December Showcase: Creator Spotlight 💡

Creator: Stacy Ennis, Author, coach, speaker 

Tell us about you 

How long have you been using ConvertKit? Part of the community? 

I’ve been using ConvertKit since April 25, 2017. I switched over from another major email service and was instantly impressed by how it felt like the software was designed for a business like mine. I’ve stayed because of the continued innovations, great educational resources, and excellent customer services.

What’s your creative niche? 

I work with leaders to help clarify their ideas and harness their unique story to make an impact. My specific niche is nonfiction book-writing, productivity, and lifestyle design for business leaders.

 

Background 

How did you start out as a creator? 

I started my business from a tiny apartment in the Dominican Republic in 2009, where I worked as a high school language arts teacher. We only had air conditioning in the bedroom, so I worked from my bed, trying to figure out how to be a freelancer. I still remember sending my first proposal—it was terrifying! My goal back then was to make $60,000. (I read a book called The Well Fed Writer that said $60k was a reasonable goal, so I went with it.)

My then-fiancé (now husband) and I moved to Vietnam in 2010, where I continued to grow my business. I blogged, too, focusing on travel and writing. I started editing books and eventually co-founded a regional magazine. I went to graduate school, kept at my business, and eventually became executive editor of Sam’s Club magazine, with a readership of 11 million. I also ghost wrote for a Nobel Prize winner in medicine for four years. 

By 2017, I found myself back in Idaho having babies and living a typical suburban life. My husband and I were happy with our family but felt like we’d defaulted into a life we didn’t choose—and we felt there were still many adventures to be had in the big, wide world!

In 2018, we decided to move to Thailand with our two kids, who were three and five at the time. When that didn’t work out, we moved to Portugal in 2019. 

What work were you drawn to? 

I originally wanted to be a travel writer, and I thought I could pay for my travels with freelance writing work. It turned out most travel publications wanted to pay me in “exposure,” and I knew there had to be a better way to earn a living.

I had always been interested in business and leadership from a young age, and while I spent much of my early business years in health and wellness, moving into the business and leadership space felt like a natural fit. 

What problem did you face? 

There have been so many hardships—after all, I’ve been in business more than 12 years. Probably my biggest hardship was more than eight years ago, when a major contract was cancelled, through no fault of my own, just a couple of months before my first child was due. I was terrified because I made the bulk of our income and we didn’t have enough savings to ride out the loss. I remember sitting at my desk, reading my client’s email, and sobbing. 

I’ll never forget what it feels like to be so close to the edge financially. I have endless empathy for creators in early stages of their businesses, especially when others count on you to support them financially.

Lightbulb moment 

How did you solve your problem? 

I let myself dwell in sorrow for about 4 hours and then got to work. I scrambled to find a new client. Importantly, I recognized the power of the relationships I’d built, and the power of asking. I emailed a potential client I’d been connected with for months and said something like: “I just had space open up. Would you like to start your book now?”

He said yes, I fully replaced the income within two weeks, and that win felt incredible. I built new faith in myself that I could win at business.

 

How did you envision solving the same problem for others? 
The work I do today enables my clients and students to make an impact while growing their businesses at the same time. While most of the clients and students I work with aren’t as young and green as I was back then, they are embarking on a new stage of influence, which can feel incredibly daunting. I aim to make their journey easier through resources, education, and—of course—meaningful emails in their inboxes every week.

Current success & work 

Where are you now in your journey as a creator? 

Today, my business brings in near the mid-six figures and I have a small but mighty team passionate about helping people share their ideas, expertise, and stories through writing. I have a book-writing program, Nonfiction Book School, and get to live my passion every day writing books, teaching, and coaching. My list building has been steady, and I’ve made strong progress in the past year, doubling my list since the initial launch of my program in 2020.

I live in southern Portugal with my family of four. My husband is a stay-at-home dad and two phenomenal kids. We love our life here.

How is ConvertKit supporting your work? 

How is it not? Seriously, ConvertKit is absolutely ingrained in everything I do, from sending weekly emails to subscribers, to providing valuable guides and other resources, to communicating with students in my program.

What types of people are you helping now? How has your list grown as you’ve helped solve this problem for others? 

I help leaders use the power of writing to clarify their ideas, stand out in a crowd, and make an impact. Specifically, I work with aspiring nonfiction authors to help them write their nonfiction books; speak and train on productivity, lifestyle design, and writing; and have a team of writers and editors who provide ghostwriting services.

Growing my list is intertwined with my success in business, because the more people I reach, the more people I get to serve. The best part is the reciprocity of list-building: as I support more leaders on their journeys of authorhood and influence, my list continues to grow organically, I get to help more people . . . and the cycle goes on. I can’t wait to see what 2022 holds!

Bio

Stacy Ennis is a best-selling author, book coach, and speaker, as well as the founder of Nonfiction Book School. She served as long-time ghostwriter for a Nobel Prize winner in medicine and executive editor of Sam’s Club’s Healthy Living Made Simple, a publication that reaches around 11 million readers. Stacy’s latest coauthored book is Growing Influence (Greenleaf Book Group, 2018); her TEDx talk, “How to raise brave kids,” has been viewed tens of thousands of times around the world. She lives in Portugal with her husband and two children.