#209 – July 2026 Income Report

Shannon Mattern (00:01.326)

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Profitable Web Designer Podcast. And today I am bringing you our July 2026 income report. And I'm joined by Erica Nash, my right hand woman, our client success coordinator at the Web Designer Academy. Welcome, Erica.

Erica Nash (00:20.093)

Hey hey, glad to be here.

Shannon Mattern (00:22.348)

I feel like we just did this for our June income report episode because we ended up recording it later than we normally would have. So I'm just like, didn't we just do this like a week ago? It feels like. my gosh. So if you're new to the show, every month I record an income report episode and we break down how much the business made, how much we spent.

Erica Nash (00:33.807)

Yeah.

'Cause we were here, there, and everywhere, so it's a good summer.

Shannon Mattern (00:50.798)

And what happened and all of the lessons learned along the way. and we hear consistently that this is your favorite episode, so it's ours too. So we're gonna keep doing these as long as we keep keep getting that feedback. And so the format is that Erica asks me all the questions, it goes where it goes, and we try to stay within an hour, even though we could probably talk for five hours about all of it.

Erica Nash (01:02.119)

Right.

Erica Nash (01:18.975)

Forever.

Shannon Mattern (01:19.598)

all of the things. So yeah, Erica, I'm gonna hand it over to you and let's get into it.

Erica Nash (01:27.217)

Amazing. Let's dive in. So yeah, let's start with how much the total inflow was for July twenty twenty six and where did it come from?

Shannon Mattern (01:35.256)

So the total inflow for July 2026 was drum roll please, let's see $38,376.88. and that came from mostly next level mastermind. the next level mastermind retreat.

Which sold out in like an hour, literally, not even joking. and then that was the first big chunk of that. The second chunk of that came from the beta cohort of the package matrix method, the enrollments that fell in July. and then in third place is the Web Designer Academy. So payment plans for

that and I don't think we had any renewals or new enrollments in July. And then I had some affiliate income come in from some things that I have promoted and been a part of. but yeah, like next level mastermind and package matrix method, man, they are they're leading the way.

Erica Nash (02:56.422)

They're leading the way.

Erica Nash (03:00.304)

So let's talk about the outflow. Where did it go? What was the total outflow?

Shannon Mattern (03:06.921)

Yeah, so the outflow in July was pretty standard, about seventeen thousand one hundred fifty-one dollars and forty six cents. And that went to me and you, our paychecks. and because we're W2 employees of this company, we get a paycheck, we pay we pay our our our taxes come out of.

of my business bank account and flow through our paychecks straight to the IRS. and then I have extra taxes as the owner of the company that I pay just straight out of the company payroll taxes that don't flow through our paychecks. So that is about 10,000 of of that 17,000. And then the rest of that

the next highest expense we have every single month is our podcast production, our conversion rate optimization that we do with Lee Scott. And also I decided in July to sponsor a summit that Sarah Noel Block of Tiny Marketing, who is on this podcast that she's hosting, called the Solo Consultant Summit, because

Several of the people who joined the package matrix method beta cohort came from a partnership that I did with her, like directly, and I got to pay her out some affiliate commissions for that. So then when the opportunity came to sponsor her summit, I'm like, it is proven that she has the audience for the package matrix method. Why not go ahead and test out if sponsoring her event?

will result in more more students for that. So I spent a thousand dollars on that sponsorship. and then next up is just general overhead, about eighteen hundred dollars. And that is all of our like tools and like

Shannon Mattern (05:24.439)

Just everything that we need to run this business, hosting, soft subscription, software service, all of that type of stuff. and then I also had I work with Jen Boss, who is a financial strategist, and I pay her quarterly. So her quarterly payment came out in July. And we met and we kind of like went over my mid-year. So we can talk a little bit about that.

yeah, so that's really what makes up the bulk of those those expenses. So and then for the next level retreats, even though I got a lot of cash coming in the door for that, that will be going back out the door in October and November as I start to like pay for things related to that. So the the inflow is good, the cash flow is there, the cash is there.

Erica Nash (06:15.854)

Mm.

Shannon Mattern (06:24.225)

But it's earmarked to go right back out the the door in November. So so really if I pulled that out of the 38, the inflow was like 21. and then the outflow was like 17. So just because I never really treat that next level retreat money as spendable.

Erica Nash (06:28.028)

Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (06:45.554)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (06:52.937)

Until after the retreat is done and whatever's left over goes in operations.

