It’s easy to let how you feel about yourself be the unspoken force that runs your business.  When you’re feeling shiny and confident, you do FacebookLives! You write! You book clients!  But when you’re feeling down, or anything less than radiantly magnetic, that energy wanes and everything winds slowly to a halt.  This can only reinforce the not-feeling-great feelings and it becomes a tough cycle to break out of, made worse by the pressure on yourself to change!right!now!

Building your confidence is a key component of business development.  Taking in your impact, accepting that you help people, and anchoring that in so that you can revisit it when you’re feeling down is a huge part of the emotional journey of creating your empire.

In this episode, I speak to why we act from Neo in the Matrix, and exactly what to do to start building your confidence — which is magnetic to clients — today.

The post Unshakeable confidence: a practical guide {podcast} first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

Captions on Facebook Live – free

When you’re done recording click the edit button on your video, there’s a captions tab. There’s a magic wand where Facebook automagically generates them.  All you have to do is clean them up in editing and voila!  Captions on your video, which increases engagement.  Win!

Zapier- $20 a month

The most expensive thing on this list, Zapier is worth it to make all your accounts sync and talk to each other.  It lets you start to mine your own data and ensure potential clients don’t fall through the cracks.

If This Then Than (IFTT) – free

Great for saving links, publishing things to certain channels, and my favorite, posting native image files to twitter instead of an Instagram link when you share directly from the Instagram app.

Fiverr -$5 a task

You need to read the reviews on Fiverr, this is a ‘you get what you pay for’ and a ‘buyer beware’ site, but if you vet your contractors, you can get some decent tasks done quickly and within even the tightest of budgets.

Link in Profile – $10

Create a unique URL that links to all your Instagram pictures with links in the caption.  Now people can seamlessly click your content within the Instagram app, without having to leave the app or copy and past a link.  Best of all, you don’t need to constantly remember to update the link in your profile!  To see how it looks in the app, go to @ellenercolini and click the link in my profile.

Happy shopping!

The post 5 Best Business Builder Tools Under $20 first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

If you’ve never heard me talk about Frequency before, watch this overview video.

Find your overall Frequency — this Frequency relates to your overall youness, how other people perceive you and how you show up in the world.  It’s also the one that governs the Frequency cycle that you’re in, the energy of the year and month surrounding you.  It might not be your strongest, meaning you might have gotten another Frequency when you took the quiz, but to understand where you are in your Frequency cycle, it’s what we need to use.

To determine the Frequency to use for this Frequency Forecast, use the year you were born in.   Please note Frequency years shift on February 4th.  If you were born between Jan 1st and February 3rd, please use the year prior to when you were born.

For example, if your birthday is January 15, 1982, you’d use 1981 to find your Frequency.

WATER -1918, 1927, 1936, 1945, 1954, 1963, 1972, 1981, 1990, 1999, 2008, 2017

FIRE -1910, 1919, 1928, 1937, 1946, 1955, 1964, 1973, 1982, 1991, 2000, 2009

MOUNTAIN EARTH- 1911, 1920, 1929, 1938, 1947, 1956, 1965, 1974, 1983, 1992, 2001, 2010

PRINCESS -1912, 1921, 1930, 1939, 1948, 1957, 1966, 1975, 1984, 1993, 2002, 2011

EMPEROR -1913, 1922, 1931, 1940, 1949, 1958, 1967, 1976, 1985, 1994, 2003, 2012

EMPRESS -1914, 1923, 1932, 1941, 1950, 1959, 1968, 1977, 1986, 1995, 2004, 2013

BAMBOO -1915, 1924, 1933, 1942, 1951, 1960, 1969, 1978, 1987, 1996, 2005, 2014

BEANSTALK-1916, 1925, 1934, 1943, 1952, 1961, 1970, 1979, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2015

FERTILE EARTH-1917, 1926, 1935, 1944, 1953, 1962, 1971, 1980, 1989, 1998, 2007, 2016

Each $15 Frequency Forecast go over your last month, this month, things to watch out for, and ways to use this energy to make more money.  All subscribers to Frequency Forecasts receive the Forecasts directly to their inbox with a check in ‘stay on track’ email reminder on the 21st of the month, as well as a calendar for them to track the growth cycle. $15 a month, links to purchase your specific Frequency Forecast below each one.

Decembers will include a unique year-end wrap up ritual custom designed for each Frequency. 

This month everyone is in the same month as their year — so it’s a double dose of that energy.  A heaping helping before the year shifts into something new, which can feel like a doozy.  Find your Frequency below to learn what’s going on for you and how to harness it to grow your business.

Water

Last month (October)
Last month felt like everything changed on you.  You were in a beanstalk month which are known for big, sometimes bumpy growth.  Surveying the landscape, things likely look really different right now than they did last month.  Your watery nature tends to be a bit slow to change, and last month might have really challenged you.  Come to think of it, that’s how last year felt for you too! You’re in the midst of a huge growth spurt.

