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This Is A Podcast For Small Business Owners Ready To Feel Encouraged Inspired And Less Alone In Your Entrepreneurial Journey public
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Letters From A Hopeful Creative

This is a podcast for small business owners ready to feel encouraged, inspired, and less alone in your entrepreneurial journey

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Letters From A Hopeful Creative is a fortnightly podcast brought to you by Sara Tasker and Jen Carrington. In each episode they answer a letter from a hopeful creative who is looking for some guidance, support, and encouragement in their journey, and share some of the lessons they have learned along the way as creative coaches and online business owners. Each episode is like a mini coaching session and pep talk all rolled into one - tune in every other Monday morning for brand new episodes. ...
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In today’s episode Jen is sharing a recent free office hour recording diving into questions all about how you can build and run your business in a way that works best for you. Questions cover topics such as how to follow your renewed enthusiam for your business after recovering from burnout, how to launch a new membership when you’re afraid no one …
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A short and sweet solo episode from Jen today to encourage you to run your business in a way that truly works best for you and some gentle ways you can tap into support from Jen in your business this month too. Get the Design Your Part Time Business Model Toolkit sent to your inbox for free Submit your Q for the office hour - deadline is Wednesday …
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In today’s episode we dive into a letter all about how to build and grow your business at a slower and gentler pace and actually believe that it’s possible for you too when you’ve been taught that hustling and burning yourself out is the best path to reaching your goals. Would you love some encouragement and support in your business? Submit your le…
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Jen here today to share the audio of a recent coaching session from inside her group program all about the rules & norms we have permission to opt-out of in our business. If you feel overwhelmed by all of the noise and ‘should dos’ and are craving doing business in a way that feels sustainable, joyful, and aligned for you - this episode is for you.…
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A quick check-in episode from Jen to share that Sara and I will be recording new episodes together soon if you’d love to submit a letter for an upcoming episode. And while you wait for new episodes you can listen to Jen’s new mini private podcast series The Slow Business Sessions 🐢 with eight short and sweet episodes to support you to bring more ea…
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In today’s episode Jen dives into eighteen questions covering topics such as making space for the needs of your health in your business, moving from 1:1 to 1:many work, marketing and messaging, preparing your business for starting a family, aligning your offers with your capacity and more. If you’d prefer to watch a video with timestamps of each qu…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: “I am a small business owner with chronic illnesses who loves your podcast tremendously. I've learned so much from you, and I come to you today with a question: what happens when you've deeply invested in a business that once did quite well, but is now floundering? How do I figure out my …
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Do you currently feel overstretched, burned out, or like there’s not enough space for your needs and your humanness in your business? If so, today’s episode is for you. We’re doing things a little differently today and sharing an interview Jen did on one of her favourite business podcasts, Off The Grid, where the wonderful host Amelia asks Jen some…
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In today’s episode we’re switching things up a little and sharing a recap and debrief from Sara’s recent launch, the biggest lessons she learned, and our thoughts and experience on launching in our business and some encouragement for you if you have a launch you’re bringing to life soon too. Would you love some encouragement and support in your bus…
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In today’s episode we dive into listener questions all about Instagram - from building engagement up, feeling hopeful and excited about the platform again, coming back after a long break, adapting to creating more video content, whether to use hashtags anymore and lots more. Join Sara for her Instagram Summer School Would you love some encouragemen…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: Lately, I've been inspired to grow my non-client work and my unpaid projects into a bigger part of my business. I have a published book, a podcast, and regular events - but they're not closely related to each other! This makes it really hard to grow any one of them, let alone all of them,…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: Please can you talk more about the failure/success connection and how we can pick ourselves up and move past the failures when we’re struggling with our confidence and self belief? In today’s episode Sara and Jen dig into their relationship with failure in their business, why highs and lo…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: I am not great at the IG game, and I prefer to focus on sharing quality work versus creating reels that don't resonate with me and my style. Do you have any ideas on how to continue to build my audience without sacrificing my quieter style, "not in your face" approach, and build an email …
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In this episode we catch up for spring and dive into what’s been going well in our businesses, what we’ve been finding challenging in this season, and what we’re working towards in our businesses right now too. If you’d love to listen to a really honest chat between two business besties, we recorded this episode for you. Links mentioned: Sara has s…
