A change to our business + SSSS-Sarah's favorites from March

A change to our business and my favorite things

By: Sarah

Jump to: March + April Favorites | A change in our business

This email is LONG. You might have to open in your browser to see all of it because I don’t know how not to write like I am in a conversation with you - and I talk a lot.

SSSSSSS-Sarah is not a typo. I have been playing chess, not checkers, with my nephew (who turned one, four days before my 40th birthday) and teaching him what sound a snake makes, and now he calls me “SSSSSS.” That, and seeing him constantly use the signs I have been teaching him since he was a baby (More, Please, milk, water) makes me swoon every time. He is so cute. ¹

Sarah’s March Favorites

I turned 40 in March. Mercury was in Retrograde. My hormones a mess. I was in a terrible mood for the entire month of March and some of April. However, there were a lot of things I loved and tried during March! I wanted to round up March and April in the same email, but I provided too much context - per usual.

March

Pickleball| Jenis Double Dough ice cream | Megababe Santal Deo | Bombas Tee| Wims CBD Drink Mixers |

1. Pickleball

   1. James, Rebecca and I went to Palm Springs with Missy,Anders, Ben, Kelly and Jon and my best friends, Matt, Britt and Sara in March to celebrate my 40th. I had never been to Palm Spring.I love trips, but my favorite vacations are those where we all live together in the same house, make breakfast together, drink coffee and cocktails, and laugh at dumb tv. So that is what we did. We rented a house with a ton of bedrooms, a pool and a pickleball court. The weather was GORGEOUS. We did all end up with a stomach bug and had to get IVS to the house, but it was still so fun and a great memory for me. Since there was a pickleball court, we played all the time. I had never played before, and only played tennis in college ², and I had so much fun. I was addicted. Need to get back into it now that we are home.

2. Jeni
   ’s Double Dough Ice Cream

   1. Jeni
      ’s Ice Cream was invented and launched in Columbus, so it has always been a staple in our ice cream rotation. I had my favorites, but never really craved anything until Missy and I tried her Double Dough ice cream. It is brown butter ice cream with mini cookie dough chunks and IT IS SO good. Must eat on a waffle cone or sugar cone.

3. Megababe The Santal Deo

   1. I made the switch to deodorant without anti-perspirant a few years ago. I hardly sweat like I used to when younger, and annoyingly sweat the most from my scalp. I still stink, but figure why use an anti-perspirant every day if I don’t need it? Plus, there are so many brands of deodorants that smell SO good and work well for me in covering up odor - way more than when you have to use an anti-perspirant. I tried the Megababe Santal Deo and was surprised at how long it lasted. Like two days. I never really cared for their other deodorants, so I was excited to find this because it performs really well for the price. If you want to smell good, but still need an anti-perspirant - use Mitchum unscented at night (anti-perspirant + dry shampoo work best when applied at night) and scented deodorant in the morning.

4. Bombas Tee

   1. I bought this tee in February because we had a partnership with Bombas and I thought I would try it out. I forgot I had it until I needed a tee shirt to wear (my daily wardrobe) and was like “when did I get this perfect heather gray tee?” Not only is it soft and comfortable, but it fits me perfectly. Something about the cut of the shoulders and the drape of the material - it just makes you look slimmer without being slim cut? I put it on and was like — hmmm - did I lose weight? Just an optical illusion. I am wearing a 2X in the picture - borderline my actual size. I just bought the white one in 1X, and it fits less loosely, but it still looks just as good! I’d model it for you, but of course, there is a stain on it, and I had to get my favorite stain remover delivered while on vacation.

5. Wims Pocket Tonic - use MSMMBI20 for 20% off

   1. I have talked about these before (like that one time I had 2 or 3 and sent out a sales email…), but have not done a formal review on them. I found the in the back of a magazine when we were doing our vision boards. I loved the branding, so I thought I would try them. I have been trying a lot of THC/CBD drinks (THC derived from hemp) because I cannot drink liquor as much anymore since the GLP makes it so unpredictable when it will take effect. And it usually takes effect when I am trying to sleep, and then I cannot sleep. I have been testing lots of THC/CBD drinks since January. It is funny how all of the different ratios can impact you in a different way.

   2. I love WIMs because they are small, flat and VERY portable. You just fold them in half to add to a drink. I have carried on the plane with me to Florida, and always have a few in my purse in case we are out and I want to enjoy a cocktail. I loved the idea of the Cann Roadies, but they don’t do much for me at that strength but make me sleepy. These are 4 mg of THC/4mg of CBD and give me the perfect alcohol-like buzz. And if you have more than one, you will feel high. One will not make me have the munchies, but anything more than 1 or 5 mg of THC seems to unleash the munchies. They’re fun and no hangover! It would be a fun Father’s Day gift.

      1. My favorite is the Ginger Lime—I like to add it to sparkling water with a splash of cranberry and a squeeze of lime. Unflavored is sweetened but still has a hint of weed taste, so I recommend adding that one to something with a stronger flavor than just sparkling water.

