The Blog
The myth of “Nightmare Clients”
In the early days, I said 'yes' to the most unsuitable clients and it nearly killed my business before it even got started. I see so much content online… for want of a better term… bitching about "nightmare clients". And the spirit of these posts makes me frown. I...
Could this be a remedy for impostor syndrome?
Raise your hand if you get impostor syndrome in your business sometimes. (If you've actually just raised your hand for real, you're my kind of weirdo 🥰 x) I get it too. I'm actually not going to waffle on about impostor syndrome here. There are enough people...
A note about connection and the “cool S”
I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like a time portal had opened and transported me back to Mr. O'Brien's history class. Room 25. Red desks coated on the underside with stinky juicy fruit gum and layers of adolescent graffiti on top. Memories of teenage crushes and...
The pain of going after what you want
I write to you today surrounded by boxes and bin bags. My house is upside-down with categorised belongings. We're about to move. Travelling as a family is something we've always talked about. And now it's happening after 14 years in France we're moving to...
All this work and nowhere close to your goals…
“Often it isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out, it's the little pebble in your shoe.” Muhammad Ali Those beautiful mountains in the distance? That's your vision of success. Consistent money coming in. Doing work that excites you for...
Getting bogged down by decisions? Try this…
"When I work, I work very fast, but preparing to work can take any length of time". Cy Twombly, Abstract expressionist artist. I shared this quote with someone recently and they laughed, assuming that I was talking about lazily avoiding work. I suppose...
Consistency is more about showing up than scheduling
What does it mean to be consistent? Does it mean posting every day at the same time? Naah. Being consistent is more about holding a space in people's minds. Check out my video relating to this topic 3 keys to getting clients online for your services. 1....
Testimonial: Strategy, Brand, Website for a Life Coach.
"Claire really brought incredible value - I came to her wanting a new improved website but I didn’t have all of the pieces in place enough to make that as good as it could be. Claire helped me get really specific about who the new website needed to speak to, boil down...
Your social media strategy in one sentence
How do you react when people say you have to post and show up on social every day to make it as a business? Do you: Eye-roll so hard that you can actually see your own eye-brows? Frantically post a dancing reel that you'll regret and delete later? Write a deep and...
Definition of strategy: Resources to results
What is "strategy"? It's a word that causes confusion because it is used in so many different industries. As far as digital marketing and business strategy are concerned: Strategy is how you make the best use of your current resources to achieve a specific goal. Using...
Can you get your content written by bots?
Can you use AI to write blog posts?(AI: Artificial intelligence) After a fascinating talk with Meadhbh Hand yesterday, I went full-geek and experimented with "Simplified" - an artificial intelligence app for creating text and visual content. I'd been mulling over a...
Market and sell your services online
Get them nodding, not nodding off! Are you selling your services online? Or... Are you helping people to achieve transformations? When you sell services online, the temptation is to talk all about that service as a way to convince your ideal client to buy. You talk...
Taking time off as a solopreneur
I just booked flights to head home to Ireland in July - YAY! I'm really looking forward to seeing friends and family and finally getting to celebrate my 40th (one year late). In the context of working solo, how do you take time off? For me, it's about keeping a...
Creating a consistently profitable business
Are you sure you want to read this? Are you ready for an annoying, inconvenient answer? OK then, if you're sure.... The secret is to use the right strategy. I warned you it'd be annoying, but let me break it down. https://youtu.be/afbICCgbkYg What is the "right"...
Do you need confidence to show up online?
What if we treated our confidence the same as we treated our house keys? When you work alone it's all too easy to have moments when you misplace your confidence. When you have low lead flow.When promising leads don't convert to become clients.When you miss targets and...
Finding the courage to show up online
Superman is soooooo boring Apparently* Superman is one of the least exciting superheroes. He's just too indestructible.He's too strong.He's too super.Too perfect. There's no real suspense about him saving the day... which makes for a boring story. We sure do love...
What buttery asparagus has to do with consistent income
It was spring, past midnight, in the 20th arrondissement in Paris. I was crouched over my laptop in our little kitchen, clicking away on a client's website. In the next room, my little boy was making the adorable noises of an infant asleep. I had a...
Work less, earn more? Is that a joke?
We're talented, passionate, and hard-working. That should be enough right? So why do we get stuck in cycles of feast and famine? Stressed out by too much work... then... Stressed out by not enough work. Life is too short for these stress cycles, don't you think?...
I’m retiring. And so should you.
I’ve been called all sorts of things over 10 years as "Claire Creative" — a graphic designer, online marketer, website consultant, WordPress whizz, digital strategist — Basically, I know my way around a website and I know what it takes to set up an...
10 tips for better online presentations
I ran a workshop last week and mid-session I realised how rusty I'd gotten. I used to do live stuff all the time. I stopped during the first lockdown because the kids were home and I feared a reenactment of that dude from the BBC. I remember now that practicing your...
Owning up to financial illiteracy & taking baby steps
How's your financial literacy? To be honest, mine is a bit crap. I love love love my work and the freedom it gives me and the challenges and the growth and I get to pay myself what I need with enough left over to grow the business. But I'm always gut-wrenchingly...
Attracting clients to your business when you work solo
Every day of my working week I meet people who are passionate and skilled at their work but feel lost at sea when it comes to effectively marketing themselves online. Why is that? I reckon it's because there is so much GREAT advice out there and so many...
End of year review for your small business
Why bother with an annual review? If you wrap up your year with a review, you’ll have the drive to get you moving forward in the right direction from your first day back.
Does rebranding mean losing your current audience?
Does rebranding mean you have to ‘break up’ with your current audience? https://youtu.be/TT8FfoYAHvg You probably know by now that branding is about more than just a logo and a colour palette! It’s more about designing the future of your business. A rebrand can look...
Rebranding. Design the future of your business.
https://youtu.be/hvD0au_YtJI It’s not surprising that a lot of people are considering a rebrand at the moment. If we define “brand” as who you serve and how you show up for them then it’s almost inevitable that now, (after all that’s been happening) you’d...
Using video to promote yourself online
I’m sure you’ve been told how useful and valuable video can be for your business. Almost every social platform encourages you to use it by making it as easy as possible to “go live” or upload a video.YouTube is the biggest search engine on the web after Google...
The 10 essentials for a successful website
What really makes a successful website? Here are my top 10 essentials for your website – from domain to data!
Digital strategy: A five-part template to get results online
A digital strategy will give you perspective and save you time but most importantly, it’ll help you to focus on results.
So, what goes into a digital strategy? There are five parts to consider. Let’s have a look…
Finding new clients when you’re busy juggling projects
Staying on top of lead generation can be a real challenge when you’re really busy with projects. Juggling multiple projects and clients in a “work feast” moment in your business can mean that a “work famine” is right around the corner. If you pride yourself on doing...
What is the starting point of a website project?
When you prepare for your website project what is your starting point? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not your logo. And you might be surprised to hear me say that it’s not your choice of web-building platform either. The starting point of your website project, whether...
The 10K Month Strategy
What does it take to hit consistent 10K for your creative / 1:1 services?
Subscribe to download the checklist.