The Inner EntrepreneurInspiration and resources for creative entrepreneurs.2012-05-22T17:58:52Zhttp://theinnerentrepreneur.com/feed/atom/WordPressDouglas Ebyhttp://talentdevelop.com/resume.html<![CDATA[Self-limiting beliefs: Do you love your work?]]>http://theinnerentrepreneur.com/?p=972012-05-22T17:58:52Z2012-05-22T01:34:06ZJonathan Mead and Steve Pavlina write about the kinds of attitudes, mindsets and self-limiting beliefs toward work – and our abilities – that may keep us from even attempting an entrepreneurial dream.
Jonathan Mead writes:
“So many people don’t do what they love for a living, because they think they don’t deserve it. It’s more important for them to sacrifice and deliver value to others, than it is to value themselves.
“That’s the typical puritanical mindset. Work for others’ benefit, get a paycheck (to make it seem like you really got something out of it), then suck it up.
“This is how this paradigm works:
“Work to deliver someone else value, while doing something that we don’t enjoy (self-sacrifice).
“Get a paycheck, and then trick ourselves into believing that the paycheck is enough to make up for the fact that we don’t care much for what we do.
“Well, it doesn’t have to be this way anymore. You don’t have to sacrifice your self. And the good news is, when you actually care about the value you deliver, you can deliver more of it and do it better.”
Jonathan Mead – in his post The End of Self-Sacrifice on his blog IlluminatedMind.net.
He is author of the free ebook: The Zero Hour Workweek..
He notes, “The ‘zero’ part is in reference to when you do what you love, ‘work’ no longer feels like work. I personally can no longer tell the difference between when I’m working and when I’m playing.”
Also get his free Passion + Profit Workbook – a “guide to finding the intersection between: What you love to do… and What the world deeply needs.”
Mead hosts a monthly Trailblazer Webinar – free event on “how to get paid to be who you are.”
~~~~
Steve Pavlina notes: “One of the greatest fears you’ll confront is that you may not have any real value to offer others. Maybe being an employee and getting paid by the hour is the best you can do. Maybe you just aren’t worth that much.
“That line of thinking is all just part of your conditioning. It’s absolute nonsense. As you begin to dump such brainwashing, you’ll soon recognize that you have the ability to provide enormous value to others and that people will gladly pay you for it.
“There’s only one thing that prevents you from seeing this truth — fear.”
]]>0Douglas Ebyhttp://talentdevelop.com/resume.html<![CDATA[The Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit]]>http://theinnerentrepreneur.com/?p=3062012-02-03T03:15:12Z2012-02-01T20:01:21Z2012 Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit
FREE program – from Feb. 27 to March 9
Do you feel connected to your creative gifts but struggle with the nuts and bolts of business?
Have you created a business plan but are wondering, “Ummm, now what?”
Would you rather run for the hills than face the intimidating marketing, sales, financial, and legal aspects of your business? Yikes!!
Do typical business-building resources and programs make you cross-eyed or beyond bored? Y-A-W-N!
Do you long for a more creative, intuitive, and authentic way of doing business that’s both practical and profitable?
“If the business plan is the roadmap, then “beyond the business plan” is arriving at your desired destination and building a thriving enterprise.
“To do that your right AND left brains need to partner up more than ever.
]]>8Douglas Ebyhttp://talentdevelop.com/resume.html<![CDATA[Make a difference and make a business]]>http://theinnerentrepreneur.com/?p=8302012-01-18T05:41:46Z2012-01-18T05:40:20ZBy Brendon Burchard
Your life story, your knowledge, and your message—what you know from experience and want to share with the world—have greater importance and market value than you probably ever dreamed.
• You are here to make a difference in this world, and the best way to do that is to use your knowledge and experience (on any topic, in any industry) to help others succeed.
• You can get paid for sharing advice and how-to information that helps others succeed, and in the process you can build a very lucrative business and a profoundly meaningful life.
If any of this sounds unbelievable—especially the part about your getting paid for sharing what might essentially be your message to the world—then it is simply because you have been unaware of a fairly unknown and previously secretive industry that exists all around us—what I call the “expert industry.”
Daniel Amen
The expert industry is a caring community of people who share their advice and knowledge with the world and get paid for it.
These are the people you see on television and online sharing advice on how to improve your life or grow your business.
They are ordinary people who have packaged their successes, research, or life story into advice for others and thus have become “experts” on a given topic, whether it is how to be a better parent, start a business, succeed at work, live with more passion, or any other topic.
They are servants of wisdom, and they inspire all of us with what they know.
These experts, again, are just average people who have synthesized their life experience and have created products and programs for sale to the public.
They have articles, blogs, books, audio programs, DVD home- study courses, podcasts, videos, and more, all of which are extremely easy and cheap to create thanks to the Internet.
