Last week I sent out a call for questions and boy-o did y’all send in some good ones. Like… so many fantastic questions — some that I’m calling in backup for (aka getting my friends who are smarter than me to answer) and some that I’ll be answering in a few subsequent columns as we traipse through the summer.

But I thought we’d dive in with some similar-ish intuitive business questions. If you’re thinking of starting a business, thinking of leaving your job, actively leaving your job, or looking for a job… I hope these answers help ❤️

After 4 years of making content “just for fun” I’m buckling down and actually trying to MAKE MONEY from my Instagram and Substack presence (which is mostly interior design, DIY, and lifestyle content). I don’t sell a product, I don’t consult — I mostly earn money from paid subscribers to my newsletter. Do we think I am just “selling” my personality? Or am I too close to it to see what I am actually offering people? It feels like if I got more specific on the offer I’d be able to leverage it more.

First, congratulations! Making content for four years, consistently, and without getting paid, is so impressive. That’s DISCIPLINE, honey, and you can’t fake that with AI.

Second: I might be reading into your question too much, but it doesn’t sound like you’re “just selling” your personality (which if you did… there would be nothing wrong with, in my opinion. I’ll get there in a sec)

You mention that you share interior design, DIY, and lifestyle content — you’ve been doing this for four years, so you’ve got some expertise in this area. And I’m betting that you have a specific style or aesthetic sensibility that attracts your audience in… guessing you’re not just sharing DIYs about how to spray paint hotdogs on an above-ground swimming pool one day and then how to make a self-serve caviar bar for your next Veuve-themed cocktail party the next. You get what I’m saying — you have a design niche.

In my mind, sharing content from that perspective is a type of consulting. If your followers look to you for design ideas and product links, that solidly identifies you in “stylist” territory. Your design eye and practical skills (what’s up, DIY girls!) are valuable. I wouldn’t say you’re selling your personality, although I’m sure your shimmering charisma is a bonus for your followers. You’re sounds like you’re legitimately sharing expertise, the way a stylist or a consultant would, you’re just sharing it with many people instead of one person at a time.

AND and and — even if “all” you did was share were jokes and stories about your personal life behind a paywall, THERE ARE PROBABLY A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PAY FOR THAT. David Sedaris, Samantha Irby, Jenny Lawson — all brilliant people who aren’t known for their Martha Stewart-style aesthetic prowess, but are known for their beguiling writing personas.

I’ll end with this — it’s always easier to sell something when you’re clear about your product’s value. They won’t believe it if you don’t believe it. So what do you want to offer people? What do you find valuable? What do they find valuable? (Ask them!) Good luck <3

What would be your advice for someone starting a business as a tarot reader? I know the market is somewhat saturated, so any do’s or don’ts, or pitfalls to watch out for?

Hellllll yeah! How thrilling — big ups to you for starting your esoteric business ✨

Funnily enough, I think the recommendation I have for you transcends the mystical arts and applies to any service provider who’s just getting started, whether you’re a copywriter or a house cleaner or a graphic designer: Find your weird thing and get known for it.

I’m not saying “niche down,” necessarily. It’s more like, identify what’s really special about what you do and hype that up like 148% more than you already are. Make it your thing. Like, if you’re really good at helping people figure out where to move using tarot, lean into that. Become THE tarot reader to go to when you’re not sure if you should splurge on the overpriced Spanish-style studio in Silverlake or if you should just move to North Hollywood.

It’s so easy when you’re first getting started to want to offer everything to everyone because you don’t want to give people any opportunity to reject your work. During my first year as a freelancer, I misguidedly told potential clients that I could “write anything!” for them. And I could, but I really started getting jobs when I became known as the “sales email marketing copywriter” girl. Of course, I still wrote blog posts and direct marketing materials and pitch decks and package copy and nutrition labels and investor reports and homepage copy — but clients gave me that first glance because I was known for something that they knew they really wanted. (And once I was in, they realized they needed all that other stuff, too.)

Your special thing doesn’t have to be a type of reading, although I do think that works well, especially when you know your audience and can pinpoint what they’re really desiring. Your secret sauce can be the particular deck you work with — maybe one that’s more rare, or special to you for some significant reason. Or it can be the way you host your readings; perhaps there’s a novel way to do this that you haven’t seen others try before?

