Episode 190: Looking after yourself in order to look after everyone else with Casey Patch of Little Lifelong Learners
How can we best create connections through marketing and through brand communications? In today's episode, Fiona talks to Casey Patch of Little Lifelong Learners about Casey's inspiring journey and the importance of filling your own cup. Tune in!
Topics discussed in this episode:
Introduction
What is Little Lifelong Learners?
How Little Lifelong Learners started
Tips to small business owners
Casey's take on social media
On book/quote recommendations
What's next for Casey Patch?
Conclusion
Get in touch with My Daily Business Coach
Resources and Recommendations mentioned in this episode:
Casey Patch
Lily
Curtis
Kylie
Audrey
I had decided, “Okay, I really do wanna build a business from this.” I don't want it to just be a hobby. And so I felt like any minute I had, I was devoted to growing this business and I would burn out like even now I still get burned out. And it's a reminder to me that I need to take care of myself. And so I don't work at night times. Like a lot of people who have businesses who are moms or parents, like that's when you work is when the kids are sleeping. But I also know that I need to protect my time as well. I need to make sure I have time to fill my own cup mostly to tackle parenting the next day, but also to give my best to the business as well. And so that's a big thing that I come back to often is that you need to look after yourself in order to look after everyone else.
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Hello and welcome to episode 190 of the My Daily Business Coach podcast. Today, you are up for a small business interview and it's worth one of my absolute favorite clients that I've ever worked with. And I know that she's probably listening to this getting a little bit flushed, she’s absolutely such an amazing woman, having an incredible business that just helps so many people out there. And somebody who's just humble about what she's achieved, but also confident in what she's achieved. And I think that is a really great mix. So before we get stuck into that, I just wanted to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians on this beautiful land on which I record this podcast. The Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation and I pay my respects to the elders, past, present, and emerging, and acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded.
I also wanted to raise before we get stuck into today's small business interview with this wonderful woman that the marketing for small business course and coaching program is kicking off on April 26th, 2022. So if you are somebody who has struggled with marketing, even if you are many years into your business, if you're someone who would love to know more about why you're actually marketing in certain ways, and also how to analyze if your marketing is actually working, even if you're working with agencies, the marketing for your small business course and coaching program really just allows you to totally understand what marketing is, what it's not, how does it differ from things like branding, sales, PR, and then how you can craft a marketing strategy a 12-month marketing plan. So it is such a good one to do. I know that I've had so many people go through this and they've all so often I get the same feedback.
I've tried so many different marketing courses and this is the only one that actually taught me how to do it for myself. And didn't try and sell me something else at the end of it. So that is April 26th. We meet every single week for nine weeks and we work through every single part of marketing. Now I've worked in marketing for 20 something years now. And so I can definitely walk you through all the parts of marketing, not just social media, cuz as I always say, social media by itself is not a marketing strategy. All right. If you're interested in that, please check out marketingforyoursmallbusiness.com or you can find it all at mydailybusinesscoach.com/marketing let's get into today's small business interview.
So as I mentioned at the very start of this, I have had the pleasure of working with my next guest Casey Patch from Little Lifelong Learners for a couple of years now. And it has just been such a joy to witness her growth in her journey, but also to just talk with Casey. Casey is somebody who has for many years been building her business. And as she talks through in the interview today, it's been a decade. And I think so often we can look at people and see sort of huge Instagram followers and some other things and think, “They just, they just made it overnight or it was all so easy.” And I love that in this interview, Casey talks about how she moved from being an early child educator in the school system to running her own business and being able to work with her husband.
And now she works in the business as well. I mean that is, I think a dream for so many of us and I just love that Casey talks about it all happening, step by step. It wasn't this quick thing that instantly happened overnight. And she also talks about how, when she first started her business, it was going to be just for teachers. And then he realized that actually I can help a huge amount of parents with this as well. So in this chat, we go through, what was it like to move from being a teacher, creating a business for teachers who are still in the same sort of realm to then totally going much bigger out to parents, anyone who was a parent or a guardian of a young child. How did she do it? What has she learned from it?
And Casey has so much to offer. She has created not only a business with products that you can buy, but also she is an author. She was actually just contacted by a US publisher, a really big one that asked her to create a book that is selling really well. She also has a membership group. So there are so many parts of her business that are relevant to all sorts of people, including if you're an influencer or brand creator. That is also something that Casey has done and is doing. So I just love talking to Casey. I think she's a wealth of information. I think she's somebody that just has a huge amount of drive and initiative, but also has an incredible ability to pull back on business and spend time with family. That is a hugely important part of her life.
