Episode 274

full
Published on:

13th Jan 2026

Why You Should Plan Your Customer Journey Like You Plan a Day at Disneyland

I just booked my first Disneyland trip of the year, and the second I hit confirm, my brain went straight into planning mode — not because I love spreadsheets (okay, maybe a little), but because Disneyland is not a place you wing it.

And neither is your client experience.

In this episode, I walk you through why planning a Disney day is the exact same skill you need to design a calm, trustworthy client journey — and why most people make email writing way harder than it needs to be by skipping this step.

You’ll hear:

  1. Why your customer journey doesn’t need to be complicated — it just needs to exist
  2. How mapping your touchpoints prevents overwhelm, silence, and confusion
  3. The real reason writing client emails feels exhausting and repetitive
  4. Why “what happens next?” emails are a process issue, not a client issue
  5. How planning the journey first makes email writing faster, clearer, and easier

If you’re tired of making decisions in the moment, rewriting the same emails, or feeling like your client experience only works because you’re babysitting it — this episode will show you where to start.

Inside Email Like You Mean It, we map your full customer journey first, then write every email that supports it together in five focused days — so you can finally trust the process you’re walking your clients through.

➡️ The next sprint starts February 2nd

Learn more at coliejames.com/email

And if a Disney trip has been on your to-do list? Take this as your sign to book it — and actually enjoy it.

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