← The Mindful Marketing Podcast (Formerly Known As The Savvy Social Podcast)
The Mindful Marketing Podcast (Formerly Known As The Savvy Social Podcast)
Staying Solo with Maggie Patterson
00:35:38
“Hire a team, scale fast, never stop growing.” That’s the advice we’ve all heard. But what if that isn’t your dream? What if building a business that actually supports your life means not hiring a big team? This week, Maggie Patterson joins...
Loading summary
Transcript55 lines
- [00:01]
Andrea
If you've been on the Internet for any number of years, you've heard the age old advice, hire a team, build a team, hire more people and then hire some more. And if you are like, I don't know if that advice works for me. This episode is for you. I have the amazing Maggie Patterson coming on the show today to talk about her new book, Staying Solo as well as well how you can do that yourself. But first, a word from our sponsor. Riverside is the all in one podcast recording and editing tool that I use for this right here show. I use it to edit not only the audio in the video, it is like Chef's Kiss magical, making the entire process so, so easy. Plus, I love their magic AI clips. Their little AI robot in the background pulls out the most impactful moments of the episodes without me having to comb through and do it myself. Resizes them for social media. So those vertical videos you see on TikTok and Reels, those all come from Magic AI inside of Riverside. It's literally one click. It spits out 10 clips. I picked the best one and I go. Saves me so much time. If you want to get on the Riverside train, check it out today, the links in the show notes and make sure to use my code DREA D R E A at checkout to get 15% off your membership. Welcome to episode number 359 of the Mindful Marketing Podcast. I'm so excited to have y' all here today. And Maggie, thank you so much for being on the show again.
- [01:26]
Maggie Patterson
Yeah, well, thank you for keep inviting me back. I appreciate it.
- [01:29]
Andrea
Honestly, this is 100% selfish because I just love your brain and I just want to pick your brain just publicly for everyone else to hear as well. So I'm excited about that. But one of the things that I really admire about you is you have really strong stance and a really strong opinion about some of the things that are really the antithesis of what the big bro online business people say. And for years, you know, there's this common advice of like to scale, you have to build a team. So let's start with this big question. What's the deal with staying solo?
- [02:03]
Maggie Patterson
Well, the deal is I noticed this pattern. I work with service providers, some of which are micro agency owners and then some of which are true, you know, done for you solo service providers. And early on when I started working with this group, I just assumed like I had scaled into a micro agency that everyone wanted to do that. But I kept having my clients come to me and say, maggie, I don't want a team. I don't want to do this, I don't want to do that. And I'm like, oh, this is a thing. And they felt really awkward about it. They felt bad. And a lot of the messages they were getting kind of in that bigger business ecosystem was like they were playing small, they were capping their growth, they're limiting their potential, you know, all the mindset things and like, you're not going for it. And I've spent a lot of time with my clients over the years reassuring them, talking about like, hey, you don't have to accept that your income's going to be capped just because you don't have a team. Like, how can we find a way to make this model work for you and optimize it? Because leadership is not for everyone. The risk and reward of having a team is not for everyone. And I think we've, you know, we've seen that over the last three, four years as we've watched a lot of people kind of walk back their teams and not that that's a bad thing. We've seen also seen a lot of big businesses kind of what they call descale. They were not selling what they used to sell, which is fine. But the conversation has changed a lot in the last few years and I want it to be like, hey, you know what? There still is a valid option here. You don't have to grow continuously, you don't have to keep chasing. You can build a business that actually supports the kind of life you want and not in this, like I'm going to be sipping pina coladas on the beach kind of way. Like, you know, that's, it's always like, I get, it's like not freedom because I have a private jet, it's freedom because I can take my loved one to an appointment. Yeah, like really practical day to day things where you have the flexibility and like the freedom. That's not about this, you know, artifice, this big fake image around you.
- [04:13]
Andrea
Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think this is the thing, right? It's, it's the option to be able to decide to do this. And I feel like, especially when people are trying to sell you something, they say this is the one true path and there's no other options. And so you kind of feel like that because you like buy into the hype. Right. And so I love that we're talking about this alternative method of doing things because there is another option. And I know for me personally too, like I loved having a team. It really support me in that season of my life. I loved having my agency, and then I did it, and then I sold it, and then I. Now it's just me and my assistant Jimmy, and this is my season of life now. And I love this too. And I feel like there, like, you can do both. You can have both. You can. You can create a business that kind of fits with your life, and I love that that's kind of where you. Where you are. Can I ask, though, about your business specifically? Because you have a team, too, so how do you balance, like. Okay, so talk to me about, like, your team, and then how do you work with your team, but also, you know, preach the good word of staying solo?
