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We all know that one person who never seems to drop the ball despite being one of the busiest people you know.

For Lauren Conrad, Emily Weiss, the then-teen Vogue NY (and Chanel) intern, started one of my favorite brands, Glossier.

But for me - it was Derek.

By the time Derek was 34, he was running his third successful business—the most popular restaurant in my hometown—owned 50 rental units, and within the two years that I worked for him, he opened a coffee shop and another restaurant.

Those were two of the first brands I helped build (even though I had no idea that’s what I was doing then).

I went from being a server/bartender to his property manager and the social media and PR person for all three restaurants, plus I did all the chalkboards.

(Talk about a slashie job title).

However, there was a fundamental problem in Derek's and my working relationship.

You see, Derek made the rules. Not me.

Derek was the kind of guy who could manage a very slashie title, including running three restaurants with nothing more than a sticky note reminder for the very important stuff.

He could rely on just his brain to keep track of all the stuff.

My job had 0 structure, strategy, or systems. Because he just didn’t need them. And he called the shots.

So, after a handful of months of getting paid to:

• Show apartments
• Collect rent
• Create Instagram content for the 2 existing businesses
• Help with the setup of the new restaurant
• List random things on Facebook marketplace to sell
• Buy printer ink
• Pick up giant Santa mailboxes for our Christmas display

And anything else Derek felt like asking me to do (often in a single day) - our working relationship stopped, and he let me go - because I couldn’t juggle it all.

And while there will always be the Emily Weiss & Derek’s of the world who can do it all without missing a beat.

I’m just not that girl.

In fact, most of us aren’t.

Especially those of us who don’t have a team (or a ton of help), are neurodivergent in any way, or rely on our creative output to pay our bills.

For all of us normies who would rather make our own rules—learning how to manage “all of the things” and still grow our brand simultaneously is one of the most important things we can learn to do if we want to grow our brand.

↑ I will bet you 100 bucks that person is not a creative entrepreneur.

Since you're in the business of doing things differently, learning to think and plan strategically about your brand is one of the most valuable skills you can develop in the new year.

Here's how to start today ↓

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The mental overload of managing your life and business is a creativity killer.

Here's how to get strategic to make more time and room for the work you WANT to do & ideas you want to bring to LIFE in 2025.

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It’s the dream.

Why are we all signed up for this entrepreneurship vs. being chained to someone else's calendar?

To do what we want when we want it and call all the shots along the way.

Maybe you don’t consider yourself a planner.

But you don’t consider yourself a Derek, either.

You have a couple (dozen) notebooks, entries on your phone, and sticky notes lying around with ideas for your brand, business, and content that make you want to queue up for season 3 of Gilmore Girls (I swear I am done with the tv references after this) with a pot of coffee on and get to work.

But before you can start to make sense of your grandiose plans - you throw in the towel out of overwhelm or push off getting your shit together until the next day/week/month - oh wait...year.

Without a framework for your ideas, goals, and launches to live on - you are basically relying on just your brain (which is passionate, and so smart and cool obvi) to keep track of everything and figure out the order that makes the most sense to tackle them in.

And that’s on top of the grocery list, bills you need to pay, phone calls to return, and laundry piling up in the corner.

We’re only human. And although I am sure you know at least one Derek who manages 50 things all in their head and never seems to drop the ball.

Strategy, planning, and mapping things out in advance make room for the inspiration and creativity you need to get your big ideas for 2025 off the sticky note and execute them easily.

The trick is to cut out all the fluff (like the pitfalls mentioned in last week's newsletter), prioritize your vision and life, and work strategically to incorporate the rest.

HERE'S WHERE TO START

Block out your "Out of Office" time for the next 3 months

• Mark your out-of-office time over the holidays and through the end of Q1.
• Include buffer days around your cycle or after busy holidays
• Add a few flex days each quarter for unexpected opportunities, sick days, and life to happen.

Take a beat to look back at 2024

• Did you set goals for last year? When was the last time you checked in on them?
• Chances are - even if you threw those goals out six months ago, you still accomplished more than you think in the last 12 months.
• You can learn a lot from reflecting on your own experiences, and now is the perfect time of year to do so.

Create a realistic vision for next year.

• Realistic is the key word because our big dreams often come with an even bigger price tag that we/our brands may not be ready for.
• Take stock of the ideas, launches, and projects that got put on the back burner (but have never left the back of your mind) and find the right time to make them happen in the future.
• Get clear on how you want life to look off the clock - so that the time you do track is aligned to give you the lifestyle you desire.

Here's some stuff to help ↓

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FREE MINI-COURSE DIY end-of-year brand audit Learn how to audit your audience, content, and impact to create data about your brand that can help you make strategic decisions moving forward. FREE DIY BRAND AUDIT

MORNING PAGES & AI PROMPTS annual brand reflection & roadmap In 5-morning page sessions, you’ll transform your scattered brand ideas into an aligned vision for 2025 to stop putting your brand on the back burner and start taking focused action with the strategic foundation you need to create a data-backed plan for the year ahead. DOWNLOAD THE FREE PROMPTS

Reader, once your done taking stock of what you and your brand accomplished & learned this year - let's turn your 2025 vision into a strategic reality in just 2 hours

REGISTER FOR THE SNOWED-IN STRATEGY SESH

In this interactive workshop, I'll walk you through a step-by-step process to align your brand goals with your calendar irl to create a sustainable brand growth strategy for 2025.

• Design a life-first calendar for 2024 that YOU control
• Clear quarterly focus areas for your big brand goals
• Create a 30-day action plan to tackle your first behind-the-scenes brand project

After this workshop, you'll:

• Feel inspired about your 2025 brand plan (and ready to take action on it)
• Take the guesswork out of what to focus on or talk about in your content each quarter
• Save hours of time (not to mention money, headaches, and doom scrolls) trying to "figure it out" as you go

All within a simple planning system in Notion that can grow, change, and flex with you when life happens.

Because no one has time for white & paper planners (and I am saying this as someone who used to love a paper planner - until I realized it wasn't a sustainable and flexible enough way to plan for my biz strategically)

Lock in your spot for just $67 (regular price $107)

• Only ten eight early bird spots are available
• Early Bird pricing ends December 31st or when spots fill
• The live workshop happens on January 15th (recording to follow)

SNAG YOUR SPOT IN THE SNOWED-IN STRATEGY WORKSHOP

I'll warm up the hot cocoa ❄️

Ready to dive deeper?

Now booking Q1 of 2025 with 3 clients spots available

(updated services on site coming soon)

​→ Build your brand with Cedar June​

​→ Book a 60m Brand Clarity Consultation​

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Share your thoughts, feedback, or even suggestions for future topics. I value your input and can't wait to hear from you. Please email me at catie@cedarjunestudio.com, and let's keep the conversation going!

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