm.
Not just a new offer that was really just the old offer or a website refresh with updated fonts and colours.
But the business model itself.
And I wanted to do it publicly. Imperfectly. In real time.
More on that real soon.
Until then, you know what to do - go slow and stay steady.
Amanda Laird
Founder & Principal Strategist, Slow & Steady Studio