Hello My Charmed Ones!

It has been several months since I have shared an installment of my Entrepreneurial Online Business Journal, but I have been reworking the editorial calendar for my blog and it is now time for me to share some insights with you.

As this post is being published it is April 1st and today is also the official kick off day for my EMPIRE BUILDING Business Accelerator group coaching program. However, because I bulk my work, it is actually being written a few days prior while it is still March. Currently, I am at the tail end of the launch for the Business Accelerator and just prior to writing this, I wrote the email that would go out to my email list telling them about enrollment in the program closing soon. One of the points I made in that email is really sticking to me right now and felt like the inspiration I needed to share with you today.

In the email I discussed how my business revenue grew during the pandemic. I believe I’ve spoke about this briefly a few times so you may already know, but the point I was making in the email was that my business success in 2020 was not a side affect of luck as some might think, rather it was a side affect of intentional thought, planning and effort.

Creating a Business by Intentional Design

When I first started my business, it was my intention to create a business that would operate online, seemingly on its own through automated digital marketing systems and passive income streams.

I had the vision for a business where I would be able to earn a stable full time income, without having to work full time hours, and I absolutely wanted to be able to run this business by myself from anywhere in the world if need be. I didn’t want to have to rely on hiring a team of employees to make this work. I didn’t want to have a specific office or space where product was housed. I wanted a business that was simple, profitable and gave me time and location freedom. So, I couldn’t rely on any outdated paradigms for how businesses were expected to operate. I needed to make it work for me the way I envisioned it, and I did!

And when 2020 hit with a pandemic that threw the whole world into crisis, the systems I had build and relied on to help me run my business for years also came through to ensure my business did not need to change, pivot or close down.

Online business is no joke!

I know some people question it or poke fun at it, especially a business like mine that most people can’t understand. I make a six figure income selling PDFs and classes. I sell nothing physical. And yet, I create products that people want and need, and you would not believe the number of customers I have that return year over year to purchase my new or updated products.

I realize that what I am doing and building through my business is different and requires people to think differently about what it means to run a business.

I think a lot of people believe that being a business owner is tough and it means you need to work super hard, put in long hours and make significant sacrifices.

But, it just isn’t true.

At least, it isn’t true for me. I chose to believe in a better way, and I made that way my reality.

You can make an online business like mine a reality for you, too!

All you have to do is choose to see business as fun, easy and filled with possibility! And you need to get very clear and intentional about the business you are building, the way I did.

But it starts with the intention.

Set Your Business Intention

So, right now, I want you to take a moment, pause and set the intention for your future or current business.

Take out a piece of paper or a sticky note- it’s always better to write out your intentions on paper.

I don’t want to you think too hard about the way this is going to look. I just want you to set the intention and then you can rewrite and transfer the information to your planner or vision board as you see fit after we have gotten the intention out of your head and onto paper!

Write this out:

IT IS MY INTENTION THAT MY BUSINESS…

Fill in what comes to mind. Think about how you want your business to look, feel, operate and write that all out. Write out several lines or paragraphs, whichever works for you.

Use your imagination here but keep in mind, this isn’t an imaginary business we are creating, it’s a real business that you get to own and operate! So, while you are writing out how you want your ideal business to go, I want you to see it in your mind and feel it in your body, especially in your heart! Let this vision fill you up while you are writing. It really helps your intention solidify when you do that.

Okay, so once you are done, do with that intention whatever you wish. Feel free to edit it a but, rewrite it on nicer paper, turn it into a graphic, put it in your planner, whatever you want to do. Just put it somewhere you can see it and reference it. Because anytime you go to work on your business idea I want you to read out that intention first.

It’s going to help you align with your intention and the work that you do as a result is going to be much more elevated than had you gotten to work without reminding yourself of what you are building.

I hope you enjoyed this fresh installment of ENTREPRENEURIAL, now it’s not just going to be my monthly online business journal, but also yours. Each installment it is my intention to share some activity or inspiration for you to think about and journal on so that you are also building your dream business alongside me!

Download my latest Free Business Tool

The CEO Business Braindump Triggers List!

This is a triggers list for you to use during your braindumps with business specific categories and topics to keep in mind. As a braindump is always part of my planning processes, I recommend downloading this new free tool and using it as part of your regular business planning process.

Let me know how things are going for your business by leaving me a comment on this post or dropping me a DM on Instagram @MissTrenchcoat!

xoxo,

Hello My Charmed Ones!

At this point I hope you’ve been able to watch my recent business training class, and you know enrollment is now open for the next live round of the EMPIRE BUILDING Business Accelerator 6 week coaching package!

If one of your goals for 2021 is to start an online business, and you’ve been thinking about it for a while, but haven’t yet taken successful action, this coaching package is intended for you.

So today, I want to break down the work we are going to do together in the 6 week program, and give you some reasonable expectations for what you can achieve in what may seem like a pretty short period of time.

