“You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” 👣- Martin Luther King Jr.
13 years of awesome (#367)
Tomorrow marks 13 years since I published that very first “Hello World” post and brought Tech Biz Gurl to life. I was a week away from turning 30, totally convinced I'd have my life all figured out by then.
Narrator: She did not figure out her life by age 30.
In fact, I’m always telling people that I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
But in the meantime, I've built a pretty awesome life:
I get to run a business doing something I absolutely love.
I have a wonderful job surrounded by incredible people.
My squad is the most supportive bunch anyone could ask for.
I wear a million hats – aunt, sister, daughter, caregiver, friend, speaker, cheerleader – and rock them all (mostly).
Starting this business (that I had no idea it would become at the time) was the beginning of a personal development journey for me.
I've made mistakes (trust me, I’ve spent more on courses than I care to admit!), learned a ton (the hard way sometimes!), and figured out a lot along the way.
I've discovered my strengths: curation, encouragement, and empowering you to build a business that works for YOU.
It wasn't always smooth sailing, but I kept showing up, experimenting, and pausing when I needed to.
This collage? All of those events, meetings, awards, and opportunities…
All because I took a chance on starting a blog back in 2011. And guess what? I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.
My mission? To help you do the same, one baby step at a time.
—
Let’s Chat!
Use these prompts however you like. You can reply here or write about them in your journal. You can noodle on them as you go about your day. You can skip them entirely. It’s up to you. 😉
What are you celebrating this year (or month, or even this week!)? Share your wins (big or small)!
If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? I’d change mine to Julia.
On to the picks!
Note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you click through my link and make a purchase, I may receive “thank you money” at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love.
#loves 😍
🪄Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale. This show that “twists Big Little Lies with Practical Magic” revolves around Sarah, who is a registered witch in a town called Sanctuary, and she uses her magic to help others. When someone is murdered, the town turns against her, and she has to try to clear her name and protect her family. I loved it from the first episode, and you definitely feel for her being persecuted because she’s a witch. Great binge-watch!
🤖. Membership: AI Copy Club. I joined this membership last weekend, and I’m already a fan. Brittany teaches you how to set up a ChatGPT account and use it to help write your marketing copy. The video I’ve been working through this week is about how to train AI to use your voice (hint: the trick is to feed it a transcript of a video or talk that you’ve done). I’m finding it pretty fun and even used it to help me write this week’s intro and it suggested some social media ideas about my 13 year blogiversary. This makes me feel like AI can become a game-changer for us jugglers, saving us time and getting us started with whatever we are trying to do. I’m really excited to dive into it a little bit more soon.
#reads
The 5 Hottest Strategies to Monetize Your Newsletter in 2024
The strategies are:
Affiliate Marketing - make a little money promoting things you love. Makes me want to revisit this course.
Referral programs - this is a great one if you like to refer other newsletters
Donations—popular services for this include Buy Me a Coffee and Patreon. This is personally one of my favorite monetization strategies. See the #supporters section below.
Partnerships - you can do cross-promos with other newsletters to build your audience.
Showcase your expertise - promote your own products and services. (Looking for a speaker or a pep talk? I gotchu!)
—
Why I spend three minutes every morning eating frogs (major productivity hack)
“The way I do this is to commit to just three minutes (3) in action on that thing, be it reaching out to prospects or writing my novel.”
Baby steps!!
#icymi
😍. Last issue’s top pick: Readwise
🎤. ASK: My goal is to book 3 paid speaking gigs this year. If you know of one, I’d love an intro. I talk about side hustles, newsletters, and childhood hobbies as adults. Learn more about my speaking offerings here.
🔍. Curious about my process for producing this newsletter every week? This one-hour training will take you behind the scenes.
#classifieds 🗞
Attention achievers and peak performers: MappineerVille is a new community that uses the power of mind maps to transform your thinking and accelerate your results. Join us to unlock your full potential!
Femularity: A safe and respectful space for women to achieve success using AI. Belonging + Accountability + Empowerment + Shared Purpose = Goals Achieved. Join Now
Content Entrepreneur Expo is coming up in a few weeks. Use code JESSPICKS100 to get $100 off your ticket. Please shoot me a note if you are attending, too. I would love to chat in person!
#lifevibes
supporters ☕️
Thank you, Tawanna, Gia, Lori, Ayana, Krista, Jessica, Annetta, Constance, Tunde, Jen, Michelle, Emile, Bex, Kim, Angela G., Lauren B., Chelsea, Amy, Ricky, Kirsten, Vin, Julie, Nicole, Hmza, Greg, Kristin, Kirstyn, Jess, Cheryl, Krysta, Adrena, Vidya, Kristyn, Danielle, Keryn, Terry, Vanessa, Meredith, Lauren, Meg, Maria J., Chivon, Kim, Luciano, Colie, Chasity, Laurie, Latienda, Collette, Anne, Kristen, Liz, Katherine, Monale, Betsy, Melissa, Lindsay, Jennifer, Kayla, Madison, Rae, Stephanie, Christine R., Christine M., Frances, Hannah, Chris, Brandy, Mea, Kristian, Maria K., Avery, Adam, Barbara, Shenee, Desiree, Lisa, Kandice, L’Oreal, and LaVerne for being #jesspicks supporters!! ❤️
Found this content helpful?