- [05:19]
Maggie Patterson
It's a really good question. And I mean, it is something like. One of my friends were initially pushing me to write the book because I'd been talking about staying solo on my podcast and then eventually rebranded my podcast. And I was like, no, I can't do this. Like, I'm not solo. And they were like, maggie, the majority of your clients are solo, and you have years of experience having been solo. Like, yes, I've had it in a micro agency for the last nine years, but the 11 years before that, I was on my own. And I'm also going through the process of, like, I run two businesses, so eventually, like, will my agency retire? Yes. And will I be truly solo? No, because I don't want to fire my sister, but who works for me full time. But, you know, we still run, like, a really scrappy little solo business in a lot of ways, so try not to add a lot of layers of complications. So I always say I have the scrappy heart of a solo person in my. You know, that's the kind of way I run things. I've never been, like, let's have a big team. I don't like layers of complexity. I just. I started on that path when I started growing my agency, and I was so much happier, like, by reducing the team and having things be really, really slim. So for me, while I am not solo, I am in my heart.
- [06:36]
Andrea
Yeah. And I feel like that's the, like, that's the energy that you bring into the work that you do. Is this, like, scrappiness to it? Right. And I do feel like as. Especially as small business owners, we kind of have to have that energy. Like, we don't have the, like, endless amounts of funding that some of these, like, larger, you know, companies have. And so, like, to be able to sustain our business is. We do have to, like, Think strategically and be really smart about how we use all of our funds including, you know, paying our team and how that, how that works out. So I love that you have that. So, so you wrote the book, basically wrote the book on staying solo. So what are, what are some of the things, the common myths that you break down in the book about like so staying so low.
- [07:18]
Maggie Patterson
Yeah. So I think one of the biggest things is a lot of people have this hang up. They're not a real business if they're this team of one or they're just like you and your assistant. Right. People get really stuck on this. And the reality is, is that the majority of businesses in the US and in the western world, all the statistics point to our one person businesses.
- [07:39]
Andrea
Yeah.
- [07:40]
Maggie Patterson
You know, like we need to say stop having the conversation around entrepreneurship. Be really focused on scale, on rapid growth, on startups, on like the culture of entrepreneurship is very much this cultural celebration of being big when the reality of entre entrepreneurship is solo. So there's this real. And the second I point that out to people, they go. And then the second thing is, is that especially for people who have been operating in the kind of freelance online business world, they have a really inflated idea of what success looks like in the us the number I share in the book is the average one person business is making $43,000 a year. But meanwhile in online business world, 100k is like a joke. You're only six figures, right? Like and then it was seven figures and eight figures and all the figures. And the reality is, is most people are creating these roles for themselves to have the freedom and flexibility and all the things that were promised. But ultimately the goal isn't to make more money. The goal is to get the time, freedom and everything else. And there's a lot of data I bring into the front part of the book to set up all my argument. And there's an entire study of by state in the US of hey, you know what, why do people start their businesses? Money was very low on the list. And I think we get, we start off with one thing and then it morphs over time and we start to feel bad about ourselves. We start to really see like, oh, I'm not earning enough, I'm not good enough, I should be hiring, I'm not legitimate, I'm a joke. And the reality is out in the non entrepreneurial online business world, this is the way business is. So why don't we just like drop all this crap, cut the bullshit out and like actually focus on what our Businesses need for us to find them to be simple and sustainable and to not take over our lives.
- [09:44]
Andrea
Yeah. Wow. So is that number the 43k is that that's the profit or is that.
- [09:50]
Maggie Patterson
That top line revenue?
