​​​​​​​Recently, I’ve been reflecting on where I’ve been and where I want to go, both in my business and in life.

I’ve learned a lot about what works for me and what doesn’t, the latter always bringing more change. I’m leaning into a new direction that feels more aligned with who I am and what I value: a calm business and simple, gentle marketing. Not the shouty, showing-up everyday kind of online presence that I despise.

Although I feel some of these shifts are still midway and there’s more to uncover, I think it’s important to share the imperfect process.

This post was originally written at the end of 2019 and included part of my bigger vision for the future. In hindsight (I’m writing this note in 2024), these changes have only become more relevant as I’ve continued down the path I laid out here. I’ve written present-day updates to show how it all played out in reality.

A journey towards quiet marketing and calm business

I’m happily staying small

Yes, indeed. I’m embracing it.

In a world full of opinions and definitions of success, it can be hard to stay grounded in your own vision. Over the years, I’ve felt the pressure to scale, grow, and chase the numbers that supposedly equate to success: six figures, launches, productivity hacks like waking up at 5 a.m., and all the other “must-dos” that, apparently mean you’re doing business the right way.

Here’s the thing: everyone is selling their definition of success.

I’ve reached a point where I’m truly so over it.

As I sat down this year to reflect on my 5-year vision for my business, I realized I need to stop questioning myself. I cannot move forward following someone else’s arbitrary blueprint, and need to follow my own path.

Let’s be real, it’s not about what someone else tells you to do. The problem is if it makes you question yourself and lose touch with your values.

Just because others are doing something that works for them doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for me (or for you). This feels like such a Captain Obvious statement, but I guess I lost sight of it for a while.

One of the core values of Jungle Soul Collective is the wholehearted belief that business should serve your life, not the other way around. When I looked at my big-picture life plan and the role my business plays in it, I realized that staying small and focused feels completely right for me.

I thrive working solo, making decisions on my own, and not managing a team. I love a calm business and don’t feel the need to constantly expand it.

Here’s how I see it. As long as I do what feels right and keep focused on my path, everything is in flow.

This approach has always worked for me. The only time I get off course is when I let external pressures or what others are doing distract me.

2024 update: I’m elated to say that I’m right where I dreamed of being when I first wrote this post in 2019! This success is thanks to the five-year vision I wrote down back then, and my hell-bent determination to succeed by doing business and marketing my way. My business is calm and peaceful, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s at times been difficult to stay true to myself and trust that a quiet business strategy would lead me where I am, but here I am.

I am not my business

The beauty of doing what you love is that it can easily take over your life. While I love working and growing my business, I’ve realized that it’s easy to slip into “always on” mode. It’s one thing to be actively working with clients, but it’s another to juggle learning, testing, refining the client experience, managing emails, marketing, and all the other moving parts of running a business.

I love my work, and I’m obsessed with it in a healthy way. But here’s the truth: business is not my sole purpose or passion. I’m a multifaceted person, and I want to honor all parts of who I am, not just the business owner side of me.

There’s so much I love to do outside of my business!

I’m nurturing a garden and growing almost 100 houseplants. I love reading and collecting handbooks on my favorite topics. I’ve recently started learning and practicing nature videography. My partner and I recently bought a homestead, and we spend a lot of time planning our first house. I love to try new recipes (my current obsession is canning), knit sweaters, and host our friends. I travel and edit videos to look back on when I’m old and grey. I have personal goals and projects that have nothing to do with business.

In this next season, I intend to protect my me-time even more fiercely. I want to nurture my interests and hobbies outside of business. I’ve created a new schedule that clearly defines how much I want to work on and in my business, and when I’ll take time off.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s not about chasing a perfect work-life balance. I’m not even sure that exists. It’s also not about creating a four-hour workweek. What I’m striving for is a balance that fits the season of life I’m in right now. We’ll see how it goes.

2024 update: The house I mentioned has been built, and I’m currently writing this from my home office with a view of my apple orchard and two deer (I think they’re drunk from the apples). I’m very lucky because my business has never felt more like home than it does today. It’s an extension of me. That said, my business is still not my sole purpose or passion. My true passions lie elsewhere, and I firmly believe that’s the healthiest way to exist in this space (it’s one of my core philosophies). Keeping that perspective allows me to show up here, but still have balance and room for the other parts of my life that make me happy.

Freeing up time and mental bandwidth

I feel like I’m always balancing the desire to learn something new with the urge to shut off all streams of information and go offline. Sometimes the noise just gets too much, and it’s too easy to get caught up in consuming instead of creating.

So I’m eliminating 95% of the information noise.

I’ve gone all in – ruthlessly unsubscribing from newsletters, unfollowing blogs, podcasts, and people, cutting back on my YouTube subscriptions, leaving or muting Facebook groups that no longer align with my current interests, and stepping away from constant scrolling. I’ve cleaned up my digital space, keeping only what truly serves and inspires me at the moment, and it’s been so refreshing!

The biggest shift has been stopping mindless scrolling. It’s incredibly freeing to have the time back, and also free up some mental bandwidth that’s been occupied by things I’ve seen.

2024 update: I still subscribe to everything I said here. I’d add that since then I’ve written about protecting my mental space by choosing not to keep up with other people in my niche.