This month (November)
This month you’re in a bamboo month and year.  Bamboo is the energy of our insides catching up with our outsides, it’s still a growth month and year for you, but it’s more internally focused than last month — which felt like everything on the outside changed.  Bamboo is also the energy of realizing what we cannot stand, shaking things up and shaking things out.   It’s getting you ready for next month where you show the world even more of who you really are — but we’re not there yet.

Things to watch out for
This month, notice what you don’t like.  What’s frustrating you and might need to change. Be careful not to get caught in complaining mode, but notice what you’re ready to shake out.   The wood energy with your water nature can feel overwhelming, make sure you’re taking time for yourself in the midst of all the new and change.

How to use this energy to make more money
Now is a great time to evaluate what’s working and not working in your business.  Last month and year saw huge growth, lots of new things happening.  This year has continued that trajectory and it’s important to take a minute to ask yourself if what you’ve said yes to is what you still want to do.   This is a good time to take stock, and cut back the branches that no longer serve you, they’ll make room for new things on the horizon.

Next month (December)
Next month will be a big month for you.  A month to express yourself further and full of great opportunities.  Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

Fertile Earth

Last month (October)
Last month likely felt like you were seeing your life with fresh eyes, becoming ever more aware of what you want, don’t want, and what you need to let go of to make that happen. Things were continuing to move and it was a time of internal growth and self-realization.

This month (November) 
This month you are in an empress month and year — meaning it’s all about you.  Likely people are leaning on you, needing more from you, and you are being called on to express yourself in deeper and more honest ways.  This year is all about you learning to put yourself first, if you don’t, no one will.  It’s a lesson that’s hard for earthy folks who love helping others, but it’s critical to our survival (I can say our because I’m in this with you, I’m a Mountain Earth frequency).  This is a month where you show us who you really are, it can feel vulnerable and scary, but we are cheering you on.  Show up, show us who you are.  We’re dying to see the real you.

Things to watch out for
Feelings of unworthiness.  The lesson right now is to put yourself first, which is a major theme for you.  It can bring up feelings of unworthiness or undeservingness.  The default pattern will be to hide behind other people’s needs, wants and feelings.  Even though that can *sound* good, it’s actually holding your growth back.  Where are you hiding, where are you making excuses? It’s time to step out from behind other people and voice your wants and desires for your own sake.

How to use this energy to make money
Show people who you really are.  Declare yourself.  Reveal what you really want and why you want it.  It’s a good month to put things out there since earth months generally mean people wanting more of you, find a way to make money off that impulse.  Enroll for a group program, open up some one on one spots.  As long as it’s what you really want to do, not what you think everyone else wants, it should go well.

Next month (December)
Next month you’ll start to see the fruits of your labor.  It’s a great month to put yourself out there and grow your impact. Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

Beanstalk

Last month (October) 
This year overall might feel a bit slower than you’re used to, but that’s because you’re in the “enjoy the fruits of your labor” phase.  This year is about delighting in all the hard work you’ve put in and seeing it pay off.  Last month was likely a really good month for you.  Perhaps a good review, good news, or great opportunities coming your way.  You got a lot of positive feedback and it felt great.  You might have started thinking more about your finances, and where everything is going.  This month continues those themes.

This month (November) 
This you’re feeling regal.  You’re in an emperor month and year, which means themes of excellence, seeing results from your hard work, and your finances are top of mind.  This month sees a lot of positive support for you and your work in the world.

Things to watch out for
When stepping into your royalty, practice being a magnanimous ruler, not a despot. This energy can encourage and enable your arrogance, healthy self-esteem is good, being cold or rude to others who don’t seem to innately understand your brilliance is bad.  Be aware of your relationship to your money this month — if you find yourself obsessing over needing “more” or not “having enough” those are red flags.  Any time you talk about money in non-numerical ways, it’s trouble.  If you find yourself obsessing in unclear ways, spend some time grounding and doing some number crunching.  You’re probably doing better than you think.

How to use this energy to make more money
This is a great month for you, other people are seeing you as a competent professional, lean into that.  Put your work out there, launch a program, ask for a raise.  The only thing standing in the way of you making more money is you.  This month, go for the ask.  Don’t sit back and assume people will realize how great you are or how much they need your work, guide them through that process and make it very clear how they can have more of you in their lives.   Don’t be bashful, don’t be shy, and don’t wait for them to come to you, take the reins, what do you want to see happen?

Next month (December)
You’ll continue the party parade, celebrating how far you’ve come and seeing your hard work pay off. Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

Bamboo

Last Month (October) 
Last month was all about you – you showing the world who you really are.  Perhaps you expressed yourself in a new way, revealed deeper layers, or practiced putting yourself first.  It was a big month for you, the final in a three month growth spurt.

