
In this episode, Carlissa LeBlanc shares how busy women can simplify their content marketing and stay visible—without burning out. She breaks down her strategy for batching a month of content in one day while juggling a full-time job, motherhood, and entrepreneurship.
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Carly
I had to find out a place where to land where my target audience lives. You know it didn't make sense for me to be on all of these platforms if only my target audience was spending majority and consistent on one of those platform.
Michelle Thames
Hey hey. Welcome to the Social Media Decoded Podcast, the Go to podcast for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to grow their brand, increase visibility and make more money without the overwhelm. I'm your host Michelle Thames, marketing strategist, business coach and the person who's here to give you the real no fluff strategies to help you succeed online. Each week I bring you expert insights, actionable tips and real talk about what's actually working in social media and digital marketing. Whether you're just starting or scaling the six figures figures you're in the right place. So grab your coffee or matcha if you're like me. And let's dive into today's episode. Now, listen, friend, if you have ever said, I don't have time to market my business because I have a 9 to 5, I have all these things. This episode is for you. Today's guest is out here running a business, raising a family, building her faith, and still managing to show up consistently online. And guess what? She's not burned out. I am so excited to welcome my friend Carly, the content marketing guru. Okay. And strategist and founder of CD Creative Co Agency, where she helps women entrepreneurs simplify their marketing and batch you a month worth of content in just one day. Do we love that? I know we love that. And she's doing all of this, y' all, with a full time job and hosting her own podcast, which I was on the the side Hustler podcast. Karlie, welcome to the show.
Carly
Listen. What an introduction. Okay. Hello. I'm so excited to be here.
Michelle Thames
Yes. I am so excited for you to be here too. I know we were having. We always have really good discussions, y' all, because, you know, when I find another marketing guru, we could talk marketing all day. And I'm excited to get into it. So let's talk a minute about your background. You were on a path to becoming a doctor, but now you're helping women build businesses. Let's talk about what really led you to that pivot and how your faith played a role in all of this.
Carly
Oh, my gosh. Yeah. So I was on the path of becoming a doctor. The first person in my family to graduate from college. And I, you know, with COVID had experienced all of these life shifts at one time. I ended up getting engaged, got married, got my first house, had my kid. And then I realized, like, okay, I don't even know if this is what I want to do. And then lo and behold, God was just like, yeah, actually, you're not going to school to be a doctor. And I was actually on my way to apply for medical school when all this had happened. I never had a desire to be an entrepreneur from the jump. I've seen people in my family try entrepreneurship and fail and were not fail, but they just wasn't as successful. They would end up quitting and then going back to work. So I never desired to be an entrepreneur. But when God was like, oh, yeah, you're actually going to be an entrepreneur, I'm like, wait, how does that work? You know, like, I'm just thrown in the trenches. I have no idea. No blueprint. Who am I supposed to go to? And so, you know, during COVID I was finding myself helping my church market during the heat of COVID And so I kind of like took marketing as like this little new baby and just ran with it. People would ask me at church all the time, like, oh, do you do this for businesses? And I'm like, no, but I could. And so who would have thought that like, you know, just that being obedience in, you know, learning how to market for my church was going to open up this opportunity that now has like given me so many opportunities within my business.
Michelle Thames
Now is amazing. And we all know sometimes we're pushed into it and we talked about my story and I think that that is so amazing. And we're gonna talk about too. You can definitely work a 9 to 5 and do all these things. And I know that you've built a successful marketing agency. I love what you do online. I think content is so important you all. So I don't care what type of business you have, if you're not posting content, no one's gonna see you. You know, I'm the visibility queen, right? And so let's really talk about you've built this success While working a 9 to 5 and being a mom. I know there's a lot of moms listening. I'm a mom as well. And most people always say that they do not have the time. But what's been the real secret to making it all work?