She talks about that as well. So regardless of where your own business is, if you are looking for insights for online businesses, how to build your Instagram, how to connect with your audience, how to get a book deal, all sorts of things. You'll hear it in today's interview. It was my absolute pleasure talking to Casey Patch of Little Lifelong Learners. And if you are a parent with a young child and you have a small business, I know I mentioned it, but I would 10,000% go and check out Little Lifelong Learners on Instagram. I am in her little play club. When I had my second child, I was running my business. And also there was a massive gap of six and a half years between my first child and my second child. So I had sort of almost forgotten, like, you know, just sort of play ideas and, and things to get creative with your child off of a screen and in the real world and getting messy and, and just really learning this from somebody who actually has the education and experience behind them as well. So as I said, my absolute pleasure to talk to Casey today, and I know that you'll enjoy this, my chat with the founder of little lifelong learners, author, speaker influencer, Casey Patch.
Hello, Casey, welcome to the podcast!
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
You're so very welcome. I'm excited to get stuck into our chat. So how are you feeling today? And also, can you tell us where you are talking from?
Yes, I am in Brisbane, Queensland, and I'm in our playroom combined with our office where I do all of my work during the week. And the house is nice and quiet. So I'm very excited to be here to talk to you today.
And for people who know you, this is the famous playroom that has been so all the time on Instagram, it always looks just absolutely incredible. I’m leading on from that, I mentioned your business and your book and everything that you do in the introduction just now, but I'd love you to tell us a bit more about, what do you do? What is Little Lifelong Learners? How did it start? When did it start and really like why did it start?
So when I finished teaching, I was a brand new teacher in the classroom and I would go to Pinterest all the time to look for fun ideas to use with my kids in the classroom. And I discovered this amazing world of teacher bloggers and they would share the fun activities they were doing and they'd share resources that they made for other teachers to use around the world. And I thought this is a really good way to connect with teachers outside my little bubble and sort of have that support around me as a new teacher. And so I started this teaching blog and I would share some of the fun things we do in our classroom and I'd upload the resources we were using. And it gave me this real buzz.
I got so excited to share what we were doing and get ideas from others. And so I was sort of doing that just as a fun little thing on the side and to sort of document my time as a new teacher. And so I taught in prep for a few years and then I fell pregnant with our eldest daughter, Lily, and my teaching contract wasn't renewed because of some reasons around being pregnant. So I sort of panicked and I thought, what am I gonna do for money now? Like I don't want to try and find a new contract and then have to leave. And so I decided to do some relief teaching and I thought, I know other teachers are making money from their teaching blogs. So I'll just put a little bit of effort into that and I can sort of supplement our family income.
I'd always plan to be at home without kids anyway, and I would return to the classroom when they got older. But I never imagined that that little blog that I started all those years ago, almost 10 years ago now would turn into something so much bigger and be enough to sustain our family. And my husband would be able to be at home with us too. And so over time, I was sharing the fun things I was doing at home with our kids. And that's when my Instagram account exploded. And I realized, maybe the parenting industry and being able to support parents to support their kids. Learning at home is really where my passion is. I love the classroom. I love teaching, but I really quickly realized that this is what I love. And I love being able to be a part of the parents' journey as they become parents and have these little people at home.
And they're not sure what to do with them all day. And so slowly over time, the business grew bigger and bigger and we've added all these different revenue streams, and it's just become this amazing business that we get to do.
I also love how humble you are, it also exploded on Instagram cuz you did great content and really valuable, useful information that a lot of people were not getting anywhere. I mean, that's amazing. I also love that you said that it's 10 years ago that it didn't just happen overnight kinda thing. And that you took that risk it's and also that the audience has changed as well. So yes, you have Little Lifelong Learners. And so what are the revenue streams? So people, if they don't know who you are, what, what are the kind of key offers that you have?
So I started with all these teaching printables and I sold them on this platform called teachers pay teachers where mostly American teachers would go on and download lesson plans and unit plans really to save time because teachers are so time poor, you don't get any overtime. You do all your planning in your own family time. And so like it's such a good resource for teachers to be able to save them time. So that's where I started and I was selling printables on that website. And then a few years later, I thought I'm gonna like to focus on my own site because I don't wanna lose people who are searching for my things. And then they click over and find someone else.
So I decided to make a shopping cart on my own site as well. So they were my two original income streams. And then over time we also started a membership called the Little Play Club where we support parents with play years and learn how to slow down and connect with their kids through play. We have online workshops, affiliate income, and then my sensory playbook, which I published last year is also a fun part of our income stream as well.
Amazing. And it should also be noted that you published that with a US publisher who came to you, very incredible. And so obviously like we are still in a pandemic and I know so many people including yourself. So you now have three children. Which is also amazing. You're running this business at the same time, but you and I were both at home with our kids trying to run businesses, how did or has the pandemic affected you personally and the business. And did you find that more people were coming to you and sort of going, “I need help because I'm at home with the kids and especially really young children”, cuz they did shut down childcares and all these other places? Did you find that your business boomed, did you feel huge pressure cuz you had your own kids too, to look after as well? Like how did it all go really?