This month (November) 
This month you’re in a Princess month and Princess year — this energy is very image conscious, and you might find yourself more aware of how other people perceive you. This means you might be more likely to resist compliments or perceive slights.  Don’t let yourself be robbed of this positive feedback.  Even if things don’t look how you expected them to, it’s important to acknowledge where you are and how much you’ve done, and to really hear others when they share their appreciations with you as well.  You also might find yourself obsessing about money, over-focusing on what you don’t have and how much more you need rather than seeing that you do have and how far you’ve come.

Things to watch out for
Talking about money without using concrete numbers.  If you find yourself saying “I don’t have enough money.  I wish I had more money.” or any way of describing money without using a number, it’s time to ground, look at your finances and get clear and concrete about the numbers involved.  Likely you’re doing better than you thought, take a breath, look at the reality of your situation, and move forward from there.   Also don’t ignore positive feedback – that can be draining and counter productive.  If someone has something nice to say about you, let them share it.

How to use this energy to make more money
Lean into how people are perceiving you, even if you don’t feel like you’ve got everything together, other people think you’re fabulous — be the hostess with the mostess.  Host an event, throw a party.  Enjoy your work and invite others to delight in it as well. Princess energy is great at creating experiences, so all year you might have felt the call to plan fun things, this month go wild! You’re a natural implementor, bring your sense of joy and fun to all the parties.

Next month (December)
Next month is a month of reflection and integration.  It’s a slower month designed to give you space to learn and process the lessons of the last 7 months.  Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

Empress

Last month (October) 
Last month you might have been feeling really focused on money, and very aware of how other people perceived you.  The month was designed to feel celebratory, enjoying how far you’ve come in the last seven months – however being in a Mountain Earth year, things probably felt slow.  You might have been feeling more sensitive than usual, and overall wondering when things are going to change.

This month (November) 
This month continues to feel slow, you’re in a Mountain Earth year and month — what a combination!  Any time an Earth Frequency is in an Earth year or month, things slow down, your Empress nature coupled with so much Mountain Earth, things feel incredibly slow.  This month encourages you to learn your lessons — to slow down and process so that you can move into the next nine month growth cycle not carrying around the same lessons.  This year is asking you to do the same thing, except on a larger scale.  Things happening this month should be looked at from the point of view of “What is this trying to teach me?  What lesson will I finally slow down and process before moving forward?” The energy is slow for a reason, you’re being given the space to process before things pick up next year, instead of fighting it, take the time.

Things to watch out for
Be careful feeling like “things are never going to change” — when we have slow times we can use the time to do the work and prepare for what’s next, or we can throw a pity party.  Things will change — you’re being asked right now to prepare for that.  I know things feel hard and slow, but lean into the work of learning your lessons and you’ll start to move forward again.  There’s no way out but through.  Find a reframe that treats this month as a gift to yourself, see it as a nurturing moment in your self-growth.

How to use this energy to make more money
As an Earth Frequency in an Earth year and month, people are probably wanting things from you.  This is a good month to give people deep dive options to work with you one on one, or in a structured group setting.  Less is more for you right now, and slow and steady should be your new mantra, so don’t be afraid to do less, it will actually feel like more to you.  Perhaps you restrict your client spots, but make them more supportive, you could charge more while working less client hours.

Next month (December)
Get ready for the spotlight!  You’ll be high visibility next month.  It’s high energy, high opportunity and also wraps up a nine month growth cycle, so there’ll likely be some endings.  Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

Emperor

Last month (October) 
Last month may have felt a bit slower, with issues of home or relationships taking center stage.  In the middle of a fire year, which are known to be really high energy and high visibility, last month might have felt like a welcome breath of quiet, or, quieter anyway.   Last month asked to to slow down and learn some lessons before moving full steam ahead into your fire month in a fire year.

This month (November) 
This month has you burning oh so bright.  It’s also a month of endings, in a year of endings.  Fire’s role in our lives is to be jubilant, visionary and celebratory, but also burns things away to make room for your next nine years and nine month growth cycle.  Emperor’s have a hard time letting go of things.  You value things so highly it’s often hard for you to see when objects or relationships have worn out their welcome and stopped serving you.  If there’s anything that wants to shake loose that hasn’t yet, this month is a hot possibility to see it go.

Things to watch out for
Holding on too tightly to things, relationships or situations that want to leave.  Part of you equates loss with failure, and if you lose these relationships/situations or even objects in your home, you were somehow a fool for saying yes to them in the first place.  Not so.  Things change, and it’s important to invite your regal spirit into that sense of evolution and change.  Things change and it’s the wise ruler who sees the shifting landscape and updates to flow with it, not clinging to old ideas or situations because they are familiar.  I know the unknown can freak you out but you’re ready.  You can trust yourself to navigate whatever comes next.

