Here’s your blank calendar to fill out for the month! 🗓️ I’ll share a preview of my own November calendar next week. This is one of the biggest shopping months of the year... so having a plan going in makes such a difference. Plans will shift as the month goes, and that’s okay! The calendar keeps you on track ev…

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October Monthly Calendar

Moving forward these will be posted before the 1st of each month, but here’s your blank calendar to fill out plus a preview of what’s coming up for me this October! My plans always shift a little throughout the month... but actually working through your calendar is such a great way to stay on track!

Prim…

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Here’s something nobody tells you about successful people... most of them aren’t that special.

I mean that in the most encouraging way possible.

For years I assumed the people I admired had something I didn’t. A rare talent. The right connections. Some lucky break that just never came my way. I’d scroll past their businesses and their big wins and quietly decide they were built differently.

Then I started getting closer to those people. I’ve sat across from creators with millions of followers, founders running companies I used to only read about, people I once put on a pedestal. And sure... a few of them really do have a gift you can’t teach.

But most of them? They’re normal. Smart, hardworking, a little stubborn. Just like you.

The one thing they almost always had in common was gumption. They started.

Before they were ready. Before it made sense on paper. Before anyone was watching or clapping or even paying attention.

I know this because I lived it. When I left my corporate job, I didn’t have a perfect plan. I had an idea, a lot of nerves, and just enough gumption to try. Looking back, that decision wasn’t special. Plenty of people had the same idea I did. The only difference is I did something with it.

And that’s the part that stings a little, in a good way.

Most people who could... never do. Not because they lack talent. Not because the timing is wrong. But because they’re waiting to feel ready, and ready is a feeling that rarely shows up on its own.

Gumption doesn’t mean you’re fearless. It means you go anyway. You post the first video when it’s awkward. You send the email you’ve rewritten twelve times. You launch the thing while it’s still a little messy. And then you keep going, because every step makes the next one easier.

From the outside, that looks like talent. From the inside, it’s just momentum that kept building because someone was brave enough to start it.

So if you’ve been waiting for proof that you’re special enough to go after the thing on your heart... here it is. You don’t need to be special.

You need to start.

That’s the whole secret. It always has been.

Posts to Profits is open today. Three trainings, one for each stage:

Training 1 for brand-new creators: the exact steps in order. Training 1

Training 2 for creators who post but are not earning consistently: my system for consistency and monetization, Training 1 included. Tr…

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And for the next 2 days…you are unstoppable.

And here’s what I want you to know…that’s not you flaking. It’s not a sign of a “bad idea” - it’s your dopamine system doing exactly what it’s evolved to do.

Your brain doesn’t just reward the idea…it rewards the surprise.

I’ve looked a lot into this because I’m the queen of new business ideas and new content ideas that seem absolutely PERFECT…then when it comes time to execute, I feel a little…deflated? And I’ve wondered, where did all that zest and inspiration go? Because that’s what keeps us motivated.

I’m kind of a big neuroscience nerd…and I actually think understanding how our brains work and why we do what we do is a huge life hack.

I’ve always thought of dopamine as the “pleasure” or “happy” chemical - and just thought of it as the reward your brain releases when something good happens. But in reality, neuroscience tells us that dopamine neurons fire hardest during anticipation. Then they can actually drop when the reward arrives.

Meaning, dopamine isn’t just tracking how GOOD something is…it’s tracking how surprising something is. When you have a new idea…everything is unknown, which means it all holds the potential for surprise - which, in turn, lights your brain on fire. And that’s that feeling you get when you’re all jazzed up about the new idea (i.e. starting to create content, writing on Substack, the new business, etc.).

But by day 30, let’s say…there’s less novelty left. You know what it feels like. You know roughly what the response will be. Or your brain has turned this idea over multiple times to “predict” the outcome. And that dopamine high quietly disappears.

A lot of stalled businesses, abandoned Instagrams, Substacks or ideas can be pretty easily explained. The wanting of the idea and the actual liking/enjoyment of doing the things to get you there are handled by different systems in the brain…and guess what? They don’t always show up together.

Inspiration is almost completely the “wanting.” It’s the pull, the vision behind it all and that 11:32pm certainty. It’s loud, it’s urgent and it’s completely disconnected from whether you’ll actually enjoy (or even do) the work of getting you there.

Which is exactly why so many people can want a business, can want to chase their dreams…but never actually build them. The wanting can be SO real. But it’s never going to be enough on its own, and no amount of waiting for that spark to come back will change that.

The success spiral

So here’s where the “life-hack” comes in…

Your brain doesn’t wait for the finish line to reward you. It doesn’t even wait for what the finish line of what the good idea ultimately “looks” like.

Your dopamine system can actually respond to simple movement toward a goal…not just the arrival at one.

Which means every step, every checkpoint, every action becomes a piece of visible evidence that something is happening. It sends a signal to your brain that this is possible and to keep going.

And this also means that the little reward your brain gives you (aka motivation) isn’t locked behind “having it all figured out” or even having a 10-step plan of action.

