Learn the secrets to have your business, body, and mind all working together ...
Do you ever feel like you are missing a crucial piece for gaining the momentum you want in your business — but you aren’t sure what it is?
Are you working really hard and wondering how you will EVER be able to carve out the time you need to take care of yourself?
Do you ever wonder how other women juggle all the balls that we seem to have up in the air?
Could you use more energy, sales, positivity or mojo?
Do you want to always have joy in your business?
Guess what?
One of the biggest challenges women entrepreneurs face is maintaining a working balance between so many important priorities.
The truth: your body, your mindset, and your business are all intimately related (YOU are your most valuable business asset after all!). ALL the pieces are important, and when the balance gets out of whack, none of the parts operate as effectively and as incredibly or with as much joy as they should.
My friends Dr. Melissa McCreery and Therese Skelly GET IT and they’ve put together the perfect event for busy women entrepreneurs. The best thing is, you can attend it for free! These women have put together the Body Mind and Business Breakthrough Telesummit.
This event has kicked off this week but there is still time to jump in! You’ll have the unique opportunity to learn from some of the top experts in the areas of health and wellness, mindset and mental strategy, and business breakthroughs—experts like Alexis Martin Neely, JJ Virgin, Suzanne Falter-Barns and Stephanie McWilliams. These speakers know their stuff and I am so honored to be one of them!
CLICK HERE to check out the line up of speakers and grab your seat! Making your body, mind and business work together doesn't have to be a secret any longer!
Does Everyone Love You, But They Don't Buy From You?
Do you find that your readers, fans, friends, colleagues, audiences love you, and yet they aren't buying from you? How frustrating!
It's a common hurdle you face as a heart-centered business owner growing your business.
The good news is that you are getting their attention. You are getting feedback about your great content. You are connecting! Now, you need to work on confidently educating, inviting in, and being relevant with your offers.
Here are the 4 most commons traps why your people aren't buying from you even though they love what you are up to:
1. Do they even know how to work with you?
This might seem like a silly question at first, but really I have to ask the obvious - Are you making offers and inviting people to work with you? I often see heart-centered entrepreneurs putting out lots of content, great resources (for other people), and yet they NEVER mention how their fans can work with them. These days it is all about building trust, rapport and relationships first… AND you also need to let them know how they can work with you.
Sometimes it's just a simple education process. If you don't tell them, then they don't know that you have a product that will help them. They may not realize that you can work virtually over the phone and, therefore, you can work with clients all over the world. They may not have read through your entire website to know that you offer one-on-one coaching and consulting in addition to your programs.
Don’t assume your market knows what you offer and how they can work with you. You have to tell them – each and every time.
2. You are so joy-focused that you avoid the pain.
I hear from many heart-centered business owners, especially women, that they don't want to talk about the negatives, and they don't want to market from pain. They just want to focus on the positive and the possibilities. Hey, my whole business is wrapped in the virtue of joy, so I get it! And here's what I have learned. Only talking about joy doesn't work very well. You'll be frustrated with very little success and, quite frankly, it isn't really doing a service for your clients.
What if your doctor only came from a place of positive and possibilities? Imagine going to the doctor because your throat hurts, and you have a slight fever and a headache. You don't know if it's the flu, allergies, strep throat or something else. The doctor doesn't focus on the negative or the pain. So, he just talks about the possibilities of you feeling vibrantly alive and recommends these fantastic vitamins! Wouldn't you be appalled, angry, frustrated and maybe even want to turn him in for malpractice?
You have to talk about the symptoms and the pain so that you both can agree on what your client's problem is. Then your potential clients know you understand them. Then you take them to the hope - the vision - the dream - and YOUR SOLUTION! (which is full of joy!)
3. You aren't owning your excellence and expertise.
"Don't brag! Don't be too big for your britches!" And the one my parents used a lot: "You're really full of yourself, aren't you!" (with a tsk, tsk for added emphasis).