It was like a double-edged sword. On one hand, our business exploded during that first year of the pandemic and we really struggled and that's when I came to you to do coaching because I found we were growing so fast and we didn't have any systems in place to support that growth. And we also were so time-poor because normally we would work when our kids were at daycare or at school and suddenly they're with us all the time. And so I really had to work out how am I going to balance being present for my own family because that's what I'm all about is being present and connecting with your kids.
But then also trying to juggle running this business, that was absolutely booming because of the pandemic. In that initial year, we saw so much growth because parents were stressed, they were in the same position as we were. They were suddenly at home with these kids who needed every minute of their attention. And kids found it hard too. We were stressed. The kids picked up on that stress. So it was hard for a lot of families across the world. So it was definitely a juggle, trying to balance both of those things. And we definitely felt like we were failing a lot of the time. And then as time went on, the pandemic stretched across multiple years. Now we found our groove, we worked out the most important things that we needed to work on and how we could also support our kids as well.
But then we also found on the other side of it, that parents were really struggling income-wise and a lot of people have really had to tighten their budgets and work out what are their necessities. And so our membership, I think definitely suffered in that second year because like a play membership, isn't a priority for a lot of families right now. Once they've got past that initial freak out.
I am a member of your play club. And I think the stuff that you put in there is just incredible. I'm sure you helped so many people and not just with that, but I mean even the content that you put out on social media and everything else that you have. So thank you from the parents of small children. So when you mentioned before that you went from working this job and I hear that a lot from people that are in teaching when they have children or get pregnant, it's suddenly, it's not being renewed.
And that's really crap to hear that in all industries for women having children. But I wanted to ask because you went from, “I'm gonna, I'm gonna help teachers.” And I am a teacher and I know how that all works through to, “I'm really seeing this new parenting space.” Like not new people have always had kids like, “I'm gonna shift into parenting.” Was that really hard? Did you have mindset blocks around? I'm going into the whole parenting space. And you've got huge, massive companies trying to compete for that attention as well. And then also was there a, I know you said it happened over a course of years, but like was there any kind of mindset block around going from a secure, normal job that people understand a teacher through to being an online business owner?
Definitely. I think I really struggled initially because when I left the classroom, I thought, who am I to tell teachers what to do when I have only taught in a classroom for two years and I am no longer in a classroom. And so I really struggled with that messaging. I found it hard to come up with products. Like it was a really tricky time. And I felt at that stage, not a lot of pressure because my husband was still working when, and we were always used to one of us either having a business or studying. So we were always comfortable with one income. So it was always just like a little side thing that I enjoyed doing. And so I did really struggle with that messaging for quite a while. And then when I started sharing those play ideas that I was doing with my own children and I was seeing the engagement that came from that and the followers that came from that I thought, well, maybe this is why it's so hard is because I'm really trying to talk to two different audiences.
And I thought, I really have to decide like, “Am I gonna stick with the teachers or am I gonna stick with the parents”, because I can't really do both. And so I thought, “No, I'm at home.” That's gonna come naturally to me. I love it. I'm passionate about it. And I thought I'll just switch. And I just stopped. I stopped talking about teachers and I just went all-in with the parents. And then that's when the business really took off. When I found that confidence to trust what felt right to me, I think I spent a lot of time really worrying. Am I doing this right? Should I try to juggle both? Why would I cut out a whole revenue stream basically by narrowing the niche, I guess. And it was a bit of a tricky one for sure.
And I feel like there'll be people listening that are going, that is exactly what I need to do. Here's my sign from the universe because it takes so much courage to go. I mean, it's not the same but I still do some of this work, but when I cut out consulting and turned down these big corporations, I always felt the same as you. I was like, “Am I just cutting my whole leg off?” Like, what am I doing here? This is where a huge amount of money comes from. But it was just like, I'm not enjoying it. It's not. It feels like a lot of like, just not enjoying it.
I think your message becomes so much stronger when you are really confident about who you are helping and why, and when you are like trying to dip your toes in all the ponds, sometimes it just really complicates things. And so once I decided, I'm just gonna stick with playing at home with my parents. Like I find a lot of them are teachers anyway, that follow me that have sort of been in the same situation as me, where they work teaching and now they're at home and they're like “what do I do with these kids?” And I know I'm a teacher, but this is full-on.
And then in your family, like, I know this might be a bit personal, so you can just be like, “No, I don't wanna talk about that.” But in the family or your friends, like I'm guessing you probably had quite a few friends who are teachers as well. Like, do people go, are you doing like that's crazy?
I think especially when we decided for my husband Curtis to quit his job, I think we definitely got a lot of maybe not pushback, but a lot of confused faces. Like why would you do that when he already has a good-paying job that keeps the roof over your head? Like that's a huge risk, but we just thought like at the end of the day, you can make more money. At the end of the day, I could walk back into relief work tomorrow if I wanted to. And he could go back to the painting industry where he came from, we knew that by doing that and him quitting his job was not going to be a forever thing. Like it's very easy to change your mind and go back. Or at least that's what we told ourselves. And so we thought, let's just do it. It was actually when we had our third baby, instead of me taking time away from the business, we applied for paternity leave for him instead. So that's like, I think three or four months you can get from the government at what is it?