How to use this energy to make money
Step into the spotlight!  You can be naturally reserved, waiting for people to recognize your brilliance.  You generally operate from a “People should just know I’m the best” place.  It can seem a bit arrogant, but also, you’re not wrong.  This month — and all year really — calls on you to step into the spotlight.   Go on video.  Pitch something big.  Launch a podcast.  Find ways to tell people you’re brilliant and draw them in with your fiery passion.  There’s something especially magnetic about you this year, and this month it’s on full force.  Now is not the time to hide or be humble.  Show up, step out, share your brilliance with the world.

Next month (December)
Ready to start a new cycle? Next month begins a new nine month growth cycle, inviting you to rest up and dream big about what you’d like to see come to fruition. Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

Princess

Last month (October) 
Last month you probably felt like all eyes were on you.  You were in a Fire month which is a month of visibility, high energy and also endings.  Perhaps some situations or relationships wrapped themselves up.  Trust that these were no longer in your highest good and it’s ok to let them go.  Being the Metal Princess that you are, letting go of things is hard for you, but it’s also really important to make space for more of what you want.

This month (November) 
This month should feel calmer to you — you’re in a Water month in a Water year, the energy is designed to help you relax, recharge and nourish yourself.  The invitation is to dream about what you’d like to see grow up over the next nine months, and also years.  This entire year has felt slower, giving you space to dream about the future you’d like to see created.   Especially after the high intensity of last month, take good care of yourself.

This to watch out for
We don’t often honor the time and space to dream in western society.  We’re all “go go go!” this month really calls on you to dream, and dream big.  Think about things you’d like to see grow over the next 9 years, and 9 months.  There’s so much fertility ahead of you, start thinking now about what seeds you’d like to plant.  Don’t get caught in the “things feel slow…..and therefore bad.” mentality.  Understand that the spaciousness is there to nurture your dreams — so spend some time dreaming big.

How to use this energy to make more money
I would focus slightly less on the short term, and spend time thinking about how you want to make your money in the long term.  Is it time for you to take yourself on a strategic retreat? Spend a few days planning your next big moves?  What’s the big picture here? Make sure that everything you’re planning or launching supports that long term vision.  Dream about how you want your business to evolve and grow, with a firm idea of the ‘why’ behind all of it.  The clearer your vision, the clearer your path becomes.  Next month you’ll spend time planting those seeds and getting ready for that growth, right now, it’s all about that big picture planning.

Next month (December)
Next month you’ll be planing the seeds for what you’d like to see grow in this nine month growth cycle.  It’s a month to get ready and prepare for what’s ahead of you.  Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

Mountain Earth

Last month (October) 
Last year was slow, this year is slow, and last month the slowness probably really, really got to you.  Last month you may have felt like everything was starting over.  You were in a water month which asked you to consider what you really want. The big picture may have felt daunting or overwhelming, but I’m sure when you took time to rest and recharge, your dreams and vision came more into focus.

This month (November) 
With that focus and clarity around your big picture, this month is all about getting ready for the growth that’s going to happen to move you closer towards your goals.  You’re in a fertile earth month and year, which is all about planting seeds and getting ready.  This month might feel slow, but don’t waste your time, the slowness is an invitation to get ready and prepare for the growth spurt on your horizon.

Things to watch out for
Don’t sit around complaining about the slowness.  Now is the time for preparatory action.

I know things have felt slow, but there’s a big burst of movement and energy on your horizon.  You’re about to go into a 3 month growth spurt, and a 3 year growth spurt.  It’s mega important that you take the time this month to make sure you’re getting ready for that growth.  I imagine it like getting a kite all lined up — untangling the strings, unfolding the sail, if it’s one of those giant kites, anchoring yourself.  You want it to be clear and easy for the gust of energy to lift your sails and help you go where you *want* to go.  Because you’re going places.  It’s just a question if you grab the reins and chart the course, or get knocked over.   What are you preparing for?

How to use this energy to make more money
It’s preparation time.  Get everything ready for the next few months of growth and big energy.  If there are behind the scenes systems that need shoring up, do that.  Plan out how you’d like to be earning money over the next nine months, and also years.  This is the time to prepare and plant those seeds.  It’s also a month where people might be leaning on you more and wanting more from you, so enrolling in some targeted one on one work should go well for you.

Next month (December)
Movement! Finally! After what feels like months (years?) of slow, movement and growth is on the horizon.  After such a slow spell it can feel jarring so be prepared.  Big things are on the horizon. Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

Fire

Last month (October) 
Last month things felt slow, there might have been a sense of buildup or anticipation.  Or maybe it felt like breathing room because this year is big for you.  This is your big “everything is changing” beanstalk year and the energy of movement and growth is strong.  So perhaps  it felt good to have things be a bit slower, did you catch your breath?  Because this month it’s back to go-go-go!