In many cases, they have become well known or famous simply for sharing their advice and how-to content.
And they have made millions of dollars doing it. In effect, they have monetized their message, and they get paid more than you could ever fathom.
They are millionaire messengers, the entrepreneurial experts of the Information Age.
Despite the fact that you may not currently consider yourself an expert or “guru,” the fact is that anyone can be one.
Don’t worry; we will reframe the words “expert” and “guru” if you have a negative association with them, because being an expert or guru is just about helping people succeed, which is a very good thing.
Becoming an expert is simply a matter of positioning and packaging who you are and what you know so that you can help the greatest number of people in your target audience.
You can become a highly influential and highly paid expert on almost any topic you wish, and in this book I will show you how to do just that.
What I’m talking about is not about your becoming an expert in order to become a “knowledge worker” for some drone-creating global company.
The knowledge worker is a long-dead concept, and in the new creative age—fueled by content, authenticity, trust, search engines, and social media—the new class of creatives and experts will work for themselves and create real relationships with people, based on valuable advice and information.
Luckily, because of the great democratization of content and distribution that the Internet has brought us, every one of us can create and distribute valuable how-to content that helps other people.
You are about to discover that in this new economy we can all be influencers, and we can all be paid for our knowledge without having to work for someone else.
If you have a message and an Internet connection, you can have a career in the expert industry and get paid for what you know.
It turns out that mentoring others can be both meaningful and profitable.
Importantly, this book is also not about making you a guru in the way most people have thought about it.
It is not about telling you how you can become a “motivational” or “inspirational” speaker, though you can certainly do that, too.
David Archuleta
Traditionally, if you had an inspiring life story and wanted to make a difference in the world, everyone said, “Go be a motivational speaker.”
It is sad that our culture’s only language to describe people who help others has traditionally been limited to the phrase “motivational speaker,” when even those who operate under that moniker do so much more as experts.
Speaking is just one of six areas an expert can be paid in; other areas include writing books, conducting workshops, coaching, consulting, and providing online training products and programs.
Today’s experts do not have to dominate in all these areas to become wildly wealthy.
In fact, I will show you a million-dollar plan for getting your message out there and getting paid for it that may shock you in the simplicity of its implementation.
Having said all this, I have been wondering about something for a while.
In the current fragile economy, when so many people are looking for their next step and desperately seeking advice, success strategies, and how-to information, how is it that no one has written a book like the one you now have in your hands? [The Millionaire Messenger.]
I believe this exact moment constitutes the greatest entrepreneurial opportunity in history and is a small part of a natural and logical development of our economy.
People have a great need right now—they need guidance and mentoring and coaching—and you can serve them and make a massive difference (and a fortune) doing so.
I know that my words might sound surreal to you.
So my aim in this book is to teach you about this industry and make these three arguments to you in such a concrete, rational, and implementable way that you take action and start inspiring and instructing others on how to succeed in life, business, relationships, or whatever topic you choose.
You can reach millions of people with your message, and you can get paid millions of dollars for doing so.
I have proven it and so have my students.
While it might sound like hype, keep reading and you might just discover a new career for yourself (and a higher calling).
This is an excerpt from Chapter 5 of The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard
~~~~
Brendon Burchard is one of the top business and motivational speakers and entrepreneur mentors in the world, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book The Millionaire Messenger, and has shared the stage with speakers like Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, John Gray, Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, Andy Andrews, Keith Ferrazzi, Harv Eker, Les Brown, and Jack Canfield. He’s also shared the stage with the Dalai Lama, Tony Hsieh (Zappos CEO), and Sir Richard Branson in inspiring others to be more giving and compassionate while building their businesses.
Video: The Millionaire Messenger Author Brendon Burchard
Author Brendon Burchard reveals 10 steps to building an advice and how-to expert empire.
“People will continue to leave the traditional work world in DROVES, and every entrepreneur’s revenue will mostly stem from their advice within 5 years…the online world allows them to quickly monetize their knowledge, experience and advice.
“You can make more of a difference and income as an entrepreneurial expert today than most people can possibly imagine.”
Top photo: psychiatrist and brain imaging specialist Dr. Daniel Amen, who gives PBS presentations such as “Magnificent Mind at Any Age” – from post Taking the leap to become an expert.
Bottom photo: David Archuleta signing his book Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance – “…how he overcame vocal cord paralysis to achieve his dream of being a successful singer. David also opens up about the strength he draws from his unshakable faith and family. He pays tribute to those who continue to inspire him and, through their example, help him believe in himself, his talent, and his abilities.” (Amazon.com summary)
What if you could make money doing what you already know and what you’re passionate about doing?
We’re all experts at something. Everyone has their own abilities, skills, and unique life experiences that they can share with others.
Why not make a business out of it?
In the following interview, Brendon Burchard lays the groundwork for becoming an expert entrepreneur with advice from his New York Times bestseller, The Millionaire Messenger.
