The Great Pause (Part 1)

Mom Homie is nearing its first pause ever and for good reason. Listen to hear why a pause is a good thing when you're repositioning and gaining clarity on your career and what to expect upon the podcast's return. 

Connect with the host, Brittany Drake:

• On LinkedIn @copywritingbritt
• Visit Momhomie.com to read the blog for more WFH Mom realities
• Email any inquiries to momhomie@copywritingbritt.com

Thanks for listening, and you're doing great, mama!


Note: Looking for the WFH Survival Guide?... Well, I've been ashamed to admit this, but it's not done yet. However, I am ready to confess because if Netflix can fail hard on their live stream of Love is Blind Reunion (with a whole production team and crew) and ask for forgiveness, so can lil' ol' me.  Thank you for your patience, and it will be done very soon! 

Transcript

Brittany 0:00

welcome to Mom Homie, a podcast that advocates work from home moms who want to balance their careers with their little ones in the mix. I'm your host, writer, and fellow mom, Brittany Drake. Every two weeks I share my experience, what I've learned, and ideas and hopes of easing and affirming feelings of the work from home mom life. It's funny to read that welcoming intro in the beginning of this episode because in the next two episodes I'm going to be diving into some changes in my career, and to Mom Homie, and that intro is about to change a bit as well. So catch it in the beginning of the next episode. But anyway, as some of you know, I wasn't sure I was going to do another blog and podcast in that fifth week of May, or whether I was gonna like, decide to relax. So I was like, you know what? I was like, I'm going to go ahead and relax this week, but I'm so glad that I did because. Last week was one of the smoother weeks I had had in a long time, like since the beginning of this year, and it gave me some space to think and make better decisions for my business mom, homie, and my family. So I was just like, okay, sometimes a pause is a good thing. And while I didn't intend for it to be a long one, I am having some realizations, especially because I had the time to organize this huge walk-in closet that we have, which I'm telling y'all like it's the size of a New York apartment. So I was like, okay, let me go ahead and get this organized. And to my surprise it actually wasn't that. Disorganized. It was just that some things didn't make sense in that space, and that's what was driving me crazy. I was like, This doesn't make sense here. Why is it in this closet and not in that closet? Or why do we even have it, you know, like that sort of deal. So I was just like, okay this is giving me a chance to get organized. And oddly enough, like I also realized that I shared the same sentiments with my business. Like some things just don't fit the overall goal. There's some things that I'm doing that I'm like, why am I doing this? I don't like this. And in talking to my mom, I told her, I was like, I feel like when my business is chaotic that my house life is chaotic or, vice versa. So I was just like, okay take this time to reorganize my copywriting business and Mom Homie, and really get specific about why, what and how. Right. So for the next two episodes, I'll be sharing what I'm doing, how I'm gonna strategically reorganize and why I decided to take July and August to reposition both copywriting, Brits, L L C, and Mom homie. I'll also share more in-depth details on the Mom Homie blog and about repositioning your business in general. But first let's do our affirmation, and that is it's okay to take a pause. Hey, Brittany here. This is not a commercial. It's a moment for you mama to take a break and go pee, grab a snack or take a breath. So go ahead, put me on pause. I'll wait. I think as moms and as career women, like, we're just like, oh, we have to do all these things all the time and be on all the time and. Take care of this, that and the other. And I'm not saying that it's never like that and that you won't have ebbs and flows, but just that sort of, energy all the time, it's not sustainable like it's. It's going to make things worse in the long run when it comes to feeling accomplished or feeling like, you're making changes within your personal life and within like the greater good and stuff. So I'm just like, okay, in order for me to help other people first, I need to help myself. Right? So, yeah, so, so that is the reason for. The big pause and why I think other creative career moms like should do the same thing. I've been writing as a copywriter since 2020, but I've been writing my whole life but specifically as a copywriter since 2020. And I've learned a bit about myself as a business person or lack thereof, and a business owner, and it's that like, I'm just not good at project management. I'm not, and it pains me to admit it because you wanna believe that like, oh, like I have my own business. I'm a freelancer, maybe entrepreneur someday or solopreneur, however you wanna like, identify or whatever with your business. But I was just like, as somebody who wants to work for myself, like, don't you think you have to be good at project management? But there are, ways to work around that. So I've just realized like, that's not my strong suit, not that I, can't do it or won't do it, but I just know, like I am not an expert at that. And when I have met experts at that, like they're good. Like they are good. So I was just like, okay. And I can't afford one right now either. Right. So like I've been really thinking about like, what's the workaround? But I've also learned that I am great at collaboration and that I love it. Like I love working creatively with other people. I do it in my personal life with my husband. I do it with Savannah and we actually made this really cute watercolor painted background for this drawn picture I have of my cat. Outside of the collaboration part of the business stuff, I was just like, my offers aren't that clear, like at all. Which is also kind of hard to admit cuz it's like, you've been doing this for three years, how's your offer not clear? And it's just it's because like, I got too into like, wanting to fulfill the client's needs without thinking about like what that was doing to me and the time that it took me to deliver and all these things. So it was just like, okay, like, I