Erica Nash (07:01.192)

So this might kind of cut into the next question that we typically talk about, but I would love to chat about your outflow of time. Just like thinking about the summer, thinking about July and the month that it was, and then I mean June and the month that it was, and then July and the month that it was, and like the revenue that you brought in. How does how does your outflow of time look currently? And is it like where you want it to be?

Shannon Mattern (07:31.18)

So in July we t we closed the business the first month of July.

so we're we're offline the first month of July or first, yeah, first month of the first week of July. so the 6th through the 10th, we were closed. The W the Web Designer Academy was closed, I should say. and then I also went on an Alaskan cruise in July. So that's been on my like bucket list of the I wanted to see Alaska. I got to do that with some of my

Erica Nash (07:38.79)

The first week, yeah.

Yeah.

Erica Nash (07:48.946)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (08:04.385)

best oldest friends. We went on an Alaskan cruise. And so I was basically it was not business as usual for me from Jul July sixth all the way through the 17th, 18th, 19th. And then it was back to business as usual on like the 20th. So that's not normal for me. And I took a lot of time off. But what I will say is like I worked on things through that. Like I worked on

package matrix method, things and like some foundational things. I almost feel like that time is like a mid-year reset to like kind of set the stage for for what's next more than like time off. But what I'm what I'm finding is that I am really experiencing more of more of a

I work when I wanna work and I don't work when I don't want to work. And that's how I want it. And I don't want hard and fast rules about it. And if I feel compelled and inspired to work on something over a weekend, I'm going to. I don't mind that. And if I but I just don't let arbitrary boundaries of weekdays and weekends and what like like define it.

Erica Nash (09:03.72)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (09:27.265)

And just kind of like letting because I used to try to make a rule. Like I don't work weekends. And it's like weekends are some of my most weekend mornings are my favorite time to work on things because I don't have any meetings that I have to get ready for at any certain time. And I can really just kind of go with the flow. So I think that that's kind of like I've settled in to.

A rhythm and a flow around work. And also, I've taken more vacations this year than I think I ever have in my career. My I started working the day I turned 16. I was so excited to get my first job on my 16th birthday, it was the day that I started. And I've taken more time off this year than I ever have since I.

Turned 16. So 30 years, literally exactly like 30 years. and I've tak I've taken more Tuesdays off, which that's kind of like a big deal because that's like the day all of the things happen, right? So our web designer academy live strategy call days. and I've been allowing myself to like reimagine what my schedule can even look like.

Which has been really interesting. So that's a long answer to your question, but my time has looked more free free flexible would be this would be the word. there's no have to or should in any of it.

Erica Nash (11:07.134)

Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (11:13.404)

I love that so much. And like I can see that that, you know, you like even in the past five years, like you've come a long way in that sort of like rigidity of you know, there would be times where like you were thinking about being gone and you were like, but I don't want to miss the call. And I'm like, Miss the call, like it will be fine. And you're like, I can't. And like I'm so glad that you have felt like you can do that. And everybody in the community would

Shannon Mattern (11:35.682)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (11:43.515)

echo that as well. and I I think that this is such an important conversation to have because I think as female business owners, especially ones that tend to be very type A and very by the book, we create cages and rules for ourselves and then and then like throw away the key. And like we can't get ourselves out of them. And it it like it can be really challenging. And and also thinking about like we know that

Like I I I know that this is the income report and so of course it's all about finances, but we know that business results are so much more than finances and we have to look at our time as well and like at what cost of the finance, you know, sort of wins and things like that. And so I just yeah, I don't know. I just think it's such an important conversation. And I'm so glad that you're no longer in the cage. Yeah, the calendar cage.

Shannon Mattern (12:38.602)

The calendar cage. Yeah, I've been in a calendar cage. I I have always been like, if it's on my calendar, it's set in stone forgetting that like I'm the one that puts everything on my calendar and that it's not set in stone. and and I I think interestingly, like by the time this episode comes out, we will have experimented with a six month cohort model for

the Web Designer Academy and made some changes to or or tested some changes, I should say, as to like how we're how and when we're like enrolling for that program, when the marketing is happening, when even even like changing like the times that the the calls are happening. And one of the the things that like

I reflected on that I don't know that I've talked about on this podcast explicitly yet in these income reports. But every single month, if you pay attention, you probably don't pay attention as much as Eric and I pay attention. What we're noticing is that the Web Designer Re Academy program revenue itself is like

Diminishing, shrinking, those aren't the right words. It's getting less and less every month as enrollments have slowed and it's being made up for by other things. And that comes back to this time conversation too, because what I was noticing was that I was putting a disproportionate amount of time into marketing for a program that was not producing.

