Some things about entrepreneurial life are absolutely amazing. Such as spending all day with my dog, wearing pajamas to work, and not taking meetings before ten.
Other parts suck. Such as having great ideas and not feeling comfortable getting them out in front of people without feeling like you're a dancing monkey in a funny hat. (In fact, you may have felt like a dancing monkey in a funny hat since first grade, which, same).
But you gotta eat. So you gotta sell.
Making this extra doubly difficult is that rejection sensitive side of you that wants to do the absolute MOST for your people. You want to give and give and give to prove that you're worthy of your clients' hard earned cash. But that puts you right back into the burnout that had you turning to self-employment in the first place.
Your. Offers. Are. Dope.
When you sanitize them and make them look pretty and palatable for the masses, you're missing out on the freaks that really get you.
look this is a weird metaphor but stick with me
My dog is the love of my life. But she eats cat shit like it's a Snickers bar.
Dogs eat cat poop for lots of reasons. They're bored. It smells interesting. They have a vitamin deficiency. When we have a deficiency in our business, we also tend to go rooting around for whatever is the most enticing... meaning a lot of freebies, quick start blueprints, and grabbing at the nearest accessible thing that seems like it might be edible.
For auDHD entrepreneurs, we will try and Frankenstein together fourteen freebies and blog posts we read from business experts, all the while thinking we need to find the One Strategy to rule them all.
That strategy is already inside you. It's been with you all along.
It's the 19,000 pieces of trivia you've been storing since you started your work in this world.
You just have to figure out YOUR best method of getting it out of your brain and into your dream clients' eyeballs.
Try a cat shit metaphor. It might work.
Client Testimonial: Tristan Morgan, Tax Professional
by being more of yourself, not less!
"I hired Caitlin as a marketing coach to support my small business marketing goals to market more effectively to the LGBTQ+ community for more exposure and to grow my clientele.
When Caitlin suggested blogging to build a body of work discussing the intersection of my work and queerness, I was paralyzed. Caitlin helped me overcome my self consciousness, making me more comfortable exploring my writing voice and the many ways it's possible to overlay otherwise dry topics like taxes with more relatable and interesting aspects of our lives.
I'm now able to communicate almost any topic and loop it into what's most important to my clients: Building effective strategies for families of all shapes and sizes."
I work with entrepreneurs, freelancers, and indie creatives who...
and talk about their brain as a separate entity, because sometimes that bitch is seriously doing things without our input.
for their work, even when it feels like absolute crap to try and turn that work into money.
and will go out of their way to say hello to a bumblebee or give a pep talk to a flower in the concrete, because the world is crushingly overwhelming but also beautiful in tiny ways.
but need a little push to get the fire lit under their ass to tell other people.
My first freelance writing gig was for a hair supplement company, and I am 99% sure I wrote a blog about rubbing onion juice on bald spots to stimulate regrowth.
Since that initial client in December 2011, I have written content for so many industries and topics that I'm not sure how we didn't see the ADHD until I was 30.
A pigment manufacturer
A yoga studio
A vegetarian cafe
A queer-led preschool
An environmental nonprofit
A statewide LGBTQ+ publication
A branding expert with golden retriever energy
A million+ dollar money mindset coach
A civil rights attorney
A greenhouse with national houseplant brands
An organic mattress company
I've written content for blogs, social media, websites, emails, ads, magazines, press releases, trade show booths, books, and speaking pitches.
I can make a metaphor out of anything and relate it back to the brand.
Writing shit is my JAM.
Let's not waste our time. Here are some polarizing values that should make you click the X or continue reading like "holy shit, where have you been all my life?"
I'm a founding member of Writers Against Gen-AI and will NOT be teaching you how to use ChatGPT, Midjourney, or any other generative AI.
I want you to make buckets of cash, but we're not going to perpetuate any exploitive methods to make a profit (including exploiting yourself).
I am NOT an industry expert. I am an auDHD person who has learned marketing and writing through experience.
I don't want money to be the reason you don't buy this. If money is tight, please use coupon code LILGUY50 to get in here for $750 or 6 payments of $125.
This is a six month foray into the haunted forest of my brain where I keep all things marketing and writing. There's a shit ton of supports to make sure you're actually implementing what you learn.
Why isn't it more specific, like "writing Instagram captions" or "blogging for SEO"? Because my mind cannot conceive of doing something that is so specific. I will go on tangents. The tangents are baked into this one. We're going on an adventure to break all the rules. >:D
During our weekly time together, we'll rotate between active teaching sessions and drop-in office hours for you to get feedback or coaching on what you're learning.
A monthly four hour session to batch your content, get a spot check by me and your fellow chaos demons, and steer your hyperfocus into tasks that move your business forward.
It's like Slack but more fun. A private server for you to make connections, get asynchronous feedback and coaching, and vent as needed!
Client Testimonial: Kristy Black, Brand Designer
to make outsourcing easier when you're ready
"Hiring Caitlin to support my brand's marketing has been a GAME. CHANGER. They so expertly capture my voice in every piece of content they create for me, and sometimes I have to do a double take to make sure I didn't write it myself. Caitlin gets me and gets my brand - and as a branding designer and coach, that's 1000% necessary for me. I've worked with Caitlin for two years now and look forward to more! When I tell people I don't do all my own content, their jaws fall to the floor. Not even the people who have followed me for years can tell that Caitlin even writes it!" ❤️
In our first month together we'll explore your brand, values, and offers to make sure you're marketing things you actually want to market. By the end of this month, you'll have a better understanding of what you actually want to do with your business long-term.
