Thank you Molly - this is really inspiring and motivating. I really appreciate your honesty here. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed by 'content' recently - so many ideas and not so many on where or how to start but I feel encouraged and reassured by your post so thank you!
I can't imagine being where I am right now if I hadn't had the ability to write my own schedule most days. This flexibility and freedom gave me the opportunity to cultivate a daily writing and publishing practice, one that just wouldn't be possible without the ability to burn the first 2 or 3 hours every day doing what I want.
Thank you for sharing this true insight, Molly. I am busy building my online community and I recognise so much of what you share—the 5am starts, many hats etc. One thing you say that really strikes a chord is 'know your worth.' This is the most important thing in my mind. For so long I gave my creations away for free (which is also a good thing! And important when building ideas) because I felt uncomfortable charging people. But now I recognise that I am bringing goodness to people's lives with my creations and that, actually, people are HAPPY to pay me for the energy, thought and love I pour into my creations, which then allows me to sustain a simple life where I can continue serving others. Knowing my worth has been my biggest shift this year. Love to see your content!💛🙏🏻🌼
Thank you for sharing your experience! It took me a while to really value you my work, and sometimes I still have doubtful moments, but I'm moving in the right direction and also pleasantly surprised that people are willing to pay me! Best of luck with your business :)
I found a similar experience when I started my own business in nutrition. Despite wanting to do the science part, I found I had to wear ALL the hats like you said! I found it exhausting and actually made the decision that it wasn’t for me. I’m now happily back in a day job in publishing! But I miss the content creation part so hence started my own Substack!
This comment really speaks to me! It's a hard lesson, coming to the realisation that all of the parts are down to you. I have a foot in both camps: a part-time job with a national literacy charity and what feels like a full-time one writing, publicising, sharing, commenting and building a community here on Substack and elsewhere! Oh, and family life as well! It is exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure, I find, but I do wonder for how long will it be this 'solo'?
Thanks Lindsay! How exciting for your writing endeavours, I shall check them out. I also did a transition to self-employment from a part-time role. It was a slog for a while to do both! 😱 But there were many factors in my decision to not take the business forward - one of these was burnout though and always working. I decided it wasn’t what I wanted from life and I felt less free as a self-employed person than I did employed! Obviously it depends on the job. I wrote about my experiences if you fancy a nosey, I’ll link it here :)
Hi Molly, this is a very interesting read. As it happens, I am a freelance content creator too, but writing for other companies. It must be very rewarding to have built your own brand, but it's enlightening to hear about the amount of time it takes and the obvious hard work involved. I think the key, as you say, is to enjoy what you're doing as you're going to have to clock up a lot of free hours before you start seeing a return. And If you would do it for free then that helps massively!
Super insightful Molly! I can tell how much you love it and how motivated you are too it really shows in the quality of content you put out both here and on YouTube... I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how YouTube subs are trickling in. A question or two if you have space - does your long term plan include both Substack & YouTube and do you currently spent an equal amount of time on each? Have you run ads for your teemill store or is it all organic? ✨🙏
I'm glad you enjoyed! I'm planning to continue YouTube and Substack for now, but long term plans would be more of a writing life and I'd love to write a book (or two!). YouTube definitely takes a lot more of my time and is my main earner so I do prioritise it. I've not run any ads on my Teemill or Etsy, so just driven traffic myself :)
Thank you for all of the great content you create Molly. This has certainly opened my eyes to the amount of work you put in. I have just signed up to Notion and downloaded your Slow Living Bundle and it’s amazing! I spent all weekend filling it in, fiddling with it and adding extra stuff. It’s so good and has given me loads of ideas for other things I can do with it. I also signed up for a trial on Skillshare after you mentioned it and I’m very impressed with that. Oh and I’m working my wag through a few of your autumn book recommendations so thank you for all that you share 😃
Thank you for sharing ... sometimes it can feel like your speaking into a big empty room ! And it is hard to keep putting your heart and soul into your content.
