35. What Worked in My Digital Product Business in 2024

Summary

The Abigail Peugh Podcast: Episode 35 – "What Worked in My Digital Product Business in 2024"

Release Date: December 10, 2024

In Episode 35 of The Abigail Peugh Podcast, host Abigail Peugh delves deep into the strategies and practices that propelled her digital product business to success in 2024. Balancing honesty with actionable insights, Abigail shares her triumphs, challenges, and the invaluable lessons learned over the year. This comprehensive summary captures the essence of her discussions, complete with notable quotes and timestamps for reference.

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1. Joint Trainings and Collaborative Success

Abigail kicked off the episode by highlighting the effectiveness of joint trainings in January 2024. Responding to numerous requests about email marketing, she co-taught a product aptly named Rich Girl Emails with the individual who mentored her in email strategies.

• Mutual Growth:

  “It was 50 50. So we both sold the offer and we both made 50% from it. And something that was really cool about this was both of us getting in front of the other person's audience.” (03:07)

• Revenue Boost: This collaboration not only increased her primary product sales but also uplifted her ancillary offerings. Consequently, January became her most lucrative month, earning $107,000.

• Key Takeaway: Abigail emphasizes the importance of trust and due diligence when partnering with others.

  “Make sure that you totally trust this person and that you know them because you kind of are attaching your name to the person.” (04:12)

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2. Strategic Sales During Vacations

Moving forward, Abigail discusses her innovative approach to sales, particularly running promotions during family vacations. In February, while at Disneyland, she launched a limited-time sale, intertwining her vacation content with promotional posts.

• Content Simplification:

  “The first thing I need to share is that I'm having this sale and it ends in, you know, four days.” (05:30) This clear call-to-action streamlined her content strategy during trips.

• Sales Techniques: She found success in bundling products or discounting a single product to reduce decision fatigue for customers.

• Future Plans: Abigail anticipates continuing this strategy in 2025, finding it both enjoyable and effective in maintaining engagement even while away.

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3. Enhancing Productivity with 'Hot Girl Walks'

Abigail introduced her unique concept of 'Hot Girl Walks', integrating physical activity with business tasks to boost productivity and mental well-being.

• Time Management: During these walks, she dedicates specific time to answering DMs, ensuring she stays connected without succumbing to endless social media scrolling.

  “On all of my solo ones, I use that time to do something that otherwise I probably would have sat on the couch and taken two times to do it.” (07:28)

• Mental Health Benefits: These walks serve as a dual-purpose activity, promoting physical health while providing a structured time to handle business communications.

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4. Marketing Authenticity Through Typical Results

A significant shift in Abigail's marketing strategy was her focus on promoting typical results rather than only showcasing outlier successes.

• FTC Compliance and Realism:

  “I completely stopped sharing any results unless they are typical because I was noticing that a lot of people would come to me and they would make their first sale.” (09:08) This approach fosters realistic expectations among her audience.

• Community Engagement: By marketing typical outcomes, Abigail attracts individuals who understand that success varies, leading to more authentic and fulfilling interactions within her community.

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5. Building Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

Abigail places significant emphasis on establishing Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) to ensure business stability and deeper engagement with her audience.

• Stan Store Affiliate Program:

  “If someone signed up for Stan through my link in 2022 and they've stayed with Stan the entire time, I get, I think it's like six bucks every single month for that person staying.” (11:37) This affiliate model provides a steady income stream based on her referrals.

• Launching a Community: In 2024, Abigail introduced a membership community offering:

  • Weekly Q&As
  • Monthly Guest Trainers
  • Social Media Prompts

  “It really allowed me to build pretty substantial recurring revenue into my business.” (13:16)

• Benefits: This model not only ensures predictable income but also fosters a more engaged and supportive community, enhancing the overall value provided to her members.

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6. Balancing Personal Life and Brand Privacy

Addressing the challenges of intertwining personal life with her online presence, Abigail made the conscious decision to limit sharing of her daughter's images to protect her family's privacy.

