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

If you think you don’t have enough clients to need systems in your business, this episode might completely change your mind. Whether you’re balancing a business with a full-time job or running a part-time side-hustle, you don’t have less need for systems—you have less time to operate without them.
In this episode, I’m chatting with my client Jess Hoffman, a Florida-based pet photographer who runs her photography business alongside a full-time corporate job. Jess and I have worked together on her Dubsado systems and client communication, and we’re digging into what changed when she stopped trying to piece everything together and built a client experience that could actually support the way she works.
We talk about replacing required discovery calls with a book-first process, using video to educate potential clients before they book, and automating client communication without losing personality. Jess also shares how making one simple change to her booking process led clients to prepay for her highest collection—before she even photographed their session.

Find It Quickly
02:00 - Why Pet Photography
02:55 - Charging From Day One
05:52 - Systems Mindset Begins
09:58 - Simple Sales Explained
10:53 - Dubsado Workflow Struggles
11:50 - Audit to Blueprint Jump
13:00 - Video Instead of Calls
19:49 - Handling Corporate Inquiries
21:06 - Upsells and Pay Upfront Wins
25:06 - Gallery Education and Mockups
29:05 - Selling Wall Art With Samples
35:00 - Why Systems Matter Part Time

Mentioned in this Episode
The Experience Edit

Connect with the Guest
Website: hoffhousephotography.com
Instagram: @hoffhousephotography

I recorded this one live on the last day of week two of my birthday sabbatical, and it published about ten minutes after I stopped talking. Because I spent the last seven days — on roughly four hours of sleep a night — building a custom client portal that replaced Airtable, Fillout, Notion, Google Docs, and Google Sheets in my business.
What started as "let me move my AI assistants out of ChatGPT" turned into a full app where my clients log in, map their client journey, draft their emails, submit support tickets, send me voice notes, and do their weekly check-ins. I had a fully deployed version in 12 hours after telling myself since February that I needed time to plan it.
I also knocked South Dakota off my list (47 states down, 3 to go), and I get into the irony of doing the exact thing I tell y'all not to do with your own systems.
Not only was this an upgrade to my own systems, but an upgrade to my client experience.
Demo and debrief coming to the blog soon. Get on the list so you don't miss it: coliejames.com/subscribe
Work with me: Systems in Session | The Experience Edit

Have you ever wondered why some stories feel effortless to tell while others never seem to land? In this episode, I'm sitting down with Breanna Owen to explore how Human Design can completely change the way we approach storytelling in our businesses.
Instead of trying to tell every story or following someone else's content formula, we're diving into how your Human Design can help you identify the stories you're naturally meant to tell—and why those stories create stronger connections with your audience.

Mentioned in this Episode
Episode 254: Using Human Design to Transform Your Business Strategy with Breanna Owen
Episode 216: Energetic Email Strategy for Connection & Conversion with Breanna Owen
Episode 277: How Human Design Is Influencing the Way We Do Business with Sabrina Gebhardt
Episode 299: Done-for-You vs. Done-with-You: Which Model Fits Your Business? with Brittany Herzberg

Connect with Breanna
Website: owenyourmark.com
Grab the Email Type Freebie: owenyourmark.com/energy-type-email-playbook
Instagram: instagram.com/owenyourmark

Most business owners think they need a dramatic transformation story to connect with their audience. In this episode, I sit down with Megan Yelaney to unpack one of the most overlooked pieces of effective marketing: your origin story. We explore why so many entrepreneurs struggle to tell their story, how to identify the version that's most relevant to your current audience, and why authenticity will always outperform trying to sound impressive.
Along the way, I found myself reflecting on my own business evolution (from photography to systems strategy) and realizing that my story has changed just as much as my business has. If you've ever wondered whether your story is "interesting enough," this conversation will completely change how you think about marketing.

Find It Quickly
00:25 - Meet Megan
01:48 - Why Origin Stories Matter
03:23 - Megan’s Career Pivot
06:03 - Pretty Awkward Goes Viral
08:03 - Twins and Business Reset
10:30 - Colie’s Professor Edge
16:00 - Not Dramatic Enough
21:32 - Choosing Your Story
25:06 - Beyond Your Own Story
26:59 - Case Studies That Convert
28:33 - Organizing Client Proof
32:29 - Who Gets the Credit
34:34 - Reusing Testimonials Smartly
37:40 - Where to Share It
40:56 - hort Form to Long Form
43:08 - Stories Beat Teaching

Mentioned in this Episode
Brittany Herzberg: brittanyherzberg.com
Done-for-You vs. Done-with-You: Which Model Fits Your Business? with Brittany Herzberg
SEO is Everywhere: Optimizing Your Content with Brittany Herzberg
Embracing Workflows & Automations in Your CRM: HoneyBook Case Study with Brittany Herzberg
SEO through Case Studies | Simple SEO Series with Brittany Herzberg (Part 3)
Jordan Gill: instagram.com/systemssavedme

Connect with Megan
Website: meganyelaney.com
Instagram: instagram.com/meganyelaney
Business Story Blueprint: meganyelaney.com/business-story-blueprint
Business Not As Usual: meganyelaney.com/podcast

Hey y'all, it's Colie. I'm popping back in after two weeks of guest episodes to talk about something that's been shifting in my business — and honestly, in how I think about systems altogether.
I recently noticed a real shift in who's showing up to work with me, and it sent me down a rabbit hole of rethinking how I talk about automation, personalization, and what I actually deliver for clients. That rethink turned into a new framework I'm calling Human by Design — the idea that you can automate the hell out of your client experience and still have it feel personal, present, and led by you.
I'm walking through what changed, why "automate everything" shouldn't be THE goal, and how you can start applying this in your own systems — plus, I'm announcing a free training where I'll break the whole thing down.
In this episode:
Why I've moved away from "automate everything that can be automated"
The real difference between personal and manual (they're not the same thing)
An inside look at how I'm rethinking my own offers and sales pages
Details on my free training, Human by Design — August 20th at 11 AM MT

Sign up for the free training: coliejames.com/human
Join the waitlist for The Experience Edit: coliejames.com/experience