I’ve spent a lot of money on bad business advice in the 10 years I’ve been running LadyBug EarthCare, and that’s what I want to help you (or your friend) avoid with the EarthCare Professionals Collective.​

The worst time was when I spent $1000 per month for a year (yes, that’s $12,000) after being persuaded by two women to join The Boss Project (the name alone should’ve been a red flag haha, but this was a while ago!).

Don't judge me, Reader!

I was so desperate to improve my skills as a business owner, I overlooked the red flags.

This email is for those of you who want to do ecological work professionally - whether that’s as a nature-based contractor or running your own land-based business - with integrity and support. If you just want to DIY or learn more, I have a program coming soon for you, called The EarthCare Journey. This new program will offer founding circle members 4 seasons of support to move through ecological grief and overwhelm, into connection, action and impact for the planet. Please click here to let me know if you are interested in The EarthCare Journey for DIYers in any Place (windowsill, porch, backyard, farm), anywhere in the world. If you join EarthCare Professionals by May, you will get the Journey program included for free!

At the time, I was just starting to realize I was the CEO of my company (not just a professional plate-spinner, gardener, and personal assistant to everyone with a plant, haha). I needed guidance to hire team members and enter a delegation role as the company was growing.

I was hesitant about joining The Boss Project, but I was pressured into it with a generous amount of free 1:1 time. They listened and responded thoughtfully and I was impressed. I thought that represented the way they would show up for me inside the program too (take notes).

I was told that they could solve the problems I was facing and make my investment back 10x. They even told me one of their husbands was a landscape designer, so they’d have insider insight into my industry. That really made me believe they could.

I did my due diligence, asked a lot of questions, and explained that I was doing things very differently from the standard approach, but they didn’t listen. They just promised their offering would work for me, like it did for thousands of others in my shoes.

That year, I spent hundreds of hours studying, taking their classes, showing up live to coaching calls, asking questions, and working through their process.

To “unlock” my monthly one-on-one calls, I had to complete assignments. I only unlocked 3 calls when I should have had 11, despite my efforts. The assignments weren’t relevant to my business.

Even worse, I couldn’t get out of the contract. They had my direct banking info, not a credit card that I could just cancel. I begged them to let me go, after trying for 6 months, and they said no. On top of that, they basically ignored me and all my needs thereafter.

That was just one of many, many hard lessons I’ve learned about unethical online businesses and bad business mentorship.

That’s also why I’m so passionate about making sure the EarthCare Professionals Collective is nothing like that, Reader. So what is it going to be like?

1. A space where you can bring your messy, confused, overwhelmed self - and I will respond by holding a healthy container through agreements we will all align with up front.
2. To “unlock” everything in the Collective, you only have to read our foundational teachings - this is to make sure we’re all on the same page, not to stop you from getting your value.
3. Pricing in this founders' cohort is based on what you can afford (more on that in the visionary invitation) and that’s actually the first assignment.
4. I start subtly mentoring you for free, through emails and assignments, but not excessively until you consent and commit.

To request your invitation, you can reply to this email.

Our next Professionals RoundTable is on May 7 at 1:00pm ET

Topic: how to find clients and manage these vital relationships well.

Collective Members will get the entire year-long EarthCare Journey and EarthCare Library for free. And my support on your path toward becoming a professional without breaking the bank.

Whether or not you join the EarthCare Professionals Collective, I highly suggest you check out the Girl Boss Apology Tour (all genders welcome!) where more stories like this will be on tap.

​Girl Boss Apology Tour ENCORE – FREE this Weekend Only (April 24-26) My dear friend, consent-based marketing mentor, and song sister Tarzan has put together this event to have honest conversations about what it means to run a business with integrity. It was so good, her audience demanded an encore. So it's free again this weekend! If you only have time to catch one session, I highly recommend any of these: John Berghoff - How To Lead A Transformational Experience Online Tarzan Kay - Behind the Scenes of a Classic Girlboss Fairytale Liz Wilcox - Everybody Wants Liz Wilcox’s Business (Here’s How To Get It) This is valuable even if you don't want to run a business, just to see what real healthy online leadership can look like. ​→ Get Your FREE Ticket here I also grabbed the $25 all-access pass, which is a donation to teach kids about consent at school, so that I could come back to the recordings on my own time. It's so cheap, I highly recommend it. But the event is totally free this weekend, no catch - and no, I will not profit from this promotion.

And if you haven’t reached out about joining the Collective yet, my inbox is open.

Just hit reply and ask to be invited. I want your proactive interest. It's more relational.

There will be no pressure tactics, just thoughtfully curated information to help you decide if this space is right for you, like it was for 6 others already!

We’d love to have you, when you’re ready.

Stay wild and willing to work,

Kendra

Kendra Marie Hoffman

CEO of LadyBug EarthCare
Founder of the EarthCare Professionals Collective
Curator of the EarthCare Library