Small wins & the reality behind it

Hey there!

A lot has happened since my last email. You​ can read it here to catch up on me giving advice to a friend when we were both finding life and our new snail mail businesses difficult to grow

I shared some of the things I was telling myself to keep going when something isn’t growing as quickly as you’d hoped.

Well, I thought I’d give you a little update.

Things are better.

Not “I woke up to 10,000 customers and retired” better 😂

But quietly, steadily better.

I wanted to share some reflections and lessons I’ve learned so far, in case you too want to build and grow something new

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Small growth is growth, but comparison is really a pain in the rectum !

In August, I sent 43 envelopes to different parts of the world and hit 1000 followers on my new Sparkles of Joy Instagram account – not even an hour later, my brain questioned why I hadn’t grown to 150 subscribers like many other snail mail owners have who started at the same time as me

Comparisitis really steals the joy and hard work you took to get you there

This is something I am actively working on to keep it at bay

It normally creeps up on me when I am tired and overwhelmed

2. Social media is kind of magical

Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard work and can be exhausting, but isn’t it CRAZY how you can set up a brand new social media account for free, post for free, and strangers across the world can hand over their hard-earned money to you in exchange for something they believe is valuable?

You can showcase your product and services, build relationships and trust, and do all sorts of things.

Video and visual proof is so powerful, especially in a world of AI where anyone can write anything; showing video proof of yourself and your product being used gives you a unique advantage.

If I were broke and had zero budget but wanted to make extra money, I’d learn how to grow social media – if you learn this skill, you will always have the ability to earn

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Speaking of skills

Social media is actually a skill. One that has a formula, but many just haven’t figured it out.

Too often I hear ‘ oh, I suck at social media, it’s not for me ,lol’. I used to say the same thing

This is also because being seen to ‘care’ about social media isn’t cool

No one wants to admit they want to learn how to grow Instagram; it’s supposed to be effortless, and people should naturally want to follow and engage with you organically, right?

But this way of thinking also gives you an excuse if it didn’t work

‘I don’t even try with my social media, I don’t care about it anyway’

‘I hate influencers and social media is full of them, so it’s not for me’

But hey, I think it’s cool to try, cool to learn a skill that can grow my business and income

And unless you have the budget to spend a ton on ads, then you NEED to learn how to grow an audience of customers

But I realize, just like any skill, there is a formula and a strategy, and you just need to learn it

This is a work in progress for me, but I’m getting better

Juggling it all is impossible

The biggest frustration I have as a mom to a young toddler is that once I get a bit of momentum, I lose it because I’m limited to a few hours a day; I get 3 hours max on a good day.

So when important life events happen, i.e., family coming to visit or baby getting sick, I lose momentum and feel behind again

I know scheduling and systems should help with this, but I’m still not there yet

This is a reality: you will feel behind, and it’s ok; get ahead when things become less chaotic

You need to think long term, I tell myself; I’ll keep taking action, and the results will happen when they are meant to

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Running a membership isn’t as hard as I thought!

I had the biggest fear of running a membership

I thought it would take over my life and be impossible to do anything, as my life would be completely taken over by it!

It’s actually not as bad as I thought; admittedly, I don’t have hundreds and thousands of members, but I assume when I do, I can just hire someone to help manage the admin side if it?

Just shows a lot of fears are in your head; sometimes you just have to try and see what the reality is

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An online business with online revenue and online products = FREAKING INCREDIBLE

I’m seeing my online business through a new lens (yes, did you know I run a blogging business? I’ve done it for over 8 years; my snail mail business is a new venture 🙂 You can see my main blog here: outandbeyond.com​

I’m learning to appreciate the ease of running an online business that doesn’t require much from you, once you build it up

After a hectic day ot prininh and cutting stickers for my snail mail business, I noticed two payments from Mediavine (my programmatic ad network) for my blog, which came in from articles I wrote years ago

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Can’t knock it, and I’m deeply grateful for it

You can learn how to start a blog that you can monetize here ​

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What next?

Well, in September I am hosting my Irish family, so I am quite busy, but I am preparing the September envelope

In next month’s chapter, I’ll be talking about money, the thing that touches almost every part of our lives, yet so many of us were never actually taught how to manage it.

I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned about saving, investing, and building financial security – in a simple, non-intimidating way.

Because understanding your money isn’t just about getting richer; it’s also about giving yourself more choices, freedom, and peace of mind. I’ll then share the money lessons I wish someone had taught me sooner.

​If you want me to send you an envelope with these lessons in September, sign up here ​

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Thanks for reading

Before you go – What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about money? I’d love to hear; reply and let me know

I read every single email 🙂

Thanks for reading

​Outandbeyond.com​

PS: I share my bare minimum low-effort strategy to grow my businesses on my Instagram stories — if you want more behind-the-scenes like this, come hang out: @aishapreece​

PPS: Some behind-the-scenes of running a snail mail club while juggling a sweet little rambunctious toddler

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