Good girls also always smile, don’t complain, put themselves last & strive for perfection. (& are thin, but don’t even get me started on that one!!)

In reality, the tropes that we were fed as millennial girls have now turned us into exhausted, resentful millennial women who feel like they’ve lost their spark.

Still, we keep on showing up, quietly resenting it all, & with each yes that we wish could be a no, it slowly kills our charisma, creativity & takes away our freedom.

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And it got me thinking - why as grown women (& non binary folk) are we (me included back in the early days of working for myself) still putting all the power of our serving decisions onto our clients in an attempt to please them, when we’re the experts?

What I believe is that it comes down to confidence, or a lack of it.

The millennial lies we were sold took that confidence away from us. The good girl mentality makes us question ourselves & how we really want to show up - that it’s somehow “not good enough” compared to the standards we’ve been taught to strive towards.

What I’m basically saying here is that it’s not your fault.

As I’ve alluded to before, I’ve been a victim to it too.

When I started out as a Virtual Admin, I took such a big risk in taking the leap to work for myself & really felt the pressure that came with it, cos there was no back up plan.

What first started out as excitement at being able to actually start work at 10am like I’d always wanted to, turned into me dreading opening my laptop, logging in earlier & earlier every day, scopes creeping & then once I’d become a Mum, frantically trying to fit too much work into my son’s nap times.

I’d trapped myself into a way of working that was never the intention (more about that in last month’s post) - it was just as restrictive as when I’d been employed all cos I’d said yes to client requests when a lot of the time I’d really wanted to say no. I constantly felt like I was chasing my tail & it wasn’t fun.

Instead of being intentional & confident about how I served (which I’m more than capable of with my years of experience) I panic-served instead & that’s when I let the words that had been ringing in my ears since I was young of what a “good girl” should be, creep in. I lost my nerve.

After 6 months of trying & failing to juggle my business around my baby, I pulled myself out of it, cos I knew there had to be a different way of doing things. Even though my confidence had been pushed down for a long time, I knew I was capable of doing things differently too.

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I realised that saying no doesn’t = disappointed clients or me being “bad” at what I do.

YOU get to decide what success looks like for you. And that includes saying No.

My idea of success was not having to sacrifice time with my baby. (I now have another young child in the mix too) I wanted to be fully present both for my biz & for him.

When you say No (aka setting boundaries) you’re empowered to serve from a rested, calm state & the client knows exactly what to expect from working with you.

Saying NO means you have more energy to do what matters. Like…

• Serving your clients you love with the attention they deserve

(rather than when you’re the middle of making tea, I have two young kids shouting “Mummy” at you, the telly is on & you’re overstimulated to f*ck)

• Spending quality time with your loved ones

(rather than always having one eye on your phone checking for notifications or emails)

• Doing the hobbies that fill up your cup

(rather than being so exhausted from always having to be switched “on” all the time, that you collapse on the sofa with a glass of wine each night)

Having come through all of that myself, I now see it as my job to coax the serving confidence that’s been lost to the “good girl mentality” out of you.

That doesn’t mean scrapping everything & starting again either. It means looking at how you actually want to work with your clients & what you need from them (rather than vice versa) in order to serve them in a way that’s enjoyable for you both. Then I come up with the small steps that can get you there based on what you’re doing now, & your values.

No complicated strategies. Just simple actions that feel easy & move things in the direction that you actually want to go when it comes to being able to serve your clients really well.

I’m now taking 90min 1:1 session bookings for September. (they cost £295 & a payment plan is available) Let’s chat over a cuppa about whether a session would be right for you - book your discovery call here.

Big love

F x

It makes you better at what you do.

This is especially important now, during Summer, when I'm guessing that you want a well- earned break, or more time with your kids, or to just go off & explore in the sunshine.

So, I’m recapping all the boundary based tasks we’ve covered here - that way if there’s ones you’re still intending to come back to, you can - just bookmark this post (or flag it in your emails).

Also, a reminder whilst we’re at it…

You can never be “behind” with these tasks - they’re designed as gentle nudges to keep you moving forwards step by step. Some weeks that will look like no steps at all. Other weeks it’ll be 4 or 5 steps all at once. Either way, you’ll still get there.

Right, so here’s the recap for your Pal…

Set the timer on your phone for 10 mins for each so that you don’t end up overthinking them - & don’t forget I’m around in our chat thread for you to ask questions, seek advice & brainstorm with.

Take time to reflect…

• What would your ideal working week look like? How many hours would you work & on what days? What hobbies or activities would you like to open up space for in your diary? & what needs to start to change to help you achieve these things?

• What boundaries do your clients need to be aware of in relation to your service(s)? Eg That you don’t work weekends, response expectations, channels you would prefer to keep communication limited to

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Despite all my experience working in customer service, there’s so much of it that I just didn’t apply to working for myself. (probably cos it was something that happened out of necessity & very quickly rather than having any real plan behind it) And, if I could go back & do some things differently, I defo would.

I have learnt an awful lot though, and I’m grateful for that.

My self employed journey began back in the Summer of 2020. I had been on furlough for a while & as the hospitality industry was hit so dramatically by the Pandemic, my job working for a 5 star hotel was up in the air. HR were asking people to take voluntary redundancy where possible & as I had become burnt out & disillusioned with what I was doing (amongst other things) I took the offer.

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I applied for what felt like loads of admin/customer service based jobs & didn’t make it to the interview stage for any, which was a bitter pill to swallow. The competition was just so tough & I was being told that I was “too experienced”. So, I created a VERY basic graphic on Canva touting myself as a Virtual Admin (VA) & started my business by simply just telling people about it on Facebook. (& praying it would lead to something & that I could make it “work”)

That graphic on Facebook did lead to something - I got my first couple of clients through it, & that’s when things began in earnest.

