I received 2 notepads this Christmas titled something like “Things I want to say to clients but shouldn’t, so I write them down here instead”.

I don’t know if it’s my face, direct approach, or if this was labeled “for freelancers” in a gift guide somewhere that compelled two different people to buy that for me, either way — I like it. 😈

I used the first page in one of these journals to draft my Most Important Things to accomplish during Q1.

Here’s what my goals are:

1. Run Client Acquisition System.
2. Update Portfolio & Resumé.
3. Establish better Systems in Operations, Fulfillment, and Finances.
   1. Invoicing
   2. Onboarding
   3. QA

Now, for the breakdown:

• Client Acquisition: Last July, I stopped taking clients and stopped any lead generation (bad move). Now, I’m establishing a system that won’t land me in a feast-or-famine cycle.
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• Update Portfolio & Resume: I haven’t updated my portfolio or resumé since I started Hot Olive (bad move). How are people going to know I’m doing amazing work?! (They don’t know unless I tell ‘em.)
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• Better Systems: My systems were clunky: Incredibly manual and relied on me doing everything from scratch. When it comes to onboarding, invoicing, and fulfillment these are things that need to be smooth from A-Z.

My goals in Q1 are to right the wrongs I can now see clearly from a new pov. Every task I do outside of client work this quarter MUST align with one of these goals.

I’m both fired up and feeling the first-day back jitters.

You might call that balance.

But it might just be the knowledge that I have to cold email (and call) 25 strangers this week.

Wish me luck,