Or had had not been producing outcomes that deserved that much of my time. And because of that, it was keeping me from doing things that had been on my list, like breaking the package matrix method out and opening it to other freelancers and stuff, because I'm like, but you know, my calendar is built around all of these things that were built around the Web Designer Academy when the enrollments

Shannon Mattern (15:02.824)

weren't coming in at a pace that was supporting the time that I was committing to it. And so really looking at that and and getting clear, like just looking at that and being like, I am costing myself like this this has diminishing returns and I need to put my time elsewhere in order to close this gap. Like

That had that had to be done as well. It was like it was becoming crystal clear that like now is the time to try something different instead of to continue to try the same thing over and over and over and continuing to get like diminishing results. So that's part of the reason why package matrix method happened at the time that it did, but also part of the reason where we're like, we're gonna shift to this cohort model and not have the doors be

Always indefinitely open, come in whenever you feel like it, because that just hasn't that hasn't been working for our time and things like that. There's so many other reasons. I'm sure at the point of recording this, we're opening applications for it tomorrow.

I don't even know what that experiment's gonna look like. We'll talk about it more in our August income report, but just even talking about why that decision is being made, a lot of it is tied back to like my time and where I've been spending it. and wanting to like un or tear down some of those things that like aren't serving the business anymore.

Erica Nash (16:52.452)

Mm-hmm. And so I guess like a a follow-up question then would be if somebody like does it have to become, for lack of a better term, a dire situation for somebody to

make changes inside their business where they that where where they see and like are like, okay, I need to like change some things. Or how do you do that sooner? Like how do you recognize like, it's maybe safe to experiment with some other things.

Shannon Mattern (17:30.068)

That's such a good question. And like for me personally, I don't think that I can see it when I'm I can't see it when I'm in it. I cannot see it when I'm in it because what happens is I go into my tried and true fear response, which is fight. So if I'm looking at like

Web Designer Academy enrollments are lower than what we projected and planned this year. The only solution is to work harder to fix that. And fix that is a very rigid thing, too. Is like it's like if you projected X number of enrollments and enrollments are lower than that, then do whatever you can to.

raise the number of enrollments, which seems very logical on the surface. But what else could be true?

Erica Nash (18:28.456)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (18:35.006)

You know, and and so if that's if that's my operating system, then it's gonna be like, dig into like why enrollments are down. Like and all of those things are valid like things, right? Like, of course we should look at like what did we change? What's the data telling us? Get into the analytics conversion rate optimization. Is there an obvious thing that happened? What are some of our theories? Like, I do have some theories. I have some theories like changing.

like pivoting away from profitable, sustainable messaging to you're just one proposal away messaging. Maybe that stopped resonating with our ideal clients. things like that. It's been one year since our Web Designer Academy rebrand. and the

the rebrand itself and the brand system and everything that has freed up so much time. And also I think my decision to tweak the messaging to being focused on proposals and package matrix had could, I don't know, we have to we have to see, could have affected web designer academy enrollments. I don't think the branding, the rebrand did because the rebrands made

everything else we're doing happen faster and easier and work really well. So I don't think it's the

like the the rebrand itself versus like the words I'm using t to talk about the Web Designer Academy. Maybe it's none of those things. I don't know. But if I have other opportunities on the table that I have been not pursuing

Erica Nash (20:13.894)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (20:29.046)

How do I make the decision to just let this be what it is for a while and then go pursue those opportunities? I had to have other people like tell me that that's what I needed to do to like get me out of the fight, right? And so that would be Jen Boss, who is my financial person. You and you and Lee, who are basically like.

my sounding board, you know, and my team to say, you know, how about you let us focus here so you can go over here and test that out and then we can get some data to see what's next. And just even like people that I'm in masterminds with, like I meet with Josh Hall and Jason Grascia once a month and we talk through things. I meet with my Columbus mastermind people. And when I'm getting the same

message from all of those places where it's like, why you know, what like, why aren't you trying this yet? You know? What are you waiting for? What's holding you back? Why ha you know, we all see the opportunity, then you know, that's

Erica Nash (21:37.308)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (21:49.357)

that's where yeah, that's how I make those decisions. So I don't know if that answered your question, but like if I'm left to my own devices, I'm just gonna keep staying in my fear response and fighting. I need other people to help me see what I can't see and help me like create some safety to to pursue that. Like

We ca I don't know why we expect ourselves to like do it alone in a vacuum without support.

Erica Nash (22:19.208)

So true. Yeah. And you like no matter what your fear response is, it's gonna be a fear response that keeps you from seeing what's real and true and and have a helpful response to that. because that's just not the nature of the fear response.

