If you’ve known me for a while you know that my “backstory” is somewhat similar to Stephanie’s–a single mom living on the edges of poverty, a survivor of emotional abuse, clawing her way to make a better life for her children. Seeing Stephanie’s amazing success unfold is one of the reasons I love what I do so much.

Helping authors create the brand they want for their careers, the messaging, the visuals, the strategy, so they can get their important work to a wider audience–that’s what it’s about.

Anyway, if you haven’t watched the series yet, please do. And if you’ve never lived on the margins know that this series does a really good job of demonstrating what it’s like to live in that daily agony of poverty, as well as the complexities of emotional abuse. I hope you’ll watch it and I hope you’ll spark conversations about these issues with others too. Millions of Americans are living in very similar realities and we must find ways to change that.

The post Client Win: Stephanie Land’s memoir MAID inspires Netflix original series! appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

I’m going to share with you the ONE thing that you absolutely need to do first to find your readers.

You’re likely thinking: Where are they exactly?

This can feel like an overwhelming question, right? Like you’re sitting there imagining these millions of readers milling about in the ether who are all getting hit with tens of millions of messages and ads and who knows what else. Like how in the hell do you find YOUR people?

Trying to figure out where to find your readers can feel a lot like bobbing for apples or playing darts blindfolded.

But as with most things, the answer is rarely where the problem lies.

So, instead of asking where they are, we need to be asking: WHO they are.

Grab a piece of paper and start by answering these questions about your readers. BUT WAIT, before you do, I want you to imagine your Ideal Reader the one who LOVES what you write, how you write, etc. We ARE NOT looking for ALL the readers. Bestselling writers do not set out to write something that appeals to everyone in general—they are specific, even if their appeal is widespread (more on that another time).

For now, imagine that one reader person as best you can and ask yourself:

• What do they prefer to read? (both what’s related and unrelated to your writing)
• Where do they buy books? (And what does this say about them?)
• Do they primarily read books on Kindle or a device, or print, or a combo?
• What do they subscribe to?
• What kinds of other media do they consume (TV, movies, etc., be specific)?
• Where do they live? Does this play into why they would like your work?
• How old are they? And how much education have they had?
• Who do they follow on social media, on podcasts, elsewhere?
• What other authors or writers do they like? Why? And how are they similar or different from you?
• Where do they get their news?
• What causes do they care about?
• Do they rate books on Amazon, Goodreads, elsewhere?
• What does this person like best about your writing? (You can straight up ask some readers, or you can look back at emails, comments, etc. that you’ve received to see what common threads exist)

Imagine this reader is a character in a novel, build them out—preferences, quirks, values, etc. Just make sure that this archetype actually fits your kind of writing and isn’t just who you hope your readers are. Be honest with yourself. And be sure to recognize that your reader is NOT YOU. Don’t use yourself as an example because if she was you she wouldn’t want to read her own stuff, right?

Okay, now you can think about where they are.

Once you start to formulate a picture of who this reader is, you can begin to brainstorm where they hang out both on and offline. For instance, if I know that my Ideal Reader is into practical feminism let’s say, then I can start to piece together what kinds of social accounts she may follow, what organizations she may donate to, what kinds of events she attends, and then even extrapolate more ideas on her habits. For instance, perhaps she gets reading recommendations from the Feminist Book Club, or maybe because she is super busy starting her own brand she doesn’t like rambling podcasts and prefers ones with focused interviews with insightful, yet emotionally intelligent thought leaders like in Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us.

As you flesh out where she “hangs out” just jot it all out on paper or Evernote, or whatever, and then go back and think about the places where she’s most likely to take action and read or buy your work.

Decide which 1-3 places you actually have the bandwidth to look into and work. And then schedule that research into your calendar.

For instance, if you have an idea of what social media folks they follow take a deep dive to see what kinds of content they share, how often, etc. and then look for other accounts that are similar but maybe have a smaller following and do the same (you can’t copy the strategy of a celebrity on social media, for instance, they operate from a different rule book because they are already famous).

If you know what other kinds of books she reads go on Goodreads to look at those books, see what people say, and who reviews. This can help you get clues to where and how they get books and what they are looking for.

How you’ll reach them once you connect is another strategy altogether, BUT the first part is finding where to show up and then show up. Show up with a helpful attitude. My friend, you’re playing the long game, so even if you’re just there to observe and help others at first, you’re learning. We’ll talk about more ideas on HOW to show up next time. But if you’re ready to explore that a bit, read this: How to Get Readers to Actually Remember You.

I hope this was helpful and gives you something to work on, and if you ever want hands-on help from someone who does this every day, well, you know where I am.

The post How do I find more readers? appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

Your author website can be a dynamic 24/7 representative of your personal brand. Done right, it can help you change the trajectory of your career. Done poorly, it may actually look less professional or legit than you are! I am willing to bet that you, like me, would rather be in that first category. If you want to create something bigger and better for your author brand, then it’s time to take your website seriously. Take the time to do what most of your competition won’t: think it through and invest in it.

