Search Results

Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to crawl into a cave and hibernate for three months? Me too. In fact, today is one of those days. We just got back from a week-long family trip across the country. The little one and my partner both came down with something, and last night was full of restless tossing, crying, and… not much sleep. By morning, all three of us were running on fumes. And here’s the thing about days like this: they have a sneaky way of testing every system, structure, and plan you thought you had in place. The Three Ways We React to Plans Falling Apart When life throws curveballs, most entrepreneurs fall into one of these three camps: The Safety Net Planner Planning is your anchor. It keeps you steady and focused even when energy is low. The “Why Bother” Rebel You’ve given up on planning altogether, because it feels impossible to stick to. The Trapped Perfectionist Planning makes you anxious. It feels like being locked in a box, with no wiggle room to shift. Sound familiar? Personally, I tend to default to either camp #2 and #3 when things get hard. Either I throw out the entire plan in frustration or I grit my teeth and try to force myself through every last task. Neither option feels good. What I prefer is to live in camp #1 . Why We Think Planning Doesn’t Work If you’ve ever felt like planning is more stress than it’s worth, you’re not alone. Most people in my circle either: Plan, then abandon the plan , feeling guilty about not following through. Avoid planning entirely , because it never seems to stick. Over-plan , filling every hour with tasks and leaving no space for rest or real life. Here’s the reframe: planning itself isn’t the problem. It’s the way we approach it. Whether you're planning your kids' activities, your marketing content, or your overall business plan, you need a flexible plan. Why? A rigid plan feels suffocating. A vague plan feels useless. And no plan at all? Well, that just leads to constant decision fatigue and scattered results. The key is creating a plan that flexes with you, rather than fights against you. What a Good Plan Actually Looks Like A plan done well is less about control and more about clarity. It gives you: Direction  when you’re foggy and tired. Focus  so you don’t waste energy on unimportant tasks. Flexibility  to respond when life goes sideways (because it will). Think of planning as your business safety net . It doesn’t demand perfection, it simply catches you when everything else feels shaky. The Simplest Planning Hack: Top 3 Priorities So how do you create a plan that works even on the messiest days? Start small. Write down your top three priorities. That’s it. Not a 10-page planner. Not a color-coded schedule. Just three clear priorities. Do it each night before you wrap up work for the day. Do it at the start of your week. Do it whenever things feel overwhelming. Why It Works It cuts through the noise in your head. It reduces decision fatigue (no more asking “what should I do next?” or "what was I doing, again?" every 20 minutes). It guarantees clarity, even on the messy days. Your top priorities can be as simple as: Respond to one client email. Take 5 minutes to calm down and breath. Comfort the sick kiddo. That’s still forward movement. And it’s enough. The Deeper Question: Why Is This a Priority? Here’s a bonus layer, if you have the energy: when you write your three priorities, ask why each one matters . Is it someone else’s deadline? Is it something that actually moves you toward your long-term goals? Is it busywork disguised as productivity? This quick reflection can help you spot where you’re pouring energy into things that don’t actually serve you. Planning Without the Overwhelm The truth is, planning isn’t supposed to box you in. It’s meant to give you a framework so you can show up with clarity and confidence—even when life isn’t going to plan. It's supposed to be the system that propels you forward toward your goals, not what holds you back. So the next time you’re tempted to: Throw away your to-do list entirely, or Burn yourself out trying to force it all to fit… Remember this: a good plan lives in the in-between. It’s not rigid. It’s not all-or-nothing. It’s simply there to support you, to be flexible through all the ebbs and flows of life and business. Bringing It Back to You Let’s be honest: rough days are part of entrepreneurship. Rough weeks; even rough seasons, too. But that doesn’t mean your goals get tossed aside. It means you need systems and plans that can be flexible with you. The beauty of writing down your top three priorities is that it works in both the easy seasons and the messy ones. It’s simple. It’s repeatable. It's an easy habit to start - and keep. And it gives you the mental clarity you need when your energy is low. Final Thoughts If planning has ever felt like an uphill battle, it’s probably not because you’re “bad at it.” It’s because the methods you’ve tried weren’t designed for the way you work best. Start small. Start flexible. Start with three priorities. And see how much easier business feels when your plan actually serves you, instead of the other way around. Your Turn: How do you  feel about planning? Do you thrive with structure, or does it make you want to rebel? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear your take!