Take the first steps towards becoming an expert entrepreneur! Ask yourself what topics and audiences:
1. You are passionate about.
2. You want to learn about.
3. You’d like to serve.
Robert: And I guarantee you, anyone who is reading this or listening to this is saying, “Yes! Yes, this is exactly what I would love to do!” but some of them may be thinking, “Well, okay. I want to do it but, again, what can I be an expert in?”
Author Susan Delain at a book signing
Do you have anything that maybe could help them draw out what they could be an expert in?
Brendon: Yeah. One of the easiest ways I found, especially in working with a lot of boomers who come to Experts Academy (the baby boomer generation is the majority of our audience), a lot of them are looking for a second career, or a new beginning, or they’re looking for just more meaningful types of work.
And what we found over and over, to ask just this simple question: What do you do now?
And then, who else wants to do that, that you could teach?
So, for example Robert, you’re a very successful guy in what you do, especially in let say, you know, being a columnist for CBS Money Watch. Okay. Think about this, how many other people in the world would love to be a columnist for a major media outlet?
Every kid in journalism in the world would love to learn how to do that. But that’s something you just do.
That’s what you do, and I would say, “Dude, let’s start there. Let’s package what you know about being a successful columnist, from how do you get with major media to how do you write great columns, to how do you stay with, it to how do you create user feedback and get the community really engaged with your articles, to how do you get these experts on the phone in the first place, Robert?”
Those things that you just do, if you put that together in a DVD program, let’s say, for $97 to teach people how to do that. Well, if you sold a 100 of those a month, that’s $9700 of income a month just teaching what you already do and know to people who want to learn how to do the same.
Robert: That’s a great strategy, to figure out what it is that you currently doing and that, again, I think for a lot of people they think, “Oh, well, you know, it’s no big deal. It’s easy. I just do it.” You know, you don’t even think about it.
~~~~
Brendon Burchard is one of the top business and motivational speakers and entrepreneur mentors in the world, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book The Millionaire Messenger, and has shared the stage with speakers like Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, John Gray, Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, Andy Andrews, Keith Ferrazzi, Harv Eker, Les Brown, and Jack Canfield. He’s also shared the stage with the Dalai Lama, Tony Hsieh (Zappos CEO), and Sir Richard Branson in inspiring others to be more giving and compassionate while building their businesses.
Video: The Millionaire Messenger Author Brendon Burchard
Author Brendon Burchard reveals 10 steps to building an advice and how-to expert empire.
“People will continue to leave the traditional work world in DROVES, and every entrepreneur’s revenue will mostly stem from their advice within 5 years…the online world allows them to quickly monetize their knowledge, experience and advice.
“You can make more of a difference and income as an entrepreneurial expert today than most people can possibly imagine.”
Photo: author Susan Delain at a book signing. Writing fiction or non-fiction is also an entrepreneurial venture.
For related articles and resources, see my site The Inner Writer.
~~
]]>0Douglas Ebyhttp://talentdevelop.com/resume.html<![CDATA[Stepping Into Your Brilliance Zone]]>http://theinnerentrepreneur.com/?p=8182012-01-12T02:25:04Z2012-01-12T02:25:04ZBy Christine Kloser
What is your “brilliance zone”?
The best way to answer this question is to list some of the aspects that exist when you are in your brilliance zone.
My hope is that as you read these aspects, you’ll get their meaning on a deep level – one that will help you live in your brilliance zone more and more!
Serving with Joy
The first way of knowing you’re in your brilliance zone is that you feel deeply connected to the service you provide for others.
While it may appear to be “business as usual” – you know, in the core of your being, the power of the work you do.
And, you do it with gratitude for the opportunity to serve, while also experiencing tremendous JOY as you do so.
Being Lit Up From Within
The next way to know you’re in your brilliance zone is by feeling the light inside of you burning brightly.
You have an awareness of the spark that resides inside of your own heart, and you feel it lighting you up from the inside out.
You may find yourself so “on fire” that you giggle with glee when you feel the magnitude of the energy that’s alive inside of you.
Bearing Witness
The third way to know you’re in your brilliance zone is when you fully experience the gift of bearing witness to the growth and transformation happening for those you serve (your customers and clients).
You have an awareness of what is happening for them and you open yourself to hold the space for your customer/client to shine their light and to see the truth of who they are.
This experience brings me to tears over and over again – when I get to bear witness to a client’s transformation. When you’re in your brilliance zone, you are fully present to the blessing of witnessing another’s transformation.
Connected to Your Higher Purpose
When you’re in your brilliance zone, you feel deeply connected to your higher purpose. You have a sense that your contribution is not from your own doing, rather you understand that you are one piece of a Divine puzzle, and you are committed to contributing YOUR unique piece… no matter what!
