Tips for starting your own creative business!!

Ever dreamed of starting your own creative business but had no idea where to begin…

In the Nov 2013 I launched a hugely exciting blog collaboration series (Now E-book) where we looked at 9 of the top tips I believed you need in starting your own creative business.

I have met a number of creative’s through my Life Coaching, many of whom have BIG dreams of starting amazing companies ranging from photography, to image consulting to fashion, but have no idea where to begin.

In an attempt to spark that dream in your heart again, and to help bring it to life, I put together a 9-day blog series & now E-BOOK called “Tips for starting your own creative business” where 9 amazing, creative woman, all of whom have started their own creative businesses in the past few years, shared on topics I feel they have earned a right to be considered‘experts’ in. 

Sign up for my Newsletters (on the right of the screen) to 

receive your FREE copy of this AMAZING resource!!

Inspired for more - Networking in KZN

Are you a 20 – 30 something girl, who has her own creative business??

I’m talking anything from owning your own pilates studio or coffee shop, running your own fashion design, life coaching or even events company. If you own it (or part own it), then yes I’m talking to you!!!

You are enough!! You are beautiful. You are incredibly talented. And you have what it takes to make this business a success!!

This is what so many of our hearts long to hear, and yet our inner critic so often takes over & points out our faults, echoes our fears and causes us to doubt ourselves.

Owning your own business is hugely empowering, it gives you the freedom to do what you love everyday…but what it can also be incredibly lonely which often leads us to self doubt. And self doubt has the potential to box you in, and prevent you from taking your amazing business to new and greater heights!!

It is with all this in mind that I present to you...

“Inspired for more”

Join me and other inspiring creatives for a morning that is all about inspiration, networking and rekindling the fire within you that first got you to start your own business.

Date: Saturday, 24^th May 2014
Time: 9am – 11am
Place: 20 Impala Road, Kloof, KZN

To keep this event intimate, there are only 15 spots available. 

Sign up here to find out more about this inspiring morning, what content will be covered and to what extent this event will give you space to grow your network & inspire you to keep you doing the awesome work you were created to do!!

Creating a dream inventory...

Today, I have a follow up post for you all about YOU and your dreams...

"It's been easy, for years, to throw out the words, 'My dream is...' but truth be told, this was just the easy way out. The vaguer my dreams were, the less pressure there was to pursue them and with that, less chance of failure. Vagueness allowed me to be safe, but it also meant years of working towards an undefined dream, basically a blurred vision." I encourage you to read the rest of this {the first of two} blog posts here...

Now, that you understand the importance of letting go of 'vague' and embracing your dreams head on...let's jump right into it!!

Let's start with our dream inventory... 

Grab a cuppa tea {or glass of wine}, get your journal out {or laptop} - and let's dig into YOU and your dreams!! {Click here to download your FREE Printable for today's Dream Inventory}

Close your eyes and really think about your dreams. Not the dreams you had as a kid, but the ones that burn deep within you today!! The one’s that make you smile just thinking of them. Those ones!! 

Now, write them down. Be as specific and detailed as your dreams allow you to be!! And give your self some space and freedom to reflect on these dreams - This is good time for journalling or thinking, whatever works best for you. Emotions are healthy, let them rise up, express them and let them go. They need to run their course in order for you to feel at peace again.

Now, which of these dreams stand out, which do you possibly need to let go of as they wouldn't lead you in the direction you are wanting to go, and mostly which make your heart sing?? Continue journalling, or reflecting on these thoughts!!

And now it's time to claim these dreams for YOU!! Claiming your dreams doesn't mean you need to run out of your office, or home, and shout them to the world, not at all; dreams are meant only to be shared with those who will protect them. Claiming your dreams means that you write them out beautifully and stick them somewhere you can see them every day. It means sharing them with your loved ones and possibly for the first time, giving a more detailed account of the direction your life is heading in and why. It means possibly sharing with someone how you are letting go of certain things you once thought were dreams but really don't fit within your life vision at all. It means getting real and honest, and being intentional with moving towards these dreams rather than moving in an undefined sort of way towards what you 'think' you want.

