Please enjoy this post I originally posted on FrugalBeautiful, my personal blog, and feel free to leave questions in the comment section.

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2012 was the year I wanted my blog to finally work for me.  Hundreds of blogs are started every minute, and very few ever make it to the big leagues.  Too many bloggers start their sites with the hope they will “get noticed.” That if they just write some great posts, tweet something sweet, then proceed to sit and wait, the masses will find them.  Surely, they think, that if they just put in the work, the people, and thus, the brands (with their nice budgets) will find them. They’ll earn enough money and have enough fun to make all the work worth it.

Truth be told, Rockstar Bloggers aren’t discovered, they’re made.

If you want to be a Rockstar Blogger- the kind of person who gets invites for V.I.P. events, sponsorships for conferences, free products and earns real money from their blog- you have to make the decision to learn the tools of the trade and hustle for it.

If 2013 is the year you want to be a Rockstar Blogger, and craft the blog that will help you accomplish your personal goals and your crazy big dreams, you have to make the decision now.  You will not be magically discovered, you have to learn to ask.

How do I know this? Because I spent far too long writing posts in virtual obscurity,  hoping that my traffic would increase magically enough to help generate enough pennies from AdSense to pay my rent or that I’d somehow be “discovered” and be “famous” enough for brands to work with me.

This last year I finally learned the “art of the ask,” and what brands truly look for when working with bloggers in order to tailor a perfect pitch and land myself exclusive invites, free products, sponsorships for travel and athletic events, plus I had more fun (and for free!) than one person could ever ask for.  I have learned that a blog  doesn’t have to be “discovered,” and most of all- that to get your blog to work for you and help you accomplish you dreams, you don’t have to be a big name blogger with tons of followers.

In 2012, I snagged $1,000′s in free product, event and travel sponsorships and ditched Google Adsense to make my ad money directly- quadrupling my earnings each month.  Only after I learned how to market myself and my blog, did the traffic and social media numbers grow.  You don’t have to have a big blog before you start earning perks, instead you learn to capitalize on your strengths and set the stage for Rockstar success by developing social proof from wherever you are.

You choose to be a Rockstar Blogger, don’t wait for someone to choose you, they may never come.  

If you’re ready to snag sponsorships, ad revenue, free product for reviews & giveaways and the super-fun, V.I.P. invites to brand events other bloggers get, the time to start is NOW, oh, and I have a coupon code that will make it even easier to do so!

Get 20% off your copy of Rockstar Blogging before Christmas with  VIPLIST20

Just one snippet of feedback from an awesome Rockstar Blogger earlier this week… thanks Pattee!

Be sure to snag your copy of Rockstar Blogging before December 25th & Get 20% off with “VIPLIST20“

If you have any questions about blogging or the ebook itself, feel free to leave them in the comments section below!

This post was originally published on my personal blog- frugalbeautiful.com

A few people have asked me what it means to be a “problogger,” and if I really make money from my blog.  I do make money from my blog (of course, I do prefer to have other sources of income to subsidize that!) and the term “problogger” basically means that my blog has been built enough that I either can make enough side income, or if I wanted, to make an entire living off my blog if I were to scale it.

The next set of questions from other bloggers is the “how.”  How do I make money blogging?  What’s the right way to monetize the blog? If I make money, will I be “selling out?” and how can I earn some side hustle income without looking fake?  There are a ton of ways to monetize your blog (A.K.A. make them dollas!) and today’s post is just the tip of the iceberg, but I hope you enjoy my best tips on how to make money blogging!

1.  Bring In REAL Traffic:  Post Consistently & With Personality, But Most Of All- PURPOSE.

I know you were hoping for a quick fix, some plugin that you could install to your blog to make it draw in millions of dollars a month…but sadly, there isn’t a quick fix.  Some bloggers choose to make money with traffic based ad networks that pay for the amount of views or clicks the ad gets- like Google Adsense, BlogHer or Burst Media.  Other bloggers go the way of having direct sponsors where someone pays them for a sidebar banner each month- no matter how you go for it, you have to bring in the traffic!

