I’m sure you’ve heard that old analogy about the cobbler’s kids having no shoes, right? It’s been around for a long time, and with good reason. At lunch recently with a couple of business friends, we joked about how I, as a copywriter, took 9 months to write my own website copy, the sales strategist who tells people to ask for the sale is terrible at doing the same thing, and the bookkeeper confessed she hasn’t done her books in ages. In the same vein, when I was a wedding photographer, it took me two years to print one of my own wedding photos after regularly telling my clients to print their photos. I thought it was worth a quick chat about!

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Looking out rather than looking in

It’s so much easier to tell others the right thing to do, than it is to tell yourself. That is the simple fact of it. We can dish it out, but we can’t listen to our own advice. We’re our own worst enemies at times, aren’t we?

But are we doing a disservice to ourselves by behaving this way? That’s what I explore in this episode. Have a listen and let me know your thoughts!

Links:

👉🏻 A quick reminder that you don’t need to should all over yourself!

By the way… I’m pausing the podcast for a few months as the next little while is going to be pretty busy! Consider this the end of season 1, if you will. I will be back in 2027 with more episodes. Maybe even a few guest episodes! If you have ideas or suggestions on what you’d like me to talk about, or you’re interested in being a guest, drop me an email ([email protected]). I’m excited to hear your thoughts!

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

Why is it we creatives think we have to keep creating all the time? That’s what I’m talking about in this episode… the balance between creation and filling the well.

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Now what?

After spending 15 months drafting my (then) 110K word novel, there should have been joy and pride at the moment I typed “The End”, right? But actually, what first crossed my mind was “now what?”

But just because we’re creative, doesn’t mean we have the capacity to create all. the. time. You can only put so much out before you need to top up the well, or the bucket, or the cup (or whatever vessel you imagine yourself to be). You need to digest and absorb other things when you’re running on empty.

Some of the ways I like to recharge involve photography for fun, playing with different lenses and bits of kit. I also adore macramé and have made several wall hangings and planters for friends and family.

If you’re a creative who’s feeling burned out or uninspired, this could be a sign that you need to spend some time refilling your well too! Let me know how you go about doing that :-)

Links:

👉🏻 The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

We all make mistakes and failure is inevitable. That’s not as pessimistic as it might sound, I promise you. This very podcast episode is an example of failure. I was meant to get this up and out four days ago and… I forgot. So, here you are, getting it four days late. A failure, no? Well, no, not really.

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Did anyone die, though?

I think we creatives are terrible at dealing with failure. We internalise it so deeply and beat ourselves up so hard over any kind of failure—a small mistake to something much bigger and more shame-making.

And yet, as creatives, we open ourselves up to failure so very much. The failure of our work being rejected or having people not like it is ever-present. Why do we do it to ourselves?

Surely it would just be better to hide under a duvet and never put anything out into the world ever again? Well… nooooo. I’m definitely not saying that. Have a listen to the episode and see what I’m talking about.

Links:

👉🏻 This episode was inspired by Jen Knox’s beautiful article.

👉🏻 My writing Instagram account.

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

I feel like I should start this by saying I’m not religious and I’m really only a little bit woo-woo (I do the occasional tarot spread and I’ve got a handful of crystals on my desk in front of me). But ever since I started acknowledging that the Universe is listening and she’s got my back, I’ve noticed a lot more happening around me. And that’s kind of what today’s episode is all about.

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Yellow cars and brand shoots

Yes, this is an episode of stories because I’ve really only started noticing stuff happening in recent months and they seem like the perfect kind of way to illustrate the point I’m trying to make. Bear with me… there really is a point I’m making.

There is also science behind the woo—not that I explain it very well at all, which is why I’ve shared a link to whatever in the heck I’m talking about. ;-)

I’d love to know, though, if any of this resonates with you and if you have any of your own stories of noticing after putting something out into the Universe!