Let’s stop leaving money on the table and implement some ways that your website can be working better for you. I’ll walk you through some of the must-have features for your author website, based on my 20+ years of experience building websites.

#10: Communicate Clearly

The 3 Second Rule: Who You Are & Why They Should Care

Imagine you’re visiting your website for the very first time. (Also imagine you’re not “you” obvi.) Now, as you’re looking through it, ask yourself these questions, honestly:

• • • What does this person write?
    • Who are they? What makes them special?
    • Why should I care?

If you cannot answer those questions within the first 3-5 seconds of landing on your homepage, you have some work to do.

Your visitors are losing patience and interest. As a result, you’re losing money. Why make it so hard for people to understand your value?

Let go of the old idea that you need to “sell them” first. People are inundated by advertising and marketing all day long. The last thing they need is for you to advertise before they even know what you are selling. Now, I’m not saying you can’t use any marketing tools, just make it easy for your visitors to know what you do and who you are. If your head is too deep into your own work, ask 5 friends–preferably ones who may not yet buy your books or know what you write–to visit your site and tell you what the site is about. You may be surprised at their answers.

Here are a few quick fixes that can help communicate who you are and why they should care:

Make sure your name or logo is simple and communicates who you are and what you do.

This should be at the top of your website, on every page.

Use a succinct (max 7 words) tagline under your logo/name to help communicate what you do.

If for some reason you aren’t able to edit your own site to put the tagline directly under your name or logo, you could also add it as a headline. Just make sure it’s near the top so peole don’t have to scroll down to see.

Here are some examples of two types of taglines we’ve developed for our author branding clients:

Stephanie Land:

“Unflinching Writing About Poverty & Motherhood” (work-based) & “The New York Times bestselling author of MAID” (role-based)

Sarah Vogel:

“Fighting for the people, at the crossroads of agriculture, policy, and law.” (work-based) & “Advocate, Attorney, and Author of The Farmer’s Lawyer” (role-based)

Kari O’Driscoll:

“Driven by the exploration of human connection” (work-based) & “Author, Educator, & Founder of The SELF Project” (role-based)

Make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for.

Make sure the titles (and corresponding link) of each of your web pages are short and to the point, and geared toward your audience. For instance, it’s much clearer to have a page link titled “Books” rather than “Work” in most cases.

#9 Ways to Engage with Visitors on Your Website

Now that your visitors know who you are and what you’re doing in 3 seconds or less, take another look at your site and think about these questions:

• • • How can people engage with you or your writing?
    • What are your paths toward a sale, share, or contact?
    • In what ways can visitors ask a question or find what they are looking for without having to?

If your answer is that they can only engage with your author brand in one way, perhaps by emailing you, you’re missing out on connecting with your readers and that is or will hurt your sales and brand long term.

I’ll never forget a worthwhile tip an internet marketer shared with me many years ago: people have different preferences when it comes to taking action, so you must give them as many opportunities as you can. Some people (like me) hate the telephone, others loathe email, some want to chat online, still others prefer to fill out a form, follow you on social, or sign up for your email list. The point is, if you want to connect with readers consistently, you need to reach out to personality types that might not think the same way that you do.

A few methods of connection that should (at a minimum) be available on your website:

1. An easy form to sign up for your email list. (You’ll need to communicate the value you offer here and what readers should expect) — this could include a gift or complimentary “lead magnet” to entice readers to join your email list.
2. Follow links to your social media profiles
3. An up-to-date list of events (on or offline) that you’re a part of
4. Key contacts such as agent, publisher, and PR on your Contact page
3. Contact form to contact you (keep this minimal: name, email, comments, submit button)

ROI (Return on Investment) for email marketing is $44 for every $1 spent. 

(CampaignMonitor.com)

#8: Be Memorable, Be on Social Media

Listen, it’s a necessary evil, okay?

I’m not gonna lie, most writers I talk to don’t really enjoy promoting themselves on social media. But here’s the deal, you may have heard the saying before: “People are talking about your brand, it’s just a matter of whether or not you want to be a part of the conversation.” For those of you who remember good old-fashioned, hand-shaking networking, social networking is basically the same thing…only on steroids, and from the comfort of your keyboard. I’m not saying you need to be posting everyday, but you need to at least secure social profiles under your name (at a minimum so someone has a harder time impersonating or damaging your brand) and then once you’ve picked which 2-3 you’ll post to (do that), make sure they’re linked to on your website.

Some visitors may or may not be ready to buy your book, or maybe they already have and want to know when your next one comes out. Make it easy for them to connect and then update them through your social profiles.

