Feed the Soul cafe
Redesigned their digital presence to showcase their full wellness offering, launched email marketing that now drives 90% of their signature events (65% open rate, 8.7% click rate), and provided ongoing strategic support that expanded their café hours and created a new revenue stream through consistent event bookings.
Alex came to me with a wellness café that was doing well locally – but she knew it had untapped potential. At face value, Feed the Soul was a café – but it was also a yoga studio, an events venue, and a wellness hub. But not many people online knew that.
Their website only told the café story. The yoga classes, evening events, supper clubs, and wellness workshops were completely hidden. The messaging was outdated, the branding didn't reflect what they actually offered, and there was no system to book anything online.
More importantly, they had a dormant email list of 250 people that Alex had been meaning to activate for years. She wanted to turn that list into a consistent booking driver, but she didn't have the capacity or technical knowledge to make it happen.
The real challenge? Alex and her brother Nick were working every hour at the café. They needed a strategy they could actually implement without adding more to their plate.
The Strategy
Redesigning the Digital Foundation
I started by auditing their entire digital presence. The old website was showing only 10% of what they actually offered. I redesigned the site from the ground up—refreshed the fonts and colours, rewrote the messaging, and completely restructured the layout to showcase the full picture: the café, the yoga classes, the events, the supper clubs, the wellness workshops.
I also added a booking system for their yoga classes, making it easy for people to sign up without emailing or calling.
Launching Their Email Engine
Once the website was live, we focused on the email list. I set up their email marketing on Mailchimp (and then moved to Flodesk after they outgrew the free plan), integrated it with their Squarespace website, and took on the responsibility of managing their monthly sends.
The goal wasn't just to send emails, it was to give them a strategic, ongoing touchpoint with their community that didn't require Alex to do the work. I handled the planning, writing, and sending each month, while Alex could focus on running the business.
Building a System for Sustainability
Beyond the immediate projects, I provided ongoing strategic support and optimisation. The email strategy wasn't a one-time setup, it's something I help them evolve and refine each month based on what's working.
The Results
Website & Traffic Growth
20% increase in monthly website traffic within two months (796 → 874 → 956 visits)
Website now showcases their complete wellness offering, not just the café
Email Marketing Performance
65.8% open rate (industry standard is 20-30%)
8.7% click rate (industry standard is 2-3%)
90% of their twice-monthly evening events are now booked through the emails I send
Business Growth & Impact
Evening events consistently fill with ~20 attendees per event (40+ bookings per month)
Expanded café hours from Fri-Sat only to now including Wed-Thu due to increased demand
Long-Term Sustainability
Alex remains happy with the ongoing retainer relationship
Continues to implement and grow the strategy independently
Still receiving new bookings and inquiries from the email strategy each month
What Alex Said
"Betsy has helped me massively with relaunching the new and improved website, my yoga booking system, and my newsletter! I could not do it without her. I am not techy at all and need all the help I can get. Betsy has made it all possible – she's guided me through everything and been very patient with me. I have loved writing these newsletters so much."
"Since working with Betsy, my brother and I have actually made time to sit down and plan our events and the café properly – something we'd always wanted to do but never quite managed before. Having her support with our monthly emails has made such a difference too. We've had people getting in touch about bespoke cakes and asking about events in a way that they didn't before. It's created a new point of connection with our community, and I know we wouldn't have seen that without Betsy's help."
Why This Matters
This case study shows what happens when strategy meets execution – and then evolves to ongoing optimization. I didn't just redesign a website and disappear. I identified the real gaps in their digital presence, fixed them, and then built a system (email marketing) that now drives 90% of their events.
Those emails are directly booking their events. Every month, 40+ people book through the email channel because the messaging is aligned, the timing is right, and the offer is compelling.
This is what happens when you combine digital strategy with ongoing support: a business that goes from under utilising its potential to fully booked, with the confidence and systems to keep growing.
If you’re looking for support to grow your business, contact me to discuss how I can help you create a greater impact.
