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Episode 295

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Published on:

5th Mar 2026

Going From Side Hustle to Structured Business Starts With Better Emails with Christi Dorsey

What if your side hustle wasn't just extra income, but the most creatively fulfilling part of your life? In this episode, I’m sitting down with Christi Dorsey, a nutrition expert, food science consultant, and full-time government professional. We talk about what it really looks like to build a thriving consulting business alongside a 9–5.

Christi isn’t new to entrepreneurship. She’s been running her consulting company, Taste Symmetry, for over a decade. But as her business evolved, her systems and client communication needed to evolve with it. That’s when she joined Email Like You Mean It to overhaul her customer journey and finally build backend systems that matched the elevated experience on her new website.

Find It Quickly

00:24 - Meet Christi Dorsey

03:21 - From nutrition degrees to global food safety work

07:20 - The “1099 Queen”

10:18 - Why she decided to expand her business again

11:40 - Why she joined Email Like You Mean It

15:13 - Her Foundation Experience offer explained

23:00 - Rewriting her client emails from scratch

25:47 - The offboarding email and the power of repeat business

29:03 - What she’s working on next in her systems

40:05 - Why “my emails are fine” might be holding you back

Mentioned in this Episode

Email Like You Mean It

Systems in Session

Connect with Christi

Website: tastesymmetry.com

Instagram: @tastesymmetry

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/taste-symmetry

Mentioned in this Episode

Email Like You Mean It

Systems in Session


Connect with Christi

Website: tastesymmetry.com

Instagram: @tastesymmetry

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/taste-symmetry

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Show artwork for Business-First Creatives

About the Podcast

Business-First Creatives
A podcast about systems, workflows, and business advice for creative service providers.
Business-First Creatives is a podcast for photographers and creative service providers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business without drowning in admin work, client experience chaos, or systems that let you down.

This show delivers clear, actionable conversations around marketing, CRM workflows, client communication, Dubsado and Honeybook automation, Airtable systems, and workflow strategies, giving photographers and creative entrepreneurs the systems that scale, operational clarity, and strategic, human-first client experiences they need to build streamlined, referral-worthy business operations that don't require working 24/7.
If you're tired of babysitting your inbox, chasing down contracts, or watching your workflows break the moment you look away, this show will help you move beyond "figuring it out as you go" and toward a creative business that brings you joy and a paycheck.

This podcast provides answers to questions like:
How do I automate my client journey without losing the personal touch?
What CRM workflows do photographers and creative businesses need?
How can I use Dubsado or Honeybook to streamline my client experience?
What systems do photographers need to save time and deliver exceptional client experiences?
How do I reduce admin time in my creative service business?
Why do my workflows keep letting me down (and how do I fix them)?
How can I build a profitable creative business that brings me joy and a paycheck?
What's the best way to communicate with clients throughout their journey?
How do I create systems that work even when I'm not babysitting them?
How can I map my client journey to convert more inquiries into bookings?

Hosted by Colie James, a Dubsado Certified Specialist, Honeybook Educator, and Workflow and Automations Guru with 10+ years helping creatives systemize their businesses—this show delivers practical, no-BS guidance for photographers and creative entrepreneurs who are ready to streamline their client journey, automate their operations, and make money from their craft.

If you're done dropping balls and ready to build a business-first creative operation with systems that scale, you're in the right place.

Find out more about Systems in Session ➡️ https://coliejames.com/systems-in-session