🏰 Everyday Empires: How Madison went from a 9-5 to financial freedom in 6 Months
🏰 Everyday Empires: How Madison went from a 9-5 to financial freedom in 6 Months
Learn how Madison outpaced her office salary in just 6 months, building a consulting & digital product business around a tool many of us use daily
Hey folks,
Welcome back to Everyday Empires (issue #3!), your weekly interview series with everyday founders. Today, we’re featuring Madison, the mind behind A Simple Notion.
From the world of marketing and project management, Madison spotted an opportunity in a tool many of us have on our desktops: Notion. Within a mere 6 months, she didn't just acquire clients—she surpassed her 9-5 salary. Inspired and invigorated, Madison didn't hesitate to dive headfirst into her new venture.
So, how did a project manager, once dreaming of starting her own venture, actually make that dream come alive?
Let’s dive into the conversation (5 min read):
Can you give us an elevator pitch for A Simple Notion? What problem are you solving, and who are you solving it for?
A Simple Notion helps entrepreneurs build Notion systems that help them scale. With the power of Notion, I teach business owners and solopreneurs how to optimize their businesses AND build beautiful products that win them lifelong customers.
What inspired you to start A Simple Notion? Can you share what your mindset was like when you decided to take the plunge?
I always wanted to start a business, but it took me a long time to find one that fell within my Ikigai. Then, in 2022 I realized that people were building 6-figure businesses off of Notion. As a 3-year Notion Pro User, I was instantly hooked. I decided that there wasn't any more time to wait and that I didn't want to spend another year working in a 9-5 that I didn't love. So, I started posting on Twitter and launching templates. Within 6 months I landed enough client work to outpace my salary, so I quit my job.
Could you describe how you got A Simple Notion off the ground? What were the initial steps, and what challenges did you face?
Initially I focused on audience growth and wasn't intending to monetize for a while. But once I got plugged into the Twitter community, I realized I had more than enough knowledge and expertise to crush it in the space. So I started launching templates and learning how to market myself.
The big challenges so far have been trying to balance growth with my actual work. Growing an audience and building a Notion business are 2 different things. So trying to make time to do both and make sure I'm growing in both domains simultaneously has been full of challenges.
How long have you been running A Simple Notion, and how has your team evolved over this period?
It's still just me at this point, but I do have plans to enlist the help of some VAs very soon. I don't intend this to stay a "solopreneur" venture forever. My goal is to optimize myself OUT of my business eventually. Maybe not entirely, but enough so that I don't have to do any of the tasks that aren't within my "Zone of Genius".
I started this business with the intent to build passive income and a career I loved, but that also offered me the flexibility to become a mom and not have to worry about managing a boss AND a baby simultaneously.
💡Note from Ken: “Zone of Genius” refers to that sweet spot where your talents and passions meet, allowing for optimal performance and joy. For budding founders, it's about honing in on what you excel at and truly enjoy, then building a business around that strength. Ideally, other tasks—those outside your zone—get delegated or outsourced over time.
How do you define success for A Simple Notion, and how close are you to that vision?
My North Star for this business is to be able to grow and manage it on auto-pilot while still getting to participate in the parts of it that I love.
Ultimately, I'd like to get to the point where I'm earning 30k+ a month in a semi-automated fashion so that I don't have to work more than 10-15 hours a week and can focus on projects that I truly enjoy.
I'm probably at least a year away from achieving that, but that doesn't mean I won't be optimizing my lifestyle to get as close to that dream as possible as I go.
Can you share a glimpse of your day-to-day life as the founder of A Simple Notion? What does a typical day look like for you?
Honestly, there is no "typical day" for me right now. Every day is different based on what my top priorities are. Some days I start my mornings slow and don't sit down to work until noon or 1pm. Some days, I'm full of ideas and I'll sit down at my desk at 7:30am and work until 3pm.
Lately, since my husband and I are in the process of moving across the country, I tend to go to coffee shops to focus since our house is kind of a mess.
It just depends on what's going on that day and what needs to get done. But I'm fortunate in that I'm able to run my business on about 3-4 hours of dedicated work each day. Soon I'll be back to more of a 9-5 schedule though.
How do you manage work-life balance, and what routines or practices have you found beneficial?
Work-life balance is the absolute best part of this business for me. I LOVE being able to "choose my own adventure" each day and decide when, where, and how I work. I find that going to coffee shops for certain tasks really helps me focus, so I tend to do that when I need to write or do a lot of planning/ideation. When I need to do deep Notion work, I usually don't start until the afternoon/evening as I like to work at my desk when it's getting dark outside.
Being able to work at my own pace and work based on my energy levels has been a HUGE bonus for me. I never fit into the 9-5 because I couldn't adhere to that schedule well. Now that I call the shots, I find I'm a lot less stressed about work.
Can you share some key financial metrics to give us a sense of how A Simple Notion is doing?
Currently, A Simple Notion is making roughly $8k/month with most of that coming from one big client retainer. It's about 95% profit as well.
I'm going to be launching a TON of products and templates before the end of 2023 though, so the goal is to match or exceed that number with sales. I haven't focused as much on product sales yet because the client work is what allowed me to replace my income so quickly. But ultimately I'd like at least 60% of my revenue to be coming from passive template and course sales.
What's next for A Simple Notion?
I have a lot coming up before the end of 2023. I'm going to be launching a masterclass soon that will focus on helping fellow Notion entrepreneurs get into high-ticket consulting. I'm also revamping my product suite to include several courses and ebooks that will focus on helping entrepreneurs get the most out of Notion.
That’s a wrap
A massive shoutout to Madison for sharing her journey! I love how she spotted that others were having success building businesses around Notion, realized she had the experience (and interest) to do the same, and immediately got to work.
Follow her on X/Twitter at ASimpleNotion – she’s a great follow if you’re interested in entrepreneurship, W/L balance, building a personal brand, and of course Notion!
In fact, let’s end this email with a Tweet (Xeet? I haven’t gotten used to this whole X thing yet) from Madison:
And, if you’re interested in leveling up your business processes with Notion, Madison also has a newsletter:
👉 https://asimplenotion.com/newsletter
Lastly, if you haven’t already, take a peek at Madison’s website to better understand her consulting and digital product business.
Questions or feedback?
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this issue of Everyday Empires (or didn’t), please let me know in the comments, reply to this email, or DM me on X/Twitter.
If you know someone (or are someone!) whose journey could encourage others to launch a venture, please let me know. I’m always on the lookout for relatable and inspiring stories.
Until next week,