was making a few bone-headed decisions and all of that, but I'm like, if I can tighten up my offer and make it clear to like, like what I'm offering, why I'm offering it, and like lean into my strong suits, then, I'll elaborate on that in a moment here. But the last thing was that, I also realized like I only want to work with marketing agencies. I don't want to have individual clients that I have to, do copywriting projects for, because what happens with individual clients is their needs are just so different, and when they're also just listening to one person, I think there's more doubt in the process than there is when they've got a whole team of people doing something. So there was a lot of like, delivering on something and then there are constant like pivot in, in what the business owner is doing because they haven't figured out like it takes time and patience to build to what they're trying to build to, or whatever it is. So I was just like, okay, while I admire the tenacity and the curiosity and needing to figure it out, I just am realizing like as a mom now, I don't really have time to take that journey with my clients and that I'd much rather work with a team that can sort of help with all of the onboarding and the getting to know the client's customer and things of that nature. So I was just like, okay, like I'm definitely, need to be in that collaborative space. And that's easier with agencies. All of this like, deeply affects how I'm repositioning. And I did wanna share that with you all because I, I do feel like, when people think of a pause, they think like they're doing nothing. But what I actually see it as is like, you're, you're pausing certain things in your life so that you can. Take your attention and give more of it to whatever it is that you know has been like starving for it, right? Or that, you know, is going to like, make a huge difference for you and your family. So I was just like, okay, I'm gonna pause Mom Homie, because I want it to be eons better than what it is right now. And have, so much to give to you listener. And, I was just like, okay, how can I do that? And I was like, I can probably make better moves with Mom Homie if I had more of the financial backing. And that's only going to happen from me copywriting. Right. Also like with the copywriting I love it. Like it's supposed to support many things. So I'm just like, if I give it more time and attention and build it to what I want it to be, it being able to cross over into more, and not just more in terms of growth and revenue, but just more in terms of value and what comes from that. So going back to offers, because I said I was going to elaborate a little bit more on that. When it comes to my offers, like I really enjoy understanding the client's experience and the psychology behind their journey through the funnel and the purchasing process. Before when I tried to kind of have my own. Podcast like series I was doing something about just like the psychology behind buying stuff. And not that it was like super in depth and researched, but I would just take an example of a friend's purchase and kind of like talk to 'em about like why they made that purchase. So, like I talked to my friend about when he bought his car, or a friend of mine who bought some makeup from a instagram ad that she saw and she was just saying like she didn't really know why she wanted it, she just knew she did. So like, we kind of talked about that as well. And I just find it so fun. Like it's fun. It's fascinating. It's the reason why you have certain buyers that come back over and over and over again and are loyal. And so I was just like, okay, I would really like to as the copywriter come in and talk a little bit more about that when agencies are looking at who their client is selling to, right? Because a lot of the times like. What I've noticed with marketing agencies is they sometimes lack the understanding of like, how their client's voice is and what that sounds like to the customer. I wanna offer agencies a way to learn about their clients' customer in a timely fashion because like, even, even in situations where I do see the agency doing the work maybe they don't know how to organize that or what it should look like, and then they start making sort of like general assumptions and things like that. Or going off of data that is unemotional, I should say. So I was just like, Okay. Like I, I want to lean into that a little bit more cuz I, I feel like I'm pretty good at it and it also, it just keeps my attention and it's something I'm excited to deliver on. My thing is like spend time with the real customer and collect some qualitative data, get some emotional insight into things and pain points and be able to offer, something that is on time and relevant. And like buyers are just a lot more savvier now. You know? Like they know their conversations are being listened to. They know that their data's being looked at and things like that. But people aren't just data. And we know that people make purchasing decisions, emotionally to some degree. So it's like if we could look more at the quality of something and less at the quantitative, data, then maybe we could actually lean more into having customers that are as big as fans, as like Swifties are, you know, or Beliebers or the Beehive. So I'm just like, okay, cool. Like, That's the space I wanna be in. That's what I wanna offer. So I'm, I'm gonna be, looking into like, how does that make sense? How does that work? Right? The next thing I need to shape up are my standard operating procedures and software. