Other than my way around a spreadsheet and my love of Dolly Parton, I’m finding that these days I’m equally known for my decision to build a business without relying on Instagram or social media for sales. After five years of being off a platform many believe to be a “non-negotiable” for business, I’m asked about my exit from Instagram equally as much as anything to do with pricing, financial planning, or business strategy. So naturally when I discovered that today’s guest, Sarah of Sarah Ann Designs, has also been growing her business without relying on Instagram for sales for the past two years, I was intrigued!
Curious if your business can survive without Instagram?
Today’s episode is a real look behind the highlight reel with two business owners who are currently doing just that. We’re talking all things—marketing, mental health, and money mindsets.
WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/sarah-erickson
Other than my way around a spreadsheet and my love of Dolly Parton, I’m finding that these days I’m equally known for my decision to build a business without relying on Instagram or social media for sales. After five years of being off a platform many believe to be a “non-negotiable” for business, I’m asked about my exit from Instagram equally as much as anything to do with pricing, financial planning, or business strategy. So naturally when I discovered that today’s guest, Sarah of Sarah Ann Designs, has also been growing her business without relying on Instagram for sales for the past two years, I was intrigued!
Curious if your business can survive without Instagram?
Today’s episode is a real look behind the highlight reel with two business owners who are currently doing just that. We’re talking all things—marketing, mental health, and money mindsets.
WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/sarah-erickson
Sarah Erickson (00:00):
I don't want to look back on my life and describe it as busy. That's something that really struck a chord with me. A few years ago. Someone reached out and they said, if you have time, I know you're so busy. And I was like, Ugh, that's, that's not how I want to be known as the person who's always just so busy. And so that really kind of made me think about my priorities and what harmony imbalance would look like for me. And I recognize that as creative entrepreneurs, we are balancing a lot At one time. We are busy people, but we're not so busy that we can't take a few moments to really appreciate a cup of tea on the patio or sunshine on a spring afternoon. We're not so rushed that we can't afford to hold onto a longer hug or to look into someone's eyes and say, I love you. It's just those little moments where we can really be present.
Shanna Skidmore (00:45):
You're listening to Consider the Wildflowers, the podcast, episode 41. Other than my way around a spreadsheet and my love of Dolly Parton, I'm finding that these days I'm equally known for my decision to build a business without relying on Instagram or social media for sales. After five years of being off a platform, many believe to be a non-negotiable for business, I'm asked about my exit from Instagram equally as much as anything to do with pricing, financial planning, or business strategy. So naturally, when I discover that today's guest, Sarah, of Sarah and Designs has also been growing her business without relying on Instagram for sales for the past two years, I was intrigued, curious if your business can survive without Instagram. Today's episode is a real look behind the highlight reel with two business owners who are currently doing just that. We're talking all things marketing, mental health, and money mindsets.
(01:33)
If you dig professional bios, here goes Sarah Erickson creates intentional brand designs for creative entrepreneurs. As lead designer and creative director behind Sarah and Design, she helps our clients elevate their businesses with powerful and refined brand identities. Polished design, supported by thoughtful strategy. Sarah is passionate about equipping creatives to appeal to their ideal clients, elevate their services, and build lasting legacies for their brands. Okay, formal introductions over, let's dive in. Hey, it's Shannon and this is Consider the Wildflowers, the podcast. For the past 15 plus years, I've had the honor to hear thousands of stories from entrepreneurs around the world. As a former Fortune 100 financial advisor, turn business consultant, I have a unique opportunity to see the real behind the highlight reel. I'm talking profit and loss statements, unpaid taxes, moments of burnout, and those of utter victory. Or as my husband says, the content everyone is wondering but not many are talking about. And now I'm bringing these private conversations to you. Hear the untold stories of how industry leaders, founders, and up and coming entrepreneurs got their start, the experiences that shape them and the journey to building the brands they have today. Stories that will inspire and reignite encourage to redefine success and build a life and business on your own terms. Welcome Wildflower. I'm so glad you're here. Hi, Sarah. Welcome to the show. Sarah Erickson (02:51):
Hi, Shanna. Thank you so much for inviting me to be here. I cannot wait to chat with you today.
Shanna Skidmore (02:57):
This is going to be so fun. So I was trying to think before we hit record. When was the last time? I mean, we've seen each other in person.
Sarah Erickson (03:07):
Yes. I think that would've been, I think Blueprint of 2019 Pre Pandemic, sadly, was probably the last.
Shanna Skidmore (03:16):
I know. So that was so fun. And I know we have Share a Kindred love for Miss lately, so
Sarah Erickson (03:24):
Always and Forever.
Shanna Skidmore (03:26):
I love her. Okay. Yeah, that was such a fun blueprint. That was at Dolly's Retreat and Burg. Yes. Yeah, that was my favorite. I know. Pre pandemic. We need to make it happen again. Okay, well, I'm excited because I feel like we don't know each other super, super well, and I am thrilled to get to hear more of your business journey. I think you are such a talented designer and a lovely human. So Sarah, just tell everybody who you are and what you do today, and then we'll kind of kick it back.
Sarah Erickson (04:02):
Oh, thank you so much for the kind words. That means a lot coming from you. I feel the same, that there's a kindred spirit there. So yeah. My name is Sarah Erickson. I own Sarah and Design and I create brands for creative professionals. I love doing logo design and typography in particular, and I get really nerdy over some of those design details.
Shanna Skidmore (04:22):
Your designs are gorgeous. Seriously. Thank you. I was like, I need to get Sarah to design for the podcast. That would be so cool. So an email is coming. Dream
Sarah Erickson (04:33):
Collab.
Shanna Skidmore (04:34):
Oh, you're fun. Sarah, tell us about how did you get started? What was the life before business? Did you go to school for graphic design? I just want to hear all the things.
