Hereâs the thing.
Iâm a confident introvert in my 50s, officially diagnosed with ADHD who finds social activities exhausting and prefers to stay home with a good book. I have zero desire to give a TED talk and would die if I had to manage a big team.
And yet, despite ignoring the majority of âexpertâ advice, Iâve been running a successful six-figure business online for the last 15 years.
Along the way Iâve had three books traditionally published, created 16 much-loved and impactful e-courses and built the most loyal and wonderful audience of peeps hailing from over 50 countries around the world. And Iâve done it without trying to be anything other than exactly who I am. I rely on my heart more than my head when it comes to running my business. Of course, that doesnât mean I donât use my head, itâs just not my only navigation.
In a nutshell, I embrace my individuality and view it as a superpower in a world of internet sameness!
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To me a heart-centred business aligns with your values and genuine expression of your self. It allows you to flow with your energy levels and personality traits to make work less about struggling and more about THRIVING. Heart-centred also makes marketing your work a joyful thing instead of something to feel awkward about.Â
Everything Iâve created has been born out of experimentation, intuition and consistently showing up for the people I serve â and for myself too. Since creating my first online course back in January 2009 my business has grown organically around me, becoming the shape I want it to be, rather than the shape others said I âshouldâ create. Want to know how I do it?
I rely on my heart more than my head when it comes to running my business.
Heartâcentered is the perfect description for this course
something that feels so nurturing amidst all the noise telling me how I have to be (i.e. NOT in tune with my heart â ugh) in order to have a successful business.
â SEBENE SALASSIE
Welcome to The Inside Story
If youâve ever wanted to pick my brain about how I run my online business, this refreshingly honest course is for you.
From how I got started and how I run my biz with ADHD, to the tech I use, how I create and run my courses, build community and navigate social media as an introvert, Iâll share everything Iâve learned in 15 years of running a successful heart-centred business.Â
PLUS! For this session we'll have FOURÂ Zoom calls where you can ask me absolutely anything đ
This isnât a blueprint, itâs a permission slip to create a business that fits YOU.
The fantastic thing about being your own boss is you get to make your own rules! Itâs normal to want to get it ârightâ but you simply have to get it right for YOU. Your lifestyle, your energy levels, your passions, your purpose.
I donât have a magic formula because there isnât one (anyone who says there is should be avoided at all costs!) but if you can see yourself in me â creative, introverted, most likely neurodivergent and oh so passionate about what you want to give back to the world â then itâs my honour and pleasure to tell you everything I know about making online business work for YOU.
The Inside Story is the most genuine online business course I have ever taken.
While all the others felt like loud megaphones blasting with announcements that I'll never have success online as an introvert, The Inside Story has been like a soothing cup of tea on a cold day."Â
â CAROLINE DONAHUE
Hereâs what we'll cover...
FOUNDATIONS
In the first module weâre laying down the foundations. Iâll take you through the evolution of my business, why blogging changed everything for me after my bereavement and how the online business world has changed (for the better!) over the last 15 years. Weâll do a deep dive into creating a business that fits YOU, how to work with your strengths (and figure out what they are) and explore why nurturing a relationship with your inner child will help to strengthen your business confidence.
This module includes the deeply insightful Meet Your Inner Child workbook.
STRUCTURE
In Module Two Iâll break down the structure of my business, how I get shiz done (with a very neurospicy brain!), whoâs on my tiny team and what they do, and the online and offline tools I use in my biz. Iâll also share my all-important numbers, including the metrics I pay attention to (hint: thereâs not many), what Iâve invested in and what I regret buying. Iâll take you through the creation of a business journal, help you learn how to trust yourself to make the ârightâ decisions and go deep into biz visioning!
This module includes my epic Journalling Tips workbook.
FIND YOUR PEEPS
Building community is the cornerstone of a heart-centred business and in the Module Three Iâll explain exactly whatâs worked for me when navigating and staying sane on social media. Iâll share my theories on marketing in ways that feel genuine and natural, dig into how to âbe yourselfâ online (without the cringe) and share lots of ideas on how to find your ideal peeps. Weâll also tackle our fears about visibility, examine how social media is changing and my inside scoop on Substack.
This module includes the mighty Be a Lighthouse workbook to help you attract your audience.Â
TEACH YOUR JOY
In the fourth module I break down how I create my e-courses and outline the different types of online platforms available. Weâll break down the nuts and bolts of building an online offering, how to run and maintain courses and communities and Iâll explain my policy on customer service. Weâll also spend time looking at how to promote our work with integrity and help you price your offerings in a way that feels good.
This module includes my invaluable Making Magic workbook to help you plan your entire course piece by piece.
SHARE YOUR HEART
My mailing list of 33K people is the most essential asset in my entire business and in Module Five I explain why the realisation that it wasnât just a newsletter but a way to build a tangible relationship with my audience changed everything. Iâll give you all my best practices including what and HOW to share, how often and how to get people to sign up in the first place. I'll take you through the evolution of my Love Letters and the way I use heart-felt language in my writing (no sleaze tactics here!)
This module includes the Build Your List workbook, a 30-page deep dive into growing a sustainable mailing list.
VALUE YOUR SELF
In the final module weâll dive deep into the foundations of our money blueprint. Iâll share my own personal money story and the thought healing Iâve had to do, explore why the way we talk about money in society isnât helpful and uncover the truth of why we are so deeply and truly worthy of abundance. Iâll also share my Money Friendship Formula and address all your money worries so you feel empowered to charge what you and your work is worth.
