In just 30 days, I hit a 10K month—closing nearly $10K in brand-new sales without spending a dime on ads or compromising my values.
But this wasn’t a fluke or a once-in-a-lifetime milestone—this was repeatable success.
I’ve achieved results like this before, and I know it’s possible for other solopreneurs to do the same.
By staying intentional, connected, and aligned with my values, I’ve created a framework that works without relying on paid ads or complex systems.
Here’s how I made it happen, and how you can, too.
Clarity is Key: Setting a Clear Goal
Every success starts with a clear intention.
My goal was simple: close three new sales in one month, which resulted in a 10K month. With this focus, I was able to structure my actions, stay intentional, and build momentum. For service-based solopreneurs, this clarity is crucial.
Define your goal, align it with your strategy, and commit to taking consistent action.
Understanding the Market in a Shifting Economy
To close nearly $10K in sales this past month and hit a 10K month, I had to not only adjust my mindset but also take a hard look at the current market and adapt my marketing strategy accordingly.
Economic shifts don’t just impact spending habits—they often amplify the human urge to write and create. Writing satisfies a basic need for belonging, helping us define who we are and make sense of uncertainty.
During times of upheaval, the desire to express oneself grows stronger as people seek grounding and meaning.
During the economic collapse of 2008–2009, MFA writing programs saw enormous growth as people turned to creative expression during uncertain times.
What’s different now? MFA programs are being cut, student loan options are less accessible, and the traditional pathways for developing as a writer are no longer as feasible for many. Yet, the need to create hasn’t disappeared—it’s shifting. People are seeking affordable, high-touch alternatives that offer personalized support and guidance.
In this shifting economy, it’s more important than ever to get clear on who your clients are and what they need right now.
Pain points evolve with the times, and the solutions we offer have to evolve with them.
For example, I took the time to refresh my funnel content to reflect my audience’s current struggles, addressing the challenges they face in today’s climate rather than the ones I had assumed they had.
This meant meeting them where they are—acknowledging their fears, providing actionable advice, and showing them how coaching can be a more accessible alternative to traditional graduate programs.
Understanding the market also meant staying tuned into my audience’s mindset.
In moments of uncertainty, people need more clarity, trust, and connection before making an investment. By aligning my messaging with these values, I could provide not just solutions, but reassurance that their goals are attainable even in uncertain times.
This awareness of market dynamics, paired with authentic marketing that adapts to shifting needs, became a foundation of my success.
Solopreneurs who take the time to research and respond to the evolving landscape will position themselves as trusted resources in times of change—and set themselves up for their own version of a 10K month.
Turning Limiting Beliefs into Empowered Action
Closing these sales marked a personal breakthrough. I hadn’t closed any 1:1 clients since 2023, and for a long time, I told myself stories that held me back.
I believed no one was buying anymore. The world had entered a new era of uncertainty, and people were holding tightly to their money, unwilling to invest in themselves.
The truth? Those were the stories I told myself—and they reflected in my marketing. My messaging was cautious, hesitant, and lacked the conviction needed to inspire action. It wasn’t just my audience that doubted the value of my offer—I had started doubting it myself.
What’s wild is that I had these beliefs despite having achieved $10K+ months before. This experience reminded me that the “inner work” of uncovering and challenging self-limiting beliefs is never truly done.
As we grow and evolve, new challenges emerge, requiring us to dig deeper, reassess, and release the stories that no longer serve us. Sometimes, leveling up means facing those lessons head-on and learning to trust ourselves again.
Breaking free from my limiting beliefs wasn’t just about changing my mindset—it was about recognizing the deeper context of this moment and aligning my offer with what my audience truly needs right now. That shift transformed my results and played a key role in achieving a 10K month.
The Three-Stage Organic Marketing Process
At the heart of this success was a straightforward funnel designed to warm up already-warm leads and move them closer to working with me. Here’s what I did:
Stage 1: Get Leads to Identify with the Problem
I started by creating content that directly addressed the challenges my programs solve. Through social media posts and emails, I highlighted the struggles my audience was facing and created space for them to see themselves in the problem. This step was critical in drawing them into the funnel and activating the email and social media algorithms.
