Podcast

February 6th, 2025

The Apple Cart: S1, E4: How to Build a Comfy Business That Works for You

In this episode of the Apple Cart, I’m joined by Laura Robinson to talk about building a comfy businesscomfy business that works for your life.

Laura is a marketing and copywriting mentor for online business owners. She helps business owners to sell their online services, programmes, courses and memberships with ease, confidence and joy.

She is also the author of The Comfy Business Playbook, a self-guided manual for creating a business that fits around your life and your needs, rather than the other way round.

Listen to the Interview

A Comfy Business Instead of Traditional Employment

Many self-employed people become business owners because traditional employment just doesn’t work for them. Sometimes they have a lot of demands at home, they struggle with childcare, or like me, their health isn’t as great as it could be.

As Laura explains: “There’s a chapter in my book that talks about having a comfy business. And it asks the reader to think about what they have going on that means they can’t do a 9-5. For me, it just didn’t work.

“Sometimes people think they’re going to have a break and go back to work. Or maybe they decided not to have a job again. But the things that meant that you weren’t compatible with the job are still there.

“And I see sometimes people beat themselves up because their business isn’t growing fast enough, or they haven’t achieved this thing. Or they feel like they’re behind from where they should be. But they’re not factoring in all those things that encouraged them to leave a job. Which are still having an impact.”

Why Laura Wrote Her Book, The Comfy Business Playbook

Laura admits she had no intention to write a book. “But I had a collection of thoughts about why I’d shaped my comfy business they way I had. I’d talked about my backstory on podcasts but I didn’t have it written down, so I thought I would.

“Then I was asked to give a talk about a marketing conference. And instead of it being about copywriting, I spoke about how hard it is to be self-employed and how important it is to look after our mental health. And I had an amazing reaction from people about that.

“I realised I wanted to talk about that more. So I wrote down everything from the talk and some of the audience feedback. And over time my notes became a combination of what I did and question prompts for people to reevaluate their own businesses. Just because you’re not where you *think* you should be doesn’t mean you’re not incredible.”

Comfy business

Why You Don’t Have to Strive for a Six-Figure Business

As business owners, we often hear that we should be looking to hit ‘six figures’. And I never understood what that really meant. If you’ve heard that too, be reassured that lots of people aren’t making those sums. Personally, I want to be comfortable and work because I enjoy it.

As Laura says: “The things that you have to do to have a business that size is different. So it’s not just about the amount of work you’re doing, it’s the type of work. Lots of people have suggested that I open an agency and employ freelancers.

And then they do the writing and proofreading and I go out and sell to other businesses. But where’s the fun in that?! The bit I like is the writing! So it’s not just the hours you have to put in, but the energy required to bring in the work to generate that level of income. Managing freelancers wouldn’t energise me.”

How Business Owners can be More Creative

Despite being a copywriter, a book author and running a business helping people find their own creativity, Laura doesn’t see herself as ‘being creative.’ “But then I look at how I am at home, when I cook the dinner or how I write.

“And I’m currently enjoying learning to doodle. So I realised I am creative in a really broad way. But there’s no set standard for being creative and you don’t have to stick to one thing. Art is not the only way to do it.

“For instance, maybe you put an extra special effort into how you arrange flowers, wrap presents or decorate the tree. Or there’s areas in your life when you’re probably already creative and you don’t realise that you’re doing it. And so for me, I need to notice where it’s already there, yeah, and lean into that more. That makes me a better writer and it helps me think in a more creative way.”

Timestamps

• 01:44 – 04:02: Why creatives struggle to price and sell their services
• 04:33 – 07:37: Why Laura uses Voxer for client calls
• 08:45 – 10:52: A comfy business instead of traditional employment
• 12:16 –15:21: Why Laura wrote her book, The Comfy Business Playbook
• 16:20 – 18:58: Why you don’t have to strive for a six-figure business
• 21:43 – 25:53 Laura’s business model
• 28:28 – 29:36: How business owners can be more creative

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