Entrepreneur Check-In, Issue No. 1: The Patience Edition
Originally written February 2026. Every month, I write a check-in zine documenting year one of running my own creative practice. These are those dispatches, lightly edited for public eyes.
Issue No. 1, hot off the presses. And yes, I was extra and made it into a zine. So grab your cuppa coffee and somethin' sweet, because January was a TRIIIIIIIIIP:
FRONT PAGE: JANUARY VIBES
January was a practice in patience and being present. Two things I am NOT very interested in when I could be quickly getting things done EFFICIENTLY.
But I survived. And I learned. And I didn't spiral too hard. So, YES… we'll call that growth.
THE HIGHS (small wins, big relief)
I found a good CPA and finally got the intro call scheduled (we love a grown-up step).
My lawyer dropped some contractual gems that made me feel 10x more protected.
I paced myself on purpose. Which is… new for me. And necessary.
THE LOWS (aka: entrepreneurship is disrespectful sometimes)
Those retainers that were basically ready to close? Went quiet. Stalled. Hovering in the ether.
Family emergencies don't pause for business. My mom is in her final days, and balancing that with building stability has been… a lot.
FEATURE STORY: BOUNDARIES, BABY
While I was waiting to hear back from potential clients, I focused on foundational stuff: contracts, terms, the systems that make "yes" easy.
That's when my lawyer decided to drop some beautiful gems around:
Not being endlessly flexible
Accepting that some clients will walk... and that's okay
Designing for my own sustainability instead of approval
Being realistic about leverage (and enforcing boundaries where it actually matters)
Biggest lesson: I can be kind and still be firm. And I should stop acting like every opportunity is the last helicopter off the damn island.
THE FINE PRINT: CHANGING MY TERMS
I had two long-term retainer convos that felt very close. Weeks passed. I stayed in "hold" mode. And then it clicked: I can't miss out on other blessings waiting for two maybes.
So now I'm putting an expiration date on waiting periods, and keeping options top of funnel at all times. That's the February plan.
MY FEBRUARY TRAILER
More leads. More meetings. More learning. I'm here for it.
And on the personal side: keep me in your prayers. The end-of-life chapter is active with my mom, and I'm doing my best to stay steady and handle what's in front of me without disappearing from my own life. I know I'll come out on the other end ok though.
More next month, same zine time, same zine place.
This was fun!
xo,Michelle ✨