Rethinking Consistency: A Business That Fits Mom Life | Maryia Ramanava

Hey Boss mama. Welcome back to the show. This is the space where ambitious moms come to talk business, motherhood, and what it really takes to stop doubting and start executing. I am your host, Manouchka Elefant, and I use my 15 years in marketing to help mompreneurs grow with more clarity, strategy, and accountability. If you're done hustling and ready to build a business that supports the life you actually want, you're in the right place. Today's conversation is such a good one if the idea of consistency keeps weighing down your to-do list and leaving you feeling guilty for always being behind, because let's face it, consistency sounds great in theory. But until you're trying to build a business with broken sleep, school runs, chopped up work hours and about 10 other things pulling at your attention, well, consistency becomes a burden. In this conversation, I'm joined by Maryia Ramanava, founder of No Makeup Marketing and a mom of three boys, and we're unpacking what consistency can look like when you stop trying to force yourself into a business model that doesn't fit real life. We talk about sustainable visibility, perfectionism, building offers around your actual capacity and why doing something consistently does not mean doing it constantly. So if you've been feeling behind, frustrated or like you're somehow bad at consistency, this episode will give you a much more realistic and refreshing perspective. Let's get into it. Hi Maryia. Thank you so much for joining me on the Hey Boss Mama show. I'm really excited about this because we've been collaborating since the beginning of the year, I think, and it's been just incredible to see how you run your business and how you basically always have that really upbeat kind of attitude online. And I just love seeing your posts and, and everything that you do because it feels very fresh and it feels also different. And like I told you before, one of the things that attracted me to you was your offer about the No makeup marketing club that you had launched. And I just felt like this is different. This is something that speaks to me and, and basically I wanted to get to know you and I'm really happy that I got this opportunity. So please start by telling us about you because most of our listeners will not know about your journey and tell us about how you started your business.

So my name is Maryia RamanRamanava. And, as you already said, my main, business right now is called No Makeup Marketing, and, it has multiple offers because I'm, I, I love to run business in like, with different size. Also, we will talk more about why I structure my business this way. Why It's actually, it might sound like a bit counterintuitive, you know, for a person who have three kids. I have three boys,

Yay. My energy.

yeah, exactly. Boy energy so basically my business is structured around my family and it was always like this from the moment I become a mother. So everything I do in my business is, built in a way that I can actually have the lifestyle I want to have. And that is why I have to be like flexible. And it might seem for some people like, exhausting or maybe a bit strange, but I honestly understand what I'm doing. And for this reason, for example, I have multiple offer structure, but they all kind of come into this no makeup marketing, which is more like philosophy actually. Like it's very flexible. if we go like into the very, very past, so I started my business as a side hustle when I was still, had academic career. So I have academic background and but I was always very visual and I was always very interested in photography. So when I still was working at the university, I thought it having a side hustle like photography business was more for self-expression. but I think already then I just wanted to have this feeling of being my own boss, you know, and being more independent. It's maybe just very, very like personal thing. and when I became a mother. I, discovered yes, that I actually want to spend more time with my kid than I thought when I was pregnant, you know, so, because when I was, when I was pregnant, I thought, oh fine, you know, I'll just continue my career, the writing, my PhD teaching, working. I really loved my work. I loved my colleagues, my work. Yeah. So I was very happy. But when I became a mother, actually when the baby arrived, I was just like no, actually no. Actually not. Yeah. And then there was some, life circumstances. Because my husband got a position in different countries, so in Switzerland, and we lived in Germany. So basically, you know, like they were like, not only my like wish to stay with the baby, but the life also kind of turned out in a way that, I had to leave my job. Yeah. So it was like a combination, but the decisions that I'm not going back to academic career I made. Yeah. And then I started, you know, and then it's funny because my first business with a baby was, um, I was making toys. Yes. So it had nothing to do with, with things I do now. I mean, it still was kind of creative. Yeah. Because I'm also very crafty person. So, you know, like visual, I do things visually. Like I do like things. Yeah. So I like to do things. And, so of course, I took beautiful photos of this and, also created a big community. but the business was about making toys. Yeah. So also was in line with what, sparked me at the moment because I had a baby. I wanted to make like eco friendly baby safe toys. I could, you know, crush at them and needs them when the baby was like sleeping, nursing, playing. Yeah. So, so yeah. when my kid become older and I got another one. At some point I decided to become a photographer and then I started as a family photographer and then, you know, just it developed into brand photography and then later developed into marketing because at some point I realized that I already built several businesses, know so much about marketing and my clients really asked me all the time Yeah. Like to help them with marketing. So it was also very natural. Yeah. So it all yeah. Developed in this way. This is where I'm now

most, I think most entrepreneurs, they don't go a straight path.

No.

Like a few businesses that we have in our back closets of things that we started by passion or by personal interest, and then maybe our interest changed, or we realized that the passion is actually best kept as a passion and not as a full business. Like personally I tried making handbags a few years ago and I used to love this because for me it was all about spending time behind the swing machine because I love fabric and I love prints. And then I realized, oh wait, if I have to make a hundred bags this weekend because I have a market coming up, it's not fun anymore. It's actually turning my passion into a nine to five job on the weekends, which I, it's not what I wanted. But it was an incredible experience.

