Content and Client System for a Solo Business

The Challenge

• Content lived across separate tools (Substack, Trello, Google Docs, a marketing calendar), which the client called "a hodgepodge of different silos"
• Ideas, production and publishing each ran on their own, with lots of repeated work and no single view
• She wanted to move from Substack to her own AI workflows, but did not know where to start
• As a visual person used to Trello boards, she needed layouts that make sense at a glance and work on her phone
• Running the business alone, she wanted simple, and knew that making things simple is the hardest part

The Solution

Approach

• Separate back end and front end: a few well-structured databases hold the data, and different views present it, so information is entered once and used in many places
• Fewer databases: in the spirit of a second brain, ideas, production and the marketing calendar became one, with no duplicates
• Room to flex: Notion acts as the organising layer and links to the tools she already creates in, such as Google Docs, without replacing them

Core Components

1. Content hub database: one database replaces the separate Content Ideas, Content Production and Marketing Calendar
2. Structured properties: Status (Ideas, Not Started, In Progress, Published), Platform (Email, Substack, Instagram, LinkedIn, Blog, YouTube), Topic and Due Date for filtering and planning
3. Multiple views: an Ideas view for capture, a Production board for workflow, a Calendar view for publishing and Platform views by channel, built for visual use and mobile
4. Content templates: preset templates and checklists for email, blog and social content to standardise production
5. Client CRM: a later phase that brings lead generation, project management and long-term outreach together

Client CRM Structure

• Leads funnel: a board of the full sales pipeline, from New Lead to Book Discovery Call, Pending Decision and Booked Client, showing where every lead stands
• Project management: live and completed projects kept apart, with calendar and board views and tags for client role and service
• Outreach hub: contacts grouped by type with last-contacted dates and outreach status, prompting timely follow-ups
• Quick actions: New Lead and New Note buttons at the top of the page to create records in one click

Client Onboarding Workflow

Her full service process became a standard checklist: discovery call, AI summaries of call notes and emails, a Google Drive folder, agreement and invoice, kick-off call, newsletter name and value proposition, translation and theme work with Claude, then a 90-minute setup call and Loom video follow-ups. Every step is clear.

The Outcome

• Content work that was spread across several tools now runs in one Notion content hub, with far less repeated work and tool switching
• A client CRM gives the one-person business a clear system for leads, projects and follow-ups
• Board, calendar and gallery views suit a visual user and work on mobile
• Delivered fully remotely across time zones, with asynchronous Loom videos
• The client recorded a thank-you video and asked about a new phase of work

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