Business-First Creatives: Client Experience & Systems for Service Providers

Kelley’s offboarding sequence used to be one email. Basically: here’s your stuff, bye.
In this case study episode, Colie sits down with Kelley of Hidden Path Creative, a packaging designer who went through The Experience Edit before it even had that name. Kelley signed up for one reason: she heard Colie talk about offboarding and realized everything after delivery was a blank page.
Y’all, what she built in that blank space is one of the best offboarding phases Colie has seen all year.
They talk about why repeating yourself to clients is a service and not an annoyance, how pre-written emails make it easier to hold firm on revisions and deadlines, and why Colie is (gasp) totally fine with your templates living in a Google Doc now. Plus, the one email Kelley sent to past clients that turned up sales results she never would have known about.
Oh, and there’s a detour through Colorado’s voting system that turns out to be the perfect client communication lesson. Didn’t plan it. It worked anyway.
Ready to map out what your clients experience from inquiry all the way through offboarding? Book a solo sprint at coliejames.com/experience

Mentioned in this Episode
The Experience Edit
Bonsai
Flodesk
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery

Connect with Kelley
Website: hiddenpathcreative.com
Packaging Pronto!: hiddenpathcreative.com/packagingpronto

Y’all, I’m back on the mic! This is my get-back-on-the-horse solo episode, where I catch you up on everything that’s been happening behind the scenes.
First, a quick Black Friday warning. If you’re going to run a sale this year, please don’t slash the price on your signature offer and call it a day. I’m pointing you to one of my back-catalog episodes that walks you through what to think about before you build your Black Friday offer.
Then I’m introducing my brand-new quiz: Is Your Client Experience Actually Sh*tty? It’s 15 multiple-choice questions and takes about three minutes. It shows you exactly where your client journey goes silent, so you know your top priority for your systems going into 2027. Early quiz-takers told me the questions alone sparked new ideas, before they even saw their results.
I also share what’s coming in the Q4 Experience Edit, my 10-day done-with-you group sprint, including the new Offer Scorecard. And there’s a little surprise waiting in your quiz results.
Plus, a sneak peek at tomorrow’s client case study with Kelley from Hidden Path Creative.
Links mentioned:
Take the quiz: coliejames.com/leak
The Experience Edit: coliejames.com/experience
Episode 106 (Black Friday): 3 Alternatives for Creating a Black Friday Offer

What if your virtual assistant isn't the problem? What if the reason you're struggling to delegate, hire, or grow your business has less to do with the people you're hiring and more to do with how you're running your business? Listen, I know that sounds a little harsh, but it's a conversation we need to have.
In this episode, I'm joined by Lauren Glynn, a business strategist who helps entrepreneurs figure out what their businesses actually need before they make their next hire. We're talking about everything from hiring your first virtual assistant to creating systems that make delegation possible, and even whether AI can replace some of the tasks you'd traditionally outsource to another human.
One of my favorite stories from this conversation involves a business owner who was ready to fire her assistant because she wasn't getting things done. The plot twist? She was sending her assistant pictures of sticky notes instead of giving her actual processes to follow.
Lauren and I also dig into something I think more entrepreneurs need to hear: You can grow your business without building a massive team. You don't need 20 employees, an operations manager, or a huge agency to get help. Sometimes you just need one person doing the right things, with the right systems supporting them.

Find It Quickly
00:24 - Why Hiring Matters
01:19 - Mapping The Business
04:38 - Leverage Your Team
06:31 - Fixing Bad Hires
10:46 - SOPs And Standardization
16:53 - Onboarding And Test Projects
20:49 - Leading Contractors
22:58 - Small Team Middle Ground
28:27 - Ego Fear And Trust
31:44 - Are You Ready To Hire
35:13 - AI Versus Humans

Mentioned in this Episode
Systems in Session
Claude
Notion
Zapier
MailerLite

Connect with Lauren
Website: laurenglynn.com
Threads: threads.net/@laurengconsulting