• Privacy Measures:

  “I'm not going to share Bean's face anymore. And that kind of led to me sharing way less of my family.” (19:14) She utilizes tools like the Teza app to blur faces when necessary.

• Intentional Sharing: Abigail emphasizes being mindful about what to share, ensuring that her content remains authentic while respecting her family's privacy.

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7. Navigating a Challenging Year

Despite the successes, Abigail candidly discusses why 2024 was her hardest year yet.

• Burnout from 2023: In 2023, her "year of yes" led to record achievements but also significant mental exhaustion.

• Embracing 'No':

  “My word of the year was no. And the way I applied that was no matter how good an opportunity, if I didn't feel like I had the capacity for it, I had to say no.” (21:50) This shift was pivotal in prioritizing her mental health over relentless growth.

• Income Goals: While she achieved her good income goal in 2024, Abigail underscores the importance of separating self-worth from business success.

  “The amount of money I make has nothing to do with my self-worth.” (23:03)

• Sustainable Success: By setting boundaries and focusing on manageable growth, Abigail aims for a business model that supports both her personal well-being and professional aspirations.

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8. Content Strategy: Quality Over Quantity

Concluding the episode, Abigail shares her evolved perspective on content creation.

• Selective Sharing:

  “Not everything has to be turned into content.” (23:56) She learned to appreciate moments without the pressure to document them, enhancing her personal enjoyment and content quality.

• Balanced Approach: While she continues to create content, Abigail now allows herself the freedom to enjoy experiences without the obligation to share every detail, fostering a healthier relationship with her online presence.

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Final Thoughts

Episode 35 of The Abigail Peugh Podcast offers a holistic view of building a successful digital product business while maintaining personal integrity and mental health. Abigail's transparent recounting of her strategies—from collaborative trainings and innovative sales tactics to establishing recurring revenue streams and setting personal boundaries—provides invaluable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking both profitability and balance.

Abigail wraps up the episode by teasing next week's discussion on her 2025 predictions for Instagram and digital products, inviting listeners to continue their journey toward entrepreneurial success with her guidance.

“I just love the fact that I can kind of test things out with my content...business should be fun.” (14:49)

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Connect with Abigail Peugh:

• Instagram: @Abigail
• Podcast: The Abigail Peugh Podcast
• Community Membership: Join Here

Thank you for tuning into this summary. For full insights and personal anecdotes, consider listening to the full episode.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to an episode of the Abigail Pugh Podcast with, you guessed it, Abigail Pugh. I'm an introverted mama who took my online business from zero to seven figures in 15 months, selling my own digital products on social media. And guess what? I did it all with my 3 year old daughter no less than 3ft.

[B]

Away from me at all times.

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Now I'm bringing you everything I've learned about building a wildly profitable online business that supports your life while allowing you.

[B]

To truly live it.

[A]

Get ready for raw, honest conversations with entrepreneurs making thousands per month selling their own digital products and people just like you who ditch self doubt to create the life they've always wanted. If you're ready to make more money, have more impact, and still have time for the things that matter most, you're in the right place. Grab your sneakers, head out on your hot girl walk and let's dive in.

[B]

Welcome back to another episode of me yapping to myself in my podcast studio, which also doubles as my closet.

[C]

Someday I would love a nice in.

[B]

Home podcast studio, but for now I'm making it work with what we have. So next week's episode is going to.

[C]

Be all about my 2025 predictions for Instagram and digital products.

[B]

And I almost released the episode this week because I had so much fun with it and I think you especially are going to love it. But I thought for this week, sharing worked in 2024.

[C]

Before I go into my predictions for 2025 might make more sense.

[B]

So first I'll say that this was.

[C]

My third calendar year in business.

[B]

I started this business in the summer of 2022.

[C]

So technically it's been two and a.

[B]

Half years and honestly it was the hardest year yet, which eventually I'll probably share more details on that. But basically in the middle of the year my business was kind of turned.

[C]

Upside down and while I'm so grateful.

[B]

For it now, it really sent me into a funk. And if you know anything about being in a funk, you know that it.

