The Launch Diaries: Ep 1 - Launch planning, mindset wobbles & last minute pivots
What this episode is about
This week on Should I Care? we (Sophie Griffiths & Ruthie Walmsley) start the mini series: Launch Diaries. We're both meant to be launching this month and neither of us has arrived in September with the new-term energy we were promised (we're recording on what was supposed to be the first day back, which tells you most of it).
Because there's a version of September where everyone comes back with a bang, and then there's the actual one, where you're staring at a launch you said you'd do, wondering whether you've got it in you. Ruthie has a wait list of 21 people she still hasn't opened the doors to, an audience she's convinced isn't big enough, and a course of Sophie's she bought to fix exactly that and never opened.
Sophie worked 8 days across the whole summer, took on no new clients in July or August, and got the mindset gremlins right on cue anyway. Then, 2 weeks out, with the sign-up pages built and the feedback from her coaches already in, Sophie scrapped the whole thing and started again.
Key topics covered in this episode
In this episode:
The 8 days Sophie worked across the whole summer, the revenue locked in & the mindset gremlins that turned up in September regardless
Ruthie's wait list of 21 people she still hasn't opened the doors to, & the ads budget she earmarked & never spent
The workshop Sophie had already priced, built & written the sign-up pages for, & why she binned it 2 weeks before launch
What she's running instead, & the name Ruthie gave 10 out of 10, no notes
meet your hosts
Sophie Griffiths
Sophie is obsessed with working with impatiently ambitious women who want to build a business based on connection and depth and refuse to accept they can’t work less and still earn big money.
A fast talking scaling strategist who teaches women to grow their businesses with ads, offer they are obsessed with and marketing that actually feels fun.
Over the last 9 years she’s grown the business alongside 2 high energy girls, a cavapoo dog who doesn’t understand personal space, an ADHD diagnosis & strong (positive) feelings about trashy TV (yes Off Campus..) & salted butter.
ruthie walmsley
Ruthie is a storytelling strategist and recovering English teacher ( and deputy headteacher) who helps women turn what they actually think into content people can’t stop reading.
One husband, one son, one ridiculous puppy called Bernie, an obsession with storytelling and a CV that includes some of the biggest names in the online business space.
Read the Podcast episode transcript
NOTE: This podcast was transcribed by an AI tool. Please forgive any typos or errors.
SIC 13 -
===
Sophie: [00:00:00] Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of Should I Care? With me, Sophie Griffiths
Ruthie: And me, Ruthie Walmsley
Sophie: Hello. How are you?
I am, oh, I'm okay. How are, how are you?
Sophie: It was a slightly hysterical laugh, Ruthie. "Ah,
Ruthie: Do you know, I would say slightly hysterical is a relatively accurate, picture. Wilf was due back to school this morning, as we record, it was his first day back. As a solo business owner who's been juggling, not just me, my husband's also been taking on half the juggle for sure, very excited about that.
Sophie: We had to go and have his foot X-rayed instead because, it transpires he's fractured his metatarsal, a la David Beckham. Yes
Ruthie: yeah, not quite the calm... And obviously because it was his first day back at school, I'd packed my diary. I was like, "Yes, 'cause I'm getting a full day of it," and that's all had to go out the window.
So yeah, you heard the hysteria correctly. I have got a little hysterical feeling in my body. How about [00:01:00] you?
Sophie: Correct identification of hysteria. Well done
we-- probably also mild hysteria here with me. nothing dramatic other than, we had a sick bug overnight. So I've got one who's meant to be back at school today, who is sick. The other did go in, so that's good. and , have talked a little bit about this online, but my eldest, who's nine and has ADHD and autism, she had a lot of challenges.
She finds just the school environment incredibly overwhelming. causes her a lot of anxiety, it causes her a lot of overwhelm and,we've done things like reduced timetables. There's loads of stuff in place. But over the summer it's become clear that she's got two new teachers, it's a job share. It's a new class. She only knows five people who are in her class now. They've shifted them all around. and her friend that she had that was her best friend isn't gonna be there anymore. And I think the combination of all those things means , it's basically wiped out, her safe people, and she doesn't have the capacity to go back at the moment.
So she's actually not going back, to [00:02:00] school for the foreseeable. and we're looking at, things like alternative provisions and, what she can do in the meantime. And, the reason I mention it is because, A, it's, something that my body is gonna have to get used to as well as my head.
in my
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: really clear. We've made very, very good decision. I'm very comfortable with the decisions we're making. But also today, again, was meant to be the day where the two kids go back to school, your body feels that feeling of, release. I don't have to juggle anymore.
I can just, get back into my rhythm. Everyone feels settled. we're not really going into that. If anything, it's gonna be more choppy and changey than the summer holidays. she's got, Fridays, she's got an hour here, and she's got, two hours on a Wednesday. And, I'm so lucky, and I'm so grateful to myself for setting up a business that is, already able to support so much of that.
it's
Ruthie: Yes
Sophie: I'm working full-time in London, and this is just, not doable at all. it's totally doable. My husband works part-time. He's at home four days. there's so much of it that we are set up for this already. But it's taken me from, having a flexible business and being able to, [00:03:00] not work nine to five and go to my Pilates classes and, go to a hair appointment on a Thursday at two if I want to, from, a really nice to have
it's really non-negotiable now, and it has
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: And I think whereas before it was like, In a busy season, September, for example, I can always cut out the hair appointment. I can work early instead of going to Pilates. there was all those things were always, within my control.
Ruthie: And you've got wiggle room
Sophie: Yeah, I've got wiggle room. I've got a bit of flex.
Whereas this is yeah, okay,, we've got support and I'm sure, people help. But generally if I just wake up and think, "Oh, I just need to crack on. I'm gonna forgo Pilates because I just need to get this done," or, "I wanna take a client call because a potential new client, might wanna join and actually I'm gonna prioritize that," whatever, there's always that option.
Whereas now it's like, no, , I have to drive a 45-minute round trip to do, whatever it is."
It's two things can be true at once. And so yes, you are and we are lucky to have flexibility, and both you and I have worked in other spaces where that flexibility [00:04:00] isn't there. So you can see the direct comparison. So yes, that is true, but it doesn't alter the fact that actually this is a whole new approach.
Ruthie: This is like gonna completely change the routines that you've become accustomed to
Sophie: Yeah
Ruthie: and like the, the habits that you've built and stuff. And I think it's what so many of us find challenging about the summer holidays is yes, I can be involved in holiday childcare because my business allows it, but does it make my business feel more stretchy and stressful?
Yeah,
Sophie: Mm,
Ruthie: actually it does because I might have the same amount of hours 'cause I often am still working the same amount of hours, but it's broken. I'm , haven't got the same periods of concentration. It's not as quiet, So I think that is, I think you're allowed to feel like, whoa, that is gonna be disruptive 'cause it's gonna be getting into a whole new pattern.
And like you say, it's not just the activities, it's the driving to and driving from that suddenly adds, more time to the different things. So, we are lucky and it sounds like it's definitely the right decision for her, but, yeah, it's also [00:05:00] like you say, it, the flexibility becomes a must-have, doesn't it?
Sophie: Yeah, absolutely. And I think what's also been a bit of a challenge, I think, this morning is that we've been so wrapped up in that, Eliza's not going back, , I've been emailing teachers, I had phone calls yesterday. There's been a lot of discussions about it and
I guess another thing I do feel really grateful for , is that in my business, I've had to learn to trust my gut, back myself, and make decisions that other people wouldn't necessarily make,
and I do think that has really helped me be able to support Eliza and be able to be like, "Yeah, no, do you know what?
It's too much for you to go back right now. I see that. I see you are genuinely struggling. not going to try and force you there because the school say, you have to go an hour a day." , 'Cause that's her attendance policy. "Okay, that's your attendance policy, but she's not well enough to come.
So I hear you, and it's a no. and
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: parent, am going to make that decision, and you can talk to me [00:06:00] about it." it's not her that you need to be talking to. And I don't know. I think if I hadn't of been running my own business and had to make really tough decisions that essentially I have to own and, maybe go against the patriarchy, but it's really hard, it's really
Ruthie: say no to institutions, to say no to, teachers, doctors.
Sophie: I went through it when I was, pregnant with the kids and, being told, "You have to be induced," and being like, "Well, , my preference would be not to be, but can I really say no to a doctor?"
Ruthie: Yeah, it's hard. Like authority, and I think so many workplaces and so much in our lives are set up in hierarchies that we're just conditioned obey and say yes to. And I think, she's so lucky to have you advocating for her in a way that is hard to do. unfortunately, your attendance procedures and your attendance goals aren't my concern.
my daughter's wellbeing is." So
Sophie: Yeah.
so on that side I feel I actually feel with Eliza, that really confident. Although it's hard, although it's gonna be tricky, I see what's coming and it's not gonna be easy, feel [00:07:00] really solid. rest of my parenting feels like absolute chaos. poor Ottilie, my youngest, she woke up this morning, she's going to school. We hadn't even got her school shoes out of the boxes of shoes because she's only been wearing Crocs. I had no idea if they were gonna fit her or not. She went to put her skirt on and it was age four. She couldn't even get it past her tiny little bottom. then... That was all chaos, but I'd managed to book a smear test this morning for 10 past 8:00.
I thought the kids were back yesterday, in my defense. I then didn't move it. I've already postponed it from February and had to rearrange it twice. I was like, "I've got to go," but I'm now trying to leave the house, go to the smear test, pop to Sainsbury's to get a skirt for her because
Ruthie: Sure
Sophie: adamant she's not wearing a summer dress because it might rain like it did yesterday. she puts her school shoes on and says they feel a bit tight. Luckily, I don't actually think they are too small for her. I think they're just shoes and not barefoot/Crocs. so yeah, the poor little thing. I mean, failures, , across the board for her this morning. So I [00:08:00] think you can be killing it in one area and
I mean, you can't juggle all the balls. This is the
Ruthie: No, you can't., And I think we've been trying really hard. It's the end of a long summer. We've all had a lot on.
Sophie: We've all
Ruthie: And I think, I speak as a younger sister, utterly or totally get it. Do you know, I'm just gonna tell this story 'cause , it made me laugh so much., , my sister's got two girls, and the youngest one had an outfit on.
And, she was out with my husband in the summer holidays for, a day out with the kids. And my husband's "Oh, Penny, "i love your shoes." And she's "Oh my God, thank you. They're new." And he was like, "Where'd you get them from?" And she's like, "The garage."
Sophie: Oh my God
Ruthie: older sister's,
Sophie: But they're new.
Ruthie: they were her older sister's shoes. But she was like, "Yeah, no, thank you." And he was like, "She was so cute," in that she just didn't recognize that they actually weren't new. They were just her sister's and had been in storage in the garage. And she was like, "Yeah,
Sophie: Oh my God, I love that so much. that is literally Ottilie. she's thrilled when she gets to wear Eliza's clothes. yes, they're new for me." yeah, she... And do you know what? She likes to pull up pictures of when Eliza was [00:09:00] wearing it and, compare how they've styled it.
Ruthie: I love that. She's like,
Sophie: know.
Ruthie: "Who did it best, Mum? Who did it best?"
Sophie: Yeah, exactly. She'll get.. I don't even think she really noticed, to be honest. it was more that it was that sudden realization this morning of, , even last night as I went to bed, it didn't even occur to me to be like, "We need to find Ottilie's school shoes."
it just didn't even come into my brain. We've moved house, There's been a lot it's been a lot going on. I'm not really beating myself up about it, but I did
example of how you can feel like you're killing it on one hand and then absolutely failing on the other.
Ruthie: Oh, yeah.
to text the football teams that Will plays for this morning to say, obviously he's not gonna be able to play.
Sophie: Yeah
Ruthie: wants to come and watch, but he's not gonna be able to play and so obviously everyone who saw him on Tuesday saw him limping to try and play in a game.
So I'm now the mother who was like, "Yeah, no, sure, he should be fine to play." And then I'm like, "Actually, no, he's, he's actually fractured his foot." So I think We're all just trying our best
Sophie: We are. I think that's it. We are just trying our best. And you might be wondering that this is [00:10:00] a particularly long intro, because we are gonna do a bit of a behind-the-scenes episode today, not just about our children and our lives. we're gonna be calling this one, The Launch Diaries.