Shannon Mattern (22:28.544)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (22:36.96)

And then also like not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, right? Like, so it's like, yes, we made we created space for package matrix. Web Designer Academy is not going anywhere. We're not winding the program down. We are not taking it away. We're like, but some changes need to happen for it to earn its earn the time that it's getting. And what does that need to look like for it to be sustainable?

Erica Nash (22:39.954)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (23:06.806)

For me to continue offering that program. and yeah, so we're like, well, what if, you know, one of the biggest objections we get from people is that like they're concerned about the time commitment and the price. Well, how could we how could we make adjustments to that without losing what makes the Web Designer Academy work so well?

and the six month cohort was a theory that we're currently testing to see if a shorter time frame, if it's half the time frame, it's half the investment. And does that shorter time frame overcome the objections that people have? What does it look like for us to like

close the doors, that is something that I have really resisted over the years because I'm like, when people need help, I don't wanna turn them away. But at the same time, if there's no incentivization or d like a line in the sand for people to make a decision, they don't make a decision. And that doesn't help people either. so there's those things. So it's just like I'm not just like web design, like we'll just see.

Erica Nash (24:22.91)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (24:32.032)

you know, how it performs over the rest of the the year. and gather some data and who know I have no idea what that what that picture's gonna look like. No idea.

Erica Nash (24:44.956)

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I mean it's that is scary and kind of exciting at the same time.

Shannon Mattern (24:56.928)

But here's what I know about my business journey. I started in 2014 doing freelance web design. From there, I started teaching solo business owners how to DIY their website. I made money freelance web designing. I made money teaching people to do something for free. Like, I've always found a way to

Erica Nash (25:20.382)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (25:26.1)

I always figure it out. I always figure it out. And that's what I'm like reminding myself. And like we just can't expect everything to always look the same, for it to never change, for things to not like to keep working as well as they always did or not work or you know, whatever. Like and so it has to like I could cling to what it's what I think it should look like, or I can

Erica Nash (25:27.582)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (25:56.638)

like let go and just know that like I'll be able to figure it out no matter what. And that second way of thinking is just freeing.

Erica Nash (26:03.89)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so much more helpful. I I say scary in that like the unknown to me is just very scary. And and that second way of thinking is way more helpful. And sometimes

Shannon Mattern (26:16.992)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (26:23.636)

I think there's a fallacy, like it's a myth that we can ever know anything. Yeah.

Erica Nash (26:27.102)

Totally, totally. I don't know why I think that there is some sort of like certainty that I can reach, because I know that's not the case. and I I true like I am constantly, I think, striving to and I and I know that like we don't ever arrive, but like I feel like I am constantly trying to arrive at this place where I can be okay.

with the unknown. And I think that's also a bit of a fallacy. and so just, you know, entrepreneurship is just a a lot of uncomfortable

Shannon Mattern (27:08.936)

It's a exercise in building resilience. And sometimes things happen and you're not resilient when those things happen. Like and that's okay. Like it's not like you're supposed to be impervious all the time and have resilience all the time, but it's just like you Yeah, it's just like you gotta be willing to get back up.

Erica Nash (27:11.75)

Yeah, exactly.

Erica Nash (27:22.066)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (27:38.412)

And you know, and like and it's not for everybody. It's like, is the trade-off like I don't know. Is the trade is it worth like the risk and the getting knocked down and the getting back up again and the building the resilience and the challenges? Like I still think that it is. I still think I would I prefer this over.

Erica Nash (28:02.578)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (28:07.709)

Maybe I just never had the right jobs. I loved my coffee shop job. I d I really truly did love making lattes back in the day. that's probably my favorite job I've ever had. but I just don't see I just can't see myself doing anything else.

Erica Nash (28:15.387)

Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (28:25.202)

Yeah. No. trade my my time freedom for

the classroom. For faux certainty, exactly. No. I'm out. No, thank you. Yeah. I'm certain. Yeah, I'll be tired all the time. Yep.

Shannon Mattern (28:33.909)

Certainty for a faux certainty.

Shannon Mattern (28:39.209)

Yeah. Like I'm certain I'm going to hate this, but at least I'm certain. I'm certain this is miserable. But hey, at least I know what to expect. Yeah, no, pass.

Erica Nash (28:51.806)

yeah. That's that's where yeah, that's where the the the stretching happens. so we talked about a few things, but were there any other important things that happened in July? Any any lessons learned, realizations, breakthroughs, things like that?