Yeah, it was actually similar with me and my toys, because actually the toys were really cool. They were even featured, in some, this cool, designer magazines. so I was really kind of developing into successful brand and they were really, really unusual. But at some point I kind of, you know, was a victim of my own success because I started getting so many offers that I could not keep up, with production. And then I thought if I can, you know, hire more people, you know, and start like making it like a company. And then I thought that this is definitely not what I want, Yeah. So, and then I just thought, no, no, I just gonna make photography because this, I could imagine, how it can be profitable. Yeah. So, but with toys, yeah. So it definitely, because I still love, knitting and crocheting and thinking like funny things, unusual designs here, So very, very similar story. Yeah,

so you said from the photography business, basically your clients were asking for marketing support,

Yeah.

you decide to consciously turn that into part of your business?

I started having brand photo sessions because at some point I first of all, it was like, COVID was like a big thing that, you know, because I was a family photographer, then there was COVID and then going into people homes, especially, you know, when they had newborn babies or little kids suddenly felt not safe for me. I felt so like, just like physically exhausted because like photo session is already quite exhausting thing, but when you cannot breathe, it was even more. And, then family photography clients who needed photos for their business. so I started taking photos of, like mother who had business and it was really fun. Yeah. Like, and I really liked it. Yeah. So this, this was like a quick switch? Yeah. So that I just go into brand photography and then they started asking me what to do with photos. Like where to post and what to write. And I was helping everyone, like on demand. and I was not charging for this and it became a bit of, there's no boundaries, no structure, and I don't know, like the, I think it's with everyone, you know, sometimes you do something like a favor and you feel good about it until you not, you know, like that you are doing something and you feel that you're actually doing a good thing and you're a nice person and you're doing this for nice people, and, you feel like good. And then suddenly you, you are not feeling good. Yeah. And you suddenly feel that, you getting really sad or upset or, and for me it's it's yeah. That it's clear that our body is telling us this is too much.

Yeah. You feel like there's a lack of boundary

Exactly that. Yeah. Exactly.

professional services?

Yeah. That from, like a personal favor, you actually let. Someone, not use you or abuse you, but something similar. Yes. And when I have this and it actually happens a lot Yeah. In the business journey. And every time I have this feeling, because I learned, to recognize it, I know that this should become a service. Yes. This should become, or I should stop. Yeah. I should stop doing this or I should turn it into an offer. And with marketing, this is how it happened. Yeah. So first of all, I had a feeling I repeating myself all the time, So, at some point I said, no, I should, you know, bring people together and they just all listened to me at once. this was my first mastermind. I just took my photography clients and tell them, you know, girls, we are meeting every week and we just discuss all these things. but then of course, you know, organizing meeting was hard because I had my kids. They had their kids and sometimes we would meet you know, at 11 in the evening, talking into low voice so no one wakes up. So it was really crazy. And then I said, okay, I should start recording it. So basically this is how it started developing into more, structured marketing business. and then also I saw that I actually. Really enjoyed, because it was even similar to my academic work. bringing all these skills into some structure, giving it like a system because my academic, background was in philosophy. So I helped people to kind of, you know, express meanings. And somehow I think that in marketing we doing similar things. Yeah. So we have all these ideas, you know, all these, passion, vision, and we should put it into words. Yeah. Into some kind of taglines.

Yeah.

I suddenly felt that, oh wow. Actually, I feel like you know, that it's something from the past which I used to do professionally that I'm now can do again. This was nice. Yeah. Suddenly, like, all this wild journey of mine started making sense. Yeah. So yeah. So this was very natural. So I never, ever planned to be like a marketing expert or like a business coach or something. And I don't even call myself like I can, yeah. I should probably like, And I think this is the beauty of, this business journey when you are not forcing yourself into some particular role or something. Yeah.

But so you would call yourself a photographer first and a marketing coach after.

Oh, well, I don't know. like photography is a very important thing for me because it makes everything easier. Because I help people to, Basically bring their vision to life. So people come to me and they tell me like, you know, I can do this and this, I can help people like this and I would love to earn, my living with this. And this is like, you know, taking their vision, bringing it to life. And photography is just like, this catalysis, it just makes so quicker. And, also people can understand it. And this is something I can do by myself, you know, like, and I can just give it to my clients and they find it very nice. I just take these photos and you have them. but on the other hand, yeah, like photography alone also not enough. I don't know, maybe now I can even call myself something like, visibility, midwife, I dunno.

feel like it, it's actually quite rare to see photographers doing this kind of work because most of the time it's like they're really focused on the image, the visual, whereas you're going a lot deeper with the work that you're doing.

Yeah. So I'm definitely like for the brand photography because I do also different types of photography and I was, for example, selling, for many years I was selling finite prints. Yeah. So it was, completely only my inner vision. They were pretty depressive.

Okay.

