Thursday Press #74: the best biz purchase and a change of heart
[31 MAR 2023] Lifestyle Edition Vol. 013
Oh March. You weird, long, chaotic month.
Me and March have beef, dude. Or at least we used to.
Chalk it up to bad memories, the start of the pandemic, my cold-weather-loving-self balking at the onset of spring, seasonal allergies, or just a general vibe, I've always said March was my least favorite month.
But I've gotta say, 2023 is a year of growth because this month was pretty dang good (as far as Marches go, that is)
In the past 31 days, I…
🎉 Celebrated the launch of my first digital product and hitting 5k followers on Insta
🍻 Found a new favorite local brewery
🌞 & reveled in the extra hours of sun at the end of my day.
Those highlights aside, let's jump into this month's Friday favorites, which now has a brand new section for what I'm learning in addition to what I'm loving!
WHAT I'M LEARNING
In the process of creating and releasing my digital product, the Pinterest Toolkit for Online Service Providers, I took a crash course in all things launch marketing, sales pages, and Thrivecart.
Pro tip: don't try and learn it all in one day. You'll regret it.
What I don't regret is clicking “checkout” on a sales page template from Tonic Site Shop.
I won't admit to how long it took me to put together my sales page, but I know it was SO much faster with the template, and it looks pretty damn good if I do say so myself.
I used the Paper Plane Sales Page template, which was pretty similar to my DIY website design, and it was stupid easy to customize.
Plus, if you use my affiliate code ‘SARAHB15’, you can save 15%, which makes it less than $400. For the time it saved me? Swipe my card again.
I also was helpfully guided by this banger of a blog post from Between the Lines Copywriting.
WHAT I'M LOVING
Favorite Book: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult. After hearing about this book on the Everything is Copy podcast, I jumped on the nearly 100-people-long holds list at my library and finally snagged a copy at the beginning of the month!
I think this was the first Jodi Picoult book I've ever read (I know!) and it was so wonderful. The prose was beautiful and hooked me immediately. While I found some aspects of the main characters a bit annoying, it's just part of their ~development~ and didn't really detract from the novel overall.
Read if you like lyrical prose, timely narrative topics, dual storylines, own voices, and courtroom scenes!
Favorite Desk Tunes: I've got two playlist recs for you this month, and they have very different vibes 😂 Use the Game of Thrones soundtrack for when you need to get into a deep flow state, and press play on the Spring Acoustic playlist for a chill, sunny day.
Special thanks to Liz of Lux and Vita for creating and sharing the GOT tunes!
Favorite Self-Care Activity: Are snacks self-care? I'm choosing to believe they are. Basically, I don't have the desire or energy to make a full-on lunch every day when I'm working from home. But I will pile a bunch of snacks on a plate to munch on throughout the afternoon.
Some favorites on rotation include carrots, mandarin oranges, baby bell peppers, snack packs of Sunchips, yogurt-covered raisins, and protein packs of meat and cheese (adult Lunchables, anyone?)
Food can be a complicated topic for many people, so I'll keep it brief and just recommend you give yourself permission to feed yourself however you like, not how you think you “should.”
Fave Saves: From messaging to a solid gold tip to really great business (& life) advice, here are some IG posts I've enjoyed this month:
The best way to deliver your digital product/lead magnet/what have you
10 lessons learned after 10 years in business from Tonic Site Shop
Favorite Coffee Order: I'd like to submit my formal apology for doubting all the pistachio fans in the world. I've always loved a little green crunchy moment, but the idea of pistachio ice cream?? No thanks.
Enter: Starbucks Pistachio Cream Cold Brew.
I can't help it, it's just SO good.
And of course, here's this month's favorite cat picture:
The cuddles, the sunshine, the minutes-long footage of them grooming each other… my heart could burst!!!
What have you been up to this month? Do you also have random beef with intangible things or a suggestion of which Jodi Picoult book I should read next? Let me know!!