Sarah Erickson (04:43):
Yes. So I definitely grew up as that kid who was always drawing and doodling. I wanted to be an artist, definitely pictured myself with an easel and a beret. That's awesome. I never knew that graphic design was actually a career path until late high school or early college. So once I kind of discovered what graphic design was, there was definitely a light bulb moment. So I toured where I went to school at S M U and sat in on a class where I walked in the door and all of these students were gathered around a laptop and one of them put their hands to their chest and gasped, and they said, look at the tail on that queue. And I was like, these are my people. This is it. Yes. Very much recognized that this was it for me. So that really started my formal degree in creative advertising and graphic design. I feel really fortunate for me to have had that formal education. It was a really rewarding path, and I feel like I got to learn a really well-rounded sort of approach to graphic design. But one of the things I love about this industry is that there are so many different journeys into creative business. So I love hearing all the different paths that get people into design as well.
Shanna Skidmore (05:57):
Same. I love that. Did you ride after college? I mean, did you do an internship? Did you go ride into graphic design type work? Tell me what happened.
Sarah Erickson (06:07):
Yeah, so during college I had the opportunity to work for both a really small design agency, kind of similar to what a lot of creative businesses in our industry are with just a couple of people on the team. And so I worked there all through college, and then I also did a big agency internship. So I very quickly learned over that summer that big agency was not for me. Yeah, I think that was a little bit of the push. My professors were really flexible and wanted to help everyone find their path, but I think there was a little bit of that expectation that if you're doing well in the program, you're going to go to New York and LA and work at a big agency, and that's what success looks like. So after doing three months at a big agency, it was very clear to me that that was not success for me. So after graduating, I did join that small design firm where I had worked part-time through college, and it was a really natural fit, so many good learning opportunities. I'm really grateful for the people I got to work with there, and it really set me up to be able to start my own business later on as well.
Shanna Skidmore (07:07):
Yeah, I would love to hear Sarah, if you don't mind to share, what were some things about the big agency that you were like, no, thank you.
Sarah Erickson (07:16):
Yeah, there were many of those. No thank you moments. I think a lot of it was just how segmented and the hierarchy of all of it. It would kind of take forever to do things. I guess this is what probably made me naturally suited to start my own business, but at a big agency, it's like, okay, we have this brief, we have a strategy meeting. We do the design work, we've got to send it over to copywriting, and they're going to have it double checked by legal and they're going to send it over to someone who's going to proofread it, and then it comes back. You start over and then you get the feedback from the client. So it was just a lot of time and effort going into this running around in circles, at least for me. And at the end of the day, it was like, okay, well, we produced 13 web banners to advertise a new phone, and it just didn't really feel that fulfilling to me. That's not exactly mission driven in my view. So yeah, I wanted something that definitely felt a little bit more personally rewarding, much more connected to the clients, something that really gave me a chance to see real transformation, not just sell more pizza or more phones.
Shanna Skidmore (08:18):
Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. I've heard that a lot. The hierarchy of big business, it's slow. It feels just like, well, we're crawling to get anything accomplished. So will you give me Sarah a year? What year did you graduate? Just so I can?
Sarah Erickson (08:34):
Yeah, I graduated in December of 2015.
Shanna Skidmore (08:38):
Okay. And so you worked with a small firm it sounds like for a few years. Did you go straight into launching your own business from there and how did all of that come to be?
Sarah Erickson (08:48):
Yeah, I definitely did not intend to start a business. I did not want to be an entrepreneur. Like I said, I kind of pictured myself graduating from college and doing the big agency thing or getting a solid nine to five benefits, lots of stability was definitely something I had in mind for myself. But while I was working at that small design agency, I started looking at the numbers and there was a point where I had asked my boss for a raise and she was really willing to work with me and wanted to give as much as she could, but the numbers just weren't really there to give me a raise at the point that I was looking for. So my husband and I started talking and I was like, I really think that if I were to go out on my own, I think I could match this salary from this small agency. And so once we made that spreadsheet together, I thought it might actually make more financial sense to go out on my own. So it wasn't even driven by passion, it was more like I think I could do similar things and make more money if I were to do this on my own time. And it definitely felt like a risk to a very risk averse person like me. But realistically, I thought the numbers would work in my favor with a little bit of time.
Shanna Skidmore (09:54):
Yeah. So how did it go? I mean, did you tell your boss? Did you get clients first? Did you side hustle for a while? Tell me about the transition.
Sarah Erickson (10:03):
Yes. So I had always had little side hustles here and there. I started in wedding stationary design and calligraphy. So I always had a little Etsy shop and things like that. So I did tell my boss we were so sad to part ways. She had been an amazing influence, but she was really supportive of me starting my business and starting a wedding stationary design. So I offered custom wedding invitation suites for that first year with calligraphy and custom illustrations, all the beautiful paper goodies. That first year. My husband asked what my financial goals were, and I knew it might take some time to build things up. So I said for year one, I just want to make one penny. As long as I wasn't costing us money, I would be happy with any profit at all during that first year. And I was just really surprised after that first year to see that my profit did actually match that small salary from the design agency. So
Shanna Skidmore (10:55):
That's so awesome. Really.
Sarah Erickson (10:56):
Whoa. Yeah.
Shanna Skidmore (10:57):
Okay. Sarah, what year did, so you officially started your business in what year?
Sarah Erickson (11:02):
That would've been 2017.
Shanna Skidmore (11:04):
Okay, so 2017 now. So you're five years in.
Sarah Erickson (11:08):
Yes. Yeah. I can't believe it. It feels like it's flown by and at the same time I've been doing it forever.
Shanna Skidmore (11:14):
Yeah, I know. I feel the exact same. This is our 10th year and I'm like, oh my goodness. Okay. So it sounded like you started in weddings. Yes. And invitations. How did your offers grow and morph? I would just love to hear those early days coming up with your offers and your pricing. What do you feel like went really well and what were some things that maybe were a little harder? The learning curve?
