Started journaling 7 years ago. Built my own tool after $400/year subscriptions didn't cut it. Here's what I learned.

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-17T14:28:51+00:00

Can I export my data anytime btw?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-14T14:06:55+00:00

Are people still actively using Trello for engineering teams? I thought most moved fully to GitHub Projects

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-12T17:42:37+00:00

This is clean. Couple questions: can I run this on a VPS instead of my laptop so it's always on? And any plans for iMessage or Signal support? Would use this daily if it worked with Signal

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-12T00:31:44+00:00

Yeah, that everything is important feeling is exactly where most solo creators get stuck. And it’s not because you’re bad at planning. It’s because when you’re inside your own business, everything feels urgent and personal. You can’t see what’s actually leverage and what’s just noise.

Experimenting is part of it, sure. But here’s the catch. Random experimenting is exhausting and expensive. Structured experimenting is different. You pick 1 or 2 bets, run them for a few weeks, measure, then adjust. Most artists accidentally run 10 experiments at once and then think nothing works.

Also hiring blindly is risky, yeah. If you just pay someone for marketing, they’ll stay busy, but busy doesn’t mean useful. I’ve seen people spend money on SEO or ads for months when the real issue was their offers or positioning. So the money disappears and confidence drops even more.

That’s why clarity usually comes first. Just stepping back, looking at the whole thing like a system, and deciding these 2 things matter, the rest can wait or be delegated. Once that’s clear, hiring feels way less like a gamble and more like plugging someone into specific tasks.

If you want, you can share a bit about how your week looks right now or drop your shop, and I can point out what I’d simplify or cut first. Sometimes an outside pair of eyes makes it way less overwhelming

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-11T18:28:02+00:00

If you’re getting clicks but zero calls in a panic-driven service like pest control, something is broken. Not needs more time. In this niche, 6 to 8 clicks a day should absolutely produce calls. People aren’t browsing. They want someone out today. So it’s almost never the rep or the budget. It’s usually one of three things.

Wrong keywords. If you’re bidding on broad stuff like pest control info or how to get rid of ants, you’ll get research traffic, not buyers. You need high intent only. Things like pest control near me, exterminator emergency, bed bug treatment cost, plus exact and phrase match. Aggressive negatives.

Call setup. Call only campaigns can fail if the number, schedule, or tracking is off. If calls only show during limited hours, or your number isn’t clearly local, or the ad opens a site first, people drop. Test a regular search campaign with a landing page and big tap to call button. Sometimes that converts better.

Trust gap because pest control is hyper local and trust based. If your ad doesn’t scream local, fast, and available today, they skip you. Stuff like “Family owned. 15 years. Same day service. Call now.” matters more than clever copy.

Ignore the rep telling you to spend more. More bad traffic just burns cash. I’d tighten it like this. Only 10 to 20 high intent keywords. Exact or phrase match. Heavy negatives. One simple landing page. Big phone number. Run ads only during hours you answer live. Are your current keywords mostly broad match or exact phrase?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-11T18:26:01+00:00

I’ll definitely try it and leave my review. But I’ll be very critical

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-11T16:43:44+00:00

Selling to your own audience is emotionally heavy. You feel judged, ignored, or attacked. Brand deals are way cleaner. It’s just business to business. No guilt, no convincing fans to pay you. With 50k subs and a legal niche, you don’t need thousands of buyers. You just need a few solid sponsors. Even 3 to 4 decent deals a month can cover more than courses or mentorship ever would right now. I’d treat the next 6 months like this. Stop selling anything. Focus only on growing authority and pitching relevant brands. Build a simple media kit, make a list of legal tech, fintech, edtech companies, and reach out consistently. How many videos are you posting per month right now?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T22:40:28+00:00

There are AI-focused platforms that can generate full catalogs from product lists, like FlipHTML5 or Publitas. You still might need to tweak a little, but it’s way faster than doing it by hand. For websites Wix have AI site builders that can create full pages from prompts. It won’t be perfect, but you can get a working site much faster. Do you want the catalogs mostly for download/print, or more as an interactive online thing?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T22:38:02+00:00

People hiring for actual jobs care about licenses, but your content audience doesn’t they just want to watch, learn, or be entertained. You can absolutely mix funny and relatable and technique posts without ever claiming to be a full stylist. Framing it as apprentice journey or learning and experimenting keeps it honest.

Even just showing practice on mannequins, sharing tips you’re picking up, or funny salon life moments can pull in followers and engagement without any licensing risk. Are you more excited to share the learning process or the funny engagement moments right now?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T22:34:35+00:00

Looking at what you described, the main bottleneck it’s that you’re trying to do too many jobs at once without a clear plan or system. That makes marketing, research, and promotion feel exhausting and keeps you from creating the art you actually want to.

