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!!

Starting your day on a high!!

If you’re anything like the rest of us, I’m guessing your morning looks something like this…

Alarm goes off, your swear, turn it off, lie in bed for a few more minutes (sometimes skipping the gym session you had planned). Shower, get ready, eat a quick breakfast (possibly while doing your hair or make up, or you so busy doing your hair that you forget to eat breakfast) and you’re in your car ready to hit the morning traffic, feeling awake but having barely processed what this day will hold.

The word ‘routine’ holds so many negative connotations that I genuinely hate the taste of the word, let alone the sound of it. However, humans are routine-beings, and that means that whether you admit it or not, your morning does have a certain routine, be it chaotic or orderly, routine is hidden in there somewhere. But having a morning routine, of some sort, does not mean that you are optimizing your day…well not just yet.

Having a healthy morning routine has been proved to be one of the non-negotiables in most successful peoples’ lives. Creating a morning routine that works for you, your career and your life could be the tipping point you’re needing to living life on a high. It’s the one time of day where you have complete control over how it will pan out and how you will feel by the time you walk out the door (or into your office).

So what does a healthy morning routine look like?

I want you to think back to a day (as recently as possible) when things just went right, you know one of those days you catch yourself smiling for no real reason apart from the fact that life is good. Now, try to think back to how that day began. 90% of people who had particularly ‘good’ days can agree that there day started on a happy note.

A healthy morning routine looks different to everyone, and that’s why it is so 100% essential that you become the master of your morning. Own it, embrace it, let the YOU shine out of it – and I can guarantee you that you will start your day with an added bounce in your step!!

What does this mean for you??

Well, firstly you need to ask yourself; What does my morning routine look like right now? Am I optimizing my morning the way I should? Does my morning routine scream “Man, I love my life”?

If not, what would my ideal start to the day look like? (Now, if you answer with a quick ‘I would sleep all morning’ then it’s time you relooked at more than just your morning – career/life assessments aren’t a bad thing to do once in a while). But those thoughts aside, I know that you could probably come up with a good 4 – 5 things that if included in your morning, your day generally starts on a high.

Here’s a little Coaching exercise to help get you started:

Name one thing you will do differently tomorrow morning that you know will help you start the day on a high.

There are many things in life we want to do, but just don’t ever get there. Don’t let this be one of them. Your morning routine is vital to your happiness levels – make it count!!

PS – I am busy creating a 1 week workbook called “Starting my day on a high”, that will soon be available to all my website subscribers. The workbook is aimed at helping you find the right mix that will make your morning routine count!!

Celebrating YOU (Birthdays)....

Celebrating my birthday yesterday, and the knowledge that, for the third time in a row I was abroad {travelling} over my birthday, I got somewhat sad thinking that once again I won’t be able to have a birthday party…and this got me thinking.

One of the biggest surprises I got from my clients personal questionnaires {they fill these in prior to our first session} was the amount of them, who haven’t celebrated their birthday in years.

Ok, so firstly let’s clear things up. No, I’m not some spoilt brat who travels the world for her birthday each year. It just so happens that 2 years ago I was on honeymoon for my birthday, last year we had just got to Korea for a year of living abroad, and this year, I am currently backpacking on our way home from Korea, after our year abroad. And yes, of course it’s incredible being abroad over your birthday – each year H has done something special, like white water rafting or super fancy dinner overlooking a rain forest, so it’s not that I’m un-appreciative, it’s just that I really like birthdays to be celebrated/spent with close friends, family and of course H too. And so here goes…

You are unique with talents, dreams and desires that match no other. You, my friend, were created with HUGE intention!! Your life is no accident, no, you were created for abundance!! So what does abundance look like?? Well, it looks a little something like this – you living out your dreams, daily enjoying the things that truly make you come alive and being surrounded by people that you love!! That’s abundance right there!!

This whole idea of being anti celebrating your birthday because it means you’re a year older is BS!! if you ask me. Yes you’re a year older but if you lived that year with intention, pursuing all things close to your heart then when your birthday arrives there should be no greater privilege than celebrating the past year, thanking your loved ones for the role they’ve played and getting AMPED for the year ahead. Older shmolder!!

I have a friend who has taught me a thing or two when it comes to birthdays and being one of my favourite people on earth, I thought it’s about time I gave her mention on my blog. Meet Ange....