A few quick tips:

• • • Make sure that your brand’s social profiles match the look & feel as well as brand messages of your brand website. Consistency is important!
    • Keep posting simple. Use my 30/30/30 rule: 30% share other people’s good content, 30% something about your writing/books, etc., 30% interact with others.
    • Set aside a specific time every day or week to engage socially. Having a social profile doesn’t account for much if you aren’t posting updates.

#7: Dress to Impress — Good Design for Your Website

We have all seen author websites that just, well, look like something you might scrape off your shoe. The layout is funky, the colors are atrocious, you can’t find what you’re looking for and oh yeah, there’s that delightful elevator music that auto-plays in the background, the kind you can’t shut off. I don’t want to call anyone out here but there are quite a few famous authors with websites that look like they were designed in 1996 and never updated. Please, for the love of Pete, DO NOT look at those and think, see [Insert Famous Author Name]’s website is lame and they are still famous and have a great career!

There are several reasons famous authors can get away with having shitty websites (and you cannot):

1. 1. They built their brand during a very different time when author websites didn’t matter so much.
   2. They are ALREADY famous, they don’t NEED to present themselves well. (Though they are totally missing out on making more money by leveraging their brand, but that’s another article.)
   3. They have enough money to have other people market for them. (Though again, they’d do even better with a better website.)

As technology and our industry continues to evolve, it has become more and more important to have a truly professional website. Readers today, more than ever, will make purchasing decisions based on the professionalism you portray on your website. And let’s face it, if you’re trying to sell a non-fiction book you’d better have a serious platform and followers or you won’t even get the book deal.

48% of people cited that a website’s design is the No. 1 factor in determining the credibility of a business [or brand]. (Source: Blue Corona)

You wouldn’t go to a meeting with a big New York publisher in an old t-shirt and cutoffs–so why would you let your website look unprofessional? It’s time to WOW people. Spend a little extra on having a well-thought-out compelling layout and design and you will have better results.

Quick Tips:

• • • If you have a tight budget, website builder platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix can be good options when you’re first starting out. They have templates you can use to build your own, clean website.
    • Once you’re ready to have a website that is fully “you” you can hire someone to build a customized site that is strategically designed to implement all of the features in this article.

#6: Brains & Beauty = Usability

An attractive website doesn’t count for much if visitors can’t find what they are looking for. You may have noticed that many websites fall into one of two categories: beautiful but barely functional or usable but just plain ugly. This disparity is largely due to the two main types of people who build websites: designers and developers. You know how it is, the designer is more art-brained and creates a beautiful, but perhaps confusing website and conversely, the developer creates a functional website that is boring or maybe even…repulsive.

The reality is that in order to have a website that fulfills the need (and it is a need, trust me) for beauty and brains you need to turn to someone who understands both. Look for a website designer with experts in not only design and development, but branding as well, so they are able to take a 360° approach to creating a website that is beautiful, easy to use, and custom-designed for your ideal customer. And again, if you can’t afford to hire a firm refer to the quick tips in #7 of this guide–these can be a great way to start.

To determine the usability of your site, try these simple steps:

• • • Write down the top 3-5 actions you want people to take when they visit your site
    • Now visit your site and try to do each task
    • Ask yourself honestly how easy it was for you to find what you needed to find
    • Decide what you need to change to make it easier

Don’t forget to check on mobile! Finally, be sure to view your site on several different types of devices, including a phone and a tablet in addition to a desktop or laptop computer.  Sometimes a site that works well on a desktop computer turns into a beast of burden on a little smartphone screen. It’s important for you to check that and fix it.

#5: Don’t Leave ‘Em Hanging – Calls to Action (CTA)

Don’t be afraid to help people take the next step. Not only is it important to provide value and communicate what you do or why someone should buy your book, product, or services, but don’t forget to let them know when it’s time to take action. People are busy and even if they want to engage with your brand, buy your book or stay in touch, sometimes they need a reminder to just go ahead and take the next step right then.

I don’t believe in being pushy, but if you’re too passive you will miss great opportunities. There are times when you may have a great pitch or book idea or whatever, but you aren’t getting any bites. While there may be many factors at play (cost, timing, etc.) don’t let a missing call to action be the reason they don’t buy. And hey, if you’re like me and you don’t want to be the obnoxious salesy-pitch-type that’s okay, just ask for the sale or the email sign up in a confident way that feels right for your customers.

Never be afraid to ask for the sale, respectfully.

Quick Tips:

• • • Make sure at least some of your calls to action (i.e. Preorder my new book!) are “above the fold,” this means that call to action appears near the top of your page on your website, without the visitor having to scroll down the page to see it.
    • Your CTA doesn’t have to be a “buy now” message, maybe it’s “join my email list” or “join me for an AMA (Ask Me Anything).” Be helpful.
    • Do a little research. There is a wealth of information online these days about how to increase conversion rates on websites. Do a little homework and try some of the different methods suggested. There are folks who do nothing but study this stuff all day; learn from them. Some websites to start at: hubspot.com,  moz.com.