It's talking about motherhood. Yeah. so it's, you know, but there were like many things, you know, because I'm left my home country, and what I was like living as a foreigner, like lost all my kind of connection. Yeah. So there was like many things to process, but this was like, completely my vision and it was super intuitive. It was just purely aesthetical you like, but with, brand photography, yeah. I am. So I create brand photos only thinking about how these photos will sell this particular thing, or how these photos will help people to connect with this person as an expert. Yeah. So that is why, for example, I could photograph my clients like, beautiful woman, like sexual sensual, but I don't do this

Yeah.

And we need these different images for different occasions Yeah. In our life. Yeah, for me, brand photography is absolutely, it's a marketing tool. Yeah. So I only think about it as a marketing and also plan with my clients, plan the session only from perspective of marketing. Yeah. And that is why I think, for example, if you rebrand or if you have like a, this, change in your business direction, you would need different images. Even if you have like still. Very nice photos, like super nice. Yeah, you look good, you like them, but your business changes. You would need different imagery. Exactly. Like with the website or copy. So you cannot just keep using the same posts, sending the same emails. And people don't often understand it Because, many people, for example, use for their business, they use their like, corporate headshots. it's not doing the work. Yeah. I mean, it's better than no photos. so I don't see myself as a purely photographer anymore, but, I think just because it's like quick. Such a solid thing you can quickly create. So I still do it. Yeah. And actually really enjoy doing it though. I don't have much time to do it

But, so I, I'd love to get a bit more in behind, uh, the curtain, so to say, because, you have three boys. How old are they and how do you manage the schedule? Basically, like mine is still in, in partial childcare. Like I have two days of, um, of, uh, child minder. But I want to know how does it work when your kids get older, because you've gone through all those stages already,

So, my kids are now, 14, 11 and seven making toys, I started when my kid was six months old. Like the first one. but it was really more for just, you know. Maybe even like my mental health. Because I just had to do something. And, and these buildings, this business, and also because I immediately built like a huge community of other toys design. So I just, I really kind of went into this like, seriously. So I had an Etsy shop, but I was like much more than Etsy shop seller. so et basically it kept me sane, I think. Yeah. So it led me like get over the motherhood, like this first years, which was really, really hard. and I opened my full-time photography business when my, when I had two kids and one was a 1-year-old. Yeah. So it was like 4-year-old, 1-year-old. And I had very clear, like workflow, because I would take photos on the weekends. When my husband would be with kids, and because he didn't work on weekends, and then I would have like marketing delivery through the week. And it was complete chaos because my kids never napped. Never nothing. That's just like, like absolutely the only thing that I can tell about my kids that they are relatively quiet. Yeah. So they are boys, but they really kind of careful, Like reading books, you know, doing these kind of quiet activities. some children, they're really energetic. So this is not my case. This is maybe because I'm also not energetic really. Um, yeah. So, but it was really hard. for me it was like really important to, you know, like to switch from this. because when you don't have children and you work, you try to focus Yeah. And you basically try to go deep and I think the main problem Yeah. Of people with children that they cannot focus. Yeah. Because first of all, it's dangerous. Yeah. Because if you focus, you are not paying attention to your kid. Yeah. And this is dangerous. So basically, I tried to teach myself that not only, I should not really fully focus on what I do. Yeah. So basically I should do activities that are not, require my full attention and then also teach myself that destruction is a normal thing. Yeah. Like that. So destruction is not something that, because otherwise you just get so angry every time. Like you try to focus and there is distraction and you're just like, ah, so this is what I really just, I don't know. I think I really taught myself here that destruction is normal. Yeah. And if someone wants something, I really stop and do the thing and then come back and, I don't know, maybe this is not healthy, like psychologically. Yeah.

things that I've experienced too, that I find was very difficult at the beginning, it's the brain fog.

Yeah.

there is the, all the hormones, first of all, when you have still a, when you gave birth not that long ago, and then there's the tiredness that accumulates and it's very hard to keep focused, but also to have the thought process go smoothly. And then when I hear some recordings of me some months ago for the podcast, and I'm like, how am I talking the sentences, they don't make sense. I feel like the grammar, the words, it all goes into a weird jumble and I'm like, oh, wow. I just have to accept that there are periods where when you have a young child or just when they're not sleeping properly at night or if they're sick it's going to affect your energy and your ability to perform in your work too.

I think that you can only do business with young children, only if you see this business actually as a act of self-care. Yeah. So basically that you are doing this not because you have to. But just because it gives you this space for you. because that is why I think it's actually so much harder to actually go to work. And have a small kid. That because when you have go to work, you kind of forced, you have this like pressure. But I think when it's about business with children, it's only about your kind of self-fulfillment. And uh, that is why, for example, I think that if you really like in financial struggle and you have little kids, you maybe should get a job because otherwise you, it'll just break you really, really quickly. Yeah. Because, because yeah, you should be able, you should really be ready for this, like physical tiredness or not be adequate in many things. Then of course you were completely. not reliable in a way. Yeah. Like I had to accept that I just cannot, cannot have any deadlines Really. Yeah. Like that. I just have to, you know, like sometimes I can deliver something quickly, sometimes I cannot deliver it at all. Yeah. Like, and it's actually still like this. Yeah. So sometimes I still have periods in my business where I just need much, much longer than I promised or I anticipated. And, at some point I was even telling my, photography clients that I will deliver photos some in the future. So I was not even telling them, like in two weeks, in three weeks, in two months because I don't know, in the future.

