Month: September 2020

October Free Printable Dashboards + Tech Wallpapers

Hello My Charmed Ones!

If you are on my email list, you received an email from me on Sunday with a whole collection of October seasonal freebies to help you get organized and motivated for this spooky time of year!

The collection includes 2 NEW designs, a Spooky Dashboard and my new 1/2 Page Monthly Dashboard with 31 Things To Do in October task list.

You’ll also get access to 2 complete sets of October tech wallpapers that you can use to get your smartphone, tablet and computer dressed up for some added seasonal inspiration. 

I sincerely hope you enjoy these new goodies- consider this a bit of early, virtual, trick or treating for us planner and productivity lovers ❤︎

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and have been staying safe and productive!

xoxo,

The Abundance I Manifested in September

I have so much to be grateful for this month.

I had an amazing launch and enrollment for the Empire Building Business Accelerator.

I hit multiple records in my business.

⚡️ Best sales month ever.

⚡️ 3 of my best sales days ever.

⚡️ I hit my savings goal for the year.

⚡️ I purchased a few celebratory items off my wishlist.

⚡️ I paid off the remainder of the loan on my vehicle 18 months early.

It has been an amazing month.

And the best part is… it was all so easy!

I know I’ve worked twice as hard for half the rewards before. I’m sure that’s a feeling you can relate to.

But for the past few weeks and months I’ve been stepping up my manifestation game.

I’ve been journaling more of my limiting beliefs out, I’ve been writing the rules for how my life and business get to work, and I’ve been leaning into the good happy feelings more and more.

I always believed manifestation worked but this month blew me away with how much I was able to shift and how much I was able to achieve in such a short period of time.

So, now I’m deciding what else I get to do and have next month?!

If you have questions about manifestation and want some good resources, I will tell you that for the 6-8 weeks before my launch, I was doing some serious manifestation work, journaling my desires, identifying my limiting beliefs and overcoming them with positive evidence and affirmations.

Each day I was working and journaling in:

Both of these resources are printables from my shop that you can use over and over as much as you need to achieve your own breakthrough and shift into massive abundance. They are incredibly affordable options and a great introduction to manifestation, yet still include powerful tools for those familiar with the practice!

Leave me a comment sharing something you’re grateful for + something you desire to manifest in the next month.

xoxo,

10 Ways to Personalize Your Planner (Without Stickers or Washi Tape)

In today’s video I am doing a part 2 to my original video 10 Ways to Personalize Your Planner (from November 2014). That video has received 700,000+ views and when I asked on Instagram (follow me @MissTrenchcoat) you said you wanted an update so this is it! This time around I decided to focus on simple, elegant personalizations you can use in your planner without needing stickers or washi tape. I hope you enjoy these ideas and use this inspiration in your own way within your planner! I look forward to hearing about your favorite idea in the comments so let me know which you enjoyed the most!

→ MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO

✔︎ FREE Dashboard Designs

✔︎ My Planner Cover

✔︎ Journaling Cards Used in this video are of my own design and not currently available

✔︎ Animal Print Scrapbook Paper

✔︎ Vellum Paper

✔︎ Clear Discbound Pouch

✔︎ Clear 6 Ring Pouch
You could also use business card holders as well to store accessories in a similar style

✔︎ iPhone Sticky Notes

✔︎ Marble Sticky Notes

✔︎ List Pads

✔︎ Tombow Markers
I like colors N89, 850, 942, 990, 992

✔︎ Tassel keychain

I hope you enjoy the video and I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments!

xoxo,

THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW I STARTED MY ONLINE BUSINESS

THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW I STARTED MY ONLINE BUSINESS

I created EMPIRE BUILDING for the women within my community who felt a pull to do their own thing, get creative, and earn an income from their life’s passion online.

The course, it’s modules, workbooks and bonus master classes were all designed to be an easy introduction to digital marketing and content creation following the strategies that I learned and executed on to begin and scale my own creative business online.

If you were able to join the free business training class I held on Saturday, or were able to watch the replay, you now know the story of my business and how I brought it to the level it has reached today.

My story is not a unique story.

It’s not the story of an overnight success.

It’s not the story of someone who had the means to pay for extra advantages such as advertising, a team, the best equipment or tools.

My story is the untold story of hundreds, if not thousands of female owned brands online.

It is the story of following a calling and passion from within.

It is the story of hard work, planning and a lot of figuring things out as you go.

It is the story of slow and steady growth that over the course of years lead me to a following and community of over 150,000 women across the globe.

My story is not unique.

My business is not unique.

My story can be your story whether you decide to join EMPIRE BUILDING or not.

