Case Study: From Barely Making Money to Being Booked for Months

ALL PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AMANDA CREEK

Have you been hunting for a website designer and branding expert?

Amanda Creek might be your gal.

(Even if you aren’t contemplating a new website design, you should keep reading this case study on how Amanda has changed her business over the last year.)

You probably know this already, but in case you are new to Blacksburg Belle, Amanda created my website design that we launched back in December of 2016. (I cried tears of joy the first time she sent me a mock up–it’s the website of my dreams.)

Because I’ve worked closely with Amanda (through CL courses, one-on-one consulting, and months on my website design), I can tell you with certainty that she’s funny, kind and one of the most hardworking people I know.

She blushes when someone gives her a compliment, so I can guarantee her face is strawberry red right now. (One of her most endearing qualities is her humility.)

During my website’s launch week, she barely did anything else (even foregoing a shower at one point) even though she also got sick that week. There was a lot of Dayquil and tissues involved.

I wish I could bottle up her moxie and give it to everyone who makes excuses. She’s that dedicated to her customers.

Amanda joined Sunday Society, my membership program for creatives, the day I opened the doors and has been a member ever since (which means she’s almost been in Sunday Society for one full year).

When I asked Amanda why she joined Sunday Society, this is what she said:

“April and I had just wrapped up my one-on-one mentoring a few months prior to the launch of Sunday Society, and I knew that I wanted/needed more time with April. I honestly think I cried with gratitude when the mentoring wrapped up, so the ability to have access to April on a regular basis was a dream come true.

Knowing that there would be monthly calls for questions and answers, as well as to get feedback, I definitely wanted to jump in on the membership as early as possible. April seriously understands what it takes to own a creative business, so I joined to learn more from her and to connect with like-minded creatives who would also get me.

Aaaand I joined because April knows my struggle as a shy introvert in business. She pushes me when she knows I need it, but also understands when I need to be my introverted self.”

I get how hard it is to struggle with social anxiety and run a business. I wrote an entire blog post on it right here.

It’s how I know when Amanda needs a gentle nudge of encouragement or when she needs to take a step back and gather her breath.

One of my favorite memories from the second time I taught at CreativeLive was when I walked Amanda out on the last day. I got to know her throughout the course (and refused to put her on the spot when my content producer practically demanded it) and connected to her social anxiety.

At the end of each CreativeLive course, they have a celebration for the teacher and the students. I knew Amanda would feel uncomfortable in that environment, so I walked her out and we chatted for about 30 minutes.

Just in those 30 minutes, I knew that we’d stay connected and hopefully find more ways to work together.

I did a happy dance in my office when I saw Amanda’s name come through my email, letting me know she joined Sunday Society.

While talking with Amanda about her favorite parts of Sunday Society and the things that have made the most impact on her business, she brought up the writing retreat day.

Back in the fall of 2016, I hosted a day-long writing retreat.

We started the day at 10am EST with a kick off call (that included an epic dance party) and everyone on the call shared what they planned on working on that day in the chat.

We had a few Facebook check ins. Everyone would hop into the Facebook group and we chatted back and forth in the comments of a post, each member sharing her progress and getting help on things they were stuck on.

We had a mid-day video call check in where members could ask questions and report their progress.

And, then we had an end of the day celebration call at 5pm EST. We danced, we all shared what we accomplished, and we gave ourselves a pat on the back for working hard.

This is what Amanda had to say about the writing retreat day:

“I’ve loved the retreat days, especially the writing retreat day. We worked the entire day on writing, and I wrote 4 blog post drafts in one day. It actually changed the way that I look at blog writing, and my blog hasn’t been the same since (it’s been so so so much better!). I actually write consistently now, plus I’ve been getting the BEST feedback on my recent posts. That probably would have never happened if the writing retreat day had never happened.”

If that sounds like something you’d get a lot out of, I’m hosting another writing retreat day this July (yep…next month). Don’t put off your membership any longer if you want the chance to join us. You could get four blog posts written or finish your sales funnel or write your next sales page while working with a group of women trying to accomplish the same things.

Amanda also said that Sunday Society is the only Facebook group that she checks in with every day.

When I asked her why, she said that she’s actually excited to see what’s happening in the group, that there’s no competition between members, and it feels like a safe place to talk about everything from choosing a business name to dealing with a difficult client.

She said that being in the Facebook group is fun and that it’s like nothing else out there.

One of the things I pride myself on is bringing the right people together. If this case study speaks to you, you’d probably fit right in with us.

I also have a very lenient cancellation policy: you can cancel anytime you want by simply emailing me with the subject line, “Cancel my Sunday Society membership.” I promise to cancel it within 48 hours without you having to jump through any hoops.

The cancellation policy keeps the right women in and gets the wrong women out.

I want to leave you with some of the wins Amanda has experienced:

“Since joining Sunday Society, and really since meeting April, my business has improved drastically with every single year. When I first was starting out, I was barely bringing in money. I actually was worried that I’d need to go back to working full time for someone else.

I’ve grown my business to have so many lovely, creative clients that I work with on a consistent basis, and I’m doing work that makes me really happy. I’m charging prices that I never imagined I could charge, and I am booked out several months at a time.”

THANKS Amanda for taking the time to do this case study.

I know that you’re going to continue to have big successes! I can’t wait to see what the next year brings you.

You can connect with Amanda through her website and on Instagram.