Your thoughts that even if no one was listening you'd do it anyway because you truly love it - really soothed my worries, because it is so true. Thank you .
Hi Molly, thank you for sharing your story about your journey as an influencer. It was so interesting to read about. I'm truly thankful for the day I discovered you online! You have such a positive and authentically unique way about you. You have helped me in so many ways. Your planners are amazing. So helpful and really fun to use. I have the ultimate book planner, the plant based planner and e-book, and slow living planner. I look at the world In a refreshingly different way now as you're teaching me the art of slow living.Thank you Molly. Sue
I truly appreciate your honesty with the challenges (and rewards) of doing this type of work! I have inconsistently tried to make this happen for years, and I can say for certain, that it truly is the consistency, mixed with our authenticity that is needed. I also tried the social media world, and for years–it NEVER felt aligned. Once I gave up trying on those platforms and leaned into my intuitive and feminine ways, it all just clicked so much easier. I am so grateful I found this place and have been devouring your content, it is so peaceful and inspiring!!
Yes, it for sure a slower process, but honesty, now I see how much better it is. Because you really are finding your like-minded/aligned people out there. What you find in the slower pace is more of a treasure–in so many ways!
Molly, thank you so much for this valuable insight!☺️. I have been really struggling to be consistent in my substack posts, always citing work (I’m a postie in Aberdeenshire!) and being under the weather as the main reasons. I know if I am to achieve, this I will have to bite the bullet and get up at 4.30 some days, or carve out a concentrated hour after work, BEFORE doing household chores or flopping down! 😄 Thank you for your honest openness on the whole process - you have inspired me! 💚
Thank you for this! It’s only last week or something that it occurred to me that my eco ministry is a business as a content creator. So this is really helpful!
Love that you’ve shared the realities here! Content creation is such hard work. I really went “all in” like 5 or 6 years ago and just completely burnt out, and didn’t see much return. It was frustrating and made me feel like a failure, but I’m slowly coming back around to creating more on my terms (though consistency really is the secret sauce, annoyingly 🤣) and am finally starting to see a small bit of growth.
I was thinking about you the other day because I posted on YouTube for a few years and it was SUCH hard work. But also really rewarding. I feel like I’m getting in a groove with my Substack so am trying to decide if I want to focus on Instagram or YouTube as my next platform, but I know know both require so much work so I’m feeling hesitant. And I’m unsure if I want to go the route of small daily videos on Insta or long-form once a week content on YouTube. You produce the long-form content so beautifully!! Anyway, I’m so happy it’s become a full time gig for you and hopefully as it continues to grow, the income will outweigh some of the work. Thanks for sharing your insights!!
Thank you for your comment lovely! I'm glad you are finding the joy in content creation again. In my experience, I think Insta & YouTube take a similar amount of work. However, one of the main upsides to YouTube is you don't need to be constantly 'on' like I felt I needed to be on Insta. Plus, its generally easier to start earning money on YouTube, although obvis this still takes some time! I'll be interested to see where you go next :)
I've been following you on YouTube and the newsletter for I don't know how long and at 47 yo you gave me the courage to start a you tube channel and blogging. I don't care who will read me, I've always loved writing so I'll do it for the pure pleasure of doing it... but without you I would have kept my thoughts for myself. Highly sensitivity can be a huge road block on the path of creativity but I want to show my daughter that dreams have to be pursued. Thanks Molly!!!
Thank you Molly - this is really inspiring and motivating. I really appreciate your honesty here. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed by 'content' recently - so many ideas and not so many on where or how to start but I feel encouraged and reassured by your post so thank you!
Aw I'm so glad to read that lovely! I wish you the best of luck! :)
Thanks Molly! I'll let you know 😊
I can't imagine being where I am right now if I hadn't had the ability to write my own schedule most days. This flexibility and freedom gave me the opportunity to cultivate a daily writing and publishing practice, one that just wouldn't be possible without the ability to burn the first 2 or 3 hours every day doing what I want.
Consistency is everything. I couldn't agree more.
