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

340 episodes

I Built a Custom Client Portal in 7 Days (And Deleted Half My Tech Stack)
07/08/2026 | 21 mins.
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.
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
How to Use Human Design for Better Business Storytelling with Breanna Owen
06/08/2026 | 41 mins.
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
Your Origin Story Is Your Marketing Superpower: Here's How to Tell It with Megan Yelaney
30/07/2026 | 47 mins.
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
Can You Cut Your Client Management Time in Half Without Losing the Personal Touch?
24/07/2026 | 10 mins.
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
The Pop-Up Studio Strategy That Builds Long-Term Photography Clients with David Enloe
23/07/2026 | 38 mins.
What if giving away something for free was actually the smartest marketing move you could make? In this episode, I'm joined by David Enloe, who shares how a simple idea born during the uncertainty of COVID transformed into one of the most effective marketing strategies I've heard for photographers. What started as a way to meet people in a brand-new city has grown into a long-term client acquisition system that continues to generate premium bookings years later.
Instead of chasing social media algorithms or relying on paid ads, David built his business through free pop-up photography experiences at local community events. We dive into why this strategy works, how it builds trust, and why nurturing relationships over time can outperform short-term marketing tactics.

Find It Quickly
00:24 - Meet David
01:50 - Origin Story During COVID
05:13 - Why Its Free Marketing
10:38 - Delivery Pricing And Timeline
14:33 - Reviews And Community Building
20:00 - Business Partnerships And Events
22:45 - Who This Works Best For
28:00 - Logistics Finding Venues

Mentioned in this Episode:
Pop-Up Studio Guide: the-enloe-creative.myflodesk.com/popup-studio-guide
Applying the Rule of 7 with Dayna Schaaf: coliejames.com/applying-the-rule-of-7-with-dayna-schaaf
You Can Build Authority & Visibility Without Shaking It on Social Media with Kylie Kelly: coliejames.com/you-can-build-authority-visibility-without-shaking-it-on-social-media-with-kylie-kelly
How to Grow Your Email List as a Photographer at In-Person Events with Tiffany Crenshaw: coliejames.com/growing-your-email-list-at-in-person-events-with-tiffany-crenshaw

Connect with David
Website: theenloecreative.com
Instagram: instagram.com/theenloecreative

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

Business-First Creatives is a podcast for photographers and creative service providers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business without drowning in admin work, client experience chaos, or systems that let you down. This show delivers clear, actionable conversations around marketing, CRM workflows, client communication, Dubsado and Honeybook automation, Airtable systems, and workflow strategies, giving photographers and creative entrepreneurs the systems that scale, operational clarity, and strategic, human-first client experiences they need to build streamlined, referral-worthy business operations that don't require working 24/7. If you're tired of babysitting your inbox, chasing down contracts, or watching your workflows break the moment you look away, this show will help you move beyond "figuring it out as you go" and toward a creative business that brings you joy and a paycheck. This podcast provides answers to questions like: How do I automate my client journey without losing the personal touch? What CRM workflows do photographers and creative businesses need? How can I use Dubsado or Honeybook to streamline my client experience? What systems do photographers need to save time and deliver exceptional client experiences? How do I reduce admin time in my creative service business? Why do my workflows keep letting me down (and how do I fix them)? How can I build a profitable creative business that brings me joy and a paycheck? What's the best way to communicate with clients throughout their journey? How do I create systems that work even when I'm not babysitting them? How can I map my client journey to convert more inquiries into bookings? Hosted by Colie James, a Dubsado Certified Specialist, Honeybook Educator, and Workflow and Automations Guru with 10+ years helping creatives systemize their businesses—this show delivers practical, no-BS guidance for photographers and creative entrepreneurs who are ready to streamline their client journey, automate their operations, and make money from their craft. If you're done dropping balls and ready to build a business-first creative operation with systems that scale, you're in the right place. Find out more about Systems in Session ➡️ https://coliejames.com/systems-in-session

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