Hi, I’m Sandrine!
In over ten years of helping others build their businesses, I’ve learned that there is no magic formula to success.
While online courses and marketing methods can teach you a lot about what works and what doesn’t, following a framework to the letter just doesn’t work for most.
After all, YOU are what makes your business work: your personality, your work ethic, your skills and talents, your likes and interests.
And my “zone of genius” happens to be helping people to organise their ideas, their content, and their priorities - so they can focus on what works for THEM, and grow their business in a way that’s fun and inspiring.
How it all began…
With degrees in communications and sociology, I worked in our family business for over ten years before moving to Brussels and joining the corporate world.
But it wasn’t until I moved to Amsterdam and couldn’t easily find my dream job in a new country, that I decided to start my own business… one of the best things I ever did.
I couldn’t believe no one had ever told me about this option and it took me over 30 years to find out!
Starting my own business was one thing, making it 100% online a couple of years later was another milestone. This allowed my husband and me to pack up our things and move to an off-grid home in Spain.
Since then, I’ve turned into a passionate advocate for online entrepreneurship - I love helping others build a business that fits their way of life and gives them the freedom to make time for what’s important to them.
My brothers and me, in the early 1990s. The three of them now run the family business in Belgium.
I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions that are guaranteed to work “as is” for any business… but there are a couple of methods I will gladly apply in some form or other whenever I can.
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When I started blogging, I found my way to Rachel Miller’s “Grow Your Audience” course (back then, it was called “Moolah”).
It focuses on finding your “perfect people” (persona, or ideal client avatar) and creating content they can’t help but engage with.
As the course helped me grow my own audience from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand engaged fans, Rachel gave me the opportunity to join the team as a coach.
Rachel also gave me the opportunity to build and run her Facebook membership for social media managers, and even help to reorganise, rebuild and relaunch her “Grow Your Audience” course.
We parted ways after 18 months when I went on to focus on my own clients’ marketing, but my time with Rachel and the Moolah team gave me invaluable experience and insights on building, running and launching online group programs.
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I first heard of “Building a Storybrand”, a book by Donald Miller, around 2017 or so in Stu McLaren’s “Tribe” course.
The book had an immense impact on the work I did for my clients, and I started recommending “just the first chapter” to everyone I worked with… most ended up reading the whole book.
The Storybrand framework is all about making your client/customer the “hero” of your brand’s story; you or your brand can then be the “guide” that helps the hero achieve success.
I tried applying the ideas to my client work but it didn’t really “click” until I decided to become a Certified Storybrand Guide.
The tools I learned to use as a Certified Guide allow me to easily translate my clients ideas and thoughts into structures (website, funnels, strategy) and marketing copy that instantly resonates with the people they want to reach.
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I have been applying Mike Michalowicz’ “Profit First” method to my business finances for years, but his earlier book “The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field” was just as big an eye opener.
The Pumpkin Plan method teaches entrepreneurs to make their business more profitable and easier to run, by focusing on their best clients/customers - and offering them exactly what they need.
To me, the Pumpkin Plan is the missing step that comes just before the Marketing Made Simple framework: if you try to reach everyone, you end up reaching no one - even if you’ve got the best brand story ever.
But when you’re really clear on who you really want to help, you can craft an offer they can’t resist and a marketing strategy that attracts the right people… and that’s where it all comes together.
Everyone will get great insights from reading the Pumpkin Plan and possibly/probably be able to make impactful decisions all by themselves.
And as a Certified Pumpkin Plan Strategist, I am licensed to use the worksheets and processes to help people find their sweet spot and make their business so much more profitable, easier, and more fun to run.
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I met Jo Bendle when she was a productivity coach running a membership program called “Wildly Successful Society”.
I was on the verge of burnout, trying to juggle my blog, my client work, and working at Moolah.
Jo taught me all the basics of productivity - and I highly recommend her productivity course to anyone!
The Wildly Successful Society offered monthly and quarterly planning sessions, as well as a virtual coworking room on Zoom. When WSS came to an end (making place for Jo’s Meant for More movement) I went astray for a while, until I started recognising the early onset of burnout again…
That’s when I started enlisting friends, peers, and team members to join me for monthly planning and regular virtual coworking.
To my own surprise, it turned out to be just as useful for them as it was for me - so I see this as a huge win-win: I offer accountability and group support, and that’s exactly what I get out of this as well.
If you your skills and knowledge can make a real difference for other people and/or for the planet, the world should know about it.
I divide my time between or off-grid home in Aragon, Spain (where my chickens, alpacas, and the simple life are), our home-closer-to-home in Belgium, and the Amsterdam area in the Netherlands (where my husband’s from).
In my free time, you’ll often find me in the vegetable garden - or playing games like Civilization and Rise of Cultures. I’m a massive Doctor Who fan, Terry Pratchett aficionado, and avid reader/watcher of fantasy and sci-fi stories.
I also have a blog where I collect information about living off the grid and growing food, and share snippets from our off-grid life in Spain; it’s called Sunny Simple Living.
I love talking to groups (online and in real life) about Storybrand, planning & productivity, and/or the ups and downs of building an online business when you live off the beaten path.
I’m happy to address your group in English, Dutch, or (depending on the topic) in French.
To contact me about a speaking opportunity, being a guest on your podcast, etc - please complete the form on the contact page - or book a free call so we can meet and chat!
Quick links
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Seeing the Bigger Picture
Building a business is about making everything work together so your audience grows and money comes in while you focus on what you’re good at.
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Clarifying messages
As a Certified Storybrand Guide, I rephrase your story so your ideal people understand it and want to take action
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Spreading skills & knowledge
When what you know can make a difference, the world should know about it. I help you strategise and launch online courses, group programs, membership sites, and educational websites.
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Supporting Freelancers
I help fellow freelancers get out of their own heads and move forward efficiently. Find resources and tools for freelancers on smartalpaca.org
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Planning & Productivity
I host planning workshops and virtual coworking sessions for all of us spending our days behind a computer by ourselves!
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Sunny Simple Living
When I moved from Amsterdam to go live off-grid in Spain, I started a blog to share our journey. From growing food to raising alpacas, find it all here.