Stage 2: Provide a Mindset Shift
Next, I gave my audience a fresh perspective—one that helped them see their challenges in a different light and positioned me as a trusted authority. This included insights, actionable advice, and even refreshing older funnel content to align with my audience’s evolving needs.
Stage 3: Invite the Sale
The final stage of my funnel focused on creating clear calls to action that encouraged interested leads to reach out to me directly. Through my social media posts and email content, I invited leads to DM me if they resonated with the challenges I was addressing and wanted to learn more about working together. From there, I asked guiding questions to ensure my programs were a good fit for their needs.
This approach was highly effective because it relied on building trust and fostering conversations with leads who were already warmed up—not through cold DMs, which I find to be an exhausting and impersonal strategy, but by inviting them to take the first step.
Once a connection was established, I scheduled discovery calls where I offered a preview of the process I use and demonstrated the value of my coaching.
These conversations empowered leads to make informed and aligned decisions, which naturally led to closing the sale.
The Role of Connection and Authenticity
At the heart of my sales success is how I show up for my audience—not just as paying clients, but even as leads. Those high-touch points, where I respond personally to every comment, DM, or email, are critical for building trust and making sales feel effortless. By showing them the care and attention they can expect if they work with me, I create a foundation of trust that turns conversations into conversions.
This process isn’t overwhelming because I’ve built a funnel and business model that allow me to prioritize these moments.
My time and energy are aligned with what matters most to me and my company’s values: fostering genuine relationships and showing up authentically.
Instead of feeling overworked or stretched thin, I feel grounded, knowing that connection is not just a strategy—it’s my guiding principle.
Overcoming Challenges and Self-Doubt
One of the biggest challenges I faced was activating the Facebook algorithm to show my posts to a wider audience. I tackled this by analyzing engagement data and producing content my audience responds to—and it worked.
As I wrote above, another hurdle came from within: my own self-limiting beliefs. I’d convinced myself that clients feeling scarcity or uncertainty wouldn’t invest in themselves or their writing. I was wrong. By staying committed to showing the value of my programs and helping them see what was possible, I stepped out of my own way—and so did they.
Lessons Learned and Tips for You For a 10K Month
This journey wasn’t just about closing sales—it was about learning and evolving as a business owner. These lessons are ones I’ll carry forward, and I hope they inspire you, too:
Know Your Audience’s Current Pain Points:
Get specific about your clients’ struggles in the moment. Economic shifts, personal challenges, and evolving needs all influence what they’re looking for. Regularly refresh your messaging and offers to reflect this.
Trust the Power of Personal Connection:
High-touch points—responding personally to comments, emails, or DMs—aren’t just nice to have; they’re essential for building trust.
Do the Inner Work:
Self-limiting beliefs creep in even after past successes. The work of uncovering and challenging them is ongoing.
Lean Into Alignment & Intention:
A sales process rooted in core values and clear intentions creates ease and fosters meaningful client relationships.
Looking Ahead
This past month has been a lesson in proving myself wrong—transforming pressure and resistance into momentum. I felt the weight of needing to close sales, the discomfort around it, and I leaned into the strategy I knew had worked before. All it needed was a few thoughtful tweaks to align with today’s shifting economy and market.
It’s easy to blame the failure of a sales funnel on external forces or to “wait it out,” hoping things will change.
But that approach isn’t a strategy—it’s giving up.
A failed sales funnel is almost always a reflection of the funnel itself and our willingness to adapt, get creative, and do the work.
By making intentional adjustments to both the mechanics of my funnel and my own mindset, I reconnected with the clarity and alignment that made success possible.
This journey reminded me that even in uncertain times, growth doesn’t come from avoiding challenges—it comes from embracing them.
With three more sales calls lined up in the next two weeks, I’m excited to keep building on this momentum, knowing the strategies and values that guided me to a 10K month will continue to shape my success moving forward.
She is also the owner of Open Roads, a writing coaching and editing agency.