Not Taking Full Credit
When you are in your brilliance zone, your work doesn’t feel like work. And, it doesn’t feel like “work” because it’s not all being done by the individual known as you.
Stepping into your brilliance zone involves accepting that everything you do springs forth out of a co-creative process with the Source that sustains all things (whether you are consciously aware of this, or not).
So, you know you’re in our brilliance zone when you share the “credit” for your success with the Source that fuels you.
You are deeply grateful, and fully present to the joyous gift that’s been given to you. And, you give credit where credit is due… to you AND your co-creative source!
Now that you’re more familiar with what I’m talking about when I refer to your “brilliance zone”… I encourage you to reflect on if/where/how you are living in that zone.
And, if you’re not in it as often as you’d like, then consider making some shifts so you are!
Video: Christine Kloser’s Conscious Business Tip #1 To succeed as a conscious entrepreneur, it is essential that you are in total alignment with yourself, your business, your life… your heart. This video offers some tips for conscious business owners to get aligned!
Three-time award winning author and “Transformation Catalyst,” Christine Kloser specializes in training authors and entrepreneurs to write, publish and market their transformational books so they can shine their brightest light in the world, while impacting others with their powerful message.
She is the creator of the Transformational Author Experience and ChristineKloserUniversity.com where she teaches her signature Get Your Book Done® program.
Christine has impacted tens of thousands of conscious entrepreneurs and aspiring authors around the world through her writing, speaking, live events, communities and coaching.
A featured columnist in PUBLISHED! Magazine, Christine is leading the way for those who are ready to help transform the world with their words.
Photo added (by site editor Douglas Eby): Lea Michele in TV series Glee.
~~~~
]]>8Douglas Ebyhttp://talentdevelop.com/resume.html<![CDATA[How to Believe in Yourself – No Matter What]]>http://theinnerentrepreneur.com/?p=8112012-01-11T21:05:15Z2012-01-11T05:51:49ZBy Christine Kloser
The voices are quite familiar.
“Who do you think you are? You’re not an expert!
“Why would anyone believe you? Nobody will be interested in what you want to share.
“It’s already been written. You’re not worthy of success. You can’t be trusted. You’re not a writer.”
OK. You get the picture, I don’t need to go on. These voices you hear rolling over and over again in your mind are debilitating.
I know, because you’ve told me so and because I grappled with those same voices for years. (And, there are some I’m still working on… )
So, I want to share with you what works for me – and what I believe will work for you – to help quiet these frustrating voices so you can believe in yourself.
It’s all about perspective.
I can’t help but think of Marianne Williamson’s quote from Our Deepest Fear… “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be…”
It’s probably a quote you’ve heard before, but let’s sit with what she’s really talking about… and the perspective that changes everything.
You see, if you’ve been given the gift of an inspiration or idea that is placed on your heart with a yearning to share it… that ALONE is qualification enough. Who are you not to be all that?!
The insight – the moment of clarity in which you know you have something to share with others – THAT is the moment of your deepest truth.
All the other stuff is the human mind (and ego) trying to keep you safe, protected and in your comfort zone.
Yet, when you connect with the TRUTH in your heart, you come to understand there’s no doubt you are qualified; that your message is valuable; that it will help those people it’s meant for; that you have something to contribute that will make a difference.
As Rev. Michael Beckwith says, “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.”
So, if you have a calling to share your wisdom on the pages of a book, or any other way, you ARE qualified.
It is the passion, desire, and your own transformational journey that will make a difference to others. Not some external standard of what someone else’s projection is of what it means be an author/expert/light in the world.
The next time your voices creep up… shift up to a HIGHER perspective. And, allow yourself to see that you are qualified, you are valuable and you are worthy… and that you CAN do it! Simply because you ARE!
It’ll help tremendously for you to perhaps do what I do to help myself get connected with the highest in me – when the voices of doubt and fear are trying to take over. I sit, in silence.
Yep. I get away from my desk, retreat to my altar, light a few candles, connect with the Divine, offer gratitude for the gift of God’s grace in my life and simply sit in that space as I feel the wash of love, compassion, understanding and light fill me.
Sometimes I sit for 5 minutes, sometimes I can be in that state for an hour. I simply allow myself to relish in that connection with the ultimate Source of all things, and to feel my unique gift… that gift that only I can bring, in the way I bring it.
The same is true for you.
Only YOU can bring your gift… nobody else on the planet can offer what you can.
Let this perspective stay with you in those times of doubt, and you’ll discover how to believe in yourself – no matter what.
Video: Christine Kloser’s Conscious Business Tip #1 To succeed as a conscious entrepreneur, it is essential that you are in total alignment with yourself, your business, your life… your heart. This video offers some tips for conscious business owners to get aligned!