We are thinking if it's popular and of interest, then we'll probably do, a little bit of a miniseries over September, October time as it, we play out, the launches or whatever we decide to do. It might not be that we end up launching. I'm talking to Ruthie there more than me. but it might be that
But, yeah, so we're gonna be doing a little bit about that, and I think where we wanted to start for me, I think this week I found really hard, and I've seen quite a lot of it across the internet, specifically Instagram. I have seen it in my own groups.
I heard it in my group call on Tuesday when I sort of opened up and said, "I'm finding this quite hard, guys. I'm not back in September with a bang. I- I'm not quite feeling that new school energy yet I don't know. I'm just finding it quite hard to make the transition." And it might be because the kids aren't back yet, like that whole kind of piece, and maybe next week it'll pick up.
[00:11:00] But , I had the group call on the 1st, and there is that expectation, isn't there, of it's the 1st of September. are we not
Ruthie: That's good.
Sophie: launching? Are we not, "Let's
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: And I'm just like, I just, I'm not feeling it. definitely found the last couple of weeks I've had a lot of mindset stuff going on, which I'll go into a little bit more 'cause I think a lot of people do.
But I do think slowing down over summer is not as simple as it sounds because it's quite hard to then pick up the pace again.
Ruthie: I was thinking about this because I've got a lot to say. Firstly, let it be on record that I absolutely am an autumn girly. I love it. So I'm here for it, I love the idea of a new notebook, September, new stationary, back to school, and I love the idea of all of that. , What I found is when we are slowing down for work in the summer, if that's what we're calling it, but how much is that the truth?
Because actually what it often means is the same workload exists. We've either front-loaded [00:12:00] it to the point where we've done it all in July, or we've done it all, to get it done so that we feel really organized, or we are shifting it out in the timeline of the day. So for me, I did take some time off,
Which meant front-loading, but then the rest of the time I was juggling, so it might be that I was working in the evening, or me and my husband were like tagging in, or me and my sister were co-working. So I partly feel a little bit like I've arrived at September a bit fucking fried. I don't actually feel like I've had time off.
I don't feel rested. I feel harassed,
Sophie: Mm.
Ruthie: at that I've been trying to do a lot of things. And don't get me wrong, some of them have been absolutely gorgeous and I've had some really lovely times and created lovely memories. but it has felt squeezy at times, and so part of me thinks that you arrive in September like you've had six weeks of "Wow," "August was great."
I know some people might, but that's not been my experience. So I think part of it is like I'm wanting to feel like I've had this restful time, but actually I feel "Woohoo-"
Sophie: [00:13:00] Yeah. I think mine is slightly different. So I've definitely had those summers, but I think that comes a little bit more with done for you territory. So when I was doing ads management, definitely was my experience. It was like, basically, if I wanna get paid every month, then I still have to do the same amount of work.
I just have to, shift it to make
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: done. I think where I am now is I think I only worked eight days over the summer, over the six weeks. I know.
Ruthie: Do you feel like you've had loads of time off? Do you feel restored?
Sophie: do. I,
Ruthie: Okay, good
Sophie: think I feel restored, but that is because, we've moved house, and think that has probably been...
A, it's forced me into having the time off, and it just got to the point where I just couldn't carry on trying to work, and supporting the kids emotionally, and doing ,the unpacking boxes and, we've had sick bugs, we've been on holiday. So I would say I actually have had a really fun summer, and I [00:14:00] do feel I'm a bit rested, but I think my challenge is in that time that I do work, I protect client work. and that was always my goal. So it was like, as long as I can protect my client work, my clients don't feel impacted. I did have two weeks fully off from client work, which I then add on to everyone's contract at the end. So I do have two full weeks of client work, which I don't have to catch up on.
Ruthie: but what I haven't done is any backend work. So , I haven't been doing sales calls. I haven't been promoting anything. I haven't been bringing new clients in. I haven't been working on my September launch. I haven't done some new content I wanted to do for Outrageous, and I'd set myself quite high expectations.
Sophie: I was gonna get quite a lot of that backend work done, and that I was
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: to, have stuff sorted. just to really like de-influence everyone on the fact that I'm well aware that I present like... I mean, I would say 80% of the time I do have my shit together, and I am like living my best life, and I do have a brilliant business that is amazing.
But just before we went on [00:15:00] holiday, I was like, "I'm gonna update my welcome sequence." I wanted to add a few emails in. Started doing it, didn't quite finish it, got distracted, didn't turn it back on. So I only realized this like two days ago when I went in to see how many people, and to top it all off, over the bank holiday weekend, the Zap had failed because my MailerLite , needed reconnecting, because it timed out.
So not only had I been running ads people for my lead magnet, they weren't going into my email system, so they weren't even getting the download. And then even the ones that made it into my email system didn't get any of the welcome. They got the initial email, but nothing else. You know when you're like I was trying to do stuff, didn't have capacity for. It's so annoying, and like obviously I've now put them through the work and sequence, but it's really delayed. So if you're getting really random late emails from me, why. But , I haven't taken on any new clients in July or August, and that's really unusual for me.
I did a bit of a launch in July, which didn't do as well as I wanted it to do, partly because I just had so [00:16:00] much on my plate. I just, I
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: done it really, but I tried to push through, et cetera. I have got a few clients starting in September, but yeah, July and August, no new clients. I had clients renew, which is amazing.
So of the first group of Outrageous, of the six people that started, five have renewed,
Ruthie: which is amazing. So two for 12 months, two for six months, and one for three months. So that's been amazing revenues. And the revenue has been fine. I have covered all my costs, I've paid myself. I don't need any new clients in July or August. That doesn't stop the mindset gremlins coming in and being like, "Well, what if that continues into September? What if you can't get any more clients?" I do have a deep belief, that , I'm always unpeeling layers on this one of, all good things come to an end. is the bubble about to burst? I know it's not, and actually I'm feeling much better. At the beginning of the week, it was really awful. I was really struggling. And it's very hard, we'll get to the launch bit in a second, but it's very hard to go into a launch where you [00:17:00] do need, you need to believe that people are gonna
Yeah.
Sophie: go into a launch.