There is no quick fix to getting regular readership to your blog- but you have to ask yourself “Why would a reader come back to my blog, what makes them fall in love with my message?”  Every blog should post regular content based around their personal story, great tips or advice, gorgeous pictures or fun video- whatever you bring to the table, make sure your posts shine with personality.  Even when you tell a personal story, there needs to be a reason for others to read (inspiration, education, entertainment.)  Always keep in mind the “so what?” when you post.

It’s a short-lived shortcut to think you can drive traffic to your blog with a quick-fix tactic to make money.  Sure, you can take a shortcut and write something controversial, or “link bait” etc. to get one day of big traffic, but it’s not sustainable.  To be a problogger or at least make substantial “fun money” each month with your blog, you need traffic to return regularly.

In every post, even if it’s just a “personal post,”  know that you must ask yourself the “why,” and what value it offers to readers and possible sponsors to keep them coming back!  Having readers that subscribe to your blog via newsletter or RSS, following on Twitter & Facebook & talking about your blog is essential- that only comes from writing good content, no way around it.  Building stats authentically is key- if you want to pitch to companies for free stuff later, you need to work on having substantial stats by building a dedicated following.

Why do I go on a rant about what some might say is totally obvious?  Most bloggers don’t do it.  They take shortcuts like focusing on SEO (not quality content) or they use tricky tactics to drive short term traffic to their blog.  If you want to make consistent money, you will prove your value to advertisers and readers (who help you snag more ad revenue & other sponsorships)  by being genuine and focusing on the benefit of your readers.  Without readers, your blog ain’t nothin’!

2.  Decide How You Want To Make Money:  Direct Ads/Sponsorships or Ad Networks (Adsense)…or both!

If your traffic is low, you may think carefully about signing up and relying on networks like BlogHer or Adsense that only make you money if you get a ton of pageviews and people click the banners.  Conversely, if your traffic is really low, you may not be able to reel in big sponsors or charge a lot for banner ad space on your blog- but that’s OK.  Know you will start small, and if you continue to focus on point #1, your ad revenue will grow along with your readership.

You can start out with an ad network just to see how well it converts with your audience (believe it or not, some bloggers find people love to click their ads, I never had that experience so it never made me a ton of money!)  and then start to reach out to other bloggers for ad swaps or to businesses you’d like to get direct ads with.

My biggest piece of advice with ad networks is this- be careful you don’t get stuck in a year long contract!  If you change your mind about making money on your blog (or how you do it) some ad networks like BlogHer and Burst Media do require a year long contract.  Decide before you commit if this is right for you!

When I first started out, I did use Adsense and BlogHer.  BlogHer does have a year long contract, but I did appreciate that ads were usually really well done and they also had other opportunities like book reviews & paid media campaigns that I could sign up for that weren’t so hard to snag as a new blogger.  BlogHer can be a great resource when you first start out, but remember it’s a year long contract and they have strict regulations on the location and placement of your ads!

3.  Reach Out To Brands And Businesses Personally For Reviews, Giveaways & Sponsorships

This is my favorite tactic-  it doesn’t matter how big or small your blog is, as long as you’ve done a good job to make sure your blog is full of personality and the site looks good, brands will want to work with you.  Of course,  you may get a few rejections in the beginning when you email companies to see if they’d like to sponsor your blog or send you free review product, but keep on going!

When I first started blogging, I began to email companies to see if they’d send me a little something (usually clothing or something I needed for school) and I would feature it on my blog or tweet about it.  Of course- doing so requires that you be upfront with your readers that free product was provided (either put at the end of the post, or by adding a disclosure page to your blog with a link to it in the post itself.)

To get started, simply find a brand you want to work with, and write them an email-  it’s really that simple.  Of course, there is a science and art to writing an effective pitch email (expect more on this in an upcoming post)  that will be more beneficial to you if done properly,  but don’t underestimate the power of “The Ask.”  By simply letting a brand know you exist via email, they may want to work with you!

I loved getting free product for reviews and giveaways, sure, at first it didn’t bring in direct ad money, but it helped me get things I couldn’t afford otherwise.  As a grad student, I was broke- so being able to get clothes, school supplies or books to further my learning was such a help- it felt awesome to know my blog would help me work with brands to score freebies I loved and needed!