I just wanna come back on what you said right before about if you're struggling financially, starting a business with young kids might not be the best idea,

Yeah.

I find that's a very tough one. Because in some cases, that's the only way that. Parents can make it work is because they need to have a hundred percent or most of their time Ramanavailable for their kids, and at the same time, they need to be able to earn money. And so how do you find that equilibrium where it actually works?

Yeah, so I, I think that I would, because at the moment when I started my business as the first one with a baby, I didn't have to make money.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. So, I mean, we really had, enough money. Yeah. So we were not like super rich, but it was enough. also like the first maybe four years in my business, they were not only not profitable, they were probably even, you know, like just putting us into, so yeah. at the beginning of the business, I absolutely didn't think about money. And I was very bad in business planning because I didn't know anything there. Like I was a philosopher. Yeah. So I, I had no idea what I'm doing. And I made so many mistakes that now I can successfully show examples of how you should not do it.

That's how we learn.

yeah, exactly. But I had really this proof on the one hand, you know, it was like a privilege Yeah. That I didn't have to make money. On the other hand, of course, we saved incredible amount of money for childcare. Yeah. Which is really, really tough here. And this is also something that someone can consider. Yeah. So if you want to actually spend all this, money on childcare or not, But, so basically for me it was really nice journey because at the beginning I didn't have this pressure. At some point I just got very ambitious and I just felt it's not right that I'm not earning money with my business. And then I just, you know, I wanted to start earning money, not out of financial pressure, but just for my own self-esteem. it was also, it was this situation, you know, that you do something and you enjoy it and suddenly you don't. Yeah. I will either make it profitable or I should do something else because this was not bringing me any joy anymore. at some point my husband lost a job.

Okay.

And I became the main, breadwinner. But by that moment I actually already figured out how to run profitable business. So basically I got lucky in a way. Yeah. And I don't know what I would do in a situation, you know, if, I had this financial pressure from the very beginning, I think I would still consider maybe part-time job but definitely not a business. Yeah. Not a business because it's too much.

I find that there's a lot in terms of what we picture starting a business is going to be like, and then when you're actually doing it day to day, like the whole setup of how do you do things and then the confidence of going through it, even when it's difficult, when you have to figure things out. That's a lot. Whereas it's true, had, I still have my moments of doubt, like, am I doing the right thing? And it's part of the journey, right? That we have to always come back to our purpose. Why did I start this? What's the end goal? And it's true that there is, that aspect of it would be so much easier if I just had a nine

No.

job. But wait, that's exactly what I don't want because I want the flexibility. I wanna be able to create my life and to be as present as I decide to be in my kids' life, and then I also have to accept that it's going to take more time to build certain things. And I'll admit that's one of my issues right now is that I have all those ideas and I'm like, okay, yes, let's go and run with this. And then I'm like, shit. I should have planned more in advance. I should have built systems better. I should have done this and that. And I'm like, okay, it doesn't matter. I'll just go with the flow because this is learning experience anyways. And like you said, I'm also in a position where I'm lucky that we're not depending on my income, so it gives me a lot more freedom with experimenting with my business

yeah, definitely. Yeah. And I also think that I always saw business, you know, like it was funny always, you know, like being in this park, you know, when my children were small, I spent, I dunno how many years on the playground and, you know, and then you, like on this playground, did you talk to other mothers? and they start discussing all these things they are doing for themselves, like going to massage or like a weekend, you know, with their girlfriend and they ask me like, what do you do for yourself? And I'm just like, uh, I work. So I, I think that's really the only thing why I was able to grow until to the point I did and really enjoyed the ride because for me, business, like working with my clients, writing this marketing copy, making websites, thinking about, promotion, it was really like my creative getaway. Yeah. So, and because this is when, you know, like when I work sometimes with some people and they tell me like, oh, I hate marketing. I'm just like. How do you do it then? Like if you, if you, you know, because this is like, like this, getting clients, like getting out there, like getting visible if you don't like it, I mean yeah, because then it's become like a job. Yeah. Like that you have some elements in your business you don't enjoy. so I think this is also important. Yeah. That always try to tweak your business in a way that you will actually like everything. because this is like a healthy challenge. Yeah. Like healthy intellectual challenge and social challenge, and. Which is like beyond, the baby, routine. Because I think this is also like a big thing for parents Yeah. That they become like underwhelmed in many things. Yeah. I mean, they become overwhelmed with, with some things, there is no balance in it. Yeah. So that is why I think if you can really allow yourself to take your passion and really put a bit of ambition into it. Yeah. Because hobby is nice, but I think won't save like young mother from depression. Yeah. Or like really feeling that she lost herself. So hobby won't help. But business can, business can help.

You have mental health issues start a business.

Yeah, I think so. I am, So, I mean, if you feel not fulfilled with just, you know, cooking healthy lunches and going to the children park and, yeah. Because it took me maybe six years to get used to playground because I, every time I was on the playground, I thought, I'm dying. Like I really thought it's, I just, I'm just gonna die there.

Wow.

So it was really hard for me to, integrate into this, children life style.