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I don't really have any SOPs for how I like present, plan and execute my offer. But I mean, I guess it's not a huge surprise because I didn't really have like a solid offer, right. But I was like I, I need to have these SOPs in place so that I can know what software I should have and not guessing. Cause right now I have HoneyBook, but I, I don't really use it. I, I don't really care for it. I don't think I'm at a point in my business where I need that right now. So I'm just like, okay, probably get rid of that. But besides that, like, I have other softwares where I'm like, I don't know if I need this. And like with Netflix changing their whole thing, like, Okay. Now that I can't share my account with my family who have different internet or whatever, like, do I really need you guys $20 plan? Probably not. So it's just one of those things where it's like, redefining and defining and, and being able to make decisions faster because I have that SOP, right? Because it's telling me like, oh, like this is probably how this is going to go based off of how you execute and deliver this thing. From there you end up creating more efficiency, right? So that you can have more opportunity or time off or whatever it is that you need so that you can finish projects better and have time to like go back and review them with like great detail and things like that. And like you gain confidence from that as well. So it's just like a snowball effect of things that can happen when you have the proper SOPs. So I'm like, you know, I can know if I need to charge more for add-ons, should I have add-ons, things of that nature. So yeah, so I was just like, okay, like, let me really look at this with a critical eye and granular and look at like, what does this process mean if I have a client that wants this right? And then make it make sense financially. To help with a part of making it make sense financially. The other day I like threw out this random number to Josh and I was like, oh, if I made 4,000 a month, like I'd be in a way better position. He was like, yeah, okay. And he didn't say it like sarcastic or anything, but he was just kind of like, yeah, like nice, you know? But then in my head I was like, okay, yeah, I said that, but like, where am I getting that number from? Am I just throwing something out there? I'm probably not far off if I think about it, but in the same vein, I'm like, why did I choose that number and so, I have finally started reading this financial planning book that my mom has been telling me to read for forever. But it's a full on college textbook, so that's probably like why I was like sitting on it for so long. But still I was like, I need to get more granular and look at my finances because then I'll know how much my offer should be and why. It would convert. And what would be the benefit to my client in making sure that it's a fair offer too, right? That it's not something where it's like here's this now good luck. You know, it's like, no, like I do it. There's a whole like, way to implement whatever. And so I'm just like, okay, like let me really sit down and figure out the details and stop going on a whim because like, while my business is not in a terrible place, I've been able to keep it going for three years. Yay. It's like I'm definitely like needing to make some improvements and some changes if I want to see my efforts and my time work in a certain way. And, I, I always come back to, to this, which is like, I, I really want to be able to know how and to be able to share like, How you make the workflow for yourself so that you have the opportunity to balance motherhood and careerhood, right, and not feel like, either one is missing something, or that you're not doing enough for either one or too much for both of them. So it's just like, okay. If I can like really look at the details and my needs, put that into my offers and my standard operating procedures and, you know, what makes me feel good about doing these sorts of things, what's aligned with my values and everything, then, I can be in a good place. And, you know, what brought on the financial aspect of it? Is besides me needing it and wanting it I was watching Ramit on How to Get Rich on Netflix. He's also got a podcast, which I've not listened to yet, but I've heard many great things about it. So I will be tapping into that soon. But I was watching his series on Netflix and my biggest takeaways were, what is my rich life? And I've kind of hit on this before because. In previous podcasts I was talking just about like, what would be a comfortable number for me and my family? And I, again, I was guessing about that. I didn't actually like sit down in great detail to like, figure it out. But like I've always had this conclusion of like, I don't necessarily have to have millions of dollars. I just want to comfortably afford the life that I have now and be able to add a few things to this life without feeling financially burned or burdened. And then the second takeaway that I had was invest. Don't just save. And my husband and I talked about that quite a bit cuz he was saying like, growing up he was always taught to save. But now that he works in the financial industry, he's realizing like, you know, yes you do wanna save, but you also want to invest so that what you're saving is actually growing. And I'm like, Right, right. Okay. Fair. I've also been like, I need to look at like, The psychology behind, like what I think about money, because like I do know that I have some stuff to work through. I have my own barriers and mental blocks about money. I've talked about that too. And I've been just been like, I definitely have a hard time. Uh, Trusting anyone with my financial security, including my husband. But I've come a long way because I've really had to dig into like, why do I feel that way? And I think that it has to deal with just how I grew up. Like I just didn't have men that I had to depend on growing up. I always had my mom. So it's just like, okay, like once I understood that and stuff, I'm like, I can see why I would have a hard time trusting anybody else with my financial security and future as a freelancer and being, the primary caregiver of my daughter and things like that. And, you know, in my mind, like, I also know like she's going to get to a point in her life where she's not going to need me for certain things. So me being a mom that's at home for the purpose of her is not going to be something that lasts forever, right? If that's the case, then, I do want to make sure that the financial security is not one-sided like that. It's coming from other parts of the family and other parts of our future and things like that. And that's me. Like I'm the other part of the family. I'm the other part of the future in the, the partnership in the household. So I'm like, okay. But anyway, not to put you all in a therapy session of how I think about money, but it's just one of those things where I'm like, okay, like exploring this and understanding it will also help me, get past any sort of hangups I have