How I Built a Consistent Content System (While Running My Business)

Below I’ll share an in-depth guide to create my own content system, the mindset shifts I had, the tactical process, and my reflections along the way. If you’d like to view the Loom version, you can find it here.

Over the past few months, several founders have asked how I’ve found my stride with content — especially while managing a full client load and running a business.

The truth is that didn’t happen overnight. But I’ve been quietly building a system that finally works — one that helps me stay visible, generate inbound leads, and share what I’m learning without content taking over my life.

This is that system, broken down.

Why I Made This

In the past few weeks, a few founders reached out to say they’d noticed I had momentum with content. That I’d found my stride.

Which is wild to hear, honestly.

Because for a long time, I felt like I was just posting into the void. No feedback, no validation. But I had committed to myself this year that I would stay consistent, keep showing up, and try to build something real.

This feedback was a huge realization for me: what feels obvious or “messy” to you might look like momentum to someone else.

That’s why I’m sharing the system I’ve built and the behind-the-scenes of how I consistently create content while still managing a business, clients, and everything else.

💡 The Big Problem: You’re Too Deep In the Work

Every founder I spoke with said the same thing:

This was me too, and it kept me stuck in a cycle of doing great work but never really getting ahead. No pipeline. No space to think about what’s next.

So the first thing I had to do wasn’t a content hack; it was a business model change I needed to make.

Step 1: Restructure Your Business to Create Space

Before I could think about building a content system, I had to deal with the real problem: I had no time.

I was fully booked with client work — jumping from one deadline to the next — with zero margin to pause, reflect, or build anything long-term. On the outside that looks great; but on the inside you feel like you’re drowning and you’re extremely at risk when the business takes a dip.

In December I lost a major client and another contract got put on a freeze. My income went from 100% to 20% in matter of weeks. This was a huge wake up call for me because I had to start searching from scratch to find new clients. It. Was. Brutal.

I recognized that dedicating time to building your personal brand and your client pipeline was absolutely necessary for me to create a sustainable business; it’s not a frivolous time-wasting endeavour.

The mindset shift: You can’t stay 100% in delivery mode and expect long-term growth

If I wanted to grow (not just coast), I needed to stop being buried in billable hours all the time.

I had to make space to work on the business — not just in it. So I made three key changes:

1. Reduced client delivery to 70% or less of my weekly hours.

That meant reshuffling everything. I had to be honest about how I was spending my time and what it was actually earning me. My new goal was to reach my income goal with only 70% or less of my time. And that takes strategy.

Some weeks that meant carving out just 1–2 hours a day for content, reflection, or business development. But that was enough to create traction.

2. Pruned low-paying or low-alignment clients.

If a client wasn’t meeting a minimum threshold — not just in revenue, but in fit — I let them go. I needed the headspace more than the check.

P.S. I believe in the value of alignment so much I wrote more in depth about it here.

3. I redefined what “productive” meant.

For me, this was huge. I had to rewire my brain to see thinking time as productive.

• Sitting with my journal.

• Reading and reflecting.

• Listening to what stood out in sales calls or client conversations.

That space — the non-billable time — became the foundation for all my content.

If you’re in a similar place, here’s what I’d ask:

• Can you hit your monthly revenue goal with only 70% of your time booked?

• If not, are there clients you need to prune or reprice?

• What would you do with 1–2 hours a day of white space?

• What long-term opportunities are you too busy to even see right now? </aside>

Step 2: Build a “Messy by Design” Content Capture System

Here’s the other secret no one talks about:

Most founders have amazing ideas. But no system for capturing them before they vanish.

That was me.

So I created a low-friction, messy-on-purpose Notion board for content capture.

Here’s how it works:

• Every idea — a sentence, screenshot, podcast quote, DM convo — goes into the board. No pressure to be polished.

• I treat this like a digital compost pile. Things marinate, evolve, resurface when the time is right.

• When I’m ready to write, I pick from the garden. I treat ideas like flowers: what needs pruning and clipping? What’s ready to go out in the world?

I highly recommend Tiago Forte’s framework for building a second brain here; it’s helped me greatly shape a system that helps me get aheads out of my head and produce them into something meaningful.

