Standout Creatives: Business, marketing, and creativity tips for solopreneurs launching their ideas

What if you lost almost everything, except the one thing you were building?Migdalia Sanchez and Claudio Soriano (aka Migdy and Clau), didn’t set out to become authors. Migdy is a professional counselor and life coach. Clau has a background in electrical and process engineering. Both spent twenty years mentoring young adults, first as volunteers, then as certified life coaches, long before either of them thought about putting any of it into a book.Then came a workshop, a hurricane, a decade of writing, and a 450-page manuscript that had to be split in two just to become manageable.In this conversation, Migdy and Clau talk about what it actually took to turn twenty years of mentorship into their book What The FCK is Happening To Me? (Esp: ¡¿Qué PÑTA me está pasando?!) They also talk about why they left Puerto Rico with almost nothing, and why the project survived every single thing that tried to stop it.Note: Some quotes below have been lightly edited for clarity and readability.HighlightsTrust isn’t given. It’s earned one relationship at a time.Migdy’s first experience with mentorship came through a volunteer program in Puerto Rico, matching mentors with teenagers from high-risk environments for a full year. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t supposed to be.“No matter if the program is finished, no matter if the school year ends, no matter if you change schools, that senior still looks for you. And they still call you… they keep in touch with us.”That’s something deeper than a program. It’s what happens when a young person finally gets to feel like someone showed up for them without needing anything in return.One offhand comment can change the whole direction of your work.Migdy and Clau spent years running relationship workshops for young adults before they ever thought about a book. The shift happened during one particular workshop, when they asked the room a simple question: who do you know that’s been together for more than ten years and is still happy?Only one or two hands went up. And one participant told them something neither of them expected to hear.“You are the only couple I know that you look happy together.”Out of thirty-something people in the room, that was the answer. It was an admission that healthy, long-term love wasn’t something most people in that room had ever witnessed up close.That’s when the idea of writing something bigger than a workshop started to take shape.Sometimes your audience finds you.The same workshop surfaced another realization neither of them expected. Parents in the room wanted the same guidance their kids were getting.“That means they understand that the parents need this information too. It’s something that they are looking for, that is something missing in their environment.”That was the moment the idea of a book stopped being abstract. Not because they set out to write for a wider audience, but because the wider audience showed up and asked for it first.Ten years is a long time to keep believing in something.What started as notes typed into a phone became a 450-page manuscript, then two separate books, illustrated, edited, translated, and self-published, all while Migdy and Clau kept mentoring, working day jobs, and raising a family.“That is a 10 years project. That idea was maybe 12 years ago. I don’t remember, but we start everything and hold the process. It took us almost 10 years.”Nobody hands you a book after ten years just because you stayed committed. But there’s no book at all if you don’t.AI can’t write the book that took you a decade to live.Clau is direct about what AI can and can’t do, especially for a project built on twenty years of real relationships and hard-won lessons.“There’s nothing in AI related in this book. People need to understand something. There’s a lot of people writing books and they’re writing books with AI. AI does not have the capacity to create something up until now. What it does is that it goes to the books that they have built or fit into the large language model and it creates something related to what you’re asking.”Migdy’s editor ended up teaching her to edit rather than editing for her, because she recognized something worth preserving.“Migdalia is an editor. Migdalia writes better than AI, let’s say, because this book was prior AI.”The book works because it came from two decades of sitting across from real young adults, not from an AI model.Resilience is the only reason the book exists.In 2017, Hurricane Maria destroyed the island Migdy and Clau called home. Clau lost his consulting work overnight. Their son’s therapy, school, and support systems disappeared along with the electricity and water.“We have been kicked out from Puerto Rico after the Hurricane Maria that hit… in 2017.”A childhood friend of Clau’s, reached by landline because there was no cell service left and paid for their plane tickets to Florida.They moved four times in three months. Clau couldn’t find work for six months. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, the manuscript kept moving forward.“That book is so resilient… because the book survived the transition, the moving, the adaptation, the other adaptation that Claudio has to… another state.”The book survived because they refused to let it end.The first time you hold your book, nothing goes the way you pictured it.When the printing company sent a sample ahead of the full order, Migdy and Clau assumed they were finally about to hold the finished book. What arrived instead was a stack of loose, unbound pages, sent only to check paper weight and transparency.“We opened that envelope and what we found were pages... it was so frustrating.”The real moment came later, in Miami, picking up the full shipment straight off the pallet.