How to Write for a Living
How to Write for a Living
310: How going the extra mile for clients can build a life-changing solo business (with Christine McIlroy)
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310: How going the extra mile for clients can build a life-changing solo business (with Christine McIlroy)

Treat your clients like real people and watch your business thrive.

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Season 3, episode 10 is here!

In this extra-special chat with my wife,

, we peel back how our life together has intertwined with our creative work, the shifts we’ve navigated in solopreneurship, and how partnership can both challenge and fuel your writing career in surprising ways.

What we covered:

  • Why going the extra mile for clients is a total game-changer as a solopreneur

  • What it’s like when you partner in life and in creative purpose, and how sharing a “why” deepens what you publish.

  • Our journey building businesses in parallel, and how we support each other along the way

  • The tension between routine and inspiration: how to stay grounded when you work together but also stay individually creative.

  • What happens when life milestones (moving, family, change) intersect with your writing career - not in polished form, but in real-time.

  • Why transparency about process matters: how being open about failure, rewriting, and hustle builds trust with readers.

  • The unseen work behind launching offers, courses, or publications: how support systems, tools, and trade-offs play a role.

  • Our best mistakes, our biggest learnings, and how ‘doing the work together’ has changed what we believe about freedom, creativity and sustainability.

Make sure to check out Christine’s work before you go!


What’s next?

I’m ready and waiting to support you in the next stages of your creator journey. Here’s a reminder of how I can help:

  1. Start Your Podcast on Substack: A complete course guiding you from concept to launch, based on everything I’ve learned so far during my own podcasting journey. Learn to plan, brand, record, edit, publish, and promote your podcast while building an audience. Perfect for creators eager to share their voice with the world.

  2. The 1K Daily Writing Challenge: Build a consistent habit by writing 1,000 words daily for 30 days. Along the way, you'll get encouraging video prompts, accountability support, and plenty of inspiration to ignite your creative spark. Nail your rhythm. Find your flow. Transform your writing journey forever.

  3. Substack Basics: A video guide showing you exactly how to: set up your first publications; create polished posts from scratch; share, structure, and schedule effectively; and master Notes, CTAs, and growth levers (bonus section: Going Live on Substack).

  4. Sustainable Scalable Social Strategy: This 6-part, online, self-driven course will guide you through the same process I used to develop a strategy for my social media management. When you finish, you’ll have a sustainable social strategy in place that will help you scale your business properly.


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