An Inside Look at My Brand Strategy Coaching Program

Over the last several years, I’ve had clients come to me with business strategy questions despite them being enrolled a coaching program.

What tasks should I work on? Where should my focus be? What’s the fastest way to grow an audience? How do I create a marketing plan that works? How do I follow these ideas in a way that sets my brand apart? I have a limited amount of time each week, what strategies are most important for my goals? I’m posting consistently to my social media, but I’m still not getting any traction; what am I missing?

Clearly, something was missing in the instruction they were getting.

While they were getting standard business advice, creative entrepreneurs were often left wondering how to tie it into their own unique business and how to keep their brand consistent.

So I designed my coaching program to help small business owners take their businesses places without all the guesswork. Instead of vague business coaching, I decided to offer something vastly more helpful: one-on-one custom-tailored brand strategy coaching.

I created this service to help creative entrepreneurs work through the hurdles of running a business. There are so many ways to get stuck along the way, and it can feel like a lonely journey at times with new questions rising daily. Let’s take a look.

Strategy, Business, Brand StrategySarah ForestNovember 11, 20212021, small businessComment

Not Attracting Enough Customers or Clients? Your Blog Strategy Might be to Blame

I find the most difficult part of being a creative entrepreneur is managing the constant flow of new ideas. Everyday, I think of more and more possibilities and directions to explore for my business, and it can be quite a task to manage, analyze, and sort through them all.

The largest stream of ideas is usually for my blog content. There are so many things I want to share on my blog, but it often seems impossible to check each one off my never-ending list. Which posts should I write first? Which ones will be most strategic for my business? Which posts will be most helpful for my audience?

With a huge number of tentative posts, topics, and tips to create, it can be a bit overwhelming to figure out which blogs to write—especially while juggling other areas of business, such as client work, social media marketing, newsletter content, product development, and so on.

It takes a lot of time and energy to think through every blog post possibility, decide which ones to write each month, and map out titles into an editorial calendar.

In a panic, it can be easy select and write posts on a whim because we know creating content is key to growing a successful business. Gotta stay consistent. Gotta show up. Gotta build that SEO.

But this frantic approach leads to “idea clutter,” and it can quickly cause your business to crash and burn. Your posts are all over the place. They’re hard to write. They don’t grow your readership. They feel like a complete and utter waste.

And yet, you keep on blogging because you’re still hoping to strike gold one day.

But take a deep breath because today I have a simple solution to make blogging easy again. In this post, I’m going to show you how to cut the clutter, get to the point, and create blog posts that convert.

It’s time to whip your blog into shape so it can become a powerhouse for your business—instead of a burden.

Let’s begin!

Instagram Strategy + Content Challenge

Tackle your instagram strategy and content this year.

It's an exciting day because it's time for the Instagram Challenge to begin this Monday at 10:30am EST over on Instagram @PonderTrail.

Let's dive into all the details for how the challenge works, how to begin, and what to expect.

And if you haven't signed up yet, there's still time. Sign up here.

Instagram, Marketing, Social MediaSarah ForestFebruary 19, 20212021, small businessComment

Goal-Smashing Planning Techniques for Creative Business

Going into the new year, I had a refreshed perspective about planning.

Because in 2020, I let some of my goals go without stressing about it. I took some time off to enjoy several other creative hobbies I hadn’t done in a while.

After a few months of making polymer clay earrings, doing home decor projects, and working on my fiber arts brand, I dove back into my Ponder Trail business tasks. But this time, with a different mindset.

It was still 2020, after all, so I decided to just take it day by day without planning or setting too many goals.

But what happened surprised me: I ended up checking off more things on my to-do and projects list than I had expected. My productivity somehow increased, and I achieved several goals earlier than I’d originally intended.

I launched my first few digital products for Ponder Trail, officially opening the entrepreneur resource shop that’s been on my list for a while now. I brought on new clients. Blogging became easier than ever. And all without following a rigid schedule or routine. It kind of blew my mind.

After some reflecting, I realized what had changed: I spent less time over-thinking, balancing all the things, and maintaining the status quo. And instead, I spent more time doing high-impact tasks, focusing on only 1-3 goals at once, and prioritizing project-creation.

I had much more clarity, and my productivity increased drastically once all of the extra things were off my plate and weren’t competing for my attention.

So going into January this year, I knew I wanted to restructure the way I tackle tasks, using my 2020 findings as a jumping-off point.

The main hang-ups that linger in the background of managing business to-do’s are typically (1) not feeling prepared enough (hence not taking action), and (2) feeling torn in too many directions (hence not being able to stay focused).

I knew plans and strategy were still they key to getting things done, but I wanted to simplify things and be more efficient.

I needed to find a way to still work towards my desired goals while also have less to manage at a time—and fast: I had no plan, and it was already one week into January, and my first launch for the year was fast approaching.

And then, I had an idea . . .

How to Avoid and Defeat Overwhelm in Creative Business

When overwhelm starts to show it’s ugly head, it’s time to take action and stop it in its tracks.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it might be a sign that something isn’t quite right.

Sometimes it can be out of our control, but often times, it’s tied to how we are approaching our business and managing things. If you’ve been spinning your wheels or find yourself stuck in a cycle of trying-and-failing, it’s time to take control.

Overwhelm can quickly lead to burnout if it hasn’t already.

But not to worry, I have your back with some tried-and-true strategies.

Try these tricks to put overwhelm at bay.

The latest insights for creative entrepreneurs

Tackle your instagram strategy and content this year.