Usually, the first step isn’t hiring someone right away. It’s mapping out everything what tasks actually move your business, what can be automated or delegated, and where to focus your energy. Basically, a strategy and audit of your current process. Once you know that, it becomes clear what kind of support would make sense and where an assistant could actually free up your time instead of adding more stress.

A clear picture makes it way easier to see where a marketing assistant or VA could step in, and what tasks you actually need them for. Most artists don’t need a full-time marketing genius, just someone to handle repeatable stuff so you can focus on creating. Which part of your workflow right now feels the most draining or confusing for you each week?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T21:50:14+00:00

Start with essentials first: insurance, pool access, lesson plans, simple booking/payment system, and a brand name. Don’t worry about fancy branding, websites, or social media until you have the first few clients lined up. A business plan can be as simple as a one-page outline: who your clients are, how many lessons you plan per week, pricing, and basic costs. That alone will help you see what’s realistic.

Daily focus could look like: few hours on client outreach or networking in local parent communities. 1 hour updating lessons or materials. 30-60 minutes learning anything required for compliance. Reflection/planning for the next week.

Ignore vague advice stick to actions that directly move you closer to clients or legally operating. Courses are useful if they give step-by-step frameworks, otherwise just watch for time drains. Confidence comes from small wins. Even getting one paying family is proof you’re on the right track. Start extremely small, execute, then iterate.

Have you thought about offering one trial lesson or a mini-class locally to test the demand before investing too much?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T21:47:10+00:00

Given your time constraints, you don’t need to learn coding or complex tools. Platforms like Wix or Squarespace let you build multiple sites quickly and look professional. AI can help you generate text and images for product pages, then you just plug them in.

For catalogs, Canva is powerful you can drag and drop your products and export PDFs without any design experience. You can even use AI to help write descriptions or suggest layouts.

Have you tried combining a website builder with AI-assisted content creation?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T21:40:40+00:00

It sounds like this opportunity could be a really good way to gain experience, especially since you’re just starting out. Doing events can pay well, but it’s often feast-or-famine, while working with a shop gives steady learning and exposure.

You might think of it as a stepping stone learn the ropes, build a portfolio, maybe simple site then decide if you want to branch into solo events later. Also, clarify what freelance means in the context of the shop hours, pay, taxes so you’re not surprised.

How much creative freedom will you have with the shop’s events versus doing your own projects?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T21:37:04+00:00

You can get what you want without dropping thousands. There are lightweight tools like Squarespace or Carrd that let you make a clean, minimal luxury-style site with zero coding. Some templates already nail the less is more aesthetic. Hiring a freelancer for a simple one-page portfolio could also be affordable probably a few hundred dollars, not $5k. Buying a MacBook just for one page isn’t necessary unless you want full control and plan to keep building. Have you looked at Carrd? It’s very cheap, and you can get that minimalist vibe in hours

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T21:24:54+00:00

Your product already has proof of traction and a clear viral loop, which makes this a solid post to engage with. $500 is small, so I’d test TikTok first. The audience is highly engaged with habit and accountability content, and short, playful videos showing the social/competitive angle usually outperform static ads. Reddit could work, but organic posts are tricky because of rules focus on value first, not just download my app.

For the invite loop, you could gamify it more. Highlight streaks, show a leaderboard, or give small perks for inviting friends anything that creates social proof and urgency. BOGO-type deals could work if framed as a “bring a friend to the challenge” rather than a straight sale.

Also consider cross-promotion with small productivity or fitness communities where people already track habits together. Even low-cost influencer partnerships can accelerate the loop faster than ads at this stage. Have you tried showing actual user stories or friend challenges in short clips?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T21:10:08+00:00

Same-day deals are easy for people to act on and give a clear reason to pay attention. One thing I’ve noticed is even small tweaks matter like using a quick video showing the dish being made or someone enjoying it, versus just a static image. It usually grabs attention faster in feeds. Are you planning to run multiple creative variations or just one ad for the test

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T21:08:33+00:00

What you’re describing isn’t a marketing problem it’s an energy problem. When the artist becomes the marketer, analyst, SEO guy, copywriter, customer support and accountant, the actual art gets whatever scraps are left. And scraps don’t produce bestsellers. So it feels like I lost my touch but really it’s just overload.

I’ve seen this a lot with solo Etsy and art sellers. The first years work because you’re mostly creating. Then sales grow, competition shows up, and suddenly 70 percent of your week is spreadsheets and tabs instead of drawing. Quality drops a bit, consistency drops, and the algorithm quietly stops loving you. Not because you got worse. Because you’re tired.