[C]

Absolutely sucks and often derails yet.

[B]

Which is exactly what happened to me in the middle of the year.

[C]

But all that to say so many.

[B]

Things in 2024 worked really well for me and my business. So let's dive into what worked.

[C]

Now these are in no particular order.

[B]

But the first thing I will say.

[C]

That worked really well was a joint training. So in January of this year I wanted to teach on emails and I.

[B]

Had a lot of requests for people.

[C]

Asking me about emails.

[B]

So I created a product called Rich Girl Emails.

[C]

But I Co taught it with the person that I learned emails from. Because while no, I don't think you.

[B]

Need to be an expert in something to teach it, you just need to.

[C]

Be a few steps ahead of someone. I really wanted to bring in the person that I had learned so much of this from.

[B]

And I'm not gonna lie, email is.

[C]

Something that I still struggle with.

[B]

Like, I know what I need to do, but I don't necessarily have the systems in to be consistent with doing it yet.

[C]

I'm a lot better with it now.

[B]

But in January, I just felt like.

[C]

I needed to launch this with someone else. So we did a joint training and.

[B]

It was 50 50. So we both sold the offer and.

[C]

We both made 50% from it. And something that was really cool about this was both of us getting in front of the other person's audience.

[B]

Right. And it was also cool to see that we were selling this main product for a good.

[C]

A good portion of the month.

[B]

Right.

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But my other sales also increased. And it's just such a good reminder.

[B]

That the more you are selling and.

[C]

Hyping something up and talking about it and standing behind it and being excited about what it is that you teach.

[B]

People, the more your other offers will.

[C]

Sell as well, which I thought was really cool. And January ended up being my highest revenue month of the entire year. It was 107,000 for January, which was.

[B]

Really, really cool to see. So I didn't do any other joint.

[C]

Trainings for the rest of the year.

[B]

Just because it was a lot of work to kind of line everything up. And not to say I won't ever do it again, but I did have a lot of fun kind of selling with another person, and it was just.

[C]

Really cool to see the end result of that.

[B]

So if you have ever thought about doing something with someone else, it was a lot of fun.

[C]

I'm not going to lie.

[B]

The one thing I will say is to make sure that you totally trust this person and that you know them because you kind of are attaching your.

[C]

Name to the person.

[B]

So if you are going to do joint trainings, just do your due diligence.

[C]

On the person, make sure you know.

[B]

Them and you trust them the next thing. That worked really well in 2024, and it's not something that I planned to.

[C]

Do for the entire year, but I.

[B]

Did it early on and it was really, really cool.

[C]

And so I just continue to do it.

[B]

So you will see a lot of people running sales for their digital products, you know, on Labor Day or fourth.

[C]

Of July or Memorial Day.

[B]

And I don't know, I just never wanted to like add to that noise. So what I did on our first.

[C]

Trip of the year actually was when.

[B]

We went to Disneyland in February. I ran a sale that only took place during my vacation. And at first it was just a fun, like, hey, this would be really.

[C]

Fun to run a sale while we're at Disneyland.

[B]

And what I realized is that it.

[C]

Was a really fun way to know.

[B]

Exactly what I needed to post for.

[C]

Content during the vacation if I wanted to.

[B]

Granted, you don't have to post when you're on vacations. I chose to, um, it was kind.

[C]

Of a, not a super last minute.

[B]

Trip, but a little bit. So I still wanted to post but.

[C]

Having the sale to talk about and send people to in all of my.

[B]

Content and it was just, it was.

[C]

A lot easier for my brain to know.

[B]

Okay, if I'm gonna share today, the.

[C]

First thing I need to share is.

[B]

That I'm having this sale and it.

[C]

Ends in, you know, four days, right?

[B]

So, so with sales, a great way to kind of increase your sales overall is by having a sale that is.

[C]

Like a short window of time because.

[B]

You have to, you know, you have to make a decision if you're someone that's considering buying during the sale, you know, you're kind of forced to decide, am I gonna buy it now when it's on sale or I'm gonna wait.

