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280 episodes

How Human Design Is Influencing the Way We Do Business with Sabrina Gebhardt
21/1/2026 | 47 mins.
What if the key to breaking through in your business isn’t another tactic, but understanding how you’re wired to show up?
In this episode, I sit down with my business bestie, Sabrina Gebhardt, and we dive into how our respective Human Design types and profiles are actively informing how we run our businesses. From offer structure and messaging to launches and audience connection, listen in as we go deep into what our charts say and how that's showing up in real life and our businesses.
Find It Quickly
00:23 - Introduction to Human Design with Sabrina
01:48 - Discovering Our Human Designs
03:45 - The Impact of Human Design on Business
04:27 - Human Design Profiles: Generator and Manifester
07:20 - Practical Applications of Human Design
13:48 - Sales Strategies and Human Design
19:52 - Long-Term vs. Short-Term Offers
22:13 - Ideal Client Types and Human Design
23:21 - Discovering the Perfect Client Match
23:49 - The Role Model and Investigator
25:04 - Client Success Stories
26:09 - Human Design Insights
27:00 - Empowering Women Leaders
29:29 - Tailored Systems for Success
35:18 - Brutal Honesty in Business Coaching
38:58 - Future Projects and Human Design
Mentioned in this Episode
Shoot It Straight Episode 162: Human Design Energetics and Business with Breanna Owen
Business-First Creatives: Using Human Design to Transform Your Business Strategy with Breanna Owen
Business-First Creatives: What’s the Best Way To Set Up Your CRM? CRM Blueprint vs. Systems in Session with Megan Norman
Connect with Sabrina
Website: sabrinagebhardt.com
Instagram: instagram.com/sabrinagebhardtphotography
Podcast: sabrinagebhardt.com/podcast
You’re Losing Clients Without a Clear Brand Personality: Here’s How to Fix It with Alethea Tyler
19/1/2026 | 42 mins.
What if the reason your marketing doesn’t feel "on" isn’t that you need more strategy, but that your brand personality hasn’t been uncovered or defined yet?
In this conversation with Alethea Tyler of Copy with Spice, we get real about what brand personality actually is, how it differs (and overlaps) with your personal personality, and why letting your authentic self show up in your business is one of the biggest competitive advantages you have.
Find It Quickly
00:24 - Diving into Brand Personality
02:24 - The Importance of Authenticity
03:57 - Embracing Uniqueness in Your Brand
06:42 - Balancing Personal and Brand Personality
10:33 - Steps to Define Your Brand Personality
15:03 - Understanding Competitors and Differentiation
21:20 - Integrating Brand Personality Across All Messaging
21:52 - Brand Personality's Impact Beyond Messaging
24:06 - Tailoring Messaging for Different Platforms
26:06 - Website Copy as the Foundation
27:47 - Unexpected Places for Brand Personality
31:02 - Evolving and Maintaining Brand Personality
Connect with Alethea
Website: copywithspice.com
Instagram: instagram.com/copywithspice
Take the Quiz: copywithspice.com/personality-quiz
Why Staying Small Can Be the Smartest Business Decision You Make with Maggie Patterson
15/1/2026 | 51 mins.
What if success in business didn’t look like 6 figures, a big team, or endless growth? In this episode, I sit down with Maggie Patterson to explore why staying small and strategic can be a powerful, joyful, and profitable choice. We unpack the cultural myth of the “six‑figure business,” how to set realistic salary and revenue goals, when (and whether) to hire help, and how your season of life should shape your business.
Find It Quickly
00:24 - Redefining Success in Business
02:19 - The Myth of Six-Figure Success
08:19 - Setting Realistic Revenue Goals
17:39 - Strategic Hiring Decisions
27:28 - Leading and Communicating in Business
28:12 - The Importance of Detailed SOPs
30:03 - Mindset and Comparison in Business
32:44 - Realistic Business Growth and Personal Capacity
34:35 - Aligning Business with Life Seasons
38:56 - Making Informed Business Decisions
44:55 - Recognizing When to Pivot

Connect with Maggie:
Website: bsfreebusiness.com
Threads: threads.com/@bsfreebusiness
IG: instagram.com/bsfreebusiness
Staying Solo Podcast: bsfreebusiness.com/podcast
Staying Solo Book: bsfreebusiness.com/book
Real Life Rule Quiz: bsfreebusiness.com/quiz
Why You Should Plan Your Customer Journey Like You Plan a Day at Disneyland
13/1/2026 | 7 mins.
I just booked my first Disneyland trip of the year, and the second I hit confirm, my brain went straight into planning mode — not because I love spreadsheets (okay, maybe a little), but because Disneyland is not a place you wing it.
And neither is your client experience.
In this episode, I walk you through why planning a Disney day is the exact same skill you need to design a calm, trustworthy client journey — and why most people make email writing way harder than it needs to be by skipping this step.
You’ll hear:
Why your customer journey doesn’t need to be complicated — it just needs to exist
How mapping your touchpoints prevents overwhelm, silence, and confusion
The real reason writing client emails feels exhausting and repetitive
Why “what happens next?” emails are a process issue, not a client issue
How planning the journey first makes email writing faster, clearer, and easier

If you’re tired of making decisions in the moment, rewriting the same emails, or feeling like your client experience only works because you’re babysitting it — this episode will show you where to start.
Inside Email Like You Mean It, we map your full customer journey first, then write every email that supports it together in five focused days — so you can finally trust the process you’re walking your clients through.
➡️ The next sprint starts February 2nd
Learn more at coliejames.com/email
And if a Disney trip has been on your to-do list? Take this as your sign to book it — and actually enjoy it.
The Only Way to Work with Me in 2026, and Why It Feels So Damn Good to Simplify
06/1/2026 | 7 mins.
Welcome back to another year of the Business-First Creatives podcast.
If you listened to last week’s episode with Kylie Kelly, we talked a lot about permission — permission to simplify your visibility and stop forcing strategies that don’t fit your life or business.
This episode is my personal follow-through.
If you’re craving clarity, support, and a more sustainable way to grow in 2026, this episode is for you.
In This Episode, You’ll Hear:
The three things you actually need to generate revenue (and what usually gets overcomplicated)
Why Systems in Session became my signature offer
How done-with-you support changes implementation and confidence
Why Email Like You Mean It is now a 5-day done-with-you sprint
What it looks like to stop borrowing someone else’s visibility plan
How I’m approaching visibility, systems, and revenue going into 2026

Ways to Work With Me
Email Like You Mean It — a 5-day, done-with-you client communication sprint
Systems in Session — my signature 60-day container to design and implement your full client experience

If you’re not sure what you need yet, come find me on Threads — I’m always happy to point you to the right resource or next step.
Other Resources
Building Authority and Visibility with Kylie Kelly - Last Week's Episode

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About Business-First Creatives

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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