This month (November) 
You’re in the midst of a beanstalk month in a beanstalk year, hang onto your butts! This year has been full of change for you and this month in particular is full of change and growth.  Things you’ve felt percolating for awhile have likely gotten the green light and are starting to really expand and grow, stay grounded and focused on where you want all this energy to take you, because the bumpy, going and growing energy is going to stay with you for a while longer.

What to watch out for
Burnout.  When fire and beanstalk combine the possibility for burnout is high alert.  Your fiery nature responds to things by expanding and saying yes.  You naturally love new things and saying yes is your favorite.  This month brings you all.the.things. To say yes to, and it’s important to ground and decide if that’s something you really want to invest your energy into.   Be extra aware of your body this month, it’s often the indicator that you’re on the way to burnout and need to dial it back a little bit.

How to use this energy to make more money
This is a year of big growth and a month of big growth, make sure you’re using the energy to push you towards where you want to go.  Make sure you ground and think about things before automatically saying yes.   This month can act like a big peer pressurer, asking you to say yes to everything and anything.  The things you do say yes to are likely going to propel your business forward for months if not years to come.  To get the most out of this month, take good care of yourself.  The more energy you have to intentionally use, the better it’s going to go for you.

Next month (December)
Next month you’ll continue your growth, but it will me more focused on your inside self. It’s a month of shaking things up so be aware of what is starting to shake out.  Make sure to sign up to get the full Frequency Forecast to help you harness and work with the energy.

The post $15 Frequency Forecasts: why you need them and November forecasts first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

We’re both obsessed with helping our clients create tailored businesses that play to your strengths, instead of blindly following the ‘how tos’ out there.  Talking with Maria felt like reconnecting with a long lost cousin — which makes sense since our families both hail from a pretty similar region in northern Italy.

When she learned about my Frequency work, and she reverse engineered the last few years and growth of her business, the first words out of her mouth were “Where were you four years ago?!”

We both know how frustrating it is to have the pieces of a business, but it’s not clicking….yet.  You know you’ve got the potential and things are just, feeling sticky and clunky and hard.  

In this interview we dive into why that might be happening and what to do about it.  We had such a fun time with this interview, diving into Frequency, how it works and why it matters, to how to use it to hire for your business, as well as specific, actionable advice for each Frequency.   Listen in to get the full scoop!

The post How To Get Your Small Business To Grow Faster: Interview with Maria Doyle first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

People should be thinking about their purchases. All of them. You don’t want your business filled with a legions of zombie buyers! You want it filled with people who are intelligently and thoughtfully considering their needs, your work, and then voting yes on you. With their dollars.

Pricing is positioning and it’s important for your business to tell a clear, cohesive story, not one of entrapment.

Watch and learn what you can do to shift your pricing to set yourself up for business growth.

I’d love to hear from you — have you had a no brainer offering before?  What are you going to shift to get your pricing more in alignment?

The post No Brainer Pricing Is Killing Your Business first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

She’s invited us in for a behind the scenes look at how understanding her Fire Frequency has impacted her bottom line.

Tell us a bit about your business – how do you primarily make your money?

I’m a Facebook ads consultant who trains other business owners on how to use Facebook ads in their businesses. A large chunk of my income used to come from managing other people’s campaigns, but I’ve pivoted and now focus almost entirely on teaching. I work with people via Skype to show them around the Power Editor (Facebook’s complex advertising tool), help them improve their copy, and walk them through the tough decisions involved in choosing a strategy.

Just over 50% of my income comes from these consulting sessions (which I’ve recently repositioned as coaching packages), and the rest comes from a combination of courses and group programs. My main product is an evergreen self-study product that people can use to teach themselves the very same concepts, and my group program is a 6-week “incubator” where I train people to run ads for for their clients.

Fire Frequency business owners tend to do really well in the spotlight, how did your business change when you launched your Podcast?

The “external” effects were an increase in my audience size and my influence. It’s difficult to measure exactly, but my traffic has continued to rise steadily and I see a lot more engagement on social media from people who have listened to episodes and reached out to me on those channels.

The “internal” effects were actually somewhat negative on my business. I had to stop blogging in order to make time for the podcast, which slowed down my list building and SEO growth (which I rely heavily on for traffic). I was also spending money on the podcast without making enough of it back to account for all my time.

But on the plus side, I’ve connected with entrepreneurs I really respect and gotten to know more about other types of businesses, which was my original goal. I would say the good definitely outweighs the bad.

Let’s talk about boundaries, Fire Frequency business owners tend to struggle with these.  What have you discovered that helps you maintain yours? What happens when you have none?