Right now I'm "promoting" the Purl Power Summit , a summit for new to intermediate level knitting pattern designers, but this isn't your typical summit promotion.   The thing is, you're busy. And I'm busy, so I totally get it.   Summits can be extremely overwhelming, super draining, and very difficult to actually work through the content on time.   And I'm here to make your life less overwhelming. Not more overwhelming.   So let's talk real talk Summit Attendee Strategy and how to decide if attending the Purl Power Summit (or any summit - feel free to save this and refer to it any time you're trying to strategize your way through the next summit!) is right for you.   What Are Online Summits and How Do They Work?   Most summits we see in the online world today look like this: A large 3-4 day online event highlighting several business owners - each providing a presentation/lesson/class on a specific topic [in the Purl Power Summit , there are 21 guests (I'm one of them) – when you scroll down on the sign up page, you'll see all of the speakers listed] While the summit is usually 3-4 days long, each presentation is only available for 24 hours, maybe 48 hours. So the presentations are released over 3 days, and after they're released, they're only available for 1-2 days. At the end of each presentation, the presenter offers a “freebie” to help you take action and to get you on their email list. Some presenters will have a “tripwire” (I hate that term, don't you?!)  after you sign up for their “freebie” to help you with the next step using one of their paid offers. This is often a discount on a low-ticket offer to “get you in the door.” Then the presenters will have an email nurture sequence that you go through after signing up, so you can get to know them, their business, and their offers – and ultimately, you decide if you stay on their email list or not. Typically, the incentive for a business owner to participate in a summit is to grow their email list, build authority, and make sales from affiliate sales (and any follow-up pitches).   The incentive for folks to attend a summit is to learn - for free - from experts in the industry on a topic that is of particular interest to them. The Results of Attending an Online Summit    There can be a lot of very valuable information packed into a summit. But if you're already pretty seasoned in the industry and know your stuff, usually a summit will feel like a lot of fluff.   That's because summits are often targeted at folks earlier on in their journey (as a designer, business owner, knitter, etc). [Just like the Purl Power Summit was designed for the brand-new designer (and then shifted to include designers up through “intermediate level” business and design) so it's not going super deep into any of the topics.]   But the main things I see with folks attending summits is:  stress  (from keeping up with all of the content, live events, presentation dates, and the urgency attached to the event) overwhelm  (from the huge volume of content - and then from alllll of the emails delivering freebies, bonus content, and nurture sequences)   And that's what we're trying to get away from: stress and overwhelm. Right? So how do we decide if attending a summit is the right choice, and if we do choose to attend, how do we interact with the summit intentionally  so it doesn't  lead to stress and overwhelm? How to Decide if You Should Attend a Summit   Your decision to attend (or not) a summit ultimately comes down to this question: “Will I actually get value out of this, or am I getting caught up in a lack mindset or FOMO?” Take a look at all of the guest speakers and what they will be talking about. [AKA - go to the sales page  and scroll down to the event schedule.] Decide if any of the content is worth your precious time. Don't get caught up in FOMO (fear of missing out). It's really easy to convince ourselves that something will finally cure our business woes or unlock the magic key to success. Sometimes that happens, but a lot of times you already know the content. So be real with yourself. Ask yourself what you already know about the topic and if you really need more information or if you just need implementation. If you decide that there is content you do  want to watch and it'll truly be valuable for you, then yes, you should attend! How to Get the Most Out of a Summit   Alright, so you've decided to attend a summit, but you don't want to deal with the stress and overwhelm that so often accompanies attending an online summit? Ultimately, it's about intentionality (not getting caught up in the commotion or FOMO of it all) and clarity (about what you want to get out of the event). Go back through the event schedule again. Decide which topics you really want to listen to. Make a note (write it on a sticky note, add it to your calendar, whatever you need to do) of which topics you want to watch and when they will be available. Remember that presentations are only available for 24-48 hours. Look at the other offers inside the summit. What would truly  benefit you? What do you realistically  have time for? Do you want to join the Facebook community for the reminders, games, and connection; or will that just create more overwhelm and chaos for you? Will you feel more at ease if you purchase the VIP upgrade (more on that below)? Think about your inbox when you sign up for freebies. It can be tempting to feel like you need to grab all of the freebies you can, but be real with yourself. Whose email lists do you really want to be on? Which freebies will you actually work through and find value from? What About Summit VIP Passes? How Does It Work?   