- [09:51]
Andrea
Top line. So I'm like not even expenses. Wow. Okay. So yeah, I feel like that is a huge reality check. And it's so funny too. You talked about how, you know, when we first start our businesses, money isn't that high up on the list. And that is true for me too. Me thinking about like I started my business because I just like it. Like I like marketing and I like doing it and then somewhere along the way it's like more, more, more. And like even now a lot of the changes that I've made in my business is because I'm like shifting more into the things that I just, I just like more. Even though now I make less than I have ever had in my business actually. But I feel more fulfilled because I have more time to spend with my kids, which like right now is the most important thing to me. Right. And so it's so interesting how that money number sometimes overshadows our goals. And I do think it is the marketing hype. Right. Of all of this. So as we go into this idea of staying solo, what are some of the things we need to keep in mind so that we can have a sustainable business and maintain all those flexibility things that we want?
- [11:00]
Maggie Patterson
Yeah. So the very first thing is I talk about these six different pillars and basically every pillar is a chapter or a couple chapters in the book. And the very first one I talk about is salary. Because while it is not about the money, we all, you know, all things being equal, we all have businesses because we do need to make some money to, you know, feed, clothe, you know, survive, live in this, you know, capitalist hellscape we're in. So one of the biggest things I see is people over investing in their business as solo business owners. We've all been there, we've all done it. Buying all the things, chasing after the, the dream tm, if you will. And we need to get very realistic about like how much money do I need from the business and what activities do I need to be doing to ensure that I'm able to pay myself first? Because if you're not able to pay yourself consistently from your business, what's going to happen? You're going to become burnt out, you're going to become resentful, you are not going to feel fulfilled by it. You need, you're at a minimum Your basic needs to be being met. And I want people to be doing better than their basic needs. Stop paying scammy business coaches on the Internet all your money and then getting the leftovers. I want you to reverse engineer that. And I have a calculator that goes with the book to be like, hey, this is how much money I need in my life. How much money do I actually need to be making? What are my expenses? And start to keep an eye on those numbers really strategically. And I brought in some really smart people into that chapter to talk about, like, how do you pay yourself? What should you be doing? Like, getting into the mechanics of the money that I'm not an expert on, but these smart money people, CPAs, bookkeepers, actually are.
- [12:44]
Andrea
Yeah, I love that you. You emphasize the money piece. Because I can't tell you how many times I've been on, like, consult calls with someone where they come in and they want to hire my agency for services. And I'm asking them these questions like, okay, you know, how much revenue are you making per month? Or how much does it cost? Like, what's the cost of goods sold? Or things like that? They don't know the answers. And it's like, we can't market. We can't even do anything until you know those answers. Otherw, you're just paying me to post on social media for you. And like, that's, That's. I mean, for fun, sure, if you want to do that, more power to you. But, like, we want to run the business here. And so I love that you start with the, with the numbers of it all, because it. It's the reality that we all have to face. And I think it's one of those things too, where if you get caught up in the hype, you end up spending so much time on the busy work. I'm going to call out marketing here. Okay. This is a marketing podcast. We spend so much time on busy work. Sometimes it's marketing, and then we feel like nothing's working because we actually haven't looked at the numbers to see where that all lies. So do you talk about marketing and how. How do we. How do we put marketing as a line item in all of this?
- [13:52]
Maggie Patterson
You know, I really touch on marketing in the systems part of it, because it is. Nobody wants, especially as a solo, solo business owner, no one wants to like systems. Do I really need system? And it's like, stop thinking of systems as, like, these things that, like, are going to constrain us and the things that actually let us get what we need to get done. Get it done in a really focused way and making really strategic decisions to say, you know what? My last five clients have come from referrals. I've never, ever got a lead on social media. So do I need to be doing social media or why am I. This is what I see all the time. Building an email list, which is for people that are not buying retainer services. Like, get really clear on what that marketing is, and then create a really simple system where you know, what is the cadence. You're not having to reinvent the wheel. So if you are doing specific marketing activities, you have a plan. And I just call it, like, the minimally viable marketing plan. Like, please just start with that.
- [14:52]
Andrea
Yes, please, please, please. I love that you use a referral example, because there are so many times where people say that to me. Oh, it's referrals. Referrals. And they desperately want. They want the magic pill of social media, but they're marketing to the WR people. Like, if referrals are your people, go after referrals. And, yeah, you can find them on social media. But you. If you got to go into it with that mindset. I love this. I love this. Okay, so we're staying solo. We are, you know, being strategic with our time. But at what point do we start outsourcing? So do you talk in the book about getting support even while staying solo? What does that look like?
