At the end of 2023, I made one of those popular “IN & OUTs” for 2024.
I’d grab it and show ya, but I… stopped creating content on Instagram.
Which is #2 on my list of things I QUIT in 2024.
Part of it was some asswipe falsely reporting me to the Meta gods, but after getting back, I decided – eh, fugg ‘em.
Without further ado, my top 10 things I QUIT in 2024 – one of the most exciting but f’d up years of my life:
1. Running challenges to launch
I’ve planned, directed and hosted challenges in the coaching space since 2018. Challenges and webinars have been an integral part of traditional launching FOREVER.
Maybe I’m just an old fart, but the weird vibe that I know that you know that I know I’m going to pitch you on something at the end is nasty.
Instead, I leaned into using challenges for audience growth and nurturing.
My boundaries are getting tighter on who has 1:1 access to me, but I don’t want to be a tight-ass.
Running challenges and my monthly Queso Kikis give me an opportunity to pour into folks who aren’t ready to buy or just want access to ME.
I simply migrated challenges to ~6 weeks prior to any sort of hard sell or launch.
2. Creating on Instagram
You can read the Meta tea here, but even upon my return (with a residential proxy workaround) – I decided to put up a 9-grid Instagram feed and just use Threads.
I don’t care what people say – IG is a nurturing platform, NOT top-of-funnel.
Aaaaand I don’t even want it anymore.
2024 taught me I can run a multi-6 fig business without IG, so I’m gonna do THAT.
I use Threads for top-of-funnel, I’m not excited about LinkedIn like everyone and their mother right now and YouTube is on my 2025 radar.
Wherever I am on social, the goal is to add folks to my list, gathering data and bring them through a sales journey.
A lot of this starts with my welcome sequence.
Whether your goal is brand awareness, sales or thought leadership – you should reverse engineer that into YOUR welcome sequence.
In my Welcome Sequence Builder mini-course, I take you through each of those steps – even down to segmentation, workflows, my best tips and even a copy of MY emails.
3. Promoting freebies
Another throwback to a list building strategy you’ve been fed through a feeding tube since you started your business.
It takes a lot of reps to create a top-notch freebie.
→ In the early days, you should use that time more wisely.
This is why I’m huge on teaching folks how to productize their newsletters. You don’t need freebies to grow your list, you need to treat your newsletter like a free offer. If positioned correctly, PEOPLE WILL WANT TO JOIN.
→ Once you can create a top-notch freebie, you should gatekeep the shit out of it and use it strategically.
That means leveraging it as exclusive content for someone else’s list, or to reward current readers. (Lemme know if you want more on this)
I promote The Copy Cantina… not a free PDF or free training.
I have private freebies like my Offer Promise Training or Sales Page in a Pinch that I use to add value for collaboration proposals.
And if you’re only here because you took my free Humor Type Quiz – I want to be clear how much of a unicorn that freebie is.
I’ve passively generated HUNDREDS of subscribers with it because I accidentally struck a cord and hit something severely untapped.
Quizzes are so hard to get right.
And people are SO curious about humor in business. But that’s my 2025 project. We’ll talk about that another day.
4. Setting up my own systems
I’m a hoe for Notion and zaps and automations and data. I’m incredibly left AND right brained, which I recognize is an uncommon combo.
But I shouldn’t use them both all the time.
I’ve noticed a quarterly pattern of outgrowing the way we run PTQ in Notion, or we need to adjust fire with data tracking.
It’s tough titties to put your pride AND card info down for someone else to take over.
Because of THAT, I’m a loyalist to Mackenzie at Sit Studio for big ‘ole revamps, then Haley keeps shit running from the inside.
Of course I do a lot of the day-to-day tech things, but it’s unwise for me to spend hours in something like Notion instead of creating content or updating curriculum.
5. Thinking in “scalability”
I was thinking about how to scale Stand Up Copy before I could regularly pre-fill all the spots.
L.O.L.
Stand Up Copy is unlike every other sales copy program in a few ways, but a huge component is how hands-on I am with each student. Everyone gets weekly 1:1 support.