But, if you want the help…

If you’d like a shortcut through the tedious process of researching strategies, and the trial and error that goes along with figuring out what works and what doesn’t…

If you’d like to have the support, the feedback, and the accountability of a group of likeminded women all working towards a similar goal…

Then I welcome you to take full advantage of my offer and secure your enrollment in EMPIRE BUILDING today!

If you feel a pull towards me, my content, my work and my products, I just may be the “secret ingredient” to your success that you’ve been looking for!

I do hope to see you inside the group and at the classes.

Remember, live classes begin on September 21st, but when you enroll you’ll learn more about all that.

For now, give it some thought and follow your heart.

When you’re ready, click the link below to enroll!

CLICK HERE TO ENROLL NOW

If you have questions, I am here to answer them, so leave me a comment, and let me know how I can help you!

xoxo,

6 Common Mistakes that KILL a Brand Online!

There is nothing worse than starting your own business online and then running into one of these very common branding issues.

  1. Your brand is not cohesive, it’s all over the place and a mess
  2. Your brand looks just like another business so it doesn’t stand out and your constantly accused of being a copycat brand
  3. Your business name is in use by someone else and now you are in potential legal trouble
  4. People are not sure what you do because your brand doesn’t make logical sense
  5. You can’t get the name you want for your website url or social media handles so you have to choose second rate names that prevent your platforms from gaining followers
  6. You are attracting the wrong people to you who aren’t buying or engaging with you

Imagine doing all that work to start your own brand online but then you have to make significant changes that effectively mean you need to start from scratch.

Or worse, receiving a cease and desist letter from another business who’s branding or trademark you’ve unknowingly infringed upon.

It can be a nightmare scenario and really kill the motivation and momentum you worked so hard to create putting in the time, energy and work to put yourself and your business idea out there online.

I want to help make the branding process easy for you so you get it right the first time or make the necessary changes to your branding now that will remove blocks and potential conflicts in the future.

Module #1 of EMPIRE BUILDING is focused on the topic of Branding and in it I will teach you everything you need to know to solidify a cohesive and reliable brand online.

The EMPIRE BUILDING 6 Week Live Class Experience begins on Monday September 21st with our fist live video class and Q+A scheduled for 7pm EDT.

Each week for 6 weeks I am going to teach you one of the 6 modules of EMPIRE BUILDING live, while I also simultaneously update the content and resources of the class to be current with digital marketing trends and technology.

For the 6 weeks of the class, you will also have access to a private Slack channel for group coaching and support from me.

Although class officially beings on September 21st, if you enroll now, I will also let you into the Slack chat early and start coaching you now, sharing more of the behind the scenes of this launch with you for additional value and support.

Plus you get over $1,000 in additional bonuses for enrolling in the course this round.

The whole experience wraps up the close of October, so if you act now that is 7 weeks of coaching and direct support by me.

Of course, once the live class is wrapped up and our work together is done, you will get lifetime access to EMPIRE BUILDING and a year of email support from me as well.

So, if you want to learn more about this experience, click the button below to check out the full sales page. From there you will be able to enroll!

I can’t wait to work directly with you on your business- I know this is going to be a truly unique and valuable experience for all of us.

xoxo,

ENROLLMENT OPEN – EMPIRE BUILDING 6 WEEK LIVE CLASS

Hello My Charmed Ones!

To be completely raw with you- I am extremely excited, nervous and slightly terrified to make this announcement!

That’s because today I am doing something I have never done before in my business.

This is something I am often asked about by my customers, and for the past few months has felt like a calling from my heart to show up and serve my community more intentionally and more deeply.

I am finally opening up a live round of my signature online business program, EMPIRE BUILDING for enrollment right now!

For the past 6+ years running my business online, I have always been super intentional about the products, classes and courses I create and offer to you.

That’s because I understand and execute on a much overlooked principle of business: your business can be as simple or as complicated as you make it.

Business can be hustle and grind 24/7 with the help of a team,

Or (if you’re like me) it can be 2-4 hours of solo work a day with systems and automation.

Business does not need to be difficult or complicated- my 6 figure passive income business is proof of that concept.

By keeping things simple and straightforward, I have been able to keep my business running solo and profitable through multiple key milestones.

• My business survived the 120 day mark where 90%+ of businesses fail.

• My business survived the dreaded, 1, 3 and 5 year marks where the majority of small businesses close up shop for good.

• And now, my business has not only survived, but honestly been thriving, during a global pandemic where many businesses have had to significantly pivot or close entirely.

There is nothing inherently unique about me or my business.

The only thing that truly sets my results apart from others is that I approach my business very intentionally so that it plays to my strengths and skills, and I am very deliberate about where I spend my time and energy.

