10 Tiny Habits that Built My Chill, Six-figure Copywriting Business
By Kim Kiel, High-ticket Sales and Messaging Expert and Member of The Prosper Network
When I first left my nonprofit day job to run my own copywriting business, I was worried success would hinge on:
Posting multiple times a day on social media
Following a bro-marketer’s 5 a.m. morning routine and hustling all day
Investing in ads and building a massive email list
Spoiler: I did none of those things.
And yet, in just a few years, I built a pretty chill service-based business that crossed a million dollars in lifetime revenue. My business gives me a great work-life balance and pretty decent monthly salary, too.
Over time I’ve learned that success doesn’t come from big flashy moves. It comes from tiny habits. Seemingly small things, repeated consistently, create stability, creativity, and momentum.
Here are 10 tiny habits that made the biggest difference in building my business. Maybe one or two will spark something for you.
1. GRWM - Get Ready With Me
Sounds way too simple, but I discovered early on that even though I work from home, I needed to act like I was leaving the house. Getting fully dressed and feeling put together gets me into work mode. Every single morning, I shower, get dressed, and do my hair and light makeup. On the days I skip this and roll into my home office in my PJs and tattered Tees, my mindset is noticeably flat.
It’s not about vanity, it’s about identity. Getting ready tells my brain: I’m ready to work and I’m showing up like it matters. That flows into how I show up for my business and clients.
2. Find a Flow State
As a copywriter and creative I can get pretty stagnant (and stiff!) sitting at my desk all day. I love taking nature walk breaks. Moving my body and breathing fresh air opens my creative faucet and connects me to Source. Many of my best email or naming ideas have come while walking in nature.
Pay attention to when your best ideas hit. Could be while you’re driving to baseball practice, cooking dinner, at yoga, drawing or coloring, or singing and dancing. Block time into your calendar to find your flow and open your creative faucet.
3. Plug into Power Communities
This one really surprised me, but it’s a game-changer: joining communities.
I owe a lot of success in my business to the communities and masterminds I joined. That’s where I found my first clients, referral partners and collaborators.
Being part of supportive groups like The Prosper Network has accelerated my growth in ways that no single strategy or social post ever could. When you’re surrounded by ambitious, generous women, you gain encouragement, accountability, referrals, collaborations, and friends who’ll cheer you on. My biz besties are the greatest assets in my business.
4. Make Time to Read
I’m a big believer that reading makes me a better writer. On my desk you’ll find classics like Words That Sell and Breakthrough Advertising that I reference regularly. But I don’t just read business and marketing books. I love a great beachy romance, too. Reading helps me find stories, inspiration and sharpens my creativity.
5. Pay Yourself First
From the early days of my business, I knew I needed structure for my finances. I found that in ProfitFirst, a simple money system where you divide your income into separate accounts for taxes, profit, expenses, and owner’s pay. It sounds boring, but it’s been revolutionary.
No more surprise tax bills. No more feast-or-famine cycles. Just steady paychecks and peace of mind. It’s a tiny monthly habit with a massive impact.
6. Aim for B-Minus Work
Too often in business we don’t push publish or send because we’re busy tweaking and perfecting it. But this just stalls success and keeps us playing small. I like to aim for B-Minus work (because the reality is my B-Minus work is probably much better than I think, and yours probably is, too!). Don’t let perfectionism hold you back. Aim for progress over perfection!
7. Find a Marketing Anchor
Let’s be real. There are WAY TOO MANY options for marketing. From TikTok to LinkedIn to YouTube to email, it can be overwhelming to try and be everywhere all the time.
One of the best moves I made in my business was deciding what my one marketing anchor would be - which is my marketing podcast. Publishing an episode each week gave me a rhythm and anchor I needed in my business. Not to mention a platform to build my own authority.
Having one reliable channel helps me create consistent, quality content. And from there I can repurpose it on other channels (or not!). For you, it may be a blog, newsletter, or YouTube channel. Pick one, and try to be consistent with it.
8. Treat Everything Like an Experiment
I approach new things as “experiments.” Launching my podcast? It was an experiment. Trying a webinar? Also a test.
This framing helps me take action faster. If it flops, it’s just data. If it succeeds, I can double down. Plus it prevents me from getting stuck in perfectionism.
9. Never Start from a Blank Page
Nothing kills creativity faster than staring at a blinking cursor on an empty screen. That’s why I never start from scratch. Instead, I give myself structure.
Sometimes I insert a simple table with columns into Google Docs that gives my brain a “boundary” it needs to be creative, without being overwhelmed.
Other times I use writing prompts or copywriting formulas to help me organize my words. The combo of structure and framework creates just enough boundary to calm the overwhelm and confusion, and unleash my creativity and strategy.
10. Trust your Nudges
This might be the most surprising habit, but learning to trust the ideas and intuitive hits that come to me has served me well.
It’s so easy to talk ourselves out of our ideas - we second guess, we overthink, and we don’t trust our gut. But every time I’ve trusted those intuitive hits and nudges, it’s worked out. And if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay, because per Tiny Habit #8, it was just an experiment anyway!
Create sustainable success on your terms
Sustainable success in business doesn’t come from a viral TikTok or some bro business coach’s 5AM hustle routine. Success comes in tiny habits you build over time.
You absolutely don’t need to install all 10 of these tiny habits. Start with one or two and see what shifts. And pay attention to what’s already working for you - success leaves clues, so make sure you find and follow your own tiny habits.
If you want to accelerate your growth even more, surround yourself with women who are walking this same path to build sustainable and successful businesses.
I hope you’ll join me inside The Prosper Network!
Kim Kiel is a high-ticket sales and messaging expert who helps women entrepreneurs sell premium offers with more ease and less stress.
Connect with Kim:
kimkiel.com | LinkedIn