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Jen here with two supportive resources for you today ✍🏻 First up: I have made an awesome and free new toolkit called 100 Hell Yes People to support you to make a gentle, joyful, and sustainable plan for reaching 100 hell yes people at a time in your business. I have been fully booked and thriving in my business since 2015 all thanks to this approac…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: How do you handle navigating the grief of feeling like your chronic illness has held you back in so many ways - and yet know that there's nothing else you'd rather do? I have so many ideas, so many things I want to create, and yet with my health recently being so challenging at times, I'v…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: Like a lot of people, I’ve moved my newsletter from a more traditional email software product over to Substack. As a writer, I also host a lot of my work on my website in a blog. The intention was always for the blog to host SEO friendly pillar content and for the newsletter to speak to m…
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In today’s episode Jen dives into twelve questions covering topics such as buiding your business in a way that honours your energetic needs, prioritising your goals with intention, routines and habits to work less and still get your important work done, simplifying marketing, recovering from burnout and more. If you’d prefer to watch a video with t…
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To kickstart 2024 together we sat down for a business bestie chat where we asked each other: What are your goals and desires for your business and creative life this year? And where would you love to be five years from now and how do you want to work towards that vision in 2024? We talk about how it feels to be a decade into our business journey, t…
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In today’s episode, for our last episode of 2023, we’re diving into four listener questions covering stepping into a new arena in our work, feeling lonely in our business, structuring our days with intention, and the main challenges we’ve seen others and ourselves overcome in our business journey too. And today is the last day to join The Substack …
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Is selling something that you feel overwhelmed by and often shy away from in your business? If so this episode is for you. In today’s episode Jen is sharing with you a sneak peak of one of the coaching sessions inside her group program, Your Simple & Spacious Business on Gentle & Joyful Sales Experiments To Generate Cashflow In Your Business. I’ll …
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: Despite having a chronic illness, I show up fully to my clients - so how can I explain that I am 100% there for my clients at the times I make for them - but also be real about the reality of days where I can't even muster to have a shower? How can I share, in my communications - that I c…
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As I gear up for the next enrolment of my flagship group program, Your Simple & Spacious Business, I’m sharing a behind the scenes launch diary over on my solo podcast so that I can bring you along the journey with me and share all of the messy middle that comes with embarking on a launch in our business. I’m sharing the first episode of this launc…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: I am writing you from probably the lowest point I have encountered in my creative journey. This year has been hard for me. I feel a bit lost in my business and so so tired. I have been making pottery for over a decade, selling for about 6 years and working full time as an artist for 2. An…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: I am hanging on your every word about Substack. I just can't seem to shake this question: Is Substack really right for my business? And if so, am I doing it right? How should I think about it and prioritize it among the many other things I could be doing with my limited time and energy? B…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: I'm an artist and graphic designer and I run a one-woman creative studio. Like Jen, I'm very intentional about not hiring staff. If/when I get to a certain stage I would like to hire a VA or studio manager, but for now it's just me. I've raised my rates over the last year, and I have a st…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: Over the last year, I’ve found myself becoming less and less engaged and connected to Instagram as a form of marketing. I don’t enjoy creating videos. I don’t like being pressured into buying a blue tick just to stop my work being copied. But more importantly, it doesn’t align with my val…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: I'm building a supportive platform on Substack for therapists in private practice called 'Therapists Corner'. Therapists often work alone and I hope to create a space where they can find support, advice and guidance whenever they need to and have a genuine community. In part it will be ed…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: Right now I’m taking a good hard look at what I can outsource in my business so that I can be free to do the stuff that I really love. Sara, you mentioned that you have an executive assistant, Jen do you ? If not, I’m really curious to know why not. I genuinely wonder whether it can poten…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: I’m so happy you two are back! I listened to your podcast a few years ago when I was dreaming about creating a business, and now I’m actually starting one, so it’s perfect timing for me. I have a chronic illness that only allows me to work about 2 hours a day most days (although it fluctu…
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In today’s episode we dive into this letter from a listener: I am 6 years into running my business and I feel like I’m running out of steam. The beginning was hard, but then came the “Instagram high” with dozens of thousands of engaged followers. Everything felt so exciting and spacious, I felt like people wanted to see what I’m up to, follow my wo…