These words were meant to protect us when we were small, but now these are the very beliefs that will keep trigger shame and guilt and hold you back. These beliefs will keep your business small. You won't help as many people if you market with these beliefs in mind. This is a tough place to be when you are an entrepreneur in a service profession where you need to promote yourself to get clients and make money.
It's imperative to your success and your client's potential transformation that you shift your beliefs to ones that are life enhancing and focused on business expansiveness. Your clients need you to own your excellence and expertise powerfully and confidently. When you do this, your confidence givesthem confidence in you and your services. You can own your career experience, PhD, certification, success in a way that is authentic, in integrity and full of graceful power.
4. There is no reason to buy right now.
Once I was in a workshop with a famous author and psychic intuitive. It was a truly transformative weekend. There were probably 30 of us who were loving the experience and our new-found power. At the end of the workshop, she told us how we could work with her in various programs (yay - see #1), but then she said, "There's no pressure; we're here. Whenever you want, just contact us".
Now I know she didn't want to manipulate us or put pressure on us to buy now, but there is a better way. First, she could have given us the forms in our hands, and several of us would have gladly signed up because she would have made it easy. She could have given us an incentive or bonus to sign up, and she would have saved marketing time and effort because we'd gladly sign up now. Since there was no reason to buy now - I didn't. I meant to do it when I got home, and, well, now it's a year later and I haven't gotten around to it.
We both missed out.
The same is true when you offer a product or service online. If it's always available, then why should they buy from you right now? They'll do it... someday. Hopefully, you won't be out of business by then.
Looking at these four areas ask yourself, "If I were being a courageous, committed business owner, what would I step into boldly?"
You'll amazed at how little steps into these important areas will bring new clients, income and opportunities - which means you are making a bigger difference in the world!
Declare yourself Queen of Your Own Life in a LIVE Virtual Crowning Party
I love sharing with you innovative opportunities for heart-centered, spiritual entrepreneurs, so I’m particularly excited to invite you to participate in the first ever Virtual Crowning Party - celebrating women everywhere! Join actress Kathy Kinney (best known for her iconic role of Mimi on The Drew Carey Show) and her best gal pal of more than 35 years, Cindy Ratzlaff, founding partner of Supreme Social Media, Ad Age Marketing 50 award winner and Forbes “Top 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter.”
You may have seen Kathy and Cindy on Good Morning America on April 1st ~ Now is your chance to join them for this Crowning Party Extravaganza!
On May 5th at 3:00pm EDT, thousands of women will attend a free virtual party with Kathy and Cindy to celebrate the publication of their new book, Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown Up Woman’s Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve. They will share the secrets to becoming Queen of Your Own Life and literally place the crown firmly on your head! AND, like any great party, there will be prizes galore for all attendees.
All attendees will be entered into a drawing to win some amazing gifts! You may be one of the lucky 10 registered guests to receive a beautiful Purse Holder, or one of the 15 that will enjoy Queen of Your Own Life limited edition ‘amazing grace’ fragrance set, or who knows, maybe you will be recording your next video with a Queen of Your Life branded Flip Mino Digital Video Camera!
I am honored to be participating in this global crowning party by giving away Secrets to a Successful Joyful Business Free Audio Gift Package for Heart-Based Entrepreneurs Who Want to Enjoy More Spirit, Joy and Prosperity!
I am very proud to contribute with my top expert colleagues: JJ Virgin, Ali Brown, Alexis Neely, Star Ladin, Linda Black, Francine Allaire, Lynn Pierce, Tamara Monosoff, Michele PW and more.
Seating at this party is free, but limited, so don’t delay. Reserve your place right away and get immediate access to a royal treasury of free gifts! Register at See you at the party!
6 Ways to Package Your Services, Products and Knowledge So You Make More Money in Less Time
One of the most important intentions in your business, even in
passion-based business like yours, is to make a profit. Yes, you want to make
money while making the world a better place by contributing your magical gifts.
