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Business Guide For Creatives

What I Do

Person Centered Advice and Assistance
Practical Tools and Solutions
Embrace Your Competencies

I work with creative people who are seeking to pull their business into a better alignment with their values, to feel more of a sense of integrity, balance, and authenticity.

You're looking for something to change in your business or you wouldn't be reading this. And from that I already know you've got a sense of where things are and a desire to move them toward something better.

I can help you do that as a consultant by helping you design better workflow, by identifying business management solutions to meet your needs, by creating and refining marketing plans including online presence, by assisting in product and service development, and through various and sundry related things that help you discover what works best for you. Additionally, I personally offer services such as web design, copywriting, and photography services, and can assist in recruiting other professionals as needed. You can read more about the specifics on the tabs on this page, or you can just hit the contact and we can get started.

I have a great track record working with artists and nonconformists who haven't yet discovered their own ability to map routines that meet their own needs and respect their own strengths. You have more going for you than you even know. Together we'll show you what that is! Explore the tabs here to get answers to some of your questions, and hit any of the numerous contact buttons and let's talk!

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Why Philosophy and Business

Philosophy is the work of discovering WHICH questions to ask.* And that's the key to problem solving, not merely to identify the problem, but finding the questions whose answers lead to solutions. It's something I've always been good at, something that I got very good at through the study of philosophy, and one of the distinguishing features of my own approach to just about everything. It's the Carli spice. There are multiple perspectives into which we can shift to view your situation with new clarity, but choosing which perspective requires asking the right questions.

I will take it a step further, and point out that as much press as psychology gets, it is ethics that have helped people decide what is right and what should be done. It isn’t enough to know what we are comfortable with, we need to know why and be able to back up our reasoning. Business ethics can help you understand why some practices are uncomfortable for you and importantly, highlight which practices are better for you. Over time, getting to know and understand your own ethics make business decisions quicker and easier. You build confidence in yourself when you are able to stand firmly in your own sense of decision making. When I talk about praxis, that’s what I mean. The everyday practice of applying the principles that you hold, seeing if they work for you in the real world, adjusting them, until you can easily act from your own moral sensibilities.

Read about philosophy praxis here, and you can read some blog posts tagged philosophy here.

*Philosophy is a lot of things, but this is one description I've heard Slavoj Žižek give and I love it.

How I do it...

In order to move into more aligned practices we have to approach with new perspectives, look at things completely upside down if necessary, and be willing to openly engage with the difficulties. It means looking at what is working, and changing it. That requires trust in each other, because looking at what doesn't and what didn't work is extremely vulnerable.

When we work together we're going to be brainstorming, evaluating, trying things, failing, adjusting, reassessing, repeating. It's work. We'll face some things you won't want to, but we'll do it together and I'll be kind to you about it. Because we have to figure out where you are, where you want to go, what's realistic, and what needs to happen to get you to your goals. It might be as simple as me matchmaking you with different software platforms, nudging your marketing, and hyping you up. It might be more intensive if you've got big projects you need help with, big dreams, big goals, and greater distances to close. Wherever you are now, that's where we start.

I always operate from the premise that we are a whole person who has to create structures that we can maintain and that can maintain us. We find solutions that work for you, based on what your needs and capacities are.

Here's how it might go...

You schedule a 30 minute info session with me. (It can be free, but if you want to throw me some, I will not fight you.)
I send you a very brief questionnaire to fill out before we meet so I can get a feel for what your needs are.
We meet for a 30 minute consultation to check each other out, see what we're about, and that way we can make sure we are a good fit to move forward. Because I will be asking you to make changes, and that will be really obvious to you once you meet me.
After the info session, you take the opportunity to sit with what we've discussed, and if you decided to, you can book your first official session. Then I will ask you for more info. There's work involved here and I get that. You are here because you want to do something different and that is going to take investment, and some of that is just effort and emotional energy.
Then we meet again! The best part, we'll laugh, we'll cry, catharsis probably, not sorry! We will go over some options for you based on the information you provide me and my own experience and research, I will have a list of tasks and suggestions for your business, including which services I offer that will best meet your needs. It is way more fun than it sounds. We get to focus on your strengths and start developing strategies to meet you where you are in areas that need attention.
After our you digest this session you can decide which is the next best step for you. Or we can spring into action on the next steps if you're feeling it. That could mean contracting me to do some of the work for you, booking business coaching check-ins with me to keep you on track, some combination of those, or maybe you want to take the juicy stuff I give you and run with it solo!
BUT THE FIRST STEP is just reaching out and saying hi! Nothing happens until you click that request button. So do it!