Sarah Erickson (11:40):
Yes. Yeah, definitely lots of learning curves. As with any small business, I guess first, it didn't really take too long before I shifted back to brand design and retired, the wedding stationary design. I loved printed goods. I loved something about that tangible heirloom quality, but my heart has always been in that strategy behind branding, and it just felt so rewarding to work with creative entrepreneurs, and you get to see that real transformation in their business and their life. So when people were asking if I would do brand design, it was pretty natural to kind of add it back in and make that shift toward really where I started, where I had studied and what I had done before at that agency, especially when I started looking at the time invested in each project, the potential profit was a lot higher in branding than in wedding stationary.
(12:26)
And for me, the stress was a lot lower. There are not really any design emergencies in branding, but in weddings, there definitely can be. So I found that was just a really natural shift as far as things that went well, I felt like the business did take off pretty quickly. I was making a lot of connections and getting a lot of inquiries, but it was also hard to be prepared for that fast growth. So working on balance time management, over extending myself boundaries, all of that was really challenging in those early years. And obviously it's something that never get quite perfect. It's something we're all still working on, at least I know. I certainly am.
Shanna Skidmore (13:05):
Yeah, I would love to hear Sarah. Fast growth is almost, I think everyone's dream, but when I talk to people who had fast growth, it's can be really challenging. How did you react to the fast growth and how did it happen? I mean, I think first and foremost, your work is gorgeous. It speaks for itself. So you had great work, but were you networking? Were you going to conferences? How are you marketing? I just want to hear how did it grow so quickly and how did you react to that fast growth?
Sarah Erickson (13:39):
Thank you so much. That means a lot of that early networking was from wedding industry. So I had done styled shoots or collaborations with other wedding vendors for their clients. We were all contributing to their wedding, and then those same wedding industry vendors turned into clients for branding. So I had made a lot of personal connections that way. And then people would ask, do you offer branding? And at the time it was kind of like, yes, I think so. I definitely underpriced myself early on as many people do. And I think that was a really challenging part about growing quickly, is that you don't really have a lot of time to test things in your business. It feels like you're just kind of putting things out there and trying to do what works, but there's not a whole lot of trial and error room because these are real clients that are booking. So yeah, that was definitely a big challenge. And I feel like I would overcommit a lot. I would be willing at that time to stay up late or work weekends and now that's absolutely not the case.
Shanna Skidmore (14:43):
Yeah. How did you learn, I see this a lot, Sarah, I'm so glad you brought this up. Even when you grow really quickly, or it can be take some time to even realize that because you're probably so busy doing the work. Exactly, and keeping up with your workload, you're not sitting down and analyzing the information. When did you realize maybe it's time to increase my price would help with feeling so overworked?
Sarah Erickson (15:12):
I feel really thankful to have such business savvy friends in this area. I feel like I had people in my life who were telling me, you've got to raise your prices. Your work is good enough, the experience is good enough, you've got to level up. And that was hard. Sometimes I just didn't believe them, and there was a little bit of that imposter syndrome or feeling like I needed to do something over the top or extra to make my services worth that price point when in reality they were already worth it. So having that little nudge from friends and people in the industry really helped. I know you've probably talked about this before with a couple of your guests, but doing incremental pricing was a really helpful solve for me. So every time I booked a client, I would just raise my prices by $200 or whatever it was. If someone was booking a package at $1,200, they weren't going to blink an eye at $1,400. So I would just raise it a little tiny bit at a time. And that really helped me grow in a way that felt sustainable and wasn't sticker shocking from one client to the next as I was getting those referrals. So that really helped me elevate and get my prices to a point where I felt comfortable.
Shanna Skidmore (16:16):
Yeah. Okay. So I'm so interested to share as much as you feel comfortable, but I want to talk about the numbers a little bit. It sounds like, you know, went to your husband, you talked about while you were at this small design agency, Hey, I think I could replace my salary here. And then you mentioned the first year just wanting to make a profit not costing you any money. So Sarah, do you feel like you naturally looked at the numbers and knew what to track and look at as far as your salary? Talk about just your relationship with money as a small business owner.
Sarah Erickson (16:50):
Oh gosh. I would not say that I had any type of natural proclivity towards money or business in that way. I just knew I wanted to make something a little bit extra. I was pleasantly surprised to have made that salary the first year, and my husband at the time was working as a teacher. So we did have a dual income. It wasn't huge. Teachers aren't exactly known for having world's biggest salaries, but combined, we were definitely able to make it work. And I just considered my business to be the extras. It was just kind of the little extra on top. It did give me that cushion and flexibility to take risks that I had a husband who was bringing in some kind of income. So that helped a lot. But I definitely was not very savvy with the numbers, and I really had to adjust some money mindset there. I think I had a lot of hangups around talking about money, facing the money, really looking at it as something that was an opportunity and not judgment on my past, decisions on money making. So that shifted a ton and continued to shift as my husband eventually quit his job and became a full-time graduate student. And then I definitely had to pay a lot more attention to the numbers.
Shanna Skidmore (18:03):
What did you, Sarah, start looking at first was how much am I paying yourself? Or were there any resources that really helped even where to begin?
Sarah Erickson (18:15):
Yes, there were some resources that helped me begin. And I would say a lot of that really came from my husband's family. We have been dating since we were 15 all the way back to high school. And his parents are both CPAs, so they talk about money a lot, like taxes are a regular discussion at their dinner table. People are very interested and engaged in talking about finances in a way that my family was not. Yeah, I feel like I came from a background where I'm so grateful to have had a family that was comfortable and financially stable, but in that house, money wasn't something that the kids were supposed to worry about. So we didn't really talk about budgets or finances or investing when I was growing up. And it wasn't until I was sitting at that dinner table with my husband's family that I was like, oh, they talk about money regularly.
