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emeliesanders.com

emeliesanders.com

• When I left home at 16

• When I became a teen mom

• When I left my marriage

These are some of my biggest lessons that helped me take full ownership of everything life handed me… and everything I handed myself.

Forget about “finding your purpose” – you need to be on a mission instead.

I could never sneak up on my mom.

Growing up, she said she could always tell which kid it was walking down the hallway based on the sound.

“You stomp like an elephant,” she’d tell me.

“No, I walk with a purpose,” I always say back.

Walking through life with a purpose has always gotten me where and what I wanted.

When you navigate life like you’re on a whole ass mission – people get out of your way.

People watch you.

People want to know what you’re going to do.

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Another flavor of this is the advice to “be confident!” but it’s so much more than that. For example:

In the US, you have to be at least 21 years old to rent a car… but I didn’t know this when I was flying with my first kiddo at age 19.

For this trip, I didn’t reserve a car ahead-of-time because that’s Type A behavior.

So I arrive to my destination and head over to the car rentals. I was on a mission to get myself and the baby strapped to my chest out of that airport asap.

Then I was told I couldn’t rent the car because I wasn’t 21.

But I didn’t really have any other option, and again, I was on a mission.

So I left that airport in a rental.

I was NOT feeling confident, but I had a mission to fulfill and there was no other way. There was no backup plan.

This is exactly how I rented my first apartment as a minor, or how I got my first tattoo.

I’m always on a mission, and I carry myself as such.

At 19, I didn’t know my life purpose. At 29, I still don’t.

But whatever I’m doing, I walk with a purpose.

A mother’s only job is to love their kid, and keep them alive.

For many months, I received panicky FaceTime calls from a friend about something her baby was doing.

Or not doing.

Or kept doing.

I always answered (or called back lol), but I could rarely relate to what she was experiencing as a first time mom.

And that’s because I was basically a child when I became a mother.

I didn’t lug around a huge ass backpack with an entire nursery in it.

I didn’t follow mommy influencers.

I didn’t scroll through BabyList’s baby shower must-haves.

Hell, I didn’t really know anybody with a kid.

I wasn’t worried if I was doing everything “right,” and I sure as hell never put an ankle tracker on my baby during the night.

While there are a shit ton of reasons it would’ve been better for me to become a mom later in life, being underexposed gave me the beautiful experience of deciding what kind of mother I wanted to be in every moment.

The “first time mom” stereotype is a direct reflection of how materialistic and judgemental our society is towards mothers.

When a woman becomes a mother, she can’t even fucking exist without some mouth-breather critiquing her and strangers hate the mere presence of her child.

Mothers cannot win because the job description gets a little edit… a little suggestion… a little opinion… from everyone on this planet.

Your motherhood is yours.

The only thing that matters is that your kid is loved by you, and alive. The rest is up to you.

There are endless ways to make money and the first way you do it won’t be the final form.

I pushed an 18 month old down thrift store aisles with a plastic bag of dry Cheerios and a sippy cup.

I compared eBay comps on my phone and left with either a single blouse, or six bags of used clothing.

Then I’d spend naptime measuring, photographing, and drafting listings for these clothes on various reselling platforms.

That’s how I built my first business 10 years ago, and how I made my first 6-figures.

Now, I’m a business consultant.

But I’ve also been in luxury home theater sales.

I’ve also been a cam girl.

I’ve also been a ceramic studio owner.

And I’ve made money in many, many other ways.

We get really caught up on figuring out the ONE RIGHT WAY we are suppose to make money, but it’s an evolutionary process.

And with so many possibilities, you need to try things to figure this shit out.

So however you’re making money right now… that can change, and that’s totally rad.

Learn to be alone or you’ll be lonely your whole life.

My first apartment was a studio and I lived right above my dealer.

I was a barista and worked the host stand at the local Olive Garden and also stole customers from my downstairs neighbor.

(No loyalty, I KNOW)

So I wasn’t home much, but I hated it when I was.

I left home as a teen because I wanted autonomy, I wanted freedom, and I wanted to be left alone.

Little did I know how to be alone and how deep of a memory this loneliness would be when I look back on this season 13+ years later.

I became envious of the life I couldn’t provide for myself, ungrateful for what I had, and unwilling to create an internal peace with myself.

So I went out and drank and did drugs and drove 30 mins for a dude who whipped out a micropenis.

(”whipped out” is so generous of me)

(also btw, I ran into this same guy at my parents’ church a decade later – different story)

I was so fucking miserable.

Even when I was surrounded by other people, I was lonely.

And I wish this lesson ended soon thereafter, but it took many years and other unfortunate sexual encounters.

Married women especially need to have their own money.

I’ve always separated work and personal finances – mostly because it’s the smart thing to do, but also because I’m a simp for accountants.

When my ex-husband was in jail, I started using his VA checks to pay the bills in my name, and stashed away my own salary.

I had a separate business account for this, duh.

Then I began to sell off his shit, like a Harley Davidson for an ungodly low price.

Or his fancy golfing equipment.

Or literally anything of his.

And I stashed that cash too.

It wasn’t long after that I found a rental, signed the lease, and had a babysitter watch my kids for the day while we left.

The only reason I could’ve done this is because I was the breadwinner.

He couldn’t hold a job, he was “disabled” from the Army (please hear the eyeroll), and I ran a successful business and non-profit.

