#164 Living life on your own terms with Anne-Marie Zanzal

In this episode, I share seven tips for setting your business up for decades to come, even when the future feels genuinely hard to picture right now. I talk about finding a business model that actually fits your capacity, abilities, and current phase of life rather than forcing yourself into a rhythm that doesn't work, and I share how making room for curiosity and interests outside your core work, like the quilting and textile classes I've taken, can feed back into your business in unexpected ways. I also talk about why trying to do it all alone rarely works, including my own regret about not connecting with other web designers earlier in my career, and why understanding your numbers and your longer term financial needs builds real confidence rather than just managing anxiety in the moment. I get into the importance of clear boundaries and real time off, and I talk honestly about letting go of perfectionism, including how holding myself to a lighter standard with my newsletter and podcast over the years is actually what allowed me to stay in the game for over a decade. I close with a tip on letting positive feedback actually land, since building confidence that way makes it so much easier to keep going through the harder moments. My hope is that this episode leaves you with a few grounded, practical ways to think about longevity in your own business. Here is more info about the Kind Business Community I mentioned: https://pinkwellstudio.com/community/ Thanks for listening! Love, Yarrow

This week I'm pulling back the curtain on how I launched the Kind Business Community, from the thinking behind its structure to the practical, nitty gritty steps I took to get it out into the world. I start by sharing about how this offer came to be and about my previous group, the Livelihood Community, which ran for four and a half years before I closed it in 2023. Rooted, my new group program was such a beautiful experience and so the Kind Business Community grew directly out of how much people loved that format and wanted it to continue. Then I get into the practical side of the launch itself - all the little things I did from batch recording podcast episodes to drafting emails, tech set ups and deciding on pace and timing. Finally, I talk about why I've chosen not to use Instagram or social media at all for this launch, and how I think about that trade-off in terms of my time and energy rather than just the numbers. Here is more info about the community: https://pinkwellstudio.com/community/https://pinkwellstudio.com/community/ and here is the link to book a call with me: https://yarrowmagdalena.17hats.com/p#/scheduling/xckkzgxdszxhcpbppxnfhczfdkghrwfb Thanks for listening! Love, Yarrow

In this episode, I share the tool I use to price my offerings, which I think of as a magic triangle balancing three things: what the industry typically charges, what your community can realistically pay, and what you personally need to feel good about the work. I walk through how I use this to figure out whether a new offering is even financially sustainable, breaking that down further into my financial need in the moment, my anticipated conversion rate based on my newsletter and podcast audience, and the time and energy I expect an offering to take. I use the Kind Business Community as a live example, including the real numbers behind why I expect 20 to 30 signups right away and why I've capped it around 60 to 70 members to keep things feeling intimate. I also walk through two more concrete examples, a small fundraiser print run where I mapped out costs and time before ever picking up a carving tool, and the Rooted group program, where I share the actual pricing tiers I used, why offering three price points plus payment plans ended up feeling more confusing than generous, and what I'm planning to simplify next time. I talk about why I've chosen not to build an agency even though it could be more lucrative, since the size and kind of client relationships I want matter more to me than maximizing revenue, and I close with a nudge to build a habit of raising your prices every year rather than letting them stagnate. My hope is that this episode gives you a genuinely practical way to think through your own pricing, numbers and all. If you'd like more support putting this into practice, the Kind Business Community and one on one working sessions are both open. Join us here: https://pinkwellstudio.com/community/ and book a free call with me here: https://yarrowmagdalena.17hats.com/p#/scheduling/xckkzgxdszxhcpbppxnfhczfdkghrwfb Love, Yarrow

In this episode, I dig into what great customer service can look like for solopreneurs, building on an earlier episode about growing without a team. I start with the importance of transparency, from clear sales pages and written agreements to how I use 17hats to automate parts of my booking process while making sure the actual conversation with a client always stays human. I talk about where I draw the line on automation, since I'd never want someone to commit to a big web design project without at least speaking to me first, and why customizing packages and staying open to a back and forth conversation matters so much to me. I also get into why giving people real time and choice before a big decision is such a core part of good customer care, including my own philosophy of long lead times rather than pressuring flash sales, and I share a recent frustrating experience as a customer myself that reminded me how far a genuine apology goes when something goes wrong. I talk about setting clear boundaries, like a defined number of revisions on a web design project, and why that actually helps clients feel more secure rather than less, and I close with some thoughts on accessibility, both in how we present information to clients and in staying open to requests we might not have anticipated, like a client who preferred email over Zoom calls. My hope is that this episode gives you a grounded, human way of thinking about customer care that doesn't ask you to be perfect.

In this episode, I share some simple, sweet rituals for bringing more magic and enchantment into your business. I start with the idea of bookending your workday, from the small morning rituals that help me feel grounded before I begin, like a good breakfast, opening all the windows, and lighting a candle, to the equally intentional ways I like to close the day, from tidying my inbox and workspace to taking a proper screen break in the evening. I talk about why having a clear beginning and end to the workday matters so much when you work for yourself, since it's so easy for the hours to blur together otherwise. I also get into the ritual of spending time in nature and making space for divination, whether that's visiting the same river every week to sit with a business question or drawing tarot and oracle cards at home, and why bringing in some intuitive, less heady way of thinking can be such a relief alongside all the conscious decision making a business demands. I close with the importance of celebrating your wins, even the small ones, and building in seasonal touchpoints to notice how far you've come. My hope is that this episode leaves you with a few gentle ideas for bringing more enchantment into your own working life. You can join the Kind Business Community here: https://pinkwellstudio.com/community/ and book a free call with me here: https://yarrowmagdalena.17hats.com/p#/scheduling/xckkzgxdszxhcpbppxnfhczfdkghrwfb Thanks for listening! Love, Yarrow