Ruthie: be able to spend the time and energy on it, to be able to go out there and genuinely say "This is great." "I really want you in there. These are the kind of people," "This is who it's perfect for." You really have to believe that people are actually gonna buy from you. And
Sophie: when you don't, it's really hard to move yourself forward
Ruthie: And it's hard anyway. Because so often we're working either, on our own or in, teams where we've got maybe, some trusted freelancers we work with, VA or, whoever.
And so I was chatting actually to one of my clients, who's inside the Bloody Good Story club, Christine. I recommend her to everyone. She's so cool. Christine McDonald, go and give her a follow. Um, she was talking about whether people, are internal processors or external processors, and I'm like 100% an external processor.
I do all of my best thinking, and I have all of my best ideas when my mouth is moving. Like, some of them will come when I write as well. I [00:18:00] can get myself through that journey a little bit more slowly, but when I write. But just thinking in my brain, I get stuck. I can't ever get things out of there. And so part of the reason we thought this would be useful to do is because listening to other people's ideas, hearing how other people are doing things can sometimes be one of the things that helps me move into action.
and if you are an external processor, it can be really hard if you work alone to get yourself to the point of momentum that allows you to actually be like, "I'm just gonna bloody do it. Today's the day." You just have to, throw a stake in the ground and be like, "Okay, today I'm doing this.
Today I'm doing that." And so we hope that the Launch Diaries might be an opportunity for people who, you know, just need to be in the thinking space of other people, to be able to get moving. But so many of the women that I'm working with as well are feeling in a bit of a funk, and I think there is some anxiety that I've noticed in myself.
That's not new news.
I think I actually have noticed this time [00:19:00] round that I'm almost, and again, this could just be a me thing, but before you went back to school, you'd have a feeling that was like, yes, excitement, but also, just like that little bit of like of a knot. And I feel it with September in the workplace as well. I'm like, I know that all my clients are gonna get busy, so all my done-for-you work is gonna be busy. I keep saying I wanna make these changes to my own business model, and then I keep making just baby steps with it, and so I'm frustrated with myself about that.
And so I think what I've noticed with people is there is a little bit of "Oh, yeah, I wanna have the back to school energy. I want to, but can ..." You know? Oh, it's hard. It is just hard. And so I think the Launch Diaries could be a space where people can see how they're gonna pan out and the type of things we are or are not, doing to try and get them.
But both of us coming from a place, for different reasons, but both of us coming from a place of "Actually, I'm not feeling all singing, all dancing, high-kicking into September."
Sophie: Yeah. And I'm also an external processor, which probably [00:20:00] isn't a surprise to anybody, especially probably 'cause we're doing this,
podcast. I basically proce- I process my life. Talking therapy
Ruthie: Process live
Sophie: yeah, I just process my life all the time externally. I do have a wonderful friend, Helen, who we send each other, 20-minute podcasts we call them, like more than once a week.
And it is definitely, the place where I can process.
So yesterday I had, two calls with coaches, and I feel totally different today because , I've dug into it. I've just processed it all. And so I
Ruthie: what I do for my guys in Outrageous as well, because, the group call, I think we all started "Oh my God, this is really hard."
Sophie: And by the end it was like, "Oh, okay, this feels good. Okay, I feel clear. I've got some actions. I can see the next steps. I'm coming out of that fog." So I
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: we're hoping that this, like you say, might help people just to, A, know they're not alone, but also just hear how we're processing the launch stuff.
Because I think we're coming at the launch these, like September and October, in quite different places, right? We're
different points. do you wanna go first? For people who haven't listened in before, give them an overview of what [00:21:00] September
Ruthie: if you haven't listened before, I, at the moment I would say, 80 to 90% of my income comes from done for you work for clients who I work with on a retainer basis. And I'm working to shift my business model to be more 50/50. I'd love to be in a 50/50 spot. and I have a product or service that I launched in April called the Bloody Good Story Club, and my goal is to be launching that again around about now.
And the reason I thought around about now is because I thought what everyone thinks, like, September's a good time, people haven't started getting distracted by Christmas and, the spending and you're not competing with massive ad budgets of , companies for Black Friday and Christmas.
So I thought, yeah, September would be good. It would've given me six months of time in the Bloody Good Story Club with the 10 women, 11 women, sorry, that are in there now, to know, does it work? So yeah, that was my intention. And when I had the intention as well, I started... I created a [00:22:00] new wait list, and I have been doing a mediocre job of promoting that wait list.
So I've been mentioning it in my emails, I've been mentioning it occasionally in social posts. and actually I think the last I looked, I'd got about 21 people on the wait list. I'm running this entirely organically, I did have the hope that I would run some ads. So my initial plan was to take the revenue from the first cohort of Bloody Good Story Club, not use that revenue myself, but spend it on some ads.
I went so far as buying a course, your course, Sophie, your ABC course, to learn how to do that so that I could use that budget to run those ads, to grow my list so that I've got a bigger list so that when I wrote to them, I could get more people on the wait list, more people in the club. Didn't do that, for no good reason other than I was like, I dunno how to do it," so I haven't done the course and that, and I just, so I just dropped that.
So where I'm at now is really I need to be moving towards, what is the launch activity [00:23:00] gonna be? And I've danced around a few different ideas, if I'm completely honest, and not landed on one. I hoped that on my summer holidays I was gonna have some big epiphany 'cause you and I had recorded the launch episode, and that had got me, I felt...
and again, it's external processing, I'd felt in that conversation I said, "Oh my God,
Sophie: Yeah
Ruthie: so many ideas." And then I went on holiday and I was like, "I can't remember the ideas and I can't think about it." So I'm actually really at a point now where I need to start taking action. I can't keep talking about the wait list and not opening the doors.
and so I, yeah, that's where I'm currently at, is I need to decide on what's the launch activity gonna be. Is it gonna be a live workshop? Is it gonna be something different? and I need to start taking action. My goal would be really, I'd love to be enrolling people, bringing in new members of the Build a Good Story Club to the existing group probably at the beginning of October, and I think that makes sense for people as well.
it's a new month. I think that feels good rather than joining halfway through a month. So yeah, I'm in the point where I need to make some [00:24:00] decisions and actually start doing something, and I'm hoping that by talking about it here, it'll be enough accountability to, get my arse into gear.