Links:

👉🏻 The post about Scotland I refer to is here 👇🏻

👉🏻 A little bit about Frequency Illusion

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

I’ve had the opportunity to do a bit of fangirling over people in my industry more than a few times since I first started my business back in 2012. I got the opportunity to meet them all over the years but I never told them how much they inspired me—it’s possible they still knew I was a fan-girl though… *cringe*

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Someone fangirled over me, too!

The point of this whole episode? I had a DM from one of the lovely business owners that I have been following for years and am always inspired by and she said this:

Just in case you can’t see the image above, it’s a series of DMs that read:

Emma: If your ears are burning, Alicia and I have just been fangirling about you to Talia in the accountability call, and raving about your website.

Me: Hahahaha awwwww thank you! ☺️

Me: I was snoozing so you’re all good. Am also finding the idea of anyone “fangirling” over me slightly hilarious 🤣🤣🤣

Emma: Oh yeah, Alicia loves your newsletters, we were saying how they’re so well formatted and always have something useful, so they fall into the holy grail of emails - ones we save to actually properly read with a cuppa

Honestly, it was a message that made my week because you can put a lot of stuff out into the world and never know if it’s really landing.

The whole experience gave me a lot to think about, least of all how we don’t let people know often enough that they’re awesome and we love what they’re doing.

It’s a good reminder that even if you haven’t had lots of likes and follows and shares, it doesn’t mean that people aren’t loving what you’re doing.

And it’s also a good reminder that if there’s someone out there that you admire, do take a minute to let them know at some stage because I know they will appreciate it very much!

Enjoy the episode and let me know who you admire below!

Links:

👉🏻 My fangirl… Emma Cossey from The Freelance Lifestyle and her excellent podcast, The Freelancer’s Teabreak

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

Running a business can be a lonely business, especially when bad, scary or difficult things happen. The thing is, you’re a smart person, but when it comes to your business, it’s hard not to take things personally. That’s kind of what I’m talking about in this episode.

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It never gets easier

I’ve been running a business since 2012 and even after all this time, bad feedback can knock me sideways.

That’s exactly what happened recently, when I got less than ideal feedback from a client I’d thought I’d done a really good job for.

Without going into too much detail, my initial reaction was “I need to do something about this, I need to fix this.” My gut reaction was to jump into my emails and get in touch to figure out how I could make this better.

Thankfully, I took a second to think and, instead of emailing the client, I sent a message to my business bestie, Carla Watkins. And I’m really glad I did. She talked me off the ledge and helped me to see the feedback wasn’t a direct critique on my work, but rather on their experiences of the process, something no one else had ever had an issue with before (after many years of dealing with this type of offer in the same way every time).

Without reaching out to my friend, I dread to think what I would have done that day.

The funny thing is… I know all the stuff my business friends advise me. It’s just so much easier to hear it from someone else than to try and tell it to yourself. Right? If you’re nodding along to that, then you definitely need some business friends in your pocket.

Keep listening for tips on how to widen your business friends circle.

Links:

👉🏻 The Creative Reboot Podcast

👉🏻 Carla’s website

👉🏻 And if you’d like one of those “Little Chats” with me, drop me an email and I’ll send you the link!

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

Newsflash: Marketing your business isn’t just social media.

I know, right?

I’m often surprised how many people only ever consider social media as a marketing tool and nothing else. But there’s a lot more tools at your disposal (and no, it doesn’t have to be icky networking or paying for ads, either).

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An apology

Forgive me, this episode is definitely longer than my usual 10-ish minutes but only because there were a lot of things I wanted to share with you. So, I’m hoping that the additional 5ish minutes won’t be too painful for you. What can I say? Grab yourself two snacks while you listen? ;-)

In this episode I figured I’d talk practicalities (given my last episode was all about you being more visible in your business). So, I dig into all the ways in which you can market yourself and your business outside of posting on Instagram.

The overriding message, though, is that you don’t have to do ALL the things. Just pick the ones that feel most doable and stick with those. And I’m betting you’re already doing more of them than you think!

Got questions about any of this episode? Feel free to drop a comment below!