4. Add Stuff That Advertisers LOVE & They’ll Find YOU.

Seriously, it’s awesome to send an email to ask for free stuff and get it, but even better is when they find YOU and are knockin’ at your door to send freebies (yes, it does happen!)  There are simple things you can do in an afternoon that will prime your blog to get free stuff and make more money:

-Set up a YouTube Channel and add some videos.  (Video is huge for Google search now, plus, both advertisers and readers alike appreciate video more than word-only blogs!)

-Set up an “Auto Tweet” feature so all of your posts are automatically posted via Twitter & Facebook, especially if you feel that you’re not very active on social media.  People use Hootsuite & Dlvr.it  to set up tweets & Facebook posts in advance both to update followers on new content but to make sure they have some activity when they’re busy- remember, it’s about consistency.

-Make sure your “About” page includes tons of personality and a picture of you.  If potential readers, and thus, advertisers feel your blog isn’t human enough, they’ll move on. They want to get to know a real person- not a robot!  Put pictures of your family or big life events up (even without names and locations) so people trust you and what you have to say.

5.  Know Your Value. You May Start Small, But Don’t Work For Free!

Watch out for scams!!  Sadly, as you start to really rock your blog and provide value to your readers with great content & a gorgeous lookin’ site, you will attract both good attention and bad.  As my site began to grow, I started to get emails from “freelance journalists” and “quality websites” that wanted to do some really shady things-  watch out for anyone that offers you something without compensation!

Scammy “offers” include:  Link exchanges with sites you’ve never been to, Awards that you’ve never heard of, “Free” guest posts from freelance authors and “helpful” widgets.  Whoever is contacting you is getting paid to score free links on blogger’s sites-  and often these links are to sites that could cause you to lose your Google Page Rank!  Many times these free link exchanges or free guest posts do not help your blog- but it will help the site who gets you to put a link up, it’s not just undermining your blog and the value you provide, it can have real repercussions to your traffic and readership.

I’ve had people outright lie to me and say that they weren’t getting paid to score a guest post on my blog- but where the catch lies is that they aren’t getting paid for the article, they are getting paid for the links within the article!  Only take guest posts or from reputable bloggers you know, otherwise, do some research and ask for compensation!  Many bloggers choose not to take paid guest posts on their blog- that’s ok, other bloggers, like myself donate blog profits to charity- it’s a personal choice.

The point being though, whether or not you even take ads or sponsorship on your blog, know your value and ask for compensation.  You’ve done a lot of work to build not only credibility with your readers, but also with Google (who you depend upon for new people to find you) so don’t ruin that credibility by letting predatory link stuffers sabotage for your blog- any time you post ANYTHING on your blog, make sure it’s trustworthy and that you’re getting paid if someone approaches you for ads or links.

Real estate on your blog is valuable.  It doesn’t matter what you charge as long as you don’t get taken advantage of by liars and cheats who randomly email you!

Do you want to learn more ways to earn money with your blog and how to craft the perfect pitch to advertisers for free stuff, travel sponsorships & make more money with your blog?

Rockstar Blogging is my complete guide to building a winning blog that will help you live like a rockstar!

I was reading an article the other day about how almost two-thirds of small businesses don’t have a website or use social media tools to advertise their services. Wow, that’s a crazy statistic!

I’m a huge fan of technology, and as an early adopter I’ve seen firsthand how beneficial using technology can be for any type of business, but especially for small business and freelancers looking to make a name for themselves.

Why you ask? Because there are many benefits to embracing technology that can actually save you money. Here are 8 reasons why using technology will not only make your life easier, but can put money in your pocket.

1. Saves Money

Learning to take on tasks yourself can add money to your bottom-line. With one quick search online or YouTube video, you can educate yourself to do just about anything, which keeps you from hiring a professional to help. There are lots of low-cost and even free services that enable small businesses to operate like fortune 500 companies – without all the overhead. Many of the apps and services listed throughout this post are free, and perfect for a one man (or one woman) operation.

2. More Exposure

Thanks to social media, there’s pretty much no limit to how far your reach can be as a business. You never know who will retweet your work, or share your information, or who will click your links. Thanks to technology, you and your small business can get major exposure for little to no price tag. And you could potentially gain a clientele from all over the country and over the world.

