My Business Update: 6 Months In
November 1, 2023
Listen to my voiceover here.
Most conversations these days start with “So how are things going with Molte Volte?”
It’s been 6 months since I launched my business, and I’d love to share an update with you. Generally, it has been a roller coaster! Everyone told me and continues to tell me that that is just the way it is when you own your own business- okay, okay, I believe you.
After talking about Molte Volte with so many individuals, I have honed in on how I talk about what I do:
Consulting
Content creation
Education
These three focus’ really feed each other and allow me to spend my time in a diverse way.
Here are my biggest learnings so far of running this business:
Consulting is a totally other way of working. While I have deep subject matter expertise on my chosen topic (and always learning more), the various processes and requirements for consulting (like the sales process, building proposals, legal contracting) are a whole new set of skills that I am honing. It is both exciting and at times overwhelming to learn how to work in a new way.
Follow the opportunity and passion threads. I decide how to spend my time on my business (which is one of my favorite parts!), and I find that if I listen carefully to others and myself, there are many possible futures for me down the road. I can pursue different types of clients, projects and work as they reveal themselves to me.
For example, my podcast. After I started writing this newsletter I kept feeling like I also wanted to have real conversations with people on a podcast, but I was too nervous about the technical requirements to start one myself. I met Laura Novich, my podcast host, through a cold message on LinkedIn. When we met we hit it off and wanted to create a project together, but weren’t sure what. We talked about a few ideas and landed on the podcast. We now have launched 8 episodes and have 3 more to be released in our first season. We learn as we go and are actually hiring production help so we can nurture it to become something bigger, hopefully. We are working on a Season 2 concept for the podcast all about repair, and we are so excited. (If you’re interested in sponsoring, let me know.)
For example, my online Fashion Circular Economy class. I decided to offer this class unsure of exactly how it would go, if anyone would sign up, etc, but it felt like a good idea to try out because it lets me share so much of what I’ve learned over the years. I’ve offered the course twice now, which has been a ton of fun (and next one on 12/7) but I’ve also found that there is interest to offer this course privately as well. I am creating custom versions of it to offer to Parsons EMiLUX Program and other stakeholder groups this Fall. (If you are interested in what a 2-3 hour learning opportunity could look like for your company, let me know.)
For example, when I started my business I thought that brands would be my most obvious client, and while I do work with brands I also have realized there’s a whole opportunity for me to work with the post-consumer textile supply chain including collectors, sorters, repairers, remanufacturers, recyclers, etc. As our industry continues to evolve, everyone is trying to figure out their best business model, and I can get in there and help them experiment or prove an idea.
For example and as always, I love writing this newsletter. It is a place for me to not only share what I know, but also to meet new people and learn from them. It’s a joy to write every week, and it has shown me that I actually enjoy writing and feel good at it. I always knew I could write a mean email, but this is different. Maybe someday I’ll write a book.
Clients
I’m happy to report that I’m working on a few great projects and my clients include brands, pre- and post-consumer textile solutions providers (sorters, repairers, recyclers, etc) and educational institutions. I’m loving working closely with individuals and teams to understand their circular operations and strategic challenges and help them work through to the other side. I love the variety of partners as well as the variety of work: sales process, warehouse operations, leadership presentations, etc.
I have framed this past 6 months as time to set the foundations for my business, to hone in on and explore offerings and continue to develop my freelancer/consultant skill set so I’m able to quickly identify client’s needs and jump into the work with them. I feel tremendous value in the content creation part of this business as well, offering something of value to all of you while also putting myself out there as a player in this space.
How I Spend My Time
A typical week for me includes:
15-20 networking + research meetings (meeting new people, catching up on new businesses, research conversations for clients, etc)
2-3 client-facing meetings (updates on progress, deliverables, etc)
1-2 learning opportunities (online or in-person events)
desktop research + heads down time
newsletter + podcast writing and planning time
I meet with my business coach every few weeks to help keep perspective and keep me on track- highly recommend finding one if you don’t have one already
So, that’s how it’s going. Thanks for coming along with me and for your support. I’d love to hear any thoughts or feedback (cynthia@moltevolte.com) as I am always learning and love hearing others perspectives.
New Podcast: Resale Marketing Masterclass
A few weeks ago we recorded a live event with Lilah and Andrew from EILEEN FISHER, Inc and Peak Design. They shared their stories and tips for successful resale marketing. Definitely plan to watch this one as they shared lots of great visuals.
Cynthia
cynthia@moltevolte.com
www.moltevolte.com