In order to keep contributing and changing the world in your unique way through
helping your clients, you need to also be financially successful. This is part
of the holistic model of success.
The secret is to look at how you can bring your
creativity into your pricing and services so that you make more money and give
more value with out taking so much of your time that it starts to drain your
energy. You want to look for energy-enhancing business models!
I recently had a new Platinum client who was resisting this
idea. She loves her clients and didn’t want to become so expensive for her
clients that she was no longer accessible to them. The thing is she also told
me how she is running all over town delivering her services. An hour there, 45
minutes there and she’s booked up solid. Sounds great until you get inside and
realize that all this running around is taking a toll on her physically – her
energy is way down (which impacts her enthusiasm, confidence and creativity)
and physical symptoms were screaming at her to “pay attention.”
Don’t wait until your body rebels! There are ways of serving a
variety of client needs while serving your need to develop a financially
sustainable and flourishing business – all without depleting yourself
physically, spiritually and energetically.
Here are six ways to create packages for your services,
products, experience and knowledge so that you can joyfully serve more clients
in less time and make more money doing it!
Strategy #1: Offer Options with Your Time
The idea here is to offer three ways a client can work with you
- a small investment option, medium option, and top of the line option. Clients
love choice. If you tell them that you have one price or one package, they will
often not take it because the question becomes “Do you want this service? Yes
or No?” With three options, the clients have a choice. The question becomes
“Which one would you like?” This is a totally different question which will
lead you to more clients. You’ll also be surprised at how many people will take
the top of the line or premium option. This is a great way of stretching into
new pricing options that might have been higher than you were used to charging.
Strategy #2: Package Your Process
Potential clients like to know that you have a process. It
helps them to know what to expect from you so they can get their arms around
the commitment. Most of all, it gives them confidence in you. When you share
that you have a process, they trust that you know what you are doing. Funny
thing is…they don’t really care about what your process is – they really care
about the results for them. They just want to know that you have a system for
what they are going through. For example, you may offer a six-hour package
where you take them through five steps that will change their life or business.
Or you may have a 90-day program or a four-week series. When you package your
process, you will get more and better results from your clients as well. It
creates a win-win. Your clients get more value and better results – and you get
clients with amazing results – which feels great!
Strategy #3: Create Products From Your Process
Have you determined your five-step process? Now is a great time
to put it into a workbook, an e-course or create an audio series. Some people
may want to just buy the product and apply the principles or tools themselves.
You’ll be surprised by how many people will buy the product and still want your
help in taking them through the work. They need the accountability and
partnership for success!
Strategy #4 Create A Membership Program
You attract people to your services who are at different places
in their buying process. Many people want just a taste of what you have to
offer. Maybe they are new business owners and aren’t quite ready to invest in
an entire coaching package with you, or they are just new to your services and
want to experience more before they invest in a full program. Offering a
membership program is a way of creating a community of these similar clients
and giving them a taste of what you offer. You’ve seen examples of free
membership clubs like Starbucks, an Amazon Prime Account, or airline frequent
flyer mileage programs. Then there’s the small fee membership club that for
$24, $47 or $97 a month they can join your membership club and get access to
certain services. For example, you could offer a group teleseminar and then
mail the audio CD and transcript to them each month. It’s a great way to get
them in a relationship with you and usually on ce people experience your magic
– they are going to want to upgrade and they’ll want more from you.
Strategy #5: Offer a Continuity Program
A continuity program is typically a long-term relationship
where clients consistently get to work with you in a variety of ways. It’s
often offered over a year. You can package together products, ebooks, audios,
teleclasses, transcripts, online forums and even in person retreats to create a
program throughout the year. For an example of one of my past continuity
programs, visit http://www.joyfulbusiness.com
Review the program for ideas on how you can design your own program. I’m not
just trying to get you to my information page, (wink) I’m offering up my
program as a model or template for what you could create for your own
continuity program. Remember - don’t copy anyone’s program exactly, and you can
use other programs as a springboard to design your own unique offering.
