More freebie Teleclasses! Business Plans, Law of Attraction & More!

I wanted to share with you another free resource for you and your Joyfully Growing Business! 

This one is a free teleclass with one of Canada's top coaches, Andrea Lee, author of Money, Meaning and Beyond and Multiple Streams of Coaching Income interviewing yours truly!  I'm excited to be on the call and share some attraction principles for launching your best year ever!!

Here is the announcement and link to find out more information to join the call! 

Focus: How Do Business Planning (Yuck!)
and the Law of Attraction (Yum!) Overlap??

If you're like the VAST majority of biz owners, the new year is essentially upon us and you have NO PLAN for it.

2008 stretches out ahead of you like an echoing and empty canvas. The possibilities are boundless and...quite a little daunting.

Will you be able to make the year profitable and enjoyable, harnessing the laws of attraction that you hold so dear? What does 'living' the law of attraction as a business owner mean?

Join this call to hear Andrea interview Laura Howard West, the creator of the Joyful Business Guide system. We'll cover real tools and actions you can take to make it a meaningful and moneyful year.

After years of pulling of everything from million dollar grand openings to Santa parades, Laura's marketing and business savvy is second only to her 'systems-oriented thinking.'

Business planning need never be boring again!

Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Time: 1200 noon to 100pm Eastern / 900am - 1000am Pacific

To Register for this free call: CLICK HERE

Enjoy - Hope to "hear" you on the call!

Laura

Joyful Business Podcast - Escape from Cubicle Nation with Pam Slim

Don't miss another episode - subscribe today and be the first to know when a new podcast comes out - http://www.joyfulbusiness.com/subscribe.html

Here is the fourth episode of the Joyful Business Podcast featuring interviews with some of the most talented and joyful entrepreneurs on the Internet. Each interview is full of nuggets of wisdom about how being joyful and mindful in your business brings you the success you deserve. You'll find tips, stories, and real life ideas for keeping the joy, passion and creativity alive.

Join us every two weeks in Cafe Entrepreneur for a new interview.

If you enjoyed this Joyful Business Podcast then sign up for our free ezine. so you won't miss out on the announcements about upcoming podcast interviews. Click to subscribe...

Episode #4 features Pam Slim from Escape From Cubicle Nation and Ganas Consulting. In this episode, Pam shares how helping her clients get in touch with their authentic selves is a key to helping them escape the corporate world and start their own businesses. She also talks about how she tunes into her own different types of joy.

Listen to the Podcast:

En-JOY!

Laura

Free Monthly Success Strategy Teleclass:

Creating Your Virtual Teams for Greater Success with Ease

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Time: 2pm eastern/ 11am pst / 7pm UK

As a solo-entrepreneur, you don't have to do it alone. Actually, smart & joyful entrepreneurs find ways to create a virtual support team for their business for greater success with more ease and fun! Join us as we talk about what a virtual team looks like, how you can put one together over time, and some creative ways of adding people to your team that fit within your budget as you grow your business.

If you are a coach, consultant, writer, real estate agent or have a business in another type of service professional industry - don't miss this class!  This class is for smart business owners who are ready to get out of the same projection of sales potential for the year - and break through to a new level!

<

Click Here To Register!>

Personal Note from Laura: 

I hope you can join us!  In 2008 we are offering a free monthly teleclass focused on a different Success Strategy for your joy-filled business.  These are all topics that are true to my heart. The topics come from my own personal experience of what works and what doesn't. Most of all I focus on how can you create more of the success you are looking for - money, joy, energy, creative expression and making a difference - all while juggling a busy life you love. It's not impossible but there are some tricks to how you run your business! It's a whole new perspective and I hope I can help guide you through your growth so it's a little bit easier and less filled with time & money consuming mistakes!

This month's topic - Creating Virtual Teams - is a real key to being able to leverage your time and your joy - partner with others who have strengths in the areas you don't. This frees you to focus on your current and new clients! It allows you to do what you do best!

Watch for more topics on each Success Strategy Call. Put it in your calendar: the 2nd Tuesday of the month:  Creating a MasterMind Group; Your First Info-product; Money Games are just some of the topics we'll explore!  Make sure you are subscribed to our bi-monthly ezine so you'll be in the loop about our upcoming teleclass programs!  If you want to subscribe:  CLICK HERE!

Cheers to a Successful 2008!