- [15:28]
Maggie Patterson
Yeah, so one of the pillars is support, and I feel like this is a really common place where people go wrong. They feel like solo means alone.
- [15:37]
Andrea
Yeah.
- [15:38]
Maggie Patterson
Like nobody is a business owner. Nobody should be doing this alone. And support can take a lot of different forms. And this is. You're like, how do you have a whole chapter on support? Well, I talk about entrepreneurial loneliness because it's a well documented and very studied thing at this point. And the isolation that goes on, the fact that we all have different needs, we need different supports, and we often think of support as, I need to hire a business coach or I need to hire a va. Support can come in a lot of different forms. It can come in in terms of upskilling, or it can come in personal support. I talk about personal support all the time with my clients, and that a lot of times is the most impactful type of support. Hey, your back hurts because you're spending a lot of time in your design. Maybe you need a massage. Oh, you're struggling with X, Y, and Z. Maybe you need therapy. Maybe you need your groceries delivered or a produce box. Like the support we get does not have to come down to peer support in the business. It could be having a. Having a very specific tool. So looking at support from a. I can't do this by myself. You know, no business owner is an island type. And being like, where do I actually need support? And sometimes that's going to be like, hey, I need some business friends because I have left my house and I need to talk to people who get it, because talking to my partner or my cats is not a healthy way to do this.
- [17:08]
Andrea
Yeah, get the support. I like my Walmart delivery guy. Oh, man. That's my support right there. Can't do it. Can't do it without him. Okay, so let's talk about this idea of, okay, yeah, we're solo, we have our support. But there's this concept that I run into all the time where people want to. And if this is. You don't feel bad. But they want to seem like they're bigger than they are. Right? Like they, like they. On the website, they're like, oh, we. Here's how we help everybody. Or like, somebody asked me the other day if my assistant was AI. They were like, oh, is Jimmy a real person? I'm like, what do you mean? Yes, she's real. She's a real person. Yeah. Like, creating AI assistance to, like, make themselves seem like they're bigger than they are. Why. Why do. Why do people do this? Do you know, I feel like this.
- [17:59]
Maggie Patterson
Ties back to kind of the beginning of, like, the. The business legitimacy thing. And you were in that series. I did the Staying Solo Story series. One of the interviews I did with one of my longtime clients. She tells a story. This is Emily Gurtinbach, and she tells a story about going to a networking event, and someone keeps badgering her about when she's going to hire and how bad it made her feel. And there is this idea, like, if you don't have a team, employees, a brick and mortar, all these things, are you even legit? Are you even real? You're just playing business in your office or at your kitchen table or whatever. And the reality is, is that. That it's about ego. It's about vanity. It's about so many things. And I find it really interesting when, like, I will pop my team answers emails in our, you know, shared inbox, but so do I. I will pop in and answer emails sometimes on the customer service side or different things, and people are, like, so surprised that it's actually me, because we have all been conditioned in this online world to feel like These celebrity entrepreneurs running the businesses are untouchables and we should be worshiping them. And the reality is, is, like, people, at this point in time, I'm gonna, I'm gonna call it right now, they don't give a shit if you have a huge team. They care if you have skills and experience and you do what you say you're gonna do. Because unfortunately, over the last 10 years of the online business world, like, the bar is so low, it's in hell right now.
- [19:39]
Andrea
Oh, Lord.
- [19:41]
Maggie Patterson
Am I wrong?
- [19:43]
Andrea
You're not wrong. I do feel like, unfortunately, this is where we are in the service industry and especially going into now. So now not only are we competing against the low expectations that other people have set in their business, but also AI, I feel like there's this assumption that it's such a magical thing that it's like people, people think it's the end all, be all. And then they come to us and they expect us to be able to do things or they expect AI to be able to do things that it can't. And it's like, okay, so we're battling against two expectations here with this, which is just. It's so freaking wild. I think we're just heading into a wild time. But like you said, when you go into your inbox, new answer and email, I think that actually helps people connect with you more and kind of like bridges this gap right now between, like, there's so much information online that sometimes we just want a human being. It reminds me of like when you call the bank and you're like, give me the human. I don't want the automate. I don't want the automated. Give me the human. Like, that's where we are right now.