Shannon Mattern (29:14.891)

Shannon Mattern (29:18.667)

So I enrolled people in the package matrix method beta cohort at the end of June and the start of July. And I've had two office hours with the people in that program. And I think the realization that I have, and I'm not beating myself up about this by the way, but like I think I thought that I was like,

Who am I to teach this to any solo consultant? Because I don't have experience. I like I've always just seen myself as like, I ran a web design business. I know how to do that. I have expertise in this area. I've helped hundreds of women web designers have success. But will that translate to other industries?

And can I really help people? And that same old song that's a bad song that I don't like, which is like, is the package matrix method really real? Like I just made it I just made it up. Like, does it really work? can it really help people? And like that just that little like imposter syndrome frothy thing that comes up every now and again.

Erica Nash (30:36.914)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (30:41.995)

which of course it's gonna come up every time I'm doing something new. I think what is so super interesting is that it's just like different faces, different businesses, same exact challenges, thought errors, beliefs about their value, big dreams, desires, goals.

Erica Nash (30:58.504)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (31:09.703)

They want the same things, just swap out web design business for whatever their their business is. And I think experiencing helping the the people who enrolled in the beta cohort with different business models and package matrixing different business models and just hearing the things that they are are saying is just like

Erica Nash (31:15.594)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (31:37.778)

very validating in a way. Or not val it's validating, but it's also like it is pulling apart the Jenga Tower of Fraudy Thoughts one by one. And I hope it falls down. I think it's I think it's like if it hasn't already fallen over, it's about to and it should never get rebuilt again. And then I can really stop holding

Erica Nash (31:39.869)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (31:55.731)

Good.

Shannon Mattern (32:04.103)

myself back and I think I already have. We didn't talk about this in the June, the June income report, but we had a meetup of next level mastermind members. They came to Columbus. We rented an Airbnb and we spent three days together. There were six or seven of us. And I was talking about how like I was still really nervous to like kind of say like I'm a pricing expert for service providers.

And I talked about like how I was like still trying to like hide and kind of like hide behind some things. And Lynn Davy, who's one of our Web Designer Academy next level mastermind students, like her face just was like hilarious. And she was she was just looking at me like in disbelief, right? And she was like, Shannon.

You hide about as good as my cat hides when it thinks it's hiding and its butt is like hanging out of the laundry basket, but it thinks it's completely hidden. She's like, you're not hiding. Everybody is can see this. You're not hiding. If you think you've been hiding, you haven't been hiding. And I was just like, my gosh, she's so right. I felt so free after she said that. I'm like,

Erica Nash (33:08.55)

Ha ha ha.

Erica Nash (33:15.134)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (33:30.705)

Something in my subconscious is telling me that like I've been hiding and like I'm safe here, but she's just like, What are you talking about? Like you're hiding as good as my cat thinks it's hiding. And like she like they like drew a picture, like it was hilarious. And I was just like, well, if I haven't been hiding all this time, like I thought I was, and nothing bad has happened, well now I'm just free to just go for it.

Erica Nash (33:58.132)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (34:00.146)

And so I think that that has been the biggest shift that has truly happened, like in that happened in July. It's just like I'm like, beta cohort, bring it on, let's go for it. And I have no doubt that I can help any of them. And that has turned into so many opportunities that I could say have come out of nowhere, but they have come out of the fact that like

I just I've I've been pursuing them and creating them and planting seeds for them and then the seeds are growing and turning into fruit that like spreads more seeds. It's like a dandelion that when it turns into its puff and then those seeds blow and who knows where they blew, but they landed somewhere, grew something else. Like that's what's happening.

Erica Nash (34:43.132)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (34:53.341)

And if I thought I was hiding, I would be like, I'm not ready for that thing that just landed in my inbox.

Erica Nash (35:04.626)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (35:05.575)

And I would probably sit on it for a few like now I'm just like, I have a little label that I made for like lead generating opportunity. And I like respond to those first and just like so things are happening. And I think, yeah, I just owning that I am a pricing expert, like how could I not be?

Erica Nash (35:18.942)

Amazing.

Erica Nash (35:27.322)

Yeah, totally. Absolutely. And I the thing that sticks out to me in in that whole conversation is you said that you made up package matrix. Like you made it up. I'm like, well, yeah. You like, yes, that's the whole that's I that's what IP is. And and that doesn't mean it doesn't work. Like we have

all the evidence that it works. So yes, you did make it up and it's because you're brilliant and you are an expert and that's why you're able to have this and it actually work. So yeah.

Shannon Mattern (36:08.521)

Well, thank you for that. And I will say I have had like everybody else, I was influenced by mentors and like different and you know, so I don't wanna like be like, I never like researched anything or tried different things from different people. Like, you know, I don't wanna like backpedal and like not claim a like my authority and expertise, but I'm like, I took

Erica Nash (36:18.302)

For sure.