Three-time award winning author and “Transformation Catalyst,” Christine Kloser specializes in training authors and entrepreneurs to write, publish and market their transformational books so they can shine their brightest light in the world, while impacting others with their powerful message.
She is the creator of the Transformational Author Experience and ChristineKloserUniversity.com where she teaches her signature Get Your Book Done® program.
Christine has impacted tens of thousands of conscious entrepreneurs and aspiring authors around the world through her writing, speaking, live events, communities and coaching.
A featured columnist in PUBLISHED! Magazine, Christine is leading the way for those who are ready to help transform the world with their words.
]]>4Douglas Ebyhttp://talentdevelop.com/resume.html<![CDATA[Challenges of connecting with your tribe]]>http://theinnerentrepreneur.com/?p=8052012-01-10T04:47:46Z2012-01-10T04:26:35ZThe practical and spiritual challenges of connecting with your tribe
By Molly Gordon
Marketer and blogger Seth Godin defines a tribe as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.”
In the case of your tribe of just-right clients, you are the leader, responsible for giving them care and guidance.
Not in a patronizing way, but to the extent that they depend on you to do good work and to lead them toward things that match their needs.
You and your just-right clients are connected through your work, the way you market that work, and the sales conversations you have.
(Selling is a conversation. But you knew that, right?)
Finally, you and your tribe of just-right clients are connected to an idea.
That idea could be the core values behind your work.
It could be how your work matches what they want.
It could be the difference your work makes in the world.
It’s a spiritual and a practical relationship.
The trouble with tribes
The trouble with tribes is that many Accidental Entrepreneurs don’t feel like they are in the same tribe as the clients they want.
Here’s a sample of issues you may relate to:
* The clients you want don’t really get you or your work. * The people who need your work can’t afford it, or * You can’t relate to the people who can afford it. * It’s hard to get their attention.
They don’t get you
When you love your work, you naturally want your just-right clients to love it, too. But it can seem like they just don’t get you.
Do you get frustrated when potential clients seem to miss the beauty, subtlety, or utility of your offers?
Do you get cranky if you’re asked to explain yourself?
Do you feel indignant or defensive when questioned about the value of your products or services? And does the idea of offering a guarantee set your teeth on edge?
The reality is it’s not their job to get you; it’s your job to get them.
Get your tribe before asking them to get you
Stephen Covey said it years ago: Understand before seeking to be understood.
It’s okay to want your tribe to get you, but if you want them to hire you or buy your work, it’s your job to help them understand what’s in it for them.
And to do that, you need to understand where they are coming from.
That’s not as hard as it might sound. Ask the people you want to work with what they think.
Ask them how they like to be treated. Find out how they like to get their information or receive products and services.
Yes, it takes homework, but for the sake of your tribe (and your livelihood), isn’t it worth it?
The people who need your work can’t afford it
This one can really hurt your heart. You so want to serve through your work. Yet you need to make a living. And it seems like the people who want or need what you do can’t afford you.
Here’s the thing. Some people can’t afford what you do. Some people can. What’s needed is a way to serve both while supporting you.
After all, you are responsible for the well being of yourself and your loved ones.
The answer is to serve from generosity
The answer to this problem is to serve your tribe from generosity.
What does that mean?
It means having a business that supports you well enough that you can give generously of what you have.
One of the best ways to do this is to give away useful information.
If you are a bodyworker, you can give information about self-care.
If you are a self-employment coach, like me, you can give away insights and tools for succeeding at self-employment.
When you give from deep and renewable resources, you help people who can’t afford you, without depleting yourself. That means you can thrive and continue to give.
You can’t relate to people who can afford your work
This one’s a doozie, too. If you sell a premium product or service, one that costs more than you typically spend, you may feel like you and your just-right clients are on a different page when it comes to money.
This can alienate you from your tribe.
But does money really need to separate you?
The point of a price is to establish a shared value. The price you sell is the value your work represents to you. The price your just-right clients pay is the value it represents to them.
So long as that value matches, your respective incomes aren’t an issue.
When you connect with your tribe around the value of your work, instead of obsessing about whether or not they have a different lifestyle, money stops being a barrier.
But how do you get their attention?
Perhaps you are convinced of the importance of understanding your tribe before asking them to understand you and your work. You’re willing to concede that the financial gap you’ve been seeing doesn’t need to be an issue.
The question remains: How do you get the attention of your tribe?
Too many Accidental Entrepreneurs expect their tribes to form around them just because.
Because they do good work. Because they have a lot of training or experience. Because they have the best interests of their tribes at heart.
But you’ll never get the attention of your tribe by sitting around waiting for it. You have to earn their attention by giving them something valuable.
You earn your tribe’s attention by serving them
The best way to get the attention of your tribe is to do something for them.
Give away your best ideas in your blog or ezine. Write tip sheets or how to columns for your local newspaper.
Visit the places your tribe hangs out online and off and answer their questions.