Strategy #6: Premium Programs or Platinum Style
Programs
Look around you and you’ll start to notice how often the word
“Platinum” shows up to describe an upscale or premium offering. Delta Airlines
and their Platinum program comes to mind for mega flyers. A premium or platinum
style program is ideal when you are ready to scale back your hourly work and
create a premium program (with a premium price tag) for more one-on-one work,
special retreats, or small group coaching. There are some of your clients who
are ready for this type of intense work. The greatest reward is that the type of
clients who come into this program are usually very committed to their success.
Again, it’s creating a win-win program. They get flourish with big results, and
you see the impact of your work! Every time a client commits to this type of
program with me, just the power of this big commitment within themselves
creates a jump in their business, new clients, a big PR opportunity or other
major success.
What ideas has this article sparked in you for your
business? Pay attention to your inspired energy. That’s where you want to
start. Don’t try to do all these ideas at one time. Pick one idea and focus on
it for the next 90 days. Clear, focused energy is powerful creation energy!
Laura West is an award-winning online entrepreneur and president of The Center for Joyful Business. If you are ready to shift your marketing and mindset for more success with joy and ease, get your free report: Business Attraction Success Kit
5 Creative Planning Tips for a Joyfully Successful 2010
A couple of weeks ago in December, I offered five Creative Planning Tips for a Joyfully Successful 2010. In case you missed them, here they are again in one place. If you like these tips, check out the sale on the Joyful Business Guide at the bottom.
Tip #1: Schedule a creative planning day on your calendar This time is important. It isn't an urgent fire you have to put out, but it will be some of the most important time you will spend on your business. This time will shape the success of your business, your focus, and the outcome for your entire year! It can be a half day, whole day or a weekend. It will be worth it to focus on what's possible.
Make sure you spend the time planning. Don't use it as a clearing house for all those daily to-do's. Use it to actually plan 2010.
Tip #2: Get out of your home office I find that creativity, sparks, ideas, and inspiration don't usually come when I'm sitting at my desk. Going to a new environment like a café, a friend's retreat house, the lobby of a beautiful hotel, or even renting a lovely space for the day will shift my energy. What does shifting energy mean? Instead of having a "head down - what needs to be done next" focus, I'm able to have a "heads up and looking at the horizon" type of perspective.
By shifting your location, you are able to shift your perspective, and then you shift what's possible. New ideas come to you. Just the act of planning to go on a creative retreat outside of your office will subconsciously start pulling new ideas and thoughts toward you. Suddenly you will find that you are making notes of ideas to explore when you have your retreat time. Your commitment will cause your creative momentum to start moving in that direction.
Tip #3: Bring creative supplies You don't want to develop your marketing strategies, creative ideas, and inspiration with a boring yellow legal pad. Pack your favorite markers, pens, or pencils, add some colorful, fun sticky notes to capture spontaneous free flowing ideas, bring paper or a tablet for making mind maps of ideas (a great way to access your right-brain creative thinking before your left-brain logic kicks in).
Do you have stickers or a favorite pen that you love writing with? Do you have cool big planning calendars or pads that you can't wait to dive into?
I find that the more I can support my creativity around planning for making more money, rolling out big marketing campaigns, or committing to a big project or that new platinum program - then the more tapped in I am to my creative flow, ideas, inspiration… And it's so much easier this way!
So - whatever makes you giggle with delight - bring with you on your creative planning day.
Tip #4: Set the stage for inspiration I find that inspirational ideas don't always just happen when I say it's time. It's better to prime the pump. When I go on creative retreat time, I bring an inspirational book. Something by Wayne Dyer or Marianne Williamson works well when I want to be called into my purpose and passion; SARK books work well when I really want freedom to express my joy.