Most women would be stuck in this scenario.

Most women who stay at home do not have their own money.

And the ones that do have money have it heavily monitored by their husbands.

I don’t care if you “didn’t marry a loser” – you are a complete individual who needs assets, a net worth, and money to your name.

Not because you’re planning to leave.

Not because you don’t trust your husband.

Not because you gotta have one foot out the door.

But because HE gets to have all that, so why the fuck don’t you?

I think about a video that went viral years ago of a husband sharing how his wife and all her friends have a joint account.

Each month, they deposit x-amount to pool together for girlie stuff. Some suspect it’s an emergency fund. Others suspect it’s for mani-pedis.

But the husband clearly didn’t care. He actually seemed to think it was a good idea.

He’s not insecure about her potentially leaving or prepping for the possibility of.

Ironically, the man who “lets” his wife have her own financials is unlikely to even get left. While the man who controls and obsesses over her financial coming & going is uh… probably getting left.

Reconciliation is brave and you should always try it first.

My mom, sister, and I have a group Voxer chat.

“I just love us,” my sister said the other day.

She’s been going through a program at her church where you walk through your past and take inventory of your hurt.

She explained how every trauma involved another person and for most of them, she had to simply forgive and accept and move on.

But for the instances that involved a family member, she was able to have a 1:1 conversation and receive genuine apologies.

There was complete reconciliation and a new relationship built.

For that same reason, I also love us as a family.

And listen, she’s blessed. I’m blessed. We’re all blessed. And you’re probably throwing up in your mouth if your family sucks.

But it took balls for her to request a conversation about the past and be completely open to any kind of response.

These days, I swear folks are just LOOKING for any reason to cut someone off.

Don’t agree with my choices? Dead to me.

Raised me not perfectly? Dead to me.

Confronted me about something? Dead to me.

There are obviously instances where going no contact is, unfortunately, the only option. So don’t be a dumbass and hit me with “okay but you don’t understand my situa–” no.

Stop that.

For me, I’m the one who fucked up most of the situations I needed to seek reconciliation for.

I was the one bringing up a past where I hurt someone, completely open to the possibility that this person didn’t want to see my face ever again.

But for the chance of reconciliation, I’d do it again.

Your appearance reflects your inner world.

Earlier this year, my kids helped give me my second buzzcut on the back porch.

The first was a 16th birthday gift from my dad, who didn’t understand my obsession with Sinead O’Connor but did understand that hair grows back.

I’ve always felt most like myself with short hair.

I met my ex-husband with short hair.

He didn’t like it and made ugly comments, so I grew it out. And I kept it long until I was fucking done, he was in a jail cell, and I got a pixie for him to come home to.

I didn’t care that he was mad because I was leaving anyway.

But then I grew it back out for my next unhealthy relationship. (Ugh, fucking patterns)

After we broke up, I cut it again and promised I’d never change my appearance for a man again.

I took a year and a half off from dating and during that time, my kids shaved my head. I committed to meeting my forever person with the most man-repelling haircut in existence.

I committed to discovering my personal style.

I committed to loving how I visually show up in life.

I committed to my self expression existing for me.

Appearances matter because they reflect your inner world.

You deserve to be seen as you.

—

Smell ya later,

Emelie Sanders
Head Honcho @ Pass the Queso

Maybe because my great grandfather’s motto is “if you can’t get it at Walmart, ya don’t need it!”

I come from a line of simple folks.

But in business, sometimes you have to make illogical choices to grow forward and toward a vision you may not fully see yet.

Over the last 3 years, I’ve ran a very successful sales copywriting program – Stand Up Copy.

The live cohorts ran 3-4 times a year, developed a really strong reputation in the space, and we could pre-sell the fuck out of them.

It wasn’t broke.

In fact, it would’ve made total sense for me to double down on Stand Up Copy.

Run more cohorts, add a self-paced tier, SOMETHING.

Instead, I started 2026 with the decision to shut down Stand Up Copy and continue to develop my other offer: Beyond the Launch.

“Why the hell did you do that, Emelie!?”

(^^gotta bake in some dialogue, here)

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Stand Up Copy headlined my brand and set my positioning around messaging & sales.

Which is fab – it’s obviously one of my skillsets. But on the backend, I spent most of my hours working with clients in retainers, intensives, and even Beyond the Launch on OTHER things.

Instead of just looking at copy, we pulled at all the threads that lead to a higher converting business:

• Identifying and looking through leads to close specific sales, retain existing clients, and bring past clients back into their worlds.

• Swapping hot takes to figure out what they uniquely have to say, why the fuck it matters, and how to package it up for a stronger brand – not just a louder one.

• Optimizing offer and delivery models that shorten the time from interest → sale and grow revenue per person.

Stand Up Copy brought a lot of folks into my world, and regularly upsold roughly 50% of students into working with me in a deeper way.

I don’t wanna say I fell out of love with SUC, but I began to see the bigger vision for my company as I experienced working with more business owners in this way.

As I play with updating my own website next week (omg so excited), I’m obsessed with:

I build brands that convert better, retain longer, and sell like popsicles at the gates of hell.

And duh, I do.

But I finally figured out who MY PERSON is in this giant business-y space.

Folks who are finally making the 6-figs everyone said would solve all their problems, but are in this weird in-between of still grinding like it’s year 1.