Carly
Yeah, I would say being disciplined. I mean, you know, and then also identifying like when you work best. So I have a, I have a corporate job, I work in clinical research and I work from home. But I have the flexibility of being able to have unlimited pto. I have half days on Fridays, you know, I have a lunch hour. Like I'm able to work around my schedule. And so with that, I'm able to structure my days with peak hours of when I'm most likely to be productive and when I'm not. I'm not a morning person at all. I'm a late out. I can stay up to 2am, wake up for my 8am meeting. Like nothing, you know, ever happened. You will not see me up at 5am at the gym. I realized that I know that that is not my strength and I'm able to accept that. And so with that, I would say whenever you are working a full time job and building a business, the key thing is to realizing when are you most likely to be productive. If you do work a 9 to 5. We know that 8 hours of your day are already consumed with your job. So if you find yourself being a morning person, then that means that you're going to have to get up early before you go to work to knock out some tasks, you know, and if you are a late owl, then that means after work, you're clocking in. And you should see me sometimes. Like, I'm closing one lapt up at five and opening the other one at five, honey. Like, it does not stop. But whenever you have the burning desire to be successful, like, you don't make excuses. You make. You make things happen. I remember when I first had to hire my nanny. You know, I was not like, oh, you know, I'm going to hire. I was so against the whole idea of having someone else come in and help me. But it was like, I'm so determined to build my business and with my husband traveling from work sometimes, which means that sometimes I'm a solo parent, that would take away time for me to be able to work on my business. And so I had to go over that hump and ask for help and get people to come in and help me so that I am able to continue to build my business and do the things that I need to do.
Michelle Thames
I love that we need to ask for help. That's what I'm hearing in this episode. If you are a mom, even if you're not a mom, ask for help. And I know some of us, you know, we don't have the villages and the things, but some there's things like care.com and so many websites where we can find trusted people to get the help we need. So I love that you shared the nanny and how you, you know, lean into that. And really, it's helping you. And so I love that. I love that.
Carly
Yes, yes.
Michelle Thames
Let's talk about some mistakes because I'm sure so many entrepreneurs listening, we all make mistakes. But what were some of the earliest mistakes that you made trying to do it all? And how did you shift your strategy to protect your time and energy? Because our time and energy is priceless.
Carly
Yeah. Yeah. So I think early on I felt like I had to be on all the platforms because I, you know, am in marketing.
Michelle Thames
Right.
Carly
And so it was like you feel like you have to be on all of these platforms. And then also at the beginning, I was a team of one. So it's like, how are we going to be on YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, all of these place, Pinterest when we're also building our business because marketing is only a small, small percentage of business ownership, Right? But then you're building your business, you have your job, you have your kid, you have your husband. How are you going to be on all seven of these platforms and be consistent at it? And so I burnt out really, really quickly. And so with that, I had to find out a place where to land where my target audience lives. You know, it didn't make sense for me to be on all of these platforms if only my target audience was spending majority and consistent on one of those platforms. And so that was one of the mistakes that I made early on. But then also, when you're, you know, first starting in business, you always want to follow and find people that are in your industry, but sometimes that can kind of cripple you to being stagnant because you're seeing People's Day 1800, comparing it to your day two, and you feel like you have to replicate what they're doing in order to be successful. But then it's like you really just need to stay in your lane and focus on you. And so when I was able to identify that I was trying to replicate what I saw other people in my industry doing and it didn't work for me, I had to take a step back and be like, what is it that I want and who is it that I need to serve? Who has God assigned me to serve? And being intentional with keeping that person in mind rather than focusing on what so and so is doing in California and so and so in New York and this person in Mississippi, I had to focus on my people that I was assigned to here within Houston.
Michelle Thames
That is gold. And I know you all. I hope you're taking notes because gems are always dropped here on the social media decoded podcast gems. We can. We don't. We cannot compare ourselves to everyone. And that. That will take a toll on you as an entrepreneur. You see Billy Bob and Jane doing all the things and you're like, I'm behind. You are not behind. You are right where you are supposed to be. So thank you for dropping that gem because I think just being an entrepreneur and seeing what everybody else is doing, we are consistently comparing ourselves, and that is not good for our mental health. O We all do not have the same hours in the day. We all have so many things that we're doing. And so please know that you are right on time. So thank you for sharing that.
Carly
Yes.
Michelle Thames
Now let's talk about content for busy women, because I know there's a lot of busy entrepreneurs. And even, even our guys and everyone listening, we are busy. Right. And your agency specifically helps women batch their content in one day, which I think is gold. Okay, it sounds like a dream, but can you tell us how does this actually work? And what would someone have to have ready to even make this day a success for them?