My business grew through word of mouth alone (if you scroll back to the very early days of my IG you will see how mega cringe it was, so it’s no surprise that it didn’t really lead to any paying work) & within a year I’d somehow grown a small team to help me manage the workload.

It didn’t cross my mind at the time that a team had never been something that I’d wanted when I started out. But, I went with it cos it’s what I thought my business needed; it was growing so my team needed to grow with it, or I just wouldn’t be able to cope.

What I had actually wanted when I started out was to have slow mornings (I have never been a morning person) & not start work till 10am, the chance to have impromptu lunch dates out when my partner was on his rest days & to be able to exercise/take classes/have hair appointments during the day, rather than them being squeezed into the weekends.

What ended up happening pre having my eldest child, was even though my work day didn’t start till 10, I was chained to my desk all day after that & often wouldn’t have the chance to leave the house till the evening once everything was done. My email inbox & daily to-do list had me feeling overwhelmed too. I’d boxed myself into ways of working that were almost exactly the same as when I was employed & I couldn’t figure out how I’d managed to get swept away so much that I was at the point I was.

It doesn’t help that my biz had a name that I look back on & cringe. I was a VA for health & wellness professionals & called myself FS Virtual Admin. I mean, it described what I did, but was so un-inspring & dull. In hindsight, it just wasn’t me. And I think that’s the thing about a lot of the decisions I made at the time; there just wasn’t any real intention behind them, or consideration of my personality.

Without intention of course I wasn’t going to have a brand or business that felt like me. I was so busy worrying about being able to pay my bills, that I didn’t plan beyond that. I was just grateful to be making it “work” in that sense.

The turning point came when, after just 4 months of maternity leave with my eldest, I went back to working with my two biggest clients. (I couldn’t afford not to) Within 6 months of scrabbling to work mainly during my son’s nap times & generally being very anxious about his sleep schedule because of that, it became clear that I just wasn’t coping. I was missing things that I wouldn’t have before & I was starting to resent it all cos it meant that I found it really hard to be present with my son without worrying about his sleep.

I knew that something had to change. So in a similar way to how I’d started out, I made the big decision to wind it all down & say goodbye to my team even though I didn’t have a back up plan.

I did have the intention to do things differently this time though. It forced me to consider what my strengths really are, (customer service, not admin) & to back myself. That’s how I became a Client Experience Strategist & And So The Journey Begins.Co was born.

To do things differently this time, I had to work on all the things that I now work on with clients, but had been lost in the frazzled energy of “needing to make it work” & all the pressure that came with that.

And a massive part of that was actually deciding how I wanted to business - the hours I wanted to work, the type of retainers/offers I wanted to create, the types of client I wanted to work with (not just whoever wanted what I offered) how I wanted to communicate with my clients, what my approach would be focused around & what I wanted to become known for.

I’m not gonna lie, it’s taken me a while to land on what feels aligned with all of that. But, what has helped hugely is deciding on my business values, then returning to them time & time again to check that where I’m moving is actually the direction that I want to go in. (If you’re reading this as a member of my paid Substack community, you’ll be rolling your eyes at just how much I talk about values from our weekly tasks!)

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What was important was that even with just an initial idea of how I wanted to do business, I began creating boundaries to protect all of it. And sharing them with clients right from the get go. (rather than months down the line as I had done before, which made them so much harder to enforce)

With space to reflect & draw on all my customer service experience, I knew that to avoid boxing myself into the ways of working that would have me resenting everything all over again, I would need to set expectations really clearly for my clients of what working with me & being in my world is actually like too.

Some examples of what that’s looked like:

• Sharing my working hours & response times in an auto responder on my email (which I’ve since moved to being in my email signature instead)

• Being upfront in my marketing & initial client conversations about exactly what is & isn’t included in my services

• Having just one channel of communication with my clients (& explaining to them why that is - ie. it will be easier & avoids key questions or info being lost across multiple threads on different platforms)

Now, I have a business that I look forward to working on, clients that I bloody love working with & who completely get my vibe. (in fact it’s the reason why they stick around)

I’m able to have dedicated days to work around a busy family life, I can take time off to go to my son’s medical appointments without the fear that anything will be missed, I have the time to network & build relationships with fab female founders who “get it” & I’m just generally really enjoying what I’m doing & excited about what the future holds because it all feels like ME.

You don’t have to stay stuck chained to your desk or resenting the clients that you said yes to when you really should have said no either Pal. I’ve been there myself so you don’t have to. Finally applying everything that my long customer service career (you can see exactly what that career looked like here) taught me, has been a complete game changer….who’d have thought it eh?! Lol.

And, you’ll be pleased to know that when you work with me, change starts with just one small action that you can then build on with another…. & then make a couple of tweaks to what’s already working.

No complicated, overwhelming strategies, just the simple stuff that I know will make serving your clients feel easy (& more importantly, joyful) again.

I have 2 spaces in my diary this month for Easy Like Sunday Morning 90 min 1:1 sessions. (priced at £295 - a payment plan is available) Find out everything that’s included here. Or, lets a have a quick cuppa call to chat about getting you booked in.

Big love

F x

Hello Pal

As we’ve just passed the mid point of the year (how are we here already?!) I wanted to check in & get some feedback from you about how you’re finding this subscription/community.

Your answers will help me make some potential improvements to what I share with you as well as running some ideas past you.

When you…

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Now that we’ve finished all the setting expectations tasks, I wanted to pause & send another one of these recap emails to give you chance to pause yourself, reflect & see where you’re at with it all. (Also, a big ol’ reminder here, that you can ask me questions any time about these tasks or anything client experience related in our private chat thread)

I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again, please don’t ever thing you’re “behind” with any of these tasks - a few of you have told me that you like being nudged with these tasks each week cos it’s the gentle reminder you need that keeps severing your clients really well at the fore front of your mind - which is exactly what they’re designed to do! :)

Ok, so here’s the recap for you Pal…

Set the timer on your phone for 10 mins for each so that you don’t end up overthinking them!