There’s a super low barrier to entry for starting a business online.

There are countless coaches, courses, and free resources to help you grow to that first $10k month.

Then the next applicable message to you is about scaling, which… you sure as hell know you ain’t ready for that!

This crunchy, pre-scale season presents a lot of unique challenges because your business has grown faster than your actual business knowledge.

Ya just don’t know what ya don’t know.

You feel too successful to be a beginner... and too overloaded to feel like you have any business thinking about scaling.

If you look at everything you do, day in and day out, to run your business – could you handle if we even 2x that?

Do you even WANT to?

This season of business invites you to be really intellectually honest about your business literacy.

Instead of looking for more support from coaches coaching coaches on coaching businesses, to step outside Instagram.

To step outside frameworks.

To step outside winging it.

You can build the plane as you go, but when are we flying this motherfucker?

Seeing this in you and embracing this vision to close that first 6-figs → scaling gap challenges ME too.

I’m reclaiming the fact that I’m a true entrepreneur with experience so far outside tHe SpAcE.

My reps span across many areas, such as:

1. E-commerce (x2)

2. Agency startup

3. Financial digital products

4. Niche brand strategy

5. CX & packaging design

6. Web design & copy (x2)

7. Non-profit (funding)

8. Education curriculum design

9. Niche marketing director

10. Brick & mortar

11. Sales

12. Business consulting

I sold a few of these businesses, hit my revenue goals with others and just shut ‘em down, took what I needed from others and stepped back, etc.

But every single one taught me skills and built the business literacy in myself that is lacking in that space.

After the cookie-cutter $10k month season, you wander into hella nuance and challenges you can’t navigate through a value-based Instagram carousel you saved or free webinars.

These are layers and conversations we’re having in Beyond the Launch.

I don’t have a framework to get you from the $150k mark to $500k because it doesn’t exist.

Instead, I created Beyond the Launch – a business advisory offer that provides the structure and learning ecosystem to build your business for you as an individual.

There are so many other people in this crunchy spot and not many folks equipped to condense the time it takes you to grow beyond it.

You can book a free call with me here! I’d love to deep dive into what’s working in your business, what’s not, and what this pre-scale season looks like for you uniquely.

Alternatively, you may be a decisive bish.

You can directly apply for Beyond the Launch, and then schedule your fit check call.

—

Smell ya later,

Emelie Sanders
Head Honcho @ Pass the Queso

^^ I get asked this a LOT.

Most folks will send newsletters as usual to their list when they sell to the waitlist. And when it’s public launch, EVERYONE get the sales emails.

Or worse, you ghost your main list during your waitlist launch… awk.

Instead, I want you to write one email and flip it two ways: a V1 that converts your waitlist, and a V2 that keeps the public drooling until public doors open.

Let’s never let your list go cold mid-launch again. Here’s how I see most folks tackle sales emails during a launch:

The Email Everyone, Then Ghost

1. Email whole list & market on social

2. Build up the waitlist (yay!)

3. “Waitlist building phase” ends

4. “Waitlist sale phase” begins

5. Segments out the waitlisters and sends them sales emails

   1. Excludes the rest of the list for a full week+ of emails

6. Folks purchase from the waitlist

7. “Public sales phase” begins

8. Sends emails to non-purchasers from the waitlist and everyone else

   1. Entire list went cold after a couple weeks of radio silence

9. Wonder why you seem to only sell via waitlist…

The Write Double Emails

1. Email whole list & market on social

2. Build up the waitlist (yay!)

3. “Waitlist building phase” ends

4. “Waitlist sale phase” begins

5. Segments out the waitlisters and sends them sales emails

   1. Writes a full set of emails specifically for the main list during this time (typically newsletters)

6. Folks purchase from the waitlist

7. “Public sales phase” begins

8. Sends emails to non-purchasers from the waitlist and everyone else

   1. Entire list has whiplash from the start/stop emails, and…

   2. You lowkey hate waitlist strategies bc it’s so much work

9. Wonder why you’re wiped out and it’s not “working”

That’s why I created the V1/V2 Method for selling with a waitlist.

Otherwise, you’re letting all your hard work go to waste with your list getting all cold on ya, OR you’re doing twice the work.

With the V1/V2 Method, you write ONE email and flip it TWO ways:

→ A V1 that converts your waitlist during its launch phase
→ A V2 that keeps the public drooling until doors open

Instructions

1. Write 1 sales email to your waitlist (this is V1)

2. Take the same sales email, and make minor language & CTA tweaks (this is V2)

3. Send V1 to your waitlist, and send V2 to the rest of the list at the same time

Example: Your nasty ass sweats

This is a contrast-style sales email. Our brains love CONTRAST. We need to see our option measured up against something else.

V1 (Selling to waitlist)

[Announcement Bar: ”Join Badge of Honor before x-date [bonus info]”

Subject Line: Your nasty ass sweats
Preview: Badge of Honor 🥾

The safest place in the world is recording from the floor of your closet in the sweat set you’ve worn for the last 2 days.

(Nobody knows it needs a wash. Lol. Shoutout to podcasting!)

You wrap up and start editing away.

You remove the “ums” from every time you forgot what you wanted to say next, remove the tangent you went on halfway through, and know exaaaaactly who’s listening.