about where I think I should be financially. So. And then the, the other thing that I'm gonna be looking at this summer is my marketing and content creation. I don't think I've ever really had an issue with creating the content. I love creating the podcast. I've been playing with the idea of YouTube videos and things like that. But what I struggle with is having the time to edit and everything else that comes after, in particular, the marketing. So I was like, this is a shame. Like I work in social media marketing, I like it. And I like, again, the collaboration of it and everything, but I was like, I have trouble with my own content still, much like my financial plan. Like I want to look at my mental blocks when it comes to marketing my own services and why I feel it's not as important or worthy of like, similar services. So I'm like, okay. I need to, to, to get in there and like, not just chalk it off as like imposter syndrome, but like why. First of all, I never thought I'd have my own business or podcast or any of that. I always thought that that was for other people, you know? And then my last corporate job and the onset of the pandemic just sort of like switched my thinking with that, and then now also having a child. So it's just like, okay, like yeah, there's been a lot of realization and changes that have occurred in the last few years because of these, events and things. But I'm like, I, I, I need to now, instead of like shying away from it, ignoring it, like dive into like why am I doing it? And making sure again that it's always having that value. So I'm like, okay, like you can work on this. You just need time. And again, the great pause, right? To conclude this episode, I just always wanna keep it transparent with you all about me and why I'm doing this and what you can learn from it because You know, someone may look at me and they be like, oh, you've only owned a business for three years. Oh, you've only been a mom for two years. And I I, I don't want to ever feel like I have to compare myself and my situation to anyone else, but I do know there are other people that have similar situations. So it's like I want to um, make sure that Someone is saying, Hey, like, I see you I hear you. And we have these few things in common and I understand like where your frustration's coming from and why you feel that way and that it's not bad that you feel that way, but like here are some ideas about how you can use that to your advantage or how you can like turn it around or how you can get through it or whatever. I'm just, you know, happy that I'm in a place and thankful that I'm in a place where I have this option to learn and make better decisions before it's too late or before I'm too deep into it. And I think that people quit because it's hard or they don't know where to go, or they get bored or they hemorrhage a lot of money trying to stay afloat. And I also think that people are scared to refine, redefine, or reposition their work so it's in a better place with their income and the happiness of what they're delivering. And like, I don't think we have to feel that way, or that we have to give into feeling that way. I think that we can find solutions together and just by simply just exploring, right? And realizing like we're not in this alone. I wanna emphasize like, recognizing that you need to take a pause or break from something is not a sign of weakness at all. It's a sign of taking care of things within your capacity, and, and really giving it the energy and time to do that. And I love copywriting. I do. But it has always felt chaotic for me until I started working with the agency that I'm with now and realizing like it doesn't have to be chaotic. I don't have to accept the imbalance. You know, like I can do something about it and I can do something that's tangible and I can feel comfortable that when something does get thrown off a balance, that I can get it back on balance and like that's what I want for my fellow mamas. Now that like, I've shared like how much I love about it and everything, like, I want to make sure that whatever I get into with copywriting, that I don't feel like I'm being exploited or given the short end of a stick or like, feeling afraid to make some much needed changes because it means less revenue for a little bit or whatever. With other, creative moms. I'm sure they've come up against this as well. And I actually, I saw it play out a little bit in um, Belair with aunt Viv Belaire, if you don't know, is a dramatic version of Fresh Prince of Belair. And the mom in that like, yes, obviously, like they're of a different Economic situation and everything. But one of the things that she struggled with a lot was that she's a painter and she misses painting, but like she sort of, Gave that up to support her household and their ventures and to always back up her husband. And she explores that quite a bit in the first two seasons because she's feeling like she got, you know, again, the short and stick or was exploited by the people that love her the most. Right. And like, while it's not intentional, like it's definitely worth exploring and it's definitely worth seeing like how do you Again, make all those things balance right. So that's part of like this big pause this summer and a bit of research and experimenting with again, trying to find answers. If I can get Copywriting Britt fitter and healthier, then I can give more to Mom Homie cuz they do kind of go hand in hand a little bit. Like I wouldn't have Mom Homie if I wasn't a copywriter and have my own business. So I think that this is like the perfect opportunity to do something in one thing and use what I've learned in that to bring it back to Mom Homie Thank you so much for listening today. I am sorry if I rambled a little bit. I'm just like really passionate and excited about this pause, and I hope that you feel supported and encouraged to keep being the wonderful mother that you are while you're also trying to sustain balance between motherhood and careerhood. And in the next episode it's gonna be part two of the great pause where I'm gonna share a little bit more about things that are gonna change with Mom Homie and why I'm narrowing it down to who it's for. And so you'll catch the new intro with who it's for in the next episode in a couple of weeks. Again, thank you so much and bye.