This post is going to be a little long, but for those of you who are really curious about what we will do in the 6 weeks of the Accelerator, this information will bring you much clarity, so read it all, take your time, and email me if you have any questions when you are done!

What we can achieve together in just 6 weeks!

First and foremost, with this package, you get access to EMPIRE BUILDING which is a 6 module course that guides you through those 6 key business pillars you need to have in order to run a successful business.

Each module includes:

→ A Video Lecture that teaches you about each business pillar and introduces you to guided activities to complete that will become key assets for your business.

→ A Workbook that includes a written transcript of the lecture plus guided worksheets to complete the key business activities that you learned about in the module.

→ Links to tools and resources that supplement the lecture, like examples of completed worksheets, software and applications you may find useful to help you create specific business assets, and swipe copy examples for emails, content posts, and funnels.

→ A Guided Journaling Workbook that helps you get in touch with what you actually want to create in your business, so you are tapping into your own unique inner guidance to craft an intention business that meets your needs.

Now, the EMPIRE BUILDING course itself is completely on-demand, so when you enroll, I recommend you get started watching those lectures, taking notes and starting the guided activities. As you go through those activities, something wonderful is going to happen- you are going to hit roadblocks and have lots of questions that you will need clarity on because you are starting to learn and apply the lessons of the modules!

That’s where our Slack group coaching comes in. As you get your hands dirty and start doing the work building out the assets and structure for your business, you will take your questions directly to the Slack channel for the individual module they relate to and I will be there to give you guided advice immediately so you can get your answers quickly and move on to the next part of the process. And the great thing is, your questions are likely questions that other students in the course have and so we are going to be able to help each other by digging into these questions and issues deeply within the group.

You are going to get tremendous clarity from the simple act of going through the modules and bringing your questions to the group for us to dig into, and I find that having clarity and knowing what you need to do is incredibly motivating, but that isn’t all you get with this experience!

You will also have the opportunity to join me for 3 new live classes being added to EMPIRE BUILDING!

The first new class is the CEO Strategy Masterclass scheduled for 4.14.21 @ 7pm EST.

→ In this class I am going to guide you through creating the essential pieces of your business plan and help you map out your business plans for the rest of 2021. I’m also going to teach you how to plan your days moving forward so that you integrate work on your business with your many other priorities that need to be balanced at the same time.

The second new class is the CEO Mindset Mastery Class scheduled for 4.28.21 @ 7pm EST.

→ In this class I am going to set the stage for the mindset you need to hold as a business owner to ensure you are staying motivated and accountable to your business, especially in those tender moments when you don’t see your big picture vision coming together quite yet. I’m going to share my mindset mastery toolbox with you and teach you the ways I keep my mind in alignment with my business goals so that I hit them time and time again.

The third new class is the Killer Content Masterclass (title might change on that one, I don’t know if I love it… let me know what you think!) scheduled for 5.12.21 @ 7pm EST.

→ In this class I am going to teach you how to create a full editorial calendar of content for the year that strategically targets and grows your community filled with your ideal customers. I’m also going to share different time management strategies that you can use to really maximize your time so that content is easy and quick to create. Perhaps you’ve heard me mention this before, but I produce 3 Instagram posts, 2 blog posts, 1 video and 1 email for my community each week, and this process takes me no more than 10 hours per week. That’s a lot of content created in very little time, and so I have many time saving, content batching tips to share.

For each of these new master classes, you have the opportunity to join me live, face to face via Zoom, and of course at the end of each class the floor will open to Q+A so when you attend live you will get your immediate questions answered right then and there so you can start integrating what you learned into your business plans! Replays will be available after each live has ended if you cannot attend a class.

So, through this 6 week experience, if you are able to put in a good 2-4 hours a week to go through the content and start taking action, there is a lot you can accomplish.

→ You can have your business branding and online properties secured

→ You can have your content platforms and editorial schedule mapped out and filled with great content ideas

→ You can have your ideal customer and key messaging identified so you know how you’ll grow your audience

→ You can have a plan and ideas generated for content marketing, plus a head start on lead magnets and funnels that will help you grow your revenue

→ You can have your products and business models identified so you know what you’ll be selling and how you can easily add new revenues streams to your business to grow your revenue

→ You can have your goals set, your business legally incorporated and protected, have a clear idea of what aspects of your business you will be working on throughout the year and a simple system to move those plans forward on a daily basis

And I say can here intentionally because this process does require you to show up and do the work.

I promise, I have made things very clear and easy for you, and I will be with you each step of the way to ensure your questions or issues are resolved swiftly because that is what you are paying for in the experience.

You are paying for someone who has been there, done that to hold your hand, and let me tell you, I am soo helpful and attentive to my students! You are in such good hands with me, if you couldn’t already tell from all the help and insight and free value I add to my community each and every day!

But at the end of the day, you do the work.

This is your business

This is your dream

This is your time to shine!

I can tell you from experience, you can make building your business an uphill battle or you can make it the most fun and exciting thing that makes you jump out of bed in the morning.