Hmmm. Control. Yummy.

And I get it! This control and safety is cozy AF.

But here’s what’s not safe:

Spending 3 years producing incredible content that nobody sees as proof of leadership.

→ Clients don’t see it.
→ Event organizers don’t see it.
→ Strangers sure as hell don’t see it.

Because unless you put yourself in a literal room, your podcast is just another drop in the audio bucket.

The tradeoff is simple:

You can keep creating from the sidelines, waiting for someone to finally notice you.

Or you can learn how to confidently speak on stage and become the person people listen to on purpose.

In Badge of Honor, I’ll help you book your first speaking gig and plan it so well, you leave with another.

So your message doesn’t just get heard, but it gets remembered.

Our group starts up on [date], so grab your spot and uh… go wash those sweats.

–Lily

P.S. I get that speaking can be scary as shit, but just like you plan a whole podcast episode… we can plan this too. And I’ll help you build it inside Badge of Honor!

V2 (Keeping everyone else warm)

[Announcement Bar: ”Badge of Honor enrollment opens on [date]”

Subject Line: Your nasty ass sweats
Preview: Badge of Honor 🥾

The safest place in the world is recording from the floor of your closet in the sweat set you’ve worn for the last 2 days.

(Nobody knows it needs a wash. Lol. Shoutout to podcasting!)

You wrap up and start editing away.

You remove the “ums” from every time you forgot what you wanted to say next, remove the tangent you went on halfway through, and know exaaaaactly who’s listening.

Hmmm. Control. Yummy.

And I get it! This control and safety is cozy AF.

But here’s what’s not safe:

Spending 3 years producing incredible content that nobody sees as proof of leadership.

→ Clients don’t see it.
→ Event organizers don’t see it.
→ Strangers sure as hell don’t see it.

Because unless you put yourself in a literal room, your podcast is just another drop in the audio bucket.

The tradeoff is simple:

You can keep creating from the sidelines, waiting for someone to finally notice you.

Or you can learn how to confidently speak on stage and become the person people listen to on purpose.

In Badge of Honor, I’ll help you book your first speaking gig and plan it so well, you leave with another.

So your message doesn’t just get heard, but it gets remembered.

Our group starts up on [date], so uh… go wash those sweats and keep your eyes open for enrollment in [x-days]!

–Lily

P.S. I get that speaking can be scary as shit, but just like you plan a whole podcast episode… we can plan this too. And I’ll help you build it inside Badge of Honor!

Keep in mind:

• Before you write, make decisions about where you want people to go (or what you want people to do) during different phases of your launch

• Consider documenting the verbiage around your waitlist bonuses or whatever so you can easily turn V1 into V2 as-you-go

• You will feel resistance to this approach because it’s simple, and email marketing has been deeply complicated – EASY ≠ WRONG

  • Half-ass is a whole buttcheek more than none at all ;)

So why does this work?

Let’s talk about the mechanics. We already know EmAiL iS pOwErFuL, okay?

It matches buyer INTENT

Your waitlist and main list are in different decision states.

• Waitlist folks raised their hand, opted in – they’re evaluating timing and trust.

• The rest of your list is still figuring it out – they’re building context and desire.

V1 = for buyers who are already deciding
V2 = for buyers who are still warming up to deciding

A lot of email strategies assume everyone is in the same decision state – the V1/V2 Method assumes they aren’t.

You keep the momentum goin’!

A HUGE sales killer is attention decay. When people stop hearing from you or feel abruptly excluded, they disengage.

By sending V1 and V2 at the same time, you:

• Keep your whole list active

• Avoid ghosting that kills opens & clicks

• Carries your narrative straight into public open

Separating persuasion from permission

We accidentally create resistance from people when we try to persuade folks to buy who haven’t really given you permission for that yet.

• V1 creates persuasion and action

• V2 creates permission and anticipation

So when your doors open publicly, the list feels invited in. This simple change improves your conversions during cart open.

It uses less brain calories from YOU

I’m a huge fan of anything stupid-easy because not everything has to be hard.

When you’re double writing, overcomplicating the segmentation, and creating different narratives to hold simultaneously – it falls apart really easily.

Let’s be so real: you’re not you when you’re strung out.

It creates more opportunities where you might be inconsistent, lose your grip on the messaging, etc.

The V1/V2 Method is simple, easy to repeat, takes way less time, and keeps everything really tight.

The V1/V2 Method works because it takes into account how people actually buy – gradually, relationally, and doesn’t force everyone through… including you!

—

Smell ya later,

Emelie Sanders
Head Honcho @ Pass the Queso

“Can we chat about how this looks when your true self is an introverted hermit who kinda just wants to hang out with her cats, knitting and cats? I feel like I see so many extroverts or maximalists do this so well.”

That’s such a good damn question.

I see this all the time:

Someone quiet and softer watches loud, expressive people DOMINATE the online space.

Big personality! Big opinion! Big presence!

And they think, “okay so that’s what this required and uh… that’s not me.”

So they either try to put-on this energy (look! more meatsuiting!) that’s not them, or opt themselves out of having a strong brand.

WRONG.

And unfair to all introverts out there.

Extroverted people seem to have a leg up, don’t they? And ya know, they do.

At first.

When most people think about building a brand, the first instinct is to be LOUDER, get that attention, and command a room!

