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I’ve been putting off recording this one. Partly because I wanted it as close to leave as possible so it stayed real, and partly because I hoped I’d have more sorted by now. I don’t. So we’re just rolling with it.
I’m 34 weeks pregnant, going on leave July 31, baby due mid August, and this is what business actually looks like three and a half weeks out.
Why My Content Is Already Recorded (Mostly)
For months I’ve been trying to record two podcasts and two tutorials a week to bank enough content to carry through my leave. It’s gone… okay. Better some weeks than others. Last week I took my birthday off instead of recording, which sounds small until you’re the one staring at a content calendar with four weeks left on it.
Realistically, I’ll get tutorials through to mid October and podcasts to the end of October if I keep hustling without burning myself out three weeks before a due date. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s enough runway that my team can keep posting without me.
Running Live Webinars vs Setting Up Evergreen Funnels
For this entire year I ran a live masterclass every single Tuesday. About 300 people signing up, 60 or so showing up live, a handful converting into my course each week. It worked, because live energy sells. People feel it.
A month ago I switched that funnel to evergreen so it could run without me needing to show up. And evergreen funnels are just harder. I hadn’t made a single sale off it as of recording, while still spending on ads to feed it.
Last night I found the reason. A QR code covered by a screen button, and a call to action link pointing at an old page. Small things. Expensive things.
The takeaway: refine your funnel while you still have the energy to fix mistakes, not after you’re relying on it.
How I’m Paying My Team When My “Passive Income” Funnel Isn’t Working
I retain three people for content, plus Vanessa full time for design, coaching support and running my programs while I’m out. When sales slow down, the retainers don’t. I’ve asked my content team to lower their scope slightly so I can lower what I’m paying, but there’s still a few thousand dollars a month going out regardless of what’s coming in.
The honest bit: I haven’t paid myself yet this cycle. That’s the trade off nobody puts in the highlight reel.
Setting Up the Design Studio for Maternity Leave
I’ve been training up Vanessa (White Deer’s studio manager, senior designer, and all-round right-hand woman) all year to run my club and DIY calls solo while I’m away. She’s already the main point of contact for client questions, and no one’s ever asked for me instead of her. My actual fear isn’t the handover, it’s what happens if I’m holding a crying baby mid call.
The plan: Vanessa sits in the background of any call I do run, ready to take over the second I need her to.
Mum Guilt vs Founder Guilt
Somewhere in prepping for this I found myself asking whether mum guilt and founder guilt are actually two different feelings, or the same feeling wearing a different outfit. I don’t have the answer yet. I’m not sure I need one before baby arrives.
My Advice If You’re Planning Your Own Maternity Leave
Start the moment you find out you’re pregnant, not the month before. Build in enough runway on both content and funnel testing that you’re not scrambling. Know the actual purpose of your content, so if you pause it you know what pausing costs you. And give yourself proper time off, at least two months, without the pressure of a client waiting on the other side.
Passive income is never actually passive. It just moves the effort earlier.
If you want to see the exact masterclass I’ve spent this whole year building, it’s called Design Tools to Get to 100K Online.
WORK WITH JACQUI:
// DIY Design My Biz: The best course for business owners DIYing their own brand and graphics in Canva. Learn more: https://whitedeer.com.au/diy-dmb
// The Co+Creation Design Club: Design WITH the help of a professional designer in this high-touch coaching space: https://whitedeer.com.au/designclub
// Design Studio: If you’re after fully done-for-you design services my studio team can help! https://whitedeer.com.au/designstudio