Every summit has some sort of upgrade option (it'll be the “tripwire” that you see right after you sign up, and then it will be promoted throughout the event). It might be called “VIP Access," “VIP Pass,” or something more specific to the event and the audience, like “Yarn Boss Toolkit” (that's the name for the VIP pass inside the Purl Power Summit ) .   With the VIP Pass, you will typically get: Extended access to the content:  Overwhelmed by the 24 hour turnaround time but you really want to watch the content? The VIP Pass solves that problem, either granting you lifetime access or giving you a few months to work through the content. Presentation notes, slides, or outlines:  With each presentation, you will have access to a PDF with the general information from the presentation, along with additional links mentioned in the presentation. Exclusive live events:  These events are usually calls with the host of the event, and they might include additional content, watch parties, networking, and/or co-working events. Access to a ton of bonus materials:  The bonus packages are usually packed  with value… things like templates, courses, and bundles. However, they are also typically delivered via an email opt in (followed by an email nurture sequence) because they are provided for free by the guests. AKA: gaining access to these bonuses can further add to inbox overwhelm, so use the same intentionality in signing up for the bonus content as you did signing up for the freebies. Free or discounted access to the host's high-ticket offer:  Typically, the host of the summit is hosting the event with the intention of building and nurturing an audience to purchase a coaching offer, course, or membership from them. So, at the end of the event, they will give VIP attendees a month of free access in their membership or a big discount on their coaching or course. For the Purl Power Summit specifically, VIP attendees (aka folks who purchase the Yarn Boss Toolkit ) receive: Over $500 worth in bonus materials - including trackers, classes, guides, and ebooks Lifetime access to all presentations starting on April 29 Access to a private podcast feed with all of the presentations Presentation notes for all presentations 30 days free access to Ashleigh's (that's the host) new membership, Purl & Publish, for designers Access to networking and coworking sessions When taking a look at a Summit VIP Pass, use the same intentionality  as when you were choosing whether or not you'd attend the event and which presentations you'd watch. And that's your guide to navigating summits! As a quick summary we talked about: what summits are, what they include, and how they're set up why summits often lead to stress and overwhelm (both in the event and in your inbox) how to decide if you should sign up for a summit like the Purl Power Summit what the VIP pass is, what it includes, and how it can also contribute to overwhelm intentionality as the key to reducing overwhelm in the event and in your inbox Your Invitation to a Summit for Knitting Pattern Designers So with all of this in mind, I invite you to take a look at the Purl Power Summit  sign up page through the lens of intentionality . If this event is something you believe you will receive value from, I look forward to seeing you inside the event! My presentation on Generating Unique Design Ideas - Even in a Creative Slump  will be available on Day 1 (Tuesday, April 29). If you decide the Yarn Boss Toolkit is a good fit for you, you will receive access to a themed version of 52 Weeks of Creativity for free . The Yarn Boss Toolkit , with over $500 in bonuses, lifetime access to the presentations, and more, is available for a discounted price until the event starts. You'll get the lowest price offer right after you sign up.   Click here to check it out and grab your free ticket. Wishing you beauty + alignment in each step of your journey, Jessica Full Circle Entrepreneurship

Trouble-shooting to Improve Community Metrics Building and growing an engaged community is fun and exciting! What isn't as fun is when it starts to plateau. Perhaps folks aren't sharing as much in the group, aren't attending live calls, and more. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. It's possible that you've built out the resources and support for them that they already have access to the questions they're asking. The Struggle to Identify What the Problem is... or if There Even is a Problem! The problem is: it can be hard to know what the scenario actually is for your community without the proper analytics... which is why I'm super excited about the new analytics now provided for Circle communities (that's the platform where I host my community membership). For example, it feels like there's been less participation in my community since I moved from Discord to Circle. However, there are a lot of different things that had been happening at the same time. Here are two examples: About six months before moving platforms, I was getting extremely overwhelmed by the setup and all of the things happening in the community within the Discord platform, which is part of why I was so anxious to move to Circle. So, it's possible that reorganizing the group on Circle in a way that felt more intuitive and easier to navigate makes it feel quieter, when really it's just less overwhelming. It also means that there are less questions from distraught members who can't find a replay, a call link, etc. since it's so much easier to find now. This (approximately) six month time period was also around the time things really started ramping up on a publication project that I was