Like a minimum wage.
Yeah, that's the one. And so we thought if we can make that work, it'll be a good test to see whether the business can sustain our family income. And so he planned to have, I think, four weeks off. So we saved and saved to make sure we had enough of all our bills and then the four weeks went by and he was like, “I don't really wanna go back yet.” So he called his boss and said, we're gonna wait until after Christmas now. And his boss was very understanding. That's fine. So we did a few more weeks and then a month or two passed. And then it got really close to the time where he had to go back to work and we thought like, what's the risk? Like, let's just do it and see what happens. And it ended up being the best decision we ever could have made. I don't think he could ever go back to working a normal nine to five that's for sure.
I was gonna ask all about Curtis, but you kind of answered that. And I guess like when you said, we had the money from the paternity leave, and we kind of saved everything else. A lot of people dream about bringing in their partner or enabling a business to work so well that both of you can be in it. Did you have to sit down like this, did you have to be like, “Okay, I'm not the boss, but it's my business.” How did it happen, and did you have a clear role for him or was it like you could start doing this or that, or was he already doing those things? Cuz he was helping anyway, just, you know, not technically in the business all the time.
When he took that paternity leave originally, he was helping a few like bits and pieces in the business already. So he was already familiar with what I was doing and of course, I would always download to him and ask his opinion of things throughout the years when I was working inside my business. And so it was a very natural progression. And I think initially I was like, I don't like doing this, so do you wanna do it? And so he'd take on things that I didn't really love. And so over time he sort of found himself doing a lot of the backend stuff and supporting members like failed payments and renewals and all that sort of thing. He's very good at like the numbers and data and unpacking all of that.
So even though he doesn't have a technical role, I always call him my assistant, which he loves, but no, he doesn't really have an official role, but then I don't really either. And I think that works well fast at the moment because we can sort of do what we feel like doing when we want to if that makes sense.
And I loved cuz I stalk you on Instagram. Well like another 14,000 people, but I saw the other day how one of your children has just started school. Is that right? Prep.
Yes. Yep. Started Prep.
It was like he can be there and I mean, these are such great benefits of both of you, of you having that and like both being able to go on holiday at the same time.
I remember him saying like when it was almost time for him to go back, he said he never realized how much of his child's life he was missing until he was there, all those little things. And so that was a huge driving thing for him. He said he always got the hard end of parenting. So he'd come home from work. Everyone was tired and cranky. I'd handball them to him so I could make dinner. And then on the weekends, we'd have errands to do. Like we were lucky if we got a couple of hours on the weekend to really enjoy being a family and so we pretty much just decided that at the end of the day, what's most important to us is time with our kids because I think every parent knows they grow so quickly and before you know it they're at school and I always feel like I've lost them then, which is kind of silly.
But I feel like those early years are over. Like you don't get them back. So that's, don't think we're always trying to have in the back of our mind, especially as the business grows, that they were the reason why we made the decision to do this in the first place. So we are constantly coming back to them and thinking, are they getting the best of us or are they getting the worst of us? Because we're so stressed about how much we have to do.
I'm just like fully exhaling after you said that, this is like I really needed to hear that this week. Let me tell you it's the same. Like I started my business because I felt like I wasn't seeing much of my son and he is, I mean, now he's in grade three, I can see that there are only two and a half years for the next one and then school. And I remember when my first son started school and he, his teacher at the time, was called Kylie and he came home and he was like, Kylie says this and Kylie says that.
And I was like, “Wow, there is somebody else that's a huge influence in your life now” like, “they say it and it's really important mom.” Because they're the teacher. It's a whole new thing. So yeah. Thank you for saying that, cuz again, I'm sure that other people, not just me be reminded of that, but the other thing that I just find outstanding about you is just how imaginative you are because you are great at really, you know, that's your business, helping people get comfortable with like playing and it seems such an easy thing, even if it's not your first child. So like with me, I have a nine-year-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old. And I can say that like when I joined your club, which was a couple of years ago, I just had a baby and it was like, I'm tired.
I don't know what to play. I don't know about steamers, I don't know. You kind of are like, I've had a child before I should know all of this, but there was a bit of a gap. And so you just make it so easy to understand like what else you could do. It's not just Lego in the same games all the time. You're so imaginative. Where does that come from? All your parents like super into play. Did you have this idyllic nature-filled life when you were growing up and was it from just your previous career? Like how, where does that come from? And then also, how do you think people, in general, can be more playful or imaginative because you know, a lot of people listening are creative small business owners who may not be doing that for themselves, whether they have kids or not.