Carly
Yeah, so I love working with women entrepreneurs specifically, because women, when we take on the role specifically of becoming moms, like, we put our dreams on the back burner. And I honestly found myself in that place too. But then when I went to a conference, was it a conference or a festival? Either one. But I was seeing like all of these amazing local brands, right, that I've never heard of, never saw them on socials. And I'm thinking to myself, like, you know, if people knew about you, like, you could be really, really successful. Really, really successful. And so I took it upon myself to make that my mission. Like, if I could get women who have these amazing brands out here to be able to equip them with marketing solutions and strategies to where more people can find out about them, then they will be able to have more financial freedom to go take the trips and to go book the staycations and h nannies and the chefs and all of the things. Right? And so with that, I built my content in a day packages because obviously we don't have time, you know, we can't sit here and spend a whole week on trying to put out content. And so with that, whenever I'm meeting with a woman entrepreneur, the first thing that I always ask them is, you know, as far as your business goes, who are you serving and what problems do you do you solve? You know, because that's number one. We can't build content if you don't know who you're talking to and you don't know what solution you offer or what problem you solve. And so once we sit down and we brainstorm, we have our one hour brain dump session, which is where we bring all of our ideas to the table. You see something on TikTok or Instagram that you like and you want to replicate with your brand or your industry, okay, bring that to the table. I'll also bring over some content ideas as well from my angle as a consumer looking at your business from the outside in. And then with that, we'll create a shot list. Now, the whole promise of this package is that you're going to walk away once you're finished with me with an entire month worth of content, meaning you have no excuse not to show up online because you have one month of content that we already sat down and planned. So with that, we have a mixture of talking heads, we'll do a mixture of B rolls, we'll do a mixture of compilation reels, we'll do some trending, trending topics, trending audio reels, and we'll bring all of that to the table. We'll shoot everything within three hours with me and my team. And then with that, we shoot. After we shoot everything, we also send it over to our editors and they turn around and take editing off the table for you. So once you get your content within that 7 to 10 day window, you have your content ready to go, ready to post. All you have to do is just put the hashtags in the caption and you're good to go. And so with that, that solution has been such a blessing to so many people because not only does it take away the problem that I don't know what to pose, but it also is taking away the problem that, oh, I don't know how to prop up my camera, I don't know how to get the right angles, I don't know, you know, what audio to put on this. I don't know how to edit my content. So that's why I really, really just truly feel like there's no excuse for you not to be able to show up. Because this is the solution that everyone needs.
Michelle Thames
The solution that everyone needs. You have no excuse. You have all the content. And I absolutely love that. Oh my goodness. Because sometimes it's like what to post. But if you have a solution like we are providing here on this podcast, even if you want to take this, right, and say maybe I should batch my content all in one day and have everything together and so that you don't have to wait, right to post. Because that's most people's, that's most of our issue, right? We don't know what to post. We don't have what to post. But you are doing such an amazing thing. But not only giving them what to post, a plan. And really, like you said, who do you help so that this content can help you reach those people? I think it's gold. And so if you are in Texas, honey, make sure you hit up Karlie so that she can get you together with your content. You know, we'll have all her information down below in the show notes so that you can reach out to her. If this sounds like something that you need, I'm thinking about coming just to text you so you can Help me, girl. Because sometimes, you know, as a marketer, sometimes I. I need help with my content too. So, marketers, you need help with your content too.
Carly
Okay.
Michelle Thames
And we need somebody to help us.
Carly
For sure. I need somebody for myself if I'm lying.
Michelle Thames
Right? We all need somebody. So one thing I know about you is that your marketing also runs on autopilot, even when you're not posting in real time. Me as well. I love this. Okay, so let's talk about the systems and tools that make that possible. Share some of your secret systems, girl.