Request More Info

Here is the THING!

The reason I love working with sole proprietors and small business owners is that you guys are humans and you are individuals. And there are a few different approaches I am comfortable taking, this is just one of them.

Services

I have a wealth of experience in business administration and marketing. In addition to my consulting services, I am available for short and long term contracts to serve in specific roles. So if you have your business dialed and need extra hands contact me to arrange an interview.

Website Check-up!

BOOK IT

Web Presence Creation and SEO
Workflow Analysis and Automation
Policy and Procedure Development
Product and Service Development
Copywriting and Content Creation
Transitioning to Paperless Operations
Rebranding and Brand Unification
Virtual Assistance
Newsletters and CRM Maintenance
Social Media
Forums

Service Costs

I offer a variety of services, which can mean anything from booking a couple of hours for one off project planning, feedback, admin, etc. to long term contracts with authorized hours. I try to limit client time blocks to four hours per day, per client. Depending on the timing and type of project the hourly rate we agree to can vary. I will be very transparent with my rates, but since I work on so many types of projects it is really difficult to provide a schedule on the website and am happy to provide ranges via email and book out a single free first video or phone meeting after that.

How much should you spend on marketing?

Some business owners and sole proprietors already have their budget in mind, but if this is your first time trying to figure out how to budget for websites, consultant fees, subscription services, it can be hard to know where to begin. One place to start is by looking at what others are doing. The Small Business Business Administration reports that average marketing budgets for small businesses are about 10% of gross sales. That is a good place to start, but remember if you are trying to grow your business, 10% of your sales goals may be a better guide. If you are building a website that will likely last you a few years, then that will alter your calculations as well, since that is an investment that should last you long term.

Examples of websites I've created with clients

Grant Writer

Lauren Nikkel

Artist

Tim Roller

Yoga Teacher

Elisa Lai

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Reiki

Reikon Healing

What's Your Story?

Maybe your story is about someone who has a calling or a mission, but the business of business is getting in the way. Maybe your story is about a sensitive soul who feels constricted by the “way things are done” and is hopeless that you can run a business that works for you AND works. Perhaps you resonate with the story of the person with a tremendous vision who doesn’t know where to start. What are your first steps, and how do you keep from trying to do all of the steps at once? Yours might be a tale of a hero who wants to do everything, but is only one person and needs some help. I wonder if you are the protagonist who isn’t comfortable being the central figure. Are you maybe just wondering if it’s even worth it? My story is an epic tale of a woman who tried to do all the things she “should” for her business until she realized that the “shoulds” were made for someone else. And the only way to operate, if she wanted to feel comfortable with herself and her message, was to try something completely different. And part of that was helping other find their own way through their stories. You should meet with me. If any of these glance at the truth, or if you are wondering what your story even is, we should meet. It won’t cost you anything but an hour of your time. At the end you might think “wow, that hippie is not for me.” Or you might feel very seen and have a renewed sense of excitement about how you make your income. Book a meeting, tell me your story, and then we can decide if I become a recurring character in it.

Tell Your Story

New Service

Website Check-up

An editorial exam of your self-maintained website.

Who is this for?

If your website is new and you’ve never built one before and want to make sure it’s got what it needs.
If your website is older and used to perform for you but has dropped off over time and you are ready to refresh it.

Find out more!

Elisa, Yoga Teacher

"Carli is kind, competent, and professional."

Lauren, Grant Writer

“Can't recommend Carli enough. If you do any kind of freelance work, she's your person for websites, portfolio curation, content strategy, branding, business development."

Courtney, Freelancer

“[Carli is] super smart when it comes to all things web & marketing. Go work with her!”

Carli White

Grounded Yoga and Reiki Energy Healing