Before our course begins, catch up on my free Copy Improv Workshop, the basis for this course!
Why? Because understanding the place that common marketing advice comes from helps you know which "rules" actually apply to you.
Make a decision about the platforms you want to be marketing on - because it's sure as hell not "all of them."
Why? Because it's OVERWHELMING to think about how to do email, and five social platforms, and a website, and a blog...
Guest Expert Kristy Black
Your brand values are the number one way you'll connect with your ideal clients.
Why? Because having clear brand values will make deciding WHAT to write about and WHO you're writing to super simple.
Client Testimonial: Anne-Marie Lindsey, Author and Editor
to make content creation easy for yourself
"Caitlin helped me create an entire brand profile in just one hour! I was able to make a website based on the work we did together, and I’m so proud of it. It felt like they could read my mind. Marketing is high on the list of Caitlin’s many gifts!"
After learning the basics of the Copy Improv method, you'll put them into practice and notice when it feels uncomfortable. Bring that discomfort to coaching or post in our Discord for feedback - often it's a sign that your mask and your authentic voice aren't lining up, and there's a fear of visibility or rejection underneath. The goal of this phase is to clearly identify what's working for you (and what isn't).
Part of improving your marketing means looking at past campaigns and evaluating what worked and what didn't - including how it felt before, during, and after your launch.
Why? Because without looking back at what did and didn't work for you means you'll just keep doing random shit with no rhyme or reason.
As you work toward your second month of marketing your real voice, fears around rejection start coming in hot.
We'll coach through them and make sure you have a toolkit of nervous system regulating tactics.
Why? Because feeling like you're a big dumb imposter SUCKS ASS.
One of the biggest time and energy savers in content marketing is repurposing content.
Why? Because people need to see an offer multiple times before they buy, and getting comfortable repeating yourself is so much easier than trying to come up with 17 totally brand new ways to talk about it.
Client Testimonial: Rose Noir, Latex Designer
to reach your right-and-ready people!
"I've always been afraid that my knowledge is too weird, or niche, and Caitlin's approach to content marketing has shown me that my content will resonate with the right people and not everyone has to 'get it.'
Caitlin's matrix is super helpful because it gives me parameters as a starting point. It really helped me figure out why I didn't like what I was writing before, and now I know that each piece of content has its own purpose to call in people just finding me, deepening their relationship with me, or are already my fans who want to see behind the scenes and know more about me."
Once you've found out how your brain likes to create your copy, and how your clients like to interact with it, we'll systematize your process and add a level of novelty and fun to keep the ADHD entertained. By the end of this course, you'll have a repeatable routine that feels fun and easy instead of making you freak out and forget everything you know about your brilliance.
Guest Expert: Alexis Bushnell
Alexis Bushnell will guide us through using an app like Notion to create a streamlined process based on what you've found works best for you.
Why? Checkboxes, honestly. No, it's because once you have a method that's actually working for you, you should write that down.
ADHD likes to play tricks with time. We'll learn ways you can make your marketing into a game to keep your brain entertained.
Why? Because you may as well do all the "trial and error" parts in a safe space where it's okay to vent about it when a new trick doesn't work.
As we wrap up our time together, our final session includes an optional Show and Tell, for you to brag on a piece of content you're proud of!
Why? Because I LOVE YOU AND I WANNA SEE WHAT YOU MADE.
Absolutely. Best case scenario, you get a new perspective or something you hadn't considered before. Worst case, you lean back and get a refresher course.
You'll still get a lot out of the way we tie branding to copywriting and marketing that sets up learnings for the rest of the intensive.
Yep! If you're okay with recorded or written feedback, I can absolutely accommodate. The only thing I can't guarantee is that we can do a live call for your feedback.
The get it done day IS a really big benefit of joining the intensive, but it's not the be-all-end-all. If you can attend the lessons and are open to submitting your work for feedback, you will still get a lot out of this course.
If you can't attend any of the lessons, office hours, or get it done days, this probably is not the right time for you to take the Copy Improv intensive :(
It's not about how long you've been in business, but rather about your comfort level in marketing your business.
You can be a 10+ year entrepreneurial veteran who still wants to throw up every time you send an email, or a brand new marketer who just isn't sure what to say and where to say it.
I literally just texted someone to ask if I really had to download Voxer, so I feel you.
While we'll be learning about Notion and other task management tools, you absolutely do not have to use them. In fact, most of my systems are just Google Docs.
Grab a spot on my calendar to chat about whether or not this program, and my coaching style, is indeed your next step forward!
Some of these are from creative writing clients but the vibes are still 10/10.
Our riffing makes me better and funnier and I'm not even sure you know it (because obviously I'm already amazing and hilarious) but I feel it and it definitely comes out in my writing in everything from bullshit Facebook comments to deep emotional shit. My life AND my writing are better with you in them.
Caitlin made me realize that "real writing" is the writing that brings me fulfillment. They are one of the best people I have ever met to inspire geniune confidence and joy in myself and the things that I create.
Caitlin walked me through a super fun and intuitive framework to lay out my entire novel outline and I SWEAR TO GOD they are a writing genius and will help you write your book.