- [20:48]
Maggie Patterson
Example. This morning, my husband's off work. We need to get a railing installed on our front step because there's not one. And it's dangerous. And it's been six years and we figure someone's going to fall off eventually. So he, he call, basically gets in touch with two places. One person says, great, I'm in the area, I'm going to come give you a quote. The other one says, hey, can you take pictures and send a sketch?
- [21:11]
Andrea
Wait, they want you to sketch it?
- [21:12]
Maggie Patterson
Yes.
- [21:14]
Andrea
No.
- [21:15]
Maggie Patterson
Yeah, that's what he's like, absolutely not. And I mean, the man is an artist, he can do it. But I'm. He was just like, no. So we think of that example in your business, like part of being a service business owner is actually providing service. And I feel like in the push to have boundaries and say no. And like I support all those things. There's an entire chapter on boundaries in the book. But we need to remember, like, we actually need to be providing a service and doing what we say we're going to do and not over promising and not just trying to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money. Like, there needs to be some integrity in this. And our mutual friend Michelle Mazur and I just recorded a episode of our podcast, Duped on AI and shitification. Because what I'm seeing is the coach to AI consultant pipeline is real. As the coaching industry is saying we've got an AI industry replacing it. And I use AI, I don't think it's bad. But when I see someone being like, pay for six weeks of coaching with my bot. Are you. What are you on? Yes. Oh, I saw it for real on the Internet.
- [22:25]
Andrea
Oh, man. I mean, I guess if we can think it, it's being done. Listen, I'm a huge fan of AI. I love using it. I talk to Chatty chatgpt every day. Sure. I love it. And it's like a calculator, man. It's not replacing the human. Anyways. Okay, I want to shift gears a little bit because I want to get a little bit nosy about your book marketing. I loved the podcast series that you did for your book marketing. But before we get into that, I want you to give us the, the overall 10 foot view, 100 foot view of your book marketing headed into the launch of Staying Solo.
- [23:02]
Maggie Patterson
Oh my gosh. I'm just gonna say to anyone who wants to write a book, it is a lot of work as an indie author because it is me. And like, yes, I have a team, but here's the reality. I have a very small team and we've got an agency to run. We've got BS free business to run. And like, I didn't know what I was doing, so I couldn't give really good instructions. So I mean, I had lots of friends who've had books, everything, who've given me lots of guidance, but I had to get really scrappy. Like that was a lot of. I had to do a lot of swipe files. I created a whole secondary podcast for it. You know, multiple episodes of my podcast. I've been doing all the podcast interviews like, this is 10,000 foot. This is a massive marketing project over and above everything else we are already doing. And I think the interesting thing is like, yes, there's the time and the energy and commitment of writing the Book. And then there's the hard expenses of writing the book, which right now I'm looking at about $12,000 of like, you know, what's gone into book marketing, copies, sponsorships, all the things. I mean, that's. I'm sure that cost will mount over time, which with my business model, we were. I'm already starting to see that kind of be recouped. But if you have a business model where you're selling like $2 stickers, writing a book is not going to be the way to go. Yeah, I mean, my year long masterminds, I sell a couple of those. Those expenses are recouped. And I didn't do it for necessarily this like massive influx of business. I did it because I wanted to basically put everything together in one neat package. And it's a really good entry point for people into my world.
- [24:44]
Andrea
Yeah, I love this. To me, it's like, it's like the best business card you can ever give out. Right? Because if someone doesn't know who you are, I could buy the book and be like, oh, here's everything you need to know. And then once you're done with that, come to me and I'll, I'll give you the next step because Maggie has a lot of options, you know, and so I really like that you did that. I'm always impressed with people who could do this because I do not have the patience. How long did it take you to write the book?
- [25:12]
Maggie Patterson
A year. And I'm a writer just for like, I am a writer. That is my, that is my craft. That is my thing. I had a lot of existing material to pull together, but, oh, I really went over the top with making the case and the research. Like, anyone who reads the book will be like, this is a very well researched and cited book. And if you don't like research, just skip the first three chapters and get into the guts. I literally have it like a how to use this book, because that section's not for everyone. But if anyone wants to argue with me, I'd be like, see page 47.