3. No Commuting Costs

Many regular commuters are being turned onto the convenience of telecommuting instead. This is great for freelancers and companies alike, since it cuts back on the high costs of commuting. With access to online webinars and virtual tickets at big conferences, you can get the same amount of great work and exposure (or even better) without the costs of traveling, gas and other commuting expenses.

4. Creates Credibility

By embracing things like creating a website (even if it’s just a one page deal) and setting yourself up on social media will give your business a leg-up. You will look more professional and more put together, which helps you and your work stand out from the thousands of other businesses out there. LinkedIn is a must-have for any freelancer and business organization. It’s where thousands of professionals and companies interact on a daily basis, which gives you the opportunity to get your business in front of the right kind of people.

5. Better Organization

Whether you’re a one person operation or a large corporation, we can all use more organization. With access to all of the Google Apps Marketplace services (document management, task/project management, marketing, etc.) you no longer need to manually create and share documents and tasks. Dropbox is another timesaver for businesses which lets you organize and share photos, documents and videos from any location and on any device…this makes all of your business affairs less of a hassle.

6. Ease of Accounting

Companies that have multiple locations can use technology to implement both better communication and accounting services. Even if it’s just you and a few other employees, with the use of apps like Freshbooks or Outright, you can be sure to keep track of every expense and income that flows through your business. This is really important for startups and sole-proprietors because cash flow is essential for keeping the business afloat.

7. Increased Productivity

Computers and business software have exponentially increased our productivity. Instead of using manpower to manually create and assemble things, machines now do it. This means fewer employees are needed to do these jobs which greatly cuts back on the costs of running your business. This is good news for other areas of business like customer service, accounting and administrative support. You can review and report any data electronically, which ensures better accuracy and more productivity rather than manually gathering information.

8. Improved Mobility

Another way technology can improve your business is in the sales and service departments by allowing the use of mobile devices and payment systems to process and transmit orders. With payment processing services like Square and Paypal Here, you can virtually accept payments from anywhere. This greatly improves the mobility and reach of your business, and ensures you continue to bring in revenue.

Jonathan Bowles, the executive director of the Center for an Urban Future (CUF), sums it up nicely. “Technology is no longer an option for small businesses to remain competitive. It’s absolutely essential in today’s digital age. Adopting even the most basic technology tools will help level the playing field for small businesses and enable more small firms grow to the next level.”

Has your business embraced technology yet? In what way have you used it to your advantage?

Author bio:  Carrie Smith is the writer behind the Careful Cents blog, where she helps people get out of debt, find a career they love and create a life they want to live. Her work been featured on The Huffington Post and Brazen Careerist.  Connect with her on Twitter.

When you set out to launch your own business, you face some cold hard truths, like finding more clients, getting your name out there and bringing in more money. You’ll also have to come to grips with trying to balance your creativity with your financial goals.

Everyone wants to live out their passion and make their dreams come true, but when it comes down to it, you still have to make enough money to live on. Finding the perfect balance between your artistic goals and business reality can seem hard at first, but here’s 3 simple ways to make it happen.

1. Write Out Your Goals

Create a list for your artistic or creative goals and then another for your business goals. This way you have a clear distinction of both kinds of goals, which will help you see the big picture.

If you’re a creative person, you’ll end up with a much longer list of artistic goals and vice versa if you’re more business minded. Laying out your goals into two lists, will help you realize what to work on and how much time should be given to each.

2. Get A Fresh Perspective

After pouring over tax documents and financial books for eight hours a day, sometimes I need to spend time refueling my creative side. Spending too much time on one thing can squash your creative juices.

This is when it’s a good idea to take a break, focus on something else and get a fresh perspective. Work on other parts of your business, like marketing yourself or updating your social media profiles. You need to balance the time given to both the art and business aspects of your work.

3. Collaborate

No one is good at everything. It’s important to understand both your strengths and weaknesses. This is why you should collaborate and learn as much as you can from other business experts, mentors and colleagues.