Sophie: Is the blocker that you don't know how you wanna do it? Or is it that you know how you wanna do it and you just feel a bit scared about doing it
Ruthie: I think actually if I'm being completely vulnerable about it, it's some of that mindset stuff that you were talking about at the beginning, , I think I've got barriers in place that I just don't think I've grown my audience enough to have a lot more people interested than I did in April.
I think what I'm telling myself, I know that there are a couple of people that are joining 'cause they've told me, so they've been on the wait list and they're like, "Yeah, enough with the wait list already," "We're knocking on the door, let me in." Great. Yeah. and that's wonderful. I think I'm just, it's like a rejection sensitivity, like I don't want to do all this work publicly and talk about it publicly, and then I think sometimes it's a bit of a curse that I've been involved in enormous launches where you're [00:25:00] dealing with thousands of, people,
And I'm finding it really difficult to know what my goal should be. And I think that's something lots of us struggle with, is like What is successful? What would feel successful? What number? And
Sophie: Yeah
Ruthie: just struggling to set on that.
And so then I'm just being chicken shit basically, Sophie. I think it's mindset of fear of it looking like I haven't done well.
Sophie: Yeah. So that,fear of public failure. think so many people struggle with that. I also think what I was really hearing there, do you hear my
Ruthie: No, this is good. Keep going
Sophie: What I'm really hearing as well,- I totally hear that fear of failure and that, publicness of it. the way you get around that is that,just don't tell anyone how it went.
ultimately, no one ever has to know how many people,
Ruthie: your program. But I would say what else I heard there was , that, fear of putting your time into something and it not paying off, not necessarily from a public perspective, but what am I
Yeah
Sophie: sacrifice in my home life, in my other work, in my energy, in my time to do this thing?
Especially for the first [00:26:00] time, it feels like a lot of new things. you're gonna have to learn a lot of new things. like
Ruthie: Ja
Sophie: doing a workshop, like you say, you've been part of them, you've done them. you obviously can write a great workshop. You've delivered live stuff. You've delivered workshops for me. But you're gonna be doing it front-facing on your own name and your own people,coming to see you. It's a lot of new things, and new things take so much extra energy, to actually
Ruthie: them. I guess in terms of goals, if you doubled it, so you got another 11, let's say, so you had
Yeah
Sophie: financially and for where you want the business to be, would that be enough then until April?
Ruthie: I think... i'm not gonna get to a 50% model and beyond, quickly. ', Because partly why I want that 50% model is 'cause then That 50% that's me is scalable. my done-for-you-work isn't scalable. I can't invent more hours in a day or do more work than I'm currently doing. So I was thinking, actually, that 50% could become scalable.
The Bloody Good Story [00:27:00] Cubes does have the potential to be scalable, and my time, I could then create other things that would allow me to increase my income. 'Cause at the minute I'm sitting in a really awkward spot around the, that threshold in that I pay that, I am VAT registered. B- and, that's a pain
and I know that money's not yours anyway, and it's just, you're just passing it on, but it does come with additional costs being VAT registered of, accounting and that sort of thing. So it is a more expensive way, for me anyway, to run my business. And so I'm like, I want to be sitting at a similar level to you.
I'd like to be having 20 to 30,000 pound months. I'd love that. I think that would feel great. Yes, please.
Sophie: it does.
Ruthie: So I think it wouldn't get me where I want to be financially, but it would be a really great step in the right direction. I think if I could double it, I would feel quite good about that.
'Cause I felt really good about the first launch, and I didn't do a launch for that. I just promoted it. I just, talked about it on social media, wrote to my email list, and then said, "Doors are open on this day," and [00:28:00] that
Sophie: was it. This time I'm trying to think, could I bring people to more of an activity?
Ruthie: Just because I do know, , my own data tells me that when people spend time with me, they want to work with me. And so it feels like a bad idea to not do that
Sophie: Yeah. And it's so hard because part of me wants to be like, you told , us earlier in this episode that September is big for your clients. you
Ruthie: Yes
Sophie: your done for you work, like September is big. and I have this same conundrum every year as well, because of my clients are also trying to, do launches, get people into programs.
Even if they're
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: September is always a bit of more of a pushy month. There's a little bit more of a strategy around it. There's just a little bit more going on. and all my potential clients who I want to come in to Outrageous, they've also got a lot going on. Last year, I did a big September launch, which did not do very well. So much of the feedback was, "I'm in my own launch. I need to see how it pans out first." Or, "I don't want to start working with you," It's so funny. It's like, "I don't, I can't start working with you in case my launch goes really well and I don't need you, or [00:29:00] in case it doesn't do very well and then I won't have the money." So you're "Okay, I'm not sure. In what circumstance will you be working with me then?" But,
Which? where are we going with this? But eventually, yeah, I was like, "Actually, I don't know if September is the best time." It's certainly not like an early September launch because, my potential clients just don't have capacity for it, and I want to be more available for my clients who are doing it all. October last year was a really good month for me. I got loads and loads of sales. I
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: September, and then in October I did a two-week email only campaign for Superfan Sprint, and, it sold like wildfire.
and it's so we can put so much pressure on ourselves.
and I'm like you, people generally buy when they experience me, but I just had enough people in my world who wanted Superfan Sprint at that point. I was just like, I think I'd disconnected from the outcome enough to just be like, "I'm just gonna send these emails and just see how it goes."
Ruthie: I think you're really good at that. I I was talking about you. It was someone we both knew, and I was like, "Oh, Sophie's just so good [00:30:00] at that." I've just been like, I'm just gonna do it." I've just got to take the action. And actually, some of the amazing women that I work with, in my retainer role,
the noticeable difference about them to, to me is like, "I'm just gonna do it."
like, "I'm just gonna find out."
Sophie: Yeah
Ruthie: learning. and I'm so full of shit because when I'm talking about content to people, I'm just like, "Just treat it like an experiment." remove some of the pressure that you're putting on each post to suddenly make you go viral or suddenly bring you in 10,000 followers, and just treat it as an experiment.
can I find enough patterns in my content to start making this feel easier? When I was talking to Christine yesterday, can I experiment with finding ways to make this feel fun? what if fun was the first goal? Because that can change the way you relate to... And so I don't know why I can't listen to my own advice when it comes to this sort of thing.