#4: Be Fresh with Your Content

We’ve all been there–you visit a site looking for some pertinent information and it’s so blah that you’re suddenly seized by a bout of uncontrollable yawning. I think this is actually one of many authors fears when they are trying to come up with what to put on their website. Like, how do I come up with fresh, exciting content and not have to update my site every damn week?

The reality is that we don’t have an excuse for outdated websites anymore. Gone are the days when you had to contact your webmaster to update a paragraph on your About Us page and then wait a week for him to change it. These days website platforms like WordPress & Squarespace make it easy for just about anyone to update your site or blog.

So, what should you write and how often? Well, of course, it depends but here are a few pointers:

• • • Visit your website at least once per quarter to just see what’s out of date, or what might need adding. Ideally, I’d do this monthly, but quarterly should be a minimum.
    • If you’re in non-fiction, write about your niches, keeping your readers in mind (what would they want to know?)
    • If you’re in fiction, maybe share some other author’s work that you like, or write a piece about the behind-the-scenes process of your own writing, or even about the setting or time period you write about in your upcoming (or previous) book.
    • Rekindle that passion you have for your work and think about why you started writing in the first place. When you write that passion will come through.
    • Just set aside an hour a week, heck even two weeks to do a little research, make notes and share this information on your website, social media, and to your email list.

#3: Don’t be a Needle in a Haystack

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Accessibility

It is actually quite shocking how many websites are built completely devoid of any search engine optimization. The search engine optimization (SEO) field is an information-rich, strategically varied industry; I will not even attempt to address all of its facets here.

However, there are three key points I hope you will glean from this section:

1. Websites should have “on website” SEO built-in.
2. Many SEO methods will actually help disabled people enjoy your site as well.
3. You either need to become an SEO aficionado or hire one if you really want to get ideal results on search engines.

To my first point, here are the basic SEO elements EVERY site should have (at the very least):

• • • Title & header tags for each page
    • Page descriptions
    • Keyword-rich page content
    • Descriptive ALT tags for images
    • A Google sitemap & Analytics setup

Now, if you are serious about building organic search engine results (naturally occurring, not just paid Adwords ads) then you either need to become an amateur expert or hire a legit one. It’s not cheap, and honestly, it’s not worthwhile for most new authors. However, the good news is that you can at least do some basic things yourself to improve your site’s ability to show up in search results. If you’re hiring a website designer, they should do these minimum items for you.

Quick Tips:

• • • If you have a web designer or are hiring one, ask them if you have “on website” SEO in place and if so, have them show you where. If your site doesn’t, ask what it will cost to have them update that ASAP.
    • If you use WordPress for your website I recommend that you use the Yoast SEO plugin and then follow their instructions to configure your settings. The basic version is free and will provide the minimum requirements I listed above.
    • If you use Squarespace, refer to their guide on SEO.

#2: Make a Name for Yourself

Your domain name (the URL you type into your browser’s address bar, i.e. AndreaGuevara.com) needs to be short and easy. And it shouldn’t be your book title*, it should be your author name. You should scoop up your domain name even if you don’t have a website yet. I also recommend buying the domain name for your book as well because the more brand ownership you have the more leverage you have when it comes to protecting your brand(s). And domain names only cost like $5-20/year depending on the name.

With domain names there are a few quick rules to keep in mind:

• The shorter the better; try to keep it to 2-3 words max. Ideally, your first and last name if available. If not, consider adding “writer” or “author” at the end.
• Don’t be afraid to buy a few versions of your domain name (i.e. .net, .org versions as well as common misspellings of your domain name)
• *If you have a specific landing page for your new book, for instance, consider buying a specific keyword-rich domain name specifically for that page. (i.e. “yourbooktitle.com”)
• Watch out for names or words that blend together when spoken, or are hard to spell. For instance, when you tell someone your domain name it should be instantly recognizable, not confusing. Remember that “f” can sound like “s”, etc. so make sure your name is clear and doesn’t sound like another word when spoken, and if you can’t avoid that because it’s your name, make sure you make that clear when mentioning your website address in interviews, etc. For instance, when I say “AndreaGuevara.com” I mention “G like garage.”

#1: Have a Vision for Your Website

What is the purpose of your site? What’s the point? If you don’t have a bigger vision for the purpose of your site, guess what, no one else will either. Your visitors want to be part of something bigger, something exciting, something they can be proud of. Of course, you want them to be a part of it too! Building community helps build a reputation, and that’s a very good thing.

As you take an honest look at your site (and your writing career honestly), think about where you would ideally like to see it. Once you have a vision in mind, start creating actionable steps to work toward that vision. Think about some of your favorite personal brand websites–someone you admire or really resonate with. They don’t need to be in your industry at all. I would be willing to bet that every single one of them has a vision–a bigger purpose than just selling a book, or a thing, or whatever.

So what is your vision?

What value do you truly offer, and is it something that people can get excited about?