Shannon Mattern (36:37.363)

Like I learned this thing and I tried parts of that and parts of it worked and parts of it didn't. And I pulled this piece in, and then I experimented here. And then there were derivatives and evolution that became this thing. But I think there was part of me that was like, Well, no one told me this is correct. And I think we a lot of times all hold ourselves back.

Erica Nash (36:42.034)

Yes.

Shannon Mattern (37:07.125)

From really just going all in on what we know that we know that we know because nobody else told us that this is correct. Like just letting go of the idea that I need that permission from anywhere.

Erica Nash (37:11.591)

Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (37:17.768)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (37:22.288)

Yeah. Yeah, you do have to have like yeah. Yeah. Your level of self-confidence and like confidence in in what you do know has to be really strong and like profound. but also like yes, you did take things from, you know, people you knew and and all of that, but you meshed it with your experience and with like you made it better and like

Literally, that's how anything ever anyone has ever made is like they've taken all of the things they've learned and then they meshed it with their experience and they created the thing. exactly, exactly, and so it it is absolutely yours, it is absolutely something that we have lots and lots and lots of evidence for that it works, it does, and it has been fascinating to see.

Shannon Mattern (37:52.736)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (38:00.844)

Created something new. Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (38:16.842)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (38:19.44)

like this new wave of students come in and and apply the principles. I think it it has been like such an interesting, it's given really interesting perspective, like for us to see other people apply the strategy and to look at it through fresh eyes, like on our side and like how things can get applied and like what rules might need to be

Shannon Mattern (38:20.587)

ja

Shannon Mattern (38:39.786)

Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (38:46.172)

not shifted or changed, but like adapted, you know, to like how people run their specific businesses within within their own industry or you know, like, this is a good idea. How can we apply this to the web designer academy community? And like, you know, things like that. So I I think that it has been just like a really fascinating experience, but I also hope that it has been like, I don't know, really like

Shannon Mattern (38:50.431)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (39:04.095)

Yep.

Erica Nash (39:15.464)

helping you solidify just the idea that like this is really powerful.

Shannon Mattern (39:23.049)

The fact that I get so delighted and excited when I see how people are like applying it to their businesses. I was making a video for someone who had like submitted they're like, here's what I did. And I was like, maybe I need a hobby or something, but like because this delights me so much, like this makes me happier than like

Erica Nash (39:44.734)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (39:51.776)

I don't know, you know, I love like getting a package of something that I forgot to order or something, unless for forgot that I ordered or, you know, like all those little surprises and delights, but the joy that I felt at like seeing it used in seeing it used in these new and different ways. And I think that's what makes me really excited about the Web Designer Academy too, about the six month cohort, is that like it is my full like we have brought

Erica Nash (39:56.902)

Ha ha ha ha.

Shannon Mattern (40:21.159)

so much n like so much more power is not the right word, but like like what you just said, the learning that we're doing and the tools that we're creating to help expedite, you know, the creation of a package matrix, like that's all going back right back into the Web Designer Academy. and making that like just bringing that forward like

Erica Nash (40:37.851)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (40:50.707)

you know, using AI to generate package matrixes and like shaving the time off of that and things like that. So yeah, and I think I think the other thing was like claiming my expertise in this area. Like we're also offering we're gonna be certifying people in the methodology so that they can teach it to like within like they can build package matrixes for their clients and add that as a service or

teach it within their programs if you know, if it's aligned. And I have to believe and know that this is a method that works if I'm going to be like and you're certified to teach it. You've met all of the criteria and like I have to believe that it's real. Like all that it's that I'm not a fraud. Like all of those things. And so

Erica Nash (41:39.558)

Mm.

Shannon Mattern (41:48.604)

Yeah, I just think back to back in my early days of growing my business. I was profiled in Chris Gillibo's book, Side Hustle School. And that was like a really cool experience. But the the write up that he did in there was like he was like, no one told her that she was

certified or qualified to do this. She just claimed it and went on to do it. And that was the whole premise of his book is like stop waiting for somebody to like give you the certificate or anoint you as the chosen one who's allowed to go do this thing. Just go do it. And it's like I'm relearning that lesson here. And I want every single one of you listening to this to

Erica Nash (42:41.213)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (42:47.931)

know that nobody needs to like certify or anoint you in your expertise that you know that you know. You know what you know, like and it's it's valuable. So you can kind of stop searching for that permission and just give it to yourself.