Ange is full of life…and when I say full of life I mean, seriously FULL of life. She will not only give you a huge squeeze and kiss on the cheek when she meets you, but she will genuinely consider you a part of her life from that moment forward, to the point that you’ll make it on to her {and her mums} prayer lists :)

One of thing that I love most about Ange, is her ability to love. Every year she holds a birthday party, come rain or high water, she’ll organize some big bash on the 4^th August {her birthday}…and the heart behind it is always the same. It’s to honour all those who play a role in her life, to thank them for the past year and to bless them. From wine and cheese parties, to hours spent drinking tea, to wine tasting and cheese eating, to fancy wine-farm lunch affairs; each year, Ange organizes something extravagant for her friends, to celebrate her birthday and that means to celebrate their {her friends} lives. She even goes as far as printing us little encouraging messages or scriptures. That just Ange.

This notion of making your birthday about those that make you who you are has really challenged me so much!! Ange {If you read this} – you are incredible, thank you for teaching me a deeper meaning to birthdays…and of course plenty other things too!!

It is my hope, that this not only challenges you all but encourages you to look at your life, and to be grateful for all that fills it!! And my even bigger hope, is that this year, you’ll re-think your birthday party plans…and maybe even have a get-together just to celebrate the ones who play a role in your life and of course to celebrate LIFE in itself!!

Adventure begins at "I do"!!!

As I begin to process the reality that I only have three weeks in Korea, the nostalgia kicks in and naturally I reflect on this crazy adventure that I call life..so here goes. If I could sum up the past year in a few words they would be, “It’s always better when we’re together…”

Wait; let’s back track a little...

It all began when I got married the week before my 23rd Birthday. Yes, at the ripe age of 22. Now my guess is that you will fall into one of two categories: either your thoughts just lingered on “Good for you” or “OMG, you poor thing settling down so young”. I can’t fault either of these opinions, I mean I had “If that’s what you feel is right for you then go for it” to “But Caity, you’re so young. You still need to travel and meet people”, and that was just within my immediate family.

I felt in so many ways as if the world portrayed marriage as a simple “settling down” and that meant one thing and one thing only, BOREDOM!! And so, apparently, in an attempt to escape fate and avoid boredom, you need to {no rather YOU MUST} travel, get all the adventure out of your system before you say your “I do’s”.

If, however, you’re going to get married young then the least you can do is to act mature, and buy a home, have kids and agree to utter “Oh, If only I was your age…”, whenever something exciting presents itself. When I walked down the aisle two years ago, tears streaming down my cheeks as I stared into the eyes of the man I would spend the rest of my life with, the last thing I imagined was boredom. No, instead I imagined adventuring together, laughing, having kids and buying home and embracing every dream we ever dreamt, together! Yes, we’d settle down, but settling down would never mean “settling”, instead it would mean adventure!!

If there’s one thing that calls for every man and his dog’s opinion, greater than marriage at 22, it’s announcing that you’re going to leave your stable jobs, Hendrik (aged 30) and me (24), and move abroad to travel, and grow and adventure together.

I completely get why parents advise their kids to travel while they’re young. I understand that once you’re married, bought a home, had kids and formed community that it’s hard to just up and leave, and yes yes yes, it makes all the sense in the world to travel and embrace your more wild/adventurous self before you reach that season of life. But in saying that, it’s also 100% possible to break the mould, and to go with what feels right for you. I’m not saying get married at 22, nor am I saying that you have to wait until you’re 41 – this is your journey and no one has a right to dictate what season you need to be in and when.

There is a freedom that comes when you choose to take life by the horns and say “This is my life, I will live it to the full”. It’s more than just liberating; it gives you wings to fly. There is so much to say for travelling the world alone, and I’m all for it, but looking back over our journey now, I genuinely could not have dreamed of a better adventure, together. Seeing the world, meeting amazing people from different lands, races and cultural groups, experiencing all the emotions that come with being away from home and going through the motions of experiences that challenge your world-view, are all things that I got to experience this past year; but greater than all that is knowing that the man I will wake up next to for the next 60 years was there walking this journey alongside me. For me, memories shared are memories treasured.

We are all on our own journey and whatever that looks like for you; it is beautiful to the one who created you, who birthed those dreams in your heart and who finds such joy in watching them come to being. Follow your heart. And choose wisely those who will have a say in your future; if I had listened to the many voices along this journey, I would never have found myself here, in Korea, about to adventure off on 2 month trip around South East Asia, a month before my 25th birthday, married and more at peace than ever before.

For me, “It’s always better when we’re together”. For you, it may look different….but whatever it does look like, always {always} be true to you!