Again, it takes homework to find opportunities to serve your tribe. But your peers are doing it everyday.
Notice what successful people in your profession are doing and follow their lead. Stamp your offerings with your own personality, and before long you will stand out.
Your tribe is waiting for you
The best way to get a continuous stream of income from your work is to form a tribe around your business. That means looking for the values and concerns that you hold in common with your just-right clients.
It means not letting surface differences like income level get in the way. And it means serving them so they can come to know, like, and trust you.
Now you know what to do. Do it. Your tribe is waiting for you
Questions? Success stories? Push back? Share your comments at my blog.
Would you like things to be different in 2012?
If you are wanting to change something fundamental in your business, something that will enable you to show up bigger, serve more, and thrive in 2012, please consider Profit Alchemy.
Profit Alchemy gives you four things:
1. Clarity about how to be profitable.
2. The skills to do what it takes to be profitable.
3. Motivation to do what needs to be done.
4. The confidence that you can do it and succeed.
It’s designed to support you every inch of the way for nine months, so that you and your business are different in September than you are today.
If you want things to be different in 2012, learn more about Profit Alchemy.
Molly Gordon is president of Shaboom Inc., a “coaching and training company that delivers hope, help, and hilarity to Accidental Entrepreneurs so that they can build a business that fits just-right.”
She says, “Thanks to my checkered past, I’m able to draw road maps for other accidental entrepreneurs – people who love their work enough to risk working for themselves but who aren’t particularly business oriented and who have a deep commitment to personal growth.
“I love that everything I learn (and every mistake I make) serves this audience. From The Work of Byron Katie to Embodied Intelligence, ontological coaching to Process Work to integral theory and methodology, there is delicious synergy among my vocation and avocations.”
She explains that her business name Shaboom refers to how “business success and personal growth are intertwined. The more you grow and develop personally, the more you achieve the emotional, physical, and spiritual well being you want, the more successful you will be at building a business where the person you have always wanted to be can do work you have always wanted to do. And that’s very cool, indeed.”
Her programs include:
The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur, The Practical Path to a Business that Fits Just-Right.
A testimonial: “Before I bought the program, I assumed you were pretty touchy-feely, “think positive” kind of coach, not much real world application stuff. What I discovered is that you have really amazing insights into the issues that I personally have as a single-person business, and I’ve been doing this off and on for over 30 years…I’d recommend The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur to anyone who went into business because they loved what they do. Selling yourself and your skills is exhausting, demeaning, and often sucks the passion out of what used to feed your creativity and happiness. I’m thinking about my work in a completely different way and am excited to tell people my story once again.” – Dick Carlson, Columbia, SC, USA.
The Self-Employment Telesummit
Transform under-earning into the joyful creation of meaningful wealth. Hear presentations by 18 of the world’s top heart-centered teachers. “Many accidental entrepreneurs are skilled in their areas of genius, but they need to get quickly up to speed on all other areas so they can be successful at making money when they need it, which is now,” explains event creator Molly Gordon. “Meeting this need is what the Self Employment Telesummit is all about.”
Video: Inner and outer transformation are keys to self-employment profits – “You need both inner and outer transformation to profit when you love your work but don’t much love the business part. Profit Alchemy is a nine-month program that provides both.”
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]]>4Douglas Ebyhttp://talentdevelop.com/resume.html<![CDATA[Creating money: The inner and outer work of financial goals]]>http://theinnerentrepreneur.com/?p=7952011-12-29T17:47:31Z2011-12-29T05:47:25ZBy Molly Gordon
It’s the time of year when we traditionally think about the past 12 months and look to the future.
Time to review what worked and didn’t work about 2011 and to plan for 2012.
Time for Accidental Entrepreneurs to be clear and specific about lots of things, including money.
Because money matters, even–or especially–when you don’t want your work to be about the money.
Money, or the lack of it, affects your confidence.
Money determines how much you can invest in yourself and your work.
Finally, if you exist in a money fog, it’s hard to navigate everything from pricing to equipment purchases to paying taxes.
That’s stressful and distracting.
So money matters.
Making money is a creative act
You may not have thought about it this way, but making money is a creative act, like making cookies, a sweater, or a painting.
Making money involves starting with raw materials (your knowledge, skills, passion, experience) and transforming them into income through the medium of serving others.
Creating begins with a vision
Creating money begins with defining specific financial goals. When you establish goals, you declare to your conscious and unconscious mind that you intend to create that result.
Setting financial goals is an inside and outside job
Setting and reaching financial goals requires inner and outer work.
The inner work includes aligning your goals with your values, dreams, and self-concept. That means setting goals that are meaningful.
It means working on your money issues. (And hello, who doesn’t have money issues?)
I’m betting you know or can guess quite a bit about the issues keeping you from setting and reaching juicy financial goals.