(19:03)
And that really helped me open up and really be able to look at the finances without having this anxiety or discomfort. And I feel like that was the biggest switch was just not avoiding the finances anymore. Yeah, I think previously I would just kind of be like, the money will all work itself out. I'm sure it'll be okay. And that was not exactly a great way to manage my finances, especially for a business. So just kind of opening myself up to that mindset of being able to talk about it and not freezing up when anybody says the word budget. Yeah, I learned that it's not some kind of judgment on what I had done wrong and what needed to be fixed. This isn't about blame or what you should have done differently in the past. It's a discussion that offers an opportunity to increase your finances moving forward. So getting through that stumbling block in my mindset was the biggest thing to unlocking. Just being able to look at the numbers and again, to consider it a positive and an opportunity and room to grow and not some type of negative judgment on what I had done in the past.
Shanna Skidmore (20:02):
Yeah. Oh, that's so good. And so with the growth of your company and the growth of your pricing, would you say you've just continued to incrementally increase pricing? Did you see any type of major shift or turning point in your business?
Sarah Erickson (20:18):
No, I really think that incremental pricing was the key. It helped me raise prices in a way that felt very sustainable to me. There wasn't necessarily a huge shift toward, oh my gosh, now I'm charging 10 times the prices. It just grew really naturally, and that felt like a really good fit for me.
Shanna Skidmore (20:35):
Yeah, I think that's such a awesome way to talk about so much of business feels when we look online or on Instagram or whatever the platform would be, it feels like a fast growth, a easy button, do this an overnight success, and really it's just step by step taking the next client growing a little bit at a time. And I just think that's such a beautiful story of do putting your head down, doing your work, and to be celebrated that you're five years in and you're doing the work.
Sarah Erickson (21:08):
Yes. Oh my gosh. That cannot be more true about social media. I like you am not on Instagram anymore. And that's been a really great shift just for my mental balance and bringing up time and space in my life. But I think that's so true that it moves so fast on social media and we see these posts with these huge benchmarks that our industry just glorifies these six or seven figure benchmarks and they just don't show the full picture at all. And yeah, as far as incremental pricing goes, I just want to point out that six to seven figures is a huge jump. And on social media, it makes it seem like everyone goes from, I hit six figures and now I'm onto my seven figure goal. And I'm just thinking there are so many milestones between those two numbers. Doubling a six figure salary is a significant goal, and that's still only a fraction of seven figures. And so I feel like people just jump so quickly between six and seven, and I just think that good growth can be slow growth and that growth happens gradually, not all at once at these arbitrary benchmarks that we hear about online.
Shanna Skidmore (22:12):
Yeah. Cool. Preach. Yes. Sarah, would you mind to share, we're going to go off script a little bit, but I would love to hear, if you wouldn't mind, to share about why you chose to get off social media, how long that's been, how your business has changed since then, how your life has changed it. Just tell me all of the thanks.
Sarah Erickson (22:31):
Oh my gosh. Could not recommend it more. I feel like for me, stepping away from Instagram was a really helpful and beneficial shift in my business. I guess it's probably been about two years, maybe a little longer since I've been on Instagram with a caveat that I do get on once a year and just kind of spam everybody with my latest portfolio projects. Just I get on for one day and post a bunch of stuff and then hop back off. So I use it in a way that works for me, and otherwise I've deleted the apple together from my phone. I think a lot of that for me was looking at time and how much time I was investing in social media, both in terms of creating all of these posts that I was scheduling. And I really tried to put forward intentional content if I'm going to post, I want it to be something meaningful and purposeful.
(23:22)
And doing that on a daily basis in an Instagram caption was taking a lot of time. And I wasn't necessarily sure that it was time well spent or converting my audience into clients. And it wasn't time that I enjoyed. I think especially once video came around, I was like, I am not going to be spending my time on that. No, thank you. And that really facilitated a big shift to off the program completely. So it's been amazing for me. My business shifted some in terms of how we're marketing. I think that Pinterest has been a really great resource for us. That's something that is well suited to design. So I feel like that's been something that was a natural fit for us, but it really increasing my followers there has been helpful. And it's also in turn helped grow my email list. So I have a much better connection with people who are on my email list. And I really get that time and space to craft those long, intentional, purposeful messages that never really fit in the caption format anyway. And I've, I've really enjoyed it. I feel like it just frees up a lot of that mental space and you kind of don't even realize how that time is adding up. Even if it's just five minutes scrolling or 10 or it turns into an hour, those are hours that I would rather spend out in nature with the sunshine on my face, not looking at a screen.
Shanna Skidmore (24:40):
So I know everyone's big fear. Was Instagram a big part of your marketing before? Were you getting a lot of clients that way? And did you see a drop in clients when you decided to get off of Instagram?
Sarah Erickson (24:55):
Instagram definitely was bringing in a lot of clients. It did generate quite a bit of my leads. Sometimes it would be people who I had a connection with outside of Instagram, but just staying top of mind on Instagram was what facilitated them to finally reach out and work with me. So a couple things there. One, I feel like I was pretty transparent on Instagram, Hey, this is why I'm stepping away. I wrote a blog post that really detailed my thoughts behind it, and I think a lot of people kind of shared that mindset or appreciated what I was doing and were willing to come along for the journey by joining my email list. So we were able to stay in touch that way. And then I also did put a lot of time and effort into client experience. What can I do to make my clients happy and increase those referral circles? And those have always been the best leads. I would much rather work with someone who is coming from a client that I already loved working with. We have a connection that's already established. And so I was like, I'd rather put those time and money into creating that client experience and increasing referrals than shooting my shot on Instagram where who knows what the algorithm is going to do with my post. Anyway.
Shanna Skidmore (26:00):
Yeah, this is all so good. Sarah, thank you for sharing. And I think, correct me if I'm wrong, you're still offering one-on-one client services with branding, and I think you do some websites then too. So you probably need, what, 15 or 20 clients max a year if that?