And, and so now, what would a a typical week look like in terms of the organization that you have? Because one of the things that you help your clients do is get more consistent with their online presence and, the way that they show up. So how do you create that rhythm while still being so flexible, obviously with the no deadlines and stuff like that, so that you are to get that consistency for yourself?

Yeah. So now of course everything became much more easier Yeah. When the kids started like a proper school and they have their school rhythm. So now I'm always working and plan to work when my kids are at school. this became, you know, like this very, very clear, structure. The only thing is that, because I have three. Almost always someone is sick. Yeah.

Okay.

So

Yeah, that's tough.

in theory this is like, oh yeah, they all go to school. Yeah. but they don't. Yeah. But as I said, yeah, like they are a bit bigger. And even if someone is sick and home, and if it's not the little one, like the youngest, I can still be on the call and I can still record things I want to record. Yeah. So I just have these, times which are not much. Yeah. Because for example, my kids come back for lunch every day. Yeah. They don't eat at school. The little one doesn't have school on Wednesdays, because in France they only have four days. Yeah. So basically I have four days. Yeah. When I work. this is like the one thing, another thing is that I, as I said, I have multiple offers. Which actually let me accommodate different things. For example, like, school breaks. Yeah. So that, for example, I have some offers that I would only run, you know, when it's like normal school. And then I would have like more passive offers or just more fun offers when there is a school break, I could not deliver, like a group program during summer break. Well, I mean, I could, but it, it would be like really overwhelming. Yeah. So this also was like a thing which also feels like sometimes some people think it's harder yet to have like this, you know, different offers where you you know, like juggling. But this is what you do when you have kids. You just,

Yeah.

you juggling this is the whole thing. So I basically also started doing this in my business. I have an offer that I can, fit in into different life scenarios and also sometimes into my role and energy. Yeah. Like, because sometimes I really feel that I would like to do something live, meet people, you know, get on calls and sometimes I just like, no. Yeah. And then I have to sell like digital courses and this was a good decision. so at the end I find that it's easier. Because I'm more flexible, like on all levels of the business. And another thing is that I have like this no maker marketing, as I said, it's a philosophy. So basically it has a core ideas, which I can easily. Reuse in different things, even for different offers and for different medias, like emails, blog posts, social media posts. I think this is also very important to have a core

Mm-hmm.

that you can reuse I never have to create. So for example, I can now come up with completely new offer, which I'm actually doing right now. Before I got on the call with you, I was thinking about what I can do during the summer break. Yeah. And I have like a nice, fun offer to, to roll out. And this offer I never did before. Yeah. So it's a completely new offer, but I have content. Because it's still in line with what I do. so having this, I, I call it usually like content library or like your core content so that you can be flexible. No matter what you offer, you will be still talking about the same thing more or less. And I also think it's important that you talk about the same things because it creates a brand recognition all my business ideas, it's like my personal values. So this is what I believe it, it's, it's not changing so often and I think this is a very important thing, but it's, it requires like a bit like a deeper work on your business, which not everyone is doing. Some people, they just really, creating these very surface level sales pages and that's it. And of course then it's very hard. Because you basically think that you should always, write something from scratch and you don't have to. So if you do this work once, you can then easily reuse things. So for me, content creation is really easy. It's a really easy thing now.

Yeah. One of the things that actually I've been thinking about is how you see the big names in online marketing. They're constantly using the same schpeel

Yeah,

They know how to add a little salt or a little twist to it, depending on what they're selling at that moment. They're always super consistent with what they're talking about. And because my business is also something that I'm figuring out at the moment, I didn't think I would start a business for more entrepreneurs a year ago. I just, but I'm starting a podcast and then other things happen, and so I'm still like, okay, I feel like I need to go back to the drawing board a little bit because the more I evolve with this and I'm experimenting with it, I'm like, I need to be very clear about what are the values of my business and what it is that I help people achieve. but I don't feel like I'm there yet. Like I'm still like figuring out exactly what it is that I want to create with this. And at the same time, I'm like, I have to be careful because one of the issues we usually have as entrepreneurs is that we're never satisfied and we need to know where to stop because how many times are you going to review your lending? Or how many times are you gonna redo your Instagram bio? You know, like there's that level of, it's like your artist with his canvas. He needs to know when to stop. Where is the last paint stroke Because otherwise it's never gonna be over, and you're never gonna be satisfied. And there's that point of you have to leave good enough alone.

Yeah, no, this is, so like on, on the one hand, I never stopped tweaking because, for me it's fun. for example, if I want to launch a new offer, creating a sales page, you know, and tweaking a bit, it gives me the energy. it's like excites me. On the other hand, I always have that I'm sending this today, you know it Yeah. Because you, you work with me. Yeah. Like, I have a time actually, yeah. Like when people ask me, what is your secret? The business secret. I'm like, a timer. A timer is a secret. I'm really, it's like myself, like mad, but I put a timer, you know, like that I am, tweaking my sales page and in 30 minutes I'm publishing it. So I will stop at any, and if, for example, if you ever go to my website, it's such a chaos. It's just a terrible it's absolutely, I know that most people would never publish website in such a state, But, I publish it and I get clients from this very chaotic website.