Like, why can't I just see, who cares because actually I bloody love the Bi- I bloody love the Bloody Good Story Club. The women in there they're doing well. they're loving it. I'm getting such lovely feedback from [00:31:00] them. So if I brought five more people in or three more people in, great.
That's more people who are feeling that. I'm learning more as I go. And also, what if the Bloody Good Story Club isn't the thing, right? what if it's, a bit like you were talking about in the previous episode when you did your, was it called Bloom?
Sophie: Yeah,
Ruthie: ads on Instagram.
And, it worked for that time, but what if it isn't
And actually, I've got, a woman in the Bloody Good Story Club, and she's called Emma Vincent. And I think she's... Has she worked with you, Soph?
Sophie: yeah, she did the Superfans sprint, yeah
Ruthie: And , she is woo, and she's just got such, matriarch energy. She's incredible.
I absolutely love being in her energy. And she's just calling me out on stuff all the time. She's just "No, stop staying small. What are you, what is this? Like, why are you doing this? What..." And she's really actually called into, some thinking for me where I'm like, what is this? 'cause I do think there's a big barrier.
I can run a workshop with my eyes closed. I love doing it. I love presenting. I love teaching. what [00:32:00] is it that's, making me want to stay quiet part of me thinks I just need to do it and see
Sophie: what, that's the flip. So I was saying , just before, part of me is like, "You've got a lot on. maybe you don't need to do it. Maybe you
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: The other part of me is I always tell that to myself, and then, like last year I had a terrible September.
I'm never launching in September. I'm not doing anything in September. What is she doing this year, dear reader? she's launching in
Ruthie: Nie wiem
Sophie: I'm doing it differently,
Ruthie: What are you doing then? 'Cause I might wanna steal some of it.
Sophie: Yeah, sure. So had verbal processing again,external processing again here. So in last week's episode, we were talking about niching, and you were saying like, the people that do incredibly well are the ones that have those incredibly specific niches, and that's what makes content work, it's what make , group programs work, and I totally agree, and I talk to my clients about this all the time. And then afterwards I was thinking, "I just don't know, if someone had to describe me, what's my niche, what would they say?" [00:33:00] And then I was like, "Well, it's group programs really. It's group programs." that's what I do. evolved over the last two years, but I help women grow scalable group programs. I never know quite how to say this particularly, but in a way that doesn't take over their life. So they're
Ruthie: group programs, you can have a second business, and you can
child at home and have to do all sorts, and you can launch, other offers and not feel like it's super stressful.
Sophie: So that's what I do. Then when I looked at Instagram and the content I was feeling really blocked about creating and then the September plan, I was like, "Does this scream group programs?"
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: sort of know it, and I might know it, but I don't think I've ever externally really, caught up with that and been like, "I'm actually not really a scaling strategist.
I'm a group programs, , scaling strategist." I
but, groups is my thing.
and then when I was looking at [00:34:00] my plan for September, so I was like, "Okay, if groups is my thing," like Outrageous is for people who've got groups and want to grow them, that's what Outrageous is. So if I then want to do a workshop and then a five-day paid, mini offer that then eventually, brings in the right people to then eventually come into Outrageous, then those things need to be focused on groups. we could just keep coming back to groups, Sophie, and I was, like, really challenging myself with,
How it.. Needs to scream group. If it doesn't
Ruthie: Yeah.
Sophie: we're not doing it. September is about screaming groups. And then I looked at what I was planning, , which was a workshop, . couldn't really decide what I was gonna do it on. Was it gonna be on, ecosystems and,the kind of offers that you need to have in to be able to, scale And then I was gonna do Obsessed, which was the five-day thing that I did in January, which worked really well, but it's about your superfan ecosystem. And I went down this whole thing, and over the summer I'd prepped it all, and I was like, "Yeah, it's gonna be your superfan ecosystem and, like, how you have your safety offer and your scalable offer and all this." And I was like, [00:35:00] "But it doesn't scream groups. It doesn't scream groups." It screams like, okay, yes, it's interesting, it's about scaling, it's about growing a business, it's about, growing a business that doesn't take over your life. But it doesn't scream groups. you could do Obsessed really easily and not have a group, and not even
And so I was like, I need to... And this is something that I think I'm quite good at, is that even though I've got- the signup pages are there for the workshop, for Obsessed. I've done all the work. I could have just been like, "Well, how it goes.
I'll tweak the wording. I'll really try and I'll pull in the copy on the page. I'll try and talk about groups."
Ruthie: content to promote the workshop and emails, and it just wasn't flowing. And I was like, no, I'm not. No, I'm not going into September doing it because I've talked about it on the podcast, because I've sunk the time and energy into writing the,
Yeah.
Sophie: pages,
Ruthie: feedback from my coaches on it all.
Sophie: just because I've done all that, I'm not gonna do it if I don't think it's [00:36:00] right. So I've had to be like, "Well, what am I gonna do?" So I'm gonna keep the same structure. I'm gonna keep the masterclass, 90-minute masterclass, the five-day mini offer, which then leads into Outrageous. And also, the other thing I guess I was getting myself a bit caught up on in terms of mindset was the real pressure. So if you think about it, it's quite a long waterfall essentially. So
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: big top of funnel, free workshop, lots of people coming in. I've got, two and a bit weeks to promote it, so ideally that needs lots and lots of people.
Then some of them will come into the five-day thing, and then some of them will come into Outrageous. that's the goal really. But it's gonna be happening over a period of, eight weeks. . So it's not like within three weeks this is all happening, but
Ultimately, that's the flow. I was putting so much pressure on myself for the workshop. It was like, "This has to be right because what if I don't get enough people? What if I don't fill it up? what if that doesn't work, and then I don't get enough people, and I can't sell the five-day thing?
And then if I don't get anyone in the five-day thing, I'm never [00:37:00] gonna sell Outrageous because
Ruthie: then I'm like, and then suddenly I'm pinning all my sales of Outrageous on, the sales of this and the signups of this. And actually, I had to remind myself is that what I know to be true with...