Now is the time for me to spend and invest more of my time and energy into a live round of EMPIRE BUILDING so I can personally teach you my methodologies, strategies and business philosophy so that you too can build your brand and business on a firm foundation online.

If that sounds like something you would like to learn about, I urge you to enroll in this next round of EMPIRE BUILDING NOW!

The 6 Week Live Class Experience is going to begin on Monday September 21st with our fist live video class and Q+A scheduled for 7pm EDT.

Each week for 6 weeks I am going to teach you one of the 6 modules of EMPIRE BUILDING live, while I also simultaneously update the content and resources of the class to be current with digital marketing trends and technology.

For the 6 weeks of the class, you will also have access to a private Slack channel for group coaching and support from me.

Although class officially beings on September 21st, if you want to enroll now, you will get early bird access to the 2 Fast Action bonus’ that expire on Monday September 14th.

Plus you get over $1,000 in additional bonuses for enrolling in the course this round.

AND- if you enroll now, I will also let you into the Slack chat early and start coaching you now, sharing more of the behind the scenes of this launch with you for additional value and support.

The whole experience wraps up the close of October, so if you act now that is 7.5 weeks of coaching and direct support by me.

Of course, once the live class is wrapped up and our work together is done, you will get lifetime access to EMPIRE BUILDING and a year of email support from me as well.

So, if you want to learn more about this experience, click the button below to check out the full sales page. From there you will be able to enroll!

Of course, don’t forget that I do have the FREE Business Training Class ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS THE NEW BLACK on Saturday the 12th @ 2PM EDT, and I am going to talk more about this offer at the end of the class if you want to know more.

Or you can email, comment or DM me with questions!

I can’t wait to work directly with you on your business- I know this is going to be a truly unique and valuable experience for all of us.

xoxo,

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS THE NEW BLACK FREE BUSINESS TRAINING

DO YOU DESIRE TO:

❤︎ MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF PEOPLE ALL OVER WITH THE WORLD WITH YOUR GOD GIVEN GIFTS, TALENTS, SKILLS & INTERESTS

❤︎ START AND RUN YOUR OWN ONLINE BUSINESS FROM HOME OR WHEREEVER YOU HAPPEN TO BE

❤︎ USE MULTIPLE MONEY MAKING STREAMS TO EARN A FULL TIME INCOME THAT GIVES YOU FINANCIAL SECURITY EVEN IN TIMES OF CRISIS AND UNCERTAINTY

❤︎ HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO WORK WHEN YOU WANT, WHERE YOU WANT, SO YOU HAVE MORE TIME TO SPEND WITH THE PEOPLE AND PLACES YOU LOVE THE MOST

❤︎ EXPERIENCE THE ULTIMATE TIME, LOCATION AND FINANCIAL FREEDOM TO LIVE THE LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS
 

GOOD! BECAUSE THIS FREE BUSINESS TRAINING CLASS IS PERFECT FOR YOU!


REGISTER BELOW TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT IN MY LATEST BUSINESS TRAINING CLASS
 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS THE NEW BLACK


THIS CLASS WILL BE HELD VIA LIVESTREAM ON
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH @ 2PM EDT

DURING THIS CLASS I AM GOING TO LAY OUT EXACTLY WHAT IT TAKES TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND LIVE THE LIFE OF TIME, LOCATION AND FINANCIAL FREEDOM THAT DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP CAN GIVE YOU.

 

YOU’LL LEARN: 


✔︎ MY SIMPLE FORMULA FOR DIGITAL MARKETING MADE EASY

✔︎ HOW TO ATTRACT YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMERS 

✔︎ THE COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT DIGITAL MARKETING THAT CAUSE SO MANY NEW BUSINESSES TO WASTE TONS OF TIME, MONEY AND ENERGY BEFORE ULTIMATELY CLOSING THEIR DOORS FOREVER!

I WANT TO SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE I’VE ACQUIRED THROUGH MY 6+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE RUNNING MY OWN 6 FIGURE PASSIVE INCOME BUSINESS TO ENSURE YOU KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE YOUR DREAM A REALITY AND HAVE A FOOLPROOF BLUEPRINT TO HELP YOU GET THERE!

(CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME AND MY WORK IF WE ARE JUST MEETING)
 

REGISTER BELOW TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT AND I’LL SEND YOU EMAIL REMINDERS, A DIRECT LINK TO THE LIVE STREAM AND A FREE WORKBOOK TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT YOU LEARN!