Are you excited about it? What passion do you bring to the table?

Sometimes vision can be the hardest part. Maybe you have several visions, and you aren’t sure how to fit them together. Or perhaps you aren’t really quite sure where you want things to go. In any case, I encourage you to take some time and really think about where your website (& brand) is going.

Think of your author website like a place to for foster a continuing relationship with your readers. What do you want that to look like down the road? Perhaps it starts with the reader visiting your site, then liking your brand on Facebook, then buying your book, then months later they buy another, or maybe they post how much they love your writing on Instagram, or perhaps a year later they buy several books as gifts. You get the idea–what is the long-term vision for how you will win and retain readers?

Once you know that you can begin to create a plan on how to get there and make adjustments along the way to best serve that vision.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. If you’d like to do some brainstorming on your vision and your brand, you can get instant access to my Creating Your Brand, Hero’s Journey Style, a brainstorming worksheet:

Another option for further help is to sign up for my Author Branding Digest (below), 1x/mo. email full of useful info and inspiration for building your brand and career.

The post Make sure your author website has these 10 must-haves! appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

#1 Acknowledge the reality of what’s going on.

Things are BIZARRE! It’s important to remind ourselves that we are going through extraordinarily difficult times. So go ahead, look around at the chaos, feel it. Give yourself a dollop of compassion even if you’re not feeling very normal right now. And as Viktor Frankl says in Man’s Search for Meaning, “An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.”

Now, take a deep breath.

#2 Acknowledge that you are, in fact, still here.

Whether you’re doing well or barely hanging in, you’re still here and sometimes that’s enough. If you’ve got it in you, remind yourself of other hard things you’ve weathered before. Give yourself credit for being a survivor.

#3 Think about where you want your precious energy to flow.

My mantra all week has been, Do I want to give my energy to this? What’s worthy of your energy? And what just isn’t right now? We are, as Deepak Chopra says, “infinite beings,” with finite energy. So what are you going to allow to take from that limited supply of energy?

#4 Finally, take breaks.

We all need more respites than usual right now. I know I do. Perhaps you can allocate some snippets of constructive downtime into your life.

That’s it. See if you can run through these steps at least once a day over the next week. #3 alone helped me grab ahold of more of my inner peace this week when some wild things were happening all around me.

The post Where to Expend Your Energy Right Now appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

During our stay with family for April and May of 2020, she planted seeds and plants, and tended to her “babies” each day. Once we decided we were going to move to a new city and into a home with a yard, she planned to begin sprouting seeds to be ready for planting once we found the right house.

Since we moved into said “right house,” she and her Grandmapa cleared an area of the yard, built, filled, and planted a huge raised bed. She filled that bed with radishes, tomatoes, yellow squash, carrots, bell peppers, and a mystery pepper plant that her brother found at an Asian market labeled “Crispy Peppers.” She has also grown-from-seed potted green beans, green onions, cucumbers, and chives.

I keep sneaking photos of her through the kitchen window while she’s out in the backyard gardening, her faithful pup nearby. This is a little chunk of heaven to me, watching her create beauty in the world in a way that is new to her. A way that barely involves a smartphone. It reminds me of my mom and all the gardening lessons she taught me when I was a child; lessons that stick with me to this day.

Growing up Christian, the gardening and seed-related metaphors were plentiful. Faith of a mustard seed, fallow soil, fertile soil, etc., etc. I don’t mean to add my own metaphor to the mix BUT well, all this gardening (or watching gardening), got me thinking about how we’re all in these different seasons of our lives. (And also, that this specific moment/pandemic is exposing the varying degrees of poison in the soil so-to-speak.)

When it comes to your life, whether you’re in a planting phase, a seedling stage, or just fucking hoping there’s soil at some point phase, I want you to know there’s hope. Life always keeps going. That we can be sure of. Maybe not how we’d expect, but it does.

Maybe right now is a time for you to plant seeds and patiently take care of that promise of sprouting that you just cannot see quite yet. Or perhaps you’re tilling the soil; or you’re letting it lay fallow, generating the healing that it takes to be fertile for your dreams again. Then again, maybe you’re just trying to figure out how to rid the soil of the poison. All I can tell you—from being in every damn one of those phases—is KEEP GOING. Get through this hour, this job, this task, this night. You are not defined by any one phase of your life. And if it’s time to do more, do it. If it’s time to regroup, do that. Whatever it is deep down that you know you must do, do that.

And never, ever listen to someone who tells you to give up on your dream.

The post Is it Time to Plant Seeds or Harvest, or…? appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

I’ve just come off a couple of wild-ass–WTF weeks of life, ya’ll. So many randomly negative things happened that my head is still spinning. Yet as stressful as it’s been I noticed something positive too.

Years ago, when I had a bad week my mind would go directly to the following line of questioning:

• What did I do wrong in order to deserve this?
• Can anything ever go right?
• Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?
• Am I cursed?
• Am I just doomed? Or a loser, who can never do anything right? Will I just fail at everything my whole life?