Further reading (about keeping a tight sphere of influence): HSP in Business: 5 Mindful Ways I Prioritize Calm

Simplifying and niching down even more

When I first niched down to Pinterest marketing, I offered 6-7 services, and honestly, it felt like I was spreading myself too thin. It left me (and my audience) feeling confused.

Over time, I niched down, then I niched down again… and again.

Well, with time and experience comes clarity. Recently, I’ve made another shift by moving away from monthly retainers and focusing solely on consulting, auditing (which has always been my most popular service), and creating strategies.

While I still have monthly management clients at the moment, I’m gradually phasing out that offering in favor of launching my signature service. I’ve been refining this service for some time, and the feedback from early access clients has been overwhelmingly positive, so I’m very excited!

Going forward, I’m also looking into ways to make my schedule more spacious and transform my work process to be in tune with my nature. I’m entering a hectic time in my personal life, and at the same time, I’m feeling more disconnected from traditional sales calls and running business the “normal way.” I feel like it’s not aligned with my natural strengths, and there’s an upcoming shift buried somewhere in there.

2024 update: Consulting has always been my sweet spot. My schedule has never been more spacious, thanks to a mix of week-long intensives, shorter audits, and asynchronous Pinterest consulting. I’m no longer overwhelmed with my schedule and have plenty of offline time. It’s been a few years since I phased out sales and discovery calls (or any calls, really) in favor of Voxer and Signal-based communication, and it’s been a game changer. I had an introverted/highly sensitive person awakening which inspired me to structure my business around my strengths.

Further reading (goes deeper into services and using VIP days): 4 Surprising Things I No Longer Do for My Business

Further reading (talks about no longer offering calls and how I vet my clients): HSP in Business: 5 Mindful Ways I Prioritize Calm

New content policy

In 2019, I published 6 blog posts – 4 at the start of the year, and 2 in the autumn. I took a long gap as I no longer felt aligned with my content strategy.

At the same time, I actively kept in touch with my list, sharing not only value-driven emails but also my more controversial thoughts on the industry, online business, and even my own life.

Being authentic, transparent, and showing the other side of my business worked wonders! Up until that point, I had never had a consistent 45-55% open rate, and I’d never received as many replies to my newsletter, with people appreciating the fresh perspective I brought.

I love it too!

As an introvert, I’ve always been most comfortable sharing openly in a close-knit community. My email list has become that space – a private community where I let loose and show up as I am. It bridges the gap between me, the content creator, and you, the reader. There’s no resistance. But on the blog, I’d previously stayed on the safe side, in my comfort zone, sticking to the safe topics I knew my audience valued.

That’s no longer the case.

Going forward, I want to bring the same approach to the blog. I’ll focus less on basic step-by-step guides and more on sharing the valuable, real-world insights I’ve gained through my own experiences, controversial opinions included (yes, I have a lot of those!). My Pinterest content will still be geared toward everything you need to know to build and grow your own Pinterest presence, but I’ll also be sharing more eye-opening perspectives along the way.

We’ll also get more personal. After all, I’m the woman behind this business, and I think it’s important for us to really get to know each other and share our stories.

2024 update: I did fall off the wagon of publishing new content for a while. Life got busy with real-world priorities, like the house-building project I mentioned earlier. But overall, I’ve stayed on this path, and it still rings true. I’ve received lots of positive feedback on sharing my personal experiences and revelations, especially when it comes to being an HSP in business. These posts resonate with others who share similar traits (and therefore challenges), and I’m happy I’ve been able to make a difference. I’ve also been refining my approach to blogging and recently wrote about some updates to my blog writing process (linked below).

Further reading: HSP in Business: 5 Mindful Ways I Prioritize Calm

Bye social media, welcome gentle marketing

With my first anniversary of taking an indefinite social media hiatus approaching in January 2020, I’ve finally figured out how I want to use social media for my business. It doesn’t involve over-the-top curation, scheduling posts weeks in advance, or obsessing over growth, likes, and followers. I’ve been there, and done that, and it no longer aligns with the way I’m running Jungle Soul Collective these days.

Instead, I’m embracing a laid-back, organic, and authentic approach (focusing on using social media to build connections and relationships). Honestly, I’d rather spend my time engaging with others than curating a perfect online presence.

That is if I decide to re-enter social media at all. A year ago, I replaced Instagram with a referral program, in addition to relying on Pinterest and SEO. That approach has been working wonders.

As of now, I have no desire or plan to return to social media, although I never say never. I’m a believer in opting for the calmer, more intentional options.

2024 update: I’m so happy I quit social media! One of my top-tier decisions. Marketing without social media is possible; I’ve been thriving this way for over five years. It’s funny because I was worn out and exhausted. These days, I’m using Instagram more than I ever thought I would (but not for this business). Instead, I’m using it personally and for another project, creating tons of Reels and having fun. The difference? I’m approaching it as a creative outlet to inspire and connect, not as a means to drive leads or treat it like a funnel entry point.

Further reading: Slow Marketing: How to Choose Content Marketing Strategies That Feel Good & Attract Aligned Clients

So those are the main shifts I’m making. I’m excited! Maybe we’ll check in next year to see how everything has unfolded!

Before you go, pin this for later!