Thank you for sharing! And yes, consistency is so important :)
Thank you for sharing this true insight, Molly. I am busy building my online community and I recognise so much of what you share—the 5am starts, many hats etc. One thing you say that really strikes a chord is 'know your worth.' This is the most important thing in my mind. For so long I gave my creations away for free (which is also a good thing! And important when building ideas) because I felt uncomfortable charging people. But now I recognise that I am bringing goodness to people's lives with my creations and that, actually, people are HAPPY to pay me for the energy, thought and love I pour into my creations, which then allows me to sustain a simple life where I can continue serving others. Knowing my worth has been my biggest shift this year. Love to see your content!💛🙏🏻🌼
Thank you for sharing your experience! It took me a while to really value you my work, and sometimes I still have doubtful moments, but I'm moving in the right direction and also pleasantly surprised that people are willing to pay me! Best of luck with your business :)
I found a similar experience when I started my own business in nutrition. Despite wanting to do the science part, I found I had to wear ALL the hats like you said! I found it exhausting and actually made the decision that it wasn’t for me. I’m now happily back in a day job in publishing! But I miss the content creation part so hence started my own Substack!
Thank you for sharing! It sounds like you've made the best decision for you and found a wonderful creative outlet here on Substack :)
This comment really speaks to me! It's a hard lesson, coming to the realisation that all of the parts are down to you. I have a foot in both camps: a part-time job with a national literacy charity and what feels like a full-time one writing, publicising, sharing, commenting and building a community here on Substack and elsewhere! Oh, and family life as well! It is exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure, I find, but I do wonder for how long will it be this 'solo'?
Here it is! https://open.substack.com/pub/louisemarie/p/why-i-went-from-a-9-5-to-running?r=s3hm7&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Thanks Lindsay! How exciting for your writing endeavours, I shall check them out. I also did a transition to self-employment from a part-time role. It was a slog for a while to do both! 😱 But there were many factors in my decision to not take the business forward - one of these was burnout though and always working. I decided it wasn’t what I wanted from life and I felt less free as a self-employed person than I did employed! Obviously it depends on the job. I wrote about my experiences if you fancy a nosey, I’ll link it here :)
Thanks for that! Have just subscribed and off to have a nosey!
Hi Molly, this is a very interesting read. As it happens, I am a freelance content creator too, but writing for other companies. It must be very rewarding to have built your own brand, but it's enlightening to hear about the amount of time it takes and the obvious hard work involved. I think the key, as you say, is to enjoy what you're doing as you're going to have to clock up a lot of free hours before you start seeing a return. And If you would do it for free then that helps massively!
Lovely to hear from a fellow creator :) Yes, loving what you do is key!
Super insightful Molly! I can tell how much you love it and how motivated you are too it really shows in the quality of content you put out both here and on YouTube... I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how YouTube subs are trickling in. A question or two if you have space - does your long term plan include both Substack & YouTube and do you currently spent an equal amount of time on each? Have you run ads for your teemill store or is it all organic? ✨🙏
I'm glad you enjoyed! I'm planning to continue YouTube and Substack for now, but long term plans would be more of a writing life and I'd love to write a book (or two!). YouTube definitely takes a lot more of my time and is my main earner so I do prioritise it. I've not run any ads on my Teemill or Etsy, so just driven traffic myself :)
Fascinating!! Thanks! ❤️
Thank you for all of the great content you create Molly. This has certainly opened my eyes to the amount of work you put in. I have just signed up to Notion and downloaded your Slow Living Bundle and it’s amazing! I spent all weekend filling it in, fiddling with it and adding extra stuff. It’s so good and has given me loads of ideas for other things I can do with it. I also signed up for a trial on Skillshare after you mentioned it and I’m very impressed with that. Oh and I’m working my wag through a few of your autumn book recommendations so thank you for all that you share 😃
Aw thank you so much for all your support of my business! I'm so glad you are enjoying your planner!
Thank you for sharing ... sometimes it can feel like your speaking into a big empty room ! And it is hard to keep putting your heart and soul into your content.