Erica Nash (42:59.57)

Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (43:07.602)

Yeah. Yeah. And truly, like I was thinking while you were talking, I I don't know w c we all fall into that, right? Where we're searching for somebody to like give us the permission and like validate us and all of that stuff. I don't know that there would be

like a a person to like give the permission. Like we would maybe get the validation and then we would need more and more and more and more like to continue feeling safe and okay in that like level of expertise. And so I don't think that you can ever find enough unless you find it within yourself.

Shannon Mattern (43:56.982)

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and there are even, you know, pr like I think about like continuing education or college programs, you were in education, like there are many, many people who are who decide like, yes, this is accredited, this meets our standards, like whatever. And also whatever the accrediting body decided met the standards could be

Erica Nash (44:16.03)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (44:25.597)

irrelevant and obsolete six months later. And so there's a constant process of like you know, so if you're operating in integrity and you're not, you know, you don't need to wait for somebody to anoint you.

Erica Nash (44:29.182)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (44:35.41)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (44:44.252)

And I and I'm not I'm not certain that any level of certification, accreditation, degree, whatever, is still enough to like fulfill that need for, you know, like because I mean like I used to be a teacher. I s still felt like not fully certain I knew what I was doing in my tenth year. You know what I'm saying? Like I there's just that level of like you

Shannon Mattern (44:55.987)

Yeah, that yeah. Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (45:11.187)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (45:14.184)

There has it has to come from within.

Shannon Mattern (45:18.195)

And also the expectation that someday I'll know enough or I'll know it all or whatever. It's like, no, the skill is that you can can't you can continue to learn and evolve and grow as as you go. That's the skill, not being like, I know everything, I have arrived. Like now it's time. It's like that's never that day's never coming.

Erica Nash (45:22.619)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (45:28.082)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Erica Nash (45:36.435)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (45:40.604)

Yeah, it's circled back to not arriving. We don't arrive.

Shannon Mattern (45:43.803)

Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I think like July twenty twenty six is probably like the pivotal month that I'll come one of the pivotal months in the story of that I'll be telling in five years of the move from focusing exclusively on web designers to focusing on web designers and

Erica Nash (46:01.054)

Mm.

Erica Nash (46:11.73)

Yeah. Yeah. this summer felt like a big one. It felt it felt like a big one. It's just different than previous ones. Yeah. In a good way. In a good way.

Shannon Mattern (46:17.15)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (46:21.246)

Mm.

Shannon Mattern (46:25.055)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (46:29.074)

Yeah. What else? Was there anything else in in July that we need to share?

Shannon Mattern (46:39.37)

yeah, so I think that the last thing that happened, like near the end of the month, was that I met with my financial strategist Jen Boss, and we reviewed like the first half of the year. and where like where we like what our plan was for the year, where we're at in terms of like being on track for that.

what the second half of the year it looks like. And we're we're definitely like on track to meet our revenue goals. But the fascinating thing is that the money is not coming from where we planned it to come from. And that is not a problem. It's just really, really interesting to to look at to look at what that looks like and that does

That does, you know, show me it's like, okay, where why not put my effort and energy behind the things that work easily? So like at the end of July, also I forgot to mention, I did an open enrollment for the next level mastermind. So I opened up applications, I sent out an email, I'm like, is this you? and I sent it to

all of the people who have been on my all of the web designers on my list, but also the new group of like service providers on my list. And I'm like, is this you? And the next level mastermind, you know, avatar, for lack of a better word, is a little bit different the p it than the web designer academy. and I had 10 people apply for next level.

three people ultimately enroll in next level. and it's just like it just it's that's a I don't effortless isn't the right word because it does require my effort, but it's the pay like the the return on investment is there.

Erica Nash (48:59.164)

It's upstream. I mean downstream. What is it? Yeah. Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (49:05.322)

and so that's just telling. And so, you know, at that little mini retreat that we had with some of our mastermind members in person in June, we were just talking about like this room is growing. And it's and and it's amazing and it's awesome. And how can we continue to add to it without breaking what makes it special? And their feedback was really.

interesting and like valuable to how that can work. So yeah, we're just gonna see see where that goes. But it's it's and we've talked a lot about next level on this podcast, but it's really about helping you helping people to stop throwing out their entire business model every time they run up against challenges.

Erica Nash (50:00.0)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (50:03.846)

And rebuild the exact same problems with a different niche and business model over and over and over again and never get to the place that they're actually trying to go. and also, like we said earlier, to have that that group of people who know where you're trying to go and who can see what you cannot see.