Bring along your favorite magazines like O, Ode (an entrepreneur type magazine which will help you get you sparked), Inc Magazine (with stories of other entrepreneurs and small business owners). Read a few pages to get the creative juices flowing and ideas moving.
I also find that connecting with my mastermind group or a coach will open up my inspiration in all new, big ways that I would have never thought of on my own!
Tip #5: Bring your Joyful Business Guide™ system The Joyful Business Guide system provides the smart business tools you'll need - for getting clear about your ideal client, marketing system, team planning, and vision story, along with the attraction tools for setting your intentions and focusing on your projects.
I hear stories all the time from entrepreneurs all around the world using their Joyful Business Guides in cafes, libraries, cabins in the mountains, and at oceanside retreats and having a surprisingly wonderful time planning for their business. (It's like they are breaking all the rules! Planning and joy working together!)
And to help you more joyfully plan your successful 2010, I'm offering $50 off the Joyful Business Guide system.
The Joyful Business Guide usually sells for $249. Through Friday, January 8, you can get it for only $199. Use coupon code JOYFULLYCREATE to save $50 off the Joyful Business Guide. Click here to learn more and get your Joyful Business Guide.
Do you have the tools you need to plan an amazing 2010?
En-joy
Laura
P.S. This isn't just a product I sell.... The Joyful Business Guide is a system of tools for right-brain creatives, and I use it myself - everyday. It's helped me grow my business and double my income in 2009. What can it do for you and your business?
Love is the most powerful of emotions… we also know it as joy, passion, inspiration, connection, flow, beauty, creativity, and leadership.
We are literally yearning for more love in our businesses. We are tired of the same old sales letters and boring products that lack creative fire and beauty.
Love in your business makes your day feel full of joy. You are engaged and alive. You feel like you just resuscitated lives by helping make someone’s life better through your product or service. Love is that spontaneous flow of inspiration and ideas that you don’t know where it’s coming from, but you trust it for how awake and engaged you feel and the impact you can see you have on others.
Here are 5 ways you can consciously practice infusing love in your business:
1. Love Your Creativity – Freedom to creatively express yourself in your business is one of the highest values for most passionate entrepreneurs. If you find yourself nodding in agreement, then you want to make sure you schedule time for your creativity. As your business grows, it’s easy to lose touch with your creativity if you aren’t consciously giving it attention and time. Schedule creative retreat time each week to get out of your office. Spend some time journaling and mind mapping and reviewing what’s working in your business and where it needs to go. Then use some of that scheduled time to create the program, project or article ideas. Put your attention on what you want to grow!
2. Love Your Marketing - Let go of old stereotypes about marketing and what it means to market your business. These old-style limiting beliefs will just hold you back. Today’s marketing is all about creating relationships with your clients, potential clients, and potential collaborators. The more creative, fun and authentic you are, the better you’ll connect with your clients and grow your business. Successful marketing is also about having a generous mindset to help each other increase visibility and success. So… love your clients, love your colleagues… and focus on loving them in success. While you do, you’ll find you’ll be more successful too.
3. Love Your Money – Money loves being paid attention to. That means learning about money strategies, keeping your Quickbooks™ up-to-date, and knowing how much money you’ve spent and created. If you ignore money, then don’t be surprised if you aren’t making very much! Spend time nurturing your money and its flow in your business. Welcome sales into your business as a sign that you are getting your purpose (your love) into the world!
4. Love Your Life and Relationships – If you are like me, you started your business to have more freedom and flexibility in your life. So make sure that you build a business around your life, not the other way around. You want to love your life – your family, friends, hobbies, travel – whatever you love. Your personal joy is to make room and time in your life and let your business support your life.
5. Love Yourself – As your business grows, you’ll keep running up against your upper limits of success. Those beliefs that will limit how much joy you’ll allow into your business as far as money, success, recognition, great clients and enjoyment. Be aware that everyone hits upper limits of how much success they’ll allow into their businesses (think lottery winners who lose all their winnings within two years). You have to love yourself enough to allow the success in.