And being louder comes more naturally to the extroverted, maximalist type personalities. It’s easy for them to show up, grab attention fairly quickly, and it kinda looks effortless.

Nobody really wants to admit this, because we don’t really liiiiike the idea of a natural, not-chosen-by-you personality giving you a disadvantage.

While extroverts can demand attention faster, but they have a harder time holding it and creating something that can stand on its own.

There’s gotta be something built that isn’t just reliant on them being louder.

Volume gets you noticed, sure. But it’s not enough to be loud.

Strong, quiet brands exist.

And they have a visibility problem worth naming. I even hesitate to call it a problem.

We don’t notice these brands, by nature, and that’s kinda the whole point.

There are many introverted people building powerful and profitable brands out there – they’re just not screaming at you from every corner of the internet.

My favorite example is Paul Jarvis.

Probably because I’m re-reading his book, Company of One, for the 8th time.

From the Fathom Analytics about page, Paul Jarvis’ bio reads:

Paul Jarvis was the co-founder of Fathom Analytics (now retired), and handled the design, content and brand of the business.

He is also the author of Company of One (which has been published in 20+ languages worldwide). His writing and ideas have appeared in Bloomberg, The Financial Times, Inc., Forbes, CNBC, The Next Web, Fast Company, USA Today and more.

Paul is a veteran of the online tech world and, over the years, has worked with such clients as Microsoft, Yahoo, Mercedes-Benz, Warner Music and even Shaquille O’Neal. He has over 25 years of design and writing experience.

If you look him up, you don’t see crazy brand shoots or social media accounts or… much of anything at all.

Hell, Paul basically quit the internet in 2020.

When you find quiet, strong personal brands like Paul – you’ll notice they have huge BTS accomplishments and more devoted, smaller audiences.

Their businesses also grow differently.

Less visibility tactics, more word of mouth, referrals, and retention.

If you’re an introvert, reach is never going to be your best metric so fuck off with that.

Differentiation and standing out isn’t really about being loud at all.

This is the part I really need you to hear.

You need strong positioning and having something strong to say.

That’s it.

A loud personality with nothing of substance to say will always lose to a quieter person with a devastatingly clear point of view.

Quieter, more introspective people actually have the opportunity to build something stronger long-term.

The thing I’ve noticed about my clients who identify as more “soft” is that they are SO MUCH MORE naturally introspective.

And that’s the exact skill you need to go deep inside of yourself to find your real differentiation, your actual perspective, your specific way of seeing – and that’s not a fast process!

But the outcome is something rock solid and more you.

It’ll hold.

Not to mention the contrast of a strong, clear stance paired with a calm personality is HAWT.

(I meant compelling.)

The contrast works. Really well, actually.

I’ve noticed my more extroverted clients hauling ass through this self-discovery phase, trying on dozens of things, tossing ‘em, trying something else, run around with their head cut off, rinse & repeat.

Neither are wrong ways, but when we’re letting which route gets more ATTENTION dictate which is more effective – we’re missing the point.

So what’s the actual advice here?

If you’re quieter and you want a stronger brand, the work isn’t to get louder and collect all these eyeballs on you.

I’m challenging you to get clearer on your differentiation.

Put more time and attention into defining what makes your position distinct and how ya see the world.

You might not be the “die on every hill” type and that’s FINE. But there’s still a hill in there… somewhere, and you have to find it.

That might take some development, and that’s a-okay because what comes out on the other end will hold.

Then, you have to put it out there.

Your expression doesn’t need to look any sorta way. You can skip the hot takes, showing up with live energy everywhere, and being in everyone’s face.

You just have to show up in a way that’s yours consistently and clearly.

While it’s not easy, that’s something anyone can do regardless of personality.

—

Smell ya later,

Emelie Sanders
Head Honcho @ Pass the Queso

Investments

1. UX & Funnels – $9616.87

   • Thought I was ready to outsource this, but failed to document a lot of details

   • I learned I’m very, very detail oriented and particular

   • Realized this is an area of my business I won’t be outsourcing – it’s within my own zone of genius, so I was never happy

2. Tech VA – $3850

   • We needed an extension of Haley, as our group programs grew

   • I will hire a tech VA again – was super smart, but I was also unaware of what went into having a team

3. Team Ops (Faith Morris) – $850

   • Definitely one of my best investments in my business PERIOD. You don’t know what you don’t know, and I learned a lot about team management / hiring. I spent more money with Faith than this.

4. Mastermind (VIP, Caley Dimmock) – $5,682.98 + $1,599.90

   • I joined at a VIP tier for the 1:1s w/ Caley. I will forever work with her – she understands my brain like it’s her own. It’s creepy amazing.

   • I did not participate in the mastermind elements, and will not join more masterminds.

5. Meta Ads Academy (Caley Dimmock) – $2,669.00

   • I didn’t time this right, as I couldn’t implement as I learned. So it was like a live course and I’m JUST NOW using what I learned.

   • Amazing program, really demystifies meta ads.

6. Website Updates (Sarah Kleist) – $1500

   • Already booked another website project with her, so

7. Case Study Strategy – $1500

   • I didn’t have capacity to implement a lot of what I put together from this, but I loved the education + 1:1 combo offer format.

   • This was useful info and education I will dip into now and in the future.