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After a three year hiatus we are so excited to be coming back into your podcast feed today. In today’s episode we re-introduce this show after our 3 year break, share why we’re hosting this podcast on Substack this time around, share some updates from our own businesses since we last recorded, and invite you to submit a letter that you’d love us to…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is struggling to feel confident in their new business. Together they dive into the different ways we can all find courage and confidence in our own journeys, and share some encouragement for today’s letter writer moving forward too. Links to the pages and articles mentioned are at: www.…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is finding more joy, ease, and freedom in their business and life during this time of forced lockdown and is wondering how they can bring this into their daily life when they’re back to business as usual. Sara and Jen dive into how we can bring more freedom, ease, and joy into our busin…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is struggling to decide whether to focus on creating products or building a community first. Today’s letter writer also shares a whole lot of fears that are holding them back at the moment too, so Sara and Jen dive into how today’s letter writer can feel confident and courageous in the …
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is wondering how best they can refocus and adjust in their business during this world health crisis. Sara and Jen explore how we can feel grounded in this time, how to re-route some of the goals and intentions that we set for ourselves this year, and why they believe we all still have p…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is wondering how (and if) they should sell in this time while we all navigate this world health crisis. Together they explore how to make business decisions from a place of integrity in this season, how to navigate any feelings of fear and shame that comes with selling, and how they’re …
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is struggling to decide where to focus next in their business. Together they dive into the lessons they’ve learned about finding focus in their own businesses and explore their advice and encouragement for today’s letter writer too. Links to the pages and articles mentioned are at: www.…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who wants to take the freelance career they’ve built and turn it into a thriving business instead. Sara and Jen explore the difference between being a freelancer and a business owner, how you can start to develop a vision and a plan for your business, and the mindset shifts necessary to go …
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is battling with burnout in their business and is struggling to show up and run her business in this season. Sara and Jen share their own experiences with burnout, the lessons they’ve learned, and their advice and encouragement for today’s letter writer too. Links to the pages and artic…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is struggling to find focus in their work and is curious as to whether or not they can still build a business on Instagram. Sara and Jen encourage today’s letter writer to think bigger than just Instagram when it comes to building their business, and share how they encourage them to get…
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We’re coming back from our break with another ask us anything episode, diving into topics like how to deal with a bad client experience, how to prepare for starting a family when you’re self employed, whether or not to put your prices on your website and lots more! Links to the pages and articles mentioned are at: www.lettersfromahopefulcreative.co…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is struggling to decide what to automate, eliminate, and delegate in their business. Sara and Jen share their own approach to this in their business, the lessons they’ve learned, and their advice for anyone else struggling with this too. Links to the pages and articles mentioned are at:…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is struggling with their work being copied online. Copycats is such a tricky subject that so many of us have to navigate along the way, and in this episode Sara and Jen share their own experiences of being copied, how they deal with it, and the mindset they embrace when it comes to the …
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen are diving into more listener questions, from our thoughts on Instagram potentially hiding like counts, our advice for being organised, how we motivate ourselves when we don’t feel like doing the work, navigating trolls online and more. Links to the pages and articles mentioned are at: https://www.lettersfromahopeful…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen are answering listener questions, from our advice for starting something new, navigating quiet seasons in business, how we approach setting short and long term goals, how to deal with people who don’t understand your business and more. Links to everything we mentioned will be on our website https://www.lettersfromaho…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is curious about what it actually looks like to build a community online. Together they explore the biggest lessons they’ve learned about building community online, why they don’t believe in trying to hack your way to audience growth, and why they believe the most important part of buil…
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In today’s episode Sara and Jen are talking all things mailing lists and newsletters. Together they dive into building a mailing list, opt-in incentives, subject lines, how to decide what content belongs on your newsletter and more. If you’re thinking of starting a newsletter or want to be more intentional with the one you’ve already built this epi…
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In today's episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is unsure as to whether or not to invest any money into their business before it makes a profit. They share their own experience of choosing when and when not to invest in their business, why they believe all investments in business are a leap of faith, and their advice for how to make …
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In today's episode Sara and Jen respond to a letter writer who is hoping to build her creative business during her upcoming maternity leave. Sara shares her own experience of starting her business while on maternity leave, and Jen shares the lessons she's learned from seeing many of her clients go on this journey too. Together they explore why show…
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