Things like reading books, business blogs or listening to podcasts are essential to balancing your creativity with your business needs. The unique and inspiring stories of other business owners will help pinpoint the best answers to the issues you’re facing.

One of the interesting things about being an artistic person is that you don’t solely create ideas based on your own feelings and inspirations. But rather, you design and develop based on a client’s needs and vision.

That’s actually a pretty remarkable thing and something you should embrace. Through art we’re able to help a business and as a business, we’re able to create art. All it takes to succeed is a little understanding and the knowledge to find the perfect balance.

  Author bio:  Carrie Smith is the writer behind the Careful Cents personal finance and lifestyle blog. She helps people get out of debt, find a career they love and create a life they want to live. Her work been featured on The Huffington Post and Brazen Careerist. 

It’s an exciting time to be a blogger- never before have we, as individuals been able to create such ripple effects of social change so seamlessly and instantly that with the click of a button our message can be amplified out to thousands of followers on social media.

Even for those of us that struggle in obscurity or wish our traffic was better- there is a world of potential at our fingertips and a real opportunity to bring our visions to life.  Nothing seems to illuminate this better for me than the fact that my birthday charity: water fundraiser just passed the $2,000 mark in less than a month.  All of this fundraising was done online and mostly by complete strangers.

Three weeks ago, I put out a call that I had given up my 26th birthday for charity: water- so no parties, no overpriced martinis, no presents and all the money that would have gone to a pricey night out would instead be given to help people I would never meet gain access to clean water.  I got some guff from my friends, but others were astonished- was I serious?  Yup, I was.

Giving up a birthday was really easy but to be honest, when I sat in a Portland hotel (well, airbnb rented room) with my awesome friend Lora, I thought I was going to vomit when I upped the fundraising amount from a safe-and-doable $1,000 to a scary, gut wrenching $2,600…but $2,600 felt RIGHT.  

I didn’t realize it then, but for my birthday I really wanted to grow as a social media consultant. I wanted to test the theories of online social change for myself. I wanted to see if online social influence had any impact in the offline world.  Well good news, it has.

I really, really want this fundraiser in the bag. I want it DONE.  This $2,600 donation will help 130 people gain access to clean drinking water that will last for years and years. This is a real solution to a real problem- a drinking well is permanent and is by no means a band-aid.

Every penny of your donation goes to building a well- no admin.  Charity: water is a organization I believe in, and their business model is innovating the way we give and what giving truly does.  That is why this “experiment” of mine was more than that- it will garner results that matter.

Right now, we’re at $2,001 and we’re so close to the goal I can taste it.

So- if you’re reading this….I’m going to get creative to hit the last $599 of this goal:

If you donate $10 I will give you a 125×125 ad spot on BeautifulGiveaways  or The Frugalpreneur for August.

Go to my charity: water page to donate and let me know on your donation that you want the ad spot (or email me.) I can get it up TODAY.

(or)

If you need to hire a social media consultant, or need to revamp your blog or small biz- I will donate part of your fee to the cause.  Go to Cake Mix Media to nab your spot.

All I have is ad space on my sites and social media services to help rock your blog or business.  You can totally make this a win-win OR you could just donate so I’ll finally shut up about it.  Either way, thank you.  

Whether it’s to put food on the table, get all your bills paid, or create the job of your dreams, funding a business project is expensive. And for many startups and new business ventures, it’s tough to raise the capital needed.

Since the economy collapsed, getting a business or personal loan the traditional way is much more difficult. But thankfully, there’s a great new way to fund your business, that’s both fun and inexpensive.

It’s a fun social lending network called crowdfunding. And since not everyone has the resources, connections or know-how to raise money, crowdfunding (and the companies who offer it) is helping all kinds of people, fund their dreams.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is when a group of people join together and donate money to fund a project for an individual or organization. If you’re a struggling artist, a local coffee shop or a clothing designer wanting to {r}evolutionize the world, you can use crowdfunding to spread the word and raise money for your startup.

People all over the country are putting their dreams on the line, offering rewards or bonuses in exchange for money. Some projects are about funding a new career path, building gadgets and technology or helping everyone understand that a fight with cancer should not be fought alone. Thousands of individuals are lining up to get behind these projects.

