THE IMPORTANCE OF SHOWING UP

THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘SHOWING UP’

When I went on maternity leave in February of this year, I had just come off the back of the best six months in my business. I had been fully booked with a waitlist and new client inquiries coming in every week. I had even raised my prices 3 times in the last 3 months of 2021 to keep up with demand. 

I’m not telling you this to brag. I’m telling you this to give you some insight into why I was not prepared for what happened next. 

You see, I had planned for my maternity leave very carefully. I had hired my unicorn (also known as copywriter and expert marketer, Amber), and had intentionally put all the wheels in motion to keep my business moving while I was off learning how to be a mama.  I had expected that I would keep getting inquiries, which I would pass on to Amber to complete.

But instead, something else happened. 

While my personal life became very loud (my daughter is small but has a mighty lung capacity), my business became very quiet. 

Eerily quiet. 

Of course, at the time, I didn’t care. I was far too caught up in the newborn bubble to even pay a moment's notice to the fact my inbox was now empty, my contact form, untouched. 

But when I decided to come back, it felt like I was (almost) starting from scratch. 

Where are my leads?
Where is my waitlist?

Before officially logging off on maternity leave, I thought I had thought of everything. But there's one thing I didn't think of…

And that is that I wouldn’t be showing up.

I was showing up - and working - until the day my baby was born. I was chatting to designers, checking in with past clients, talking to my community on stories, and telling people what I do for a living when out and about IRL. 

The minute she came out, I stopped. 

And so did my business. 

When it comes to being a mum, I have learnt one million lessons in the last 6 months. 

When it comes to business, I have learnt one very valuable lesson. And that is to be present. Remind people that you exist, that you’re available and that you are good at what you do. 

I know social media can be a GRIND and it can feel awkward AF (I still die a little bit inside every time I film a reel or press post on a story)... but it’s 2022, and you need to be present. 

Show up on stories. 
Share your work.
Share testimonials.
Check-in on past clients. 
Touch base with other service providers. 
Tell people out and about what you do for work. 
Jump into people’s DMs (authentically, please). 
BE AROUND. 

People have their own thing going on. If you disappear, they likely won’t remember you (harsh, but true). 

When you are constantly ‘showing up’ people will remember your name. So, when someone needs a copywriter (or web designer, or branding expert, or business coach, or whatever it is you are), or they hear of someone who needs one, you are the person that immediately jumps to mind. Because they just saw you on stories that morning, or they were just chatting to you in their DMs. 

Don’t be desperate, obviously. That’s a bad look and always has the opposite effect than intended. 

Instead, establish, nurture and maintain authentic, genuine relationships. 

That’s all from me for now. 

Gotta go show my face on stories x

ME… showing up on reels.