“We were so exhausted that night... you know, so many people cry when they received the book and opened the book, smell the book. But we don’t have any more tears to cry… we were just watching the book and… we laugh.”Ten years of work, and the reaction wasn’t tears. It was laughter, because there was nothing else left to give it.Authenticity isn’t optional when your reader is young and paying attention.Clau’s advice to other authors comes from two decades of sitting across from teenagers and young adults who have zero patience for anything that isn’t real.“Young adults can smell shit a mile away. So they’ll find out if what you’re putting in the book, or when you’re coaching a young adult, if what you’re saying, you’re standing behind it.”Migdy adds the piece that keeps a project like this from collapsing under its own weight.“Do not reanalyze things because you’re going to paralyze the process. Just flow, flow and flow. Do not try to be perfect because it’s not going to happen. You have settle for being excellent.”And here’s the thing that actually gets a ten-year project across the finish line:“Never forget why for you are doing this. When you feel frustrated, when you feel stuck, keep going, and never forget the reason that put you in that situation.”The book is structured around whatever the reader needs.The book is built around seven chapters: Mommy and Daddy, Life and Stories, Who the F*** Am I, You’re Gonna F*** It Up, Distinctions and Ways of Being, After, and Couple Relationships. But Migdy and Clau don’t even agree on how it should be read.“I tell young adults, if you want to read the book, you go to the index and you read the name of the chapters, and if there’s something that resonates with you, read it and that’s it. Migdalia says, start with the book from the beginning and read it until the end.”Two authors, two voices, two philosophies on how to approach the same material and both work, depending on where the reader happens to be standing in their own life.Closing ReflectionMigdy and Clau didn’t write this book because the timing was right. There was no good time. There was a hurricane, a job loss, a cross-country move, a son who needed support systems that had just been destroyed, and a decade of mentoring squeezed in around all of it.“That is a 10 years project... we start everything and hold the process.”The book is proof that the project you truly believe in doesn’t need perfect conditions to survive. It just needs you to keep showing up for it, one difficult year after another, until it’s finally real.If you’re an author with a story worth sharing, leave a comment and tell us about your work. You deserve the spotlight too.You can find Migdy and Clau’s book at <a...

What if the tool everyone else uses isn’t the only way in?Tiffany Yu is the author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto and the founder of Diversability, an organization she built to help disabled people move through what she calls their shame-to-pride transformation.She was in a car accident at nine years old where her arm became permanently paralyzed. And she lived a decade feeling like there was no community built for someone like her. So she built one.In this conversation, Tiffany talks about how a literary agent found her through a fifteen-second TikTok, why she recorded her entire first draft instead of typing it, and how a book that almost didn’t get written on time ended up shaping a movement she never expected to be part of.HighlightsShe’s building the thing she wished existed.Tiffany didn’t come into disability advocacy through a career plan. She came into it through a decade of isolation, watching nine-year-old Tiffany go without the community she needed most.“I’m building and funding the things I wish existed when I was younger.”That’s the whole engine behind Diversability, the book, the TikTok series, all of it. It’s a memory of what was missing, turned into a mission to make sure the next person doesn’t have to go without it too.She didn’t write the book. She spoke it.Tiffany types with one hand. She knew from watching other writers develop injuries from overuse that typing an entire manuscript wasn’t sustainable for her body. So instead of forcing herself into the process everyone else uses, she built her own.“What are some creative ways that I can continue to write this book, lean into my strengths?”She recorded every chapter using a speech-to-text tool called Otter.ai, turned the transcripts into a rough skeleton, and edited from there. When she shared this publicly, she heard from people with hand injuries, arthritis, and their own barriers to writing, people who’d quietly given up on the idea of ever finishing a book.“Essentially, what I’m doing is you want a book, the way I’m going to do it may look different, but eventually you will get the book, right? I’m just doing it a little bit differently.”You don’t have to follow the same road everyone else takes, just the one that actually works for you.The book found her before she went looking for it.Tiffany wrote a letter to her high school guidance counselor once, mentioning that maybe someday she’d write a book. She forgot about it for fifteen years. Then a literary agent found her through a short-form TikTok series she’d started almost by accident, and a few months later, a publisher reached out directly before she’d even finished her book proposal.“Hachette at that particular point in time had also published books from a lot of my fellow disability advocate friends.”She got the book deal on November 11th, 2022.“I don’t know about you, 11.11 is meaningful if you are someone who views repeating numbers as what I like to call gentle nudges from the universe or messages that you’re moving in the right direction.”Nobody plans for a book deal to arrive before the proposal is finished. But sometimes the work you’ve already been doing publicly is the proposal, whether you meant it to be or not.Structure the book so people can find what they need.Tiffany built her book around a framework called Me-We-Us: what you need to understand about yourself, what you need to understand in relationship with others, and what all of us need to build together to create real change.