Create Your Own Business Holiday: How I Made 5 Figures Poolside (And How You Can Too)
Aug 21, 2025
If you’ve ever felt the pressure to constantly show up online just to stay relevant, you’re not alone. And if the idea of launching in July makes you cringe because, well, everyone disappears? Same here.
But what if you could sell out your offers, grow your email list, and actually enjoy your summer?
In this post, I’m sharing the exact steps I used to create Holly-Days —a playful, permission-giving, low-effort launch strategy that generated 5 figures while I was on vacation with my kids.
No ads. No webinars. No social burnout.
Let’s dive into how you can steal this sustainable sales approach for your own business.
The "Summer Slump" Mindset Shift
Every July, like clockwork, business tends to quiet down.
Engagement dips. DMs go cold. Everyone's "waiting for fall."
But here’s the thing: I didn’t want to wait.
I had:
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Offers I believed in
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Systems that were already built
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A deep desire to be poolside with my kids and make sales
So instead of putting everything on pause, I created our own moment.
And just like that, Holly-Days was born.
Part pun, part promo, and a whole lot of ease.
If you’re someone who’s been taught that you have to be “on” all the time to make sales, this is your permission slip to do it differently.
Why Holly-Days Worked (And Why Your Version Will Too)
This wasn’t just another discount week. We treated it like an actual holiday — with excitement, surprise, and celebration baked in.
We Branded It Like an Event
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Themed days with cheeky names like "Strategic Santa" and "Launch Elf"
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Bright, bold visuals that screamed summer fun
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Surprise bonuses each day that felt like gifts in their inbox
We leaned into the holiday metaphor, tapping into the psychology of tradition, celebration, and gift-giving. When people see your business having fun, it makes them want to join the party.
This wasn’t spammy or pushy. It was joyful. Intentional. Anticipated.
Subscribers replied to the emails. They looked forward to the next day's message.
It was the opposite of launch fatigue. It was inbox delight.
It Created Anticipation
Like any great holiday, Holly-Days built anticipation. We teased it ahead of time. We hinted at what was coming. And by the time it launched, our audience was ready.
We didn’t over-explain or oversell. We built curiosity and trust.
What We Sold (And How We Curated It)
I didn’t toss out a random discount code and hope for the best. I handpicked a few offers that made strategic sense for mid-summer energy:
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Anti-Social School: 7 enrollments with a limited-time discount
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Crush the Rush Club: 5 annual memberships at 50% off
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The Bot Bundle: 1 sale (first time offered solo)
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The Planner: 2 sales for our tangible-product lovers
Why This Lineup Worked
Each offer solved a different pain point for our audience:
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Overwhelmed with content? Anti-Social School
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Need systems and support? The Club
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Looking to automate? The Bot Bundle
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Love pen-and-paper? The Planner
Instead of being everything for everyone, we curated for intentional action.
Revenue? 5 figures.
Effort? Refreshingly minimal.
It wasn’t about creating new things. It was about packaging what I already had in a fun, seasonal way.
The Simplest Launch Plan You’ll Ever See
Here’s what we didn’t do:
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No ads
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No live webinars
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No daily social media
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No new landing pages
Here’s what we did do:
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One single reel
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Daily emails with a short story + that day’s offer
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Reused assets from past promos (with minor copy tweaks)
We sent one email per day for 5 days. Each email had:
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A playful subject line
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A short story (either mine or a client’s)
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A clear offer
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A small surprise
Real-Life Snapshot:
Me, at the pool. Phone in hand. Scheduling emails between sunscreen reapplications.
This launch was built around my life—not the other way around.
And guess what? It worked.
The Surprise Wins We Didn't Expect
Sure, the money was great. But these other wins were just as important:
1. 100 New Organic Subscribers
No list swaps. No lead magnet upgrades. Just people genuinely excited to follow along.
They shared the emails. They forwarded them to friends. They clicked "subscribe" because they wanted to be part of the next one.
2. Massive Backend Clarity
Running this forced us to review what we already had. And spoiler: we had more than we thought.
We discovered that:
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Our email flows still worked
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Our landing pages didn’t need a redesign
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Our copy just needed light polishing
We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. We just had to drive it.
3. Momentum Without Burnout
I didn’t feel exhausted at the end. I felt energized. Clear. Excited for next year.
Because when you market in alignment with your values (ease, joy, sustainability), it doesn’t feel like a chore. It feels like a celebration.
This is what sustainable marketing feels like.
Steal This: How to Run Your Own Branded Sales Holiday
Ready to build your own version of Holly-Days? Here’s your shortcut:
Step 1: Pick a Date That Defies the Norm
Look at your calendar. What time feels slow? Empty?
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Mid-summer
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Post-holiday slump
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Your birthday week
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The week after a big industry event
Pick a time when your audience isn’t expecting to be sold to. That’s your opening.
Introducing a new private podcast series that’s just for you if you’re sick of all the Instagram BS! (or insert social channel of your choice). You can build a business without being a slave to the social engine. Grab the free series.
Step 2: Name It + Theme It
Give it playful energy. Think in metaphors. Holidays. Inside jokes.
Example:
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"CEO Reset Week"
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"Summer Sprint"
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"Revenue Revival"
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"Fall Into Flow Week"
The name alone should make someone want to open your email.
Step 3: Choose Smart Offers
Don’t offer everything. Curate 1–3 offers that:
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Are seasonally aligned
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Solve a timely problem
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Feel fun to promote
Look for what your audience needs right now, not what you feel pressured to sell.
Step 4: Keep It Light + Repeatable
Plan for:
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Daily emails (pre-scheduled, story-driven)
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Optional social media (one reel max)
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Reuse your old sales pages and emails
Use what you’ve already created. Tweak the top line. Add a bonus. That’s it.
Bonus Tip: Drop a surprise or bonus midweek. People love it.
Step 5: Save Everything
This becomes your annual plug-and-play launch.
You do the work once. Then next year? You tweak and repeat.
It’s not just a campaign. It’s a tradition.
Real Example: A Peek Behind the Curtain
Here’s what one day looked like inside Holly-Days:
Subject Line: "🎁 Today’s Gift = Strategy You Can Steal"
Body:
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Short story about a client who ditched Instagram for email and doubled her revenue
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Highlighted offer of the day
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Surprise bonus: a free training replay
CTA: "Grab your spot before the clock strikes midnight."
We repeated this rhythm every day. The consistency made it easy for us and expected for them.
It turned the sales sequence into a mini event.
Final Takeaway: Your Business Deserves Its Own Holiday
You don’t need to wait for Black Friday. You don’t need a 30-day pre-launch runway. You just need intention, personality, and ease.
Holly-Days reminded me:
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You can sell without social media burnout
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You can reuse what you already have
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You can make selling feel like fun
It’s not about doing more. It’s about making what you already have work for you.
I’m already counting down to next year.
Want Help Building Yours?
Join us inside the Ditch the Social Drama Workshop where I walk you through how to:
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Build your list without dancing for views
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Launch without overwhelm
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Create sustainable systems for consistent revenue
Let’s create your version of Holly-Days — one that works for your life.
Check out Anti-Social School or join the Crush the Rush Club to access the exact AI tools I used.
About the author
Holly Haynes is a female business coach and business strategist who loves a good plan and flow chart. She is crazy passionate about teaching women like you how to build your dream job and scale to 6-figures without sacrificing your weekends or priorities.
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