new episodes: summer 2022

As children we’re asked what we want to be when we grow up. While I do believe it’s never too early to start planting the seeds of the future, what I am and what I want to be is none of those previous things.

A lot of us pivot for a myriad of other reasons. The power in pivoting is finding the purpose in it…controlling your pivots instead of being controlled by them. So in this episode, we’re going to be talking about the shifts that you may be experiencing, avoiding, or even regretting as you navigate your designpreneur journey, and how you can do so with passion and purpose.

It’s an interesting time we live in where being an entrepreneur is more coveted than being whatever your craft is. But Gary V says it best when he says entrepreneurship is glamorized. What about all the other ugly parts of entrepreneurship that no one talks about? Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, not does it look the same for everyone, so no matter which lane you choose, be sure it’s the best fit for you, your way of operating, and your season of life.

Have you ever wondered how people make money online, especially influencers & content creators? We hear about so many different revenue streams, in addition to the main income maker, that it can often get hard to discern which is the best for for us holistically as designers and which is the best fit for your unique business model.

If you create any kind of content — blogging, social media, video, email, podcast — then there’s a world of ways to monetize “passively” but two very popular ways involve brands that aren’t your own — sponsored content & affiliate marketing. What are the differences between the two & how (if at all) they may make sense for your business?

I’ve seen this debate brought up OFTEN during my time as an e-designer, and I know personally it is something I’ve always wondered about myself — when it comes to specifying product as an online designer, do I do trade, retail, or both?

If no one’s said it to you before then let me be the first — e-designers do not only source retail.

At the very least, they don’t have to. It comes down to your business model — how you’re trying to make money & what fits the way you operate. The decision of how & where to source is a personal one, so while I’m going to break down some of the pros & cons so that you can make an informed decision when deciding which is the best fit for you.

I have quickly learned that being busy isn’t, or at least shouldn’t be, a badge of honor because I quickly went from juggling to burnt out & drowning. The idea of multitasking became more like an addiction, and like most addictions, it wasn’t long before I saw how bad it really was for me — I wasn’t actually getting that much done & it was more detrimental than it was helpful.

So what do I instead? I have spent the past YEAR — yes, year! — training myself on how to “single-task” and more importantly, how to quiet anything that tries to pull my focus on the task at hand.

While I haven’t perfected this new lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination — hello, I’m still a mom! — I have picked up some pretty useful hacks & habits, and that’s what I want to dive into today. I want to share with you some of my single-tasking tricks & how they’ve helped me step up my productivity.

I’ve seen how blogging has evolved firsthand — how it can be super rewarding & worth every second you invest into it, and I’ve also seen how it can just drain you of all your creative juices with no ROI. These are the differences between your blog working for you & your blog working against you; so in this episode, we're going to be talking about what that might look like to help you identify how your blog is serving you (if at all) and what you can do differently.

Hear from show host, Albie of Albie Knows, how founding The E-Design Experience less than a year ago has evolved into this podcast, and what you can expect from The Design Influence every week.