Fractional Vol. 10: Happy New Year?
It’s been about a quarter since I wrote my last newsletter which isn’t a good look when you’re trying to set up some kind of regular cadence. There were a few reasons the lapse happened, namely:
- November and December were very busy months. I remembered from January 2024 that Januarys tend to be slow, so I wanted to pick up all the work I could at the end of the year. Plus we went to New York and Paris for the end of December and early January, so having some extra money coming in while I took two proper weeks off eased my mind a bit.
- December had me in my feels a little bit when it came to my work life. In the span of two weeks, two companies I worked for and put a lot of myself into ceased to exist (as I knew them at least). One folded and the other was bought by a larger corporation. More on that later.
- January happened. Here in Los Angeles, we’ve been going through it and it’s been hard enough to focus on the things I have to get done, let alone these fun add-ons that I like to do. Rest assured, John and I are fine and our home was not affected.
But enough post-rationalization, and let’s kick into it, shall we?
What’s Going Well
Business is, dare I say it, pretty smooth at the moment. I have a couple of retainer clients who are reliable, I have a longer-term project that’s keeping me very busy at the moment, and then I have a few ad-hoc projects that have popped up here and there. It’s a good mix, but breaking it down:
- My main client for many years running is still a delight to work with. The creative director there is currently on sabbatical, so I have stepped up my contract with them for the month of January, but will go back to my standard retainer in February. It’s a great team with good work/life balance, so no complaints.
- My other main client is in the entertainment space and there continues to be a lot of great, strategic work there (I anticipate more and more work this year will come from this client).
- I have a longer-term contract on a more copywriting and content strategy-focused project that is in its most intense-for-me work this month. That should wane a little come February, which is a bonus because while the team is very nice, the work itself is a little on the monotonous side.
- An ad-hoc project with a client that periodically taps me in for work, helping them narrow in on their messaging for marketing materials.
In addition to all of the above, I am currently prospecting on two new jobs, one retainer and the other project-based. Both came through referrals from long-time collaborators, which always makes me feel good.
I didn’t round out the financials for the end of the year, so in November and December I made (collectively) $68,075, making it my best two months of the year. That said, I worked too much and it was not sustainable. It probably isn’t a coincidence that I got very sick in the second to last week of December, because I had worked every day of the month including weekends up to that point. So less of that energy in 2025, I’m thinking. As for this month, I’ll pull in just shy of $28K, so maybe the slow January thing isn’t so consistent year-to-year after all.
What’s Going Less Well
Fires, inaugurations, news, amiright? All of the obvious things aside, as noted in the previous paragraph, I’ve been working a little too hard. January has allowed me to taper back a little bit, and I generally measure my “did I work too much?” by thinking about what I have to sacrifice. I still have time to go to pilates every day (shoutout Fitmix in Atwater Village) and often to add a 30 minute run on top of that. I’ve read five books so far this month and I’ve kept up with my shows (highbrow: Severance; lowbrow: The Traitors). If that starts to change, it’s a signal to me to take on less work.
I’m always grateful for work however/whenever it comes, but my hope for the year is to do more work that I am truly interested in. I can get enthusiastic about anything, but I’m hoping for more and more branding work for companies that I believe have a real shot at improving some element of life for their customers, communities, or the world at large.
Speaking of which, remember earlier when I was talking about being in my feelings about places I’ve worked no longer existing? I’ve worked full-time at four start-ups and only one still exists; one went bankrupt, one was acquired, and one folded returning remaining investment to their founders. In particular, the company that was acquired set me into a kind of mood. This was, by all measures, what success looks like for a startup. You build enough value that a larger organization sees that and compensates you for that value. Then you as a founder or worker get up and do it all over again. Simple enough, right?
Wrong. It’s been so depressing to me to think about how much care and thought went into building that brand. I think about all the feedback we had from customers on how transformative that business was to them, and all the people I met along the way that the brand touched for the better. And now that brand is sold, potentially swallowed. And that’s success?!
So maybe, I’ve been thinking, it’s time for me to reframe success. I’m not a founder or MBA for a reason; I don’t need to care as much about the bottom line because I’m not building anything for scale. To me, success is in the making. It’s in those small moments of resonance that we can have with each other – whether we’re on the same team, you’re on the other side of the product, or our paths cross otherwise. And when I look at it through that lens, it helps me remember to:
- Enjoy the process, it’s what will bring the most fulfillment
- Work with people who are kind and smart, in that order
- Don’t take on work that isn’t worth it, whatever worth means in that moment
Anyway, congratulations to that company on their acquisition. IYKYK.
What’s Keeping Me Up At Night
I spent a good chunk of time and money last year getting more organized from a financial perspective, but I still need to determine a few things including my tax liability for the second half of the year (estimating it’s going to be around $25K, maybe more) and what my contribution of profit share is from the business that I’m putting into my Solo 401K. Lucky for me, both of these things are handled by my accountant with input from my financial advisor (yay for having a financial advisor finally), so I’m just writing the checks.
Many things have kept me up at night this month, so I’m making more of an effort in the remaining week or so to prioritize wellness. To that end, I’m off to Mexico City next week so next edition will come with more recommendations from south of the border.
The other thing that is worth stating is that Los Angeles is home in the most expansive definition of the word. I grew up in Culver City, I knuckled my way through early adulthood in Echo Park, and I settled in Atwater Village. The city is hurting and countless statistics can tell you that aid always dwindles in the first week after a crisis. So here’s my little request to say, if you see a GoFundMe and you have an extra dollar or five, consider donating. If you can only give your time, YMCAs are a good place to start for volunteer opportunities. If you’re looking for a specific link to donate, here’s one I used for my old high school ceramics teacher whose family lost everything in the fire: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-wisners-rebuild-after-eaton-fire
And Lastly…
A few recommendations of things I’m enjoying, and I’m keeping them all LA-focused because, look, we need it.
- The Elysian: a local theatre by us with some of the best comedy in town. We went to Jason Mantzoukas’ long-form improv show (one scene, one hour) which I used to watch at UCB Franklin. It was a delight.
- Eve Babitz: I’ve always been a Didion girl but have recently gotten into Babitz. Few people are more quintessentially LA. I’m currently reading Eve’s Hollywood. Sex and Rage is a lot of fun too.
- Musso & Frank is the most classic and consistent meal in LA. Don’t skip out on the chocolate mousse cake. I promise you it’s worth it.
- AAA24 Club: look, I’m not an A24 fan girlie but I do love an experience. So when they launched their club a few years back, I joined and honestly it’s been a delight. You get movie tickets, zines, and other goodies throughout the year. I’m off to see The Brutalist this Sunday (ticket included with the membership), so wish me luck on that three-hour and 35-minute journey.
If you found this newsletter to be valuable, forward it to a friend. I’m doing this as a labor of love and a touch of lunacy, but if this is something you’d pay for via a Substack or otherwise, consider donating to La Más.