Lately, I’ve been applying KonMari magic to my business and weeding out mindsets, strategies, and tactics that bring anything but joy. It’s been a blast, to say the least.
So whether you love to get a peek behind the scenes or are just binging (hey I see you), this is for you.
What I No Longer Do for My Business
1. Send out client materials as PDFs
Earlier this year I made the switch from pdfs to hidden pages on my website.
Look, I’m a sucker for gorgeous, branded, informational pdfs. I’ve delivered pricing brochures, welcome guides, and goodbye packets as pdfs for a better part of running my online business. If done well, it’s an instant client experience upgrade.
But you know what makes for an even better client experience?
Ensuring all my clients – past or present – always have the most up-to-date information about my services and processes.
The problem with pdfs is that the information is hard to update. Once your pdfs are out there, clients can keep them around for years, share them with other people and there’s not much you can do about it other than send out revised copies.
Just this year I had repeat clients (which I’m very grateful though) using my old pricing guides to inquire about services I haven’t offered in years. It gets old pretty quickly.
I don’t want outdated information about my services and processes floating around and cultivating confusion (not to mention extra work for myself), which is why my onboarding and offboarding information are now shared as separate hidden pages on my website. The link never changes, but I can make updates in a jiffy.
2. Offer services outside VIP days
It’s one thing to find a way of working that suits you as a person, and another to find a work schedule that suits your current season of life.
I’ve realized that I don’t thrive working on long-term projects. I hate having to divide my attention between multiple clients. I hate when projects drag on. And I definitely hate when projects overlap.
It’s partly the reason why I stopped offering Pinterest monthly management. I don’t want to just get the job done, I want to do it with drive and passion.
Also, my current season of life is unstable. We’re in the middle of our house build and sharing our time between our city apartment and homestead. With all the madness going on it is not feasible to work the same schedule as I did before.
For me, switching to the VIP day business model (combined with niching down) is the solution for both.
The week I ran my test VIP days was probably one of my most profound aha moments ever! I was like, why haven’t I done this before? It’s genius!
One day of dedicated work on a single client – sign me up! I loved every minute of it and after seeing the affirmative feedback from clients, I was sold.
I love the fact that not only do I get to work in the zone focusing on solving a problem for just one client at a time, but my clients also get the best bang for their buck in a fraction of the time it would usually take.
So long story short, I’ve been thinking that I’ll keep offering them even after we move and settle back into a stable lifestyle.
If you’re intrigued by the idea of a day rate, I recommend checking out Systems Saved Me and Ashlyn Writes’ post.
3. Offer services (and take on clients) that don’t feel right
Um, Captain Obvious?
Nothing surprising here.…
Joking aside, it pains me how many times I’ve kept offering a profitable service I didn’t connect with anymore. It’s hard sometimes to let go and step out of the comfy zone.
I started out my online business working on social media for small businesses. Back then I was studying marketing and loved it, not to mention people were always looking for social media help.
But after a couple of years, I lost the spark for handling other people’s socials. It was time to move on. I was so sick and tired of it that I remember to this day what a relief it was to finally sign off on projects that no longer lit me up.
The lesson here is that it’s not worth offering a profitable service if it’s quietly killing you inside. I know for me especially I have to believe in what I’m doing and it has to feel right, otherwise, I’m on a fast lane to burnout.
In the past few years, I’ve stopped offering monthly management and pin graphics because I felt misaligned. I still get people asking about it every now and then but it feels good to refer to someone better suited instead.
Your set of services is something you constantly edit and improve as you gain more experience. It can never go stagnant and feel like a burden.
4. Be afraid to experiment
Experimenting = possibly failing. That’s the mindset I was stuck in for so long.
Oh my god, it has felt amazing(ly terrifying) to steer off the beaten path, take risks and try things out that feel right for me.
Every failed decision and misdirection has brought me closer to the business I want to run. For every failure, there has been a win that has changed JSC for the better.
Running experiments has also taught me that running a business and marketing with your strengths is the only way to go.
For example, last year I decided to finally follow my gut and quit doing calls with my clients in favor of Voxer and email.
Why? Because I’m more well-spoken in written communication. My mind runs a million miles an hour, and when I write, I have the time to get my thoughts in order and communicate more clearly and effectively. Communicating by text is my strength, yet all this time I’d been going against the grain, against my nature.
I just had to let the calls go and see what happened.
Long story short, I wound up discovering there are A LOT more women in business who don’t like communicating over calls.
I now tap into a market of women in business (including HSP and socially anxious women) whose needs have gone unnoticed in our Zoom-crazy world, get to work with my strengths, and communicate better with my clients. Why, oh why didn’t I do this earlier?
Since then I’ve extended the call ban to other people and businesses reaching out asking if we can hop on a call to discuss something that can be said in an email 99% of the time.
Of a long list of things I changed or am changing, these ones made the biggest difference. If you take anything away from this post, be it the permission. Permission to do things your way. Permission to quit. Permission to change. Permission to do something because it’s right for you, not because you “should”. Permission to feel good in your business.
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I absolutely love this post Maris. -So glad I found you, and this post. So resonates with me and gives me encouragement to do things my way too.
Great stuff!
Aww yes!! More power to you, Abbs!
Great tips. Definitely getting rid of the PDFs. About to add VIP days back and get a city apartment AND homestead ☺️ Seriously, thank you.
Yes, yes, and yes!
Would you reject a call request from a potential client? They say that being willing to have a (video) call is a sign that someone (and their business) is legit. What do you think?
Good question, Hida. Yes, you could say that calls used to be a trust signal, but in the context of 2025, even nonexistent people can show up as “real” on video or in a call, so it doesn’t necessarily prove legitimacy anymore. If anything, calls can help you figure out if you vibe, but even then, not everyone needs a call to know it’s a match. You can often tell if you’re aligned with someone through their writing, website and text or audio messaging.
So, to answer your question: I would. But since setting these boundaries a few years ago, I haven’t had potential clients insist on a call. That’s partly due to the kind of women my messaging attracts. I’ve also noticed that about two-thirds of my clients seem to appear out of nowhere, but they’re ready to book without needing a call because they’ve been quietly following me for a while and have already made up their minds. The other third book a Voxer chat to connect with me before moving forward. That’s further proof to me that calls are not crucial.
I’ve also hired contractors myself without either of us needing a call, and they’ve been wonderful. But much like how my clients follow me, if I’m interested in hiring someone, I tend to “stalk” them too to get a feel for what they’re like. I’ll devour their content across every platform for months before I ever reach out. So those are my 2 cents.