Projects can be created by children, teenagers and anyone who needs to raise money for their dream; there are no limits. Many authors like to use crowdfunding to raise capital to self-publish their books and ideas. Some of the projects even go viral, and end up raising millions of dollars, completing shattering their $100,000 goal. Crowdfunding is a powerful business and marketing tool!

The leader in social lending networks is Kickstarter, which has helped people pledge millions of dollars to projects for music, art, film, food, technology and everything in between. You begin by creating a profile, along with a video detailing what your product or project is about. You select the goal you want to raise and the number of days to do it; 30 days (or less) up to 60 days max.

The only catch is, if you don’t raise the funds within the chosen slot of time, you won’t get to keep the money. However, if the project is successfully funded, all the credit cards and accounts of the “backers” will be charged the amount they pledged. Then Kickstarter will deduct a 5% fee and you’ll receive the funds.

About 46% of the projects on Kickstarter get fully funded, and your chances go up even higher if you already have a large platform to reach your audience (like a solid Facebook, Twitter or blog following). Here’s a secret: Backers respond to projects with a lot of passion, sincerity and how useful the project will be. They also want to see creative rewards that are fairly priced and that you communicate your product clearly through the video.

Indiegogo is very similar to Kickstarter and offers the same great social lending platform that Kickstarter does. The main difference between the two, is that Kickstarter requires participants to have a U.S. bank account and major U.S. credit card, while Indiegogo is available worldwide. Kickstarter is a lot more restrictive with the projects it backs, and Indiegogo will help raise money for just about anything; like environmental issues, health related topics and political projects.

Two funding options:

1. Flexible funding: You only pay a 4% fee to Indiegogo if you reach your targeted amount, or 9% if you don’t succeed.
2. Fixed funding: You still have to pay the 4% fee if your goal is reached, but if it’s not, you receive nothing and the pledges are refunded.

You begin by creating a profile, listing your idea, the goal amount and time period then describe your project using video or text. To help spread the word, you get access to social media integration, direct email and announcement features.

How to succeed with your crowdfunding project

Enlist help from influential contacts. Ask your friends, family and other influential contacts to help jump start your project. Enlist their help in spreading the word on social media platforms, blogs and other PR outlets

Update your progress. Be sure to update your progress and involve your audience the entire way. Celebrate and share small milestones, like “We just passed the $1,000 mark thanks to everyone’s amazing support”.

Offer meaningful and creative rewards. Creative rewards will entice people to pledge more money. Consider offering perks that are unique, fun or exclusive to this project.

You are just a few clicks away from funding your startup company, your latest idea or that project you’ve put on the back burner. If you don’t want to use Kickstart or Indiegogo, consider these other 10 crowdfunding sites for entrepreneurs. So take the plunge and start funding your passion, it won’t cost you anything!

Author bio:  Carrie Smith is the writer behind the Careful Cents personal finance and lifestyle blog. She is passionate about all things money, career, debt and travel. Her work been featured on The Huffington Post and Brazen Careerist. 

 Ep 09- The Power Of “No” With Julie Longyear from IrieStar.com

Julie is the founder of IrieStar.com where she sells a fabulous array of natural & herbal skin care & home products. Her natural skincare solutions, Blissoma products are the result of a mix of professional curiosity & personal passion.

As her business has grown & the world has taken note, opportunities from big names & retailers have come her way- today she talks with us on how to sniff out genuine opportunities and the power of “saying no,” for entrepreneurs.

Listen to Episode 9

Also..if you could please subscribe and rate on iTunes that would be mucho appreciated….a nice little rating after subscribing would be the equivalent of Nachos Bel Grande w/ extra cheese.  Do it. Do it!

Listen In For:

• Being clear about your goals & your product evolution from the get-go, before you get big.
• When approached with big opportunities, what resources will you need to not go broke but be able to grow?
• Why getting picked up by “big brands” can be cool but a cash drain in disguise.
• The difference between “investing” and “draining out” with your cash flow.

In early spring of this year, I took a course lead by author & blogger, Jenny Blake of Life After College.

Jenny walks the walk-  after quitting Google, getting a book published & moving to her dream city of NYC, she has also become Yoga certified & spent a month abroad in Thailand to improve her technique.

