Make big things happen
The strategy I’m using to create the biggest year ever for Copy House Urchin - and what’s in store for all the new and aspiring copywriters who are part of the CHU crew in 2025.
I can’t believe it, but Copy House Urchin is almost 6 years old. When you reach a milestone like that you start to take stalk of what you’ve built. And I’d like to take it to the next level.
And I thought that maybe you’re also looking at what's next for you and trying to get some ideas about how to goal set, plan, and accomplish your goals. I’ve some success over the years, checking off things like creating my dream job 4x. But I’ve got my sights set higher than ever, so I’d like to bring you kind of behind the scenes of Copy House Urchin and share how I’m planning for big things for two reasons…
Maybe a peek into my process will spark some ideas for your own goal-mapping
I want to share a sneak preview of how CHU is expanding and becoming a hub for aspiring copywriters to learn, build portfolios, and find community in 2025…
And secret reason number 3… I’m in a really unique moment where I’ve accomplished major milestones that seemed impossible not-so-long ago and I’d like a time capsule to revisit this moment years later.
Clear vision or bust
If you want to make big things happen, you need to get crystal clear on what you actually want. Being wishy-washy is not an option and only leads you down a disappointing road. So I recommend starting with tangible, hard goals.
I used the SMART method for this. This is a popular goal planning method that helps you quantify and plan your goal.
SMART is an acronym meaning:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
Let’s apply this framework to CHUy… I’m taking CHUy to the next level.
Let’s make it Specific…
Make Copy House Urchin the breath of fresh air that aspiring writers need with a one-stop shop for everything practical and practically everything they need to build their skill, portfolio, brand, and copywriting career.
Let’s take that aspirational goal and make it real (Measurable) with some numbers and milestone…
3,000 email subscribers
10k YouTube subscribers
Launch a digital products shop
Launch a group program for aspiring copywriters
Now I’m going to take these through a gut check, asking are they Achievable…
This is where I’m looking at my bandwidth, time, resources, other obligations, and momentum and asking are these “measurables” doable? Are they way beyond reality?
No, they aren’t out of reach. They are stretch goals and will take dedicated effort and time, but I believe all of these are in reach for me as a single owner/operator with an incredible partner who supports me so I can more easily do these things.
Take the “Measureables” through another filter: Relevancy
Each item in my Measurables category should serve the larger goal of expanding Copy House Urchin and the mission statement I shared.
We put each Measurable to the test and if it supports that overall goal, it get my green light for implementation.
Finally, we plot them on the calendar so the goals are Time-bound
Pause. The SMART method doesn’t take into consideration your personal work style, so I had to add a step here.
These goals are bigger and more complicated than anything I’ve ever tried before.
And it’s hard for me to work through complicated strategies in my head, so I took multiple days to talk to ChatGPT and out loud to myself to verbally process my ideas around ADHD-friendly productivity and goal achievement techniques, my offers, and any other questions that I had before I committed to a deadline.
Yup, I’ve tried all the hacks like time-blocking, Eisenhower Matrix, top 3 Priorities, eat the Frog, and Pomodoro. They’ve never worked for me. Although ChatGPT does not replace professional evaluation or support, just having a sounding board that I could train into being an expert in any general advice. Ultimately, I was able to create a calendar to avoid burnout and build in grace into my schedule while still working towards those goals.
Back to Time-bound. Based on my long chat with my large language model buddy, I further broke down my Measurables into supporting projects. Then I chose a deadline for my biggest goal (my signature program launch), using that goal to reverse engineer everything else that would help me achieve it.
What’s different about my planning this year…
The level of specificity I’m adding to my goals.
Vision letter, vision board, notes, multiple planning sessions.
A weeks-long process, not just an afternoon
Using ChatGPT as a sounding board and “acting as” several kinds of experts for generalized advice for marketing, offer building, productivity, and so much more.
What’s in store for Copy House Urchin in 2025
Aka, the list of projects that support the goal
I’ve been creating portfolios and helping job seekers for a few years, but I haven’t had a dedicated place for only copywriters. Now with you here and engaging with me on the YouTube channel, via LinkedIn, or in the inbox, I will be able to create something extremely powerful and exactly what you need.
I have always wanted to launch something special in the fall and October is my favorite month, so October it is! With that scheduled, I can pop other things into the calendar…
Ongoing, I’ll be publishing helpful content on YouTube and supporting my email list (I’ll do my best to do both weekly).
December 2024: Launching 1-Day Portfolio Sprints and Ask a Copywriter, 8-week Accelerator.
January 2025: I’m refreshing my LinkedIn with new Featured Posts and content
February 2025: Launching The Affordable Career Shop (TACS) for templates and kits
March 2025: Website refresh w/ new everything (haven’t touched it since I created it in 2019)
April 2025: Media, Social, Engagement retrospective - how can I be better and more helpful?
May 2025: Researching what’s next for the copywriting industry and current pain points
June 2025: Building something BIG
July 2025: Build something BIG
August-September 2025: Content series, re: findings and what’s next in copywriting
October: Something BIG opens
October-November: Host charter class that BIG something
December 2025: BREAK? 🥴😅
Approaches and philosophies, how I’m building flexibility into my goals
I’ve learned that setting super rigid goals can feel discouraging when life inevitably throws curveballs. So, I’ve been trying something different to keep my goals adaptable and less overwhelming:
Getting clear on what matters: For me, it’s been really helpful to think about why I’m setting a goal in the first place. Is it about hitting a specific income? Feeling more fulfilled? Landing a certain job title? Understanding what’s driving my goal gives me clarity before I start breaking it into projects.
Expecting the unexpected: Honestly, I’ve come to accept that things rarely go perfectly according to plan. Instead of fighting it, I just assume something unexpected will pop up. And on the flipside, sometimes great opportunities will present themselves and I want to have the flexibility to pursue them.
Prioritizing milestones over deadlines: This one has been a game-changer for me. Instead of focusing on strict deadlines, I’m working toward milestones. It’s less about when I get there and more about progress—as long as I’m moving forward, I feel like I’m on track.
Will it matter in 3 years? When things inevitably slide off the rails, I usually freak out, sinking into deep stress. But now that I’m planning on reality decoupling from the plan sometimes, I can stress less. I’m going to ask myself… Will this matter in 3 years? And if the answer is no, I let it go. I’ve been doing this for the last few months, and it’s been a game-changer.
What’s Working for Me: Framing my goals this way has made it easier to stay motivated. If timelines shift or things get messy, I don’t feel like I’ve failed. I’m just tweaking the plan and moving forward.
Wanna stay in the loop?
If you want to stay in the loop with all of these updates for Copy House Urchin and keep tabs on all the cool things being built here, there are a few ways to do that:
Get on my email list - Click on Copywriter Starter Kit. It’s an excellent starting points for different reasons AND will get you added to the list for more CHUy news and resources.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the next one.