HOPE TO SEE YOU LIVE ON THE 12TH!

xoxo,

13 Chic Accessories to Turn Your Office into a Vibe

Your home office is a very important part of your productivity and success. I know you might not think so initially, when you think about the amount of time you spend in your home office and how it makes you feel to be there, you can begin to see it’s importance. Making sure your space feels right to you and uplifts your mood and energy should be a primary priority to you. Your office needs to have the right vibe if you want to maximize your productivity and reach new levels of success there. So to help you raise the vibration of your office, I have picked out 13 Chic Accessories to Turn Your Office Into a Vibe!


Laptop riser

Ergonomics lesson here. If you are sitting at your office desk hunched over you are going to develop neck and back pain and significantly reduce blood flow. You don’t want that- nothing kills your energy like reduced blood flow. So, raise your laptop up if you work on a laptop to eye level with one of these nifty laptop risers that are chic, minimal and don’t disrupt the rest of your desk usage.


Desk pad

Desk pads or blotters as they are sometimes also known have been an office staple for a while, but they now come in such a wider variety of colors, patterns and styles. They not only protect the surface of your desk while working, but they can also add style to your office if you choose one that speaks to the vibe you are trying to cultivate. 


Acrylic tray

I love office accessories that are functional but also beautiful and acrylic pieces are always my go to because they fit in with a variety of styles and don’t stand out or obscure the look of your office. 


Chic phone stand

We do so much work on our phones throughout the day that they deserve their own stand where they can charge without tangling a cord or fall off your desk. Phone stands are also great for watching videos or checking messages because the phone is kept upright and usually phone stands allow you to adjust the viewing angle as well.


Chic headphones or speaker

Depending on your personal style and the work you do, you might want to choose between some chick headphones or a chic speaker to give your office the right vibe. I like to use Apple AirPods but of course I keep them in the most vibe-y case I could find. 


Crystals

Of course the easiest way to raise the vibration of your office is to use crystals. Known for their varying metaphysical properties, crystals can adjust the energy of your office space depending on the type you choose. I think a large quartz crystal geode is a no-brainer for any office vibe.


Cute keyboard

Ergonomics lesson two. If you work at a computer all day, it’s much better for you to type on a keyboard that way you can adjust the way you are seated to perform comfortably. And if you need an external keyboard, why not make it a vibe. This one is so freaking cute I am about to add it to my cart as we speak!


Clipboard

If you often have a lot of papers to wrangle at your desk, nothing is more vibe-y than using a clipboard. I feel like they are an accessory of the past or belong in a formal office environment so they really stand out in a well organized home office. This acrylic clipboard with galaxy print is such a vibe.


Diptyque candles

Candles in your office is definitely a must, but if you want to choose particularly vibe-y candles, I recommend Diptyque. Not only do they smell amazing and last a good amount of time- they just look so fashionable and when you finish the candle you can clean them out and reuse the jars for other desk or personal accessories. 


Chic notebooks

I really don’t think I need to explain this one, do I? Notebooks are easy enough to find in a variety of colors, sizes and patterns- there is no excuse to use a basic spiral school notebook when you can use one that looks like it’s meant for serious plans by a seriously chic lady!


Clear planner

My number one favorite planner vibe at the moment is a clear or transparent planner. Luckily, it is super easy and inexpensive to get this look yourself. Purchase your clear planner here. 


High Vibe Bible

If you are really looking to raise your vibration, you need your mind just an organized as your office space. The High Vibe Bible is a 90 day daily manifestation journal with loosely guided prompts to ensure you are clear on your objectives and what you are intentionally cultivating in your life. 


Classical mini bust

A classical mini bust is such a vibe at the moment for chic home offices. I have two in my office right now. I recommend finding a bust of a classical figure or sculpture that speaks to you on a personal level, if you shop here you have a lot of options to choose from.

I hope this collection of 13 Chic Accessories helps you to create a serious vibe in your office so you can reach all your potential in productivity and success. I’d love to hear about your must have office accessories in the comments, so please let me know!

xoxo,

Entrepreneurial: How I’ve been Working Smarter, Not Harder

Hello My Charmed Ones!

I hope you had a wonderful and productive month of August. My month was pretty successful  with the implementation of my new content schedule that I outlined for you in last months installment of this series. So, I wanted to give you a recap of how the past month has gone for me, the results I’ve seen from just a few weeks of work, and how I really feel like I’ve been embodying the concept of working smarter, not harder through this process.

My New Content Posting Schedule 

To give you a recap of my new posting schedule, I am now publishing content every day of the week onto one of my platforms. 

MWF I post to Instagram, T/Th I post to my blog, Sat is a YouTube Video and Sun is an email to my list.

So, I’ve been creating a lot of content, but it honestly has been such a breeze for me because I have been implementing some great productivity strategy for time and task management.