Carly
Yeah, so one of my main systems that I use is obviously Chad GPT. It takes away all of my brainstorming for me. Like, I will find myself, you know, driving to the grocery store and I have this brilliant idea and I use the Voice to Talk feature in ChatGPT, and I'm like, oh, I have this really good content idea. You know, can you help me to make it make sense to where it's easy to understand from our target audience? There's so many times, like, even when I'm working with clients and I may not understand exactly what they do. And so I'll even put that into ChatGPT, like, break it down to where even someone that's a consumer can understand what this person does. So ChatGPT is like my assistant, right hand man. I bring all of my ideas to the forefront with Chad and we come out with our strategy together. But then another thing that I use is Cap Cut, which they have several. You know, if you are a beginner and you're like, I don't know how to edit, there's so many templates in there for you to use to where you can use like, you know, B roll clips that you capture of you typing on a computer or writing in a notebook. And if you put those clips in there, it can actually do all of the editing for you. So I love using Cap Cut. And then also I use the Instagram Scheduler. So when I know that I'm having a busy, busy week or I'm in the middle of a campaign, I'm loading all of my content in Instagram Scheduler and scheduling it out so I don't have to worry about it. And I love that because it helps me to continue to stay consistent even when I'm like, on vacation or even when I am having a busy week with my job. And so it makes sure that that ball doesn't get dropped. Because once everything is in there and schedule, you can basically forget about it until it's time for you to get on and engage with people, but for the most part, you're still able to show up and be consistent.
Michelle Thames
You just shared so many good tools. And I will say Cap Cut is bae, because I literally just went to this event last night. I had my B roll, and I use my friend Chat. If you're listening. You know how I feel about chat. And yes, I feel like Chad is my guy. And I just tell Chad, like, hey, Chad, I went to this event. Here's all you know, here's what the event was about, and give me what I should even put in there. So even before I go to events, and I'm sure you do this too, or anything, I tell ChatGPT, like, this is what I'm thinking about. Just like you said, the voice. So that's why I do love the app, too. So if you don't have the app for your phone, you all. You're missing out because you can send it the voice message and say, hey, this is what I'm doing. Give me a whole layout. Give me a story strategy. Why are we gonna spend so much more? Brain power. And the thing is, you have to know what you're talking about and know what you're doing to even use ChatGPT. So don't feel like you're taken away from your creativity. You're literally using it as a resource, which I heard that you use it as. So I love that because then I just put it in CapCut, and boom, you have a template. And guess what? CapCut and ChatGPT, free.
Carly
And the Instagram Scheduler, free.
Michelle Thames
Free. So those three things, if you don't take anything away from this podcast today, please take away those three tools. You are giving us so many gems here. I love talking to other marketers because we can just nerd out on this all day, but that is like a trifecta. Okay? Post your content. You got stuff in your phone, so use those three tools today and post something. And then when you do, make sure you come back and tag me and tag the pod and let us know. And tag Carly and let us know how that went for you. Okay? So let's talk about consistency. This is most people's problems, everyone's problems. But how do you stay consistent online even when life gets chaotic? Family, work, business. What is the mindset that keeps you for showing up?
Carly
Yeah, I would say keeping in mind my ica. So I have my ica, which, if you. I mean, I'm sure if you're listening to this podcast, you know what ICA Is. But if you don't, it's an ideal customer avatar. And my girl name is Brandi, okay? Brandi is my. My homegirl. She is the side hustling mompreneur. And so anytime I'm thinking about content, anytime I'm thinking about, you know, being discouraged, anytime I feel like I've hit, like, a roadblock, and I'm just like, plateau. I always keep Brandy in mind, right? Because when you have somebody that you're assigned to, like, you feel even more compelled to show up. But it's easy if you don't feel like, you know, who that person is that you serve to give up. You know, and that's what I see. A lot of people that even come to me, you know, they're like, oh, I don't know how to market my brand. I'm like, okay, so who's your avatar? Women. Women who, like. So if you have, like, that one person that you are assigned to serve, every single time you show up online, every single email you send out, every single piece of content you put out, it needs to be for her. And when you don't show up for her, then you should hold yourself accountable to show up for her, because your business is the solution that she needs. And when you decide that you're not going to show up, you're stripping her from that opportunity of being successful because you're in your head or you feel like, you know, vanity metrics are stopping you in your tracks from showing up. No, we're not supposed to worry about those things. We're supposed to worry about serving and being a service to the people we're assigned to.
Michelle Thames
I love that. And, you know, you said something powerful that when you don't have time, like, the systems that we talked about will show up for you. And I know there might be a lot of side hustlers listening to this podcast. And your podcast is all about side hustlers. So if you haven't listened, make sure you go over and listen to Karlie's podcast. That will be down below in the show notes, too. I was a guest as well. And so what's one thing that every side hustler needs now to build to make, like, everything happen for them?
