#scale and serve

[scaleandserve]

The thing that pushed me over the edge...

I’ve come to the edge a lot. A lot, a lot. 

I started consistently freelancing when the father of my kids walked out one day nearly three years ago, pretty much without any notice, and I had 4 days to come up with rent. I didn’t have a bank account, any local resources, or any leads on finding any way to get money. So, I threw it out there I wrote content, and the journey began. 

Since then, I’ve accumulated an embarrassing amount of resources, mostly paid, that I’ve simply never gone through.

But what really pushed me to the edge was when I thought I’d lose housing assistance and realized I couldn’t afford housing or to keep my children in my custody if that happened. Talk about scary. 

Turns out, I still have housing assistance. That letter came in the mail today, but what also came in the mail was a book I had ordered from one of my online mentors, Dan Henry. It’s called “Digital Millionaire Secrets.” 

I knew I wanted to shift to creating online products and do more mastermind-level things in my business, so I shelled out the $8 or so in S&H. 

It came today, and I realized that I could easily just let this book pile up alongside all the other books I’ve ordered if I let it. 

And that’s when it hit me. I needed to document going through this so I have that external accountability. Even if nobody ever reads this, that I’m making this totally public means I need to keep up with it. I’m staying accountable not only to myself but to the little pixels and whatever the internet ether is made of. 

Besides, it’s 200 pages. I can read and apply 200 pages. I’ve done far more.

So, that’s why I’m starting with this one. I could gather all my resources, review each one, and try to make a chart of which I should go through in which order, but let’s be honest: Not only is this something I would have done a year ago to procrastinate, but it prevents me from making any real difference in my life and business today. 

(And, yes, I know it takes more than one day to get anywhere, but why delay the start, right?) 

So, that’s where I’m starting. 

If you want to follow along, you can get the book here. I’m not an affiliate and don’t get anything if you buy this, but I do believe in Dan’s approach and love sharing things I believe in. 

Next post, we dive into the good stuff. 

[scaleandserve]

A bit of context + purpose

Context is everything, don’t you agree? 

After all, it tells you important backstory info that helps you understand more about what this whole blog (and me) is about so you know if it applies to you. 

With that being said, hi. I’m Cayleigh. I’ve been in business for about 2.5 years, but I started out as just a freelance hustler. (So, not really a business to my standards.) Though I’ve been inconsistently freelance writing blog posts for 12 years, I’ve only consistently done this as my sole source of income for 2.5 years. I only started thinking about possibly taking it from freelancing to business about a 1.5 years ago, and I really started putting in the effort to do so about 5 months ago. Needless to say, it’s been a long ride, and I’ve learned a lot. 

I teach what I’ve learned, the basic fundamentals, to others who are just starting, but I’m at the point where I want to move away from done-for-you services to having a scalable business that serves at a higher level and has more impact. 

Hence this blog: Scale and Serve. 

I have about eleventy-bajillion business books and resources (courses, masterminds, videos, workbooks, etc) I’ve purchased in the last year, but I’ve yet to go through any of them fully. 

Now, I’m going to chip away at them one at a time, a little bit at a time. And I’m going to give you a front-row seat while I do it. 

Not only will I share with you exactly what I learn, but I’ll show you exactly how I apply it and the results of the application. (Which will be priceless since I’ll save you the time having to figure it out on your own.) 

I’m a big believer in organic marketing, which means I won’t be advertising. Which means I won’t go into anything (right now) that has anything to do with paid advertising. Which is good news for you if you’re like me and have precisely zero dollars allocated for an advertising budget. 

I have three businesses, but I’ll be applying these strategies primarily to just one for now. I’m transitioning from freelance content writing to having a brand messaging and content strategy agency. 

So, if you want to be along for the ride, let’s begin! 

PS If you’re curious, my other businesses are: 

1.) Line and copy editing services (sole founder)

2.) Literary magazine and production studio (cofounder + still setting up)