8. Tom Collins ← always hiring

   • Intro / Outro for SUC – $315.63

   • PTQ+ Branding – $343

   • Cheese Daddy – $229.98

9. Contracts (Boutique Lawyer) – $243.30

   • Duh

10. Case Study Video Editor – $820

    • I did some case study interviews and made clips for YouTube / IG / website. It was nice to have someone else go through the recordings.

11. Podcast Strategy Call – $250

    • This still hasn’t happened, but I needed to process through the decision to not launch it yet.

12. Gem Creative Co ← also always hiring

    • IG Grid Design – $350

    • Pin Templates – $1000

13. Coaching (Alexa Martinez) – $600

    • One of the best coaches I’ve ever met in my life.

14. Case Study Blogs – $1250

    • This service provider does great work, but it was a poorly timed investment on my end.

15. Copy Audit (Reveal Studio) – $650

    • Always need a fellow expert to get eyes on things!

16. Coaching (Alexis Frank) – $3050

    • We connected on Threads, and she was part of kickstarting me into learning more about HD.

17. HD Reading (Kessli Hall) – $297

    • More woo dipping.

18. Membership Strategy (Natalie Taylor) – $1515

    • This is one of my favorite investments and I will be working with Natalie again.

Estimated Total: $38,182.66

Disclosure: I may have left some things out that I bought last minute or forgot to log.

Observations

Looking back at 2024’s observations:

• I spent a lot of money to talk-it-out. I did this less as the year went on, especially after developing a deep friendship with Ceels and spending 1:1 time with Haley. I spent time with trusted friends, and I joined Caley Dimmock’s Mastermind for that in 2025.

• I’m quick to look for help when I lack self-trust. How can I get comfortable in that discomfort? I need to let myself sit in it and make TIME to think.

• I sacrificed deeper solutions for quick fixes. I’m squirrelly, decisive and like to act fast. But deeper solutions can take time. Some of my best advances came from something that required me to slow down.

• My favorite investments are moments I went DEEPER. Whether going all in on my brand, or doubling down on systems or deep integration – those were the best!

For 2026:

• As planned, I invested more in done-FOR-you. However, I was not prepared for the contrast of my standards & expectations vs what went down. Design was always on-point, as I use the same 3 people on repeat, but anything detail-oriented really fell flat for me.

  • Lesson: Slower buying, more research, better documentation to provide

• Unlike 2024, I did not spend money to talk-it-out. I sat with a lot more discomfort this year and leaned into my current support system. We had a PR-related blow up at the end of 2025, and I really had a chance to see who was who.

• I am NOT a group girlie. Anything that requires more of my time is a no for me, including communities and being chatty and engaging. If I spend money, it’s to grow my business. Not to help others, and I often find that I have more to give in groups and less people to give to me.

• Our business model was very expensive. We had to hire a whole ass person, I was stretched so thin, and our best selling program (Stand Up Copy) required a lot of $$$.

2026 Intentions

Looking back at 2024’s intentions:

1. Invest in things that go deeper on what’s already working – nothing extra, new and “just for funsies.”

2. Invest in more done-FOR-you offers, understanding I have a very limited capacity. And just because I can do something doesn’t mean I should.

3. Invest in ongoing support or tangible takeaways/ROI, rather than a listening ear.

For 2026:

1. No more team members – we’re down to Haley & myself again. If we need a tech VA, we already decided to slowly hand off items.

2. Keep consulting/coaching to a minimum – I will likely pick up a few slots from Caley, as she works with both the right & left brain situation I’ve got going on.

3. Take a fucking beat before buying – if I want something, I buy it. But just because I can doesn’t mean I should. (I’ve already talked myself out of 2 investments this week)

Whether they know it or not, their own brand strategy is creating them no brand at all.

A “meatsuit service provider” is anyone who “puts on” their client – whether to sound like them while writing copy, or designing a brand for the client.

This person’s sole job is to shed their own identity and “put on” someone else’s.

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Meatsuit brands have no expertise, just skillsets.

→ Skills are the ability to execute, and meatsuits are HIGHLY SKILLED. That’s a non-issue.

→ Expertise is a developed way of seeing that exists independent of the client or project.

Meatsuits work entirely inside other people’s brands, which means there’s no direction, no stance, and no reason to choose them.

Everything they create is a mirror of their client.

Out of all the meatsuits, I work with a LOT of designers.

And unsurprisingly, every single one of them has struggled with their positioning and differentiating from other designers.

As we unpack it, the meatsuits say:

“A brand you actually like!”

“Copy that sounds like you!”

“Your website finally reflects the level you’re at!”

But none of those are differentiators.

And there’s definitely no point-of-view because there’s no them in their own brand.

Meatsuits spend so much time becoming other people, they lose themselves in it all.

It’s impossible for them to have a strong brand when their entire brand is the identity of whoever hires them.

They become a shell of a person.

Even when they have amazing personalities and perfect visuals, there’s no substance. You can’t put your finger on it, but there’s something… missing.

There are so many fucking words on their website, saying what they “should” say. But somehow, it still says nothing and you can’t connect.

Without even naming this problem, the meatsuits can feel it.

Their businesses should be thriving because, logically, it’s a good market fit.

Demand is there, but they’re often begging for attention and blame industry saturation.