Carly
Say, you definitely need structure. You need discipline. You know, you can't just go in, like, I don't know, but I'm just gonna do something. Like, we have to have a plan, you know, and that's. That's biblical for all the people that are listening. Okay. Like, you have to have a plan. On how you structure your weeks, how you structure your business, how you structure everything that you're assigned to. If you're just going in without a plan, then that's why you're gonna feel like you're chaotic and all over the place and you don't have time and you don't have the capacity because you have to be disciplined. You have to lock in. And so I would say get a schedule or a structured itinerary based off of how you work, what you have going on in your family life, what you have going on in your Corporate or your 9 to 5, and then also what your capacity is as far as, like, client intake is. Or not intake, but client load and capacity. Because that's another thing that a lot of people also often forget. We get to a place where we're like, you know, people are coming in the door, but we have to also think about our capacity, because if you're not able to deliver at 100% for each one of your client, that's bad business for you. So sit down, come up with your schedule. I love to theme my days, and that's one thing that has been a secret for me. You know, I know that Mondays I do not. We are not hopping on any meetings, okay? I cannot hop on any meetings at all whatsoever on Monday. Monday is my day to ease into the week, but I am most motivated on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. And so that's where I have all of my discovery calls or I have all of my coffee chats, or when I'm recording, you know, podcast interviews, because I'm feeling productive. I'm feeling ready to conquer the day. I'm feeling all the things. And then Fridays, I keep it super chill, super casual, super light, because I may want to go to happy hour on Friday. I may want to go out and be in the city. I don't know. But if there's something that's pending from the week prior, then that's typically where I take that time and I have my CEO time where I make sure my to do list is done before I start to be outside and doing all the things. So coming up with a structured calendar that works for you, your lifestyle and everything that you have going on is going to be the key to you being successful.
Michelle Thames
I love that. And I feel like we're so similar. I don't take calls on Mondays either. Unless it's, like, strictly urgent. If it's, like, urgent, or if it's like, I know, like, I have a consistent client and it's just, you know, we have a one hour meeting. But even on Fridays, like, Fridays are like, super flexible sometimes, like you, I will take things. I will do a few podcast interviews. But, like, in the summer, this Friday calendar is going to be blocked off. So, like, I seen that someone had booked a call, like, yesterday, and I was like, oh, no, I forgot to turn my Friday bookings off. June is coming up hours, honey. Yes. So definitely. I love that you said that because I feel too, like sometimes we feel like we have to structure our day like other people, but I feel that you need to structure for you, right? What works for you. And I love the theme days, too. I even use Google Calendar. I'm sure you do too. I have content day. This is networking day. This is, you know, chill day. Some days I just want to chill in my pajamas or my comfy clothes. So I love that you said that. That is so amazing. And yes, you also said something about faith. Right. I know a lot of us listening are faith based. You believe in something, right? And so have faith that everything will work out. And have faith that you need to have structure in your day. I think that structure just makes everything sometimes flow better for you so that we're not so overwhelmed and so disoriented that we can't flow into our days. So, ooh, that was like, faith and flow. Faith, structure and flow. Okay, that might be on the shirt or something. That might be on the shirt. But no, Carly, this has been such an incredible episode and I know so many listeners are also side hustlers trying to figure out it all, and now they know it's possible without burning out. So where can people connect with you? Where can they book a content day or sign up for your newsletter that I am a member of? I love your newsletter. I love reading it. Um, and where you, you know, where they can follow you online? Yeah.
Carly
So you can follow me at CD CreativeCo. That's my content creation page, where I share a lot of marketing tips, strategies, all of the things. And then also, if you are a side hustler and you're like, I want some side hustling content, well, then join us on the side Hustler podcast. We post weekly episodes on Tuesdays. And then also if you are someone that is struggling with coming up with content, you're like, I have no idea what kind of content I need to post. I don't know any type of ideas. I have a free guide called the 30 Days of Done for your content prompts. It's completely free and you can grab it at cdcreativecoachncy.com content.