[C]

And buy it later.

[B]

So I started doing that for all of our vacations.

[C]

Anytime we went on a vacation, that's.

[B]

When I would have either a bundle or a sale. And I didn't, I don't think I.

[C]

Did it on every single one, but a lot of them.

[B]

And it was just again, a really fun thing to have take place and.

[C]

That I could plan for and prep.

[B]

Everything before I went on the trip so that I didn't have to be.

[C]

On my phone as much during the trip.

[B]

I knew exactly what my content was going to be about. I could still share, you know, my travels.

[C]

And it's fun to like share the journey when you're traveling.

[B]

And then my last slide would be like, hey, don't forget, X, Y, Z.

[C]

Is on sale until I get home. Don't forget to grab it at the sale price before it's gone.

[B]

And something again that I will say with that is for sales. I find that either bundling products or making one product on sale worked really well.

[C]

You could do your entire shop if.

[B]

You wanted, but it just feels like.

[C]

If you have multiple products, it's a Lot of decisions to make.

[B]

So making the sale be on either.

[C]

A bundle or one thing worked really well. And having those sales be during vacations, I loved it.

[B]

It's probably something I'm going to continue doing in 2025. It's a lot of fun. Next. And this is something that I actually.

[C]

Tracked for the entire year.

[B]

I have a.

[C]

It's called a big ass calendar.

[B]

That's literally the name of the calendar.

[C]

You might have seen it in some.

[B]

Of my reels, kind of like in the background, but it's a really big calendar that goes on my office wall.

[C]

And it shows you the entire year in one calendar.

[B]

And it's.

[C]

It's really cute, too.

[B]

I got the pink one. But for 2024, I tracked all of.

[C]

My hot girl walks, which is what I call them.

[B]

I love it. And during those hot girl walks, which.

[C]

I need to count them up and see how many I did, I tracked them with a little star.

[B]

So every day that I went on a hot girl walk, I have a star sticker on my calendar.

[C]

So at the end of the year, I can count them up and see how many I did.

[B]

But something I started doing was using.

[C]

That time to answer my dms.

[B]

And I found it really helpful because, a, I really wanted to get walking in. Like, it's so great for your health.

[C]

I love it.

[B]

It's great for my mental health. But I found that, like, having the.

[C]

Deadline of the time of, like, okay, during my walk today, I need to answer these DMS and get back to.

[B]

Everyone, which is why some of you have received mess or voice messages from me where I'm out of breath, I'm walking up the hill, probably. But it was just really great to kind of combine those two things and have, like, a deadline because it is really easy to just, like, endlessly scroll.

[C]

And get sucked into things on Instagram and DMS and stories.

[B]

And I wanted to, like, be very clear that, like, that was my time for dms. Now, obviously, like, my husband and my.

[C]

Daughter come on the walk. I wouldn't do it then. But on all of my solo ones, I use that time to do something.

[B]

That otherwise I probably would have sat on the couch and taken two times.

[C]

As long to do it.

[B]

So loved doing those and just loved the walks.

[C]

Honestly, they're so good for my mental health.

[B]

And having a goal that I can.

[C]

Stick to every single day really just.

[B]

Like, builds that confidence in my brain.

[C]

As well that I can stick to things.

[B]

I am very obsessive with things. But then, like, when I'm done with it. I'm done with it. And I didn't want that to be.

[C]

The case for my walk. So working it into a business task as well helped a lot for me. Next thing that worked really well this year was focusing more on marketing typical results instead of the outlier students.

[B]

Not only is this more FTC compliant, I think it works better in attracting people that aren't expecting the world.

[C]

I feel like sometimes before, when I.

[B]

Would share, you know, results of some of my students, they were not typical, right? And I've completely stopped sharing any results unless they are typical because I was noticing that a lot of people would come to me and they would, like.

[C]

Make their first sale and their.

[B]

Their DM would be like, oh, I.

[C]

Made my first sale.

[B]

I know it's not any. It's not much. And I was like, why?