Sophie: I have so much evidence for this, which I always conveniently forget, is that I am more visible, when I am promoting something that I'm really enjoying, that is really fun, that is really me, I get clients. they might not always come through the waterfall. They might not always come through the path that I
Ruthie: Yeah
really thoughtfully. I always get clients because I am visible, and I've got good energy, and I'm, like, sharing what I'm doing, and I am showing up, and that always gets me clients. So I had to remind myself of that, take a little bit of the pressure off, see each thing as an individual thing. people will buy the five-day thing without coming to the workshop. People will come into Outrageous without even knowing I did a workshop. that's okay. come to the workshop and maybe not buy this time, but they might [00:38:00] buy next time because then they're in your world, and they've learned more about you, and they've got FOMO that they didn't do it when they wanted to. And
Sophie: Yeah
Ruthie: it's like I was, in the one-to-one this week, I was saying, and I think we've talked about opportunity maxing before. It's just opportunity. That's , what I'm doing, what you're talking about as well, is we're just, at the minute, I am reducing the number of opportunities I have for people to be in my world, and it doesn't matter if they don't join this time.
and part of me is like, you know, that's a privilege to say in that I'm not in a financial situation where this has to suddenly deliver. But I think one of the stories that I keep telling myself at the minute, which is really getting in my own way, is it could suddenly be that.
the, the problem with, high-ticket retainer clients, which is what I've got at the minute, is that whenever one says, "I'm out" I'm like, "Ugh,"
Sophie: that can feel like a bit of a blow financially, and I'm not, organized enough with my finances. , I think, , they are actually called fuck it funds, where you've got,
Yeah
Ruthie: money that allows you [00:39:00] to feel that. I've not got myself to that position because , I haven't, and I'd love to, but it's not who I am.
so it could quite easily ... One of the things I keep telling myself is, "You've got to get this sorted because what if this happens?" And I just don't think that's where I work. My, fear is not fun for me. It's why, none of the exercise regimes I've ever started before have stuck until I found one that just feels fun and feels nice on my nervous system.
And so I've really got to shut up on that because actually it's not the truth. And actually, in fact, in the past three months, I've had so many inquiries and one-off projects come through, and retainer, requests come through. So I know that side of the business is actually,
ticking over and doing well, and more people want it.
It's just that I'm trying to make this shift, and so I'm telling myself these stories. I think it's hard, isn't it?
Sophie: Yeah, it's really hard. And I think you're right though, I'm really good at, disconnecting the outcome from, what you're actually doing, and it's really interesting 'cause sometimes I really am, and [00:40:00] sometimes I'm really not. And often the ones where I really am is where I've just been like, "Oh, fuck it. I'm just
Ruthie: see how it goes." But
Yeah
Sophie: come from a really privileged place, like you say, of not needing it to work. Because I
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: pressure on and you need it and you're like, "Oh my God," even though you don't need it now, like, "Well, I might need it."
what if it
Ruthie: Yeah
then I haven't done the launch, or the launch doesn't do as well as I want it to, and I haven't got the people in. But I do think the reality is, and I think, I mean, Emma's probably right, like, why are we playing small here? That , you could launch in September, you could probably launch again in November, Yeah
Sophie: and probably March.
you definitely don't have to do it every six months.
Ruthie: No
Sophie: it might be, like you say, it's just that giving people opportunities, and launching might just look like doing a master class every couple of
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: and just, and then inviting people in. that's all it is
Ruthie: as you were talking as well earlier, where you were talking about... And again, this comes from like a place of privilege really, [00:41:00] but you were talking about how in July and August you didn't bring any new clients in, and how that's something that you've been thinking about. that not that you needed to, because financially and from a revenue perspective, you've got those continuing clients from outrageous, and it was all good.
But in your brain, you've stored that somewhere because you vocalized it. So , you've got that in the back of your brain. And then I've... Part of the rationale as to why I came up with the idea of wanting to do more of my own stuff, I've told myself this story about it would offer me, , more autonomy and more security.
And I just wonder like whether those sorts of messages are the things that are like getting in our way a little bit. And that the times that you've been able to be launching in this fun space, perhaps you haven't had those, sort of niggles in the back of your head, and you've just moved house and, you've got different demands on your income than you've had previously.
I just wonder sometimes, and I know we can't help it, but whether sometimes - that sort of lack feeling
Sophie: Yeah
Ruthie: "Oh, is there, [00:42:00] are there clients out there at the moment? Do I need more security? Am I feeling a lack of security in my work?" I just, I wish I could boot that out a little bit
'Cause, I wonder whether that is sometimes why I'm putting or why we tend to put attachment on things to feel like it's gonna solve this big, anxiety or this little worry or whatever it might be
Sophie: Yeah. And I do think when you switch from done for you , more of the, training side, I think there are different challenges. Because although your clients can probably what, give you one month's notice,
the reality is that they will probably stay with you for quite a long time.
So if it happens, it will happen quite quickly. But also, you don't have to ask them every six months if they're gonna renew or not.
Ruthie: Yeah, no, I don't
Sophie: y- so, it's just ongoing, and it probably will be a long time, but if it does go, it could go quite quickly.
Ruthie: Yeah
Sophie: when you're switching, mine is now, I don't have any done for you clients, so it's all training and coaching,
Ruthie: is that [00:43:00] there's always an endpoint to every client. and you don't necessarily know exactly when that's coming, but there will always be a date on it. And so I will always have to be asking for renewals. I will always have to be getting new clients in,
Yeah
Sophie: So I can lock money in for, say six to twelve months, depending on how long people say they wanna work for me for, and I can see that , in, my money spreadsheet.
So that always feels really good. But the reality is there's still a gap most months that I
Ruthie: Ya
Sophie: have to top up.
Ruthie: I don't bring new clients in or clients don't renew, often I don't know that until a month out, then if that long,, to be honest, then I can see right now that in, November, December, I have quite big gaps. Now, those
Yeah
Sophie: through. They might not actually happen because clients will renew, new clients will start. I think, psychologically, I do find it really hard to stay out of lack
when I was talking about,
Ruthie: the whole thing that's happening with my daughter and how, in an ideal world, I might just take the next few months, take a real back seat and just [00:44:00] be with her and just, do very little work.
