Heyo Reader!
Last week I had a post on Threads go a bit viral in the service provider space.
After realising that I was going to be booked out for the remainder of 2024, signing two absolute dreamy clients, I wrote on Threads to celebrate my wins.
I received tons of congrats, which felt great, but then I started to see posts from other designers feeling like shit over seeing so many service providers being booked out recently.
And like, pal, I GET THAT.
For 10 months I signed ZERO clients from social media.
Then my 31st birthday happened. 🎉
Suddenly, within a week, I had 4 dreamy leads, and signed 2 of them.
It’s like when people talk about the rise of Charli XCX or Chappell Roan - it takes 10 years to become an overnight success.
For me it took 10 months to start generating leads from the internet. 📅
I reflected on my own journey getting to this point and decided to write about what I’ve observed that I believe made that shift happen:
🧬 I rebranded over the summer, and still am in the process of it.
It means more than just a fresh coat of paint — it meant being louder and radically unapologetic with my point of view regarding inclusivity, accessibility, queer and soup-brained entrepreneurship.
I started embodying leadership a lot more by having those conversations openly, especially on Threads.
🧬 I finally set up a website.
Less than a month after it going live, I received an inquiry from someone who found me on Threads (we simping for that platform in this email), through a design I had made as a inside JOKE for the design community.
I’m learning to infuse my work with my interests, personality & passions on display, which has brought on a very noticeable shift in how I’m perceived. And a good website does a lot. Leads get nurtured without you having to be there!
🧬 I’ve been repeating my message over and over.
You start associating me with those themes! And if you’re new around here, you understand right away what I do and who I’m for.
Remember it took 10 months of experimenting to get to this point. I’m sharing those experiments here in the Dish to help you along the way. This is just proof that it WORKS.
🧬 Finding a unique way of conveying my message.
We’re so fatigued from sameness and not belonging. I’m more than a brand designer, I’m an activist. People like you, who I’m trying to reach, really resonate with the idea of activism and often practice some kind of it themselves.
The physical work I do isn’t important, it’s the impact of it that matters. Ask yourself what the bigger picture with YOUR work is, that only you can offer?
🧬 Embraced the cringe, freaky and weird things about me, and made them the star of my brand.
I’ve named my newsletter The Petri Dish for fucks sake. I love grossness, extremes, contrasts and being polarising. People are sending me videos of mold, tree bark, microorganisms, and using words I’ve made up all the time now.
What is it about you that gets stuck in people’s brains? 🧠
🧬 And lastly — showing my face.
My work doesn’t speak for itself, and I don’t believe it should. Showing the PERSON behind it is what gets people interested.
Imagine you’re scrolling on social media. Are you more inclined to visit a profile with a logo for a pfp, or their face? It’s simple. It’s miles more difficult reaching for success if people can’t form an idea of who you are, and that starts with your gorgeous face.
All this being said, it’s important to remember that my “booked out” supports an entirely different lifestyle than someone else’s.
I live alone, in an apartment. I don’t own a car. I don’t have a lot of expenses apart from rent and groceries. 💰
Booked out for me just means I’m at my own capacity, time-wise. And my capacity is generally lower, because I am disabled.
