The Sustainable Solopreneur is a weekly newsletter about seasonal, cyclical, supportive business strategy for solopreneurs and creative souls who want more out of life than the status quo, hosted by business coach and strategist Jenni Gritters. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while and you receive value from it, I’d encourage you to sign up for a paid subscription.
🎄I’m offering something new this year: Reflection Minis! Fill out my signature end-of-year business audit worksheet, send it to me, and I’ll record a 10-minute Loom video with personalized recommendations and ideas for your business in 2025.🎄
Today I get to introduce you to one of the best people I’ve met this year: My assistant, Andrea Reeves! I hired Andrea about 3 months ago as the Operations & Community manager for my coaching business. So for those of you who’ve said: Jenni, how are you doing all of this? Today you get to meet my answer: I have help from really incredible people.
Andrea is a systems specialist. She runs Type C Creative and her calling is helping her fellow neurodivergent humans find more compassionate and rebellious ways of working. You can hire her for a consulting session and her newsletter, Rebellious Systems, is worth a subscription for sure. And she also runs monthly coworking sessions and teaches about systems of all kinds inside my group program, SUSTAIN.
Today, I hope you find her kind, self-aware, boundaried and empowering take on systems to be as inspiring as I do:
Andrea! How would you describe your work?
I call myself a systems strategist. To put it as plainly as possible, I help people get their shit together without making them feel like shit about themselves — using systems, organizational methods, and technology.
What is one of your "third ways" of working that feels unique compared to how others have done it?
I used to hate consultation calls. Like, dreaded them. Meeting new people is already anxiety-inducing for me... trying to "convince" them to give me money in exchange for my services? Panic zone. I actually hadn't realized how stressful video consultations were for me until I had a phone interview with you, Jenni! I remember thinking, Wow, I love that I can take this call from my bed and not have to worry about what I look like. I felt more at-ease in my body, which meant I could show up more authentically.
After that, I decided to swap Zoom consultations with prospective clients for walk and talks. I have an app that records and transcribes my consultations while I walk around my neighborhood. The act of walking helps regulate my nervous system. I feel more at-ease in my body, which leads to better conversations. I also offer the option to have an email consultation for those who would prefer not to talk at all.
I love this, especially for those of us who are introverts. And obviously, you nailed that interview. So: You teach people about systems, which is a traditionally linear and masculine space. What is your “third door” on creating systems in your business that work for your unique brain? And why is this approach so revolutionary?
In a world that is obsessed with consistency and "never quitting," I like to be intentionally inconsistent. When something (whether it's a habit or a software or some other kind of system) begins to feel "off," I give myself permission to change my mind or see how an alternative method feels.
For a few years, I used a 9-grid strategy on Instagram because posting every week didn't feel aligned with my goals or natural rhythms. Then, a few months ago, I decided I wanted to try posting weekly to see if it felt good again. So far, I'm enjoying it!
Sometimes, I'm attached at the hip with my notebook, because writing things down helps me untangle my thoughts. Other times, it'll stay in a drawer for weeks and I'll do all my note-taking digitally.
Our systems can evolve along with us — they can change based on what we want or need. There is no perfect system, no "right" or "wrong" way. Giving myself permission to experiment and shift has made business a lot more enjoyable. Because if I'm just going to do everything the way it's always been done, why take the risk of building something that's supposed to be mine?
Mic drop right there. How have you benefited from choosing a unique way of working and living?
I was diagnosed with ADHD later in life. Before that, I was (not exaggerating) slowly dying trying to force myself into a box that was not built for me. Before the pandemic, I was working in a 9 to 5 corporate communications job — high stress, fast pace, SO.MANY.MEETINGS. In February 2020, I had to take a 2-week mental health leave because of how unwell I'd become. I was stressed, depressed, and burnt out. Crying constantly. After years of "going along to get along," I had reached a breaking point.
I didn't realize then how important it was for me to have control over my environment and set my own schedule and my own pace. Now, almost five years later, I am in a much healthier place — the biggest change being that I get to choose the way I work and live. It is an immense privilege to be able to do so!
What would you tell someone who's feeling like the "standard" ways of running a biz don't apply to them or their brain?
Start with small acts of rebellion and see what happens. Stop doing that one thing you hate to do and see if it makes a difference. Turn email notifications off on your phone and see if anything actually catches on fire. Give yourself an hour of self-care on Monday and see how it feels not to start the day with meetings. Try a new way of doing sales calls. When your brain is screaming "THIS IS URGENT, ACT NOW," challenge it — even if just for a moment. Allow yourself the space to pause, check in, and do what feels right in your body.
These small acts of rebellion add up, and show us how good it can feel to honor our needs. Start anywhere.
To hear more from Andrea, follow her on Insta here, or subscribe to her weekly newsletter here.
Curious about my (Jenni’s) background? I’m a writer and business coach living in Central Oregon. My goal is to teach everyone who will listen that it’s possible to build a simple, stable, successful business that support your human needs first. Join my group coaching program, SUSTAIN, for more conversations like this (and a community of people who are all about the path less taken), and follow me on Twitter & Instagram.