👀 Growing a Creative Business, One Seed at a Time
When I received the news that I had won a mentorship with Emily McDowell, a veteran of the greeting card industry, I celebrated with a little dance. Immediately after, I started planning my year with her. I didn't want to waste my/her time with silly questions—I wanted a clear idea of how to structure our sessions and work toward my ultimate goal: rebranding my "DC is my City" postcard project into a larger umbrella to explore other creative avenues.
Having created weekly postcards for 5-6 years, my business was slowly gaining traction but lacked the identity and purpose I wanted to share with others, and I was too entangled in the little details to move forward.
During the years coming out of the pandemic, gardening became a source of sanity, and it helped me view myself differently. Since then, Spring became a season I looked forward to—a clean canvas and a chance to start fresh. I approached the mentorship with the same enthusiasm, drafting a gardening log comparing my business to tending a garden, with vegetables representing established products and fruits symbolizing my envisioned direction.
It looked something like this:
⛏️ SOIL PREPARATION (2 sessions) - We just chat. No decks, budgets, or plans. I show you how I do business, the suppliers I use, the prices I have, and where I sell my products. Context.
🫘 SELECTION / SOWING OF SEEDS (4 sessions) - We look into some product ideas, brand names, Inventory, Tax/Legal stuff, Wholesale. Planning.
🚜 PLOUGHING (4 sessions) - I take some concrete steps: Social Media, branding, planning for the holiday season, catalog, outreach and PR. Action.
🧤 WEEDING + CROP PROTECTION (2 sessions) - We scale back and focus on the individual, revise short & long term plans, go deeper into some of the concepts we discussed earlier. Regroup.
🌱 NURTURING (7 sessions) - I slowly unveil the new brand as I head to the holidays markets, with new products and a more aggressive social media strategy. Make cash.
🌽 HARVESTING + STORAGE (6 sessions) - We meditate on what we’ve accomplished, plan for the future, and look into collaborations and ways to involve the community.
While I don't know Emily's gardening skills, she certainly has a green thumb for business. Her message is always clear, soulful, and incredibly direct. Rather than telling you what to do, she asks the right questions until you discover the answers yourself. She's one of those rare souls who radiates both wisdom and a beautifully relaxed attitude.
I continue to receive invaluable guidance from Emily on creative entrepreneurship and life itself. She taught me that it's okay to take extended breaks from social media ("it will be there when you return"), explore various paths without feeling pressured to monetize everything, and discover different approaches to breathing and meditation. And doing it all with intention and love.
As my little garden patch grows—slowly but surely—I'm grateful for guiding lights like Emily who help me find my path. Subscribe to her newsletter, and happy gardening! 🌱💚