Bonus: I use AI to speed up the zero-to-one draft.

When an idea hits, I’ll open ChatGPT and write:

That helps me get something on the page, even if it’s just a rough outline.

I treat those early thoughts like what Anne Lamott calls “Shitty First Drafts” — a concept that’s near-canon in the writing world. The whole point is to get it all out — the rambles, the buried lead, the half-baked metaphors — and resist the urge to edit too early.

Step 3: Build Your Personal Content Ecosystem

This is where everything comes together.

Once I had the space and a capture system, I started noticing that content ideas were everywhere.

So I built a repeatable system based on these inputs:

What fuels my content:

• ✨ Sales calls: What questions are people asking me over and over?

• 💼 Client work: What am I learning in real time that others could benefit from?

• 📚 Podcasts + newsletters: What’s sparking inspiration or insight?

• 🧭 Journaling: What am I feeling stuck on, excited about, or unsure of?

These moments become raw material for LinkedIn posts, newsletter issues, carousels, and blog content.

I’m not trying to be a “thought leader.”

I’m documenting what I’m doing — while I’m doing it.

P.S. I wrote more about my personal content ecosystem here if you want to learn more.

The Mindset Shifts That Changed Everything

This is the part no one really talks about — but it’s arguably the most important.

Because even once you have the time and the tools and the systems… if your mindset isn’t in the right place, you’ll still stall out.

Here are the shifts that helped me go from constantly overthinking to actually sharing consistently, confidently, and without burning out.

1. You Don’t Have to Be a Thought Leader to Share Thoughts That Matter

For a long time, I held myself back from posting because I felt like I wasn’t “there” yet.

I wasn’t a million-dollar founder. I hadn’t scaled a team. I wasn’t sitting on a beach with 20,000 newsletter subscribers.

But here’s what clicked:

You don’t have to be 10 steps ahead of someone to share something valuable.

In fact, sometimes the most helpful voices are the ones just one or two steps ahead — still in the weeds, still figuring it out, still building. Because that’s where the real insights live.

We need more voices from the middle of the journey, not just the mountaintop.

2. It’s Okay to Share Before You Feel “Ready”

Let’s be real: most people feel like imposters when they hit publish.

But what helped me shift was this idea:

You already are the expert in your own experience. And that alone gives you the authority to speak from it.

When I reframed my content as “here’s what I’m learning,” instead of “here’s what you should do,” the pressure dropped — and the ideas started flowing.

It’s about documenting, not performing.

Inviting people into the journey, not positioning yourself as someone who’s “arrived.”

3. Assume the Role — Even Before Anyone’s Paying Attention

One thing I started telling myself early on was:

Even when no one was liking or commenting or replying. Even when I wasn’t sure anyone was watching. I kept posting like people were.

Because what if they were watching quietly?

(Newsflash: They usually are.)

Some of the most meaningful messages I’ve gotten came from people who never once liked a post but had been reading everything behind the scenes. You never know who’s paying attention.

So the mindset became: “I show up, because it’s who I am now. Not because of who’s watching.”

4. Consistency Compounds — But Not Overnight

I often think of content like going to the gym. (Cringe gym bro analogy I know! Please forgive me!)

You put in the reps. You don’t see results right away. Some days feel awkward or pointless.

But one day, you look up — and realize you’ve built something.

That’s what happened for me. After a couple of months of writing and sharing and figuring out my rhythm, I finally felt it click.

That’s when people started noticing. That’s when leads started coming in. That’s when I found my voice.

But none of that would’ve happened if I’d quit in the early days when it felt slow, messy, or invisible.

So if you’re in that season now, here’s your reminder:

Tools + Tech I Use

Here’s a quick look at the tools behind the system:

Below here I'll link to the full Loom video if you want to learn more about the process in depth.

I'd also love to hear from you you know what are your thoughts or questions around building a content process? What struggles are you feeling?

P.S. I'm also launching Office Hours where I have a couple of spots just to work through issues like this with other founders and solopreneurs so if you want to ask questions about newsletters, LinkedIn content or just some feedback on some project that you're building I'd love to chat. You can book a spot here.