In order to pursue the dreams that make your heart sing, and be so sure of them that VERY little can stand between you and making these dreams a reality; you will need courage and surety that this is the life vision you choose for yourself. Choose today what stays, and what go's - it will not only give you courage to start running in the direction of your dreams, but it will also give you the freedom to let go of past supposed-dreams {dealing with the emotions that come with that} and that way not setting yourself up for failure.

Know your dreams, claim your dreams…and start pursuing your dreams!!

Need help putting a plan in place in order to take you from where you are at today to where you DREAM of being??

CLICK BELOW to book your FREE trial session with me, where we'll spend some time reflecting on you and your dreams, and setting 3 inspiring goals that will help get you closer to achieving those dreams!! 

CLICK BELOW  if this whole 'dream' thing really throws you, and you're desperate for someone to walk this road with you in discovering what makes you come alive and how you can start pursuing that on a daily basis :)

Surround yourself with dreamers and doers...

Like it or not, it’s a fact that the people around you shape you into who you are and will become. After running my Happiness Project course for a few months now, I have seen the very real affect that positivity can have on a person’s life. Surrounding yourself with positive people, will not only make you think more positively but it also gives you room to dream, to grow and to take leaps forward in your life.

I wrote a post a few months back about who you include in your inner circle {read the post here}, and while your inner circle is vital to your personal success…your outer circle may also be having a bigger affect on your daily life than you currently realize.

In a world where job satisfaction, or lack thereof, is the biggest current motivator for people leaving their jobs, it is fair to say that people are more in touch and expressive of their feelings regarding work, than ever before. And with the help of social media, you don’t even need to be in the same office as someone anymore, to know how devastating their day was, or job is, or life will be if…

And so along these lines, I want to challenge you to be aware of the people you've allowed to form your outer circle, as these people may be influencing your mood, attitude, productivity and general levels of positivity; even if it's merely over Facebook.

A few simple tips:

1.    Have a friend on Facebook whose statues are always negative? Why not hide their statuses from your news feed. That way you won’t be ruining the friendship but you’ll be protecting yourself from the effects this person has on you.

2.    Surrounded by negative co-workers? This is a tough one but there’s always a way out. You could leave a conversation when you hear it’s turning sour, you could change the subject by adding in something positive about your lives or even jobs, or could even go as far as suggesting an office project, where everyone has to pay R10/ $1 each time they are caught speaking negatively in the office. This money could be pooled and used for something fun to build team morale.

3.    Have a friend that is a pro at making your dreams seem unrealistic and unimportant? As much as friendships are essential to our well-being, we also need to listen to the voice within. Depending on how close you are to this person you could do one of two things: Either address it with him/her in a safe, non-judgmental way, or you could make a concerted effort to spend less time in this person’s presence. {Sound extreme? I guess in a way it is, but no one else is going to take control of your life, so either you live with the effects of listening to someone trample on your dreams or you take control of the situation}   

“Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams, talk you out of yours!”

Laser Launch Blog party: Goal Setting for second year entrepreneurs!

Today I’ll be sharing a post that is part of the 'Laser Launch blog party', run by Halley from Evolve and Succeed, the topic being “Second year entrepreneurship”.

"Laser Launch blog party is a collection of stories from online celebrities about their second year experiences. Brought to you by: Laser Launch Package - a double whammy of expertise to get your next launch sold-out because your second year should be fun + profitable."

For me, just entering this phase of my 2^nd year as a business owner, I am both exciting and of course slightly apprehensive too. My first year of entrepreneurship was in every sense a roller-coaster ride. I bounced from having no clients to too many, I started new programs that got great reviews, launched big projects that never took off, and learnt so much along the way.

The first year, or season, of starting something new is always exciting, bringing with it new challenges, ways of thinking, relationships and personal growth points. Going into my second year as a business owner, the two main things that I will be focusing on will be consistency and passion.