Sarah Erickson (26:19):
Yes, exactly. So that helps too that there's a pretty small client list. And again, that if I can just get each of my past clients to mention my name to someone else, that already really helps build my calendar of projects for the year. So that's just been so rewarding to do that without Instagram.
Shanna Skidmore (26:36):
Yeah. Okay. Thank you so much for sharing, because I think that's a big fear. I hear this so much because I've been off for five years now, and so I still I know. Love it. Every day I still, and I'm interested to hear from you, Sarah. There are days though, I'm like, I know, especially now because we have the education side, it impacts our bottom line or our brand awareness, which just to me is a challenge to do better in other areas, not to jump on, but sometimes it can be a little infuriating to do business in the time of social media and to choose to be off social media. So I'm interested to hear your thoughts on that. But I just wanted to say years ago I heard my friend Emily, who created Once Sweat, she said, if you put all of your followers in one room, how many of those could you actually work with in a year?
(27:29)
And again, now that I have education, that's different, right? Because it's like, sure, we can work with so many, but for you and for anybody, and back then I was still fully, that's such a good reminder. Our pool can be smaller so you don't have to be so worried about not investing this time. And that was exactly the same for me, Sarah. I chose to get off one because of how it made me feel. That's what prompted it. But two, I looked at the data and the analytics and my time could be spent elsewhere. That's more suited for me personally. And that's what I try to teach all my students every day. We all have to do marketing. We all have a certain amount of time in a day to choose the one to two platforms that works best for you. So anyways, I got on a tangent cause I love this conversation clearly.
Sarah Erickson (28:16):
Oh, I'm like amen to all of that.
Shanna Skidmore (28:19):
But Sarah, are there ever days where you feel frustrated? I'm not on social media and it's highly aware that everyone else in the world is
Sarah Erickson (28:30):
Maybe, like I said, I do. I pop on once a year and just dump my portfolio photos and I always just remind myself that's an option. Yeah, there are no rules. Nobody says, I can never look at Instagram ever again. So if I want to hop on one day I can. And just reminding myself that the option is there is usually enough to assuage that fear a little bit. It's like, okay, well, it's always there if I need it or want it, that helps me a lot. And then also just looking at like, like you said, how does it make me feel? Getting on social media to me has a trade off. And a lot of times we don't think about it that way because Instagram does make it so easy to get on and to scroll and to feel like, you know, didn't really do anything with that time per se. But when I look at where did that hour go and what could I have done with that hour in my life, that's an hour that I could have spent. Again, looking at birds in the hills with my husband soaking up a sunset. It could have been filled with laughter and hugs and kisses, so much richness that I feel like I'm wasting with a screen. And so when I look at the trade offs and think about where that hour could have gone, I don't regret it at all. Yeah.
Shanna Skidmore (29:43):
Oh, Sarah. I mean, this makes my heart so happy. I didn't know I needed this conversation today, but I needed it. Thank you.
Sarah Erickson (29:51):
I'm always here to encourage people to step back from social media. I really think there's just so much more outside of life than that, and we do think we all need it. I definitely fell into that too. I thought, can I run a business without it? And so I just said, I'm going to try it for a month. Okay. It went all right, I'm going to try it for two months, for six months, and my business is still standing, so it doesn't have to be a forever decision. You can say, I'm going to take a month away or a week away, whatever feels like a good goal for you. It doesn't have to be a permanent decision.
Shanna Skidmore (30:22):
Yeah. Such good encouragement. And I would love to hear just will you talk about Sarah, one from the perspective of deciding to not have Instagram, but just in general, how has growing a business impacted your family dynamic? How do you find harmony with your work life and your home life? And then to layer on top of that, did you see a shift in that harmony when you decided to get off of Instagram?
Sarah Erickson (30:54):
Yes. Oh gosh, I wish I had the perfect answer to this one. If I could just unlock that key to balance for all of us, I really would love to. It's something I think about a lot. And for me right now, balance means just trying to be fully present in the current moment. I think about, I don't want to look back on my life and describe it as busy. That's something that really struck a chord with me a few years ago. Someone reached out and they said, if you have time, I know you're so busy. And I was like, Ugh, that's, that's not how I want to be known as the person who's always just so busy. And so that really kind of made me think about my priorities and what harmony imbalance would look like for me. And I recognize that as creative entrepreneurs, we are balancing a lot at one time.
(31:38)
We are busy people, but we're not so busy that we can't take a few moments to really appreciate a cup of tea on the patio or sunshine on a spring afternoon. It's just we're not so rushed that we can't afford to hold onto a longer hug or to look into someone's eyes and say, I love you. It's just those little moments where we can really be present and not have to rush or be busy through those moments. So I think harmony is really about evaluating those priorities. I think I mentioned my husband and I are avid birders. We're definitely into very elderly hobbies here. So we frequently visit the mountains with our binoculars in hand, looking for the latest life listers. And every time we're out there is the sun is going down, everything's covered in that golden light. I just find myself asking, what could I have possibly thought was more important than this?
(32:27)
An email another hour at my desk? No, no. It's like nothing could have compared to the way that my soul is just lifted in that moment. And that's what I'm really looking for more of when I think about balance. It's just those little tiny moments where I can be present and grateful. Think about the things that deserve priority in my schedule, priority in my thoughts, in my mind. And so I'm thinking about where I want to invest my time and energy. What are those moments that bring me peace and joy and inspiration and I'm chasing after those? And those are not usually found in a screen.
Shanna Skidmore (33:00):
Sarah, I feel like you just led us on a meditation, just the way your voice and everything. I mean, I feel calmer and I did not know that you were an avid birder. That makes me so happy to know this. My follow up question, and then I want to go back to getting off Instagram. Did you always run your business this way? Did you ever find yourself working all the time or have you had great boundaries? And again, I know you're not perfect, nobody's perfect. From the beginning.
