This quarter’s business bestie chat is juicier than ever. We’re tackling real business wins, real pivots, and real lessons. Listen in as Sabrina and I share what we actually did in Q4 2025 and what we’re strategizing for Q1 2026.

Find It Quickly

Catching up with Sabrina and Colie (00:24)

How the Biz Bestie chats work (02:01)

Sabrina’s major rebrand (03:34)

The end of Colie’s CRM Blueprint (09:04)

The shift in Colie’s offers (13:15)

Sabrina’s Root To Rise launch (18:02)

Playing the long game (24:15)

Sabrina and Colie’s ad experiments (30:56)

Plans for the rest of Q1 (38:12)

Mentioned in this Episode

Showit: showit.com

Tonic: tonicsiteshop.com

Email Like You Mean It: /coliejames.com/email-like-you-mean-it

Episode 268: Personalizing the Client Communication Experience with Geneviève Masioni: coliejames.com/personalizing-the-client-communication-experience-with-genevieve-masioni

The First Class Lounge: sabrinagebhardt.com/membership

Episode 264: How Human Design Is Influencing The Way We Do Business with Sabrina Gebhardt: coliejames.com/how-human-design-is-influencing-the-way-we-do-business-with-sabrina-gebhardt

Episode 005: Avoiding Burnout with Sabrina Gebhardt: coliejames.com/005

Business Bestie Chat Q4 – 2025 with Sabrina Gebhardt: coliejames.com/business-bestie-chat-q4-2025-with-sabrina-gebhardt

Connect with Sabrina

Website: sabrinagebhardt.com

Instagram: instagram.com/sabrinagebhardtphotography

Podcast: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast

You already know you’re allowed to email your clients. But what happens after you send the proposal… and hear nothing?

In this episode, Colie breaks down when to follow up, why follow-up builds trust (not annoyance), and what to say so it doesn’t feel awkward or salesy. She shares how her approach to follow-up has evolved over the years, why “just checking in” emails fall flat, and how using client stories inside follow-ups helps leads actually finish the decision they started.

This episode is a continuation of Stop Being Afraid to Email Your Own Clients and connects directly to the Confidence Loop — closing communication gaps so trust doesn’t leak.

1. Why silence after a proposal is unfinished thinking, not rejection
2. When follow-up is appropriate (and expected) — without guessing or spiraling
3. Why “just checking in” emails feel weird (and what to say instead)
4. How to plan follow-ups in advance so they don’t feel needy or emotional
5. Why your follow-up emails should do more than remind someone the offer exists
6. How Colie uses short client stories inside follow-ups to support real decisions
7. When real urgency should be named — and why fake urgency hurts trust

1. Stop Being Afraid to Email Your Own Clients (Ep 279)
2. Episode 108: The Magic of the Follow-Up
3. Email Like You Mean It – 5-Day Done-With-You Client Communication Sprint
4. Kai Davis’ “Magic Email” themagicemail.com

Follow-up isn’t about chasing people down.

It’s about closing communication gaps and supporting a decision your client already opened.

If you’re tired of second-guessing what to send, when to send it, and whether you’re being “too much,” join Email Like You Mean It. In five days, you’ll map your full client journey and write every email you need — from inquiry to delivery — with clarity and confidence.

Learn more at coliejames.com/email

Next sprint begins Feb 2nd

What if the secret to managing ADHD wasn’t massive systems or productivity hacks, but tiny, repeatable actions? In this episode, I’m joined by systems strategist Angela Tan, who shares how she uses “microsystems” to run her business and life with more ease, all while navigating ADHD.

From missed emails to abandoned leftovers to paralyzing decision fatigue, Angela opens up about her journey to self-awareness and how she built personalized systems that actually work. She walks us through how ADHD shows up in unexpected ways (especially in business) and the small steps she’s taken to stay focused, reduce overwhelm, and create structure without rigidity.

Find It Quickly

00:24 - Meet Angela Tan

02:12 - ADHD and Microsystems

05:53 - What are Microsystems?

