Studio founder Carolyn Leasure with repeating words "sbsk studio"

In a perfect world, I’d spend every day in August drinking frozen watermelon daiquiris with my friends on the back porch, watching our kids battle the 25’ water dragon in the backyard.

setting up a 25' dragon sprinkler in a lawn with the shenandoah mountains in the background

pink frozen watermelon daquiri on a white porch with trees in the background and a sprig of mint

It might sound like Pleasantville – but it’s more like Jumanji.

Without consistency in their daily routine, my kids struggle. So instead of gripping tighter, we loosen up.

🐊 In the summer, our 4- and 7-year old skip a LOT of baths.

🐊 Veggies sag in the fridge because we end up feeding them cereal for dinner.

🐊 We stay up wayyyyy past bedtime playing MarioKart.

🐊 Then cuddle in our room trying to read – buuut end up yelling at them to calm down while they jump on the bed. Oops.

I try to let go of my perfectionism.

I don’t work past 3 or 4pm in August.

Hell, I don’t work in the business at all.

With the ups and downs of summer childcare, my kids burst into my office throughout the day and my productivity tanks.

So last year I began an End-of-Summer Sabbatical: wrapping up all client work at the end of July when camp stops, then starting new projects when school begins again.

Instead, I work on the business.

While losing revenue this month hurts, making space to work on the business creates more value in the long run.

How?

By refining systems and clarifying messaging.

Growth can actually hurt if it's with the wrong clients. By taking a step back, I get a broader view.

By the time September rolls around, I want to:

🐾 refine my services page on my website

🐾 add my existing projects to my portfolio (finally!) and simplify the design

🐾 create a website template shop (🤞)

(Psst: want me to do something like this for you in the fall, Reader? Let’s talk).

I want to get choosier.

I want to let go of what's no longer the right fit and focus on what is.

But... even when you do have time to focus on your business, its hard to know where to start.

Especially with a 12-armed beast like your website.

That’s why I whipped up this guide for you: 6 Things High Converting Websites Get Right.

It’s not homework. [Please, no homework on summer break!]

It’s not a 101-point checklist, and it’s not a workbook.

Ok so what is it?

It is an easy first step.

It is a "take-20-minutes when you start work tomorrow, read through and see if your site is hitting the marks".

And then?

You’ll have your starting point for where to begin. When you're ready.

Grab the 6 Things High Converting Websites Get Right

Have a great rest of summer, y’all,

Take a quick peek into the studio:

🎧 Listening to:

Staying Solo: Rethinking Planning to Focus on Seasons.

Maggie hosts one of my favorite solopreneur/small business podcasts, and this episode (though from last year) is all about planning – a perfect re-listen for my end-of-summer sabbatical.

📚 Reading:

The Art of Travel, by Alain de Botton. This is one of my all-time faves, first read 20 years ago. I'll revisit when we hit Duck, on the Outer Banks, in a few days. These essays are the ideal reread for the start of a trip – expansive, philosophical, but grounded in story.

🍿 Watching:

Claim to Fame, on ABC, streaming on Hulu or Disney+

Look, sometimes you just need a guilty pleasure and I prefer mine without the nastiness (looking at you, Bravo) – and just goofing off instead. Watch the lesser-known Jonas brother host a crew of other lesser-known celebrity relatives. It's got Great British Bake-Off vibes with People Magazine energy. Bring out the popcorn!