🛶 The most valuable thing I offer

When I was younger I had to be right about everything.

Was scared to be wrong & scared to make a mistake. So I either did the thing “perfectly” - or walked away.

Now that I have a PDA kid, it's much easier to say "whoops made a mistake, I'm sorry!" Almost 46 years of life has given me the capacity to say "I don't know enough to have an opinion on that yet."

Maybe why the deluge of advice on social media channels rubs me the wrong way.

People so ready to insist their POV is correct. The one way to do it.

I prefer to start with curiosity.

I've learned that when someone understands my experience, they're better equipped to help.

Curiosity leads to empathy - and goddamn this is important when you're trying to do it all on your own.

Let's be real: none of us can be experts in all the things.

When first starting out, DIY is the smart path.

As you grow, you learn that DIYing everything in your business demands expertise in marketing, business development, legal stuff, hiring, logistics, and a million other difficult things.

C’mon Reader. That's unreasonable! Cut yourself some slack.

Now that I'm almost 6 years in, I know that trying to become an expert in everything is a disservice to my clients – and myself.

And I learned this the hard way.

Back when I owned my cheese shop, I thought the answer to scaling was ecommerce.

Obviously, right?

If I could ship our gorgeous artisanal cheeses nationwide, I could grow beyond the day-to-day obligations.

So I dove in headfirst. I figured, how hard could it be?

Pretty damn hard.

…I had no clue about cold storage shipping.

…No idea that people expected small-business charm but Amazon-level speed.

…I was fumbling around trying to figure out how to replicate our magical in-person experience for online customers.

Every night, I'd be Googling "What does WordPress File appears to have been modified mean" and "cold shipping ice packs no condensation" – basically flailing in the dark.

The worst part?

I felt like I should have been able to do this seamlessly. That imposter syndrome hit hard. I mean, clearly I was small-time.

Looking back, what I really needed wasn't ecommerce.

I needed systems that would give me my life back.

If someone had asked me - "What does success actually look like for you? What's the real problem you're trying to solve?" - I might have found a completely different solution.

And I didn't know who to ask. Or how.

That's why now, when someone comes to me about their website, I want to understand their actual goals first.

→ What's working?
→ What's not?
→ Where are they trying to go?

Because every business is different.

Most people don't come to me for empathy – but it might be the most valuable thing I offer.

You know that squishy, embarrassed feeling when talking to a service provider and they ask about something you "should" have done already?

I see this all the time on discovery calls.

Someone apologizes for not having Google Search Console connected, or feels sheepish about their lack of accessible brand colors, or starts explaining why they haven’t set up email marketing yet.

Here's what I always forget to say upfront:

"I have zero judgment about any of this. I'm asking questions because I want to understand the business you have created. And you're here because you want help, which means I don't expect you to have it all figured out."

Curiosity creates space to get clear about what's actually happening in your business.

And that's when we can find solutions that actually work.

Turns out, this approach is exactly what my clients need – even when they didn't know to ask for it:

“ Carolyn’s skill in answering questions from her expertise without making me feel like a dumbo was so refreshing. I was never afraid to ask why she designed or wrote the way she did, and I learned so much about the depth and care she put into the project. — Allyn Miller, Child Connection

“ I feel like I have a colleague in my work. I feel like I have an ally. — Neil Runyon, Carnegie Hill Massage Therapy

“ She's a fantastic listener and has a knack for understanding your vision and making it come alive... I just love how Carolyn really listened to me. — Bunmi Adeeko Collins, StickyNote Creative

If you're feeling overwhelmed by trying to make your tech stack work, want a website fix but don't know where to start, or are just stuck trying to figure out your next move:

Start with the right questions instead of jumping to solutions.

That's exactly what we do in a Scouting Session – 90 minutes to suss out what's actually working, what isn't, and where you're trying to go. Then a clear-as-hell roadmap so you can actually do it.

No assumptions, no cookie-cutter advice.

Just curiosity about your specific business and a clear path forward that actually fits your goals.

Peace out cub scout,

Reader, when you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

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