Michelle Thames
So many good resources, y' all. Make sure y' all grab that because that is gold and so amazing for you giving that for free. Thank you so much. I'm sure many of the listeners are gonna go ahead, go down in the show notes and get that. Okay, so y' all, if you're trying to build your business with limited time and big faith, this is your sign. Screenshot this episode. Make sure to tag both of us, Karlie D O R L Y N and Michelle L Thames and the social media decoded pod and tell us your biggest takeaway from today's episode. Till next time, friends. Keep showing up, even in the margins. Okay? Your dream is still valid. We will talk to y' all in the next one. All right, that's a wrap on today's episode. I hope you got some valuable insights and real strategies you can apply to your business right now. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to do two quick things. First, take a screenshot, share it on Instagram, and tag me Michelle L. Thanes so we can keep the conversation going. Second, if you found value in this podcast, it would mean the world to me. If you left a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, your support helps this show reach more entrepreneurs just like you. Oh, and if you want to support the show and fuel my Matcha obsession, you can always buy me a coffee at the link in the show notes. Thank you for tuning in. Until next time, keep showing up, keep growing, and I'll talk to y' all in the next one.
Jerry
Peace.
Jerry's Heart
On WhatsApp, no one can see or hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this. So whether you're sharing the streaming password in the family chat or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast, your personal messages stay between you, your friends and your family. No one else, not even us. WhatsApp message privately.
Unknown
Welcome back to Listen to youo Heart. I'm Jerry.
And I'm Jerry's Heart.
Today's Repatha Evolokimab heart. Why'd you pick this one?
Well, Jerry, for people who have had a heart attack like us, diet and exercise might not be enough to lower the risk of another one.
Okay.
To help know if we're at risk, we should be getting our ldl C, our bad cholesterol checked, and talking to our doctor.
I'm listening.
And if it's still too high. Repatha can be added to a statin to lower our LDL C and our heart attack risk.
Hmm. Guess it's time to ask about Repatha.
Jerry
Do not take Repatha if you are allergic to it. Serious allergic reactions can occur. Get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing or swallowing Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat or arms. Common side effects include runny nose, sore throat common cold symptoms flu or flu like symptoms back pain, high blood sugar and redness Pain or bruising at the injection site.
Unknown
Listen to your heart.
Ask your doctor about Repatha. Learn more at repatha.com or call 1-844-repatha parents of tweens if you're familiar with.
Carly
Far off drop offs dad, stop.
Jerry
Stop. Stop right here.
Jerry's Heart
Or get DMs about what's for dinner. You may be experiencing tween milestones for your son or daughter. These can start at age 9. HPV vaccination, a type of cancer prevention against certain HPV related cancers, can start then too.
Carly
For most, HPV clears on its own. But for those who don't clear the.
Unknown
Virus, it can cause certain cancers later in life.
Jerry's Heart
Embrace this faith. Help protect them in the next.
Jerry
Ask their doctor today about HPV vaccination.
Michelle Thames
Brought to you by Merck.
Carly
If your small business has a problem.
Michelle Thames
You could say, just my luck.
Carly
But you should say like a good neighbor, State Farm is there and we'll help get you back in business. Like a good neighbor, State farm is there.
Unknown
McCrispy strips are now at McDonald's. I hope you're ready for the most dippable chicken in McDonald's history. Dip it in all the sauces. Dip it in that hot sauce in your bag. Dip it in your McFlurry. Your dip is your business. McCrispy strips at McDonald's.
Title: Simplified Content, Real Results: Marketing Strategy for Side-Hustlers with Carlissa LeBlanc
Host: Michelle Thames
Guest: Carly (Carlissa LeBlanc), Founder of CD Creative Co Agency
Release Date: June 13, 2025
In this episode of Social Media Decoded, host Michelle Thames welcomes Carly, the content marketing guru and founder of CD Creative Co Agency. Carly specializes in helping women entrepreneurs simplify their marketing efforts by batching a month's worth of content in just one day. Balancing a full-time job, motherhood, and her own podcast, Carly shares her journey and strategies for achieving consistent online presence without burnout.
Timestamp: [04:00]
Carly opens up about her unexpected pivot from pursuing a career in medicine to embracing entrepreneurship. As the first in her family to graduate from college, Carly faced significant life changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including engagement, marriage, homeownership, and motherhood. She recounts,
“God was just like, yeah, actually, you're not going to school to be a doctor. And I was actually on my way to apply for medical school when all this had happened”
— Carly [04:00]
Despite initial reservations about entrepreneurship—stemming from witnessing family members struggle and eventually quit in their ventures—Carly found her calling by helping her church market during the pandemic. This experience ignited her passion for content marketing, leading her to establish her own agency.