Your thoughts that even if no one was listening you'd do it anyway because you truly love it - really soothed my worries, because it is so true. Thank you .
I'm so glad you enjoyed! Thank you for your comment :)
Hi Molly, thank you for sharing your story about your journey as an influencer. It was so interesting to read about. I'm truly thankful for the day I discovered you online! You have such a positive and authentically unique way about you. You have helped me in so many ways. Your planners are amazing. So helpful and really fun to use. I have the ultimate book planner, the plant based planner and e-book, and slow living planner. I look at the world In a refreshingly different way now as you're teaching me the art of slow living.Thank you Molly. Sue
Lovely to hear from you Sue! I so appreciate your support of my business and its lovely to hear that my content is having a positive influence :)
I love your total honesty about how you've taken a big step to go out on your own. I wish you every happiness & success. x
Thank you so much! :)
I truly appreciate your honesty with the challenges (and rewards) of doing this type of work! I have inconsistently tried to make this happen for years, and I can say for certain, that it truly is the consistency, mixed with our authenticity that is needed. I also tried the social media world, and for years–it NEVER felt aligned. Once I gave up trying on those platforms and leaned into my intuitive and feminine ways, it all just clicked so much easier. I am so grateful I found this place and have been devouring your content, it is so peaceful and inspiring!!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I agree that being intuitive is far more rewarding and often more successful in the long run :)
Yes, it for sure a slower process, but honesty, now I see how much better it is. Because you really are finding your like-minded/aligned people out there. What you find in the slower pace is more of a treasure–in so many ways!
Molly, thank you so much for this valuable insight!☺️. I have been really struggling to be consistent in my substack posts, always citing work (I’m a postie in Aberdeenshire!) and being under the weather as the main reasons. I know if I am to achieve, this I will have to bite the bullet and get up at 4.30 some days, or carve out a concentrated hour after work, BEFORE doing household chores or flopping down! 😄 Thank you for your honest openness on the whole process - you have inspired me! 💚
Aw I'm so glad! And best of luck with your Substack :)
Thank you for this! It’s only last week or something that it occurred to me that my eco ministry is a business as a content creator. So this is really helpful!
Aw I'm glad!
I love reading about your journey, Molly. I find it so interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you lovely! :)
Love that you’ve shared the realities here! Content creation is such hard work. I really went “all in” like 5 or 6 years ago and just completely burnt out, and didn’t see much return. It was frustrating and made me feel like a failure, but I’m slowly coming back around to creating more on my terms (though consistency really is the secret sauce, annoyingly 🤣) and am finally starting to see a small bit of growth.
I was thinking about you the other day because I posted on YouTube for a few years and it was SUCH hard work. But also really rewarding. I feel like I’m getting in a groove with my Substack so am trying to decide if I want to focus on Instagram or YouTube as my next platform, but I know know both require so much work so I’m feeling hesitant. And I’m unsure if I want to go the route of small daily videos on Insta or long-form once a week content on YouTube. You produce the long-form content so beautifully!! Anyway, I’m so happy it’s become a full time gig for you and hopefully as it continues to grow, the income will outweigh some of the work. Thanks for sharing your insights!!
Thank you for your comment lovely! I'm glad you are finding the joy in content creation again. In my experience, I think Insta & YouTube take a similar amount of work. However, one of the main upsides to YouTube is you don't need to be constantly 'on' like I felt I needed to be on Insta. Plus, its generally easier to start earning money on YouTube, although obvis this still takes some time! I'll be interested to see where you go next :)
I've been following you on YouTube and the newsletter for I don't know how long and at 47 yo you gave me the courage to start a you tube channel and blogging. I don't care who will read me, I've always loved writing so I'll do it for the pure pleasure of doing it... but without you I would have kept my thoughts for myself. Highly sensitivity can be a huge road block on the path of creativity but I want to show my daughter that dreams have to be pursued. Thanks Molly!!!
This is so lovely. It really warms my heart so thank you for sharing. I wish you all the best!