It's a hard one. And something I hear a lot from parents is that they just say, I don't know how to play or when I play, my kids are like, “You're doing it wrong.” This is how I do it. And so you're like, well, why would I bother when they're so angry at me when I try? And so I think for me, I grew up with a mom who is also an early years teacher. She is the most incredible teacher. I know. And she's very in tune with the development of children and what they need in those early years in the classroom. And they really do need hands-on experience. They can't just sit on the carpet and listen to a teacher, go on all day. They need to be moving and playing and learning to play. And so she has definitely been the biggest influence on me.
She always laughs when I tell her about memories from childhood, because she said, I didn't realize you would remember that stuff. And so I remember her setting up like little vets in our lounge room and she had cardboard boxes and we cut out cardboard strips to make the little cage just for the animals and recycled pill bottles and a little cardboard box computer. Like we had no money growing up. Like our family definitely struggled. And so I think for her as well, she knew the importance of those early years and she definitely facilitated that kind of play with us. And so most of my childhood memories are related to play, which blows her mind. I know. And so I can only hope that that is what our children are going to remember as well. And it just feels normal to them. And it's not like I'm sitting with them all day playing and doing all these wonderful things with them.
Like we've spent a lot of time teaching them how to play and preparing our home to facilitate that play because like our kids are exhausted. School is so difficult for them, especially if you've got neurodiverse kids as we do, they try so hard all day to keep it together. And when they come home, they don't wanna sit and do homework. They don't wanna chat about their day. They just wanna play and decompress. And so that's a big thing for us is making sure that we are not directing it all the time that we give them space to just be. And I think sometimes boredom really is great for kids because that's when they really do learn how to play. And so protecting that time and giving them the space to do that is so important.
I think a lot of parents get caught up with that idea of seeing all these amazing things on Instagram or on blogs, like mine, and thinking, they're such great parents. Like they have so much fun with their kids, but it's so important to get that balance. Right. And it doesn't have to be fancy. Like it's just about the connection at the end of the day. It doesn't matter what you're doing. As long as you are fully present with your child, just a few minutes a day, it doesn't have to be hours and hours of amazing play that's happening in your home.
I know in your book and obviously on your website and in the Play Club, you have all these ways for people to do things. And like you said, it's not all fancy. Like I love that's right in the book, you have so many things like lentils and just stuff you have around the house rice. And I was like, “This looks amazing.” And it looks so perfect or whatever, but then you break it down. You're like we have lentils, we have a bag of lentils. It looks covered. We could do that. And then when you start doing it, I feel like you go, this is actually like, this is fun for me as an adult as well.
I think a lot of parents find playing with Legos boring. I know I do. I can't stand monster truck play. Like, that's not my thing. And so your kids pick up on that and they know you're not enjoying yourself. So you really just gotta find like, what do I enjoy doing with my kids? And just do more of that.
Completely. We have been doing a lot of just, I mean, cuz it's been so hot here. I mean probably not hot compared to Brisbane, but really hot in Melbourne by Melbourne standards and just playing with the hose and just being silly, kind of like running through the water and just playing with chalk and drawing stuff. But on the driveway, just stuff like that, I'm like, this is outta the house. It's off the screens.
It gives me goosebumps listening to you say that because it's bringing back what we remember from childhood. Like today, our kids are so busy. They have all these extracurricular things and they've got home or home learning and the pandemic like it's so busy, their lives are so, so busy. And so when you think back to your childhood, we didn't have one, well, I don't know about you, but we didn't do that sort of thing. We were home all the time. And found our own fun at home or with kids in that neighborhood, we lived on acreage. So like, it was just us and the kids next door sometimes. But yeah, it's really bringing it back to that basics. Those fundamentals of childhood really.
I love that. You said before that kids need to have that boredom. Like they need to come up with something like great imagination stuff. My mom used to always be like, in her Irish accent, your imagination is incredible. You used to always be like, you should write, you know, fiction books because your imagination is like the next level. And I see that in my older son, I'm like, when he writes stories and stuff, I'm like, “How do I come up with this?”
But you don't get that if you are constantly stimulated by things like, this game on iPad and this thing on the TV. And it is hard because kids are like, I'm not saying my kids don't have the iPad cuz they do. But yeah, it's hard because they've got everything in a box at a glance, like in a second, they wanna watch this TV show. It's not that they have to wear a whole week on that one particular channel. And so let's talk about social media because this is a huge part of your business. And you talked about your Instagram kind of blew up and then that led to you changing direction and segments with your audience and niching down. And it's not just that you are also the influencer and I know you I'll be like, “an influence of the term,” but you are.
And like a lot of brands come to you to partner with them and collaborate. How have you grown your following? Cause I know you said, it has exploded. But you've also done it. It's not like, you just locked out and it just suddenly grew like you have also put in a lot of work. So how did you grow it? And what is your own take on social media? Do you like it? Do you enjoy it? Do you hate it? Like how is that going? Especially over the last few years as well.
So I love Instagram. Like I know as people grow their businesses, one of the first things people often outsource is social media, because it's such a time suck, I think, but I don't know if I could ever let go of Instagram cuz it's such a nice way to connect with my community and for them to get access to me, it's not like I spend all day giving people advice and stuff like that by any means like I have developed boundaries for myself as well, but I just being able to get to know people and like even yesterday, someone messaged me and said, “I love that you always take the time to reply to me.”