(Can it be okay with you to have a juicy financial goal?)
But you may have become resigned or complacent about those issues. You may be so used to having them around that you’re not gently and persistently unraveling them.
Inner work takes form in outer work
Actually, there’s only one kind of work: the work of being self-aware, self-realized, and self-actuating. You wake up (or you don’t) and you take one humble action at a time.
Chop wood.
Carry water.
When it comes to setting and reaching financial goals, the equivalent of chopping wood and carrying water is doing the numbers. Getting down and dirty with what you are earning now and what a really good living would look like.
Start with what you need and want to spend
In Profit Alchemy, I teach participants to begin the goal-setting process by getting specific about their expenses. That’s because knowing what you need to earn will make your goals much more grounded and focused.
Otherwise it’s easy to be dreamy and vague, to over- or under-reach.
Start by making a list of your expenses.
Next, dream. What things are you not currently paying for that you need in order to be truly comfortable? Include things like insurance, self care (massage, anyone?), and holidays. Add these to your list.
How about an allowance for replacing your computer and other equipment when the time comes?
(Yes, you can plan for this. You can’t control it, but you can sure as heck plan for it.)
Now, account for contingencies, profit, savings, and taxes.
Contingencies are unexpected expenses.
Profit lets you reinvest in yourself and your business.
Savings and taxes are self-explanatory (though often Accidental Entrepreneurs forget to plan for them).
I suggest you add at least 30% to the total for contingencies, profit, savings, and taxes.
(Sound like work? Chop wood. Carry water!)
Define your starting point
Do you know, really, how much money you made this month? This year?
Lots of my students don’t, at least not in the beginning. Like them, you may have a vague sense of what you’re earning. But to be a creator, you need a firm foundation in current reality.
Run the numbers. (You can do it!)
Play with the possibilities
This part is more fun. (But please, do the other pieces first.)
Think of all the ways you might bring in money.
Remember, you are creating here, so be creative.
Look around at what other people in your field and beyond are doing. How could you do a version of the same things?
Play with the amounts of money you might charge for different products and services.
Work out how much you would earn by selling different products and services at different price points.
How many hours of massage at $120/hour would you need to deliver in order to pay your mortgage or rent? How would that change if you raised or lowered your fees?
What if you taught a class? Again, play with different scenarios. 10 people at $300; 30 people at $150. Get a feel for the various ways you can build toward your goal.
Creating is an iterative process
That’s a fancy way of saying, “Review your goals and revise your plans.”
In the Profit Alchemy course, students revisit their goals and plans every month. They have a daily “chop wood, carry water” practice to keep them in action. They learn to become creators (also known as profit alchemists).
Starting in January a new group will come together. They’ll be shifting beliefs, while taking daily action to achieve their financial goals. Along the way, they will develop confidence in their ability to thrive at self-employment. They are going to know that they can rely on themselves to earn a good living at the work they love.
It’s a powerful program, and I would love to have you in it.
You can learn more and apply here [only 10 places left, as of Dec. 27]: Profit Alchemy course.
Article original title: Creating money: The inner and outer work of setting and reaching financial goals – from Authentic Promotion newsletter by Molly Gordon, MCC. Copyright (c) Shaboom Inc.(r) 2011.
Molly Gordon is president of Shaboom Inc., a “coaching and training company that delivers hope, help, and hilarity to Accidental Entrepreneurs so that they can build a business that fits just-right.”
She says, “Thanks to my checkered past, I’m able to draw road maps for other accidental entrepreneurs – people who love their work enough to risk working for themselves but who aren’t particularly business oriented and who have a deep commitment to personal growth.
“I love that everything I learn (and every mistake I make) serves this audience. From The Work of Byron Katie to Embodied Intelligence, ontological coaching to Process Work to integral theory and methodology, there is delicious synergy among my vocation and avocations.”
She explains that her business name Shaboom refers to how “business success and personal growth are intertwined. The more you grow and develop personally, the more you achieve the emotional, physical, and spiritual well being you want, the more successful you will be at building a business where the person you have always wanted to be can do work you have always wanted to do. And that’s very cool, indeed.”
Her programs include:
The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur, The Practical Path to a Business that Fits Just-Right.
A testimonial: “Before I bought the program, I assumed you were pretty touchy-feely, “think positive” kind of coach, not much real world application stuff. What I discovered is that you have really amazing insights into the issues that I personally have as a single-person business, and I’ve been doing this off and on for over 30 years…I’d recommend The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur to anyone who went into business because they loved what they do. Selling yourself and your skills is exhausting, demeaning, and often sucks the passion out of what used to feed your creativity and happiness. I’m thinking about my work in a completely different way and am excited to tell people my story once again.” – Dick Carlson, Columbia, SC, USA.