08:09 - The YAP Method for ADHD

18:08 - Sales Before Hyperfocus

22:44 - Automated Reminders

Mentioned in this Episode

Scaling Your 1-to-1 Service into a Digital Product with Angela Tan

Hero App

Connect with Angela

Website: thesystemsrx.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thesystemsrx

Worried about annoying your clients if you follow up?

This episode is your permission slip.

In this pep talk + rant, I’m breaking down why emailing your own clients isn’t pushy, why silence doesn’t mean “no,” and how overthinking follow-ups is quietly costing you money — and your sanity.

I’m also sharing a real example from my own life where I was the one who needed multiple follow-ups before booking… and why that didn’t make the service provider annoying — it made them professional.

If you’ve ever stared at a draft email wondering if you should send it, this episode is for you.

And if this episode hits because client emails feel way harder than they should, I share how Email Like You Mean It helps you map your client journey and write emails you can send with confidence — without second-guessing every follow-up.

coliejames.com/email

What if the key to breaking through in your business isn’t another tactic, but understanding how you’re wired to show up?

In this episode, I sit down with my business bestie, Sabrina Gebhardt, and we dive into how our respective Human Design types and profiles are actively informing how we run our businesses. From offer structure and messaging to launches and audience connection, listen in as we go deep into what our charts say and how that's showing up in real life and our businesses.

Find It Quickly

00:23 - Introduction to Human Design with Sabrina

01:48 - Discovering Our Human Designs

03:45 - The Impact of Human Design on Business

04:27 - Human Design Profiles: Generator and Manifester

07:20 - Practical Applications of Human Design

13:48 - Sales Strategies and Human Design

19:52 - Long-Term vs. Short-Term Offers

22:13 - Ideal Client Types and Human Design

23:21 - Discovering the Perfect Client Match

23:49 - The Role Model and Investigator

25:04 - Client Success Stories

26:09 - Human Design Insights

27:00 - Empowering Women Leaders

29:29 - Tailored Systems for Success

35:18 - Brutal Honesty in Business Coaching

38:58 - Future Projects and Human Design

Mentioned in this Episode

Shoot It Straight Episode 162: Human Design Energetics and Business with Breanna Owen

Business-First Creatives: Using Human Design to Transform Your Business Strategy with Breanna Owen

Business-First Creatives: What’s the Best Way To Set Up Your CRM? CRM Blueprint vs. Systems in Session with Megan Norman

Connect with Sabrina

Website: sabrinagebhardt.com

Instagram: instagram.com/sabrinagebhardtphotography

Podcast: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast

What if the reason your marketing doesn’t feel "on" isn’t that you need more strategy, but that your brand personality hasn’t been uncovered or defined yet?

In this conversation with Alethea Tyler of Copy with Spice, we get real about what brand personality actually is, how it differs (and overlaps) with your personal personality, and why letting your authentic self show up in your business is one of the biggest competitive advantages you have.

Find It Quickly

00:24 - Diving into Brand Personality

02:24 - The Importance of Authenticity

03:57 - Embracing Uniqueness in Your Brand

06:42 - Balancing Personal and Brand Personality

10:33 - Steps to Define Your Brand Personality

15:03 - Understanding Competitors and Differentiation

21:20 - Integrating Brand Personality Across All Messaging

21:52 - Brand Personality's Impact Beyond Messaging

24:06 - Tailoring Messaging for Different Platforms

26:06 - Website Copy as the Foundation

27:47 - Unexpected Places for Brand Personality

31:02 - Evolving and Maintaining Brand Personality

Connect with Alethea

Website: copywithspice.com

Instagram: instagram.com/copywithspice

Take the Quiz: copywithspice.com/personality-quiz

What if success in business didn’t look like 6 figures, a big team, or endless growth? In this episode, I sit down with Maggie Patterson to explore why staying small and strategic can be a powerful, joyful, and profitable choice. We unpack the cultural myth of the “six‑figure business,” how to set realistic salary and revenue goals, when (and whether) to hire help, and how your season of life should shape your business.