This module includes the Your Money Blueprint workbook to uncover your money mindset origins and grow your abundance muscle.
Susannah generously opens up about everything (everything!) involved in running her business and offers insights about how to do what feels authentic and right for me. I love that it's not a prescription to follow â she's not telling me to imitate her, she is sharing so deeply about her process and offering so many useful resources that The Inside Story serves as an actionable inspiration for MY heartâcentered business. Everything from organizing software to a simple tarot/oracle spread that I have now incorporated into my morning routine. I hope to offer eâcourses as brilliant and powerful as Susannah's (and she includes a kickâass course planning workbook for that) but I also know that I am a social introvert and people connect well to me in person. A small number of live courses and events actually nurture and sustain me AND those are good for my heartâcentered business.Â
I am not exaggerating when I say that The Inside Story changed my life. When I joined I was in my first year as a Squarespace web designer and even though I was doing well I wanted to explore the feasibility of adding online courses to my services. Susannah not only offers outstanding guidance and a wealth of information and tools in her class, she has also built an exceptional community of nurturing and supportive business owners around her. I am not a hustler and my approach is more gentle and personable, which is no doubt why Susannahâs heart-centered philosophy has always spoken to me! My business has grown very organically as a result and three years on my courses have attracted hundreds of students and I am ready to take the leap away from active web design into full-time online education.
Get on the waitlist
Registration opens ONCE a year, so hop on the waitlist to be emailed when registration reopens đ§Ą
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The Inside Story waitlistÂ
IS THIS FOR YOU?
If youâre a year or two into your business, or ready to take your side-hustle full time, this course will help and inspire you.
Insiders who took the first incarnation of The Inside Story have created masterminds together, launched courses, built solid coaching practices and felt empowered to take their businesses to new financial heights. If figuring out how to best connect with your audience has been holding you back, this course will explain how I do it. If you worry that being an introvert is a hindrance, Iâll definitely convince you otherwise. And if youâre wondering if it really is possible to mix the personal with the professional, Iâm living proof that, yes, it is!
In short, The Inside Story will save you time, show you whatâs possible and inspire you to create and run your business on YOUR terms.
I was recently inviewed by Inside Story alum Kerstin Martin and we chatted about about creating an online biz that feels calm and spacious, ADHD and neurodivergence, knowing who you are and how you work best, inner children and a million other tangents that naturally appeared!Â
I'm a writer and teacher living in London with my naughty kittens, Mousey & Lolly. I've been sharing my heart online since 2006 (old school blogger!) and I'm the author of the memoir This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart. I spend my days helping people all around the world access their creative joy and nurture a deeper kinder relationship with themselves.
My journalism degree lead me to a brief career as a fashion editor and journalist in the early 2000s before my world imploded after my partner passed away in 2005. In 2006 I began blogging about my bereavement journey and unintentionally grew an international audience around my words.
In 2008 I was invited to teach a personal development class locally and in 2009 I transformed that first workshop into an online course. In the years since Iâve created 16 more courses, led workshops and retreats in the USA, the UK and Morocco, and built a deeply loyal and engaged community.
Running my creative business online for the last 15 years has taught me so much about selling your heart-centred work and putting yourself out there as an introvert and sensitive soul. Itâs absolutely possible to do work thatâs in alignment with your values and supports your community while also honouring your energy levels and paying your rent. I canât wait to show you how I do it.
Questions & Answers
HOW DOES THE COURSE WORK? - THE FULL COURSE
WILL THE CLASS TEACH ME HOW TO CREATE AN E-COURSE?
HOW DOES THE COURSE WORK? - TEACH YOUR JOY / SHARE YOUR HEART
IF I PURCHASE ONE OF THE STANDALONE MODULES, CAN I UPGRADE TO THE FULL COURSE LATER?
I HAVENâT STARTED MY ONLINE BUSINESS YET â WILL THIS COURSE HELP ME DO THAT?
WILL I BE ABLE TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS AND GET FEEDBACK?
I HAVE AN ESTABLISHED BUSINESS â WILL I GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS?
THE PRICE IS IN BRITISH POUNDS â DO YOU ACCEPT PAYMENT IN OTHER CURRENCIES? / REFUND POLICY
This course is an absolute gift. It changed the way I approached my newsletter, my website and has given me the confidence that I will thrive online because of my introverted nature, not in spite of it. If you've felt overwhelmed by other courses and think being online just isn't for you, this is the course that will make all the difference in the world. I'm so grateful to have such a complete and honest view behind the scenes in Susannah's business. This has inspired me to keep going and keep growing in this world in a way that is right for me. Thank you thank you, Susannah, for all the hard work and heart that went into the making of this. And thank you for staying in touch so well in the Facebook group so we can all keep sharing. Worth every penny and then some.
Iâve taken two or three courses on running online businesses, and I've learnt something useful from all of them, but The Inside Story was the game-changer. Finally, a course that's about running a business tailor-made to suit me and my personality, but which combines the integrity-filled heart-centred approach with lots and lots of practical details about the nitty-gritty of how to make it work, what's helped, what hasn't. Perhaps most importantly, you have given me a step by step guide to how to grow a community. I've been following your advice and it's working - my mailing list is four times as big as it was three months ago. The money I spent on The Inside Story is, hands down, the best I've invested in my business in the three years I've been working online.
