e.shockley

05/13/2026

𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼” 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.
There are genuinely good businesses losing customers every day because their online presence feels confusing, unfinished, outdated, or inconsistent.
And that sucks ... honestly because most of them ARE good at what they do. Professionalism online matters whether people want to admit it or not!
𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗘 & 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 ... 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
-𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘰-𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘴𝘩*𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘦 💅
𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 ↣ 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆.𝗰𝗼𝗺

05/13/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮.
It actually needs consistency, clearer messaging, less chaos & a website that doesn’t make people work to figure out what you do.
A lot of small businesses aren’t struggling because they suck. They’re struggling because their online presence feels all over the damn place ... different logos everywhere. random fonts. outdated info. no clear next step. half-finished DIY projects hanging on for dear life.🥴
And honestly? Customers notice that stuff wayyyyy faster than business owners do!
If someone landed on your page right now, would they immediately understand ...
→ what you do
→ who you help
→ and how to work with you?
Or would they have to go full FBI investigator first?
-𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘰-𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘴𝘩*𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘦 💅
𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 ↣ 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆.𝗰𝗼𝗺

05/13/2026

Good morning to everyone except businesses still using blurry logos from 2017.

05/13/2026

One of the weirdest parts about working for yourself honestly is the guilt that comes with resting.
Even when you finally sit down, your brain is still running through emails, unfinished projects, invoices, content ideas, deadlines, and all the things you “should” be doing instead.
A lot of business owners have gotten so used to constantly being in work mode that relaxing almost feels uncomfortable.
The internet made entrepreneurship look like if you are not working 24/7, grinding constantly, or being “productive” every second of the day… you must not want success badly enough.
Meanwhile most business owners are mentally exhausted and running on caffeine, overstimulation, and pure obligation honestly.
Rest is not laziness.
Taking a breath does not make you less ambitious.
And constantly running yourself into the ground is not a personality trait.
Some of y’all do NOT need another productivity hack.
You need a nap and one full day where your brain isn’t in survival mode.

05/12/2026

✨🥰

We’re so excited to announce the release of our SECOND Top Priority Horses coloring book! 🎉🐴📚

Please see the link to purchase in the comments!

Horse Care with Huck & Outlaw is officially published and ready to inspire young horse lovers with fun, educational pages all about caring for horses — alongside everyone’s favorite floppy-eared sidekicks, Huck & Outlaw! 💙

From grooming and feeding to riding lessons and barn safety, young horse lovers will learn real horse care basics through playful adventures, coloring pages, activities, and lovable barn characters.

Created around real horses, real lessons, and real barn life at Top Priority Horses, this book encourages kindness, confidence, responsibility, and creativity while making learning fun.

Perfect for:
• Horse-loving kids
• Beginner riders
• Summer camps
• Lesson programs
• Birthday gifts
• Barn families

Includes:
✓ Coloring pages
✓ Horse care activities
✓ Barn lessons
✓ Word searches & games
✓ Meet the horses of the barn
✓ Official Barn Helper certificate

Come learn, laugh, and color your way through Horse Care 101 with Huck & Outlaw! 🐴🐾

A huge thank you to the incredibly talented illustrator e.shockley for bringing this book to life with her amazing artwork and creativity. Every page is packed with charm, personality, and fun for kids of all ages.

We’re so proud to continue creating books that help educate and encourage the next generation of horse enthusiasts. Stay tuned for more exciting things ahead from Top Priority Horses! ✨

05/01/2026

𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅. 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆.
not everything in your business needs a full overhaul.
sometimes you just need 𝗢𝗡𝗘 thing fixed so everything else stops feeling off.
so i’m starting something new...
✨𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗙𝗜𝗫 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬✨
every friday = one thing, fixed fast, no dragging it out
today’s fix ... 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗦𝗘𝗢 (𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁)
if your website isn’t getting traffic, isn’t showing up, or just kinda exists … this is probably why.
here’s what i’m actually looking at...
→ what’s helping vs what’s hurting your site
→ what’s missing (aka why google is ignoring you)
→ what you should actually be targeting keyword-wise
→ your homepage + page structure
→ if you’re even showing up at all
and the part that actually matters ...
i’m not just telling you what’s wrong...
i’m telling you exactly 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅 & 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝘁
no bullsht. no confusing reports. just real direction you can use immediately.
𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱: 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆
this is for you if ...
• your site feels invisible
• you’ve been winging your seo
• you know something’s off but can’t figure it out
𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴: $𝟱𝟬 (𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆)
𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘀 ; comment “SEO” to grab yours!
signed,
your no-bullsh*t business bestie 💅

05/01/2026

Let me paint you a very real scenario…
Small business owner skips hiring a designer, hops into Midjourney or DALL·E, types in “modern western flyer, bold branding, high-end vibe”… hits generate… posts it everywhere. Website, Facebook ads, flyers, the whole nine.
Looks decent.
They’re proud of it.
Couple weeks go by… and then comes the email.
Not a lead. Not a client.
A cease-and-desist.
Turns out the image the AI spit out? A little too close to a real photographer’s work… or worse, the layout and branding feel just a little too similar to a bigger, established company. Enough that it triggers a copyright or trademark claim.
Now they’re being asked to:
→ Take everything down immediately
→ Stop using the design
→ Potentially pay damages or settle
And if they push back? Cool… now you’re talking legal fees, attorneys, and court costs that will eat up way more than what a designer would’ve cost in the first place.
And before anyone says “but I didn’t know” ... doesn’t matter. Under U.S. law, you’re still responsible for what you use in your marketing. Even the U.S. Copyright Office makes it clear AI doesn’t magically protect you here.
So real question…
Would you rather:
Pay a designer a few hundred to do it right, with assets you actually have rights to…
OR
Roll the dice on a “free” AI flyer & risk paying attorneys, settlements, and redoing your entire brand under pressure?
Because one of those is an investment.
The other is a gamble.