Timestamp: [06:09]
Michelle commends Carly for her ability to juggle multiple responsibilities without burning out and probes into her secret to success. Carly attributes her balance to discipline and structured scheduling. She explains:
“I have the flexibility of being able to have unlimited PTO. I have half days on Fridays, you know, I have a lunch hour. Like I'm able to work around my schedule”
— Carly [06:09]
By identifying her peak productivity hours and aligning them with her work and personal life, Carly efficiently manages her time. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging personal work rhythms—admitting she's not a morning person and optimizing her schedule accordingly.
Timestamp: [08:46]
Michelle asks Carly about the initial mistakes she made while building her business alongside a full-time job. Carly candidly shares that trying to be present on every social media platform led to rapid burnout:
“I felt like I had to be on all of these platforms... building your business, you have your job, you have your kid, you have your husband. How are you going to be on all seven of these platforms and be consistent at it? And so I burnt out really, really quickly”
— Carly [08:46]
Realizing the futility of this approach, Carly shifted her strategy to focus exclusively on platforms where her target audience is most active, thereby enhancing efficiency and reducing stress. She also discusses the pitfalls of comparing oneself to industry peers, which can lead to stagnation and loss of focus.
Timestamp: [11:43]
Michelle delves into Carly's flagship service: batching a month's worth of content in a single day. Carly outlines her comprehensive process:
She emphasizes the elimination of common content creation barriers:
“This solution has been such a blessing... no excuse for you not to be able to show up.”
— Carly [14:53]
Timestamp: [16:15]
Carly shares her "trifecta" of essential tools that keep her marketing efforts running smoothly:
ChatGPT:
“ChatGPT is like my assistant, right hand man.”
— Carly [16:15]
CapCut:
“If you are a beginner and you're like, I don't know how to edit, there's so many templates in there for you to use.”
— Carly [16:15]
Instagram Scheduler:
“Once everything is in there and schedule, you can basically forget about it until it's time for you to get on and engage with people.”
— Carly [16:15]
Michelle echoes the importance of these tools, highlighting their accessibility and effectiveness in maintaining a consistent online presence without constant manual effort.
Timestamp: [19:54]
Michelle inquires about Carly's strategies for maintaining consistency in content posting, even when life becomes hectic. Carly attributes her unwavering consistency to focusing on her Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA), whom she personifies as "Brandi," a side-hustling mompreneur. She explains:
“When you have somebody that you are assigned to, like, you feel even more compelled to show up.”
— Carly [19:54]
By keeping Brandi at the forefront of her content strategy, Carly ensures that every piece of content is purpose-driven and aligned with her audience's needs. This targeted approach not only fuels her motivation but also enhances the relevance and impact of her marketing efforts.
Timestamp: [21:50]
Michelle asks Carly for advice on what every side hustler needs to build to make everything happen. Carly emphasizes the necessity of structure and discipline. She advises:
“You have to have a plan, on how you structure your weeks, how you structure your business, how you structure everything that you're assigned to.”
— Carly [21:50]
Carly advocates for themed days to streamline tasks and enhance productivity. Her weekly structure includes:
This structured approach allows Carly to maximize her productive hours while maintaining flexibility for personal and family time.
Timestamp: [25:52]
As the episode wraps up, Carly provides listeners with ways to connect and access her resources:
Michelle encourages listeners to take advantage of these resources to enhance their own marketing strategies and build a profitable brand without the overwhelm.
“You have to have a plan... how you structure your weeks, how you structure your business... you have to be disciplined.”
— Carly [21:50]
“This solution has been such a blessing... no excuse for you not to be able to show up.”
— Carly [14:53]
“When you have somebody that you are assigned to, like, you feel even more compelled to show up.”
— Carly [19:54]
This episode of Social Media Decoded offers invaluable insights for side-hustlers balancing multiple roles. Carly's experience underscores the importance of strategic focus, disciplined scheduling, and leveraging the right tools to achieve marketing success without sacrificing personal well-being. Listeners are encouraged to implement these strategies to build a consistent and profitable online presence.
Connect with Carly:
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