- [25:48]
Andrea
Let me just pull up my notes here and show you how it's done. I love this. Oh my gosh. This book is on my read list. Once I get like some time away from these little kids, I'm gonna dive into it. I already have a plan. I love this. So back to the private podcast. I love private podcasts because for me, especially this season of my life, I need something audio that I can listen while we're out walking doing JC Drop up all of this. How did that go? And embedded into the launch of the.
- [26:16]
Maggie Patterson
Book, you know, that I'm really, I really partway through was like, what have I done?
- [26:23]
Andrea
Oh no.
- [26:23]
Maggie Patterson
I was like, I was like, oh, wow. I just created a whole other project on top of the book, on top of everything else. But I'm really glad we did it because number one, the staying solo podcast. I very like very, very, very rarely do interviews on that podcast. And there's so many people I wanted to talk to that were either featured in the book or kind of in my bigger world. And I was, I really enjoyed having those conversations and I've got so much positive feedback on it. And I'd have to look at the numbers, but I mean, right out of the gate there was like a hundred downloads right there. Boom. Like, and let me say 100, I should say 100 signups, not 100 downloads. So you know, that's getting it in front of those people and it's com. The nice thing about it is the conversations are completely evergreen. So, you know, over the summer, hey, I'm gonna be like, hey, you missed the Sting solo podcast. We're on hiatus. Go listen to the private podcast. Because if there's one thing I am going to do with all this is repurpose it for all of eternity, for.
- [27:27]
Andrea
Here and now and forever. Amen. I love this. So I want to talk a little bit about your goals from this because I do find that one of the hardest parts in marketing in general is once you set out to do the thing, it's after you've done it, measuring the success of especially such a large campaign like this. Took you a year to write it. So much investment to go into publishing, self publishing. You're still on this marketing tour of it all. What are your goals? Let's, let's give it an end date by the end of 2025. What are, what would make this a huge success for you?
- [28:00]
Maggie Patterson
What would make this a huge success for me is a. I want books in hands and eyeballs reading the books, right? Like, you know, it's multi step. Get the book in front of people, get them to read the book and then hopefully get them into my world. And we are already seeing, you know, beyond those initial email signups around the podcast, we've had some really meaningful list growth. I'd have to actually go look at the numbers, but meaningful for us. We don't have a giant list in terms of just people signing up for the resource kit that goes with the book. I've Been able to have a lot of podcast conversations. So, you know, we're. We're broadening the net because one of the things that I think would actually really interest people is my addressable community is not huge. Like, as much as I seem to be everywhere, you know, my list is not massive. I don't have a massive social media following. I'm just really loud. I'm actually not that loud, but I'm loud around my marketing. Right. So. And if you actually look at the numbers, like, that is how I consistently able to outperform what my numbers say I should be able to do in terms of conversions and just engagement with my community. So for me, this is just a awareness and a visibility exercise at this point. And, like, would I like to sell a thousand books by the end of the year? Yes. Do I think I'm going to. I don't know. Book reporting is really slow. I don't know where I'm at right now.
- [29:28]
Andrea
Yeah, I love that. Okay, I want to go rewind a sec. Because you mentioned this resource kit. Is this something that's, like, at the end of the book, they get to the end of the book and you're like, hey, if you want more, sign.
- [29:37]
Maggie Patterson
Up, I have it sprinkled throughout the book.
- [29:40]
Andrea
Ooh, nice. I love that. I think that's such a great way to encourage people to take that next step. Especially you mentioned things like calculators and like tanning. Tangible things that you can implement with the book. Some of the books that stick with me, I always know that those are the things that go along with it. I love it. I love it. Okay, so we're nearing the end of our conversation today. Last question. Do you think that solo businesses mean that the business is more human?
- [30:12]
Maggie Patterson
I'm gonna say yes.
- [30:14]
Andrea
Tell me more.
