Build your email empire while everyone else is on vacation
A reflection on why "slow season" is actually empire-building season
I've been thinking a lot about timing lately. Not the kind of timing that marketing gurus preach about… when to post, when to launch, when to send emails. I'm talking about the kind of timing that separates strategic entrepreneurs from reactive ones.
It's July. Client calls are slower. People are sending "I'll be back in a week" auto-replies. Everyone's talking about summer being the "slow season" like it's some kind of business death sentence.
But what if you decided to use this exact moment – when everyone else is mentally checking out – to build the systems that will carry you through to the end of the year?
The Story Your Business Keeps Telling You
Here's what I know about business cycles: they're predictable in the most beautiful way. Summer slows down. September picks up. October gets intense. November and December are pure hustle mode for most of us.
Every year, the same pattern. Every year, the same scramble. Every year, the same exhaustion as business owners realize they're behind on content, behind on strategy, behind on everything that could have been planned ahead.
Your business has been telling you this story for years. The question is: Will this year be different?
This summer, I'm honestly obsessed with the fact that while everyone else mentally checks out, I get to fly under the radar and build empire-level systems, all while making time to work through my TBR list, reading breezy summer novels in my hammock. There's something deliciously sneaky about using the slower pace to get strategic work done without the pressure. By the time everyone snaps back to business mode in September, I'll already be three moves ahead.
Why Most Email Marketing Feels Like Punishment
I used to dread email writing. Every week, same routine: stare at blank document, panic about what to say, scroll through other people's newsletters and feeds for "inspiration," eventually cobble together something that felt forced and fake.
The problem wasn't that I didn't have anything to say. The problem was that I was treating each email like a standalone piece of content instead of part of a larger story I was already living.
Then Laura Belgray taught me something about emails that changed everything: "Your story is the strategy."
Not your story AND your strategy. Your story IS your strategy.
That moment when I was failing at the climbing gym, stubbornly trying the same hard route over and over? That wasn't just a random Tuesday. That was a perfect metaphor for how we approach growth in business – staying comfortable versus pushing ourselves toward the next level.
The broken front door I "fixed" with a Tupperware lid instead of calling a contractor? That became an entire email about prioritizing what matters in business. Sometimes good enough really is good enough, especially when other things deserve your energy more.
These stories were already mine. I just needed to see them differently.
The Empire You're Not Building (But Could Be)
Here's what most entrepreneurs miss: you already have years of email content sitting in your Instagram Stories, your LinkedIn posts, your everyday moments of realization and frustration and breakthrough.
You're not starting from scratch. You're mining for gold in a mine you've been walking past every day.
The 9-Week Email Empire framework I shared in this week's podcast episode isn't about creating more content. It's about strategically repurposing the stories you've already lived into emails that connect, convert, and run themselves.
Three strategic sprints. Nine weeks total. By Labor Day, you have 20+ story-driven emails ready to deploy while everyone else is panicking about Q4 content.
But here's the part that gets me most excited: this isn't just about email marketing. When you extract the strategic stories from your experience and turn them into a systematic approach to connection, you don't just build an email list. You build authority. You build trust. You build a business that feels aligned instead of forced.
The AI Piece That Changes Everything
I'm not talking about using AI to write generic emails that sound like every other AI-generated newsletter. I'm talking about using AI as your strategic partner to see connections between your stories and your audience's needs that you might miss on your own.
When you feed AI your real stories, your actual brand voice, and your audience's specific challenges, something magical happens. You’re using AI to reflect your strategic thinking back to your audience in a way that really connects.
That climbing gym story could be about taking risks, pushing comfort zones, OR persistence in the face of failure. Three different emails from one moment. AI helps you see those angles and craft them into content that feels authentically you but strategically sound.
The Rebellion of Planning Ahead
There's something quietly rebellious about using summer to build systems for fall. While everyone else treats July like a content vacation, you're quietly setting up your Q4.
And no, I”m not promoting hustle culture here... this is working smarter, not harder. This is choosing to be the entrepreneur who shows up consistently, authentically, and profitably because you built the infrastructure when you had space to think.
By September, when everyone else is scrambling, you'll be the one with the cheeky little smile. Not because you worked harder, but because you worked differently.
Key Takeaways:
Summer "slow season" is actually perfect empire-building time
Your existing stories are a content goldmine waiting to be strategically mined
AI works best as a strategic partner, not a content replacement
Planning ahead isn't hustle culture, it's smart business
Email marketing works when it connects through story, not just tips
Systems built in quiet seasons carry you through busy ones
Your story IS your strategy when you know how to connect the dots
Ready to build your Email Empire before Labor Day? The full framework breakdown is waiting for you in this week's podcast episode.
What story from your business journey keeps teaching you new things? Hit reply and tell me. I read every single one.