• Put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes…

  What could have the potential to really annoy them if you weren’t clear or upfront about?

  Would it be the timings of their invoices for example? Or what exactly is & isn’t included in your service? Or could they potentially get annoyed by timings of your service? You don’t have to jump to something that they might “complain” about, but I would encourage you to think of the type of things that would niggle at them & gradually get them more annoyed

• Brainstorm the “annoying” things that clients ask/do (often repeatedly)

  Don’t hold back here pal - the more “harsh” you are, the easier it will be to set expectations around these things in future so that they don’t happen.

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At that point, I had kind of stumbled my way through my life saying yes to things that I felt like I should do, cos it’s what other people expected of me.

…marrying a guy that adored me (but who if I was being honest, I had reservations about), trying all kinds of customer service jobs in an effort to find my “lane” & progress in it & moving to Edinburgh. (my husband was a chef & we moved for his career, not mine)

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When I look back at that period of time in my life, I affectionately call it my “quarter life crisis” cos it’s when I finally stopped & thought; “hang on a minute, do I actually want any of this?’

That quote was the ah-ha moment that I needed to put myself firmly back in the driving seat of my own life. It sounds like a cliche, but before that there was defo the realisation that I’d been riding in the back seat, just “going along” with everything so as not to make a fuss. Cos good girls don’t make a fuss.

What I realised sounds brutal, but I knew I didn’t actually love my husband anymore. (he was emotionally gas-lighting me too, but I’m not going to go into that just now) I was bored at my job. And, I needed to do something/anything to change those things to avoid continuing along a life trajectory that I didn’t want anymore & knew that if I kept on with it, would end up with me becoming deeply unhappy.

But, the prospect of doing a full 180 on my life felt scary as hell, so I started small with the changes, until I eventually got braver.

I started with filling my flat with the things I actually liked, (hello candles & flowers) & getting myself to several dance classes each week; dancing had always been something I enjoyed & those classes became my happy place.

After that the bigger jumps came where I really did have to have faith in myself.(the smaller changes that had gone before helped with that) Like finally asking my husband for a divorce & starting the legal process to make it happen. And, quitting my job to get back into the first love of my customer service career, hospitality.

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Since then, “nothing changes if nothing changes” has always rung in my ears when I’ve come to big cross roads.

It made me start “putting myself out there” romantically. I got on the apps. I went on dates. (some good, some horrendous) Those changes are what led to me meeting my now partner of 9 years on one of those apps, and us moving in together & starting a family.

It was what pushed me during Covid to take the leap & take voluntary redundancy from the hospitality training job that was burning me out. Knowing that I’d made big changes before gave me the confidence to start working for myself off the back of that - cos that was the only way of working that I knew would actually fit what I wanted from life. (by then I knew that I defo wanted kids)

In the last couple of years it’s helped me to make small changes to my daily habits (which in turn helped my mental health hugely) when life threw me some massive curveballs. One of those curveballs that you may already be aware of if you’ve been reading my Substack for a while, is the very premature arrival for my second son at just 25 weeks, & his subsequent long NICU stay last year.

And more recently, it’s given me the courage to face up to the fact that my business simply hadn’t been working prior to me taking a break to be with my son in hospital. So I did the little things, like reflecting on why things hadn’t worked & revisiting my biz mission, values & purpose. They’ve made the biggest difference with how I feel now that I’m out the other side; I’m so much clearer on my message, who I’m serving & how I want to shape my offers.

It’s why I can confidently say that the small actions/tweaks you make with how you’re serving your clients & customers (especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated) WILL add up to the big change that you want that feels out of reach right now.

Nothing changes if nothing changes…& it all starts with one small step in a new direction.

Before you know it, you’ll feel happier & more confident about how you’re serving, your clients will feel the impact of that, your reputation will grow & so will your business.

Let me help you figure out what that first step with how you serve your clients is, Pal.

Join me for a 90 min 1:1 session (they’re £295 - a payment plan is available) & you’ll leave with a bespoke action plan of small steps designed to fit exactly how you do business & how you want your clients to feel. Book your discovery call here.

Or,

Join me & my fab paid Subscriber community (it’s just a fiver a month) in our private chat thread where I’ll gently nudge you with a 10 min client experience task each week that will get you taking action & keep serving your clients really well top of mind. Click the button below to upgrade your subscription.

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The reason why felt like a big deal at the time though & in hindsight I actually think it was a bit of a defining moment as far as believing in myself & what I’m capable of goes.

The temp job itself felt so easy that I was actually bored most of the time.There was barely anyone about & not much really to do. I was hired through a temp agency to be a receptionist for the meeting room spaces of a global accounting/investment firm & I was essentially a face sat behind a desk to smile & nod. It was probably the most corporate space that I’ve ever been, or will ever be in. (For good reason)

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To start with I was given a uniform to wear that was basically a suit. When I began my training days with them, they had originally wanted me to wear a skirt (cos I’m a woman, eyeroll) but soon changed their mind when they realised that I had tattoos on both my ankles which would have been on show. Their uniform policy was to wear tan tights & so they asked me to cover them up with make up every day. (which I promptly shut down) Instead it ended up that they begrudgingly got me a pair of trousers to wear instead. Not the best start.

As you might expect from a receptionist job, my duties included answering the phone, welcoming guests into the meeting space & giving them a pass, checking that said meeting spaces had the tech ready & working when they were needing to be used, calling partners to let them know when their guests had arrived & other little ad hoc jobs (like ordering flowers) when they came in over email. All very straightforward for someone like me who had been working in customer service jobs her entire (squiggly) career.

So far, so dull right? The thing that really got me & the reason behind me not returning was that another receptionist there (she was a permanent member of staff) slagged off my customer service skills.