The Self-Employment Telesummit
Transform under-earning into the joyful creation of meaningful wealth. Hear presentations by 18 of the world’s top heart-centered teachers. “Many accidental entrepreneurs are skilled in their areas of genius, but they need to get quickly up to speed on all other areas so they can be successful at making money when they need it, which is now,” explains event creator Molly Gordon. “Meeting this need is what the Self Employment Telesummit is all about.”
Video: Inner and outer transformation are keys to self-employment profits – “You need both inner and outer transformation to profit when you love your work but don’t much love the business part. Profit Alchemy is a nine-month program that provides both.”
]]>2Douglas Ebyhttp://talentdevelop.com/resume.html<![CDATA[What to Do When You Fall Out of Love With Your Work]]>http://theinnerentrepreneur.com/?page_id=7892011-12-28T06:43:23Z2011-12-28T05:48:34ZBy Valerie Young, Ed.D.
You started out loving your chosen career – at least in the beginning. But over time, you and your calling, well, you just grew apart.
And just like a relationship that’s gone bad, it can be hard to walk away from a career or a small business into which you’ve put so much time and effort to say nothing of the financial investment.
Take my friend Donna.
After earning her master’s degree in social work some fifteen years ago, she went into private practice as a family therapist.
For the first five or so years, Donna got a lot of satisfaction out of helping others.
For the last ten though, her work has felt more like a burden.
So what keeps her there?
It’s simple. Donna doesn’t want to “waste” the degree.
I know it’s not easy to turn your back on an established career, especially if it’s one that pays well, has some prestige associated with it, or required earning some kind of advanced degree.
And yet, think about the logic here.
What you’re really telling yourself is, “I’ve wasted the last 10 years of my life so I might as well throw away the next 20 as well. To hell with my true gifts, I’ve got more suffering to do”
John Powell once said, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
The fact of the matter is we all get lost from time to time.
That’s life. The danger comes when we fail to heed the road signs and thus remain stuck in the breakdown lane.
I have an abiding belief that everything in life happens for a reason.
The key is to find the lessons. Even my own job with the boss from hell offered invaluable lessons and experiences.
In addition to getting to travel the country, I learned in no uncertain terms to trust my instincts.
That job was also just the catalyst I needed to make my final exit from the j-o-b world.
And, as importantly, it introduced me people who’ve been integral to helping me succeed as a solo entrepreneur.
What should you do if you find yourself on the wrong career path?
We’ll, if you’re living with the consequences of having long ignored your better instincts, get a pen and paper, find some quiet space, and put your listening ears on.
Then write down everything that little voice has been trying to tell you but this time without censor or rationalization.
If you find for example, that you’ve been living someone else’s dream ask yourself:
* What does having other people’s approval or meeting someone else’s needs help me avoid or get? * What price am I paying for this approval? * Do the costs outweigh the benefits? If so, it’s time to start exploring your own dreams.
If you’re hanging onto a job or career solely because of all the time and money you’ve invested then the first thing to do is to let yourself get close to your fear.
I’m not talking about the fear of letting the world know you made a mistake or the financial angst.
What I’m talking about is getting in touch with the one thing that should really scare the heck out of you – namely, never getting to experience what your life would be like if you pursued your true gifts and passions.
Once you let that little reality sink in, sit down and write a “Dear John” letter to your past love.
Talk to your career or business. Explain that while it has been a good and faithful partner for some time that you have simply fallen out of love. It will understand.
Then pick up a paintbrush, look into culinary school, or otherwise start courting your new love interests.
It’s easy to find yourself on the wrong career track.
When that happens, the key is to stay alert for warning lights, watch for the signposts along the way, learn from those inevitable detours, ask for directions, and then start slowly inching your way onto that big expansive highway called Your Life!
As George Bernard Shaw once observed, “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
Video from Changing Course: Work at What You Love for People Who Want to Quit their Job and Profit From Their Passions:
“Since escaping her corporate job in 1995 to found Changing Course, “Dreamer in Residence” Dr. Valerie Young’s career advice has appeared around the world…”
“So many people don’t do what they love for a living, because they think they don’t deserve it. It’s more important for them to sacrifice and deliver value to others, than it is to value themselves.
He is author of the free ebook: The Zero Hour Workweek..
The first way of knowing you’re in your brilliance zone is that you feel deeply connected to the service you provide for others.
She is the creator of the 
Finally, you and your tribe of just-right clients are connected to an idea. 
Molly Gordon is president of Shaboom Inc., a “coaching and training company that delivers hope, help, and hilarity to Accidental Entrepreneurs so that they can build a business that fits just-right.”
Time for Accidental Entrepreneurs to be clear and specific about lots of things, including money.
Think of all the ways you might bring in money. 
Take my friend Donna. 
“Since escaping her corporate job in 1995 to found Changing Course, “Dreamer in Residence” Dr. Valerie Young’s career advice has appeared around the world…”