If there is one thing that I learnt last year, it was that as much as clients/online followers love variety, they love consistency more. People thrive off stability, and as a business owner, I get to offer that to my clients. I get to present not only a brand that is consistent but a person behind the brand who remains the same. As I mentioned in my blog series post 'Tips for starting your own Creative Business' last year, people buy into who you are and why you do what you do, not what you do. Yes, they see the ‘what’ every day, but it is the ‘who’ and the ‘why’ that keeps them coming back for more. Consistency is key to success.

As much as remaining consistent will be vital for me and my business this year, maintaining passion I believe outweighs all other business goals. Getting to a point when you decide to start your own business is usually fueled by ideas, talents and a whole lotta passion. Your first year as a business-owner has you on a passion-high, with you daily coming to grips with the idea that your passion for something is now earning you money. Your passion to make a success out of something, that lies only in your hands, is so real and so tangible that you cannot but help working late nights, talking about your business in every spare moment you can sneak in a few words and filling your thoughts on your morning runs {or is that just me}. But going into year 2 means that by now things have likely somewhat settled down. Your product or programs are either succeeding or they aren’t, you've create a routine - something that works for you…and routine often has a dulling effect on passion.

In order to keep myself on my toes this year, in terms of both consistency and passion, I coached myself through 3 simple steps and it is now my hope that this will be a tool that you as well as many 2^nd year entrepreneurs will find useful.

 

Step 1: Review 2013

The first thing you need to do is to review your past year. This means finding a quiet space, taking out either your laptop or a piece of paper and realistically writing a personal business review for 2013.

Reflect on things like:

-      Is your business aligning with your values?

-      Product/ Service analysis

-      Is your business aligning with your ideal lifestyle?

-      Financial analysis

-      Marketing analysis

 

Step 2: Room for growth

Now, write down a list of things, within each section of your review, that you want to improve on this year. I.e: Financial Analysis: Expenses; Products: Revise and improve current workbooks, etc. You will use this list to help you create your goals for 2014 in the following step!

Step 3: Set goals for 2014

Use my ideas below as a basic guideline for categorizing your business goals for 2014:

- Product/service Goals {Include both improving products/services as well as what new products/ services you hope to launch}

- Financial Goals {Be as specific as possible. Personally, I break this down into months as well as sections within each month}

- Marketing Goals {This is such a vital part of every business and their success levels. Spend some time reflecting on what you can do to improve your current marketing plan, or if you don’t have one yet, then consider creating one}

- Job Satisfaction Goals {Think lifestyle, work/life balance, relationships at work}

- Personal Goals {This is for YOU, and is as important as career goals. Think in terms of your passions/ interests. i.e – run a marathon, take up canoeing, start playing the piano more, etc}

Ensure your goals are:

1.    Specific (Be as specific as you can when detailing your goals for 2014)

2.    Measurable (Ensure that you will know when you have achieved a goal, ie – create a measure for each goal)

3.    Attainable (Create goals that stretch you however still remain within your reach)

4.    Relevant (It’s easy to set a goal that you know you should set but actually don’t feel passionate about at all. My suggestion is either to scrap the goal entirely if it really isn’t for you at all, however if it just very daunting, then consider changing the wording of this goal into positive language. I.e – Instead of lose 5kg’s, rather – start eating healthy meals 5 days a week)  

5.    Time- bound (Set a time span for each goal – when you will achieve this goal by)

To all the entrepreneurs out there, best of luck for 2014!!!! I’d love to read your comments below and would be more than happy to help where I can. If you’re interested in taking this Goal Setting Process one step further, then please consider joining my Rise &Shine workshop in Gwangju, Korea in Feb 2014. I am also considering running this workshop in Cape Town and in Durban in April 2014, however this will be dependent on whether there is an interest to run it then {use comment section below or contact me directly here if you're interested}

Finally, it is not only my job, but my privilege to help people, like you, set amazing goals for both their lives and their careers. If you found this exercise helpful, and are interested in making 2014 a year that stands out from the rest, then please consider contacting me to book a trial session {free} and allow me the privilege of walking alongside you for a few months, as you set out to achieve your deeply rooted dreams!!