Even just when they do a little emoji reaction, I take the time to reply where I can. And it's just such a nice way to connect. Cause I think parents can be so isolating, especially in those early days you sort of lose friends that don't have kids. They don't really understand what it's like. And then your friends that do have kids are also so busy and so exhausted. So you're like in this little bubble of loneliness. And so I love that social media can connect people who don't have that community if that makes sense. So it's always been something I love and don't get me wrong. Sometimes it's so frustrating trying to get your reach up. And when you see how many followers you have and the engagement can be so low sometimes. But I feel like it's just something that I really do love to do.
Definitely, I've spent time doing courses and learning about the platform. But I think when I started my account was when Instagram was really starting to blow up. So I think I was lucky that I started so early in a way, but also being consistent and knowing what your community wants to see and what resonates with them is the biggest thing. All the top people say you need to do this to grow. You need to make sure you dance on reels and do all these things. But if it doesn't feel comfortable to you, you're not gonna do it. So I just think you've just gotta do what's right to you and the people will come if it resonates.
I couldn't agree more. I'm like, yes. Because you feel people all the time are like being bombarded with like, you have to update this many times a day and this many wheels a week and the reels need to look like this and this is the latest trend. So get on that soundtrack or whatever the dance is or whatever. And it can just feel completely overwhelming, especially when your business may have nothing to do with dancing or music or that kind of thing. So, but on that note, having spoken about those things, you are really good on video. It has to be said, and you're on video a lot. And you do these great images. And I think, I remember when we first started working together, I was like, “Do you have a photographer?” And you were like, “No, I just take the images.” And they're just so amazing. And so is it something that you plan your marketing a lot? Is it spur of the moment or let's talk about Instagram I guess, because you put a lot of videos on and I guess what advice would you have for someone else who's listening to this who maybe wants to do more video, but is not confident or feels like they have to have the perfect setup. Was there anything that really helped you in those early stages? Like, get on video.
I think I wing things a lot and you know this about me already. Because we've done coaching together. I am the least strategic person. I know. Well sometimes I like to have a strategy, but actually doing it is another thing. So definitely I wing things a lot. Like I can go from posting every day on Instagram to like barely posting it all. And I always want my business to feel in alignment with me. And so if I'm not feeling it and I try to force myself, it never goes well, so why would I try and force myself if I'm not feeling it? And so I think for video, especially I think people were starting to get on stories and so I would get on stories and it first, I just didn't talk.
Like I just share pictures of things that we were doing or whatever. And then over time, I thought, maybe I should just do like a selfie in my stories. And so it was a very slow gradual buildup to being able to actually put my face there and talk to these people on the other side that I have no idea who they are. And even like last week, my son's prep teacher messaged me and she followed me on Instagram and I was like, “What have I been sharing?” And so, things like that happen sometimes. And I just have to think, there's one person on the other side and that feels doable. But when you think about it, if you've got a thousand followers or 10,000 followers or a hundred thousand followers, that's when I like to get in my mind and think, “I don't wanna be judged, so I'm not gonna do it.” So I just try and focus on this one person watching this story and that's who I'm talking to my perfect ideal customer. And I try to zone out others which makes me really nervous, especially as an introvert.
That's the thing like you're this introvert and it's so funny when you talk about your child's teacher. My in-laws actually, once my mother-in-law randomly said, “I really liked this Sunday's email.” And I was like, “Are you on the list?” I suddenly was like, I was a teenager like, “Did I use the right language? What am I talking about?”
My granddad follows me on Facebook as well. And every now and then he leaves like the sweetest and it's so cute.
I love it. And it's so nice that we've got this family support, totally getting you on the whole. Or even when people have said, “I bought your book” at school. and I'm like, “OK.” And so obviously it's really clear you said before you try to answer DMS and you've got so many people that you've helped through like their teaching journey through their parenting journey. And I know that you've just helped other small business owners as well. Do you have mentors or coaches or a book that has really helped or do you have any kind of mantra or quote that you look at every couple of days and it keeps you focused? Like, is there anything you'd recommend to people?
I think one thing for me is I realized after a few years in business that quote about you can't pour from an empty cup. And that was like a big thing for me because I remember at that stage where I had decided, “Okay, I really do wanna build a business from this.” I don't want it to just be a hobby. And so I felt like any minute I had, I was devoting to growing this business and I would burn out like even now I still get burned out. And it's a reminder to me that I need to take care of myself. And so I don't work at night. Like a lot of people who have businesses who are moms or parents, like that's when you work is when the kids are sleeping. But I also know that I need to protect my time as well.