04/30/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻/𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄…
𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 (𝘀𝗼 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹) ✨
↣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲.
You can absolutely build something on a smaller budget.
But you can’t expect custom strategy, fast turnaround AND premium results …on a “let’s keep it cheap” budget.
That math doesn’t math.
↣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱… 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.
New logo. New colors. New vibe.
Cool. Love that for you.
But if people still don’t understand what you do, who it’s for & why it matters …it’s just a prettier version of the same confusion.
↣ 𝗔𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗿. AI is great for getting ideas & speeding things up ... but now everyone has decent graphics, decent captions, decent websites. And guess what? “Decent” doesn’t sell.
↣ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘆 “𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁”… 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀.
“I just don’t love it” , “It’s not popping”, “Can we make it better?”
Okay… but how? Because without actual feedback, we’re just playing design roulette.
↣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹… 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲.
If you already know exactly what you want, down to the pixel... why’d you hire someone? There’s a difference between collaboration & micromanaging your own project.
↣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 “𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲.” And THAT is why your content flops. If you’re trying to speak to everyone… you end up connecting with no one. And no ... posting more WILL NOT fix that.
↣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘂𝗴𝗹𝘆. People don’t leave because “oh the font is wrong” ... They leave because “I don’t get what this business does in 5 seconds”.
↣ 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗱-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁… 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆. Not us.
Silence for 2 weeks ... then “just checking on progress 👀”.
Be serious.
↣ 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄.
Not that you’re broke. Not that you’re rude. Just that you weren’t ready. Because people who are serious? They ask questions. They communicate. They figure it out.
↣ “𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗜𝗬 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘄” 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 “𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿.” Once to try it yourself. Once to fix it. We see it all the time.
↣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
New platform. New app. New trend. None of that matters if your messaging is off, your offer isn’t clear & your strategy doesn’t exist
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀…
You can not expect consistent growth, higher-paying clients, a strong brand …while treating your business like a “when I have time” situation.
I’ve been doing this for 10+ years. I’ve worked with all kinds of budgets, all kinds of businesses, all kinds of expectations.
I will meet you where you’re at.
But I will not pretend that cheap + fast + no strategy is going to build you a real business.
Most businesses don’t have a marketing problem…
they have a clarity, consistency, and commitment problem.
Signed,
your marketing + small business bestie 💅

04/29/2026

Everyone loves to scream “support small business” until it actually requires them to follow through.
So let’s talk about the part nobody says out loud.
When you don’t pay a small business… when you drag your feet on invoices… when you ghost after someone has already put in time, strategy, or work for you ... it’s not just “inconvenient.”
It creates a chain reaction.
That unpaid invoice?
That’s groceries.
That’s software subscriptions.
That’s bills that don’t magically pause just because you decided to disappear.
Small businesses don’t have a cushion or a corporate backup plan. There’s no finance department absorbing the hit. It lands directly on one person ... the same person who showed up, did the work, and made your business a priority.
And when you ghost? That time doesn’t come back.
That’s hours that could’ve gone to a paying client.
That’s real income that was planned for ... gone.
That’s momentum lost.
Meanwhile, people will drop money with big corporations without blinking, but hesitate, negotiate, or vanish completely when it’s time to pay a small business fairly.
Now, I’ll own my side too.
I’ve had to learn all of this the hard way.
One bad client can throw off an entire schedule, and that’s exactly what happened. I’m now playing catch-up because I allowed space for someone who didn’t follow through. That part is on me ... lesson learned.
I’ll recover.
I always do.
But it doesn’t change the principle.
We are all human.
We all have financial responsibilities.
And I stand by this 100%:
I CAN NOT care more about your business than you care about your business.
So to my clients who show up, communicate, pay on time, and understand that I’m one person serving multiple businesses at once ... thank you. Seriously.
I’m in catch-up mode this week cleaning up after a few bad apples, and I appreciate the patience more than you know.
Supporting a small business isn’t a hashtag.
It’s respect.
It’s follow-through.
It’s doing what you said you would do.
Anything less? That’s not support.

04/23/2026

Well… looks like the internet clocked out before I could even clock in. 🙃

Spectrum says there’s an outage & the time has been pushed 3 times since 4AM ... So if you’re waiting on emails, designs, or anything from me… blame the WiFi, not me. (I am trying to sort through everything from my phone as I can!)

Real talk though …
who are y’all using for internet these days that actually works? Because I’m about one outage away from switching providers out of spite.

Drop your recs 👇