table of funtents

1. 👋🏼 it’s me, hi

2. 🥊 year 1: must haves vs. nice to haves

3. 🎁 march’s personal corner

👋🏼 it’s me, hi

WE MADE IT TO MARCH, MISFITS!!!

This year’s been sincere chaos since we welcomed it a mere 2 months ago, but now that the best month has arrived (I said what I said), we’ve got plenty to look forward to:

• sunnier, longer days

• flowers blooming EVERYWHERE

• the spring solstice (s/o to my peeps on our upcoming new year 👀)

ICYMI: last week’s episode looked back on the journey to our first, ideal client.

But a recurring question I often get from y’all is what’s actually needed to run a biz?

Because we know there are LOADS of trendy products, tools and systems out there promising us the world. 

ANDDD 99% of them are nice to haves.

As someone obsessed with the ops, I (of course) tested the lot and learned:

• there’s no silver bullet - you gotta do the actual work first to know

• what you need in year 1 vs. year 2 vs. beyond will look different

• there are definite must haves vs. nice to haves

Without further ado, let’s dive into ‘em 🌊

🥊 year 1: must haves vs. nice to haves

When you start out, mates will offer well-intentioned advice about what you absolutely must use to run your business well.

But many aren’t a year out - they’re several years out - and therein lies problem one.

Problem two is the info overload on tools promising to save you time / money. They also use all the best psychological tricks to make their premium offers appealing.

Next thing you know, you’ve locked yourself into a yearlong subscription.

Today, I’ll share 3 of keshty’s no BS “must haves” vs. “nice to haves” for year 1, plus top tips I learned that’ll hopefully help you get it right faster. They are:

1. domain vs. website

2. invoices vs. accounting software

3. task management vs. paid project management tools

💻 domain vs. website

There’s nothing more devastating than coming up with the perfect business name, only to find it’s been claimed by someone who wakes up choosing violence daily:

Luckily, keshty is infinitely cuter and only cost me a fiver.

IMO, getting your ideal domain (as a .com in the best case scenario, because they’re rare!) is an absolute must have.

A client-ready website, on the other hand, is a nice to have in year 1. I didn’t launch keshty.com until 9 months after I’d launched keshty on LinkedIn.

The only thing on my website was a landing page that said “under construction” and a call to action to “drop your email to stay in the know.”

My website had zero influence on my ability to land clients. It’s only in year 2 where I’m considering how to utilise her as a key part of the marketing funnel (lead magnets, SEO and email lists, oh my!).

💰 invoices vs. accounting software

Pre-AI days, I searched for a bare bones invoice template on Google and made the world’s saddest invoice on a Google Doc.

Guess what? As long as people could see my bank details + a deadline, they paid me.

Having a way to invoice clients, scrappy as it may be at the start, is a must have.

It wasn’t until I got an accountant that I moved to Xero - and only because (1) it came with a hefty discount and (2) was going to be primarily managed by them. AND ONLY when I obtained 3 regular clients did an accountant and fancy software become appealing in the first place.

I prefer outsourcing accounting to an expert (because I’m not one), but also like that tools e.g. Xero will automate invoices / provide forecasts + reports.

I needed that as I grew.

But in year 1 and pre-ongoing clients, fancy accounting software is a nice to have (a very expensive one, at that).

🏗️ task management vs. paid pm tools

I don’t know what happens to people when they become founders.

Something takes over instantly, and they feel compelled to spend all their money on shiny tools to manage their projects.

Is it because these make us feel grownup - like we’ll be taken seriously if people know how we manage ourselves internally (ironically - the ONE place people can’t see)?

Effective task management is a must have. That’s non-negotiable.

But I can’t tell you HOW many founders ditch their trusty pen + paper, free Asana / Trello boards or Excel spreadsheets in favour of shiny PM tools.

And here are the usual culprits:

Diehard loyalists (esp to Notion): I’M SORRY, BUT PRICES ARE WILD OUT HERE. I’ve got a big gripe with block limitations + upping costs per ONE added seat / doc maker.

For reference, here’s what a teeny team of 4 costs across the lot:

For small businesses, it should be possible to see how things are moving along, frills-free, without a massive price tag.

Unless it’s just you and you alone, PM tools have limitations as you grow. Personally, I’d only justify the spend if I was obsessed with the tool.

All this to say: shiny tools automatically put themselves in year 1’s nice to have category - and I’d argue will pop up again as a pain point in year 3+.

Remember: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Especially when cash is tight.

🎁 march’s personal corner

📚 currently reading: What you are looking for is in the library by Michiko Aoyama

Back on my fiction vibe (esp after the heavy read that was Invisible Women), I re-read Pride and Prejudice (we love a little Jane Austen for International Women’s Month) and am staying with fiction for the foreseeable.

What you are looking for is in the library has long been on the “want to read” list, and after seeing it for half price at Waterstones last week, it was settled to be my next read.

🎧 listening to: 100M Leads: How to Get Strangers to Want to Buy Your Stuff (audiobook) by Alex Hormozi

Let me be straight: I respect, but don’t aspire to be the Hormozis. They’re vocally work-obsessed at the expense of personal, and while I’m all for anyone’s right to work as it fulfils them, that style is a slippery slope for me.

With that said, I appreciate Alex’s way of breaking down complicated topics for newbies. I also like that his audiobook is read by him directly. Halfway in and I’ve already taken plenty of golden nuggets away.

🎉 upcoming event: Stop Getting Overlooked: Unlock your Career’s Strategic Path with Sope Agbelusi

One of my incredible clients + iconic leadership expert, Sope, and I are hosting a free, online webinar next Thursday 13 March at 6 PM GMT (2 PM EST - s/o daylight savings!).

If you or someone you know is serious about getting promoted this year and wants to set themselves up to be top pick, this webinar will DELIVER. Pass it around!

🏔️ top priority: spring cleaning my LIFE

In prep for Persian new year, we LOVE spring cleaning: shedding what’s no longer serving us to bloom into a new year.

This transcends into every aspect of life and business: from thoughts and habits to activities and relationships. Personally, I’m SO dang ready for it.

That’s it for this week, misfits! I hope March is kind to y’all 🫶🏼

As always, I’m only a message away for thoughts, questions and topic ideas. I read and sincerely appreciate every single poll / email response! Please keep them coming.

Before you go, let me know what you thought of this issue with the pulse check below! Good intent feedback is always welcome ⬇️

xo, Neds