I need to make sure I have time to fill my own cup mostly to tackle parenting the next day, but also to give my best to the business as well. And so that's like a big thing that I come back to often is that you need to look after yourself in order to look after everyone else, both as a parent and a business owner. And then like, I am definitely a course junkie. I love learning. I dunno if it's a teacher in me or it's just something I love to do. And so like when you look at my dropdown on my computer of courses, like it almost reaches the bottom of, because I just love learning. And so I've done like finishing most of them. And then I did coaching with you as well last year. And I think even the year before we did coaching for a while.
Accountability is a big thing for me because I think I get really excited about all these plans, but then executing them like even Curtis says to me all the time, “Do you think maybe you should finish that thing?” So that's like a big thing for me. So the coaching and accountability are definitely helpful for someone like me who needs that little nudge, that someone just checking in and making sure you're doing the thing that you said you were gonna do.
I love that. And also you should give yourself a pat on the back for finishing so many courses, like when you said I finished a whole bunch of them and I know that you do cuz you schedule that in and stuff. But cuz most people don't, I think it's like 80% of people who buy a course, never even start it. Well done to you.
I definitely have a few that I've started and not finished, but I like to go one at a time. Like I think some people can hop and take parts that they need, but I'm like, I need to absorb all the things from that person first and then move on to the next one. So sometimes I get stored a little bit towards the end when I'm like, “Hey, that sounds good.” So I could do that one too. But it can, it can be tricky. That's for sure.
There's that Stephen Pressfield quote when he said “Resistance is strongest at the end.” I feel like that too with courses you're like, I've gotten most of it. And it's like, the end could be the absolute gold of the course. So finish them people if anyone's listening. So I guess you've had this business or you've been, you said it's more than 10 years since you sort of started the whole journey. What are you most proud of from the journey so far in your business?
I think being able to support our family and bring it back to that one thing so important to both of us is being present for the kids. Like Curtis will do drop-offs usually. And then I'll usually do pickups. We're always there for sports days and things like that. We can drop anything in our business to be there for our kids in a minute's notice. That is something that I am very proud of, that we have something that allows us to do that. And then also knowing the ripple effect of what we are doing.
So when I think back to my childhood and how my mom has influenced me and my parenting journey and even my business and then thinking about all those beautiful members in the Little Play Club, how they are doing these wonderful things with their kids and building these beautiful connections with their children and how that ripple effect is going to carry on in those generations is something that is like so exciting for me to think about.
That is such a beautiful way of looking at it and it's so true and you should feel incredibly proud of what you've built. It's going to be passed down for generations and generations and it's amazing. So what is next for you? You've done so many things, what’s next? And also where can people connect with you or if they wanna join the Little Play Club or if they wanna buy a book, like where's the best place.
So I am over @littlelifelonglearners on Instagram and Pinterest, Facebook, all the places that's where you can find me and you'll find links to buy my book or join our Little Play Club membership, waitlist. But I think what's next for me this year I have realized, I guess over the Christmas break, we always slow down in our business. Like we pretty much come to a standstill over that Christmas break so that we can enjoy our time with the kids. And it's always like such a reflective time for me because I stop that busyness of work and really get to slow down. And I guess those creative ideas come to you. And so it really made me realize over this break in particular that our business is kind of like at the point where I wanted it to be at.
And really it's about making tweaks maybe to the staff that we have and how we want to have, I guess those relationships grow and how we want to, I guess, get extra contractors on to make our jobs easier so that we can say, these are the days that we're working when the kids are at school, but we are definitely not working on Thursday because that's our adventure day. And we definitely do not work on weekends because that's when we are present with our children. And I think that's like the big thing for me that I've realized is that I'm really happy with where our business is right now. And it's really about getting extra support to enable us to keep that going. If that makes sense.
That completely makes sense. And I think that's such an important lesson for people that it doesn't always have to be getting bigger and bigger. As you said, it's in a great place. We just need to make sure that we can keep having those times off. What did you call it? Adventure days. That is so cool. So what is an adventure day?
Well, basically it's like a day where we can go and do fun stuff. And I think for me I'm like, well, we have to go all the way to the sunshine coast. All the gold person Curtis is like, there's like so many fun things down the road. So that's like something that we are really looking forward to doing this year because we only have Audrey at home with us now she's just started kind this week, two days a week. So we are like, those two days are our big work days and then we'll do a little bit of work around her throughout the week, but we definitely wanna have one day where it's totally tools down, no work being done.
And we can just be totally present with her because I think when you have your first child, you're like do all these fun things and then you have a second one and you're like, it's so hard to get out with two children sometimes for three children. And so when the older ones go to school, you get that time with the younger ones. Like if you know what I mean? So we wanna make sure that before she goes to school and how I think we kind of lose them a little bit. I wanna make sure that we are making beautiful memories with her as well. So like last week we went for a bushwalk and this week we're gonna go for a picnic and yeah, it's just protecting those beautiful little moments with our children, I guess.
