Hi Reader,

You’re not just tired because you’re working too much.
You’re also tired because you’ve been working on the wrong things for too long. 😬

I know, because I’ve often been the QUEEN of it.
A “yes” to anything is always a “no” to something else—and I’ve had more spinning plates than a diner kitchen lately.

Updating my own website design (currently paused because OMG, I need inspiration and I’m my last priority), reorganizing my Downloads folder (it does actually need it), or tweaking my resource databases just because… well, it’s fun for me.

Those things often feel productive. Safe.
Like, “Look at me, I’m working!”

But deep down, I usually "know" I'm procrastinating or hiding from the stuff that would actually move the needle but isn't always easy or fun to do.

One of the biggest avoidance tactics I see is avoiding setting up a CRM.
My students & members often say things like, “I don’t need one yet… I’ll set it up when I’m more established.”

But here’s the truth: avoiding it leaves you wide open to burnout and drains your bank account while you try to keep 11 different plates spinning for your client work alone. And it’s not a small drain either—it’s a $4,800/year (or more) money leak.

That’s why I’ve been very obsessed with making my own systems run more smoothly—and helping my students and members do the same.

The last few Monday Mindset posts in the Club have been all about overwhelm, burnout, systems, redefining success, and more… because this stuff is almost always on my mind. I hear it from people like you, Reader, in monthly Q&A calls with Paige & her students, inside my membership & during Office Hours, and in blog or YouTube comments.

If you’re feeling any of that—you’re not alone.

Here’s what I’ve been up to lately…

👩🏻‍💻 Client Work & Organizing Reviews

This week, I kicked off a website refresh/add-on project for a past client to add a bunch of stuff to her existing website that we launched together last year, and cleanup the older pages. We also realized that adding reviews to her website is a task that gets backlogged because it feels hard to do, –so I'm gonna make it super easy!

I'm migrating ALL of her existing website reviews AND some new ones into Senja* while setting up her account & review forms to use alongside Honeybook with the goal of seriously simplifying and LEVELING UP her testimonial game. ...Because, when your clients literally take their clothes partly (or entirely) off for a boudoir photoshoot with you as their photographer, ––there's gotta be some serious trust. Am I right?! 👙😬🤭

Why can't AI get this right?

A few months back, just for fun, I used Aragon.ai to create some professional headshot images with AI and it actually did such a great job (for less than $100, if I recall!) that I ended up using some of them. Out of the 100 or so that I got out of that test/experience, about 10-20 were really good! But ALL of them were missing my nose ring. 😭 I've had my nose pierced since I was 21... and now that I'm 38... it's very WEIRD to see myself without it.

All that to say: is Ai coming for our jobs? 🤔 As long as AI can't figure out where/how/why to place a simple gold piece of unadorned 22g jewelry wire... our 'jobs' are prolly safe. Just sayin. 😂

I've even tried adding it back in using Canva, in Affinity Photo (no AI features yet though), using generative AI in Firefly (I don't have Photoshop or any Adobe software anymore, but I bought Firefly for a month to see if that'd work –lol), and researched a bunch of other AI tools with this capability. I didn't try any of the others because... Trust Pilot reviews for some of them are full of unhappy reviews & some even reported suss business practices with forced subscriptions and an inability to cancel...

So, I'm left with neat but completely 'fake', yet otherwise lifelike, nose-ring-less images I like 99% of + a bunch of AI tools that are fun to play with but not perfect yet. 🤭🤣
​

⚡️ Club Updates

I've added a bunch of new resources, including email followup templates for your CRM for new inquiries, design inspiration resources, Club onboarding trends (anonymous data: average age, years of experience, industries members are pivoting from, etc), a list of past call topics for our monthly Office Hours group calls, and a list of past website audits to binge before ya work up the courage to submit your own request. 😉

In the Resources Pg only for All-Access members, I've also added a list of copy/paste smart fields you can use in Dubsado forms & emails (I use it all the time), and information about the recent Squarespace code updates related to Product Detail Pages (PDP) and image and text blocks, in case you're worried past custom code might break after these roll out.
​

​AI Website Copy Masterclass – $67

Finally! (So many spinning plates lately. I'm sure you can't relate. 😉 Yesterday, I added a short info page on my website with sneak peek screenshots of what's in the masterclass!

Specifically, this if for anyone that is happy with their current project systems & doesn't need/want to use Kitchen for a client portal (or any client portal at all), but DOES want to use my content collection system to get decent but basic content from our web design clients without overwhelming them & then use AI to fill in the gaps.
​

Using my own Client Whisperer GPT – $27

2025 marks the 10th year I've been in business, freelancing in some form or another... 🤯 and I've written countless emails in that time. I'm sick to death of writing the same things over and over again, –specifically the 'no thank you' emails, or the 'I'm not a good fit for you emails' or 'I'm not sure what your question is' emails. 😂 So I've been using my own custom GPT a lot to help with that!

This time I'm discussion a topic I see A LOT.
If you’ve ever said, “I’ll get a CRM when I’m more established” or "I don't need one yet"… this one’s for you.

I used to think doing everything myself for free was just me bootstrapping it & saving money. In reality, I was just becoming more broke and more stressed, in slow motion. All those hours spent chasing client info, re-writing the same emails, double-checking dates, sending digital paperwork steps one email at a time, and more that could’ve been handled in minutes—IF I’d had the right tool.

And when I finally did the math, ...avoiding a CRM was costing me about $4,800 every year, back when I was charging the LOWEST rates. That’s a lot of almond milk lattes or avocado toasts. 🫣 ☕️🍞🥑

I’ll walk you through exactly how I got to that number—including how you can calculate your own—and why it’s one of the most expensive “someday” projects you're avoiding in your business.

​Avoiding a CRM is costing you $4,800+ per year​ And that's just the average... it could be slight better ...or a lot worse! 😬 Find Out Now →

Replay ​SquareKicker Interview: Me, Jen Maher, & Noah Olson​ Catch the Replay →

This week's gems:

⏯️ Missed my last post? Set up a free/easy Zap to auto-create projects in Kitchen when contracts are signed in Dubsado.

⏯️ Somewhat Useful #35 AI got ya squirming? This (positive) episode with Will & Christy is worth a listen!

⏯️ Canva's Origin Story Whether you're a "Designer" (capital D) or not, but hate Canva, watch this interview!

8 SEO Blogging Strategies for Google (and ChatGPT) that Most Biz Owners Skip Elizabeth McCravy's podcast, Breakthrough Brand, just released this episode & it's full of great (easy) tips for anyone that's still creating content with the hopes of optimizing it for search engines as well as AI/LLMs. ​Listen to the episode​

Spots are limited, so reserve your FREE seat now! 👆🏼

That's it for today!
See ya next time! ☀️

Katelyn Web Designer & Educator ​Thrivin' on coffee, community, cursing & carefully laid plans!