Hiring an assistant who handles my customer service email inbox has been the one thing that has allowed me to put firm boundaries in place. Not having clear boundaries is exhausting; not only do you end up giving more time or energy than you owe, but simply making the decision about how to respond to all kinds of requests can totally drain you.

When people who  I know are a bad fit for my services get in touch, I don’t need to stress over the right way to respond to them. My assistant is brilliant at turning my “sorry, can’t” into an eloquent response that respects the inquirer.

The other thing I’ve seriously struggled with is whether or not I should offer more hands-on services. I’ve had many former clients return because they’d like me to run more campaigns for them, and I almost always stop to consider it. Every time I say no, I’m leaving “easy” money on the table, and some months that easy money is extremely appealing!

But when I check in with my body about whether or not that kind of work feels good for me, I always get a screaming “NO!” It’s hard to explain why, but running other people’s campaigns simply doesn’t feel expansive. And if it doesn’t feel expansive, it’s a no.

How are you dealing with wanting to do all the things?  How do you decide what to put your Fire energy towards?

I use data, both hard numbers from Google Analytics and anecdotal evidence, to tell me what’s actually working. I like Twitter a lot more than Facebook, but guess what? No matter how much time I put into my Twitter strategy, I’m just not getting a lot of traffic from there. In fact, social media simply isn’t a huge traffic source from me, so I decided to save some money and stop outsourcing my social media management.

I’m fortunate that, from the beginning of my business, I’ve always been clear on exactly what works for me. When I stopped blogging to produce my podcast, I didn’t want to admit that I was actually hurting my business, but the numbers told the truth. So in order to keep doing something that I enjoyed, I had to find a way to make sure podcasting actually got me paid.

How did understanding your Fire Frequency impact your business actions and growth?

When the Frequency Quiz came back with Fire and I learned what that meant, I got more than a little uncomfortable. Why? Because it was DEAD ON! Ellen seemed to be reading my mind, and I was face-to-face with some serious truths that I had been actively avoiding. Here’s the thing, though; these were the very things that have been seriously holding be back in my business, and now I have a step-by-step plan for applying what Ellen’s taught me to breaking down a ton of obstacles.

One of my biggest struggles is with boundaries; I get all worked up and constantly feel guilty if I can’t help everyone who gets in touch about my services. But now I’ve tweaked my intake process, ditched an entire revenue stream, and suddenly I went from working with people who weren’t a good fit to landing my absolute dream clients who keep on referring me to other great prospects!

What’s next on your list?

Learning to follow through more on all the different things I want to start. Thank you so much, Ellen! I wish I knew what it meant to be a Fire five years ago.

HEY MONEY MAKER, WHAT’S YOUR FREQUENCY?

If you don’t already know take my short quiz to discover your results and get tools, tips and rock-solid action steps to help you make money, land clients and easily move forward with your business growth.
Find Your Frequency case studies are all a part of Ellen Ercolini’s customized frequency work, which anchors the Empire Builder Sessions. Your one stop shop for all things strategy, systems and a priceless community experience.

This one of a kind package mixes energy work with expert business support, it’s custom designed to help you grow your business with clarity, ease and precision. Often referred to as a one week business master class, you can learn more about the Empire Builder Sessions here.

Make sure you purchase the Money Making Masterclass that matches your Frequency.
If you don’t know which Frequency you are yet, hop on over to discover yours.

The post Fire Frequency Business Profile: Claire Pelletreau first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

Michelle Mazur, Ph.D. delivers audacious breakthroughs for speakers who want to stand out, be the best in-class in their field and position themselves in a category of one. She is the CEO of

Michelle is on the Wood Frequency and has invited us in for a behind the scenes look at how understanding her Frequency has impacted her business growth.

Tell us a bit about your business, how do you primarily make your money?

My business is morphing from primarily 1:1 work and group programs. My signature offering is Speak for Impact where I teach business owners, entrepreneurs, and public speakers how to craft a speech that is an asset for their business, attracts speaking gigs and gets them paid what they are worth. It’s a methodology that I’ve developed over the past 3 years that approaches writing a speech more like building a product or service for your business.

How did you navigate the fear of going from one on one work to a group program?

My biggest fear was that my Speak for Impact process would not work without me intimately involved in every step. I thought I was the secret sauce, but that is actually the methodology. Running the beta version of Speak for Impact proved that fact.

To combat that fear, I made sure that my students in Speak for Impact have access to me. We have twice a week office hours, I review and give personalized feedback in their workbook, and there’s a Facebook group so they can support each other. I limit the program to 10-people.

Wood Frequencies love to have a lot going on, and sometimes that can get overwhelming.  How do you decide what to focus your energy on?