I, I do apply the timer method as well. I do it more and more. But the thing is when we started working together, uh, when was it? Maybe January.

January, I think. Yeah,

And at that time, I remember I sent you my website I I I, told you something like, this is a work in progress. Like This is the bare minimum because I knew I need to have something and I'm not gonna make it perfect. And so I agree with the tweaking. But there's Also that phase of you have to feel good with what you did, and you have to accept that it, it's fine the way it is because yes, people are not looking for perfection, and we're always going to be the first ones judging ourselves in the work that we do in the phase that we put out there. And that's one of the things also that I appreciate with the way that you show up on social media, and it's something that I've learned to do since I started. Hey, boss Mama is, it's okay not to be perfect.

no, I think perfect, but perfect is a fear. Yeah. So, I mean, it's just a different word. Perfect is fear. So I mean, uh, every time you have a feeling it's not good enough. And this is like, I mean, who wants to live in fear? Yeah. No one, no one wants to live in fear. I give myself a time, for example, like, so usually my time is 15 minutes for almost for anything like 15 minutes. And then I see you're like, am I still doing it? Am I have a progress? Am I just fed up with this? I don't wanna do it anymore. so I always kind of check on the time because I have very little time. And when, for example, you know, the time is over and, uh, I have a sales page, I will go and send it to my list because I have a very big email list. Yeah. So, And usually at least like one person will buy, if one person buys. I'm like, okay, it's working. If no one buys, I might come back to it, and start tweaking. You know what I exactly how I said it. Yeah. so think it's always this kind of, you put it out there, you see if it's working, it's If it's not working, you can keep tweaking it. You know, If it doesn't work until, I usually give clients, for example, for an offer like two weeks. If the offer didn't sell out despite tweaking, then maybe, yeah, you should go and do something else. And I think this is also like a part of being a business owner is just like, so I, I, I think I have like one workshop, I called it like a math scientist mindset. So basically you just keep experimenting until it works. Yeah, because it will work at some point. sometimes I really feel sad, you know, because I see, like, I follow some people and I see for example, how they kind of stick with one thing and they keep tweaking and it's not selling because it's probably, you know, not for their audience. Or maybe it's not really in, maybe they should sell it, but they don't really want to sell it, There should be some, like this playful, a bit of a playful, more open attitude. you know, especially for people who had jobs. They think they should, their business should bring this constant flow of income as a salary. Yeah. So they basically think that they should be making like 5,000 per month. 10,000 per month.

Yeah. And don't forget all the influencers saying like, look how much money I made without doing anything

yeah. Yeah, exactly. you know, is like, like consistent income. Yeah. Like, or like a sustainable business. And people think that you should be kind of getting this amount of money every month and you can really do it, if you have like a subscription or membership model. so, you know, they have a nice office that testing it and it's not bringing them this kind of salary they envisioned. But in business actually, sometimes you can earn almost your year income like in two months. So, this is also like that if you actually stay on it. Yeah. So if you keep tweaking, experimenting, not kind of let you know the fear or just, yourself get in your way. You might sell it out and earn your year income in two months. is very hard to accept, especially coming back, back from the job. And I mean, if your parents were not business owners, you won't know it. Yeah. And this is also what I had to learn actually that, I usually do sale at the end of the year. There was some Yes. When I would basically earn like the half of my year income just from one sale. And of course, you know, I have to kind of get ready for it. I have to have audience, I have to have, you know, like warm people. I have to create excitement. I should be excited myself. It should be like, you know, everything should be laid out, but I also think what's um, ruinning it for many people. Yeah. Like that stability is like this, you know, like payments coming in, but not necessarily in business. And then you kind of give up too soon. Yeah. Or you really tweak thing, which just you should let go. You like maybe should have let go like five years ago.

Yeah. You have to accept the fact that depending on what kind of services or products you're selling, it might get very seasonal, but at least you have the control of saying like, when are the seasons? And you can adapt that to your life, and this is just a luxury itself already.

Yeah, But I think also like having kids teach us, you know, this flexibility, you know, because it's some day, some days they start brushing their teeth, they start taking a shower, you know, they start using toilet. Yeah. So, and it's also like, you know, when you do it, when you with kids Yeah. You think it's never happened.

Yes.

Yeah. Like you will spend your life with diapers. So you cannot imagine that, you know, oh, someday, you know, they really will, you know, go to the toilet without you. Yeah. And, um, I think similar with business. Yeah. So you think that, you know, like, oh no, this offer will never bring me income and suddenly it brings you income here. So for me it's really about, just testing and. Giving yourself this very, very clear, you know, like, how long I will test it how many times. before I kind of decide not to do anything with an offer I have to share it at least a hundred times. And like in different places, like not, not on the same Instagram account with like 20 people. Yeah. So, and, and for me, for me it's helpful, you know, like it's, it creates this kind of clear plan. Yeah. Like, okay, so I'm not panicking, I'm just keep doing the thing or like I'm just put my timer And, tweak my thing. Yeah. This, uh, this helps.

And, and so going back to the type of, uh, advice that you give your own clients, like, one of the things that I, I, joined your program about consistency, because I was like, yeah, this is one of the things where I need to push myself a little bit, and it's nicer to do it with other people too. What are the top advice or the top things that you tell your clients about consistency and how to get there?