Time and Task Management Strategies I’ve been Using

First, in terms of the task management aspect of this, all of my content ideas are preplanned as part of my editorial calendar, so I always know what I am creating for each piece of content. Yes, I have made a few last minute changes to content, but overall, knowing exactly what I am posting on what platform on which day is such a time and energy saver. Even if I am low on time, there is no decision fatigue that I face for my content, I just need to do what I already planned to do- pretty easy!

Another task and time management strategy I have been relying on heavily for the last month is batching my work. When I film videos for youtube, for instance, I film two in one day, which means I only have to film every other week, instead of weekly. I don’t consider filming to be difficult work overall, but batching my filming saves so much time because much of my time on filming days is literally the setup. Doing my hair and makeup, getting my camera equipment set up, getting the dogs settled so I can actually film without background barking. All that takes time and to only have to go through that process every other week is a major time and energy saver. Then of course I also edit and upload my videos together and schedule everything to go live on the proper days which helps me to get ahead on my work. 

I also batch other work as well. I always write my blog posts for a week together on the same day, and at this point I am writing for a week ahead so everything is scheduled and ready to go.

The only content I end up posting in real time are my Instagram posts because I can’t autoschedule those. Of course, I do write most of those captions and decide on the photo or video ahead of time to make it all easy for me. I have been using the Apple Notes app on my MacBook/iPhone to organize the elements of my Instagram posts so I have all the pieces on hand when I am ready to publish. 

My weekly email as well is always written a few days ahead of time and scheduled. I usually write those on Friday as my last work task for the week which has been working out very well. 

Sticking to My Daily Top 3 Tasks

The final time and task management strategy I have been sticking to very well over the past month is the idea of my Top 3. In July with the launch of the 2021 Planner insert collection, I switched my weekly view in my planner to week on one page as opposed to the week on two pages I had been using all year. 

The major difference with these inserts is that they are much more focused on prioritizing your top 3 list, which is a strategy I often talk about where you literally list the three things you absolutely need to focus on for the day. The way I work and the way I plan, I don’t normally write down each and every task I have to complete in a day, instead I like to focus on writing down just the things I know are super important, business related or things I just need to stick to. Like if I could only accomplish three things very well today, what would they be? Nothing else matters as much as these three tasks. 

So, in order to avoid overwhelm and stay as focused as possible with this new content schedule, as well as my other work for the month, I have been sticking to the top 3 list each day as a place to guide my energy and focus. I try to knock out the top 3 as quickly as possible because I know if I just get those things done, I am golden. I have nothing to worry about, little things can be forgotten but these three must be done. 

I’ve also gotten even better at prioritization because of this practice because I do believe prioritization is a skill that you need to develop to understand what is truly important to get done for the day and what just seems urgent. 

The Results I’ve Seen

Now, you might not think that posting on a consistent schedule for just a few weeks would have such a noticeable impact so quickly, but I have already been able to see some significant results. 

✔︎ My subscriptions on Youtube are up 25% from prior month.

✔︎ My Instagram follower count is up about 100 and I’m getting more views on my IG Stories than usual.

✔︎ I’ve been receiving more replies to my emails.

✔︎ I’ve been receiving much more engagement from my audience across platforms. 

✔︎ The Charmed Shop is getting more consistent daily sales.

Honestly, it’s those last three that are the most important to me. I don’t really give too much concern over follower numbers as long as I am growing that’s good. I realize I am in a very privileged position that I already have a sizable audience online. At least my audience and my list are a size I am very proud of and help support my business in a way that I feel good about. The size of my audience, however, is also likely why I have had such great results in such a quick period of time. I’m not building an audience from scratch, I am just re-engaging them with my content across my platforms. 

I’m eager to see how my community starts reengaging with me more and more over the coming months, especially on Instagram where I have been so stagnant for so long because I have just not been posting good content there. I know it’s easy for creators, influencers and business owners to blame a platform or an algorithm for why their accounts aren’t growing or engaged, but I know the truth is usually that the account itself is the problem. I know in my example that is true for sure. I took a big break from Instagram (several years…oops) so I have only myself to blame for low engagement. Hopefully, I’ll be able to revive my account through interesting, valuable and eye catching content and prove that it’s not the platform itself that’s the problem. 

So, that is how I have been working smarter, not harder in August getting my new content schedule underway. Of course, I look forward to September being more of the same, more content, more engagement, more sales, more of me creating a valuable and popular business that serves my customers and audience well!

I hope you found this post to be informative and enlightening. I would love to know your thoughts on my new content schedule, so please share with me in the comments!

Wishing you a productive and successful month ahead!

xoxo,