heading... meaning I had less time and energy to spend interacting in the group, and I was more desperately needing some automation in my community... things like Because incorporating more automation in my business decreased my workload for maintaining the community, it makes sense that the community now would feel calmer for me! Or, it's possible that the scheduled content now has created a gap between myself and my community members. That could be a good thing (they're less dependent on me and more able to solve problems on their own), or it could be a bad thing (they're feeling less connected to me and perhaps even somewhat abandoned even though I'm still very active in the community). So, these are the concerns that have been circling in my head for a couple of years now. Did I ruin the community? Even though the transfer saved my life, did it ruin my "baby" (the community that I'd built)? I've used surveys for my community to try to find answers, but honestly, they haven't helped a lot, because the responses seemingly contradict the trends that I see in the community. But now I have data from Circle's new Analytics Hub to help answer these questions for me! Here are three simple ways I've been loving and using the analytics. Using the Analytics to Ease Your Fear of a Dying Community and Improve Community Metrics What Monthly Active Members Tells Me as a Community Host When it feels like the community engagement is dead, I can't help but wonder: have the members completely forgotten about the community? Do they read any of the weekly email reminders with an overview of information? Have they even been on the platform? Why aren't they interacting - is it because they don't find the community helpful (survey responses say it's not this), already have the answers they need in the community, have forgotten the community exists, it's inconvenient to log into Circle, or don't like the Circle platform? As we sometimes tend to do, I'd found myself spiraling into negative thought patterns of assuming the worst: nobody liked the community, nobody liked me, the community and what I offered was no longer valuable, etc, etc, etc. Even though the data I did have should have already told me otherwise - there's a healthy retention rate in the group, and folks are consistently sharing, via surveys and through messages, that they find the community helpful. But it wasn't until I saw the data in the Analytics Hub on Circle.so that I really started to believe it. I finally could see that folks are regularly logging into the community. Even in the lowest engagement month, about 50% of members are active in the group. How Circle's Popular Day & Time Data Helps Me Schedule Calls Historically, I've relied on surveys to determine when would be the best time to host calls within the community. However, I often only get a few responses to the surveys (which apply to the call times for 6-12 months), and then live attendance is very minimal. Now, I'm so excited to be able to use the data to know when people really are using Circle. This way, not only do I know they're available and thinking about the community at this time, but if they are on the platform and see the event live, they are more likely to join, even if they forgot about the event! For reference, the last survey of community members indicated (from 3 members in total, and there was never a time when all three were available) they were most available Mondays 8 am to 5 pm, Tuesdays 8 am to 11 am, Wednesdays 8 am to 1 pm, and Thursdays 8 am to 5 pm. Between the continued morning sickness I've been experiencing in my pregnancy, and my Mondays already being mostly booked, this has mostly left me with Wednesday 12-1 pm and Thursday afternoons. I'd scheduled most of the calls for Thursdays 1-2 pm, with a few Thursdays 2-3 pm or 3-4 pm and Mondays 12-1 pm or 1-2 pm. Looking at the "Popular day & time" chart from Circle's Analytics Hub, I can see these definitely aren't the worst times to be scheduling calls, but they aren't necessarily the most ideal either. Based on this information, I would make Wednesday 10-11 am the #1 call time choice, followed by Thursdays at 12-1 pm and 4-5 pm. Although I've already scheduled out the calls through the summer, I am excited to use this data for scheduling autumn and winter calls, and to see if it makes a difference in call attendance! Plus - a really nice bonus is to not have to beg my community members to complete a survey to discover the optimal call time! Using Data and Analytics Hub to Keep Your Community Healthy In this post, I've primarily talked about using the data to identify if there's a problem, and if there is a problem, to identify what the core of that problem actually is (and potential answers to know how to solve it). However, we can use this data to facilitate a beautiful community experience and avoid those problems in the first place. For example, scheduling events during optimal times for members, optimizing content based on the device(s) community members are most using, and noticing trends in members and content and identifying ways to optimize the community in response. Here are a few more examples of data that can be found within Circle.so's Analytics Hub. But even if you aren't using Circle, be sure to look for similar data in the backend of your community platform! Not using Circle (yet) but want to check it out? Here's access to a 14-day free trial! *Note: this post includes an affiliate link for Circle. Should you choose to join, I may receive some compensation for the referral. I truly love using Circle for my community, and I only share it because I do love it!