My energy is intense and I have to work to focus it. I’ve put systems in place to help me do it.

Every Friday, I open up Asana and plan the next week. I set my top 3-5 priorities for the week that are related to my big picture goals, look at my Google Calendar and figure what days are best to schedule the tasks for those priorities.  When I don’t do these weekly planning session, I feel scattered and all over the map. This systems keeps me on track and focused.

Wood Frequency business owners often  have a strong “I could do more!” voice in their heads — can you share a bit about how you deal with that?

I’ve been battling the “I could do more” voice ever since I was working on my Ph.D. in Communication, and that voice is still strong, but I have some safeguards built into my life to combat it.

My husband has a day job, and when he gets home things shift for me. I know it’s time to power done and spend the evening with him. I’ve also implemented and end of the day ritual. I clear my email inbox (to the best of my ability), pause the inbox, and then plan for the next day.

My other second weapon in the battle is my accountability partner. We have daily check-ins in the morning where we set our intentions for the day. It grounds and focuses me. Plus, my partner is awesome at saying “Wow, that’s sounds like a lot!” if I have too many intentions for the day.

Taking true vacations and breaks are often a struggle for Wood Frequencies, how have taking real breaks and vacations impacted you and your business?  

I have huge resistance to taking true breaks. My husband and I went to Whistler over the summer, and I was in my inbox every day until my VA texted me and said “Get out of your email. Enjoy your vacation. I got this.”

When I came back, I felt refreshed. I had a new perspective on my project. I had client inquiries. Basically, the world didn’t end while I was gone and my business was still thriving.

I’ve really learned that breaks create spaciousness.

Can you share how you’ve created a personal routine, and how it supports your business growth?  

I put my personal routine on my schedule otherwise it doesn’t happen. I use to go to Yoga all the time and that slipped away when I started my business. A great studio opened in my neighborhood, so I scheduled to go to yoga once a week.

The key for me is to schedule the class during times when I am not as productive.

What is your relationship to Social Media? Any tools or strategies you use to manage it in a healthy way?  

I’ve got a pretty healthy relationship with most social media channels except for one. Facebook is like crack to me. It’s the way I like to connect, but man, it’s a time suck of doom.

It’s a bit hard to manage. I run The Rebel Speaker Facebook group and I like to connect with people in that group and I consider that networking. However, I check-in with the group, check-in with a couple of other groups I love, then start scrolling my newsfeed. Then all the sudden an hour has passed, and I’ve watched five cat videos.

I have systems in place to handle social media. I use Rescuetime to track how much time I’m spending doing what. I use Stay Focused to block Facebook and other social media sites after I spent an hour on them during the day.

How did understanding your Wood Frequency impact your business actions and growth?

I’m hard on myself. I always think my business should be growing faster than it is. I know now that this is part of my Wood Frequency. I’m always reminding myself that my business is growing just as it should be. When I’m feeling that frustration, I look back at my numbers and remind myself of how far I’ve come. It grounds me.

HEY MONEY MAKER, WHAT’S YOUR FREQUENCY?

If you don’t already know take my short quiz to discover your results and get tools, tips and rock-solid action steps to help you make money, land clients and easily move forward with your business growth.

Find Your Frequency case studies are all a part of Ellen Ercolini’s customized frequency work, which anchors the Empire Builder Sessions. Your one stop shop for all things strategy, systems and a priceless community experience.

This one of a kind package mixes energy work with expert business support, it’s custom designed to help you grow your business with clarity, ease and precision. Often referred to as a one week business master class, you can learn more about the Empire Builder Sessions here.

The post Wood Frequency Business Profile Michelle Mazur first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

The problem is, you can’t learn your way out of low self-esteem, medium self-confidence, or a belief that you don’t deserve your big dreams.  You can’t take an online course to help you change the way you fundamentally see yourself.   The way you treat yourself, your beliefs about yourself, your potential, your worthiness of success, will become the bottleneck of your business, slowly constricting your path to business growth.

The biggest indicator of your business success, is your relationship to yourself. 

If you don’t trust yourself, you’ll always be looking for outside validation to your ideas. Looking to others for approval on what to do next and spend too much time obsessing about what others are doing.  You’ll over value others opinions and formulas, and abandon yourself in the process.

If you don’t believe you deserve success, you’ll undermine yourself at every critical step. While not always consciously, you’ll find yourself doing things that hold you back from the success you don’t think you deserve or can have.

If you don’t think you can handle the money, deserve the money, that money will change you for the worse, or whatever your specific money fear is, you better believe you won’t get the opportunity to prove yourself wrong.

Your beliefs about yourself become self-fulfilling prophecies.  