[C]

Why are people feeling this need to.

[B]

Feel like that's not much, like your.

[C]

First sale is the most magical and wonderful thing.

[B]

And I never want anyone to, like.

[C]

Compare their results to anybody else's.

[B]

And something, again, that I started doing.

[C]

Was marketing those typical results so that.

[B]

People could see that, like, okay, this is more typical that's going to happen. So when they did make their first sale, they would come to me, like.

[C]

Excited, out of their mind, which is what I want, right? And a lot of the time before, people weren't coming to me with those DMs, right?

[B]

They were, like, bummed that they weren't.

[C]

Seeing the results that other people were seeing. So when I shifted my marketing to.

[B]

Be only typical results, if I do.

[C]

Share any results at all, it changed the people that I was attracting.

[B]

And it's so cool to see that.

[C]

Now people are coming to me, they are finding me, and they are realizing.

[B]

That this is not an overnight thing. This is, you know, digital products, Instagram. Nothing is overnight, right?

[C]

And I think sometimes when we see.

[B]

Those bigger results, we're like, okay, like, I expect to hit that, you know.

[C]

An X, Y, Z amount of time.

[B]

And everyone has different timelines. Like, there.

[C]

You cannot compare your timeline to anybody else's. And when you market typical results, you.

[B]

Will just attract people that expect the.

[C]

Typical results, not the outlier results. And then they leave disappointed. So that was a huge shift for.

[B]

Me, and I actually love it now. It was kind of a big shift in my marketing, but I just love where I'm at now. And I love that people, when they find me and they start to work.

[C]

With me, you know, they know that.

[B]

It'S going to take time and effort and that everyone is going to have different results.

[C]

Next thing that worked really well for.

[B]

Me for 2024 was MRR. And no, I am not talking about master resell rights. I am talking about monthly reoccurring revenue. And this is something that I actually.

[C]

Worked into my business from day one. So from day one when I signed.

[B]

Up for Stan, I also became a Stan store affiliate. And if you gu don't know anything about Stan, it's where I sell my digital products. It is kind of like the link in bio that hosts it. All my live trainings go through that. My email list like Stan is amazing. If you don't have a Stan store.

[C]

You should probably get one.

[B]

I'm obsessed with them. But their affiliate program works in a way that when someone signs up for.

[C]

Stan through my link, I get money from that person staying with Stan every single month.

[B]

So how it works is when somebody signs up for a Stan store through my affiliate link, I get a reoccurring payment from them. From Stan, I should say every single month for that person who signed up.

[C]

Through my affiliate link and it's reoccurring.

[B]

So if someone signed up for Stan through my link in 2022 and they've stayed with Stan the entire time, I get, I think it's like six bucks.

[C]

Every single month for that person staying.

[B]

With Stan because I'm the one who.

[C]

Introduced them to Stan. So from the beginning I will say.

[B]

I worked that into my marketing and I knew I wanted to like build up reoccurring revenue. But in 2024 I wanted my own.

[C]

Offer that had monthly reoccurring revenue. Not only for kind of, you know.

[B]

The stability of reoccurring revenue and not.

[C]

Having to find new customers all the.

[B]

Time, but also because I really wanted.

[C]

To be more involved with my students.

[B]

Before, you know, all my products were like a one time offer.

[C]

And while I have so many repeat.

[B]

Students, I just felt like I never got to kind of go deeper with them.

[C]

So this year I launched a community.

[B]

Which if you're in it, it's the best place to be. I love it so much. It is an amazing community. For anyone who's trying to grow and sell more digital products on Instagram, it is, it's the best thing ever. We have weekly Q&As together.

[C]

We have guest trainers every single month.

[B]

Like the best of the best guest trainers, you guys.

[C]

I have made some incredible connections. Now I'm able to bring them all to you. I also do weekly social media prompts.

[B]

To sell and grow and Nurture your audience. And it's just the best place, I think. But it really allowed me to build.

[C]

Pretty substantial reoccurring revenue into my business.

[B]

And it's made it so that I.