Erica Nash (50:30.718)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (50:30.972)

And can see when you're about to fall into or about to like step into that trap that you can't that you constantly find yourself stepping in that you can't seem to not step in when you're saying something in the rooms like, here's another way to look at this. Remember when you said that the last time? I noticed that you're thinking this thing and can really kind of help help redirect you in a really supportive

way. So yeah, it's really unlike anything else. But it's like that's what happened in July too. And like it was so

Erica Nash (51:00.286)

Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (51:04.582)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (51:09.778)

don't want say a non event, but it was just like so easy to do that it doesn't I think that's another thing I get to learn is like it gets to be easy. And if it's not easy, how can I make it easy?

Erica Nash (51:20.476)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it doesn't have to be weird that it's easy. Yeah. Yeah. I was thinking, I was reflecting back. I think the first month was either February or March, where you were like, This was a little weird. Like the our money this month like wasn't really coming from Web Designer Academy. And it was like it was like almost you were like kind of feeling on shaky ground. Like this was not

Shannon Mattern (51:42.728)

Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (51:51.096)

like this was not okay we gotta fix this and look how far look look at where we are like that feels like a lifetime ago like that truly feels like I don't know different business different person different like the whole shebang

Shannon Mattern (51:51.39)

We gotta fix this.

Shannon Mattern (51:59.755)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (52:07.934)

Yeah. And it's, you know, not to like discount or diminish the Web Designer Academy. Like we have incredible women in that program. We still commit the same amount of resources to the delivery of that program as we always have. What I what's changing

Erica Nash (52:15.163)

No.

Erica Nash (52:21.566)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (52:31.152)

Is the amount of resources I'm putting into the marketing and enrollment of that program 247 365. It's now going to not be always on. And it's going to be scheduled so that there are times when I am promoting it, times when I'm not. I could put my time in other places. and so the intent with the cohort model, no b

By the time I'm giving the August income report, I could be reporting that we had zero enrollments in that cohort and we didn't and and it the test didn't work. I could be reporting, I don't know what I could be reporting. but whatever the data is, it's gonna tell us something and it's gonna give us some information to make some make some decisions going forward. But the whole point is like I need I get to reallocate how I'm spending my time and

I'm spending a dish disproportionate amount of time on marketing and sales and I love to like spend that doing other things.

Erica Nash (53:41.309)

Yeah. And w what I notice is a big difference is just you talk about this a lot about where your business leaks things. And like what what I what I am seeing is that like your capacity is not leaking like it was leaking before. you know, you're not having to I don't know, it's just just like the mental

Shannon Mattern (53:54.322)

Yes. Leaks time and money.

Shannon Mattern (54:01.481)

Right.

Erica Nash (54:11.162)

Not as much mental stamina maybe is required. Like not to say that you're not still putting, you mental space into it. Obviously you are, but not like where it was taking everything from you. that's what I'm seeing, which I love.

Shannon Mattern (54:23.678)

Yeah. Yeah.

Well, thank you. Yeah, when you love something and you know how good it is and you know you know how people's lives are transformed and their businesses are transformed when you when they say yes, it's really hard to be like, I need to let I need to detach myself from working so hard to get people to say yes and like just let it be.

Erica Nash (54:53.266)

Yeah. Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (54:57.032)

Just let it be what it is. and yeah, so I needed to I needed to

Shannon Mattern (55:07.378)

unwind and unintertwine. Uninter that's it. I don't know if that's a word. Unintertwine all of that. 'cause I think it got like really all wrapped up, like and it it it needed to not be. So well we gotta wrap this episode up because our Web Designer Academy Live strategy call is starting in just a minute. So

Erica Nash (55:09.297)

Mm-hmm.

Erica Nash (55:22.76)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (55:34.589)

Yeah.

Shannon Mattern (55:34.718)

Thank you all so much for listening. I'm excited to share our six-month cohort experiment results with you next month. No idea what is going to happen. but you know, we're we'll we share all the things here. So we'll we'll let you know how it goes one way or another. So any last words before we wrap up, Erica?

Erica Nash (55:43.292)

Yeah.

Erica Nash (55:54.6)

For sure.

Erica Nash (56:00.06)

You know, I think the theme for today was really kind of like taking stock, just like kind of looking at everything, taking stock of of your time, of your energy, your capacity, your resources, all of those things that really are finite. and you know, I don't know, allowing yourself to make some decisions outside of the cage. So yeah.

Shannon Mattern (56:19.561)

Mm-hmm.

Shannon Mattern (56:26.218)

Mm. Like letting go of clients that drain you. there's so many, so many things that could be in that. So all right. Well that's a wrap on the July twenty twenty six income report. And we'll see you back here next week. Bye everyone.

Erica Nash (56:38.514)

Yeah.