Episode Details

Ready to build the business and go from corporate to entrepreneur?
👉 Join the Clocked Out Collective 

You built your following one post at a time… but what happens when the algorithm changes tomorrow?

Your follower count isn’t the asset.

Your email list is.

Today, I’m joined by newsletter strategist Laura Haley, who has grown her email list to more than 16,000 subscribers without chasing trends or relying on the algorithm.

And if you’re a female entrepreneur building a business while still working your 9-to-5, this conversation is basically your sign to stop sleeping on email marketing.

We’re breaking down why email marketing is still one of the most powerful tools for building a business, how to get your first subscribers when you have basically no list, and how to write emails that actually feel like you — instead of another overly polished marketing email begging someone to buy something.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Why email marketing can outperform social media when it comes to ROI
• Why your 1,000 Instagram followers are NOT the same as 1,000 email subscribers
• How to get your first email subscribers without having a huge following
• The easiest place to find your first subscribers: your DMs
• How to use Instagram's automated DMs to grow your list
• Why newsletter collaborations are an underrated way to grow your audience
• Whether you should run ads specifically to grow your email list
• How newsletters can actually make you money through sponsorships
• Laura’s favorite email marketing platforms, including Kit, Flodesk, and Beehiiv
• Why you probably don't need five different platforms to run your business
• Plain-text emails vs. beautifully designed newsletters — and which one is actually converting
• The 80/20 rule for balancing value and selling in your emails
• How to repurpose the content you're already creating into newsletters
• How to find your voice when you're still in the messy middle of building your business
• Why behind-the-scenes content is one of the easiest newsletter content angles
• How to use your newsletter to drive people back to your existing content
• How email marketing fits into your bigger corporate-to-entrepreneur transition

The biggest takeaway?

Stop treating your email list like another content platform. Start treating it like an actual business asset.

You don't need to create brand-new content for your newsletter every week. In fact, Laura says 80% of your newsletter content can come from content you've already created.

That Threads post that popped off? Turn it into an email.

That video that's converting? Turn it into an email.

That thing you've been talking about for the 47th time? Yep. Turn it into an email.

You're not starting from scratch. You're just putting your best ideas somewhere you actually own.

And when you're building a business on the side of a full-time job, working smarter matters.

Connect with Laura:

Listen to her podcast: The Travel Creator 

Follow her on Instagram: @travelcontentwriting

Ready to build the business that replaces your 9-to-5?

 Join us inside the Clocked Out Collective at start.clockedout.media.

Free 5-Minute Training

Every woman I know who successfully built a business while working a 9-to-5 followed the same four steps — and almost all of them tried to skip step one.

So I created a free 5-minute training specifica