​

Hey fellow storyteller,
​

If you’ve had a service-based business for any amount of time now, you’re probably familiar with the idea of the “feast or famine” cycle in business.
​

But if you’re not, I’ll sum it up.

Let’s say you don’t have leads/potential clients in your pipeline.
​
So, you start marketing more heavily, reaching out to previous clients, attending networking events, stuff like that.

It takes time but you see results, leads start to trickle then pour in. Those leads become a full client docket.

​
Now you’re strapped for time— things that aren’t billable fall by the wayside. Marketing goes on the back burner, you couldn’t take on more clients even if you wanted to!

But projects and coaching containers end, deliverables are handed off, and people go off to implement what you’ve given them.

And your pipeline is empty again. Cue anxiety and going back into hustle mode. It’s exhausting and predictably leads to burnout.

Many business coaches and strategists tout a solution to this.

I’m going to offer some thoughts here from a marketing perspective, but first let’s talk math.

​
I think all of us, and I’m including myself in this, needs to reevaluate what “full capacity” means and have our prices match this. I saw in takeaways from Alan Weiss’ Million Dollar Consulting (I haven’t read it yet) that they recommend 33% on marketing, 33% on sales, and 33% on service delivery.

​
That sounds on par for coaches/consultants/speakers who aren’t balancing meetings and in-depth deliverables but for those creatives who have a website, photography, or copywriting I think 50% on service delivery and 50% on marketing/sales is probably an easier allocation. You can decide on your own breakdown, but this is what I’m doing now.

​
​Here’s my hot take— the feast or famine cycle is not inherently bad.

​
You’ll probably notice I have’t done much emailing the last month or so. In fact, a lot of the creators I follow took a summer break.

​
Our lives (and businesses) naturally occur in seasons. What I was capable of doing when my son was 18 months old is not what it is now that he’s in preschool.

We have busy times, and not so busy times. In fact, this is the season for big launches (or at least prepping for them). November is the season where we’ve decided Black Friday is all month long, much to my annoyance.

You setting marketing aside when your schedule is full is a natural prioritization on the things that are immediately paying your bills and things that aren’t technically time-sensitive.

​
​There’s no need to beat yourself up or feel shame around this.​
​
Especially if you’re like me and have chronic illnesses or executive dysfunction that makes your energy/capacity fluctuate unpredictably.
​
​What you can do during your next slow period

​
What I did this past summer was going DEEP into my own branding/messaging again. I looked across the marketing landscape and saw what other marketers were doing and where I fit. Not to “beat” competitors but truly understand what makes my lived experience unique and what I can lean into more.

For me, it’s my background as a nurse, my emphasis on empathetic storytelling, and the nerdy interests that I have like D&D/tabletop RPGs, science fiction such as Star Trek, and looking at where DEI&B intersect with marketing strategy.

(More on these in later newsletters)
​

The next time you have a slow period, of course do the immediate outreach to get your bills paid, but there are a few more options to be more proactive the first time.

• Invest time into the systems that make your marketing more efficient— branding, messaging, storytelling, and positioning. This gives you key words and phrases that are unique to YOU and repeatable.
  • Implementation: I craeated a database on my Brand Voice Elixir Guide that are headlines, phrases, words, and calls to action I come back to you again and again,.
• What were the challenges and questions that your clients had? Is there a recurring pattern? Make content about it while its still fresh in your mind or revisit any call recordings and jot down client questions and what your answers were.
  • There are AI tools you can use to transcribe client calls to speed this up. I’m not saying to use AI to write content, but transcription makes it easier to take your own words and phrasing without trying to reinvent the wheel.
• Audit any marketing content you’ve done before. What got traction and engagement? What’s out of date? Is there content that could be refreshed and repurposed into a new format?
  • What about from your paid stuff? Exercises from an opt-in or digital product can entice people to work with you by giving them smaller results that build momentum.
    ​

I call all of this my Backpocket Marketing System. It’s one thing to create content during a slow period when you don’t have clients competing for your time, but the goal is to make a marketing system that’s sustainable for you and has a foundation that captures your memorable message and unique voice.

​

It’s inevitable that shit will hit the fan. The Backpocket part of this is that you have some content in your library/archive that you can set up without devoting additional time that you don’t have to it.

​

Think of it as the marketing equivalent to ordering takeout for dinner.

​

If all of this sounds overwhelming or intimidating, you don’t have to start from scratch. I’m offering an accessible way to get you started. I’m opening up some times for a Content Quickstart session at $250. It’s a strategy session that’s geared toward action and personalized to your business and situation. You decide what we brainstorm around and build an action plan around.
​

In a Content Quickstart session, you can:
​

• Put words to the differentiators that make you stand out online (the purple lightsaber I discussed on social)
• Refine the messaging around your fall launch and optimize copy
• Find gaps in your customer journey
• Brainstorm content that connects to your paid offers
• Get clear on your marketing direction so you can spend less time figuring out your next steps

​

For the first 5 people who take me up on this, I’m going to do a walkthrough audit of your marketing touchpoints with suggestions on how to infuse memorability and empathy into your tagline and content.
​

But I said all of this to say that feat/famine cycle is not technically inevitable but also can serve as a powerful reminder to slow down so you can speed up later.
​
Taking the time to set yourself up to market even when you’re busy is time well spent, and while I’d never wish “famine” on anyone, taking intentional time away from client work is what keeps your business sustainable and ensures your marketing serves what your ideal clients are struggling with now, not six months ago.
​

Even if fall is starting to look busy and getting full, what are some action steps you can take that create that backpocket library for yourself?
​
Live long and prosper,

​
P.S For those of you who scan, I’m offering some spots for a Content Quickstart session that gives you clarity on next action steps to make your marketing unique, memorable, and repeatable. Grab your spot.
​
P.P.S. I’m considering moving away from the name “Max Wilde Stories” which is why I’ve been working through clarity on my own brand. What do you think? What words do you associate with me & my writing?