I had phoned a partner in the firm to let him know that his guest had arrived for their meeting. A very simple & quick phone call which started with me saying “hello” - as I would whenever I’m talking to anyone to be honest. She told me off for being too informal, saying I shouldn’t say that again & to instead use “Good morning/afternoon”.

This REALLY got my back up. (on top of uniform issues) By this point I had worked in customer service for 10 years already, including calls centres & dealing with complaints, so I knew that I knew what I was doing. And, I knew that I was bloody good at it too.

So I wasn’t going to have someone tell me how I should & shouldn’t speak. Especially when I had a stellar customer service CV.

The issue wasn’t me, it was that that corporate environment didn’t want to entertain any evidence that the people working there had a personality. Personalities needed to be squashed, in fact, completely flattened to fit in with their agenda & way of doing things.

Smiling, nodding, looking & speaking a certain way (the way I was told) was not something I could get on board with. I was a very square peg in a very round hole, & for the first time in my life, I rebelled & walked away as soon as I found other work.

I think that’s partly why I’m so adamant now that your personality should be intertwined so deeply with how you serve. I’ve seen it work in so many places that matter. (ie not the mega corporate ones)

Doing things YOUR way, embracing your quirks.

That’s what makes you stand out.

That’s what gets you remembered.

Having my personality squashed in such a way back then felt so uncomfortable. I’m guessing it feels uncomfy for you if you’re trying to be “professional” all the time in your biz too. Exhausting in fact.

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It’s why when we work together on your client experience strategy, I’ll always encourage you to lean the hell into what makes you, you. That’s cos the quirks you have & the little fun things that your besties love about you are what your clients will love about you too.

It opens you up for more connection, less exhaustion. More opportunity for joy, less trying be someone you’re not.

If you have a biz pal who you know needs to hear this, send it their way. XX

And, if you’d love me in your corner to hype you up (& more importantly actually get you taking action!) with this kind of stuff with your client experience, I’m opening up my books for a brand new 1:1 service; “Easy Like Sunday Morning” from the end of this month. Comment emoji that you think best describes your personality below & I’ll send you the link to be added to my waitlist.

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There’s a cliche saying which I very much think …

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The slight epiphany I’ve had since (I say slight cos it’s probably something I’ve known all along anyway) that I’d been seriously over complicating things.

Cos, all your client experience is at its heart is serving your clients really well.

I think when we put the word “strategy” in front of anything, the tendency (my brain certainly does this anyway) is to panic & pile layer upon complicated layer on a foundation that was already solid. The curse of overthinking.

Serving your clients really well may not need to be complicated, but like anything else in business, you do need to have a strong intention behind it to be able to gain any results from it.

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So, in an effort to prove just how simple it can be to serve your clients really well, I asked 5 awesome female founders what it means to them.

These women all have a vision for their business long term & I approached them to be included here cos I know from either working with them in the past, or from being in their online community for a while, just how great they are at serving their clients. They know what they’re doing & they have one main focus.

Here’s what they shared with me….

Naomi - Founder, Howdy Naomi

Naomi is a Brand & Website Designer & having worked with her on it myself, I would recommend her Styled to Sell service

When I think about providing a great customer experience, it all comes down to clarity. From our very first call or DM to our final sign-off email, I want all of my clients to feel sure and confident of their next steps working with me.

We’re all busy, and no one likes chasing people for follow up information, so I think setting really clear goals and parameters for every project builds confidence and makes sure that the work we do together is successful. To do this, I prioritise a clear client portal, regular email communication (much of it automated through Dubsado) and regular check in’s with a clear purpose

Jess - Founder, BoxLove

Jess’ boxes are a little hug in the post & I’ve sent them to multiple friends & family myself

It’s vital for us to serve our clients well, without them we wouldn’t be here. We always ensure we show our gratitude to our regular customers, it can be as simple as reaching out to email to say “thank you for your recent support”. We always want our clients to feel valued and show that we genuinely care and appreciate them

Marti - Founder, Wee Bit Social

Marti runs relaxed networking events in Edinburgh (which I love!) & supports small biz owners with their social content

For me, serving my clients well means that it’s more than a financial transaction, and I really want them to feel that.
I want my clients to get real value from me, whether that’s from a networking event, a learning workshop, or a training or strategy session.
And that means the little extras. For example, really nice coffee at an event, or pastries at a workshop, and making sure there’s a warm welcome or just checking in a month after a training session to see if they are actually putting into practice what they’ve learnt and checking in with encouragement because I think a lot of the problems people have when it comes to social media is that they really just need encouragement and a pep talk and that’s 80% of the problem most of the time!

My priority most of the time is about making people feel comfortable - sometimes it’s a worry when it comes to knowledge and people feel judged sitting in front of someone who has looked at their social media when they don’t fully feel confident. For me it’s really about reassuring people that they have made the right decision, because as business owners, time and spending money on your business is a huge ask, I want to make that worthwhile for them. I’m a small business owner too, I get it

Lauren - Founder, Unravel

Lauren is Queen of systems & ops & supports small biz owners to build systems that make running their biz feel a million times easier

For me, serving my clients really well comes down to transparency and clarity. My clients feel really supported when they are really clear on the plan of action, they know exactly what I need from them, what they need to do to make progress in their business and that they have clear, structured systems and support to get them there.

Most of the time the simple systems and straightforward support is the most impactful and so that’s what I prioritise when serving clients. No need to overcomplicate something that doesn’t need to be complicated.

Tiff - Founder, The Business Bread & Butter Club

Having run a guest workshop within it, I know Tiff’s Business Bread & Butter Club membership feels like a warm hug & makes working for yourself feel a lot less lonely

Serving my clients really well means allowing a judgement free community. As female founders, we are often juggling a lot at any time including business, family, relationships, and our own wellbeing. Business can be lonely enough, so a priority for me is creating the space to allow women to celebrate wins, navigate challenges and feel safe and supported to do so.