This year at the World Domination Summit, she was asked to give a brief speech in front of 1,000 people.

This chick MAKES SH*T Happen, and I wouldn’t be writing you unless she inspired me to do the same.

When I signed up for Make Sh*t Happen earlier this year, I was floundering.  I was just about to finish my master’s degree with no long term idea of what was next (since my dream of becoming a college professor turned into a living nightmare.)

Within weeks of enrolling in the course, I officially launched Cake Mix Media, started blogging at  The Frugalpreneur & made some amazing friends who inspired me to get off my duff and rock my life.

 Sh*t I didn’t even admit I wanted started coming true in my life-  clients, travel, money & a hell of a fun time doing it!

6 months later,  the make-sh*t-happen inspiration still won’t quit.  I attended The World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon and met up with several MSH alumni,  and I’ve taken up running.  As a lifelong couch potato and closeted introvert, I had no idea how much my life was going to change from this course.

If you’re looking for a launch point to make sh*t happen, even if you don’t know what that sh*t is yet, this course is for you.

The course is $400 and worth every damn penny.  I’ve got a hookup though- if you want to make sh*t happen, let Jenny know that I referred you and you will receive $50 off.  

The course kicks off in August with only 50 spots (they fill up fast!) and you have 10 weeks, the mentorship of Jenny Blake & a cohort of kick-arse individuals in your class to get your butt in gear.  

If you’ve struggled to get your stuff together, if you’re scared about your big goals or simply feel lost as to what your big goals should be, this will what you need to start living the life you’ve envisioned… driven, guided, purposeful and surrounded by like minded & awesome people to support you.

To Get $50 off The Make Sh*t Happen Course- Sign up HERE and send Jenny an email letting her know “Shannyn sends her regards…and her discount”  so we can both be winners and you can get your $50 off!

Get ready to rock your August and revolutionize your 2012!

Also-  Jenny Blake is hosting a “Make Sh*t Happen Crash Course” webinar on Tuesday, July 17th at 3:30pm eastern.  Sign up here.

So earlier this year, I got the opportunity to snag a ticket for the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon this last weekend.  I thought I was going to hurl.  Seriously, the tickets were $500 and beyond that, I was uber intimidated by the fact that I was still a “work in progress,” with a brand new business & plenty of insecurities of what I’d have to bring to the summit.

There is plenty of advice out there on how you should invest in your business.  Courses to take, books to read, designers to hire- those tactical tips are totally useful, but I would state that for most frugalpreneurs “fun,” is low on the list.

Attending the World Domination Summit cost me nearly $1,000 with tickets, airfare, rooming and food.  That’s pretty damn expensive for a broke former grad student and independent business owner to go have fun with.

As broke business owners- we typically don’t have time or funds to simply throw to the wind, but I would argue that investing unconventionally in your business with the right “fun” stuff will help you be a more well rounded, fulfilled and networked business person.

You will be tempted to lock yourself in your office and work all day, don’t.  

Even if you’re taking up a hobby or building relationships outside of your business that seem pointless, they aren’t.  Making connections, even the most random ones, like I did at WDS, will pay off in intangible dividends and I’d argue, to real business.

Was I freaked out to leave my work behind for a few days?  You betcha.  Going to WDS pointed out something that should have ben blindly obvious-  while my work is remarkable, my life though, is not.  Sad, right?  I’ve been quite a hermit the last few months- running three sites and a social media consulting business with a new master’s degree under my belt.

Sure, you can work all day or dedicate all your free time to reading, researching and studying, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.   WDS proved to me that you can still have fun and improve your business in the process- the two aren’t mutually exclusive.

You can make a thousand excuses as to why you shouldn’t spend money on yourself- but if you won’t spend a bit on improving the CEO of your business better (a.k.a. YOU) why would your customers invest in you?

WDS was as intimidating as it was expensive.  I’ve only been running Cake Mix for two shakes of a lamb’s tail in the scheme of things and I’m currently retooling my schedule to make it all work.  I’m not a bohemian, nor am I a nomadic travel hacker or an artist- but there is a lot to gain by simply hanging out with those people.  