That’s some next-level negative-self-shit-talking, huh? It used to be my impulse, my instinct, to kind of catastrophize. Woe is me. Not for no reason, I mean. I’d had more than my fair share of bad things happen to me, but still, the deep dark hole of mental despair did NOT do anything to help the situation.

As saccharine as this is going to sound, there is some serious power in being positive…or at least being neutral if you can’t muster the positivity.

What’s Guilt & Shame Got to Do With It?

Brené Brown describes the difference between guilt and shame in these terms:

Guilt is the negative feeling you have when you did something hurtful/wrong, etc. and feel the sting of it, and know you need to do better.

Shame is the negative feeling you have when you did something hurtful/wrong, etc. and feel the sting of it and tell yourself you’re the worst, damaged, no good, worthless, etc.

So what do you call it when something happens TO you–something you have no control over like say, your iPhone dying and your iCloud getting corrupted and years of files despite your best backup efforts, or maybe your dog gets sick and requires hospitalization (two of the personal gems I experienced this week)?

Maybe we should call the positive and negative feelings I started this email with Catastrophizing and Positive Spinning, or maybe Self-loathing and Acceptance? Or maybe you have some better terms. But you get the idea.

The Same Root

Whether you’re internalizing what happened to you because you doubt yourself or feel like a victim of life, or you accept what happened and move on, while still taking care to process your feelings of hurt, frustration, etc–I think these emotion options stem from the same kind of insecurity that shame does.

What I’m getting at here is something I think we can all relate to, especially during this wild-ass time we’re living in.

We always have a choice, even if it doesn’t feel like it, to internalize, catastrophize, or process, accept, and take action.

Speaking as someone who lived years in the zone of the former, the latter is a much better way to live. But like any other longterm change it takes years of practice to make it stick. And of course, nobody’s perfect; it’s not like I never get those ideas, it’s just a lot more rare these days. And that’s a relief.

These days, the thoughts that come up for me are more often along these lines:

• Shit, this sucks. Okay, how do I keep going toward what I want even though this happened?
• I need to vent/cry/scream/write it out, whatever, so I can move through this emotion and come back to a more peaceful, logical place.
• Okay, I can’t control this situation, so how can I retain control of myself so I can see things clearly and move forward?
• If this was bound to happen, at least it didn’t [fill in the blank with something worse].
• Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening again? Or be more prepared if it does?
• Give yourself a break. This is really fucking hard. Breathe. Take some time for yourself and your sanity.
• Welp, you’ve survived XYZ in the past, you’ll survive this too.
• What, or how can I learn from this?
• How must people feel who go through this, have experienced this, or have it worse?* I’m going to show them more compassion. I’m going to remember this for later.

It’s a lot easier to deal with a catastrophe with a positive mindset than it is to deal with it while also compounding the catastrophe in your own head. 

*It’s important to note, however, that ignoring your emotions, pretending like it doesn’t matter, or reassuring yourself that someone has it worse aren’t healthy ways of coping. Nobody’s saying to DENY what’s going on. Acknowledging and Processing it is waaaaay different than denying it.

If you’re experiencing your own personal brand of shitstorm right now–and who isn’t, amirite–there’s a whole section of blog posts I wrote about how to get through. And also, I’d like to share this quote that my stepmom sent me this week. It’s a good one to hold on to right now.

“You’ve dealt with an unprecedented health crisis that has paralyzed the planet. You’ve had to alter the way you do just about everything. The level of difficulty of your current life is a few steps above Batman. Give yourself a damn break.”

​-John Pavlovitz​

Go ahead, give yourself a break!

The post Give Yourself a Damn Break appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

Over the past few years, I’ve just been “over it” in terms of any attempt to fit into that stale business mold. More and more, I’ve leaned into what my heart and skillset tell me are important: people. I’ve also worked on my own limiting beliefs about what is possible for someone like me who wants to make both a difference and a small fortune. And you know what happened when I made those shifts? My business grew. My network of “my kind of people” has grown. And it’s just the beginning.

I’m telling you this because if you’re feeling frustrated with the way business has been done, there is so much hope for change right now.

And you know what? It’s about damn time that caring people start leading a revolution of how business and government is done in this country!

Right now, I want to share just a few wonderful things to help you in your roles in changing the world:

#1 Get Arlan Hamilton’s book It’s About Damn Time, and if you’re ready to take serious next steps Join her free Mastermind. I met some AMAZING entrepreneurs in there. Arlan is an absolute gem of a human being. If you haven’t heard of her you will very soon. She is the kind of person I’m talking about: making a difference in her work, genuinely helping people, while also making bank.

#2 Black people, get free, expert advice for your business/career. If you are a Black person, check out this list of CEOs and professionals who are donating their time/advice to Black people right now. Jump on this.

