I believe in anti-capitalism & economic justice

Here’s some of how that shows up in my business:

Sliding Scale

My coworking group operates on a shame-free sliding scale. This allows each member to join from within their current means, and gives those with more class privilege the chance to opt into a higher price tier to help supplement payments for folks on the lower end of the scale.

No fee payment plans

Have you ever noticed that online payment plans are almost always more expensive than the one-time payment option? Why is it okay to charge someone more because they aren't wealthy enough to pay in full upfront? This feels unjust to me, so I don’t do it.

full scholarships

I believe that in order for a pricing model to truly align with economic justice there must be a zero cost option, which is why my offerings always include a set number of scholarship spots (more for larger groups and fewer for smaller ones) given in good faith with no income verification needed.

Monthly Redistribution

10% of my salary is given directly to Black and Indigenous individuals and organizations. I believe that one way for white people like me to divest from white supremacy is through redistribution of wealth, and this is something I practice regularly. In my workbook collection you’ll find a resource to help you think through doing the same!

clarity on “enough”

I aim to always be clear on my own current “enough” number, which I define as the amount of money I need to earn each month in order to be well. I shape my pricing and the pace of my offerings around this enoughness goal, and after hitting it I do not continue pushing myself to earn more, more, more.

Growth is not the (only) goal

A core tenet of capitalism is exponential growth, with absolutely no regard for the well-being of people or planet. This does not feel like “success” to me, and what I want instead is to make things that feel good to make, at a pace that is sustainable, with and for like-minded people.

care over productivity

I am not a robot. My sweet human body needs rest and nourishment. My endometriosis needs the option of taking menstrual leave. My mental health needs me to unplug, to slow down. I am imperfect at doing all of this, steeped as I am in the deeply ingrained messages of white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, and ableism. But I hope to continue unlearning it all, and reminding myself that my worth is not tied to my output.

Gift economy

All of the workbooks I create are offered in line with the gift economy, which means that there is no cost at all for you to download them. To further move us from being purely transactional to more relational with one another, I also offer some fun, non-monetary options for reciprocity.

urgency-free marketing

I am committed to not using any marketing tactics based on scarcity and urgency. No sales emails that give you the feeling of “omg you better buy this right now or else!!” When I’m launching anything, I aim to offer longer-than-average registration windows (so you can take your time deciding if a workshop or group is right for you), and I do not sell by pressing on pain points, fears, or a sense of FOMO.

Financial transparency

I write and publish a monthly series called Tiny Biz Letters, which includes a totally transparent behind-the-scenes look at my experience of self-employment. This includes how much I earn (and where it comes from), lessons learned, mistakes made, goals achieved, and more!

relationship building

I am devoted to creating experiences of digital togetherness — spaces that feel genuinely fun and supportive for me and for all the folks who read my weekly newsletter, talk to each other in the comments, and then go on to join my various groups and workshops. Capitalism focuses on individualism, but I am much more interested in cooperation and interdependence. My not-so-secret mission in my work is to help us all feel less alone, and I’ve lost count of how many people have made IRL pals (and digital besties!) from within my corner of the internet. This delights me!

So many of the “best practices” for business-as-usual under capitalism lead to us treating each other both transactionally and extractively, wherein the customer tries to get the most product/service for the least amount of money spent and the business owner tries to get the most money possible for the least amount of time/energy spent. This paradigm will always put clients & creators at odds, which is the complete opposite of how I want to run my business.

I am not looking for a quick sale from anyone; what I want is to travel together on a jointly nourishing path over an extended period of time. And so instead of building just one signature offering that I must then continually increase my audience size in order to keep selling, I prefer to create gentle spaces we can return to together again and again (like the Get Shit Done Club), as well as one-off workshops that take us deeper into all the things we want to explore as we grow and evolve.

Thanks for being here with me — it means the world!

Teachers & mentors

My money beliefs and practices have been deeply informed by folks like Bear Hebert, Toi Smith, Hadassah Damien, Lynne Twist, adrienne maree brown, the Upsteam podcast, The Next Egg community, Resource Generation, and many others. I am forever grateful for their leadership!