Where in your business can do you need to make room for the love? Which area do you need to start with first?
Laura West is an award-winning online entrepreneur and president of The Center for Joyful Business. If you are ready to shift your marketing and mindset for more success with joy and ease, get your free report: Business Attraction Success Kit
Joyful Business Podcast #24: Living and Working with Your "Higher-Self"
Don't miss another episode - subscribe today and be the first to know when a new podcast comes out - Join our "Creating Your Joyful Business" newsletter - http://www.joyfulbusiness.com/subscribe.html
Here is the latest 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.
Today Tricia was so kind to share with us her great insight into success and peace that can come into our lives by following and trusting in Divine Wisdom. She works to remind people to trust this inner wisdom, to listen to those messages derived from quiet meditative moments, and to look within for peace and answers. As we seek out the wisdom for our lives, we will be lead to our purpose. Tricia acknowledges the hard work that goes into this, but chose for us a few important universal principles that will start us off on the path to enlightenment. She has seen these practices improve success and peace in her own life and in the lives of her clients, and encourages us to try them out too. "C.R.A.V.E. your goals" is the place to start...Listen in to learn more!
Listen Now:
If you enjoy this Joyful Business Podcast then you'll love our bi-weekly newsletter, Creating Your Joyful Business, filled with resources and how-to's for creating a financially successful business while honoring your lifestyle, your relationships and your creative expression! Subscribe at: www.JoyfulBusiness.com and receive your Free Business Attraction Success Kit!
Joyful Business Podcast #23: Becoming the Complete Entreprenuer
Don't miss another episode - subscribe today and be the first to know when a new podcast comes out - Join our "Creating Your Joyful Business" newsletter - http://www.joyfulbusiness.com/subscribe.html
Here is the latest 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.
In episode #23, we talk to "Street-Smarts" Marketer, Kathleen Gage, who is the CEO and founder of Turning Point, Inc. and Maxwell
Publishing, as well as a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and an
internationally recognized Internet marketing and publicity
expert for speakers, trainers and authors. She enjoys working with spiritually minded entrepreneurs who want to learn how to package their expertise
and knowledge into money making products and service, while using their spirituality to enhance their business and to complete their lives.
Through Kathleen's success, she has found that as long as she makes living in a state of gratitude the cornerstone of everything she does, then things will work out better on the whole - no matter what the circumstances are around her. She has taken time to work on gratitude daily through small spiritual rituals, and suggests ways we can do this as well. As we take the time to work on this aspect of our lives, we will find that we feel more complete, and we will be able to enjoy our work, our business, and our lives more completely!
Listen Now:
If you enjoy this Joyful Business Podcast then you'll love our bi-weekly newsletter, Creating Your Joyful Business, filled with resources and how-to's for creating a financially successful business while honoring your lifestyle, your relationships and your creative expression! Subscribe at: www.JoyfulBusiness.com and receive your Free Business Attraction Success Kit!
I
created the Joyful Business Guide™ system to help creative
entrepreneurs bring together the power of law of attraction with smart
marketing strategies. I love sharing stories from Guide owners about their
experiences and thought you'd love to hear about it too!
"Hi
Laura - I LOVE my Joyful Business Guide. The Daily Giggle Goals cards are my
favorite and they WORK! Just the other day I wrote a "Universe goal"
that said people looking for speakers would contact me and sure enough the next
day I got a call out of the blue from a woman that owns a speakers bureau who
found me through the National Speakers Association. How's that for fast?
Laura Howard West is a certified professional coach, writer, speaker and the President and Chief Creative Officer of The Center for Joyful Business. She is the creator of The Joyful Business Guide™, a business attraction system blending law of attraction principles with smart business designed for solo-entrepreneurs and business owners.