“I think too often we jump to part three because we’re like, okay, policy change, let’s get to it. But if you haven’t done the internal work, the me, like why do I care so much about this particular topic, then you’re actually gonna jump to a place and it’s gonna feel performative.”Every chapter title is the takeaway of that chapter, on purpose. Because unlike fiction, where mystery pulls the reader forward, a book meant to create change has one job: help someone find exactly what they need, exactly when they need it.Make yourself impossible to forget.Tiffany’s book cover is orange. It almost wasn’t. And she leaned into that color so hard it became part of her.“I made my whole personality an orange book cover.”She kept her title short enough to include both roles that mattered to her, author and founder of Diversability, so that even a passing glance could spark curiosity in someone who didn’t know her yet.Standing out doesn’t require being the loudest voice in the room. All it takes is being unmistakably you.The book creates connections you never planned for.Tiffany didn’t expect her favorite part of the whole process to be the book events. But she learned to love the rooms full of strangers who showed up because of something she wrote.“There are two people who were on my launch team, who one lives in Los Angeles, the other lives in New York. They met through the launch team, kind of stayed connected, had a lot of other points of connection... and they just met in person for the first time in New York, like maybe a month ago. And that’s pretty cool.”A book doesn’t just reach a reader. Sometimes it introduces two people who never would have found each other otherwise, and gives them a reason to build something together long after they’ve turned the last page.Purpose makes it last.Tiffany doesn’t measure the success of her book by a single launch day. She measures it by whether the message is still doing something, still reaching people, long after the initial noise has faded.“I want people to feel hopeful that creating an accessible, disability inclusive society is possible. And I want people to not only feel hope, but know that their action in collective action is what is gonna create change.”That’s the difference between writing something for the moment and writing something built to outlast it.Closing ReflectionTiffany Yu didn’t write her book the way anyone told her to. She spoke it instead of typing it. She structured it so a reader could skip straight to the chapter they needed. She picked an orange cover and made it part of who she is. None of it followed the rulebook, and all of it worked.“You are gonna be the one who is the most excited about your book.”Tiffany reminds us that you’re allowed to build the process that fits you, and still end up with something that changes the room.If you’re an author with a story worth sharing, leave a comment and tell us about your work. You deserve the spotlight too.

What if the story you’ve been holding onto is the one someone else has been waiting to hear?Marc Cordon and I had a great conversation about the upcoming Book Summit. It will be a creative space built for writers, not-yet-writers, and anyone who feels a tug to put their story into the world. If you’ve ever felt like your experiences aren’t “big enough,” or you’re nervous about sharing something personal, this conversation might shift something for you.We talk about why storytelling is such a powerful form of liberation, how writing in community can dissolve fear, and why personal stories, especially the ones about transition, liminality, and rebirth, resonate universally. We also dig into the anthology we’re creating together, the therapeutic nature of writing, and the collaborative energy that makes this summit feel different from anything else.This episode is an invitation to stop waiting for permission and start exploring the story that’s already living inside you.If you are interested in coming to the Book Summit. It is this Saturday December 13th at 1pm ET. You can read all about it here.HighlightsStories are a form of freedomWriting isn’t just an art. It’s a way to reclaim your voice.“Books, storytelling… that’s the new form of freedom and liberation.”Everyone is a storyteller (even if you don’t believe it yet)You don’t need a title to begin. You only need curiosity.“Everybody is a writer and a storyteller.”Community makes your writing strongerWhen you share in a circle, something shifts in you and in the people listening.“The fact that we can all hear and experience these stories together is what really makes it powerful.”Feedback forms connectionWhen people lean in to your story, you can feel it.“It’s really cool to see people at the edge of their seats leaning forward when it comes to you and your story.”Specific stories create universal resonanceThe more personal you get, the more people see themselves in your words.“The more specific you are… the more people will say, I see myself in your story.”Creation is a transformationSomething magical happens when you start with nothing and end with something only you could have made.“There’s an ebullience that happens when you leave with something you created.”Closing ReflectionIf you’ve been telling yourself you’re not a writer… consider this your gentle interruption.You don’t need a polished story.You don’t need a plan.You just need a spark. And if you’re feeling that nudge, the Book Summit and the Story Circle are the places to explore it. These spaces are designed to help you uncover your voice, shape your story, and feel supported every step of the way.If you’re curious about writing a book someday… come.If you want to share a personal story but don’t know where to start… come.If you want community, feedback, and a little creative courage… come.You don’t have to do this alone.Let’s see what unfolds when you step into a room where your story is already welcome.LinksBook SummitMarc Cordon