So, if you can dedicate 6 weeks of your time to focus on your business, you will have plans in place and valuable assets created that will help you finally get your dreams in motion, can carry you through the end of 2021 and give you the resources to manage your business for years to come!

So, what do you say?

Are you ready to take my hand and let me guide you through this?

Remember, the Accelerator formally begins on April 1st, but as soon as you enroll, you will get access to the EMPIRE BUILDING course which you can start working through asap and have a head start for when group coaching begins!

xoxo,

3 Steps to Creating a Stress Free and Profitable Holiday Promotion

With the holiday season quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to quickly arrange for a holiday promotion for your business. The Thanksgiving to Christmas time period tends to be an extremely profitable season for online shops and businesses, with many retailers seeing exponential sales and traffic in this time with the aid of some well planned and executed holiday sales. Now, if you have never planned out a holiday promotion, or have yet to do so this season, I’m here to tell you that the process is much easier than you think and doesn’t have to involve complicated marketing planning or lots of time and effort. You do still have plenty of time to pull off a successful holiday promotion without stress or extra long work days, but you do need to act fast to get your plan in place to maximize sales before Black Friday kicks off in a few weeks! In order to help make this process even more streamlined for you, I have also created a free DIY Holiday Promotion Planning Guide that you can use to plan and keep track of your promotion. CLICK HERE to get the FREE Guide and get started today!

Step # 1: Decide the logistics of your promotion

There are many types of promotions and sales specials you can run during the holiday season to drum up excitement for your business and increase traffic and check totals in your shop. You can do something as simple as create a special coupon code for a percentage off items in your shop, you can put together bundles of popular products that coordinate, or simply discount your best sellers. You can make your sale as simple or complicated as you’d like and do one or more of these things, but decide what works for you and your business and of course, plan out how long you want these promotions to last. I’d highly suggest running a sale on Black Friday at the very least. Personally, this year I plan to create some limited time only bundles, provide a coupon code to VIPs on my email list and social media followers, and I also plan to host a giveaway to entice sales during my promotion which will last 3 days from Black Friday to Sunday. If you don’t want to discount your products due to product constraints, you can also create non-sale promotions that include either a giveaway wherein customers during the time frame are opted in to win a prize. You can offer a digital freebie to drive traffic to your shop or even give a free gift with purchase. Think about what will work for your sales goals and business and outline the details of your promotion asap!

Step #2: Shoot your promotional images

If you run an online business, you know how important great product and styled shots are to driving sales. Once you know the parameters of your promotion, you can arrange for a quick photoshoot and get all your images ready for your shop, social media and any ads you may run. If you don’t feel confident in your photography skills or need help understanding how to take great photos that sell, definitely check out my Charmed Digital Styling Lightroom Photography Course. It’s a video module based course with 3.5 hours of content that you can watch while taking notes and arranging your own photos. In the course I teach you everything you need to know to quickly get your styled photography under control and streamlined to make shooting promotional images a breeze! I’d highly recommend taking the course if you need great photos for your holiday promotions, it will save you time and money in the short term if you are someone who pays for stock photos, and the course even includes photoshop tutorials that will teach you how to create promotional sales graphics and advertisements as well!

Step #3: Start spreading the news

Once you have your promotion planned and your images are ready to go, you can start sharing the news of your promotion through your various communication methods and continue to do so through the duration of your sale. I’d suggest starting to actively promote your holiday sale anywhere from 2-4 days before it begins using any and all methods you use to communicate with your customers. If you have an email list, you will want to send a list to your email a few days before the sale starts and give some previews of the sales to come, and if you use social media or YouTube, make sure you tell your audience in these locations as well. If you use any methods of advertising, you also want to get those set to go for about three days out from the sale to drum up excitement and provide a call to action to get new potential customers onto your list. Finally, if you have an affiliate program or even a network of friends who can help you spread the word, make sure you coordinate with them on promotional messages and details that they can share with their audience as well. It’s the holiday’s after all, so the more the merrier when it comes to cross promoting sales and specials!

That’s it! Three easy steps to a stress free and profitable  holiday promotion. You still have time to get your promo planned and off the ground and I’d highly suggest planning something rather than nothing because failing to promote during the holidays means you are leaving a lot of money on the table. Make sure to grab my free DIY Promotion Planning Guide to help keep you on track!

Wishing you a productive and successful week and holiday season ahead!

xoxo,

In today’s video I am sharing my opinion on why you should start your business right now if you have been thinking about doing it. There is a revolution in the paradigm of work in the world. Now is the time of the rise of the female entrepreneur. Right now women more than ever need the financial and time freedom that entrepreneurship offers. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this paradigm shift because I think this is an important conversation we need to be having about women, their place in the workforce and the necessity of female owned businesses.

If you would like to watch the full 2.5 hour business training class that this clip came from and receive the free workbook, click the link below to register!

→ REGISTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS THE NEW BLACK

xoxo,