Pick one thing, and hype the shit out of it. Allow that to be the entry point to getting your client roster built up. Your practice will evolve and change over time. Eventually you’ll add more to your offerings, and you’ll become more than just “The [insert your special skill here] Reader.”

I can’t wait to see what you get known for — don’t forget us little people when you’ve got a six-month waitlist!

If I know I have a contract for one year in place, but don’t know if further funding for the role is a possibility, when should I start looking for my next gig (I want to relax into the role, but already feel like I need to start looking given the job market, and I just started the contract).

Congratulations on your new gig! So fun to get to spend a year figuring out if this company is the place where you’d like to be — don’t forget that you’re auditioning them as much as they’re auditioning you.

Let’s acknowledge that a lot can change in a year. Hopefully in 365 the economy will be in better standing, although I think it’s wise of you to be conservative and at least conscious of the fact that you’re probably need to start looking before your contract is up if you don’t want to have an employment gap on your resume (could be cool, though! if you need a break after this gig).

A long time ago someone told me that you should go out on interviews every year, even if you’re not actively looking for a new job. It seemed like good advice, but I can’t say I ever really took it. Job hunting the traditional way is time consuming and hard — I’d rather stick a pencil in my eye than write some sycophantic cover letter to some brand I just heard about 10 minutes ago on LinkedIn, pretending that their ~$100k-a-year Senior Operations Sales Marketing Lead Supervisor VP role has been my dream job since age 12.

So I would say, if you’re still liking this role in six months, the best plan of attack is to figure out how to not have to start interviewing and just stay where you are. At that point, I’d schedule a sit-down with your current manager and have a real conversation about how things are going and what your future at the company could look like. Come correct to the meeting — bring records of the projects you’ve worked on, the value you’ve contributed, what you’ve built, problems you’ve solved, etc. Have it allllll written down in a PowerPoint. Make it stupidly obvious how valuable you are, talk about how much you’ve enjoyed your time so far, and then float the idea that you’d like to stay beyond your existing contract, “How could we make that happen?”

Your boss probably won’t have a plan for hiring you beyond the 1-year contract when you bring it up, but your conversation will get them thinking about it, and that’s the point. Let them go talk to their boss — run it up the ladder, if you will — and schedule a follow up for a few weeks later to have a clear conversation about where things stand. The goal is to get ridiculously crystalline clear about what is happening, so you can figure out your next steps.

If they say anything other than, “We would love to bring you on full time after your contract is up,” IT’S TIME TO START LOOKING! Maybe not scheduling-multiple-interviews-a-day looking, but definitely meeting-up-with-old-colleagues-and-hitting-up-networking-events looking. The good news? You can use this contract job as a case study to send to potential employers.

I think if it were me, that’s how I would approach this next year of employment — as a giant dream case study. I would ask:

• What do I want to learn or get experience doing this year?

• What skills or projects do I want to add to my resume?

• What types of connections can I make or leverage at this company to help me get where I want to go next? Who do I need to create relationships with?

That way no matter what happens at the end of this year, you’re walking away with something more than just a consistent paycheck. Good luck!

I have decided to quit my nursing career. I just sent my resignation letter to my boss 10 minutes before writing this. I have decided to pursue a career in graphic design. I feel like a newborn, ready to be shaped and molded. I’m a Libra Sun, Gemini Moon, and Leo Rising. Am I crazy for choosing this route in this economy?

What amazing timing — congratulations! Thank you for your previous service in health care, and how exciting for you to start building something that fills you up. Here’s the thing: I think that for someone like you, who is probably very thoughtful, very logical, and very burnt out by their previous career, this is the best choice you can possibly make for yourself. Amazing businesses are created during periods of financial recession because people are often confronted by the fact that there’s little security in any job out there. Might as well do your own thing.

Is it risky? Sure, but everything is. Staying at a job you hate or a job that’s slowly sucking the life out of you is far more risky, in my opinion.

You can always return to nursing, if things don’t work out. But give yourself a year. See what happens. I can’t wait to hear how it goes <3