Uh, so consistency the first advice, yeah. It's to relax. Yeah. So that, this is really like, you cannot do anything under pressure. I mean, you can do something under pressure. You cannot do anything for long time under pressure and consistency is about long time. So this is like the first thing there is you should basically, you should leave yourself alone a bit. I often say that consistency is not about, discipline is not about willpower. Especially for parents. I mean, like really just you, you, you use all your willpower. Just, not to freak out. out Yeah. Like you are already done with

Yes. Keep your cool. It's okay.

Yeah. Yeah. Just, you know, just to kind of start like, uh, screaming and breaking dishes. Yeah. it's already willpower working there. Yeah. So that it's not, because, you know, like people often say about like the habits and all these things, but I think this is, really, really not not what it is. Yeah. Consistency in business areas which is not forced and not necessarily constant. Yeah. So for example, if I talk about like how I show up here, because I show up consistently. Yeah. So I have like consistent visibility. But if you go, you know, to my Instagram or my, to my Facebook or to my LinkedIn, you will see that I don't post every day, So I show up in a way that I can show up in particular moments of my life on the areas where I can show up. This is still flexible, but I will show up. Yeah. So I, I have no, doubt or fear that I will stop showing up. Yeah. And I'm showing up in my business for 20 years. Yeah. So I'm just showing up because I don't try to make it really rigid, especially with my lifestyle. So I know that I cannot show up twice a day or like, sometimes I try to, go live, in my Facebook group like every Tuesday, but, I know that I won't be able to do it for a year, but I can do it for a month. Yeah. So, and this is also what I work with my clients on. Like if we talking about taking some action, how exactly does it look for how long? Like, for example, I have this rule of a hundred. So I will show my offer a hundred times. So I don't tell myself I will talk about this offer every week until I die. So this is like the one thing that, doing something consistently doesn't mean doing something constantly. Doing something like in this forced framework and just really being worried. Yeah. You didn't show up, you failed.

It has to be sustainable.

Yeah. It has to be sustainable. for me, consistency, like, I dunno, 80% of my consistency is automated email sequence. So, so I would always put more effort into creating something that will be just going on by itself. Then, for example, I, what I do a lot, like really brings me so much return is that I am, guest expert in some offers of other people, like in many, many, many, many, you know that I record some training and it's like become a part of a membership. It's become a part of a mastermind. It's become a part of some bundle. I am in some online conferences. I don't even remember, what was it? No, but this is very smart. Yeah. Because the people who do this, like the other business owners, they're creating this library of trainings. So they just have it, and there is my training there, and so people join my email list, they become my workbooks, and they become my automatic email sequence. So this is really something you do one time and forever, like another thing that I should be doing. It's a YouTube channel, either, which I'm not still like, you know, postponing. This is a lot of work, but this is really meaningful. Yeah. This is a meaningful work. Or like having, for example, like a blog posts on your website with a optimized, um, google search. Yeah. and people think consistency is posting reels three times per week. Yeah. No. Maybe, yeah. Maybe for some people, not for me. Yeah. So this is really about creating places where people can reach you all the time, but you don't have to show up. Yeah. So, so this is, this is consistency for me. Yeah. So basically being present without doing anything. So maybe like this influencers telling you, look, no, because sometimes I really make sales, and I don't know the people. and if I look, for example, yeah, like I can go into my email system and see how they joined and I see, ah, they joined from this bundle, from three years ago I participated and they still have my offer somewhere, and this is how people came. So this is nice. Yeah. And I think it's also, it's just a very solid system that you

Mm-hmm. definitely. and and love about this vision of what is consistency is that it's flexible according to your needs, your business needs, but also what's your schedule like, what's your life like? something that works for you that will fulfill your business goals first because otherwise, what's the point? Then that you are able to keep maintaining, and that's not always easy to figure out at the beginning. It might take a little bit of trial and error, but if you have the reflection for it, if you take the time to actually think what's working, what should I prioritize and where should I put all that effort? Because I think one of the issues a lot of business owners make, especially in the beginning, is that they think social media is so important. I have to be super active there and I have to really put my face there. And then they're like, oh, wait, where is my business actually coming from? Is it from social media and should I really be spending my time there?

The funny thing that most of my business really coming from social media, because like now I had these really many photo sessions and I have a group photo sessions and we get all together and people start asking, oh, how do you know Maryia? And everyone knows me from social media, so I actually have, I dunno how many followers? Like 300? Yeah. Like on, I have super small following,

I heard about you the first time through a Facebook group

Yeah. See, you also know me from social media.

Because that's also where like I get a lot of clients and a lot of contacts, like a lot of my networking now, it happens, it happens through social media groups because first of all, I live in the countryside and it's not that easy to go meet people in person, but also because there's a lot of exchanges that happen there. But what I mean by people spending too much time on social media, it's more like creating the perfect Instagram, for example.

Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. like you can have like a few posts um, but you can, um, just chat with people. Yeah. You can participate in discussions. You can comment. Yeah. So I I get many people coming to my Facebook group or, you know, to starting DM and me just because I was helpful. Yeah. Like, because I, I was helpful, you know, letting commenting on their post or replying to comment. So basically it's networking. Yeah. So it's, it's just like online networking. but if you, if you look at my social media feed, it's clearly that I, sometimes I post consistently, sometimes I don't, I usually schedule my post on the one day of the month and, um, sometimes I only schedule like five. Yeah. Or sometimes I schedule 20, but it is done because I have a timer. Yeah. So, so, so that is why it's also very different. Yeah. So sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less. Doesn't change much. now, at this moment of my business is, doesn't affect how often I post. Uh, but for example, my family photography business, I grew just by posting in Facebook groups. So just by just making these promotional posts with a couple of photographs that, you know. Next month I have five, five slots open. Who wants? Yeah. So it was very simple marketing, uh, but I was doing it consistently. Yeah. So, so, you know, like I was really just posting as this, but not like daily. Yeah. it was very realistic, um effort.,

I have one last question for you, and it's not exactly business related, but what I'd love to know is one day when your three kids are all grown up, what do you wish they would say about you?

Uh, my kids, oh, I dunno. I have no idea. Yeah. I don't know. Um, you know, like I have a very, very close relationship with my children. Like, so basically my children, I like my favorite people. It's really like, so I always. Really excited to just spend time with my kids. And, uh, so yeah, so, you know, we talk a lot. We talk everything. We have this, of course we have some fights and you know, now they're getting teenagers grumpy and yeah. But I don't know, I, I think that I'm really living like my best life as a mother, so I cannot imagine any, like, you know, better motherhood for me.

Wonderful.

Like yeah. So that is why I hope that they will, they will just see that anything is possible and you can really do what you love. Yeah. Because this is like this big thing because my husband, he's still an academic career. this is how we met. Yeah. So we were both, um, we met at the university and he's also doing what he likes. and for example, now he's in a different country because this is where he could find his position after being unemployed for some time. And now we kind of leave a bit apart, but he comes and we have really nice relationship when he comes. So basically they're growing up with parents who kind of not really doing things the way people should do, you know, like not conventional. like very, not conventional. And, uh, yeah, as I said, our, income. Yeah. it's not like. The salary. Yeah. So it's not like, you're getting this kind of paycheck every month. Yeah. But sometimes it can be also like, surprise, you suddenly learned much more money that you thought you can actually do, which is also nice part of business. Yeah. Because sometimes you can surprise yourself. Yeah. You can suddenly just like, wow, I didn't know I can do it. Yeah. And I think that they just see that you can actually do, something you really like, because I'm very passionate about what I do. My husband is very passionate about what he does, and I think this is maybe like something, you know, that my kids would be just like, you know, like, ah, she always she always did what she wanted. She didn't listen to anyone. Yeah. I actually think they already see this. Yeah. Because, Um, Um, they don't, because when they, dream about what they would like to do, they don't even set on one thing. So they actually, you know, have these like multiple pro, so

Yeah.

do this. this, and this. Yeah. Like, and I also think this is because they really believe Yeah. why

Yeah.

why not? You

Well, when you have examples of of parents that live to their own beats, you also see that that's possible.

yeah. Yeah. think this is, yeah, maybe, hopefully this, this would not be that. You know, Like she always looked at her laptop.

that's, that's a tough one. Right?

Yeah. Oh, she tell her she was never at home on weekends. She always had this photo session.

Where can everyone find more about you and what you do? What are your upcoming offers?

Yeah. So my main offer, if someone wants to discover Yeah, like what I do is the club would be the best place here to start, like the membership. Um, it's very affordable. It's nice. We have weekly activities, has some trainings. I'm also, it's also like one of the thing which is not very rigid. Yeah. So I, um, try to develop in a flexible way. Um, I listen to my members. Yeah. So it's this, you know, like a bit of creative. I think it's also just interesting to see how you can have this a bit like flexible, evolving offer. Because for me it was like my intention. Yeah. Because instead of selling just like digital course, I wanted to have a place where I can test things, and have more flexibility and also. like gentle testing, like community, which I hope it will grow. Yeah. So the club would be, would be very nice place to start. Yeah, And I also plan like a yeah, yeah. yeah. Case remember. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's a really nice, and really, really nice, people. Yeah. So I, I really enjoy it.

Amazing. Thank you, Maryia. I love that little glimpse into your world I, I'm one of your clients, we've collaborated together and, it's just amazing to see like what is the energy behind all of that and, and how you basically set all that up. So thank you so much for sharing.

Yeah. Thank you for inviting me. It's really lovely to chat with you.

/If this conversation gave you a bit of relief, I hope it also reminded you that consistency does not have to mean constant output. You do not need to build your business like someone with unlimited time, unlimited energy, or zero family responsibilities you need a way of working that actually fits your reality, and that to me is what made this conversation with Maryia so valuable. If this episode resonated, I'd love to hear from you. Come send me a message on Instagram. Share this episode with another mom entrepreneur who needs to hear it or post it to your stories and tag me so I can say hi. And if you're enjoying the Hey Boss Mama podcast, it would mean so much if you followed the show and left a quick review. Until next time, boss Mama, you've got this.