Sarah Erickson (33:31):
I did not have great boundaries at all in the beginning. I did not run my business this way at all. I was definitely overworked and really willing to stretch myself again with late nights and weekends. And part of it is just like I look back now and I wonder where that energy even came from. I don't think I could do that now if I even wanted to. I guess just youth, I don't know. But I don't think I could do that anymore. And honestly, a lot of those changes for me came from a really difficult season. Just dealing with depression and anxiety and being in a really low spot in my life kind of helped me learn a couple things about my priorities and where I want that time invested, what is bringing me true joy and what's not. Then some of that too is just by necessity.
(34:19)
I really had to take a step back. I was not able to do as much as I had at my previous full capacity. And again, my business kept running. And so just taking a look at that and thinking, okay, when I needed to do things on a more efficient type of schedule because my energy just wasn't there again, I was able to do it and to keep things running. And so I feel like that's something I'm often thinking about is, okay, if I could do four hours of super productive work, that's so much better to me than 12 hours of distracted kind of difficult work. And so I'm really trying to be as efficient as I can and really pack that presence into what I'm doing. So that's been really big for me. And I do feel like social media plays a role in that. Again, just with the distraction of your phone buzzing and going off all the time, it's just one less thing to be distracting and thinking about when you're trying to be focused.
Shanna Skidmore (35:15):
Sarah, thank you so much for sharing that. And there's a quote, I will find it and in quota, but about our tasks expand to the time that they're given. So if you limit your time, oh, that's so good, you get done faster. Whereas if you have a ton of time, when I work with students or clients who are maybe early on in their business, they don't have a lot of time constraints versus when I work with somebody who still has a nine to five job, it puts time into perspective. And sometimes I say, not needing money can hurt you, and not having time constraints can hurt you because when you have time constraints or when you need money, I think it naturally forces us to get more strategic and more efficient with our time. So I'm so grateful that you shared that. I think so often we think if we slow down, we'll lose momentum. And I have found in my own business that has not been the case.
Sarah Erickson (36:15):
Slowing down usually tends to be the seasons that produce the most inspiration and lead to the most growth overall. Yeah.
Shanna Skidmore (36:22):
Oh, this is so good. Before we go into kind of a quick fire round, Sarah, I would love to hear, do you have certain benchmarks or how do you measure and ensure that you are designing a business around the life you want? So what kind of boundaries do you have in place? If you're like, Sarah is working nights, this is a sign that sum thingss up, or if you're stressing over emails while you're bird watching, are there certain things that are kind of indicators? I would say that things have gotten a little out of balance.
Sarah Erickson (36:59):
Oh, that is such a good question. I should probably write these down. You're making me think about it in a new way, which I love. Yeah, I do think that you're right on the nose with some of those anxieties coming up. I feel like I've learned a lot about managing anxiety and living with it, but I think when I do start to feel those things coming up in my body, especially, I start to feel like that tightness in my chest, or I'll notice that as I've been working, my shoulders are really tight. Those are the types of things that start to clue me in, okay, things are not good. It's a little stressful. This is a bit of a warning sign. That's definitely a big one. And then I think looking at the client list too, I've definitely been in seasons where I look at my past clients for the six months and say, I'm not sure that those were a hundred percent dream clients, and that can be kind of hard to face that you spent that much time and effort serving clients that maybe we're not the hundred percent best fit dream clients.
(37:55)
And so I'm always kind of evaluating that and looking back and saying, you know, what would've made these clients even dreamier to me? What would've made them just like the very best clients I can be attracting into my business? And that helps a lot to just keep things aligned and keep myself working with people who really inspire me and bring me work that brings both profit and joy into my life. I'm always looking at that and kind of evaluating, okay, what can I do to reach the newest version of what a dream client looks like for me?
Shanna Skidmore (38:23):
Yeah. Yeah. That's so good. I always like to ask Sarah, what would you say is the best thing that you have learned about money?
Sarah Erickson (38:32):
Oh gosh. A lot. I feel like I always still learning about money, but I think the most important one to me, even though maybe a cliche, is just that there's always more money, but your time is precious. And I think in creative industry, there always are more clients and more income waiting around the corner. I truly believe that. I think that there is more than enough money out there for all of us, and it may take some work to find those clients and connect with them, but there's no shortage of people who are willing and excited to pay for your services or products. And that means there's always more income out there if we're willing to invest the time and effort and strategy to bring it into our lives. But our time, that is limited. So for me, money flows both ways. It comes in and out of our life.
(39:20)
It's very fluid. Sometimes I kind of think of myself as a vessel that holds money for this period of time and then directs it elsewhere. We're giving and receiving money out of our lives every single day literally, but time only moves in one direction. So to me, those hours are so much more precious than dollars, and we only have that finite number of hours on this earth. It doesn't come and go like money. It only moves that one direction, and we get to choose how we want to spend those hours, and I want to choose them as wisely as I can.
Shanna Skidmore (39:50):
Sarah, I have never, as much as I talk about time and money and the correlation of those two, I have never thought about the fact that money comes and goes, but time only goes. I mean, it just blew my mind. That is so true and weighty. That's
Sarah Erickson (40:07):
Cool. Yeah, it is. It's a lot to think about, but I feel like it really does shift your perspective. It makes you want to do the most you can with the hours we have.
Shanna Skidmore (40:15):
Yeah. This is so good. I feel like I just want to keep talking about this, but let's go into a quick fire round. And I just want to say thank you so much for sharing your story and your journey, but I think too, just sharing your heart, what you've shared today has been so impactful for me. And I preach every day, how can we build a business designed around the life you want? But to do that, you have to have kindred spirits around you who are doing the same, because no matter how much we hold onto that truth, it is easy for the voices of the world and more and hustle culture to kind of get in. So thank you for just breathing life into me today with your calming voice.
