My business isn’t my baby

"It takes a village."

While this quote is typically about children (and I’m proud to be a part of a few villages, Auntie Maddie at your service), it really is universal. It’s about the things you are most proud of. Is my business my child? No. It’s nowhere near as precious as kiddos are, but it is the thing that came from me and only me. Not only that, but my services are a literal reflection of myself—what do you get when you work with Maddie Tudor Consulting? Me.

And yet, I would never have the business that I’m so proud of without my own village. Whether it be my friend and former coach (and first client) Carole Ann convincing me to just “try out freelancing” (I never looked back), my parents supporting me on days when everything feels hard, or all of the advice I get from the rest of my friends and family (huge thank you to my cousin, Stefanie, for being the best copy editor). Sometimes you need a reminder from the people around us of just how special we are and what we bring to the table.

Another friend and coach (hi, Jessica, you’re amazing) once told me, “Treat yourself like a client.” I’d been struggling to market my business and doubly felt like a failure because that was my realm of expertise! How can a marketing expert not know how to market her own business?

While her advice was sound, I was still stuck in my own way, too scared to put myself out there to truly embrace the concept. Another coach (are you noticing a theme, here?) reminded me: “Your whole philosophy is that marketing doesn’t have to be hard or scary, so what do you have to do to get yourself there?”

That unlocked something for me: Marketing is fun, or should be. It’s one of my core beliefs and the goal behind the work I do with my clients. So I asked myself, “When did marketing feel fun before?”

It was when I was working with a team, collaborating and growing. When I was spending time with my village.

We all need to be pushed or see other brilliance to better our own selves. That was the key, and here I am writing to you now.

I’m inspired by and honored to work with so many people who I can only hope to have the same effect on. I grow when I read my colleague Carole Ann, Ashley, or Theresa’s work (including the copy for my website—I knew she could do it better, so I asked for the help). I grow when clients reach out to me with amazing ideas that I can help them execute like Chiara and her new web series, CoFi and their Women’s History Month initiatives, Zelouf Fabrics and their desire to grow and become stronger, Nicole and her beautiful new business, and Jake and his constant new ideas for businesses. Can you tell I truly love working with my clients?

So here I am, following in the footsteps of my village members who’ve modeled bravery for me in so many ways and taking the advice that I often give to my own clients: Start a newsletter. It helps your audience get to know you, and it’s usually the highest-converting marketing channel.

Lesson Learned: I’ll keep leaning on my village when I need that extra push. I only hope you can do the same, whether it be with me or someone else.