What if growing your business didn’t require grinding harder, but actually slowing down, tending to your nervous system, and building something that feels human and sustainable?Heidi Weiland is a holistic business coach and strategist who went from burned-out freelance web designer to someone helping entrepreneurs blend smart strategy with real self-care. Her work sits at the intersection of nervous system support, authentic marketing, and human-centered business. In this episode, she shares the turning points, hard lessons, and gentle reminders that helped her rebuild her business from the inside out.From Burnout to Real BalanceHeidi’s story starts where so many creative businesses hit a wall: doing everything, being everything, and pretending it’s fine until it isn’t. Burnout pushed her into yoga, deep self-care, and eventually a whole new way of supporting clients.“I got to a point where I was just so burned out. I didn’t know what to do with myself.”Try this: Check in with your body before you check in with your to-do list.Bonus: List three tasks draining your energy right now. What can be paused, delegated, or simplified?Human-Centered Business Isn’t OptionalFor Heidi, business work is human work. Your energy, your nervous system, your values are all the foundations.“Business should be human-centered. We are the foundation of everything we do.”Try this: Before taking on a new project, ask: Does this support the version of me I’m becoming?Bonus: Rewrite one boundary that needs strengthening in your business.Authenticity as the StrategyOne of my favorite things about Heidi is how simple she makes authenticity feel. It's not a branding exercise or a persona. It's just… you.“I’m me and that’s enough. That’s great, actually.”Try this: Notice a moment today where you filtered yourself. How would it feel to soften that filter?Bonus: Share something real with your audience this week: a story, a lesson, a moment.Blending Smart Strategy with Nervous System SupportHeidi’s approach is part intuitive, part tactical. She’ll talk funnels, then ask what your body is telling you. She’ll map your plan, then help you regulate so you can actually follow through.“Blend strategy with nervous system support.”Try this: Before planning your week, take three deep breaths and let your shoulders drop.Bonus: Choose one strategic task and break it into the smallest next step. Your body will thank you.Energy + Task AlignmentThis is where so many creatives get stuck. You can do the work. But should you?“What is sucking your energy? Are there tasks outside your zone of genius that we can shift?”Try this: Highlight everything in your business: green for energizing, yellow for neutral, red for draining.Bonus: Delegate or delete just one red task this week.Relationships, Referrals, and Being a Real HumanHeidi builds her business the same way she lives her life—through genuine connection.“Referrals are just what I call being in the world.”Try this: Reach out to one person you appreciate in your creative circle.Bonus: Share your work in one community space where you already feel comfortable.Key TakeawaysBurnout is often the doorway to a more honest business.Human-centered business leads to sustainable growth.Authenticity is your greatest marketing strategy.Your nervous system matters as much as your strategy.Alignment comes from knowing what energizes you.Relationships build stronger businesses than algorithms ever will.Ready to Grow Your Business Without Burning Out?Heidi’s journey is such a good reminder that you don’t have to choose between success and self-care. You can build something meaningful, aligned, and fully yours without sacrificing your wellbeing.If you’re ready to grow your creative business with more clarity and ease, book a free strategy session at TheStandoutCreatives.com. Let’s make your business feel more like you.

What if the secret to impactful design isn’t talent or aesthetics, but responsibility to your community, the planet, and the people you’re building for?As the co-founder of Reny, a certified B Corp agency, Ben Rennie has built his career around using design as a force for impact. The agency now works with global brands like Patagonia, Google, and Nike. But that wasn’t the starting line. Ben started as a self-taught designer, shaping his craft over time while developing a worldview anchored in responsibility, sustainability, and community.From Grassroots to Global ReachWhat began as a personal practice turned into a studio and eventually, a full-scale agency operating on a global level. Reny didn’t grow because it chased trends. It grew because it stayed grounded in purpose, credibility, and long-term thinking.Ben learned early on that visibility matters but alignment matters more. The work had to stand for something.“Design should make you feel something or change something.”Actionable Insight: Start with a clear vision, but be willing to evolve. Consistency over time is what creates traction in creative businesses.Bonus: Spend 10 minutes today identifying one small creative habit you can repeat weekly. Pick something so simple you can’t avoid doing it.Creative Control as a Business StrategyA big part of Reny’s staying power comes from creative autonomy. Instead of relying on outside permission or gatekeepers, Ben built the platform around ownership: of ideas, of impact, and of the process itself.That choice wasn’t just aesthetic. It was strategic.