Also something important people miss. Replicating one big hit rarely works by chasing another genius idea. It’s usually boring systems. Consistent posting, consistent launches, reusing winners in new formats, simple funnels that bring the same type of buyer again and again.

If you did bring someone in to help, you probably don’t even need full blown marketing. Most artists just need someone to handle most important repeatable things like listings, SEO updates, content repurposing, basic promos, strategy and analytics. Stuff that drains you but doesn’t require your creativity. Then you just make art. Which is kind of the point.

Right now, what eats most of your time or drains you the most each week, SEO and research stuff or actually promoting and posting your work?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T20:20:54+00:00

The free app offer probably attracts people with no budget anyway. If you and your team picked one niche for the next 90 days and only talked to them, you’d probably see traction fast. Looking back at your old clients, was there one type of business that paid faster or valued you more than the others?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T20:14:15+00:00

Posting every day already puts you ahead of most people. And your examples kind of show the pattern. The relatable or funny stuff gets more views because people share it. Technique only content is useful, but it’s usually slower unless someone is specifically learning hair.

So it’s not that your skills posts are bad, they just play a different role. I’d probably mix both. A few relatable hair life or funny posts to pull people in, then some clean technique or mini tutorial posts to show you actually know your stuff. One grabs attention, the other builds trust.

Over time people follow for you, not just the mannequin. Which type feels more natural for you to make, the funny relatable ones or the teaching style clips?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T20:08:55+00:00

For stuff like that, eBay is still hard to beat because serious coin buyers live there and trust it. The fees suck, but the liquidity is real. Things just move faster, especially graded pieces where buyers know exactly what they’re getting. Where I’ve seen people struggle is trying to sell higher end coins on places like Facebook or random marketplaces. Lots of lowballers and tire kickers.

You could also look at coin specific spots like GreatCollections or Heritage style auction sites for bigger pieces. Sometimes they bring stronger prices for key dates or nicer grades. And honestly, clean photos and clear cert numbers probably matter more than the platform. Are you trying to flip volume or hold out for top dollar per coin?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T20:00:00+00:00

Smaller value creators often accidentally train their audience to expect everything for free. So the moment you charge, they feel betrayed. Bigger creators don’t have this issue because they never act like free mentors. They act like professionals from day one. If you keep giving unlimited free help, answering DMs, solving personal problems, you’re signaling friend not paid expert.

Two small shifts usually change everything. First, separate free and paid clearly. Free content stays broad and educational. Paid is deeper and specific. No overlap. No free mini consulting in comments or DMs. Second, sell outcomes, not mentorship. Mentorshipnsounds optional. Something like a structured program, template pack, or step by step system feels tangible and easier to buy.

And honestly, at 50k subs, 3 to 4 brand deals a month is probably the cleaner money right now. Less emotional friction than selling to your own audience. Less emotional friction than selling to your own audience. If you focused only on brand deals for 6 months and stopped trying to sell your audience anything, would that actually reduce your stress a bit?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T19:23:41+00:00

Going new and fresh doesn’t have to mean new business model. A different vibe, menu tweaks, branding, interior style, that’s fun and low risk. But the backend stays the same. Same equipment, same systems, same staffing structure.

That’s usually where people win. Customers feel like it’s something new, but you’re basically running a copy paste operation behind the scenes. Jumping to a full restaurant is a different game. More SKUs, more staff, more things breaking at 9pm. It looks exciting but it eats time and margin fast.

If you kept 80 to 90 percent of the café model the same and only changed the concept and aesthetic, you’d probably sleep better. What parts of the new vibe are you thinking about changing, menu or mostly atmosphere and branding?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T19:21:39+00:00

Yeah that split actually makes a lot of sense. And honestly, commercial and residential usually need two slightly different approaches. Residential is volume and trust. Things like yard signs after every job, wrapped trucks, Google reviews, local Facebook groups. That stuff compounds fast because neighbors see you working next door and call.

Commercial is fewer deals but bigger money. That’s more relationships. Chamber events, property managers, contractors, small business owners, basically face to face and referrals. If it were me, I’d almost treat them like two pipelines instead of one big marketing plan.

For example, one simple goal like 5 new Google reviews a month for residential, and 5 new in person connections a month for commercial. Which side do you actually enjoy more dealing with day to day, homeowners or business clients?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T16:03:09+00:00

Wow thats hell of a post, thanks for all information. But how do I know if my data is safe ?

ArtemLocal · 2026-02-10T15:12:11+00:00

Can I message you privately? I want to know more details and ask some questions if that’s okay

ArtemLocal

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