[C]

Kind of know what I'm going to.

[B]

Make every single month. Obviously, like, there's always months where it might be higher, it might be a little bit lower, but I'm able to kind of predict much more. So with that. And I'm not pregnant, but we want more kids, right? And so kind of preparing my business for having another kid and, you know.

[C]

Preparing for having two kids, not one.

[B]

Um, and like I said, I'm not pregnant yet. Um, but we would like more kids in, you know, maybe next year and then 2026, who knows? But I really needed to prepare my business for that. So for 2024, I really focused on building a product that would have that.

[C]

Reoccurring revenue for me.

[B]

And I will say, if you sell.

[C]

Digital products now and they're all one.

[B]

Offs, I would really urge you to.

[C]

Start thinking about what's something that you.

[B]

Can take and turn it in either to a subscription or a community or something where they, you know, don't have.

[C]

Access to it unless they pay the monthly fee. So you are able to pour into them more, but you're also able to.

[B]

Create reoccurring revenue in your business because.

[C]

It truly is life chang changing.

[B]

And something that I didn't really expect when I kind of shifted to this.

[C]

Business model a little bit more so.

[B]

Was the freedom in my content. Like, I'm so. I'm able to just have fun in.

[C]

My content so much more because not every post needs to sell, not every.

[B]

Story needs to sell. I can really connect with people a.

[C]

Little bit more and go a little.

[B]

Bit deeper and have more fun. And that was something that I wasn't really expecting. So, um, I. I just love the fact that I can kind of test.

[C]

Things out with my content.

[B]

More so too, because one of the things I offer in the membership is, you know, prompts and staying up to.

[C]

Date with certain things that's going on on Instagram. And now I'm able to test so.

[B]

Many more things and it's just a lot more fun. And honestly, I think business should be fun. I think a lot of the time we take the fun out of it. And if you're gonna do this long.

[C]

Term, you need to enjoy it, you need to love it.

[B]

So monthly reoccurring revenue has changed my entire life.

[C]

Next up.

[B]

And this is one that I was kind of Expecting to hate. Never a Twitter girly. I could just never get into Twitter. But when threads came out, I definitely was hesitant at first and I didn't want to. I didn't want another platform. I was like, oh, my God, this is so annoying.

[C]

And it's connected to Instagram, so I.

[B]

Know that, like, they're probably going to do something where, like, if you're active on one, maybe you'll get more views.

[C]

Or something on the other.

[B]

And they did end up doing it to where, like, when you signed up.

[C]

For threads, everyone who followed you on.

[B]

Instagram automatically followed you on threads. So, like, if you had any followers on Instagram, you didn't have to start from zero on threads.

[C]

And I don't know if they do.

[B]

That anymore, but I signed up when.

[C]

They were still doing that.

[B]

And so it was nice to have like a smaller audience on there. And at first I was kind of.

[C]

Just watching what other people were doing on threads.

[B]

And very quickly I realized that people.

[C]

Did not want this to be another.

[B]

Like, in your face sales.

[C]

Sales, sales, sales all the time.

[B]

And not to say you can't storytell and sell, but people didn't want like.

[C]

The in your face selling.

[B]

So I started using threads to kind of. I did some inspiring, but it was more just like sharing funny little things or sharing little moments of my life.

[C]

And I eventually started testing my content ideas on threads, and when they performed.

[B]

Well, I would then bring them to Instagram. And it worked really well.

[C]

And it was very fascinating to see.

[B]

That, you know, I could test something in written content because threads is just like Twitter, where it's just text.

[C]

Some people will post video or images on there. But it's a mainly a text platform.

[B]

So you're able to kind of test.

[C]

Content and see if people resonate with it very easily.

[B]

And if it doesn't perform well, what it was like five minutes of your time, it's like, not a big deal.

[C]

So what I've been using threads as for this year is testing my content.

[B]

If a piece of content or a.

[C]

Concept does well on threads, I will kind of adapt it and make it a carousel and then I'll make it a real.

[B]

And I actually have one thread that did pretty well.