Sarah Erickson (40:59):
I really appreciate that. It really is always such a pleasure to find people that share those values in that kindred spirit. Like you said, there are a lot of noises and voices out there that don't necessarily align with that, and I think more of us are seeking that than maybe we realize through social media. So I love having a place like this where we can really have a conversation about it, and hopefully our listeners can also connect with us, and I'm sure that something about this might resonate with them too. And that just opens our circle to even more kindred spirits, which I love.
Shanna Skidmore (41:30):
And I always want to say too, I often talk about what is enough, defining enough and finding harmony, and I always want to encourage anyone who's in a season of growth and energy and building their empire, that's okay too. It's just this idea of defining what you value. You said that so well, finding your value in this season and mine, I have a tiny little toddler at home, is definitely a slower pace with work. And that's just is what it is, and accepting the season we're in and what we value in this season. So if anybody listening is out there, please know we're cheering you on building your empire as well.
Sarah Erickson (42:13):
Yes, yes. Cheering on all seasons and all versions of success as long as it's true for you. Yeah,
Shanna Skidmore (42:18):
Exactly. Okay, let's quick fire.
Sarah Erickson (42:20):
I'm ready.
Shanna Skidmore (42:21):
All right. Sarah, what is one thing you would be embarrassed if people knew?
Sarah Erickson (42:26):
Oh my gosh, I couldn't believe I was going to tell you this on a podcast. During my first year of business, like I said, I didn't really talk very much about the money. I just thought it would all kind of come together. And I thought that we would pay sales tax at the same time that we just paid our annual personal taxes. So I didn't know that it needed to be paid throughout the year. So I didn't pay sales tax for the entire first year of my business. Thankfully, I realized my mistake, and there was an amnesty program that year, luckily just kind of by coincidence, that allowed me to avoid any fines. If I signed a legal document that basically said in writing, I'm an idiot, please forgive me. So signing my name to that document was pretty humbling. I would say that was definitely a lesson learned and again, facilitated my mindset to change a little bit and open up a little bit more about those conversations around finances. So something like that would not happen again.
Shanna Skidmore (43:27):
I mean, those moments feel so big. Yes,
Sarah Erickson (43:33):
This
Shanna Skidmore (43:35):
Feels real and very important, and I need to understand. Well, I know someone listening is saying, thank you, Sarah, for sharing, because I've been there, done that. I have many clients who have done the same. So you are not alone.
Sarah Erickson (43:50):
You don't know what you don't know, so Exactly S
hanna Skidmore (43:52):
Right. That's exactly right. That paperwork, all of that, I've done fines for 15 years and I still get confused. It is still confusing if you don't practice it in and out every day. So give yourself grace people. Okay, yes. Second, any regrets or wish you could do over moments?
Sarah Erickson (44:11):
Yes. So many. If I could go back and just do everything perfectly, but I think the biggest one is just I, it's more personal, but I wish I had started therapy sooner. I think in the beginning, like I said, there were those emails that would just send me into anxiety attacks, and I would just lie awake at night for hours thinking about them. Anxiety had just been a part of my life for so long that I thought it was normal. I didn't really see a problem with it at first. And through therapy, I really learned so, so much about how to manage that. So I mean, of course I still struggle like anyone with moments of anxiety or depression, but on the whole, I just feel much better equipped to face those everyday challenges in business. And I just wish I portrayed those moments of fear and anxiety for moments of peace and joy. But I also know that that was part of the journey that brought me here that allows me to have those moments of peace and joy now. So yeah.
Shanna Skidmore (45:00):
Sarah, thank you for sharing. I just love talking to you so much, and I feel like that's such a important thing to share. Thank you for sharing that because I can relate so much, and I think this is something that isn't talked about enough. Just like you said, the everyday things that come with running a business and recognizing things that are challenging or tough for you and not, I know I have judged myself or gotten frustrated with myself. Why is this so hard for you? Or why does this bother you so much? Or why can't you do social media every normal human? And recognizing how things affect you. And then going to, I have the most wonderful counselor I worked with years ago. I love her, Ms. Polly, and it's so helpful to talk those things out. But whatever, if it's a virtual assistant to answer emails or when people ask for refunds, it hurts my feelings. So just recognizing those things and understanding how to not dwell on them is so
Sarah Erickson (46:04):
True, so helpful, so true. Especially, I mean, running a small business, it is so personal. So I feel like the things that are going on for us in our emotional lives or our personal lives, it does affect our business in the way that we're present in our business, and also can really have an effect on the bottom line too. I mean, I think it's hard to work through feeling that way or being paralyzed by that fear or anxiety or judgment, whatever it is. And so I do think it just can make a huge, huge difference to address what's going on in your personal life and be able to come more fully present to your business.
Shanna Skidmore (46:35):
Yeah, so good. Okay, quick fire. Question three, A big win or pinch me moment.
Sarah Erickson (46:41):
I think just realizing that my business had real power to support our family. So I'm the primary income earner now since my husband is a full-time student, but even before my husband quit his job, there were these little milestones that made me realize some of the potential within my business. And I know we talked about six figure and seven figure, and that has its own whole thing wrapped up in it. But the first time my business crossed over the six figure line was definitely a pinch me moment. Remember, my starting goal was one penny. So I never dreamed that my business would help my husband pursue his dreams the way that he had helped me pursue mine. And that really, I guess, gave me the confidence that this was something that could support our family. And I guess I'll give a further caveat on the six figure line that I've had six figure years that corresponded with some of my lowest personal moments, years that were so difficult and unfulfilling.
(47:35)
I would've paid six figures just to get out of it. And I've had years where I made much less that were filled with beauty and creativity and inspiration and so much more success than what was shown on paper that year. So just to remember that whatever your journey is, comparison is the thief of joy, especially when we don't have the full behind the scenes picture. I think it's really difficult to, especially on social media, see those latest highlights, another 50 K launch or seven figure business model, and maybe you are celebrating a year with an income half of that, and now you feel discouraged like your achievement wasn't worth celebrating. Maybe you were crossing your fingers for a client that didn't book, or you've had a slow month or quarter or a year, maybe you're just trying to break even. And I think that's okay. We've all felt that too. We don't see that on social media. We don't see those lower moments. So if you're just feeling the weight of discontentment right now, I hope you won't let your comparison turn accomplishments into disappointments and let your ambition drive you to reach new heights, but to not be afraid of being content in the season where you are.