Laura

I've Been Tagged! 7 Random Things About Me

7 Random Things About Me

I've been tagged by Deb over at Story-Beads. Her blog is Spiritual Anecdotes. Deb is part of our Joyful Business Journey program  and I'm just getting to know all the wonderful things about Deb and her business(and there is a lot!) and now I get to learn a couple of quirky/random things!  Deb is a very creative business owner...she has a cool business creating ritual beads....very inspirational!  I put in my holiday request to my hubby and ordered a few gifts as well!

Ok, so Deb and hopefully you, dear reader..want to hear 7 random things about me? ...So, here it goes:

Oops, first I'm suppose to post the rules! 

1. Link to the person’s blog who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog.

Here we go...

1. I love sticky notes!  I have them in all colors, shapes and forms!  My LPE (Life Partner Extraordinaire) puts them in my stocking!  (hint, hint...keep it coming love!)

2. Speaking of which...my first album was KC and the Sunshine Band - tKeep It Coming Love & Shake Your Booty) the white one with the rainbow on the front (from my best friend, Teresa - I still remember my locker being decorated!)

3. I started my own business in 2001 after working with a coach (my first coach was Stacey Mayo, now author of a great book, "I Can't Believe I Get Paid to Do This!")  to try to recover my passion.  I was so burnt out in corporate after 5 buyouts and mergers in 6 years...I was freaked out...who is a marketing person without passion?

4.  Joyful Business came from my own pursuit of expressing myself. Most people think I'm just positive. Nope...(well, now I usually am)..but I've had to develop the habit over the years of daring to discover my joy and having the courage to express my joy and let it out into the world (ie: be seen!).

5. I love scrapbooking supplies - kind of related industry to sticky notes.  I could just stand and dream of possibilities in the scrapbook aisles at Michaels. The I buy a few things and they sit waiting to be used...one day....

6. My wedding band inscription from my marriage last year has the inscription: 1221 with the first 2 turned backward...the two 2's look like two swans forming a heart.  There's more story behind that.... :)

7. I have Rose Quartz rocks on my desk...these help you tap into your heart energy.  Think about how watches are run on crystals...they have energy....I love my rocks!

8. Trying to think of wierd things..not coming up with much wierd..but here's a bonus quirky thing....when I get really busy I decompress at night when I get into bed by watching the same DVd over and over again...a couple years ago it was Moulin Rouge...this fall it's Pride & Prejudice.  Over and over...every night....I don't have to think, I just enjoy, I start at random places and just let it go. It doesn't matter if I fall asleep, I don't have to keep up with the story line...just relax and enjoy.... any body else do that?

Ok...how'd I do??

So a sidenote from a business perspective...I can't help myself:  So I am curious about this phenomenon of "tagging" people and wanting to read 7 Random things.  It's defintely a "marketing thing" in several ways...it links your blog with other blogs which gains points with the web spiders....it also gives you some personality and makes you seem real to your readers. And Marketing is all about "Building Relationships" and this is one way to do this....

Now I'm tapping some friends who blog...Please share 7 Random Things...

Linda Woods and Karen Dinino - the sisters behind the book Journal Revolution - really inspired by your video done in the car by one of your sons using a cell phone video recorder - can marketing get more fun & easy?!!

Pam Slim @ Escape From Cubicle Nation - As a former escapee I love her blog and business observations...and Pam we want to know...what KIND of cupcake were you eating when you got excited about the Back Fat niche?

Serenity Hawkfire - (Fans of Suzanne Falter-Barnes- cover your eyes & ears and get prepared to laugh!) - I can't even imagine what Random/Wierd Things Serenity could share that she hasn't already... Serenity Hawkfire

Beverly @ Embrace Your  Gifts and Soar - You've got to see her BIG tree photo from Hawaii!

Dawn @ Write Well U - She always has a fascinating perspective!

Antonia at Antonia Russo.com NY Fashion...coming at you!

Sharilyn Horne (my web guru) Sharilyn Horne Designs...humor and techno info...

Teresa @ Woman Soaring - Teresa is testing the waters with a new blog - this will give you a content idea!

Have fun!!

Laura

Ready for a New Year? Start with Appreciating 2007!

If you want 2008 to be even better than this year then start by appreciating 2007!

But I'm too busy to think about this! 

I beg you to find some time - even if it's in the first week of the new year, find some time to look at the last year.  Notice and appreciate where you have been.  We are amazing people and we accomplish so much. We often overlook how amazing we are. Nothing will build your confidence more than to acknowledge and appreciate what you have now.

Gratitude and appreciation puts us in joy.  It has us connect with peace, bliss and contentment. And this lets down our resistance and has us be in alignment with what we love and enjoy. It's so much easy to create a fabulous new year when you are coming from a place of love and joy.