      2. Good news - you do not have to be home to sign for the delivery, like you do for some brands!

A change in our business

I always struggle with consistency and showing up on Substack. It was one of my goals to be more consistent with our newsletter this year - weekly(ish) Sunday Dinners and monthly favorite things. I think we are even more inconsistent than last year. It has become even more challenging as of late. I have felt like I have been drowning, and could not pinpoint why, except for being extra busy from Rebecca’s extracurriculars, volunteering and end-of-year school activities. Then I figured it out.

How we make money on big sales days

While we have always made more money through commissionable links vs partnerships (see above), I have slowly increased the number of partnerships we do since quitting my full-time corporate job two years ago. We are picky about the brands we work with. We have to have a certain amount of freedom to keep our brand and voice consistent throughout; it has to be something we love and use, and the brand has to resonate with our audience.

I often find brand partnerships feel like working for corporate again - so much red tape. What is the point of owning my own business if I am still being told by another business what I can and cannot say? I limit those types of partnerships to 1-2 a month because they deplete me. They trigger so many insecurities for me, especially during the review phase. ³

ShopMy Opportunities

One of the affiliate platforms we use, ShopMy ⁴ , started offering a new product last year to brands called “Opportunities.” Brands can see who has linked to or mentioned them, reach out to those creators, and offer them a “bonus” on top of the commission for linking to them. While this concept is not new, as many affiliate platforms and stores reward with bonuses based on sales volume or linking, it has never been so easy for brands and creators to connect in this way.

ShopMy Opportunities are unlike brand partnerships, where the brand sends you a creative brief and outlines what they want covered, where to post, when to post, what you can and cannot say, and usually has to approve the content. Opportunities do not pay as much as brand partnerships, but are more casual in nature - like receiving a higher commission for linking a product.

When we started to receive more opportunities, it was hard to say no to them because they seemed so easy. But soon enough, we had a list of obligations we had to get to before the month's end, along with our other affiliate program obligations, paid partnerships, sales coverage, etc. I constantly felt like I had a deadline looming over my head. And the problem was - all of the offers we received were relevant to us - brands we always link to because we love them! After the month ended, I told Missy something had to change because I felt like I was once again being told what to post, when to post, etc., with fewer restrictions.

Now we are looking at opportunities like brand partnerships, even though they have always been partnerships, but just more relaxed.⁵ Even if we are flattered that a brand we love and use regularly is reaching out, we go through a checklist of things to determine if it is a good fit - is the brand constantly being promoted by other influencers?⁶ Is there seasonal content that would be relevant to post from the brand? Where would we post it? Would we have posted anyways? Is it going to take away from posting our usual organic content we are known for?

I am sure there is a lesson buried in there, regardless of whether or not you are a content creator. I was a high-potential employee in my former career - someone put “in a box “to go two levels above their current title. But I never wanted that. I knew it would mean more money & bonuses, more responsibility, a flashier title, and lame LinkedIn think pieces on how the rain reminded me of the B2B product I was in charge of. But I just wanted to be able to do my job at work, and then leave for the day and spend time or have the flexibility to be with the people I love.

I did not think I would have to worry about that once I left the corporate world - no more leadership telling me my potential and being disappointed and holding a grudge if I turned down something that would not benefit my goals. I had no idea it would be EVEN MORE challenging as a business owner. Knowing there is always more money that can be made, more content to create, more followers to follow, more SEO to SEO. I am guessing it is like this for all business owners - knowing the potential, seeing your peers achieve it, and just thinking “ if I could only sleep less, if I just skip this workout - I could have more time to work…”

So I did what I did ten years ago as a new mom or 6 years ago as a mom and a caregiver for my sick dad - I wrote down what was important to me. I re-read my blog post on why I left my corporate career. And I remembered the whole point. There are so many creators who are successful and make a lot of money. We do well for ourselves too (I replaced my annual salary at my corporate career, plus am able to hire Missy and Brittany!) But I also know that while the money has made their life easier and more fun, they are not necessarily happier than they were. Ultimately, that is my goal. I want a happy life. Money makes things easier, but it cannot buy happiness. I don’t want to fall into the lifestyle trap of keeping up with everyone else. I want my true north to be one that I decide for myself, and not one decided for me.

Thanks for reading and would love to hear what you thought or any questions you have in the comments!

XX Sarah

1. Jonny is my brother, Ben, and SIL, Kelly’s son. He only has one grandparent - Kelly’s dad died when she was 12, her step dad passed away this past December and our parents are gone, too. So I step in as a grauntie and watch him once a week. He has so many aunts and uncles who adore him.

2. I dont mean I played tennis in college because I was good - I mean it in a “ I took a tennis class and almost failed” kind of way.

3. The brand review phase is the equivalent of having a boss who hates everything you do. You can never do anything the right way, even though you really try. It feels like you are constantly being told you are not good enough (even though that's not the intent), and it's hard as a people-pleaser—a true mind fuck.

4. We have been using ShopMy for over three years! If you are a creator who is not using ShopMy, please get in touch with me. You are missing out!

5. We have never been great at keeping a good content calendar, and these made it even more challenging because we would forget to include them in there.

6. Remember when those gummy bear hair vitamins were a staple in the Bachelor contestant to influencer pipeline?