#3 Finally, I have a little Juneteenth announcement:

I am donating branding one-on-one sessions with me to Black people for the month of August. Sign up for your spot here if you’re ready for some laser-focused branding advice: https://calendly.com/theandreaguevara/25-min​

Okay, that’s it for now. And if you’re Indigenous, POC or single mom, don’t worry I’ll have more resources for you too. I just really want to help keep this momentum of Black power moving right now.

The post It’s About Damn Time appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

I’m gonna be straight with you. I’m exhausted. You may be too. Though I’ve always considered myself an ally of anyone disenfranchised, I see that the depth and breadth of racism in this country is much more staggering than I realized. If you’re BIPOC, you already know this. You might even be sick of white people talking about finally waking up. So I’ll keep my words short.

I think it’s better that I just share Arlan Hamilton’s words. If you don’t know her, you soon will. She’s a venture capitalist who started her fund five years ago while she was on Food Stamps. She’s a queer Black woman without a degree and she fucking achieved her dream anyway. These are the kind of people we all need to pay attention to right now–people like Arlan. In her new book, It’s About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage she says this:

“I’m asked all the time: “How do I know whether or not I should keep going or give up on this company or this project or this mission?” My answer is this: If you close your eyes and visualize the world five, ten, twenty years from now and feel okay with the thing you’re working on not existing, then it’s not urgent. But if you can’t imagine the world without it and want it to exist whether you get to enjoy the benefits of it or not, then not only is it important to you, it’s your calling.”

So, I ask you today to do just that. Imagine.

Change is coming.

The post How do you know if you should keep going on this [project/ company/ mission]? appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

Every crisis is an opportunity. To rethink. To assess. To Regroup. To change.

As this pandemic unfolds, we have seen the inequities and broken systems of government, society, and even community, surface with glaring clarity. Never before have the disparities of our society been so stark. Everyone is GOING THROUGH IT, at various levels. And it’s hard for everyone. But there is hope.

Crisis has the ability to give us a wakeup call like nothing else can. And when it happens on a global scale, whew, what does that mean? I think it means an opportunity like none we’ve seen in our lifetimes.

How many times have we heard stories about people who shifted the entire course of their life after a traumatic crisis? There’s nothing like pain to shake us back into remembering what’s most important.

When faced with a massive personal crisis, I see a handful of primary ways we humans react:

1. Internalize it. 

We berate ourselves for not doing a good enough job dealing with it. Beat ourselves up for being fearful, lazy, unprepared, whatever. How could we not see this coming? We get on that negative feedback loop where we are constantly trying to make sense of why we aren’t handling this with superhuman ability. This mindset is damaging to say the least. It doesn’t help. But we all do it at some point.

2. Shutdown. 

If you haven’t been through a major personal crisis before, you may not be as familiar with this one. But if you have, you know. Sometimes we shut down and close ourselves off in order to survive. I’ve done it. It’s an old protection mechanism. But it also causes a lot of damage. In fact, maybe more than internalizing it. When we go numb, we disconnect from our humanity. And it’s hard to get back to ourselves. But it is possible. Never fear.

3. Deflect or Distract. 

Maybe we just use anger as our deflection tool. And with Trump on TV suggesting that we should test folks by injecting them with disinfectant, it’s easy to do. Or maybe we’re so busy helping others that we have no time for ourselves. Maybe we’re drinking too much, maybe we’re making excuses for ourselves. Maybe we’re obsessed with redesigning our living rooms. (Hey, I’m looking at myself here too. I do some of this. Not gonna lie.)

4. Learn & Grow.  

Another way that can sometimes look like isolating or shutting down to people on the outside, is to go deep within yourself. Sometimes we’re capable of this during times of distress. Sometimes we are not. And either is OK! The last thing we need is to judge someone for not growing personally during this time. Fuck that. I know what it’s like to barely be able to function in crisis mode and I also know what it’s like to grow. There’s no “right answer” here. There’s just humanity.

​

But here’s the thing: Humanity is on the ropes right now. And when humanity is on the ropes, I don’t know about you, but I want to look to those who’ve been through hell and survived, to guide me. Theirs are the opinions I want to hear most.

But here’s the other thing—I think Americans like to super-size our heroes. I think we have this obsession with only listening to the most extreme heroes and not as much the single mom next door. We’re most interested in the extreme cases because I think—and oh shit I’m going to say it—we look at them and think, well yeah, they can do that because they are extraordinary. We glean our little tidbit from their story, but rarely does it lead to massive change in our own lives. They are special. We are not. If we knew the hell our neighbor has survived we might feel inferior.

Well, here we are…as a planet trying to stay true to what’s most important. Trying to protect life and rights and everything we’ve ever known. I’ve been privileged in this time to be safe. I’ve also been privileged to know firsthand what it’s like to be on lockdown in a big city, and also a more suburban, rural one.