As human beings, we love to be right, so we work hard to prove ourselves right.  Those internal beliefs about ourselves and our fears become our marching orders, manifesting in our actions and non-actions. That internal navigation system, programmed to keep you safe from “harm” takes over.  I’ve seen the opposite side of this too – confident people who believe deeply in themselves making incredible strides towards the business they know is possible.  This works both ways.

I have the privilege of working with a wide array of business owners, and again and again, it’s their own internal limitations and beliefs that are standing in-between them and their big dreams.  When they invite me into their businesses and therefore, hearts and minds, this is where we start.  This is exactly why I use Frequency as a tool to help them connect with and understand themselves in deeper ways.

We have to start with how they feel about themselves, how they connect with themselves, how they own their gifts.  Because if I don’t support that part of them, all the strategy in the world won’t help them move past the limits they’ve imposed on themselves.  Like a rubber band, they’ll keep snapping back into place.

There’s a magic that’s unlocked when someone owns their unique brilliance, and stops worrying about if other people see it too.  Their connection to themselves is so strong, they are no longer looking for outside validation, and that makes them magnetic.  

They radiate their vision and message for the world, they are clear on what they want and why they are going after it.  They’re on fire.  (Side note: this is true for dating as well)

Ready to feel like you’re on fire? To feel that grounded, connected, magical place and keep the rubber band’s pull at bay?  Here are a few ways to nurture your relationship to yourself and start re-wiring that internal programming.

What version of future are you afraid of?  
For example, some people think if they have a lot of money, they won’t have a fulfilling personal life, or everyone will want them to pay for things.   Some people think that if they’re successful, they won’t have time for their family.  What fear are you projecting into your future? Understanding that will help you work through it and stop avoiding it.

What’s the old belief or narrative that you have about yourself?
Often these are from our past — a situation that still has emotional charge, a traumatic situation we want to avoid repeating, or unkind words lodged in your brain. These can become the tail that wags the dog, asserting too much control over your present and future.  Becoming aware of them is the first step to healing and diffusing the charge.

Remind yourself how you’ve changed and grown
Yes challenging things have happened in your life, but I’m betting you’ve learned and grown from them.  It’s this part of us that often gets overlooked when the fear of the future kicks in.  It’s important to spend time updating how you see yourself, reminding yourself that you’re not the same person you used to be.  You’ve got more tools in your toolbox now.

Spend time with yourself
It’s through quality time that relationships grow, and your relationship with yourself is no exception.  In this busy, plugged in, overbooked world, it’s easy to forget to spend time with ourselves.  Pick something that works for you, that feels good and makes you want to do more of it.  Meditation, guided meditation, dancing, journaling, long walks w/o your phone, whatever your quality time is, make sure you’re getting it.

Through releasing the charge of the past and strengthening your relationship to your present self, you’ll start to have a much clearer connection to your brilliance, your knowing, and your trust in yourself.  

That’s when the magic is unlocked, and that’s when you stop being the weakest link in your business and start becoming your greatest asset, an unstoppable force for your mission and vision in the world.

The post How to Stop being the weakest link in your business first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

“I really love to write! I’ll be a writer! I love to coach! I’ll be a coach!”

That’s important to think about — you can’t start a business without knowing what you’re going to do and how you’re going to make money.  However there’s a bigger picture here that I see a lot, of especially online business owners forgetting about.

They get stuck.

Often by the time they come to me to help them untangle all of this, it’s the one piece they’ve forgotten to incorporate into their business.

More on what this is in the video below, and how to create an inside-out approach to growing your business.

Some ways to think about this:

• How do you want people to feel when they talk to you?
• Think about your bigger picture, why you started your business?
• What’s your magic fairy dust? Your effervescent impact on the world around you?
• If you could wave a wand and have everyone know one truth, what do you want everyone to know?

I’d love to hear how this impacts your business, share in the comments below!

The post Your personal mission is more important than you think first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.

Today, my client conversion rate is 85%, but it wasn’t always like that.  In the short video below I walk you through my signature approach to intake calls, laying out exactly what you can do to convert your intake calls to paying clients.  This is the format and process I use for all my calls.

Don’t have time to watch the video? Here are the steps you should follow. 

• At the top of the call, explain what’s going to happen and desired results — in my case, deciding to work together or help them find the right person for them.
• Let go of your emotional attachment to the outcome.  Aka the “don’t make it weird” reminder.
• Do what you say you’ll do, which includes talking about the money, especially if you said you would.  Your potential clients are keeping a sharp eye to see if you walk your talk.  If you said you’d talk next steps and price point at the end of the call, you need to do that.  If you need help making it easy to pay you, check out this article.
• Leave them with a clear next step.  Do they need to pay you? Fill something out?  Will you send them a proposal? Make sure that the next step is crystal clear and that you follow through on it.

Did this change how you approach your intake calls? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

The post How To Rock Your Intake Calls first appeared on Ellen Ercolini.