See you tomorrow!

Discussion about this post

Hello, Barbara, and team!

Happy early Thanksgiving to you all :-)

My question for you is: Do you have any insights on scaling my writing service business? I started My Own Ghostwriter business approximately 18 months ago and am beyond excited about growing my company. I am a business that writes very good non-fiction books for entrepeneurs, and my tagline is "Friends don't let friends write bad books." I have what I believe is proof of concept, as the only books I write at this time are referral-based, and I have a short waiting list. I wrote 4 books last year and am on track to write 12 this coming year. People also reach out to me for book-coaching and writing support, such as editing and publishing connections.

My books are doing very well as and my authors are very happy with where they and their books are going. While I am loving the writing, I was to grow my company and hire more writers and write more books.

I am doing this all as a side-hustle now as I am a graduate assistant professor and I have 5 months left of my contract. Once I am done teaching, I will turn my time and energy fully to ghostwriting and bookcoaching, so I have a little bit of a runway.

My writing system is in place and very solid. I know what I am doing and it is working beautifully. I have created my business plan and website, have a presence on LinkedIn, but am not sure how to scale. I will be offering done-for you, done-with you, and a do-it-yourself book writing services for entrepeneurs. I have two other writers that work with me as independent contractors. So where do I go from here and where do I put my dollars? Towards building my Linked In presence or increasing my SEO on my website or paying to get on podcasts? My company is ready and I am ready for the next exciting phase of growth!

I'd appreciate your wisdom!

Expand full comment

Diane Buxton

Nov 25

Hi Barbara,

Thanks for offering this great opportunity to tap into your experience and knowledge.

I launched the brand (Luxene Beauty) almost two years ago with our FIRMAGLOW BODY microdermabrasion tool (which I invented), and from the start, we experienced consistent month-over-month growth. This year, we WERE on track to hit a million in sales with just one SKU—until June and July, when we had our first dip of about 15%.

Unfortunately, I made a critical mistake in August. After six weeks of discussions, I decided to let my entire team go and hired a gentleman and his firm who promised to handle everything my old team was doing and more, including sales, marketing, PR, and more. He presented a compelling pro forma and seemed confident in his ability to take us to the next level. However, within five days of running Meta ads, our sales plummeted.

It quickly became clear—over three weeks—that they weren’t able to deliver on their promises. While they blame the dip entirely on rising Meta ad costs due to the election season, my research suggests the election shouldn’t have impacted us this significantly. Now, I’m in a difficult spot: I’ve decided to fire this firm and try to bring my old team back.

Here’s where it gets tricky. My old team, understandably, feels hurt and betrayed, and while they’re willing to return, they’re asking for significantly higher compensation—something I can’t afford right now after just infusing $30K of my own money into the business. I feel like I’ve taken ten steps back and am stressed to the max, frustrated with myself and others.

I’d love your advice on two fronts:

How can I approach my old team in a way that rebuilds trust and convinces them to come back at a more reasonable price? They genuinely loved being part of Luxene Beauty before this happened.

What are your thoughts on offering equity to motivate and retain crucial part-time help during this rebuilding phase?

Thank you so much for your time and insight—I deeply value your perspective.

Expand full comment

3 more comments...

No posts

See you tomorrow!

Join me live TOMORROW at 11:30 AM ET!

Discussion about this post