The biggest difference? You can feel it in the air. There’s a collective heaviness that’s markedly more profound in higher populated areas. Not to get all woo-woo on you but y’all know we’re all connected. And it matters. This is a time to both protect our own psyches but also let in the pain of our communities.

Now is the time to look to ordinary heroes.

Collective grief can turn into collective hope which can turn into collective change. 

So let’s look to our friends, family, and neighbors who have been through shit before. I’m guessing most of them are doing better than the majority of us mentally right now. They are our teachers. They will scratch at the places within us that have long been scabbed over to expose the vulnerable hearts we all have. The ones that call out to us to be the best versions of ourselves. To look at what we’re holding in our own two hands and see what we can offer our fellow humans.

Nothing else really matters, right? Except each other and our earth. So how do we turn things around, not just for ourselves on an individual level, but in our communities and our world? I don’t have the answers, but I do know where to start.

It must start with us. With you. With me. Healing our emotional injuries, being able to listen to those ideas and impulses that are calling to us now. You know the ones, the ones that are whispering, “please just try me” in your ear late at night or very early in the morning when no one else is up.

Where there is pain there is also hope. I promise. Think about childbirth, there is usually intense pain, but there is also intense hope of new life. I don’t want to use the tired old metaphor that we’re going through a rebirth. So I’ll just say this: what if the pain is the part that slaps us across the face and says “Wake up! Something so important is coming. This is your chance. Something better than you ever imagined is around the corner.”

The post Using Crisis as an Opportunity to Regroup appeared first on Andrea Guevara.

So many of us are watching, or at the very least will likely remember, how brands acted during this time of crisis. The other day a colleague of mine who works for Hyundai, posted a press release sharing that Hyundai donated 65,000 COVID-19 tests and provided funding for 22 drive-thru testing locations nationwide. This is the kind of hands-on, well directed actions that lead to people associating good feelings with the Hyundai brand for years to come. This is brand leadership.

You may have also noticed some of the bigger names in self development, business skills, etc. are offering free or discounted online courses which is…nice. I mean, it’s always nice when folks with more than enough money give things away for free.

Then there’s the other side, whether it’s unfortunate timing of certain ad campaigns, to companies like Tawkify forgetting that they are still running dating ads one in my feed read, “Think you don’t have time to date? You do. The best dating service for ambitious women.” LOL, gave me a good laugh though.

And then there are the cases where brands seem to just be thoughtless or consumed with making profits from fear, for instance: the VIDA protective masks ad that came up on my Insta feed the other day on which users quickly pointed out in comments that not only were the masks being made in China (which isn’t bad necessarily, it’s just not a good look right now when people are trying to support local businesses) while their competitors were making them in the U.S., but also that they were more expensive than competitors and only donated 10% of their profits (keyword there–not price but profit) while their competitors were donating much more to first responders.

And then there are brands like Amazon, with their CEO Jeff Bezos trying to distract us by wanting to test all employees for COVID-19, while only a month ago senators were urging him to give workers sick leave and hazard pay, and employees had to demand the shutdown of a facility after multiple employees tested positive. Or how about his stunt where he donated a measly $100 million to U.S. food banks (when he has personally made an additional $24 billion just since the pandemic began)? To be clear, that’s only 0.000416666666667% of only the money he’s made during the pandemic–not counting the other over $100 billion in wealth he already had.

That’s not a drop in a bucket, that’s a molecule in a pool. 

Or how about this tactless email I received the other day from some entrepreneur I took a webinar with months ago?:

The point is, people are paying attention. More than ever, our emotions are engaged and we’re going to remember the brands that showed us their true character, good, bad, and ugly.

But it’s also good for us to keep in mind with our own brands.

I’ve been trying to filter every communication I make via my brands through a sensitivity to the very real emotions and stresses people have. I aim to be respectful and conscious in how I serve you. That’s why I’ve been keeping my emails primarily focused on being a source of positive messages, reflection, and hope.

In the meantime, I’ve also been working on different new offerings I’ve never offered before because I’ve been trying to develop tools that people need more than ever.  After this many years in business, I’ve realized that some of the things I’ve learned will be of service to others now more than ever. But this is tricky. There’s a balance to strike between helping, making ends meet and being seen as someone capitalizing on a disaster.

Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to offer my services or products for free, but I am working on offering smaller, more focused offerings that are more affordable if people need help with say, just one focused thing–like how to set up their email marketing, or put together a simple website, or how to start their writing career, or leverage LinkedIn better, etc. Anyway, I’ll share more as I get closer to having these resources available as well as how I make decisions moving forward to help my communities.

I hope you’ll also take this opportunity to think about how your brand will be perceived but also balance that with the reality of what you can afford to do (it’s okay to put your family’s survival first right now) and what unique ways you may be able to help others.

In any case, as ever, I wish you the best in life and work and hope that you are safe and healthy. We’re in this together.

The post They Are Showing Us Who They Are appeared first on Andrea Guevara.