You will probably have noticed a couple of the same themes cropping up with these ladies, Pal:

Clarity & a real desire to make their clients feel 100% seen & heard when they’re in their World.

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These two themes underpin my whole approach with what I do when working with you on your client experience too.

It’s all about getting you Remembered, Referred & Building your Reputation.

Remembered - By sharing your gorgeous personality & forming a connection with your clients that goes far beyond a financial transaction

Referred - By being crystal clear about what matters most to them, & making their experience feel easy so that recommending you to their Pals becomes a no-brainer

Building your Reputation - By delighting them with thoughtful little actions that make you stand out in your industry for doing things differently. This goes beyond just booking out your services - it’s the additional opportunities that come from being known for being shit hot at what you do

It really is as simple as those 3 things.

I’d love to know whose words have stuck with you most about serving your clients really well? And have they inspired you to take any action of your own?

Over in my paid (it’s just a fiver a month) Substack Subscriber community, I share a 10 min client experience task in our private chat thread each week, to help make serving your clients really well feel easy, simple & joyful. The theme of the tasks for the next few weeks is building your reputation & you can ask questions in the thread anytime you like too.

Join us by clicking the button below X

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I know that when life is life-ing round holidays & things that it’s not always poss to keep on top of the weekly tasks in our chat thread despite your best intentions, so like I did at the end of Feb, I’m recapping the ones from the last few weeks, so you can dip into the ones that you think will help you most in your biz right now.

And I’m going to preface this by saying that please don’t ever feel like you’re “behind” with these tasks, what I’m about to share is more of a reference point for you to keep on coming back to, rather than a stick to beat yourself with.

These tasks all relate to the client experience tweak you decided to take action on after reflecting on what felt good/bad with your client experience last year. (To be reminded of those reflective tasks, read them here)

• When are you going to fit in working on the small steps relating to the client experience tweak you have in mind? As with last week, think of your personal capacity here. Make it easy on yourself - what’s going to feel good to commit to? Is it blocking out half an hour in your diary each week? Or putting a morning in your diary just once this month to get into deep focus with it?

• Have you infused the part of your client experience that you’re working on with your gorgeous personality? Use this 10 mins to press pause & do a “human” check. Are the words you’re using actually what you would say if your client was sat in front of you? Have you considered visuals? Or is there something quirky or uniquely you that you’d like to add, but can’t place your finger on what that might be yet? - use me for brainstorming in the thread here cos this is the kind of stuff I absolutely love coming up with!

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Every 6 weeks or so I block out an hour or so in my diary to write the 10 min tasks that I share in our private chat thread each week.

It’s one of my fave things to do & I usually find that I go into a hyper focus mode.

Before I write the next batch of tasks, I wanted to make sure that I’m meeting you where you’re at with the support that you …

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Maybe that feeling resonates with you too?

I can feel my productive self wanting to rush ahead with those ideas that are starting to come to the fore, (a mistake I’ve made all too much in the past) but am reminding myself that I need to let my body catch up. Our house has been filled with illness this week. My littlest is choked with a cold, (as am I after multiple nights of very broken sleep) I’ve had docs appointments to navigate & still very much need to take things slowly.

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It’s more of a slow unfurling like the Snow Drops peaking out of the ground at the moment, rather than the full bloom of more audacious flowers like Peonies.

Or, to put it another way, I’m craving a kick up the bum, but in a gentle way.

It’s why I’ve decided to write this post around quick wins for your client experience. Cos none of us have endless time or energy to give the areas we desperately want to move forwards with in our business. But, doing the smallest of things can kick start the momentum to make those smaller tasks a regular habit, or even move on to bigger projects if you’re nearer to your full bloom era than me.

Whichever camp you land in, my advice for all of these quick tasks is to actually make them quick. Set a timer for 15 mins & get cracking. Having what feels like less time means you won’t overthink & I actually think you’ll be surprised at what comes out of your brain in that time too. (we all feel like hidden geniuses when we get into deep focus amirite?!)

1. Look at past feedback from your clients & note down any FAQs you could answer in your onboarding moving forwards

Feedback isn’t scary when you look at it like this; a powerful tool to help you make tweaks in places that might have felt like blind spots before.

I can also bet that none of your clients will have phrased feedback that you might think of as constructive, negatively either, so it’s worth reading between the lines here.

2. Map out all your client touch points so you’re clear on their journey with you.

I’ve shared this one cos it’s often something that my past clients have felt has held them back from making the tweaks & upgrades they’ve really wanted to with their client experience, simply because they’re unsure of how it all fits together in the bigger picture of working with a client.

If your brain feels like mush when you approach this too, I’ve found it so much easier when you break it down into chunks: discovery, onboarding, delivery & aftercare

3. Create a short “how to” video or audio to answer something that clients commonly ask during their time with you/or would enhance what you already share

This is something that will make both of your lives easier. (they don’t have to ask & you don’t have to schedule a call for a long winded answer)

For example, if you’re sharing Canva templates with your clients, a short (we’re talking 5 mins max to reduce potential overwhelm) tutorial on Loom of how they can easily edit, share & download them to use themselves.

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4. Human check your email templates - do they actually sound like how you would talk if they were stood in front of you? (no you wouldn’t say “Kind Regards” when you’re putting your coat on to leave a coffee date with a Pal would you)

I will die on the hill that the way you write or communicate with your clients doesn’t need to be “professional” (aka corporate, stuffy & lacking personality) in order for them to respect you & the service you provide.

Sharing your personality however, gets you remembered. It brings smiles to peoples faces, brings about connection & it leads to recommendations & referrals.

I personally love it when an email sign off, for example, is unexpected. I read one recently from a brand designer that I worked with last year that said “stay exceptional” which I LOVED.

5. Update your email signature to make your working hours & response time clear

This task comes with the big ol’ reminder that you don’t need to be available to your clients 24/7 in order to be serving them well. In fact, if you’re switched on all the time, what they’re gonna get is a watered down version of your gorgeous, powerful energy rather than the potency you’re capable of.