SOLUTION ATTEMPT #1

Meatsuits try to tackle this head-on by building a personal brand for themselves because they believe people will chose them based on:

a) doing good work
b) being likable

Bad news: thousands of their competitors do good work and are likable.

“But, Emelie, nobody can be uniquely ME!”

Facts.

But when folks are actively making a buying decision, they want to spend the LEAST amount of brain calories possible.

It’s your job to make it easy to buy.

Nobody will inconvenience themselves to buy from you just because they like you.

What happens when someone posts online for a designer recommendation?

1. People tag their designer… tag their friends… tag themselves (lol)

2. Prospect is scrolling through a shit ton of designers without an idea of how to make this decision

3. Prospect gets lost in the sauce, creates a Pinterest board, and starts running it by designers to see who can match their style… and within their timeframe

This is why referrals and retention currently dominate the category.

If you’re a meatsuit, people choose you via social proof (”everyone uses them!”), availability, or lowest perceived risk.

Lowest… perceived… risk.

Hell! Last week, one of my own clients re-hired a designer they used ages ago.

Not because they did a particularly amazing job with past projects, but because it was so much EASIER than finding a new provider.

Brain calories spent: 0

Best get your foot in the door early with someone or you’re in a race to the bottom where you can only win if you’re the cheapest, the most popular, or some other reason that has nothing to do with your brand.

SOLUTION ATTEMPT #2

Meatsuits begin to question their offer, aka their skillset.

We already established the meatsuit brand model leans heavy on skills, not expertise. So this is the wrong place to look.

But maybe if they niche down the offer, the specificity will close more deals?

Instead of copywriting, they focus on newsletters.

Instead of brand design, they focus on mini-brands for offers.

Or even try to re-title themselves to force an “industry of one.”

They’re not designers, they’re world builders! They’re not copywriters, they’re voice architects!

Now the hole is even deeper.

Prospects still don’t understand what you’re selling, who you are, or why they should pick you.

They’re still meatsuits, but in a much smaller niche box.

SOLUTION ATTEMPT #3

The reason so many meatsuit service providers come to me is because they know how many potential clients are out there.

They know service providers are in high demand… they do killer work… but they’re fighting tooth & nail to get picked.

So they move onto assessing their marketing, questioning whether or not they’re communicating well.

What starts as figuring out how to talk about what they do quickly turns into realizing there’s actually not much to talk about.

Unless they’re sharing past projects, how the process works, or what’s included – meatsuits have no idea what to talk about.

How can you be a thought leader when you don’t have a POV?

How can you draw people in when your identity is sucked out of your chest and replaced with the last person to sign a contract?

This is super depress-y because we can’t overlook the lack substance and cover it up with a cool brand voice.

When meatsuit providers go all in on THEMSELVES – their own brand voice or style – they will thrive.

The problem is that putting on a meatsuit makes a prospect’s buying decision too hard.

The solution is taking off the meatsuit and being the full ass product to buy.

Instead of “who can write copy that sounds like me?” – you become the copywriter who is known for being a lil sasshole.

Suddenly, other copywriters aren’t even on the radar anymore because the prospect wants to sound like THAT.

Instead of “who can design from my Pinterest board?” – you become the designer who is known for making disruptive, grungy sites.

And you crush all the designers who dabble in all the vibes because you live and breathe obnoxious colors and gritty textures.

Nobody fucking does this.

Designers pride themselves on being able to create in ANY style.

Copywriters pride themselves on sounding like anyone, you wouldn’t even know it’s them.

A meatsuit believes being the best kept secret is a compliment.

It’s not.

Unless your success metrics are invisibility.

But if you want high demand, higher prices, and opting out of the battle for the project – take off the meatsuit.

This “be invisible” idea comes from agency work, white-label models, and environments where YOU ARE NOT THE ASSET.

Allow people to experience you, want to be you, and pay you to replicate that for them.

Meatsuits are just skilled.

But you can be that PLUS an expert, a leader, and sought after.

This is a difficult reality to convey to clients because it requires them to go all in on themselves and change their model.

Easier said than done.

Of course they can do nothing, but then this begins to haunt them as they realize…

Meatsuit service providers are dying.

—

Smell ya later,

Emelie Sanders
Head Honcho @ Pass the Queso

Until this year, we upsold Stand Up Copy (sales copy program) graduates into a program called Beyond the Launch.

The premise of SUC is to teach folks how to create messaging and plug it into sales content per my method for:

a) faster sales copywriting
b) higher converting assets

Beyond the Launch is my 6 month, fractional business strategy offer.

This has been a veeeeery natural next step for folks who took their existing assets and increased their sales during their 6 weeks.

After seeing how simple and effective it is, they’re ready to build conversion into their whole ass business.

But during the Fall 2025 cohort, I noticed our active Stand Up Copy students had longer payment plans… and that was about to be the easiest objection to our upsells.

To sell this cohort, we let folks join an extended payment plan.

About 3/4 of our students joined at that plan, but we were halfway through the cohort – the best time to plant the seed for Beyond the Launch.

Maybe this is where folks tell me to “get out of their wallets,” but when you work closely with 10 business owners on their sales – you kinda know what’s up with their cashflow!

And I wasn’t about to push harder, ask them to pull $$ out of their ass, or make a financially harmful decision.

So I decided to offer them the choice to “register now, pay later.”

