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The 3-stack, 3-week system to designing your most productive, sustainable days as a creative entrepreneur
Ashlyn Carter – The Art Of Efficiency
I’ve bottled up
My step-by-step productivity system for creative entrepreneurs
… AND NOW?
It’s yours to uncork—Cheers!
The Art of Efficiency™ is the exact productivity method I’ve gleaned from working in a corporate agency setting, studying dozens of efficiency techniques, and then applying what works for creative-bent brains who need to turn a profit.
And now? I’m handing it over to you, so you can put these same techniques into play in your business.
Each module is delivered weekly to help you get maximum results.
This isn’t a spray-and-pray course, where I throw you a ton of education and peace out. I’ve intentionally designed this learning experience for you to really create change.
Because here’s the thing: you can’t outsource your push-ups. There’s not a magic-bullet software, app, or planner that will instantly make you more productive.
It starts with you.
More specifically, it starts with your mindset.
And I’m here to help teach you how I went from 24/7/365 workaholic to working from a place of rest.
01.
Accessible Strategies
I’m starting with the mindset shift basics, MAYBE even things you’ve heard before. Why? Because it’s not about apps, hacks, tips, andtricks. It’s about building a foundation, and working toward an all-around new way of approaching your time.
02.
HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Give it a spin for 30 days—if you dig in, do the first 5 assignments, and find it’s not working, I’ll happily buy it back from you.
03.
TRUSTWORTHY EXPERTISE
I made it my goal to dive into complicated sources, pull out the connective threads, and SIMPLIFY them for myself. I made it work and then I tweaked it. Then, put that knowledge in a form that makes it available for creatives who don’t have time for such study.
04.
lifetime access
Yup—any new update, new lesson, or new bonus is yours. The tech library—by nature—will need edits as the years pass … so you can expect regular updates!
Let’s make you more efficient.
I’m often asked, “How do you do it?”
“How do you decide what’s important to focus on, and how did you prioritize and grow so quickly?”
“How do you balance business and family with ease—and talk about rest all the time?”
The answer lies in a proven focus-driven framework—a simple productivity process I’ve refined through serving as a leadership consultant, agency marketer, and creative entrepreneur …
… and after hitting rock bottom.
So what happened?
Hi! I’m Ashlyn.
I’m Ashlyn, copywriter, calligrapher, speaker, and business owner, reporting for duty!
This is no jack-of-all-trades sitch: I play favorites, and my faves are creatives. I get the unique set of challenges facing creative brains in a business world.
As an educator on stages from Creative Live to The School of Styling, I reach more than 40k people a month through my blog and YouTube channel.
Less than 3 years ago, I was staring out a floor-to-ceiling corporate window, itching to take my calligraphy & writing business full-time, after marketing for companies like Delta Air Lines and Chick-fil-A.
I matched my corporate income in less than a year, and have gone on to build a multiple 6-figure business writing copy for clients like Jenna Kutcher, Local Milk, Melyssa Griffin, Katelyn James, Shanna Skidmore, SC Stockshop, Julie Solomon, Desiree Hartsock Bridal, Hilary Rushford, and dozens more.
Work is a GOOD thing. But it’s not the ultimate thing.
And I learned that the (really) hard way.
I’m not an productivity expert with certifications on my office walls.
I’m not a efficiency trainer who visits businesses to troubleshoot ergonomics.
I’m a corporate girl turned entrepreneur who recovered from partial hospitalization for generalized anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder in 2015.
After all that, I left my workaholic corporate job, and decided to launch my business standing on different (read: much stabler and stronger) footing.
Choose
WHEN …
You can’t figure out how to organize your day-to-day life while still allowing room for spontaneity.
You’re ready to end the constant struggle and finally blend business + family with finesse and ease.
Working from home is harder than you thought it would be. Where are the humans? Why is folding laundry suddenly so important? Is it normal to have full conversations with your dog?
You’re OVER the “profitability plateau” you’ve landed on—you’ve considered asking a coach, mentor, conference, or workshop if you can pay in chocolate chip banana bread, because you’re worried about money—but honey, there’s always more chocolate chip banana bread.
A life change—quitting your job, moving, marriage, kiddos—has finally happened (PRAISE HANDS), but it feels like your business has to take a backseat and lose out on potential inquiries, all because you can’t balance both.
Lack of action on your *brilliant* ideas would be reeeeeeaaally nice to kiss goodbye.
The therapist doesn’t QUITE get the creative-bubble, Instagram-induced anxiety of feeling like everyone else is making all the money and getting all the jobs.
Your inner perfectionist (Seriously, go home, girl.) is bringing the negative self talk and raining all over your productivity parade.
It feels like the only way to success is living on Instagram and social media (Um, NO.)
Let’s cut to the bullet points.