Sophie: But the reality is, we've just doubled our mortgage, and I know to be able to pay myself what I need to pay myself, I have gaps till the rest of the year. I have a lot of money coming in, but I also have a lot of costs, I also wanna pay myself quite a lot to afford our new giant mortgage.
Ruthie: Is one of the dangers of the online space a little bit though, because,
if you were still in your corporate job, would you have even permitted yourself the thought of maybe I should just take a few months off and maybe, I should just be with Eliza ...
and God, that would be amazing. But I do think it's like the whole summer off thing as well. we hear these things on the internet that perhaps wouldn't have even occurred to us before. And that's not to say that they're not worthwhile and they couldn't be amazing and stuff, but I do worry sometimes that we are seeing such highlight reels into other people's lives and experiences that we're adding new things to our life to-do list
Sophie: are just complicating things and making it harder, for us to actually feel like we're doing a good job-
[00:45:00] Yeah. Yeah, I totally agree. And I think, I think that's what I've been really working on the last, week or,10 days, is like how can I move out of this, feeling of lack, this feeling of worry, this feeling of "Oh, I've got this big gap to close. I need new clients," into, "Okay, what feels fun? What feels..." I actually did a little bit of journaling, a little bit of writing. I took a leaf out of your book, and one of the things I wrote down was, "I want to be surrounded by women who are thriving." not
Ruthie: the perfect lives, not necessarily who, don't struggle at all, but who just, are loving what they're doing, it's going well, they want it to do better, but , they're just thriving.
Sophie: They're just, having a great time.
Ruthie: Yeah, lovely
Sophie: so everything then I want to push out there is like,in the reality then is, how am I gonna get my into a position where I am, like, that's what I am. Like, I'm
Ruthie: Yeah.
out, that mirror of Yeah
Sophie: thriving?
Where am I not thriving? are we having challenges? Is there anything I can do about that? Is there not? [00:46:00] And is that actually, that's actually fine. so I have, for my September, This is, literally hot off the press, decided this morning,
what my workshop and the five-day offer are gonna be. Are you excited about this?
Ruthie: Do we get like can we have the scoop?
Sophie: Yeah, this is an exclusive scoop. I actually don't know by the time this comes out if it will be an exclusive scoop 'cause I think I'm launching on Monday and this comes out on Tuesday. But if you haven't seen it yet, it's exclusive. yeah, so I am going to be running the workshop, and do you know what it's gonna be called? And I think this is my favorite workshop I've ever done.
The Fuck Yes Group Offer, And it's gonna be about, so the Fuck Yes Group Offer is an offer that's easy to sell, brings in the money, and is the one that you bloody love running. if yours is more fine than fuck yes, this is the workshop for you.
Ruthie: Absolutely 10 out of 10, no notes
Sophie: right? No notes. Thank you. mean, obviously we could do some live critique on it. Let's just say this is hot off the press, so if you're reading the sign-up page and I've changed the [00:47:00] messaging, like all rights reserved to,
Ruthie: Yes.
Sophie: it. yeah. You were here for it, so it's fine.
Ruthie: Me, I was like, yes, absolutely. I love a swear word as well. We know that I enjoy, a,- swear word here and there. But no, I think that sounds amazing, and so much more into what you do than the other one
Exactly. So I'm gonna be talking about, what fuck yes group offers that I see all the time, like people who have fuck yes group offers. I'm gonna be talking about what's working for them, what's working in 2026, and then how you can make your group from, "Yeah, it's fine," to, "Yes, fuck yes." I love this.
Sophie: because then the paid five days, so we're gonna identify what's fine in your group and where we wanted to move it to a fuck yes. And then what are we gonna do in the five days, Ruthie? It's called Five Days to Your Fuck Yes Group Offer.
Ruthie: Brilliant.
Sophie: God,
Ruthie: Brilliant. And
Sophie: She's nailed
Ruthie: it's alliterative. I absolutely love alliteration, so it's like ticking [00:48:00] all of my boxes. , Just out of interest, what sort of price range is the five-day offer going to be?
Sophie: There's gonna be so for two days it's gonna be, £97 for the five days, or there is a VIP... I know. There's a VIP option which, will be 247, which is where I'll actually look at your offer with you. I know. I think so. And then the full price will be 197 for the main and 397 for the, for the VIP
Ruthie: So by next week then, if we do end up doing another Launch Diaries, then we can update. But if not, maybe just do a quick update. In your launch diaries, what needs to have happened in your launch by next week?
Sophie: So by the time, , next week's one comes out, so , the workshop will be live. People will be
Ruthie: Ja.
Sophie: up, my ads
Ruthie: Ja
Sophie: and I will be actually being visible on Instagram and talking about it and talking about groups
Ruthie: So you'll be in promo. You are going to
Sophie: promo. Yeah.
Ruthie: love this. Okay, amazing.
Sophie: [00:49:00] Go on then, what about you?
Ruthie: I don't know. I think by next week I want to have decided what the promo activity's gonna be for mine and just locked it in, locked in a date, and just have an actual plan. Because at the minute I've just got lots of ideas percolating.
I did write down ages ago a launch plan in terms of dates and stuff, but I'm just gonna ... next time we talk about this, have it absolutely nailed what I'm gonna do and just plow ahead and do it and get excited about it as well, because I am, an enthusiast in this life. And so I wanna actually just get myself to a point where I'm ready to then maybe start promo because I've got it all ready
Sophie: Yeah. Okay. Amazing. let's commit to that, and we can do a very quick update next week, can't we? And then we'll do another episode probably early next month, with a full deep dive of
Ruthie: Where we got to?
Sophie: talk numbers and what works and what didn't and
Ruthie: Yeah. Sounds amazing. Okay, I'm gonna do it. Just someone make me do it. If you're a listener, please just message me and tell me to do it.
Sophie: Okay, [00:50:00] I'll just message you at random times being like, "Do
Ruthie: Thanks so much. Just quietly doing it. Amazing. Okay, that sounds good
Sophie: Brilliant. we will see you next Tuesday with an update. there will be sign-up links hopefully in the show notes, so if you wanna come to, your Fuck Yes Group Offer, workshop, you can sign up there, and we will see you next week
Subscribe to ‘should I care?’
Episodes release every Tuesday. Make sure you don’t miss any by subscribing on your favourite app.
Next
Next