Got Shiny Object Syndrome? Here's What to Invest in - Year 1

*This is an AI-generated transcript of the above video*

Hey, hey, hey. Hello. Hi.

Thank you for everybody's patience while I acclimate myself to Facebook Live. It's great to be here, back with Tuesday teachings.

There's something distracting me—I have this idea I'm going to become a crafty person, and I'm not. I was going to decoupage this shelf, and in the meantime, it's bugging me. So we're just going to move it where I cannot see it—and now neither can you.

As a person who writes websites for life coaches, also healers and service-based entrepreneurs, I'm usually writing a site within the first couple of years of business—when people want to have a storefront, like an online storefront, which is awesome.

Through that process, I do a business audit. It tells me what kind of assets somebody has in their business. An asset doesn't have to mean office furniture that can be sold. I mean assets like: Do they have a calendar link? Do they have a lead magnet? Do they have a landing page for a lead magnet? All these things that can be put on a website—if they have them.

And in the process of this audit—of what are we adding to the website and what are the calls to action going to be—I start to hear these stories. The stories are:

“I spent a ton of money on Acuity, but I didn’t need half of it.”
“I took this business program, and they made me create a lead magnet. But I don't even like it. I don't even want a mailing list. I don't want to write to people.”

So there are all these things people show me that they've spent time, money, and energy on. And frankly, in the first couple of years of business—if I remember anything—you are usually still working a full-time job, and then there's the rest of life: maybe raising kids, maybe caring for parents, trying to do stuff on the weekends that you actually enjoy, trying to have a relationship, trying to get out of a relationship—whatever it is.

It's really, really important to prioritize what you build (that’s your time and energy) and what you invest in (that's your money) in the first couple of years.

What to Prioritize in the Beginning

I want to give some insight on what I’ve seen over 15 years—the things people tend to do in the first place that they tend to stick with.

The things you want to prioritize aren’t always direct-to-client efforts. It really depends on what you want to build.

I'm a writer. I knew I wanted a mailing list from the beginning because I love to write.

Other people are more natural on video and want a YouTube channel—which can still go to a mailing list, by the way.

Some people want to coach 1:1, but more than anything, they want to start teaching or have self-paced courses, or group coaching programs.

So the things you want to invest your time, money, and energy in? You want to reverse engineer that based on what you want to build in the first couple of years.

Can you guys see the floating hand bubble? Yeah. Does it do other stuff? Can I make a heart?

Oh, we just unlocked a new level of hand gestures!

Get Clear Before You Build

You want to be clear on at least the vision for the next six months to a year—before you start building stuff willy-nilly and investing in things.

Also, it is helpful to know what your brand archetypes are. That’s work I do with people.

Your brand archetypes reveal exactly what a client base wants from you. For example:

• Humanitarian archetypes: Their people want to be in a club. They want merch—like notebooks, journals, pens. It’s actually a great idea to invest in a little bit of promotional material, get out there in person, hand them out. Humanitarian clients want a sense of belonging and someone to organize a bigger movement.

• Romantic archetypes: These tend to be more intimate, one-to-one kinds of engagements. You want to nurture different aspects of your business in the beginning depending on what kind of connection your audience desires.

If you don’t know your archetypes, at least know this: “I want group coaching,” or “I want to start a course,” or “I want to do 1:1 work,” or “I have a VIP day.” Just pick one offer you want to build toward. You don’t have to overcomplicate this.

And that choice will guide how you show up.

If you want high-ticket 1:1 clients vs. a lower-priced course, the strategies are very different. A low-priced course means you’ll need a bigger audience to make a living. High-ticket 1:1? You’ll need more personal connection, nurturing, and outreach—maybe not even a website.

Start Simple

Get very clear on what you’d love to do for the next 6–12 months.

In terms of investment, most of what you need is free or very low-cost.

Before you spend on something like Kajabi (a full-service course hosting site), or Acuity (a soup-to-nuts client onboarding and delivery system), ask: do these tools have only what I need—and no more?

Kajabi, for example, can be $199/month just to host one course. If you don’t plan to have a mailing list, lead magnet, or funnels, you might not need it.

Honestly, you might just need a Squarespace site with a password-protected area and some videos. That’s exactly how I got started. I had a Weebly site with a password-protected page. I put all the course content there. Done. Cost me maybe $20/month.

Tools I Recommend

One thing people do tend to love in the beginning is scheduling software. Calendly usually has a free version where you can set up one appointment type. If you want to offer a discovery call or 1:1 session, you can manage your availability and sync your calendar. It keeps things simple.

Another free software I love is Voxer. It’s a walkie-talkie app.

If you’re busy, Voxer lets you go back and forth with voice notes. You can ask a few coaching questions, let them get to know you, and sometimes people will ask to get on a discovery call before you even pitch it.

Social Media: Still Free, Still Effective

A social media platform—pick one—is something I highly, highly recommend.

I just reviewed Sprout Social’s 2025 white paper. It says almost all consumers, across all generations, are checking out businesses on social before going to a website. And sometimes they don’t even make it to your site.

So you want to have a social media presence with some degree of consistent, recent content. And guess what? It’s free.

Instagram. Facebook. TikTok. Choose one.

People are going to look you up. Even if they meet you at a networking event or in the hair salon—they’re going to go check your social media.

The worst thing that can happen? They find your profile and see you haven’t posted in months. They think your business is closed.

I saw this when I did social media for Arthur Murray dance studios. Their inboxes were full, but no one was managing social. People were saying, “Oh, we thought the studio was closed.”

You don’t want that.

Visibility First

This is the free path I recommend: Get online. Pick a platform. Post. You can build your mailing list or lead magnet on the side. But get visible and give people a reliable way to reach you—Voxer, DMs, Calendly, whatever.

And here’s the best part—visibility helps you experiment.

You’ll learn what kind of content you like. What kinds of conversations light you up. Which potential clients you don’t want to work with.

That’s important data before you build a whole website focused on the wrong audience.

Final Thoughts

Give yourself 30, 60, or 90 days to just focus on one visibility strategy and one way for people to connect. That’s enough.

You don’t have to build your business on sand—in your imagination. You can build it on actual experience and real connection.

Social media is free. It fits in the corners of your life. Use it.

Leave me a comment. Let me know where you're starting with your strategy. 

Thanks for joining today’s Tuesday training. See you soon.