It’s there the moment you take one simple action to move toward your goal. And it keeps building every time you make a move - no matter how big or small.

This is where the actual “going for it” happens. One simple step at a time that gives your brain the push it needs to keep going.

And this is the part people constantly miss.

You don’t need to fully build the website, the entire content strategy, your complete posting schedule or six-month plan to just get started.

You just need to take one action that your brain can register as progress.

And the cool thing is…it doesn’t have to be some huge, impressive step. Small progress still gives your brain that evidence that you’re moving.

Neuroscience calls this the Success Spiral…you take one small step and your brain treats it as proof that movement is possible. Which makes the next step easier to take than the last…and so on.

Confidence isn’t something you wait to feel before you take action. Confidence is actually something that taking action develops for you.

So, if you have a desire in your heart but don’t know how to build the whole thing yet…GOOD! You’re not supposed to.

Not knowing the whole path has never been what’s standing between you and starting. It was never even a requirement. The requirement truly is just one step.

And even for the days that feel hardest to keep moving - there’s a rule I follow.

I tell myself I’ll do the thing or the task for just five minutes. With full permission to stop after that timer is up.

A lot of that resistance you feel isn’t even about the task or the work itself. It’s about the anticipation of the task - and that can dissolve almost as soon as you’re actually doing it. (Ever procrastinated cleaning your junk drawer…only to realize it takes just 10 minutes of your time?)

So what does this mean?

Open your Substack draft. Write one paragraph. Finish writing down your idea/prototype. Fill out the waitlist form for that course you’ve been circling 😏. Or post the one thing you’ve been overthinking for a week.

The first 48…

The goal isn’t chasing the initial high you had when you first got the idea. The goal is building something that doesn’t need it…one step at a time.

So what can you do with all this information?

Act within the first 48 hours - even in a small way.

That early window when your motivation and excitement are high is also when starting can feel the easiest. Your brain hasn’t had as much time to process all the “what if’s” and hasn’t tried to predict every possible outcome.

You don’t need the full plan. Just that one piece of physical evidence to tell your brain this is real and you can (and will) do this.

That first post. Signing up for the course. Buying the equipment. Give your brain something to work with.

Momentum is easier to protect than it is to recreate.

You can also expect the inspiration drop-off.

It’s normal for the novelty and initial dopamine rush to fade. Expecting it allows you to plan for it rather than being discouraged and derailed by it.

You’re not giving up. You’re not getting lazy. You’re not putting it to the wayside.

You now just won’t read that flatness as a sign to quit.

Remember - just give it 5 minutes and do something.

Build routines, not moods.

This will change everything for you.

“Liking” can be cultivated even when the “wanting” has gone quiet. So those 5 minutes? Lower the size of the next action until it’s actually doable and doesn’t require a giant spike of inspiration to get it done.

Build a routine - an actual planner, a content calendar, a repeatable schedule you can follow whether the spark is there or not.

This is what does that job for you. It removes the decision of “do I feel like it today?” entirely because the decision was already made in advance.

You’re not relying on Tuesday-you to be inspired. You’re relying on systems that Tuesday-you already committed to.

And that’s the whole point of creating the infrastructure….It runs on the days when you don’t really feel like showing up…we’ve all been there.

And let me tell you a secret…the people who look consistent from the outside are not necessarily the most inspired people every day.

They are inspired people who built something that doesn’t need inspiration to function.

And that’s what you see - consistency showing up even when the inspiration doesn’t.

Done is better than perfect.

You’ve heard this one before. But man…is it true.

The version of your business, your Instagram, your Substack that could exist today might be imperfect…but if it’s posted or published anyway, it will always beat the flawless version waiting in your drafts or in your Notes app…or even in your head.

If you’ve been waiting to take action on whatever it is for you…I challenge you to take one small step. Just one. Let that be enough for today - because neuroscience says it actually is.

You don’t need to know exactly how. You just need to make a move. And your brain will reward the progress.

The plan and the clarity will come. Confidence will always show up AFTER you act…rarely ever before.

Make a move. Just start.

xx - Allie

I pulled into the parking garage of my corporate job with six minutes to spare. I set an alarm on my phone and took a four-minute nap.

In my car. In a parking garage.

Then I fixed my hair, walked inside, and did my job.

That was me at the end of a career I had truly loved. Six figures. Travel. Great friends at work. I was type A in my work life (type B at home, for reference) at a company full of hustlers and worker bees, and I fit the mold perfectly. I loved late nights. I loved achieving. I drank the Kool-Aid and I liked how it tasted.

Until I didn’t.

I don’t know exactly when it turned. But I remember watching the women who were a little ahead of me…the ones with kids (which I didn’t have yet) get to the office at 7:30 in the morning and not leave until six at night. And I remember thinking, when do they see their kids? I never got a good answer to that question. I just knew I didn’t want to find out the hard way.

I wanted out. I wanted freedom. I didn’t want my entire day to be dictated by whether or not my boss was having a good one.