Links

👉🏻 Quiet by Susan Cain

👉🏻 Company of One by Paul Jarvis

👉🏻 Deanna Seymour’s guide on how to create a static grid

👉🏻 How to build an Instagram 9-grid (with practical sizing guide)

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

Now, I’m not having a pop at anyone here. I’ve been just as guilty of doing this myself… but I think it’s time we had a chat about this idea that talking about what you do is “bothering” people, don’t you think?

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Here’s what I know…

This belief is holding you back. It’s stopping you to be more visible (even just a little bit - I know, that’s an uncomfortable word for us introverts!). And yes, there are lots of ways to market your business but, for the most part, they all pretty much entail one thing… talking about yourself and what you do.

That’s why I’m digging into this topic in this episode. I want to remind you that it’s ok to talk about yourself on social media. It’s ok to send out emails about your business and your offers. It’s ok to proudly stand up and say ‘Hey, I’m a [what you do]!’ and be confident in that.

And if you’re up for it, there might be a teeny-tiny little challenge for you at the end of the episode. If you give it a whirl, please drop a comment below and tell me how it worked out!

Links

👉🏻 Being Freelance podcast episode with Katie Chappell

👉🏻 All the ways to get on my mailing list: The Home Page Copy ReviewThe Brand Voice Guide Notion TemplateGet Great Testimonials freebieJust get the emails

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

At the time of sending this podcast out into the world, I have just received my first real rejection for a piece I submitted to a short story competition late last year.

If you saw my post on LinkedIn, you know that’s not something I’m mad at. If anything, I’m seeing it as a sign that I’m finally making it as a writer! All the best writers have had rejections, don’t you know.

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But what does that have to do with making more time for creativity? Well, I obviously go into this more in the episode, but one of the ways in which I’ve made more time to write in the last 18 months or so has been to enter competitions, just to prove to myself I can do it.

The delicious side effect of making more time to write, though? I’m feeling more creative than I ever have before. So much so, I’ve already got a title and idea for my next novel, before I’ve even finished my last one.

Another thing I’ve dabbled with of late has been writing groups and writing buddies, both of which I’m very excited about. So much so, I’m actually considering setting up my own online writing group this year (drop me a comment or email if that sounds like something you’re interested in).

Links:

👉🏻 I couldn’t find the specific 100 rejections person I’d seen previously, but it seems this article might be the thing that started it all: Kim Liao’s ‘Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections a Year’.

👉🏻 Lauren Kay’s free Critique Partner Connection directory. Well worth signing up to her mailing list too!

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!

What are you keeping quiet about yourself that we probably would love to know?

I asked that question of myself recently, after reading a beautiful post or email (I can’t remember which) from the very lovely Laura Robinson over at Worditude. She talked about how she knew she’d finally found her crowd after sharing about some of the more “secret” parts of her life when they made random comments to her about looking at the moon, or talking about being woo.

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And then I got to thinking about “professionalism”. I have a love/hate relationship with that word. Not because I don’t believe in being professional and providing the best possible experience for my clients. I absolutely do! But more because I don’t believe to be professional you have to look or behave in a certain way.

Yes, I get on my high horse about this (for just a minute!), but only to make the point that you can still be professional and be yourself, quirks and all, in your business and brand.

Look, I might be neurodivergent and, as a result, a chronic oversharer, but even I have a line and I don’t share absolutely everything with you all. But there’s quite a lot that I do share. I don’t mind talking about my previous life as a paramedic, or sharing how frazzled my brain can get (with a combination of AuDHD and perimenopause, thankyouverymuch). I often share when I make mistakes (because #relatable) or when I’ve been a total klutz (read: A LOT). And everything I put out into the world very much is in line with my values, because it’s important to me that the people I work with align with them too.

Consider this episode a reminder to talk about yourself a little bit more! I promise, your audience (the ones that matter, anyway) will stick around and love you all the more for it.

And because I promised in the episode… here’s a photograph of me for the folks who haven’t seen me before! 👇🏻

You can learn more about me, Sarah Wayte, on my website. Thanks so much for listening!