Shanna Skidmore (48:39):
I'm, I'm speechless over here, Sarah, you need to be, please start a daily encouragement podcast of your work. I mean, that just, I'm like, did you write that down? That was so powerful and so spoken. Just so much truth into my soul. Thank you.
Sarah Erickson (48:57):
Well, there is no podcast. You won't hear my voice, but I do have daily affirmations, so if that's something that people want to sign up for, it's a hundred days of affirmation with one delivered to your inbox every morning. And a lot of that just came from my own personal journey and the words that I needed to hear. So I'm more than happy to share that if people are interested in that type of thing.
Shanna Skidmore (49:17):
How do we get that, Sarah?
Sarah Erickson (49:19):
I'll make sure to give you guys a link, but all of my resources are on my blog, and I would love to have you guys on that list and just starting your day with something positive.
Shanna Skidmore (49:27):
Okay. We're linking it below a hundred days of affirmation because that was so joyful. And my love of Dolly Parton
Sarah Erickson (49:37):
Always
Shanna Skidmore (49:38):
Surprise, but her quote, my favorite quote, it's on my website. It's like my mantra. I never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life, and I teach about finance every day, but it is proven psychologically, money after you reach your needs, of course, we have needs for food and shelter and those types of things, like it has no positive correlation with happiness and joy, and I think you have said it so well. We often start businesses to create the life that we want, and recognizing that your number or whatever that is, we compare it, that's stealing away joy from accomplishments you've had. So thank you for that reminder to celebrate and our accomplishments so that truly we can celebrate in others as well.
Sarah Erickson (50:29):
Very much so.
Shanna Skidmore (50:30):
Okay. I'm signing up for affirmations. I'm excited. Okay. Sarah, what is the best advice or just really good advice that you have received?
Sarah Erickson (50:38):
I mean, so many people have poured into me throughout my life and my business, and I'm so, so thankful for the many mentors and friends who have supported me. But the one thing that came to mind thinking about this question was not advice per se, but a quote that I've had on my desk since college by Ira Glass. I'm sure many of you creatives have heard it before. It's all about appreciating the gap between where you are and where you want to be, that your taste got you into this, and you can understand that the work that you're producing doesn't match the level of your taste and what you aspire to be. So the full quote is definitely worth reading if you guys have time, but one line really sums it up for me, which is quote, it is only by going through a volume of work that you'll close that gap and your work will be as good as your ambitions.
Shanna Skidmore (51:25):
That's so good. That reminds me, there is a poem, it's called Like Leaf by Niggle. I think it's, I'll link it below, but it's that same idea of as an artist, as a creative, we have this vision and it can be frustrating when we can't make that come to life.
Sarah Erickson (51:43):
Exactly, yes. But
Shanna Skidmore (51:45):
The process is so important,
Sarah Erickson (51:49):
And for all the marketing and strategy that's out there and is so important, I really just come back to the work that we do is at the core of the services that we offer, and I think just continually working on your skillset and wanting to improve whatever it is that you're creating is always going to be at the heart of everything. And so for me, it's just always pushing myself and practicing my craft and wanting to improve that core service over any of the other kind of extra trappings around it. That's really the focus for me.
Shanna Skidmore (52:19):
Yeah, I love that. Okay, last quick far question and then we will send it off. What are you working on now or one resource you would like to share?
Sarah Erickson (52:30):
Yeah, so right now I am currently accepting brand design clients for the remainder of the year. We have just a few openings left and I would love to work with creatives who feel a connection to our values and are aesthetic and who are just looking for brands that are really thoughtfully and intentionally designed. If that feels like a good fit, I would so love to hear from you. And as far as resources, I have put a lot of work into free resources available on the blog, so our most popular one is probably that list of affirmations that I mentioned before. I'd love to have you on that list. We also have a color palette resource with a hundred different color palettes as well as plenty of just free articles on the blog as well. So I hope you'll just visit and check it out and if you have any questions or there's anything else you'd like for me to talk about or create a resource for, just let me know.
Shanna Skidmore (53:17):
Sarah, you're so wonderful, and we will make sure that the links that you have shared are below, so everybody can easily navigate those from the show notes. Okay. Sad. Okay. I'm excited from affirmations, but we're going to send it off. Sarah, thank you for your time. And tell everyone, what would you tell yourself, looking back on day one of starting your business five years ago, what would you tell yourself now?
Sarah Erickson (53:45):
I think I would just tell myself, be patient. Be patient with yourself, and allow yourself to discover joy in the process. There's so much still ahead and just finding those moments of joy along the way is really what it's all about.
Shanna Skidmore (54:01):
So good. Sarah, this has been so wonderful spending time with you and so encouraging for my heart. So thank you for sharing and showing up with all of who you are. And I just am so grateful to know you.
Sarah Erickson (54:14):
I am equally grateful to know you. It's just been a real joy to come on. And yeah, just to share a little bit of my heart and my story, and I appreciate everyone listening in and just so enjoyed this time together. I'm really thankful for the opportunity
Shanna Skidmore (54:29):
And let's make a dolly trip happen soon.
Sarah Erickson (54:32):
Yes, please. I'm in anytime. That would be wonderful.
Shanna Skidmore (54:37):
Hey, wildflower, you just finished another episode of Consider the Wildflowers the podcast. Head over to consider the wildflowers podcast.com for show notes, resource links, and to learn how you can connect with Sarah. One final thought for today from Mark Twain. The secret to making progress is to get started. As always, thank you for listening. I'll see you next time.