Here’s what’s inside The Art of Efficiency™:
Module ONE
Rework the way you see your time, discern what you actually need to be doing as the CEO/boss, and get honest about a vision that helps you walk into your call & gifting.
Lessons 1: Reset
Lesson 2: Redefine
Lesson 3: Renew
7 Myths You’ve Believed about Your Time—& New Truths, because remember, the world doesn’t know (and usually doesn’t care) what your priorities are. The world’s not responsible—you are, dear one. We’ll reframe your mindset here to get out and make time for what matters, because you have more time than you think.
I’m quarterback of #TeamProfitableCreatives—and I’m not afraid to talk money. We’ll determine what your time is worth down to the price tag in How to See Your Focus for What It’s Worth
We’ll Design Your Productivity Vision because this is essential, and many creatives are so busy getting caught up in all the things—but you’ll set your compass north.
Get a clear, step-by-step, brain dump-driven way to get all of the ideas and to-do’s in your head on paper. We’ll define what you need to ACTUALLY spend your work time doing so you can work hard, then close up shop and rest in How to Create a Projects Parking Lot and in my Declare Your Best 20% Activity. Ready to define your zone of genius? Pencils out, let’s do it!
Module TWO
Here’s where you’ll add major horsepower to your well-edited work schedule: by letting your words and your workflows pull their weight, so you can leverage inbox communication to sell well. You’ll set up your workflows, email templates, and inboxing system of strategies that share your message on autopilot.
Lessons 1: Workflows
Lesson 2: Client/Customer Comms
Lesson 3: Inbox Artistry
The Workflow Wireframing Workshop, so you can learn my go-to strategies for creating a workflow, so I can work without burning out.
So, we were talking about a lot of the tasks in your business, but what about the sales process and customer or client workflow? One way to maintain you stay tight on brand messaging to earn your client and customer’s trust is through systems and templates. Customer Communication & Leadership—Even if You Hate Writing will set the stage for our work here.
In Anatomy of a High-Converting Message, you’ll learn the elements that all of your email templates need to have to get action to happen.
A lesson in How to Supercharge Your Sales Stages is all about that client or customer process: learn where and when to pad your workflow with a welcome magazine, pricing guide, goodbye kit, and more.
How to Build Out High-Converting Templates with Messages You Already Have—okay, confession. It’s my favorite child. You’ll learn the whole system to creating email templates to get closer to inbox zero.
Oh look—my other favorite child! In Template Copy You Need to Have—and Sticky Situations, Covered, get ready to chat through the templates you MUST have on hand, and how to make awkward situations less, well, awkward with templates that coach the conversion.
Learn how to set up tech automations, get things off your plate with outsourcing (even if you think you don’t make enough), and set routines to do the REAL work … learning to rest, of course, so you can recharge well!
Lessons 1: Automate with Tech
Lesson 2: Delegate with Outsourcing
Lesson 3: Rest with Routine
Never outsourced before? It’s ok. I’ll take you through The Time Trade-off/Mindset—this is how I finally realized it was costing me money to hoard tasks all to myself, when there were plenty that I didn’t even enjoy.
In Tips on Hiring Someone, we’ll map out basics on where to look, what to expect, what to think through for pricing, and what you need to have in place first.
Boy oh boy—I LOVE this part! How to Set Up a Morning and Evening Ritual will be about some self-automation, and after we’ve tackled those, we’ll get into How to Set Up a Workday Wind Up & Wind Down Ritual for that creative brain of yours. And of course, I’ll let you sneak a peek at mine!
We’ll zoom out a bit more and touch on goals (this isn’t a goal-setting course, but I’ll talk to you more about how I do this!) with Weekly Ritual, Monthly Ritual, and Annual Ritual Tips.
Let’s put thought into your leisure time and give your brain a quality alternative to work! In How to Plan Your Weekends, we’ll dig into some fresh ideas—complete with a weekly planning worksheet, of course!
The Sabbatical Starter Plan: From the books I try to read, to the tasks I try to do, and (of course) the financial ins and outs of how this works, let’s talk about setting yourself up for DEEP rest off the clock.
If you’re working a full time job, doing mom life (furbabies count), or just in busy season, don’t worry about falling behind. You have lifetime access.
IT’S AS SIMPLE AS …
01.
02.
03.
Flash forward just one month, and you see how your time is money, know where + how to invest it, and (most importantly) know how to close down and REST. You’re spending more time in your zone, and because of that, you’re ramping up profitability for years to come
Let’s talk about the shiny, fancy-pants bonuses:
How do you know if you’re a fit for
You’re wearing all the hats to make it all happen—the 9-to-5, the creative dreams, the relationships, friendships, and volunteering. It’s hard to know *which* thing is most important to work on, and what can get kicked to the curb.