On week 4 of 6, I pitched:

You can finish Stand Up Copy this month and lock in your spot for Beyond the Launch. You can go into BTL and not make that first payment until the month after your active plan ends.

“Register now, pay later” lingo worked so so well.

One of our best performing CTAs.

Here’s the 2025 Fall roster and conversions:

CS → Joined BTL
LS
JK
HE → Joined BTL
MP → Joined BTL
AH
OR → Joined BTL
RM → Booked to work 1:1
MS
KH

5 out of my 10 students bought.

Since math is hard, that’s 50%.

4 joined Beyond the Launch, and 1 signed on for 1:1 work.

If you [actually] know what’s in someone’s wallet, use that info to strategize something better than hoping they see your value and “figure it out.”

—

Smell ya later,

Emelie Sanders
Head Honcho @ Pass the Queso

“Comment INSTA to learn how I made $30k from 3 social media posts!”

“I swapped digital marketing for networking and retired my partner 6 months later – join my course for my strategy!”

You’ve read these lines before.

Hell, you’ve probably even wrote a few to sell your own offer.

That’s just the name of the marketing game, bab-by!

…right?

Every expert will sell their expertise as THE answer to your sales problem.

You can buy the perfect pitch, the highest converting ad formulas, the upsell email funnel templates, etc.

And most of the time, they’re sold as “if you fix this 1 thing, sales will follow.” None of them are wrong on their own, but they’re incomplete all by themselves.

We’ve all been trained to hunt for isolated levers and tactics to master, when you need to zoom out and look at it from a macro point-of-view.

Conversion isn’t an asset you create or a skill you FINALLY figured out.

That’s why a one-off investment isn’t going to sort all your sales boo-boos.

Conversion is a byproduct and the outcome of building a business with conversion strategized into the entire infrastructure.

If your landing page conversion is working overtime, but your emails aren’t performing – who cares how many people opted in?

Conversion comes from your entiiiiire business making sense as whole.

When all the pieces come together across branding and client experience and sales strategy and more.

And yeah, that’s a lot to accept because nobody can productize and package up a scalable way to do this.

Or you probably would’ve bought it already huh?

You already know a lot of stuff. Or, at least we hope so with all the business investments you’ve made over the years……

This is a newer angle I’m seeing people take with selling higher ticket items:

“You’ve taken all the courses… you’ve joined the programs… you’ve hired all the coaches… but you haven’t worked with ME!”

And it works because it’s so real.

We agree you know a lotta stuff, but I’M asking you – when are you gonna commit?

If you have low conversion, you probably have commitment issues!

Specifically around:

• Committing to who you’re for

• Committing to your offers

• Committing to discomfort

[insert more here, honestly]

Low conversion is the mirror of your undecided leadership.

You expect folks to come face-to-face with your brand and fully lead themselves through to a buying decision.

Most businesses nail persuasion and sounding swanky, but they fail to commit to decisions and lead buyers through it.

“Oh but I’m still figuring it all out, Emelie!”

Uh, we ALL are. More on that in a bit.

Just know that if you haven’t made decisions for your business, your buyer can’t either.

And keep in mind that the industry benefits from selling you fragmented solutions.

That’s why smart people keep chasing pieces and look down at their pile of strategies and skills like, “How in the fuck does this all work together?”

It’s why you might be “doing everything right” and NOTHING IS IMPROVING.

Selling module advise is hella incentivized in the space, and when the results don’t stick… who gets blamed?

You.

For not integrating, they say.

But integration requires a level of ownership most folks haven’t consented to yet.

And then you’re sold another piece – easy for them to sell, and easy for you to buy. The cycle continues.

Conversion needs to be built into the infrastructure of your entire business.

But it won’t pay off immediately.

(This isn’t the part where I just tell you to trust the process, I promise.)

When you commit to grabbing your business by the balls, internal things shift first:

• How you make decisions

• What needs to be let go

• What you stop reacting to

This is where your internal alignment precedes external responses.

Before, you had quick sales that came from urgency, novelty, and generally a HUGE amount of personal energy.

Fragile shit, you know?

Infrastructure changes behavior through setting buyer expectations, patterns, etc. And all of this requires repetition to stick and work long-term.

And this is EXACTLY where most business owners panic and undo the work.

You’ve lived this pattern:

1. You commit

2. You clean shit up

3. You make the hard decisions

And then… things are a little quiet? So you:

1. Add another offer

2. Change your messaging

3. Find a new tactic

4. “Test” something else

You keep interrupting the process!

And listen, I get that not everyone can sit in this. It’s not exciting when the feedback comes in slow and the people don’t “see” you.

But the ones who can (AND I WANT THAT TO BE YOU) will run the businesses with stable conversion and predictable revenue.

Sit in this gap.

And get your reps in, because you have to earn your spot there.

So yeah – if your conversion is low, you’re going to keep digging yourself a nice lil hole if you keep picking up new tactics.

You keep things loose so you don’t have to be wrong.

You keep options open so nothing is final.

You keep “testing” and haven’t held a decision long enough for it to work.

And slap “ugh, bad strategy” onto your inconsistencies. Your conversion will stabilize when YOU decide to work deeper than these isolated pieces.

You can keep things flexible, or build something that converts.

Pick one.

—

Smell ya later,

Emelie Sanders
Head Honcho @ Pass the Queso