What a perfect place to end this. Thank you so much for all the insights and, and ever everything that you're doing in just in general, but for coming on and sharing so many tips and, and, and your background of the business, cuz I think it's easy for people to see something on Instagram, be like, it was always that way. So it's really good to know how much time and all of the input has gone into making it what it is. Thank you so much for coming on.
Thank you for having me. It was lots of fun.
Bye.
How wonderful Casey and everything that she's created with Little Lifelong Learners, it's just such a beautiful business, really helping people and helping the next generation as well. You grew up doing a certain thing with your parents. Chances are, you're gonna then pass that on to your kids who then pass it on. And it's just endless. Absolutely loved chatting to her about Little Lifelong Learners, the Little Play Club, how she's built everything. And I would love to know what you have taken away from this as always, there are so many things to take away, but two that I will highlight is I loved that Casey talked about how long it's taken to get to this point and that it has taken a decade. And I think we can often really look at things and be like, that's happened really quickly. Or they look young.
This must have been something they've only been working on for a couple of years. And I love that. She was like, no, it has taken this iteration and then it moved to this and then it changed here, and then it's changed. And it's just been something that's evolved as she has evolved as a business owner and a mom and all sorts of other kinds of roles that she has in life and they've all contributed to this business and what it's become today. So let that just be a reminder to anyone who's out there, the listening thinking, “I need to get there tomorrow.” And I've just started, all of us take our time to get to certain places. And that whole idea of like, yes, it's taken me a decade to get overnight success.
Just really keep that in mind. You will get to where you need to go, but it may not be literally tomorrow. And in some cases, yes, some really great things can come your way quickly. But I think long-term success and long-term growth and sustainable growth can sometimes take a little bit of time. So don't put so much pressure on yourself. I loved that. She talked about how she built this, how it was originally an assigned thing. And now it's encompassing her whole family, including both parents. I love that idea. And the other thing that really stood out to me was when Casey talked about the audience and really deciding “I'm gonna make that switch, I'm not gonna talk to teachers and parents anymore. I'm literally going to just focus on the parents” and really hone in on what is the messaging?
What do they need, how am I gonna communicate? What are they going to get from this? I love that idea. She talked about being really confident about what you're saying and why you're saying it, and it's hard to be confident when you are talking to five different segments that are out there. And that it's scary. It's, it's a risk to hone in on that. And I know that when I sort of slowed down a lot more on the consulting to the bigger corporations, I was like, that is a huge amount of money that is coming from those places. But I was like, I really enjoy this other work. And I also like the freedom that it affords me to work from home to wear whatever I want, all of that, not having to turn up to an office, not having to find a car park and not sit in traffic for two hours a day.
Like it's so many things. And I think that it can be a really scary thing, particularly when you've just started. It can be really scary to be like, who is my audience and how can I niche down? But I often say to people niche down, it does not mean that there's no people around the peripheral or that there are slightly different segments that won't be attracted to it. You are not repelling everybody, but you are much more attracted to who you need and who you want to work with. And yes, of course, there'll still be other people that come in, but it's just getting really clear on who it is that I'm talking to? What do they need? How can we best create connections through marketing and through brand communications? So I love that point. I'm sure that Casey would love to know what you took away from this as well.
So feel free to reach out to her on social media. Like so many people do, you can find them @littlelifelonglearners or one word on Instagram. And of course, we'll link to that. If you're listening to this in real-time and you have a little person in your life, you might want to get on and become a member in the Little Play Club, it is really affordable. There's so much great information in there. I know with my second child, it was very different having a second child than having the first, and with the first, I was in a different country, I didn't have any family obligations. I didn't have a mortgage. I like there was just so much other stuff going on. I had a whole year off. It was just very relaxing and wonderful. And I had all this time to read all these things and now I don't.
And so places like the Little Play Club have been really amazing to find out like, what sort of interest, do I think my son has, what could I play with also the beautiful book that is out by Simon and Schuster, that Casey is the author of which you can also find over on her website, littlelifelonglearners.com. You can also just Google it. The book is called Sensory Play for toddlers and preschoolers. And it's by Casey Patch, founder of Little Lifelong Learners. And of course, we'll link to that in the show notes as well, which you'll be able to find over at mydailybusinesscoach.com/podcast/190, this is episode 190, please don't be a stranger. Let me know what you took away from this. You can always find me on Instagram @mydailybusinesscoach or you can email us at hello@mydailybusinesscoach.com.
And if you have found this really useful, and I'm sure that you have, if you could leave us a review, it really helps us get found by other small business owners around the world. You can do that by just tapping on the stars. You can leave a review through Spotify now, and you can leave a review of a text review through the Apple Podcast as well. If you need help with that, you can find out how to leave those reviews over at mydailybusinesscoach.com/review. We actually have video tutorials on how to leave us a review so you can check that out there. Thank you so much again for listening and I'll see you next time. Bye.
Thanks for listening to the My Daily Business Coach podcast. If you wanna get in touch, you can do that at mydailybusinesscoach.com or hit me up on Instagram @mydailybusinesscoach.