The hobby quiz

Here is how God orchestrates things, because I could not make this up.

I was on PTO over the holidays and I was so wrapped up in work that I genuinely could not figure out what to do with myself. So I started taking quizzes online. Actual internet quizzes. To find out what my hobby should be.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, I got served an ad for the Amazon Influencer Program.

I stopped. Because I was shopping on Amazon a lot - which, honestly, I had never told a single person. This was before it was a thing. Fashion items barely even had Prime shipping back then. But I loved finding the gems. And there were a LOT of not-gems I had to return to find them.

I saw that ad and felt that weird tingle. This is for me.

So I went all in.

I applied. I got denied. I made a blog, had my sister take photos of me in different outfits, and applied again. That time I got accepted… so I made an announcement on Instagram to my 1,400 followers, who were essentially just my friends and family.

And there I was. A wannabe influencer.

It felt small and big all at the same time.

The part nobody posts about

Back then you needed 10,000 followers to put a link in your stories. I had 1,400. So I had to figure out how to show people how to shop things I was sharing with basically no tools to do it with.

I bought a brick wall backdrop. And a ring light. I set them up in my apartment and took photos in front of a fake brick wall like an absolute maniac. Picture of the brick wall era below….

I had no idea what I was doing...but I didn’t even care a little bit. I had found my passion and I was IN IT.

And I prayed. I prayed and prayed that this would be my way out eventually.

I started in January of 2019. By June of 2019, I hit 10k.

And I need you to understand what 10k meant back then. It meant you were official. You had made it. A coworker came up to me around that time and told me he had wondered what I was doing with all of this…but told me congratulations, because I actually did it.

Which was a wild thing to hear, because it had never once crossed my mind what anyone was thinking. (Another blessing, honestly. If I had been thinking about it, I probably would have quit.)

So I took the congratulations. And I felt proud.

Two jobs, two years

By March of 2020, I was out-earning my monthly paycheck.

But I didn’t quit. My corporate job was steady. It was good. It gave me insurance and security, and I was seasoned enough that it wasn’t hard anymore.

So I worked both. For two years. Late nights, early mornings, working through lunch to build my Amazon business. I built a posting schedule that fit around my corporate schedule…and another crazy part is that I still use a version of that same schedule today.

And this is the thing nobody tells you: having a side hustle has a strange way of bringing passion back into everything. I was actually better at my corporate job during those two years, because I was getting fulfilled somewhere else. If that makes sense?

My husband and I had a lot of serious conversations. A lot of prayer. And we decided I would leave in December, after the annual bonus.

He never doubted it. Not once. Which I’m so grateful for every single day, but especially during those early days…when he easily could have thought the whole thing was cringey, or just not have understood what came with the territory.

I walked away in December of 2020.

I never looked back. I did, however, have nightmares about missing meetings and getting in trouble for having a side hustle for about five years afterward. lol.

What I actually figured out

Tons of prayers, lots of hard work and I truly believe God was in every single step of the way. And finally what made it work is that at some point I stopped treating it like posting and started treating it like a business.

That shift is basically everything, and it comes down to a few things I believe pretty strongly now:

• Consistency beats going viral. A schedule you can actually hold will out-earn a lucky video every single time. Chasing trends is exhausting and doesn’t put your income in your own hands.

• Rest is not a reward you earn after the work. It’s part of the system. I schedule it. I take a Sabbath. I don’t catch up afterward and I don’t feel guilty about it, and wow….it took me a long time to get there.

• The numbers will tell you what to do next. Most creators are guessing. You don’t have to. Your analytics are already telling you what’s working - you just have to know how to read them and how to take action on what they’re telling you.

• My corporate job made me good at this. I’m truly grateful for it. Every system, every spreadsheet, every bit of knowing how to run a project - I use all that knowledge every single day.

What this Substack is

Somewhere along the way I picked up a second passion, which is helping other people do this.

I’ve helped family members start. I’ve helped friends start. And I keep thinking about how much faster it would have gone for me if I’d had one person willing to show me the ropes instead of figuring it out alone in front of a fake brick wall.

So that’s what this is….Every detail, no gatekeeping.

I’m going to write about the systems and the schedules. The tips and the shortcuts. Where to invest your time and where to delegate. Amazon-specific strategy and tools. How to read your analytics and actually do something with the information. How to build a business that serves and connects you with your audience instead of just selling to them - because this is not just trying on clothes and linking things. There is so much backend work and connection that nobody sees.

Twice a month. That’s the pace I can hold while actually running the business, plus a little extra in between.

One thing to do this week

Before you close this post - write down the one thing that, if you did it today, would actually make you money. Something that would give you some sort of freedom. Don’t know what it is? Hit reply and tell me where you’re stuck…I’ll help you find it.

Not the thing that would get engagement…. and not the thing you’ve been meaning to do. The one thing that connects to a dollar and connects to a passion.

Then go do it. That’s the whole business, honestly. Everything else I’m going to write about here is just how to do that on repeat without losing your mind.

I’m so glad you’re here.