Find It Quickly

1. 00:24 - Redefining Success in Business
2. 02:19 - The Myth of Six-Figure Success
3. 08:19 - Setting Realistic Revenue Goals
4. 17:39 - Strategic Hiring Decisions
5. 27:28 - Leading and Communicating in Business
6. 28:12 - The Importance of Detailed SOPs
7. 30:03 - Mindset and Comparison in Business
8. 32:44 - Realistic Business Growth and Personal Capacity
9. 34:35 - Aligning Business with Life Seasons
10. 38:56 - Making Informed Business Decisions
11. 44:55 - Recognizing When to Pivot

Connect with Maggie:

1. Website: bsfreebusiness.com
2. Threads: threads.com/@bsfreebusiness
3. IG: instagram.com/bsfreebusiness
4. Staying Solo Podcast: bsfreebusiness.com/podcast
5. Staying Solo Book: bsfreebusiness.com/book
6. Real Life Rule Quiz: bsfreebusiness.com/quiz

I just booked my first Disneyland trip of the year, and the second I hit confirm, my brain went straight into planning mode — not because I love spreadsheets (okay, maybe a little), but because Disneyland is not a place you wing it.

And neither is your client experience.

In this episode, I walk you through why planning a Disney day is the exact same skill you need to design a calm, trustworthy client journey — and why most people make email writing way harder than it needs to be by skipping this step.

You’ll hear:

1. Why your customer journey doesn’t need to be complicated — it just needs to exist
2. How mapping your touchpoints prevents overwhelm, silence, and confusion
3. The real reason writing client emails feels exhausting and repetitive
4. Why “what happens next?” emails are a process issue, not a client issue
5. How planning the journey first makes email writing faster, clearer, and easier

If you’re tired of making decisions in the moment, rewriting the same emails, or feeling like your client experience only works because you’re babysitting it — this episode will show you where to start.

Inside Email Like You Mean It, we map your full customer journey first, then write every email that supports it together in five focused days — so you can finally trust the process you’re walking your clients through.

➡️ The next sprint starts February 2nd

Learn more at coliejames.com/email

And if a Disney trip has been on your to-do list? Take this as your sign to book it — and actually enjoy it.

Welcome back to another year of the Business-First Creatives podcast.

If you listened to last week’s episode with Kylie Kelly, we talked a lot about permission — permission to simplify your visibility and stop forcing strategies that don’t fit your life or business.

This episode is my personal follow-through.

If you’re craving clarity, support, and a more sustainable way to grow in 2026, this episode is for you.

1. The three things you actually need to generate revenue (and what usually gets overcomplicated)
2. Why Systems in Session became my signature offer
3. How done-with-you support changes implementation and confidence
4. Why Email Like You Mean It is now a 5-day done-with-you sprint
5. What it looks like to stop borrowing someone else’s visibility plan
6. How I’m approaching visibility, systems, and revenue going into 2026

1. Email Like You Mean It — a 5-day, done-with-you client communication sprint
2. Systems in Session — my signature 60-day container to design and implement your full client experience

If you’re not sure what you need yet, come find me on Threads — I’m always happy to point you to the right resource or next step.

Other Resources

Building Authority and Visibility with Kylie Kelly - Last Week's Episode

Does growing your business without showing up on Instagram sound like a dream? In today’s episode, visibility strategist Kylie Kelly joins us to explain how entrepreneurs can build authority, leads, and actual paying clients without having to live on social media. If you’re tired of the “you must be on Instagram to succeed” narrative, this is your permission slip to do business your way.

Find It Quickly

00:24 - Meet Kylie

01:47 - Kylie's Journey from Photography to Systems

03:24 - The Power of Email Marketing

06:06 - Experimenting with Marketing Strategies

08:26 - The Importance of Data-Driven Decisions

12:13 - Adapting and Pivoting in Business

16:18 - Taking Action and Building Confidence

18:58 - Personal Stories and Reflections

21:38 - Permission to Take Action

26:41 - Discussing AI Bots and Lead Magnets

28:00 -Breakthrough Audits and Their Impact

32:56 - Human Connection in Business

34:29 - Networking Events and Their Benefits

36:13 - Empire Expansion Events

Mentioned in this Episode:

Empire Expansion Event: kyliekelly.com/event

Colie's Networking Events: coliejames.com/connection

Connect with Kylie

Website: kyliekelly.com

Podcast: kyliekelly.com/category/podcast

Empire Expansion Event: kyliekelly.com/event