So, if you don’t work evenings or weekends, or check your inbox everyday, tell them so in your email signature. (or other communication channel that feels appropriate)

The shift here is in effective expectation setting rather than you burning yourself out. The World isn’t going to come crashing down just cos you don’t reply to an email instantly. In fact, it will be all the better for you having had the time to craft a thoughtful response, rather than a knee-jerk one.

6. Find out your current client’s birthdays so you can send a note or small gift when the time comes

For me, marking birthdays (it could even be their “birthday” of working with you if they’re a long-term client) is such an easy way of making someone feel special & like you actually care.

It takes what you do to the next level & you can get creative with how you ask; “Are you an Aries like me? I feel like we both vibe off X”

7, Film a time lapse video whilst you’re working that you can use to take your clients behind the scenes of your process

This one really is a quick win & can be used in those periods of time when your client is waiting for material from you. It reminds them that you’ve not “forgotten” about them & instead are busy beavering away for them.

If you’re a photographer, this could be a “busy editing your gorgeous images” vid for example.

I’d love to know which of these tasks you’ve decided to gain a quick win from this month Pal - so share in the comments & I can help brainstorm/cheer you on with it too.

If this list has got you inspired for what else you can tackle in your client experience that isn’t as big a task as you once thought it was, you’ll love my paid subscriber community. I share a quick task just like these in our private chat thread each week, am available to support you 1:1 with it & it’s just a fiver a month. Tap below to upgrade.

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A case in point for me with this at the mo is with a Marketing membership I’m part of called The Best 90 Days Ever. There are so many juicy nuggets shared in the Slack channel that I’ve lost count of the number that I’ve bookmarked. That’s why I was beyond grateful when this week Hannah (the marketing genius who runs the membership) created a Google Doc for members that I could copy & work on myself.

It inspired me to do my own version of that for you, Pal, cos boy do I know the frustration that being busy (solo-parenting seems to be my default at the mo & it’s draining AF) can have with you actually being able to move forwards with your biz plans. (You might want to flag this in your inbox or move it to a folder, wink wink)

All the tasks that I’ve shared with you in our private chat thread since January have been designed to help you reflect on what worked well last year, what parts of your biz foundations might need tweaking & where you want to put your energy with your client experience for the rest of this first quarter of the year.

A reminder too, to please shout up in the thread for support. I can help you with feedback, brainstorming & bespoke advice for your client experience. In fact, I bloody love doing it.

Here’s the tasks again for you (remember to set that 10 min timer for each so you don’t overthink!):

1. Take the opportunity to reflect - what felt really good with your client experience last year? What communication felt good? What new ideas worked? What do you want to do more of? Think about: boundaries & expectation setting &/or ways that you shared your personality

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Seen as…

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But this year, I wanted to do things differently.

I could have done what I’ve always done & given you yet more possible tasks to add to your list, which despite your best intentions, will probably have ended up forgotten in the juggle. This year I want to empower you to take action instead.

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I want you to show yourself some love, so that you can show up & serve your clients more confidently (& reap all the benefits that come with that) this month & beyond.

Cos, believe it or not, all keeping your clients happy really boils down to, is tweaking a few of the things that you’re probably already doing & reframing some of the beliefs that you’ve probably been telling yourself for years, (I certainly was) so that you can execute your plans with an air of confidence rather than that familiar lurch in your tummy.

Here’s 3 reminders for you…

Your clients don’t need you to be perfect.

They need you to be you. - being human builds connection & trust. (not to mention is a refreshing dose of authenticity in the midst of all the AI noise online)

Things are allowed to be messy. You’re allowed to make mistakes. Your clients aren’t going to lose their respect for you because of it. (unless you hide it all & start acting awkward AF)

They’ll probably be relieved to see that someone else is facing the same challenges in biz. It makes the transformation that you’re facilitating for them seem that much more attainable too, cos you’re not some expert that they’ve put on a pedestal, you’re relatable & what you’re doing then seems attainable to them too

Only you can do what you do the way that you do it

Lean the hell in, as it’s what gets you remembered for all the right reasons.

Some of my fave interactions with businesses recently have been unexpected ones filled with personality. Like with Stocked.

If you don’t know about them already, Stocked sells delicious sauces packaged up in frozen blocks. The sauces are cooked in small batches by chefs, then portioned up into frozen blocks so you can decide your portion size & what carb you want with it. As a busy Mum of two young boys, they’re a god send on solo parenting days & I feel less guilty knowing that I’m not serving heavily processed crap to my family for tea, which is what the alternative is when I’m short on time & energy.

Anyway, their primary communication channel with customers is Whatsapp. Last week they sent me a message there reminding me when my next order was being shipped & shared a fun little fact about how the founders met at the same time.

The message wasn’t what you’d automatically think of as “professional”, cos it was light hearted & filled with emojis, but it still told me exactly everything I needed to know. It’s not the first time they’ve sent a message like that either. I love those little insights - I’m impressed & as a result I’ll recommend them to anyone who’ll listen.

Resting isn’t lazy

It’s vital for you to be able to show up at your best for your clients.

Watching Bridgerton or Schitts Creek is a productive use of your time. So is getting out for a long walk in nature. Or taking a nap.

We’re still in the depths of Winter so go easy on yourself .Creating boundaries to protect your time to recharge will give your clients permission to do the same in their own lives. They don’t need you to be “on” 24/7.

I know how hard this is to do, cos back when I was a VA, I felt like I was chained to my laptop, especially at certain times of day when it had come to be “expected” of me to be available. Most of the time I was craving a walk outside, or a long yoga flow instead.

Working against my energy rather than with it led me closer & closer to burnout & I ended up resenting my clients too. Defo not what I signed up for when I started working for myself.