[C]

And when I say like performed well.

[B]

I would say none of my threads are going like, mega viral. Right?

[C]

I've had maybe a few that have.

[B]

Gone viral, but it's more so just seeing that, like, conversations are happening, people.

[C]

Are interested in this, people are liking it. But when I say like performed well, I think the One that I repurposed.

[B]

I think it got like 200 or.

[C]

300 likes on thread. But that just showed me that people.

[B]

Are interested in that. They like it.

[C]

The comments is where I really look to see, like, okay, did this resonate.

[B]

With people or not? And then when something resonates with them on threads, I will take that and.

[C]

I will put it on Instagram.

[B]

It was just a really fun, an easy way to kind of test my content and try new things and kind of let loose. If you go to my threads, it is. Not all of it is business, not all of it is personal, but I.

[C]

Will just try and share, like, funny or relatable things.

[B]

And I'm not really even trying to be relatable. I'm just trying to, like, share things in my everyday life. And then when people resonate with them, I will kind of take that concept.

[C]

And move it over to Instagram without.

[B]

All this pressure to, you know, test.

[C]

A new concept on my Instagram feed.

[B]

Now, something else that I didn't necessarily.

[C]

Plan for this year, but very early.

[B]

On the year, we decided that we.

[C]

Weren'T going to share my daughter's face anymore.

[B]

And I actually saw this reel, and it was. It just, like, hit me so hard. And I saw somebody do it, like.

[C]

A similar concept just recently as well.

[B]

But basically, she starts off the reel and she's like, here are some things that.

[C]

And she's an adult, right?

[B]

It's an adult woman. She's sitting in her car and she goes, here are some things that I would be really upset about if a family member shared about them on Instagram. And she listed out, like, me sitting.

[C]

In the bath, or me crying over.

[B]

Something, or me, you know, bummed that.

[C]

Something didn't go the way I want.

[B]

Or me when I got hurt. And then she kind of flips it.

[C]

At the end and said, if you're sharing any of these things with your kids, like, someday they're going to see your social media and they're going to.

[B]

See what you shared. And that hit me so hard. And not that I ever really shared much, like, detailed stuff about my daughter.

[C]

I do share the highlight reel from.

[B]

My daughter because, you know, all the stuff that's going on behind the scenes.

[C]

That'S hers to share if she wants someday, like, I want to have. I feel like I have been good about her privacy. But that hit me even harder.

[B]

And then the one that just kind of took it home for me was.

[C]

An influencer that I follow. She had taken her daughter somewhere, and someone recognized her and called her by name. And her daughter freaked out. And her daughter was like, why do they know who I am?

[B]

And that was it for me. I was like, okay, I'm not going to share Bean's face anymore. And that kind of led to me.

[C]

Sharing way less of my family. I will still share, like, small moments.

[B]

And things that I can.

[C]

And if I have a picture where Bean's face happens to not be in.

[B]

It, I will share it. But I really started just putting my phone away and not sharing as much.

[C]

About my family on my social media.

[B]

And it works. But I'm not going to lie, it's hard because they are such a huge part of my life and why I.

[C]

Built my business the way that I did.

[B]

But also, having the separation has been really helpful and I'm just very mindful.

[C]

If I do want to share something.

[B]

I'll just make sure that it's like the back of her head or, you.

[C]

Know, I can blur the video out.

[B]

There's an app called Teza. It's T E Z Z A. And I think it's paid. I'm pretty sure it's paid.

[C]

I think I paid for like the whole year.

[B]

But they have a filter where you.

[C]

Can like blur the video. So if there's something that I really.

[B]

Wanted to share but I didn't want.

[C]

To share a face, I could blur it.

[B]

But I will say it's just made.

[C]

Me so much more intentional about the time with my family and not being on my phone because I feel like.

[B]

As business owners that are now content creators, we want to share our life.

[C]

And we want to share things and.

[B]

It'S, it's so much fun. Um, but at the end of the day, kind of having that separation has.

[C]

Really just helped me feel so much better.