- [30:15]
Maggie Patterson
Well, I think, and I'm gonna come at this from a couple different angles, is number one, you know, like, if you compare it to an agency, one of the big things everyone goes through when they transition from solo to an agency is convincing people that their team is as good as they are, if not better. And when you're a solopreneur, you never have to deal with that. So I feel like one of the biggest fears our clients have is that what makes you great is not going to carry through. And whether it's true in an agency or not, I do feel like you being the face of the business also humanizes it. It's just an easier thing for brains to wrap around not saying agencies are not human. My team is very Human, not AI. But at the end of the day, there's that. I think the other thing is a solo business owner. It's a lot easier to just build things, do your marketing based on your point of view, your reputation, like, you don't have as many things to consider. And I'll give you an example is when I had a business partner, it was very challenging at times because not that we had differing viewpoints, but how I would express that versus how she would express it were very different. And I. I'm glad I had that lesson because once we had wrapped up and pardoned on very amicable terms, I always like to say that because business partnership breakups are always a thing on the Internet. And that actually was one of the reasons I was able to sharpen my voice, because I was like, oh, no one's here to hold me back. Great. I can see whatever I want.
- [31:52]
Andrea
Yes. Yeah. I do find that. So having been on both sides of this, now I feel more nimble, which is both a pro. And I don't think either side of this is like, go all one way or the other, but, like, I can be very nimble with my marketing. Like, I can wake up today and be like, I'm gonna do this now, and then just do it. Whereas before, when I had a team, there was, like, a lot of things to think about before doing that. But also it's just me. So some days lately, especially I've been sick. This week, y' all, I woke up, I was like, I don't feel like working today, and I just don't work today. There's no one to report to. It's just me. So I do find that that part, like having a team for me, helped me stay more motivated versus being nimble. So two sides. But I. I love that you said that, though, about the humanity of it all. I find there's just going to be a premium on humanity because of AI and robots and everything. So I love this. Thank you so much, Maggie.
- [32:47]
Maggie Patterson
And can I just. I want to add something to that. In a world of AI, in a world of where, you know, we have all these people that are separate and we can't talk to them, you being able to show up and be human and real and, like, actually serve your clients, connect with your clients, have conversations with your clients, and being willing to do that is a huge differentiator. So I think for anyone who's feeling uncomfortable about AI right now is like, as a solo business owner, you have a huge advantage. And I will just say, as Someone who works on the agency side with corporate clients. I am seeing my corporate clients hire more and more solo practitioners than ever before because they don't want to pay for the layers and complexity and frankly, the bullshit that goes on with a lot of the agencies they've dealt with in the past.
- [33:34]
Andrea
Yeah, interesting. Okay, well, you heard it here first, folks. Staying solo may be a way to go for you. I love this. Okay, so everyone who's listening who's like, give me the book now, please, Maggie, tell us more about it and where they can find it.
- [33:48]
Maggie Patterson
Okay, so the book you can find@stayingsolo book.com it is everywhere. It is Amazon, Indigo, Barnes, and nobles bookshop.org so if you don't want to shop on the Bad Place, you don't have to shop on the Bad Place. And it's in. Oh, Kobo, did I say that? It's all. Literally all the places. I've been indie authoring all over the place, being like, hi, can you stop my book? Yeah, like I said, the humility of all this. It's been very sobering.
- [34:16]
Andrea
Yeah.
- [34:16]
Maggie Patterson
So that is the best place to find the book is wherever books are sold. And if you want to check out the Staying Solo Stories podcast, which includes Andrea's story, it's@stingsolostories.com and I live on the Internet at BS Free Business and the Stingsolo podcast.
- [34:32]
Andrea
Yay. I love it. All of those links will be in the show Notes, y' all, online dre.com 3, 5, 9. Get the book, listen to the podcast. Enjoy all of it. Thank you so much, Maggie, for being on the show today.
- [34:42]
Maggie Patterson
Thanks, Andrea.
- [34:43]
Andrea
And thank you, dear listener, for tuning in to another episode of the Mindful Marketing Podcast. If you want more mindful marketing goodness in your life, make sure you check out the Mindful Marketing Lab. Coming up next, we are doing our famous what's the Scene Scoop session where I go into all the nitty gritty of all the marketing news and trends happening on the Internet, really breaking it down so that you have what you need to know and not all the hypotheticals out there in the world. So come on in. That's going to be on June 3rd. So in the Mindful Marketing Lab, join us there. Next week, I am having a conversation with Lindsay Bestfield all about unlocking the Google algorithm, especially that cute little box at the top right now that says, hey, here's what AI says. If you want to learn about that and more, stay tuned next week. I'll see you then. Bye for now.