Which of these do you need to hear most at the moment Pal? Let this post be the big fat permission slip you need. X

My paid subscriber community is a space where you can get support with the types of things I’ve shared in this post - like how to share your gorgeous personality with clients without feeling totally cringe & setting really effective expectations & boundaries that don’t make you feel like you’re being a bitch at the same time either.

We have our own private chat thread where I share a 10/15 task each week to gently guide you. It’s also where you can ask questions, seek advice, & get feedback to help you with your own client experience.

It’s just £5 per month - click the button below to join us. x

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I also know that if that that’s you too, you’ll be wanting to do so in a way that you’ll *actually* be able to sustain for more than just January & Feburay, but into Spring, Summer & beyond. (The early weeks of my 2025 were filled with multiple lists, & multiple tabs open on my laptop & in my brain & it’s not a vibe I’m prepared to continue with)

In my opinion there’s nothing more disappointing & frustrating than having to keep on pushing something you want to make meaningful progress with to the bottom of your to-do list each week.

So, here’s the 5 simple shifts that will help start & sustain momentum with the client experience in your biz without feeling like you’re adding a million and 1 things to your already packed New Year’s to-do list:

1) It doesn’t have to take a lot of time

10- 30 mins each week in fact, and that can be a mix of one off tasks & consistent small actions. Trust me when I say they add up.

Give it 3 months & rather than feeling burnt out from going full throttle, you’ll end up surprising yourself with just how much progress you make. I can guarantee it will help shake that feeling of always chasing your tail too, cos you’ll know exactly what to do week in, week out to serve your clients exceptionally

2) It gets to be easy

No need to scrap everything & start from scratch. As much as I know all too well myself that that can be the temptation at this time of year, make it easy on yourself.

Lean into what already feels good. Do more of that or tweak it to make it exceptional. It’s not about re-inventing the wheel, it’s about working with what you have & finding the fun/excitement in it that you can pass on to your clients

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3) You get to decide how you want to show up

Just cos someone you admire in biz is doing things a certain way, doesn’t mean that you have to as well. Someone else’s way of doing things, even though it helps you decide on what actions to take initially, is always gonna feel hard to execute if it doesn’t match who you are as a biz owner.

Doing things in a way that feels totally aligned with who your values & personality instead of who you think you should be as a biz owner, or what other peeps in your industry are doing, will feel so much better. Not to mention so much easier to sustain too.

4) You get to decide how you want to serve your clients

This is all about boundaries Pal.

Want to put an end to working in the evenings? Tell clients about your new day time -only hours. Want to stick to set days for client calls so you have more energy? Update your calendar & share your new availability. I know it’ll give you the fear, but by explaining that it will be win-win in the long run for you both, (ie they’ll get the best of you) they’ll understand. And if they don’t, then it’s probably a sign that you should stop working together. (harsh but true)

If you’re sick of clients who overstep scope or are a ball ache to chase for info, this is how you bin them, bin the resentment & start serving from a place of energy & joy cos you have a full cup.

The clients that you do love will feel the difference in how you’re able to show up.

5) Community can provide direction & inspo

It can feel so hard going it alone. I know myself that having a million options makes it so much harder to start, cos you have no idea where to. Then you do nothing cos you’re so overwhelmed. It’s why I’ve invested in a membership for the marketing in my biz - the group is a place where I can get weekly direction & feel supported along the way.

You don’t have to figure it out on your own. Ask questions, ask for feedback, seek examples & discover the small actions that will actually work for the client experience in your biz - that’s exactly what there’s the opportunity to do in my Substack paid subscriber community. (if you’re wondering, it’s just £5 per month)

In it, I share a 10/15 min client experience task in our private thread each week. It’s designed as a little something to keep you moving forwards. There’s also space for you to ask any client experience related questions you like or get advice on something that you’re feeling stuck with. You can take inspiration from my archive of almost 100 posts too - I’ll direct you to the ones that you’ll find most useful. (if this sounds good to you, you can upgrade below)

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Until next month,

Big love

Fran x

If you’ve been following our NICU journey, you’ll know just what a tough yet wonderful year it’s been over here.

But do you know what got me through the hardest parts of that rocky journey? Writing for this Substack.

I’d get a flicker of an idea of what I’d like to share with you whilst on the bus to or from the hospital & it was a muc…

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I’m pacing myself though. This post comes to you from a place that isn’t usually my office. I’m sat on my bed, in my joggies & Christmas top, listening to Christmas tunes with yet another cup of tea by my side, cos to be honest it’s what my body is craving. I’ve decided to save all my energy for festive family occasions & to just do the bare minimum in-between.

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So, with that all in mind, I wanted to share my fave tips for ending the year on a high with your clients that are realistic for the amount of energy you’ll have at this time of year. (aka low effort) But, they’ll leave you both feeling warm & fuzzy. Win win.

Share Your Gratitude

Receiving a genuine thank you can honestly feel like a gift all in itself when it comes from someone you respect & love. I’m sure you can think of an example where you’ve been on the receiving end of one & it totally has the power to make your day/week.

Whether it’s via a warm voice note, festive DM or an actual card in the post, you can best believe that your clients will love the fact you’ve been thoughtful enough to take a little time to share your appreciation with them.

Spread the Christmas Cheer

I love a Christmas tradition, Pal. (this past week we’ve been to see Santa at his Grotto, seen the Christmas lights at Edinburgh’s Botanic Gardens & spent a cosy afternoon building a gingerbread house) I also love hearing about other people’s, cos frankly I’m nosey & it often inspires me too.

So, take your clients behind the scenes of what Christmas is looking like for you this year. A quick pic of the home-made gingerbread you’re snacking on whilst you work, the festive bangers you’re listening to, or the beautiful frosty views as from your lunch time dog walk.

Let your clients behind the curtain & they’ll feel like they belong in your World.

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Give Them a Permission Slip To Rest

I’m sure you don’t want to spend Christmas Eve working Pal…there’s much more fun festive/family things to be dedicating your time to instead. Your clients will be the same.