That means I’m maxed out at 12 students per cohort, which runs 3x a year.
I spend ~45 mins per student weekly, which totals to 54 hours of 1:1 time per cohort.
For a short time, I considered adding a self-paced version but immediately realized it would dilute the results students get.
That’s a hefty no thank you. And I’m not raising the $2400 price.
I don’t need a scalable business to make a shit ton of money. Which, to be clear, is absolutely my goal.
Instead, I’m focused on diversifying my sales with my entire offer suite which we get into at #9.
6. Crowd-sourcing answers
I see a lot of folks outsourcing questions they could take a beat and ask themselves, or figure out from doing a rep or two.
This happens on Threads every day:
“What do you guys want to hear about?”
“Should I leave Flodesk for Kit?”
“How are we feeling about this name for my offer?”
Stop crowd-sourcing answers from a) people who aren’t gonna pay you shit, and b) don’t know the day-to-day (or your future vision) of your brand.
I’m a talk-to-think, verbal processor.
I don’t have thoughts until I open my mouth.
So I get needing to talk-it-out, but outsourcing your thought leadership is a trash move.
But if it’s not your area of thought leadership… THEN outsource that shit entirely! Which is the perfect segue to…
7. Referring out what I can bring in-house
There are so many areas that I don’t know jack shit about.
Or, I know a tiny bit of shit about.
Previously, I’d refer out and be like “OMG TELL THEM I REFERRED YOU!”
And even though it kinda sucks, I’d send them outside of my offer suite because INTEGRITY.
I recently got my panties in a twist about folks adding non-expertise offers to their ecosystem to have more to sell.
So yeah, I’m not doing THAT.
Instead, I’m starting to bring it in-house. The perfect example is my bromance with Offer Strategist, Ceels Lockley.
She co-coaches in Beyond the Launch, my sales program for Stand Up Copy graduates.
I can only share my experience with offer strategy, but it’s Ceels’ entire brain.
You can get the full scoop on how we do it and the benefits at the Rulebreaker Summit on January 13th.
8. Tinkering with graphics
I have an eye for design and I’m very picky about the visuals for PTQ. But I can’t visualize, conceptualize and design a damn thing.
I’ll spend hours on something that doesn’t meet my standards, and then I’m PISSED.
Creators severely underestimate how much of a mental load DIY design can be. I’m happier, chilled out and even pumped up when I have someone else working on my visuals.
I don’t touch my website. It’s aaallllll Sarah Kleist.
Kristina at Gem Creative Co helps me keep all my mini-brands and visual assets cohesive.
Tom Collins is the designer behind Stand Up Copy – the only designer I’ve met who IMMEDIATELY understood my style.
And Aiza at Studio Coya is my go-to designer for all things themed, plus the big brain behind my faux student brands.
9. Back-to-back launching
I LOVE launching, but I only launch Stand Up Copy 3x a year.
In between, I want to focus on “side quest” projects like paid collaborations, one-off workshops and generally fart around.
I use ALL of my launching energy to make Pass the Queso known for Stand Up Copy.
All of my other sales are upsells, downsells, BTS or those paid one-offs.
Trading back-to-back public launches for back-end selling adds a big ‘ole chill factor AND was the key component to adding ~$5k to my monthly recurring revenue.
I tried implementing this before, but it was too early in the game.
It doesn’t work until you have something really badass that you can sell really well on repeat.
Then, you build from there.
10. Saying “yes” for funsies
We all know you have to say “no” to make room for saying “yes.”
Usually that means turning down meh-fit projects for dream client projects.
But lately, I’ve started turning down collaborations and people. In most cases, they’re invitations to things that benefit the other person far more than me.
There’s an uncomfy season of business where you have to be more selfish with your time and value.
Nobody is entitled to your participation because they asked you to collaborate. Not every partnership is “an amazing opportunity.”
I’d argue that most AREN’T.
And even if something sounds fun… or I like the folks participating… or someone asked me real nice-like… I’ve been saying no.
I guess you could say these are my 2025 OUTs?
I’ll have to return with my 2025 INs.
