592 - How I Built a 10-Year Client Waitlist Without Relying on Social Media with Jessica Freeman

What if staying fully booked didn’t require posting every day, chasing trends, or hustling on Instagram? In this episode, I’m joined by Jessica Freeman, award-winning designer, SEO strategist, and founder of Jess Creatives. After 10+ years in business, Jess has built a multi-month waitlist—without launches, ads, or the algorithm dictating her success.

We dive into how she intentionally designed a life-first business (including 10 years of work-free Fridays), what actually drives her consistent referrals, and why SEO still beats social in longevity and ease. If you’re craving stability, sanity, and predictable revenue as a service provider, this conversation is a breath of fresh air.

Today you’ll hear:

• 02:30 – What “life-first business” looks like for Jess today—and how Fridays became sacred space
• 04:05 – Why she left hustle-heavy tactics behind and embraced SEO + referrals for long-term stability
• 05:50 – The Facebook-group scramble that made her rethink her entire marketing approach
• 08:51 – How she built a waitlist in her first month—and why it’s remained a core part of her business mode
• 10:25 – Why her waitlist fluctuates (and why a “shorter” waitlist still triggers anxiety every year)
• 11:25 – The power of payment plans for predictable revenue—no launches required
• 12:39 – How Jess books clients months ahead by simply educating and sharing real-time availability
• 13:53 – Why SEO is her #1 organic strategy—and how a single 2020 blog post still brings clients today
• 15:20 – How she uses scarcity ethically by sharing true capacity (not manufactured urgency)
• 16:34 – The referral system that brings in most of her clients—with bonuses clients actually use
• 17:55 – How she stays top-of-mind with just a few personalized check-in emails a year
• 19:18 – Why sharing other people’s offers boosts her referrals and relationships
• 20:45 – The easiest next step to grow referrals (set a recurring reminder—seriously)
• 22:30 – The boundary that changed everything: no more “quick little projects” squeezing into her calendar
• 23:38 – The one marketing channel she’d keep: why Instagram still works for personality-driven brands
• 25:10 – Why Threads feels refreshing—and how it’s helped her book clients, too
• 26:20 – The grounding ritual that began after losing her mom—and still centers her today

CONNECT WITH JESSICA:

Website: www.jesscreatives.com

Instagram: @jesscreatives

Free Resource: How to Find Keywords for Your Website - https://jesscreatives.com/keywords/

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