But, if you don’t take a little time to set expectations & clear boundaries around when you’ll take time off this festive season, you’ll blink, everything will have crept up on you & you’ll find yourself frantically trying to write emails whilst simultaneously entertaining family. (NOT a vibe)

Let your clients know NOW when you’ll be taking time off to rest, recharge & be with loved ones later in the month -they’ll appreciate the heads up to plan their own diary & it’ll give them permission to start winding down too

I’m also a fan of creating a fun, festive OOO so that you can enter the holidays with zero guilt that you’re “missing” something or that your clients will feel abandoned. (trust me, they won’t) I created a post over on IG with tips on what to include for the most impact.

I wanted to end this post by saying a big heart-felt thank you. This year has been an especially hard one, (see this post for why) which, even though I love it on here, has made showing up sometimes challenging. If I’m honest, I’ve felt a bit lost too. (a big personal shift will do that for you)

All this to say, I appreciate you being here throughout all of that change & riding along with me. (I was astonished that I only lost one subscriber throughout all the chaos) I’m entering 2026 with much more drive & determination to do this small biz thing on my own terms….& most of all, make client experience & everything that goes with it, easy & joyful.

I’ve got a tingling in my bones that good things are coming.

Cheers to 2025 Pal, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas & I’ll see you mid January.

Take care,

Fran x

If ease, joy & simplicity are what you’d like much more of for your biz & client experience in 2026 Pal, my paid subscriber community is for you.

It’s just £5pm & I share a 10 min task each week over on our private chat thread that’s one small step in helping you show up for your clients more consistently & joyfully (you’ll wow them along the way too). Nothing complicated, just gentle nudges each week with my support & advice to help you actually implement them.

Sound good? Subscribe now to get access to the first 10 min task when it goes live in mid Jan.

xx

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How are you doing? My gosh has the past week truly been a busy & festive! I’ve had family visiting & we’ve been to Santa’s grotto, a unicorn dance party & seen a Christmas light show. Safe to say my biggest boy was delighted & exhausted by it all in equal measure!

I’m also somewhat exhausted by it & this post is coming to you from me in my cosy j…

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On 18th February my son was born much too soon at just 25 weeks gestation. The NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care) journey that followed was a long & rocky one. During it I was emotionally drained & suffered with acute stress, but even through those toughest of times, I dug deep & found a level of strength & resilience that I never knew I had. I won’t share what that journey entailed on here, but you can read all about it in this Instagram post.

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One simple thing that I did keep doing, was to show up in the unit with as much love & hope as I could muster for my son no matter how hard it felt in the circumstances. I held his hand through the incubator. I read him the same story on repeat so he would recognise my voice & be comforted by it. I cuddled him in my arms at every opportunity I was given.

My gut had told me even before he was born that he would be ok, so I held onto that tightly, refusing to believe anything else.

And, slowly but surely, that showing up added up to him, by day 100, being completely off the ventilator & near enough breathing on his own, surviving 2 major surgeries & at a stage with his feeding that we could finally see the road home.

Small but mighty

Before my son was born, I used bang on about the power of small actions with your client experience adding up to an impact far beyond what you could ever imagine - a magical ripple effect if you will. His story is (albeit none business) an example of just how mighty small actions, done consistently week in, week out can be in time.

With this small but mighty mantra, you can make tangible the goals from your vision board that feel too far out of reach when you think about them now. Like creating that community of dream clients & a reputation for excellence in your industry that I know are what drive you.

I dare you to give yourself 100 days of showing up for your clients to see what that mighty result will be. Join me over in our paid subscriber community (it’s just £5pm if you were wondering) & I’ll support you each week in our private chat thread.

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Don’t sweat the small stuff

Being in the NICU environment day in and day out, as you might imagine, put a lot of other “stuff” in my life into perspective. Family niggles, business niggles; basically anything else that could potentially take up too much of my precious energy, I didn’t have time for.

More than anything, it taught me (well probably reminded me, cos I think I always knew on some level, but it’s amazing how you can get carried away with certain things once your mindset is set on a particular track) that I get to choose how I respond to circumstances rather than be a victim to them.

Essentially it put the power back in my hands mentally when physically so much was out of my control.

I chose to seek out the positives, I chose to open up to other Mums I met there & I chose to speak to a Psychologist.

Even with my biz, I chose to give myself the breathing room to find solutions to the things that were niggling in the background, rather than letting them consume me.

Take the pressure off with one singular focus

Once we could finally see the road home with my son, I allowed my World to open up more & to do the things that made me feel more like myself again.

I wanted to move on from just being in survival mode & instead start to do things that would eventually allow me to thrive. (which is exactly what my son was starting to do in his own way himself)

With my biz that looked like deciding on just one project to focus on. That was this Substack. I really enjoyed writing for it before he was born, so it made sense as a content outlet to start with.

In just focusing on Substack, it allowed me to evolve it, particularly with what I offer my paid subscribers, in a way that I never would have considered before, but, actually made complete sense when I thought about what community on here would find useful & digestible enough to actually take action on. And, to be honest, what felt most aligned with my biz values & bigger future goals, not to mention what I had the energy to show up for consistently.

In short, I took the pressure off so I could do a few key things well and consistently.

Which of these lessons has struck a chord with you most Pal? Give yourself 10 mins this week to get curious as to why - then you can start taking action. Xx

Come join us over in my paid subscriber community where I’ll support you to take the small steps that will add up to a whole lot of mighty impact. Each week I say a simple 10 min client experience task in our private chat thread & help you to take action on it. It’s just £5 per month.

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Or get inspo for what’s next with your client experience by unlocking (Substack has a great feature where you can do this if you’re new to this publication) one of these posts for free:

Being Crystal Clear

THIS is how you’re going to exceed your client’s expectations

Big Love X