The Creative Way (to earn a living online)

My new business model.

I’ve told you about how I launched an online course business in 2019 and turned over six figures (£120,000) in year one.

I’ve also written about how I burnt out by doing business the masculine way (fast growth, risk-taking, solopreneur) and had to find a new way to work.

Then about how writing on Substack saved me and my writing career when I was feeling somewhat lost, in terms of my career.

Now, I want to tell you about my new business model, which I’m calling The Creative Way (to earn a living online).

I’m so excited about it, because it means I get to use poetry to help me make a living from essays, online courses and coaching.

I have full control over my time, how I use my energy, where I seek inspiration, how much I earn, when I work and when I’m paid (instantly).

It has changed my relationship with Instagram in an incredibly positive way - I love it, I’m not leaving, it’s all part of The Creative Way. It’s working for me.

And it allows me to be both the creative and the entrepreneur at the same time. Something I’ve been trying to work out for about five years.

I want to create, freely. I want to earn plenty of money. Now, I can see how the two can not only exist in harmony but actually flow from the same source.

Let me tell you about The Creative Way and how you can use this approach for your own work…

The Creative Way

I tried to create a graphic to illustrate The Creative Way but you know what? I’m not a graphic designer. It’s not my creative thing.

So instead, I decided to share some words about the foods I ate while staying in a tiny off-grid cottage in the middle of a field in Wales, surrounded by sheep, last Easter.

We were near the coast and the seafood was incredible.

The whole trip was.

Cheap, creative, inspiring.

My kids mostly ran around in wellies and got very muddy.

It was wet. And wonderful.

And now, you…

1. Your soul’s calling

It starts with your soul’s calling.

What is the creative work that gets you in flow state?

That never feels like work?

Poetry, photography, baking, gardening, graphic design, illustration, dance?

Whatever it is, that becomes your shopfront, on Instagram.

For me, it’s poetry and poetic prose passages.

You have to start with the creativity. We are all innately creative and there is such joy in sharing this, with the world.

People want and need your creativity.

(Have you read Lewis Hyde’s The Gift? It’s all about this.)

So, you share that on social media and start to build a community of followers who love your art.

And because they love your art, they develop a keen interest in you. The creator.

2. Giving (and receiving)

They want two things from you:

• To know more about you - behind the scenes, where you’re from, what makes you buzz, your beliefs.

• To learn about your creative skill.

So you give them this, on Substack. Here, you’ll offer some free essays that help the reader to get to know you. They will lap up these essays. We’re curious beings.

And you put your teaching behind a paywall. Because your skills need to be monetised. If you’re a writer/journalist, maybe your essays are paywalled too.

You are now building a community of people who will pay for access to you and your skills and knowledge and thoughts and ideas.

3. Going deeper

Some of your community will want even more from you.

So you launch an online course or programme that goes deeper.

You teach more, share more, engage more.

Maybe it’s a four-week course and there’s a new module available on a Monday morning (that’s what I like to do).

But they can email you during the course and ask questions, once they’ve learned from the course materials.

Maybe it’s entirely self-paced, for the busy women who work at less conventional times.

Maybe there are video workshops. Perhaps you’ll teach live, on Zoom.

However you do it, this course you’re launching will bring a big chunk of cash in one go.

4. The highest connection

The students love your course. They feel inspired, uplifted, motivated.

Now, they want a one-to-one with you.

A coaching or consultancy call.

So, what are you going to offer them? A power hour, a trio of sessions, six months of support?

This is what marketing people would call your ‘high ticket’ work but I prefer ‘the highest connection’. It’s where they get you all to themselves.

And you get to hear their amazing ideas and work with them closely to help them to move forwards however they choose.

It’s the most satisfying work of all, because of the level of connection.

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Now, you have three income streams:

1. Your Substack, bringing a recurring monthly income.

2. Your online courses bringing a chunk of cash each month/quarter/year.

3. Your one-to-one work bringing in top dollar.

And it all started with your art.

What do you think?

If you’re interested in The Creative Way (to earn a living online), read more and sign up here. First five sign-ups get a one-hour coaching call with me, thrown in (worth £300).

Annie x