[B]

But it, it's been hard. Cause like I said, I love my family and I love sharing the things that we get to do. But it's, you know, for me personally, it just really felt like having that.

[C]

Separation was so much better for me and my brand.

[B]

Okay, so I just listed all these good things that happened in 2024. So why the heck was this my hardest year yet? Well, first of all, 2023 was my year of yes. And I, I said yes to every opportunity.

[C]

Right. I hit record numbers in 2023. I did multiple in person events.

[B]

Like, I was paid to go places and speak, like, wildest dreams. Right. I launched basically my entire product suite. Literally. It was insane. But it was also a lot for me mentally, especially as an introvert that I wasn't really prepared for.

[C]

And at the end of the year.

[B]

I just like at the end of 2023 I felt exhausted. So for 2024, my word of the year was no.

[C]

And the way I applied that was.

[B]

No matter how good an opportunity, whatever it may be, right? No matter what that opportunity was, if I didn't feel like I had the capacity for it, I had to say.

[C]

No, regardless of the monetary outcome of that, to prioritize my mental health.

[B]

Which meant that I hit my good income goal for 2024, which a little context on that. I always set a good, better and.

[C]

Best income goal for my business at the beginning of the year and last year.

[B]

So in 2023 I hit my best goal, which it was insane. Like I still can't believe I hit that goal.

[C]

And this year I only hit my good goal.

[B]

I'm actually about to hit it. I'll probably hit it in the next day or so. Which means I had to really, really learn and convince my brain that the sales I make or the sales I don't make have nothing to do with my self worth.

[C]

And I'm still learning that, honestly.

[B]

But it was a hard year of.

[C]

Truly deeply learning that.

[B]

And it's something that I think all.

[C]

Of us need to learn and continuously.

[B]

Remind ourselves of as entrepreneurs. I mean, write it down on a sticky note in your office if you have to.

[C]

The amount of money I make has nothing to do with my self worth.

[B]

I'll say it again, the amount of.

[C]

Money I make has nothing to do with my self worth.

[B]

I mean, put it in multiple places if you have to because it's so.

[C]

Easy to connect our business results or failures with our self worth and it's just not true.

[B]

Those two things are very different and connecting them is, I mean, for lack of better words, it's just not healthy and it's not sustainable because you're always going to have ebbs and flows in business and if your self worth is connected to that, then you're just always going to be feeling like the highest.

[C]

Of highs and the lowest of lows.

[B]

And my goal is to feel sustainable, right? My goal is to have a business that I love but also prioritize my mental health.

[C]

Now one last thing I will leave.

[B]

You with that I learned this year that kind of went against everything I thought before was that everything can be.

[C]

Content, but not everything has to be content.

[B]

I got really good at boundaries this year and batching my B roll so.

[C]

That moments with my family or times.

[B]

Where I was just relaxing or cooking a fun recipe like when I made.

[C]

Homemade lasagna for the first time this.

[B]

Week didn't need to always be turned into content. And don't get me wrong, there are absolutely still times where I will film.

[C]

Something really quick to use in a.

[B]

Reel later if it's, you know, like.

[C]

The perfect little scene. And I know it'll be perfect for.

[B]

A reel, but I don't have to. And I loved kind of giving myself.

[C]

Permission to just enjoy things and not worry about documenting them all the time.

[B]

And don't get me wrong, I love documenting things right? Like, I am the girl who had.

[C]

The perfect Instagram feed that changed with the seasons when I was a floral designer.

[B]

Like, I love it. Documenting and creating like it is part of who I am. But one of the reasons I love.

[C]

Being my own boss and my own.

[B]

Business owner is that I get to build my business around my life and not the other way around. And 2024 really opened my eyes to prioritizing life more so than my business. Okay, y'all, I will see you back.

[C]

Here next week to chat all about.

[B]

My 2025 predictions, and I will see you then. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. If you learned anything from this episode.

[A]

I would love it if you could share it over on your Instagram stories.

[B]

And tag me at Abigail you until next time. Love you. Mean it.