Running A Business & Living With A Chronic Illness With Melissa Harstine Artwork

Captivate + Convert with Christy Cegelski

What if you could attract the people you actually WANT to work with, render the competition irrelevant, and get paid to do what only YOU can do? The Captivate and Convert Podcast with Christy Cegelski will show you how. As a connection-driven conversion copywriter and email strategist, Christy talks all things copywriting, marketing, and branding. Each week she'll share tips and strategies designed to help you become known in your niche so you'll have ZERO competition, as well as in-depth conversations with other online biz experts. Expect a few fun, thought-provoking "Christy Questions" that just might make you shift in your seat a little bit (because that's the stuff you really want to know!)

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Captivate + Convert with Christy Cegelski

Running A Business & Living With A Chronic Illness With Melissa Harstine

March 14, 2022 • Christy Cegelski / Melissa Harstine • Episode 81

“The most effective copy is going to come straight from your customers’ mouths.”

— Melissa Harstine

There are many reasons to choose entrepreneurship over a traditional job. We love to talk about time freedom, the personal fulfilment of being your own boss, and the joy of doing what we love… and yes, all those things are great!

But many of us also start businesses out of health-related necessity — and we don’t talk about that enough!

Customer research specialist Melissa Harstine left her 9-to-5 to build a biz that would allow her the time she needed to manage her chronic illness while rocking her clients’ worlds.

The key? Stripping it down to the most profitable, impactful, manageable elements… and learning how to say no and ditch the rest.

By carving out a super specific micro-niche, Melissa has built a biz that works WITH her strengths and limitations and allows her to thrive on her own terms. In this episode, she shares the goods on how to do less while still delivering AMAZING results… and how having constraints may actually work to your advantage!

Hit play and find a new way to work! You’ll learn:

What it means to take a subtractive approach to business — and how it looks in practice
How hiring a customer research specialist can dramatically benefit your biz
Melissa’s secret to marketing her services online WITHOUT social media (spoiler: it’s genius!)

Subscribe now and never miss a single episode!

About Melissa Harstine: Melissa Harstine conducts voice-of-customer research for time-starved copywriters and boutique agencies.

Highlights:‌ ‌

00:34 Intro

01:46 Meet Melissa Harstine!

02:40 Melissa’s journey

04:37 Subtractive approach to business

08:16 Finding the right niche

11:47 Case studies + customer research

14:37 Benefits of micro-niching

18:40 Know when to say “no”

21:11 Marketing WITHOUT social media

25:40 Roundtable breakdown

28:35 Benefits of constraints

32:08 ‌Smarter scheduling

34:25 The Christy Questions

Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review!

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Melissa Harstine

https://www.melissaharstine.com

https://www.melissaharstine.com/roundtable

melissa@melissaharstine.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaharstinecreative

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CONNECT WITH CHRISTY ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/christycegelski

Ready to fill your calendar with consistent clients? Grab my Instant Funnel bundle and snag a TON of goodies, including a brand voice and messaging guide and more swipe files than you can shake a stick at!

https://christycegelski.com/instant-funnel