Notes from Chris

Episode 683

Burnout—the struggle is real. This is exactly what happened to Alex Phillips. In 2015, Alex was working full-time as a senior SEO account manager for a digital marketing agency in Melbourne. She was also doing some freelance work for a small business AND trying to build a side business as a lifestyle and wellness blogger for millennials.

This was simply a case of too many goals.

As a “Type-A” personality, Alex was driving herself too hard towards self-destruction, and her burnout manifested itself both emotionally and physically. She realized that she needed to change her trajectory.

It was Alex’s own lifetime of experience with attempting to prioritize her well-being, along with her partner Tom’s desire to start a business, that was the catalyst for starting Saint Belford.

Named for the street where their idea was born, Alex and Tom created a diary that helps others to stay grounded, organized, and mindful. Alex knew there are many others like her who struggle with prioritizing their health and well-being while trying to “do it all”. People who often neglect their health in favor of an aggressive "live to work" mentality.

Alex had a strong desire to re-invent the diary by creating a journal that included an empowering set of wellness lifestyle tools. But she had no concrete plan of how to do so. In fact, when Tom proposed the idea to Alex in February 2017, neither of them had any experience in the world of printing.

The couple first defined their company mission, which helped them to focus on the best set of tools to include in their planners. Alex and Tom wanted to include items that would empower others to keep self-care at the top of their to-do list while building a genuinely fulfilling life.

They brainstormed and researched a TON of other diaries, planners, and journals for inspiration. And then, they surveyed family, friends, and friends of friends for input to gather the most common pain points of people. And then, they created a short list of features to include in their diary that would alleviate the biggest problems others faced. These features included:

• - A Weekly Meal Planner
• - A Savings Planner
• - A Mission Statement
• - A Habits Curator
• - And of course, a Bucket List to plan the experiences and adventures you want to embark on in the next year

Alex worked and was friends with a designer from her full-time job, and they collaborated on the design of her “Curation 2018 Diary” during its development.

Alex and Tom’s startup costs were $15,000, with the first year’s revenue totaling $46,000. For this year, they are planning to generate revenue of more than $160,000.

The process has not been completely stress-free. One of their struggles included finding good suppliers to work with; they had multiple defect issues last year. After two customer reports of a printing error, Alex emailed all customers to alert them to the issue. They offered to send a new diary if a customer had any print errors. There weren’t any other reports, but customers did email to thank them for their honesty and tell them what an amazing job they are doing.

For Alex and Tom, creating the Curation diary has been equally exciting and terrifying. The best part is receiving feedback from customers who love the planner, appreciate what Saint Belford has created, and how it’s enabled them to make positive life changes.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Saint Belford: Self care is important! Snag a journal from Alex and Tom's website and find some peace of mind of your own

SEE ALSO:

• If At First You Don’t Succeed, Make DIY Journals: Two friends try to start an online wedding platform, but they end up with a monthly subscription service offering personalized DIY journals
• Law Student Helps Create A $6,500/Month Morning Routine Journal: Three friends create a side hustle helping others hack their morning habits for more productive mornings
• Crafting Maven Creates World’s Most Practical Workbook: A particularly productive crafter shares her goal-setting tips with readers, then goes on to make a “Get to Work Book” that earns more than $1 million in sales in the first three years

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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