Here is a MindMap from the Joyful Business Guide.  It's called the Celebrations MindMap. The Joyful Business Guide uses attraction principles in your business planning tools to help you achieve greater fulfilling success. The Celebrations MindMap is one of the tools in the system.

The beauty of these tools is that it's all about capturing your ideas, inspiration, and in this case, your Celebrations in a way that is easy, creative and inspirational.  This catapults your confidence and enthusiasm and truly shifts your perspective.

The Celebrations MindMap here is one I completed this afternoon in about 30 minutes.  I'll give you some tips in a moment, first, I want to share a bit about my process.  I had a very rough week this week. My 10 year had a hospital procedure - a GI probe put in for 24 hours to determine if he has acid reflux and if that is what causes him to have a raspy, hoarse voice or even loose it.  Anyway, all you parents (even of the 4 legged kind) know how emotional it is when you have anything like this done to your child.  Later in the week, my "previous husband" (who I know is one of my spiritual teachers and I'm a hardheaded student!) had all sorts of strained "discussions" about realigning our child care situation.  Ok, so what does all this have to do with Celebrations? 

I think by the end of today I just went "down the tube". you know that place where you are really hard on yourself. You think limiting thoughts like "I'll never do this", "It can't happen", "What am I thinking?"...yes, even Joyful Business owners occasionally go to this place. Fortunately I've learned how to get myself out.  I think by the end of the day I was so "pissed" off at "life" that I took out my Joyful Business Guide and thought, Ok, what HAPPENED in 2007? I dare you to make me feel good! LOL!!

Well, I was amazed...things just started flowing. I keep writing, and writing. I started laughing at how hard I am on myself!  (I can be the worst boss!) I scanned in my MindMap 3 different times because I kept adding things to it. I know I will keep adding things over time.

I can tell you that it totally shifted my mood, my attitude and got me back in alignment with my joy-flowing energy which will help me in creating an amazing 2008!

Here are some suggestions for you Celebrations MindMap.  And if you'd like to find our more about the useful attraction tools in the Joyful Business Guide please check it out here!

Celebration Suggestions:

List the tangibles...what did you accomplish? Products, Programs, Revenue Goals, new clients, new services?

Awards, Accomplishments and Certifications

Get any amazing testimonials from clients or collegues?

Personal Accomplishments - health goals, self-care, relationship shifts, For me...I changed my business model to creating more products so I could reach more business owners with business/marketing with integrity information and tools at affordable price points and it allows me to have more flexible time to be with my family and new marriage.

Many of us are learners and are constantly growing....notice what you have learned....where have you grown? Take any interesting workshops, programs?

Celebrating attracting new relationships into your life?

Celebrate "Who You Have Been in 2007" - For me I have stepped into my expertise and confidence at a greater level, gained clarity for what I "really" want in my life and business, expressed courage to put my writing and creativity out into the world, .....How about you?

You can create it any way you like it!  Notice that my MindMap isn't perfect. It's a bit messy and has mistakes...it's not about that. It's about the inspiration I get when I look at it, the infusion of confidence I get when I dare to "claim" who I am!

Dare to make it colorful, messy, add photos, quotes.....don't add photos or quotes...keep it simple....just do it! Claim the beautiful and amazing person you are! 

It's very powerful!

Plan your Retreat Time for celebrating 2007 and gaining clarity about what you want to attract and create in 2008!  Take your Joyful Business Guide with you - it's the perfect companion!

Cheers!

Laura

Joyful Business Podcast: Creating Your Business From Your Vision

Don't miss another episode - subscribe today and be the first to know when a new podcast comes out - http://www.joyfulbusiness.com/subscribe.html

Here is the third episode of the Joyful Business Podcast featuring interviews with some of the most talented and joyful entrepreneurs on the Internet. Each interview is full of nuggets of wisdom about how being joyful and mindful in your business brings you the success you deserve. You'll find tips, stories, and real life ideas for keeping the joy, passion and creativity alive.

Join us every two weeks in Cafe Entrepreneur for a new interview.

If you enjoyed this Joyful Business Podcast then sign up for our free ezine. so you won't miss out on the announcements about upcoming podcast interviews. Click to subscribe...

Episode #3 features George Johnson from Entrievis. In this episode, George explains how your vision should be the primary driver of your business and how to use your energy to focus on the one idea that will propel you to success. He also shares how periodic retreats help him to recharge his batteries and move his business ahead.

Listen to the Podcast:

En-JOY!

Laura