“Design isn’t just about things that look good. It’s about the impact they make.”When you control the work, you control the integrity.Actionable Insight: Identify one area of your creative process where you can step into full ownership even if it makes you uncomfortable.Bonus: Look up one independent designer or creative studio you admire and note how they control their platform.Building a Brand People NoticeWork this intentional doesn’t spread by accident. Rennie put in the reps through strategic marketing, community-building, positioning, storytelling, and showing up where the right audience gathers.Actionable Insight: Commit to being visible. Start small: post, publish, share, and see what resonates.Bonus: Engage with at least 5 people in your audience this week. Not “posting at them” but actually interacting with them.Balancing Work While Building the VisionNone of this happened overnight. There were years where the agency grew in the margins — nights, early mornings, pockets of time between responsibilities. Creative entrepreneurship is a long game, and Ben understood that early.“It’s a long-ass marathon, not a sprint.”That mindset of patience + forward motion became their competitive advantage.Actionable Insight: Block out a small, consistent window of creation each week. Bonus: Use a single 20–30 minute session to plan your one creative priority for the week.What Ben’s Journey Teaches UsPassion might start the work, but persistence finishes it.Design is both a craft and a lever for change.Creative control requires boundaries and leadership.Brand recognition is earned through consistency and clarity.Growth comes from being visible, not waiting to be discovered.Bringing It All TogetherBen didn’t wait for permission. He built his own lane — project by project, conversation by conversation, collaboration by collaboration. His story is proof that you don’t have to jump early to land big. You just have to stay committed long enough for your work to matter.Want help growing your own creative business?If you’ve been sitting on an idea: a creative project, a business, a new direction, but don't know where to start, I'm offering a free strategy session to help get you on track.Just sign up at TheStandoutCreative.com

You ever get that gut feeling to do something wild — the kind that makes zero sense on paper but just feels right?That’s how this Substack Live with Heather Vickery started.Heather’s a Joy Warrior: coach, retreat host, and professional permission-giver for anyone tired of living by other people’s rules. We talked about what it means to lead with joy, why curating your circle matters, and how trusting your gut can lead you places your brain never would’ve approved of.It was a great conversation even with the tech hiccup in the middle.Finding Clarity in Creative SpacesWe dove into the power of community and collaboration. Heather calls it the “collective mind” — drawing on the energy and ideas of others can spark some of your most innovative work.But we did agreed that having too many ideas without a filter can be overwhelming. Boundaries aren’t just nice to have. They’re essential for clarity and focus.Heather: “I take intentional pauses to reflect on what truly serves me.”Me: And I realized that I do the same thing, but in a different way — sifting through inspiration, holding onto the ideas that really line up with my goals, and letting the rest fall away.Try this: Notice one idea or opportunity you’ve been juggling. Which one actually lights you up? Which feels like busywork?Bonus idea: Give yourself permission to drop the rest, even temporarily. Creativity isn’t a sprint.Vulnerability, Leadership, and Showing UpOne thread that kept coming up was vulnerability and how stepping away from the need to always “lead” opens space for listening, growth, and deeper connection.Heather and I talked about the energy shift that happens when you let go of perfection, or the pressure to have all the answers:“Joy isn’t a reward at the end of the journey,” Heather reminded me. “It’s the fuel that gets you there.”I shared my own experiences with creative retreats and live conversations — feeling energized, humbled, and reminded that showing up authentically often leads to the richest insights.Try this: Reflect on one area where you feel pressured to perform or lead. How could leaning into vulnerability actually make the experience richer?Bonus idea: Take a small action this week that’s just for the joy of it, without any expectation.Embracing Uncertainty and Rule-BreakingWe also explored the “messy middle” — the uncertainty that comes with growth, creativity, and breaking rules that no longer serve you.Whether it’s stepping into a new project, a retreat, or just saying yes to curiosity, Heather reminded me that growth often lives in that uncomfortable space.“Just because you can do it all doesn’t mean you should do it all.” Try this: Look at one area where you’re following a rule just because “that’s how it’s done.” What would happen if you rewrote it for yourself?Bonus idea: Journal about what your ideal day, project, or connection would look like if you removed the pressure to perform.Listen InThis Substack Live was full of gentle nudges:Joy is your compass.Connection is a creative practice.Boundaries and reflection are part of the process.Trusting your gut and embracing uncertainty can spark your best ideas.So whether you’re navigating your own creative projects, curating your circle, or just figuring out how to live with more ease, Heather and I unpacked ideas that remind us to start with joy, trust the process, and lean into what energizes us.Closing ReflectionWhat would shift if you let joy lead the way instead of waiting for it?If that resonates, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop a comment, share a reflection, or just sit with the question for a moment. If you want to explore how leading with joy and authenticity could shape your life or work, I’ve got a few spots open. Book a free session and we can unpack what’s waiting on the other side of the “rules”.