52 Weeks of Creativity A year of weekly creative prompts to develop unique ideas for artwork you love to share $27 with bonuses for knit & crochet designers $21 $21 . $21 . $21 . $21 .

Vibrant Artist Podcast Helping creative entrepreneurs live their most vibrant lives - fun, authentic, and fulfilling - both personally and professionally.

DESIGN COACHING You're excited to explore knitwear design at a deeper level, but you're not sure what the next step is, or how to get there. I'm here to walk you through the design process step-by-step, but in a way that's customized to your needs and style. 1-on-1 design coaching for the indie knitting pattern designer that's feeling lost and overwhelmed in the business, marketing, or designing. You love the idea of designing and publishing knitting patterns. You're comfortable with knitting and you have some design ideas, but you're just not quite sure how to make it work. You feel like you're walking blindly through the dark, and you need someone to guide you through the process so you can feel confident and motivated in your process. Do you question every decision you're making for your design, wondering if you're doing it right? Are you feeling overwhelmed by everything you need to do, and you're not sure where to start? Do you need just a little bit of guidance to assure you that you're on the right path? You're not alone. Just a few years ago, I was there too. When I began designing my own patterns, everything I knew about the knitting community came from a couple of YouTube podcasts that I watched. I'd never met a designer before, I was brand-new to the online knitting community, and I didn't have knitting business friends to go to for advice. It's not easy to start out as a knitting pattern designer, especially if you don't already have connections within the industry. It's hard to find the resources you need, or the right person to ask questions of. There are hundreds of marketing strategists and business coaches, but they just can't help with the "knitty gritty" of designing knitting patterns. And that's why I am here, offering you guidance to make your journey easier. To show you the path, and to help you customize the path to what works best for you. Book Now "[My expectations] were met and then some. [I most enjoyed] the way you explain things and are so organized and listen to me. I am very pleased. Yes [I recommend your design coaching]! You are so nice and helpful." - New Knitwear Designer 1-on-1 Design Coaching When you book a design coaching call with me, I make the experience completely catered to you and how you learn best, making sure to address all of your questions, and giving you the flexibility to create your designs in the way that you are most comfortable with. The beauty of working 1-on-1 is truly the customization aspect. Whether you're struggling with finding inspiration, manipulating the math for multiple sizes, or getting your work out into the world, I walk through the process with you. Not only does this mean you get all of your questions answered, it also means that you don't have to listen to your coach tell you everything you already know. We only talk about what you need, and I don't waste your time. And as my clients like to say, I'm your mentor-cheerleader-friend, here for you each step of your journey. Book Now I help with most everything business and marketing related, and anything intermediate design level and below. Here are a few examples of how I help new designers: * Discover new sources of inspiration for your designs * Develop a design process that works best for you * Learn how to move from inspiration to design elements * Discover resources that will make your design and pattern writing processes easier * Learn how to use your gauge and sizing to do the math for your pattern * Understand the roles that tech editing and test knitting play in your design process * Begin a marketing strategy for launching your design And a few examples of how I help experienced designers: * Uncover why their business feels misaligned * Discover a marketing strategy that feels authentic and aligned * Learn how to create an aligned business that feels good * Receive support with their business, marketing, and designing * Get an outside perspective on what's working * Understand the roles that tech editing and test knitting play in your design process * Begin a marketing strategy for launching your design Depending on your learning style, I will: * Chat with you via video call to walk through your process, needs, and any questions that arise for you * Record tutorials to walk you through each step of a process, especially for technical aspects of your work * Host a video chat where I can share my screen with you and walk you through each step real-time * Answer your specific questions via a video recording, or a video call The total amount of time I work with you is dependent on how much support you need. Calls are booked in 30 or 60 minute increments. Book Now © Pattern Design Circle 2024