The key to a successful business is spending as much time away from the “office” as possible.

Blasphemy, you say!  But hear me out-  optimizing your time for health, networking and crazy-fun means that you’re working more productively.  It gives purpose to your work.   It’s easy to work simply to work- but what the hell are you working for?  That was one of the biggest takeaways of WDS-  most of the people on stage or leading sessions were invited to speak because they had remarkable working lives. They started charities, travelled the world and made money doing it, or they wrote really phenomenal books- but for every person that accomplished great wealth, prestige and notable businesses, each of them were equally as proud of their “off hour” lives.

As a broke entrepreneur myself, it’s a fact that you have to work to pay the bills.  No work, no money.  The first thing to go when you start focusing on paying the bills, is your purpose.  Why did you start this business?  To spend more time with family, to have flexible time to travel, to make work you were proud of?    Build your business around those priorities not the work itself.

 Embrace those that intimidate you when you try something new.  Lean into feeling out of place.  Believe that you belong.

Even in a “room full of 1,000 crazies” as I call it, the attendees and speakers at WDS intimidated the crap out of me.  I almost didn’t want to go because I didn’t feel I was developed enough as an entrepreneur and non-conformist as others were.   I seemed to have the idea that to be successful you have to live a story that’s already written, a tidy little “about me,” that’s already perfectly thought out and listed in bullet points.

The fact is, I’m a work in progress- and even the most successful folks at WDS argued they were too- just because they had one claim to fame, it didn’t mean they were “finished” or had a static sense of self.  If I learned anything from WDS it’s to just “go anyway.”  Buy your shoes a half size bigger (metaphorically) knowing you’ll grow into them.  Don’t go to something like WDS because you’ve already finished your story, go simply because it has just begun.  Yes, there will be some people who feel like they’re already awesome, and there will be others that are reinventing themselves.

Embrace what and who you are and lean into the fact that you might be uncomfortable, it simply means that you’ve made room in your life to grow and you’ve stretched your vision into the unknown.

The adage “You have to spend money to make money” even applies to frugalpreneurs, except we spend it on different things.

Again, to kick a dead horse-  you can’t always measure your productivity in tidy hours or dollars earned.  Sometimes you have to derail the train, veer off into the unknown and simply be yourself, sans the “C.E.O.” title.  You will totally feel uncomfortable spending the money and time on yourself simply for fun and growth when it could be “better spent” drafting a redesign or negotiating ad campaigns-  but trust yourself.    Or, you know, write it off as a business expense.

So, should you attend the World Domination Summit?  YES.  That is, if you can get tickets.  I’d suggest you sign up for the mailing list so you’ll hear about it when tickets go on sale since this year they sold out in 20 minutes. I kid you not.

Even if you don’t attend WDS next year- invest in something that challenges you personally, helps you grow, makes connections or optimizes your health.  If I had one solid takeaway from WDS this year, it’s that the time you spend away from your work is just as vital as the time you spend working.

As a frugalpreneur you’re not just selling your services or work, you’re selling your story.  Make it a good one.  People are hungry to invest in someone they can believe in.  

 Ep 08- The Most Destructive Habits of Entrepreneurs with Michelle Nikolaisen

Michelle blogs at LetsRadiate.com  to help creative visionaries craft profitable & functional businesses with a focus on productivity and time management.  She also creates some great resources for business owners with learning tools & coaching.

On this interview with Michelle she sheds light on some of the most destructive habits of entrepreneurs.

*by the way, I apologize for annoying truck/beeping noise around 8 minutes.  There was no way to edit that out!

Listen to Episode 8

Also..if you could please subscribe and rate on iTunes that would be mucho appreciated….a nice little rating after subscribing would be the equivalent of Nachos Bel Grande w/ extra cheese.  Do it. Do it!

Listen In For:

• Michelle’s take on “The Macho Subculture” of entrepreneurialism that wears us out.
• Why “doing what you love” is still work and how to refocus your workaholism.
• Spotting “busy work,” we create for ourselves, and why most of us don’t see it.
• Why every entrepreneur needs to unplug for 24hrs as part of their routine.
• The myth of “infinite willpower.”