Sarah Moon

Hello Reader, Today, I have a quick pep talk for you. All of the people I work with share a similar dream: they want to make a genuine impact. Maybe they want to shift their industry, launch a foundation, or scale their business to reach more people. Others hope to take the stage as a keynote speaker to change hearts and minds, or publish a book to share a big idea with even more people. Others have more personal goals, of transforming their families for generations to come so future members...

Hello Reader, Thanks to good ol' Facebook, I was reminded that this week is the 18th anniversary of my accidental entrepreneurship. If you don't know, I started "freelancing" in 2008 during the Great Recession, having experienced the joy of a layoff from a comfy government communications job with great health insurance (this was pre-ACA, folks—it really sucked). The economy was horrific, and to tide us over, I started freelancing. Ironically, my first client was my former employer...

Hello Reader, While doing some internal planning for the business yesterday, I was reflecting on a phenomenon I see so often: folks wanting to work with me or one of my colleagues (friends have shared this phenomena with me as well), but holding back because they "don't feel ready." This actually came up in one of my Alignthority® Strategy Sprints as well—that recurring question, "What do I need to do to be ready?" There are plenty of reasons why people feel this way, but the crux of it is...

Hello Reader, If I had a nickel for every time I’ve had a conversation with a colleague or client about unsolicited feedback they’ve received, well, I’d have very jangly pockets. Complaints happen to us all. I understand how jarring they can be and how quickly they can trigger self-doubt. I’ve known talented folks who have overhauled their entire business model because of a single, off-base complaint. To be clear: I am not talking about the "whoops, I screwed up" situations. If a coupon code...

Hello Reader, I actually don't consider marketing that doesn't work (i.e. doesn't get the results you hoped for) to be "failures," that's just data. I've tried loads of things over the years that didn't work in terms of the outcomes I wanted, but those efforts provided lots of great information that I still use. But sometimes we do have straight up fails: No usable information, people left confused, and a lot of wasted time and resources. Most of the time this is for a singular reason: No...

Hello Reader, Carrying on from last week's discussion about minimum viable products, I wanted to share one of my own challenges. I often find myself muttering, "I did not sign up to be an A/V professional. I did not sign up to be a set decorator. And I certainly did not sign up to be a stylist." This perform-type stuff is so far out of my wheelhouse, I don't even know where to start. We're definitely not in the Zone of Genius here! Getting set up to look reasonably presentable on Zoom or when...

Hello Reader, Awhile back I wrote about how "done is better than perfect." My clients have heard me say that more than once. And I know it's easier said than done. But what I mean—and what I’ve doubled down on over the years—is that you must prioritize your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It’s the floor you need to launch, test, and validate your idea before you go all-in. I don’t mean your digital presence should look like garbage or your strategy should be sloppy. I mean that the desire to...

Hello Reader, “What should I be doing if my industry feels completely chaotic right now?” I’ve been asked this, or a variation of it, over and over again this year. It makes total sense why it keeps coming up. Uncertainty is a trap—it’s often far more exhausting than dealing with known, certain “bad stuff.” When the ground is shifting, my advice is admittedly very unexciting: Focus on the foundations, and keep your eyes on your own work. When I say focus on the foundations, I’m talking about...