You’re deep-in-your-bones exhausted by your small business. Bit by bit, you’re inching towards Platform 9 ¾ , next stop? Burn out land.
You’re feeling the crunch of needing to scale—instead of DIY-ing it all, getting some help is something you’re thinking through, just not quite sure what to do to get there.
If there were a medal given for putting clients first, you’d be on the platform every time. You’re always putting client work before your own business goals, watching them succeed while your finish lines inch further and further away.
You *know* there’s a way to get work off your plate, but you’re a bit of a control freak—you insist on doing it all yourself, even if you know it’s not sustainable
You have ideas (actually, most days you have ALL the ideas), and are starting to realize that indecision paralysis is setting in. You need someone to hold your hand and show you how to filter your tasks into what NEEDS to be done to move the needle … and what would just be added fluff.
You’re ready to roll up your sleeves and figure out once and for all how to be CREATIVE and a PRODUCTIVE business owner—all at the same time.
Figuring out where to spend your limited time (& funds) wisely shouldn’t be a Tetris game played out on the pages of your planner.
Think of The Art of Efficiency™ as a step-by-step blueprint to lock in on your zone of genius, let your inbox words and your business workflows pull their weight, and finally learn to rest well.
You shouldn’t feel like you can’t ask your boss for a vacay when you are the boss.
And that’s why I made The Art of Efficiency™.
Unlike other courses or template packs:
I’m NOT just handing over another template pack, so you sound just like everyone else who’s copy/pasting them into their email autoresponders. Instead, I’ll teach you how to DIY better templates (and yes, THEN hand over the template pack for inspo).
You won’t be given a school supplies list of planners and software you need to have by Day 1 of class … I want you to use what you have. I’ll tell you what I use, but this system will work no matter what you prefer.
You won’t glaze over with corporate jargon—this is by a creative, for creatives. I took all the productivity and business acumen I was reading about, and made it work for artists, makers, and wedding industry pros like you.
You won’t just get a swipe file of workflows to plug into Trello or Asana. That’s putting lipstick on a pig. Instead, we’re gonna fix the mindset, THEN tackle workflows that work for YOU.
You won’t get inundated with education & never finish: I made The Art of Efficiency™ with 9 simple lessons for you to get through in our 3 weeks of dripped content. I know you’re spread thin!
You won’t be shamed for naps, waking up past 7 a.m., taking a lunch break, or wanting to schedule in some self-care. 🙂 I’m pro ALL these things … and it’s possible to be productive with all of them in the mix!
When figuring out how to concentrate on one thing at a time seems impossible to pin down …
… don’t keep downloading the latest software/app/tool du jour & wondering why the list of #allthethings still floats around in your head, waiting to get done.
Your daydreams of restful work rhythms don’t have to seem so faaaar away.
(cue Carole King)
This CAN be a reality.
But for that to happen, you have to know where & when to invest your time.
If you’re like most creatives, you know there’s SOME sort of dollar amount attached to your time. After all, time is money when you’re an entrepreneur.
You’re also probably constantly getting pulled and interrupted from the deep, creative work you do best … you know the stuff—the work that pays the bills?
But, what if we flipped the script?
What if you were able to SEE on paper what your time was worth, knew how to invest it well, and—as a bonus—knew how to put systems in place to close down and rest?
You’d be able to …
Nix the overwhelm with a game plan in place
Dial in your craft, so you can up your confidence (& credibility)
Stay creative, instead of letting dream-up time be an afterthought
Discern what tasks you can afford to hire out, so you can focus
Go to bed on time & have white space to fill up your wells
Make a plan to go on vacation (!) … travel is one your biggest sources of inspiration anyway!
Think about it this way: if you could double the amount of creative, productive thinking hours you’re currently giving to your business …
… you’d be able to DOUBLE your revenue.
“Okay, Ashlyn. I know how these shindigs work.”
What’s the investment?
Well, you COULD stay buried in admin and busy work, feeling like you’ve got to do it all, plugging freebie workflows and swipe files from the internet into your duct-taped systems, listening to podcasts about productivity hacks on 1.5 speed as you battle traffic on the way to yoga class (how calming of you).
Or, you could quit teetering on the edge of exhaustion.
This is my blueprint to figuring out how to work from a place of rest, not hustle.
The exact calendaring formulas, psychological a-ha’s, and made-for-creative-brain productivity hacks that I used to build a multiple six-figure creative business in less than 2 years …
… so you can give them a whirl in your own.
I know you feel like you’re not as profitable as you could be (hence the whole productivity issue).
And I wanted to work as hard as I could to keep this investment low, especially if 4-figure business coaching or 5-figure mastermind coaching isn’t *quite* in the cards these days.
Course Features
- Lectures 0
- Quizzes 0
- Duration 10 weeks
- Skill level All levels
- Language English
- Students 90
- Assessments Yes