What if the business that worked for you a few years ago isn’t the business that fits your life anymore? In this episode, I’m sitting down with my longtime client Nicole Hodgson to talk about what it actually looks like to evolve your business intentionally. Nicole has transitioned from therapist to family photographer to brand photographer—and through every iteration, she’s paid attention to what works for her brain, her family, and the business she wants to build.
We get into why Nicole moved from Dubsado to HoneyBook, why getting your systems in place before your business gets busy matters, and what changed when she transitioned from family photography to branding and commercial work. But this conversation became about so much more than systems.
Nicole and I talk about the connection between your systems, visual brand, positioning, and the way clients perceive your professionalism. We also dig into visibility, pricing, mindset, and why likes and engagement aren't necessarily the metrics that tell you whether your marketing is working. Nicole also shares how her previous career as a therapist influenced Content Therapy, her program designed to help women understand what’s really getting in the way of showing up as the face of their businesses.

Find It Quickly
00:23 - Meeting Clients IRL
03:46 - Switching to HoneyBook
06:24 - DIY to Done With You
09:05 - Family to Brand Pivot
15:11 - Marketing and Positioning Shift
18:49 - Repeat Clients and Systems
25:09 - Brand Photos Meet Systems
27:50 - DIY Stage vs Investing
29:15 - Systems For Future You
30:56 - Build Before You're Busy
32:09 - Marketing That Actually Converts
33:08 - Professionalism Builds Trust
35:14 - Long Game Over Likes
39:54 - Content Therapy Launch Lessons
43:44 - Origin Story Superpower
46:54 - Mindset And Price Raises

Mentioned in this Episode
Even Part-Time Business Owners Need Systems for Efficiency with Jess Hoffman
Rebrand: maddiepeschong.com/rebrand
Your Origin Story Is Your Marketing Superpower: Here’s How to Tell It with Megan Yelaney

Connect with the Guest
Website: nicolehodgsonphotography.com
Instagram: instagram.com/nicolehodgson.photography
Content Therapy: nicolehodgson.myflodesk.com/contenttherapy

What happens when you take a little time off from your business and accidentally come back with an entirely new business model? Apparently, if you're me, you build an app, create your own CRM, and completely rethink how you serve your clients. It's time for another quarterly Biz Bestie Chat with Sabrina Gebhardt, and let's just say we had two VERY different experiences in Q3.
While I spent my summer experimenting with AI, vibe coding, and building custom tools for my clients, Sabrina was navigating a major life transition as she sent her daughter off to college. That's exactly why I love these conversations. We're both running successful businesses, but what success looks like in any given season can be wildly different.
In this episode, we're catching up on everything that happened in Q3 and sharing what we're changing, testing, and prioritizing as we head into Q4. I'm sharing why I've decided to make The Experience Edit the starting point for working with me, how my approach to building client systems has completely shifted, and why I'm learning that sometimes the most productive thing you can do is NOT immediately jump into implementation.

Mentioned in this Episode:
Systems in Session: coliejames.com/systems-in-session
The Experience Edit: coliejames.com/the-experience-edit
Root to Rise: sabrinagebhardt.com/mastermind-waitlist
First Class Lounge: sabrinagebhardt.com/membership
Summer Camp: sabrina-gebhardt.myflodesk.com/summercamp

Our Quarterly Business Bestie Chats:
Q3 2026: coliejames.com/business-bestie-chat-q3-2026-with-sabrina-gebhardt
Q2 2026: coliejames.com/business-bestie-chat-q2-2026-with-sabrina-gebhardt
Q1 2026: coliejames.com/business-bestie-chat-q1-2026-with-sabrina-gebhardt
Q4 2025: coliejames.com/business-bestie-chat-q4-2025-with-sabrina-gebhardt
Q3 2025: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast/q3-business-besties-chat-with-colie-james
Q2 2025: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast/q2-2025-business-bestie-chat-with-colie-james
Q1 2025: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast/128-q1-2025-business-bestie-chat
Q4 2024: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast/q4-business-bestie-chat-with-colie-james
Q3 2024: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast/q3-business-besties-chat-with-colie-james
Q2 2024: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast/88-q2-business-besties-chat-with-colie-james
Q1 2024: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast/75-quarterly-business-chat-with-colie-james

Connect with Sabrina
Website: sabrinagebhardt.com
Instagram: instagram.com/sabrinagebhardtphotography
Podcast: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast