Be Your Own Boss Now!
A Step by Step Guide
to Successful Self
Employment ($39 Value)
Free guide here:
A Step by Step Guide
to Successful Self
Employment ($39 Value)
Free guide here:
Do you need more info to reach your goal?
Mar 6th
I want to give you a tip that will make it much easier to reach your goals.
At some point, in going after your goal, you are going to be stopped by a lack of information.
Now I honestly don’t like doing a lot of research. But here are some of the techniques I enjoy using to get information when I’m stuck:
1. Tell people what your wish is and the obstacle you face. You won’t believe how quickly people (even strangers!) will jump right into problem-solving mode and you’ll be given information or contacts who can give you the solution…try it…really…you’ll be amazed!
2. Go to the library (online).
I love libraries. When I was six years old, a friend took me on my first trip to a library. I was astounded and absolutely delighted to learn that I could take 5 books home and it was free!
Today, I can access mountains of popular magazines, scholarly journals, and databases on everything from history to science to health right from my computer. All you need is a library card number. Go to your local public libraries website and find their online databases. You will find information here that will get you unstuck. The only downside (if you want to call it that!) to this method is that you can spend hours happily sifting for gold in this treasure trove!
3. Got to conferences, association meetings and trade shows.
There’s nothing like hanging out with a bunch of people who share your interest. The Encyclopedia of Associations lists every group and association that meets regularly in the U.S. and even worldwide.
So, what’s a goal you’d love to achieve? Are you stopped by lack of information? Try one of my favorite techniques this week and find out how great it is to get just the information you need to keep moving forward.
Drop a line on my blog and let me know how it goes!
Stinking Thinking
Feb 19th
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Do you find yourself caught up in a lot of “stinking thinking?” When you wishfully think of something, do you immediately stop yourself with a “I can’t have, do or be that!”
How about when someone presents an idea to you – a dream they have -and it totally seems off the wall. Do you say, “well, it won’t be easy.” Or, “you’ve got a long road ahead.” Instead, why not say “great! what would have to happen to make that come true?”
See the difference. Once you start thinking about what the outcome would be, your brain will start getting creative and will begin to draft out steps you’ll take. You probably won’t know every step needed to reach your dream. But if you start in the direction your wise inner self guides you to, you’ll be led to the next step, the next person.
This is the power of planning. To me making plans is like playing. And to be honest, many of my plans go out the window. The secret is, that while you’re following your initial plan, all kinds of unexpected and wonderful things occur.
You meet just the right person who can help you with the next step towards your dream. You stumble upon a book that has just the key you need to unlock some blocked area you had. You stop into the “wrong” office and run into an old friend who can help you.
Planning in this way, loosely attached to the exact outcome, is the only way your dreams become real. Action rocks. You don’t have to create your entire dream alone…matter of fact, you can’t. When you get in the game, and take action in the world, the world will meet you and give you more than you can imagine.
Would love to see your comments here. Post a dream you have! You never know who might have a missing link you need.
How To Solve Problems
Feb 5th
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What do you do when you hit a problem in your business? Maybe it’s how to generate more income, how to build a client list or how to create an information product. Too often you might find yourself getting stopped by a problem and just giving up. Here’s what you can do to get past those problems and on to doing what you love to do.
Jim Rohn, the wonderful motivational speaker, said to go inside first and see if you can come up a solution. If that doesn’t work, go to a book or internet sources to see if you can find an answer. If that doesn’t work, ask someone else who is where you want to be. This is good advice. Let’s explore further.
1. Go inside. You have an extraordinary amount of wisdom right inside yourself –from your past experiences and from your natural preferences. One great way to get your answers from within is to take some time to get quiet. Make a list of teachers you’ve had that made a positive impact on you. Some may have been conventional teachers; others may be people you met who were not in a classroom. You can even consider famous people, people who have died or you haven’t met in person but you learned something valuable from them. Now choose one that jumps out at you right now.
Now write out a dialogue between you and this person. Ask him/her for advice. I can bet you will find some powerful insights into how to solve your problem
2. Get some more information. When someone tells me they’re stuck on a problem, I quickly assess whether it is a lack of information that is the real problem. It often is. I’m amazed at how many people don’t take the time to seek information through books and the internet. Often there is someone out there who has solved a problem similar to yours and you can quickly get ideas about how to solve your problem.
3. Ask someone else. If you still can’t figure out how to get past your problem after going inside and doing some research…now is the time to ask someone else. Most people are willing to share information and help you IF you show them that you have done some research prior to asking them. It’s startling how many people ask me for advice and information and when I ask them what they’ve done so far to solve their problem…they say “nothing”.
I’ll give you a concrete example. You want to run a tour business. You don’t know where to start and feel overwhelmed every time you think about this idea…but it just won’t go away.
First, you take time and journal with your teacher within. You have a dialogue and get encouragement from the teacher that you are on the right track. You even get some ideas about where you would like to lead tours and get a strong sense of the feelings of satisfaction and joy you’ll get when you achieve this goal.
Now you think, “I don’t know how to start. What insurance do I need? How do I hire a bus? What kind of outdoor microphone will I need so that people can hear me? How will I find people to enroll for my tours?”
So you go to Google and type in “how to lead tours”. You get nothing useful. So you try, “how to be a tour guide”. Bingo. You get a great article with lots of information and a link to an online course on the topic. You subscribe for the course. You then do an Amazon search and find a book that looks great on this topic so you order it.
After you’ve taken the course and read the book, you are about 100% confident that you’d like to achieve the goal of becoming a tour guide but you’d like to talk to some people who are actually doing it to get the real scoop on what it’s like and maybe ideas on how to break into the field.
Now, if you don’t already know someone in the field, it’s time to look up a few people in the field, approach them by email to request a 20 minute informational interview by phone. Send an email that says that you are interested in entering the field, you’ve taken a course and read about the field and now want to get some real world information.
Tell them that you’ll have 5-10 questions prepared before the call and that you’d be happy to email the questions to them prior to the call. You might want to ask what the best part of their work is and what the worst part of their work is. Don’t ask specific salaries, though you may ask what would be an expected range of pay for a beginner and for someone advanced in the field.
People are generally very happy to help out, happy to share information about work they love AND they will be impressed that you did your research prior to seeking them out.
So go ahead. What’s a problem you have? Try the 3 steps above and get unstuck now!
Repurpose Your Way To Making More Money With Less Effort and Time
Jan 28th
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What the heck do I mean by “repurpose?” Well it’s when you do one thing and then spin that one thing into many. Let’s take a look at how this might work.
1. Write a top ten tip sheet. My first one was called “Top Ten Ways to Live Authentically.” I wrote it 10 years ago and put it online and I still get feedback from it!
2. Flesh out each of your top ten tips into a few paragraphs and now you have an article. Write a 400-600 word article expanding on your top ten tips. You put a “call to action” resource box at the end of the article. A resource box is the jargon term that online article databases use…kind of like a byline, only it’s much more.
Don’t make the mistake of using the few sentences you have here by talking about your bio data. Instead, give people a reason to go to your website and get something free, and of value, in exchange for their email address.
That one article becomes a client list builder. And the beauty of it is that article remains online for a very long time AND other website/blog owners looking for good content, may ask you if they can post your articles WITH your website, on their webs/blogs…this happens to me several times a year.
3. Create an e-course out of your top ten tips. Set them up in an autoresponder like Aweber or 1shopping cart. Now you have something of value to give away in exchange for a person’s email address. AND the best part is, they will receive 10 different emails from you, maybe one a week. That helps build relationships. If you’re really on top of it, you’ll have a call to action at the end of each of the weekly emails.
4. Rework your article into a press release. The key to getting your press releases published is to tie your content into something interesting and newsworthy. An example from my biz might be to write about how self employments may be the key to turning around the economy and then add the content of my article.
You can submit press releases to your local newspapers, business journals and online for free (or fee). One free online source is http://www.1888pressrelease.com/.
5. Create a teleseminar based on your article content. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Your content can be used in many ways. Teleseminars are a great way to build your list and to promote an upcoming fee-based teleseminar series.
6. Create a video of you teaching some of the content and post it on YouTube. You can do this easily with an inexpensive FlipCam. It doesn’t have to be professional. Just be you. YouTube gets tons of web searches each day. Some folks just plain prefer to learn by video.
And that’s just the beginning! The next time you decide to create something, brainstorm all the possible ways it can be used.
Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs
Jan 27th
I am passionate about self employment and wish I had been nudged in this direction when I was a kid!
One of my coaches, from the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, posted this great blog (my contribution is #10).
Check it out here!
http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/business-ideas-for-young-entrepreneurs
How to Make Money With Teleseminars
Nov 19th
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Do you ever wonder how those folks offering free teleseminars ever make money?
I’ll let you in on three secrets.
First, making money with teleseminars is a great goal…however, don’t overlook the importance of building your email list with teleseminars as well. Many people from all over the globe have registered for my teleseminars and continue to receive information and promotions from me.
Second, teleseminars are a great way to deliver good content that you can then repurpose (reuse) in other information products that you can sell. Here are just some ideas to get you started:
1) Record your teleseminars and post the audios in a membership only library on your website or blog. Members pay a fee to join.
2) Record your teleseminars and turn them into a CD that you can sell or send for free to people who will share their postal address with you. Gathering postal addresses is becoming more important as people are inundated with emails that they don’t open.
When you have their postal address, you can send direct mail pieces like postcards and letters.
3) Have your recorded teleseminar transcribed – you can then combine the CD and transcript and sell them as an information product. You might “beef it up” with additional bonus pages and reports.
4) If you have several related teleseminars or a multi-part teleseminar series, you can create several CDs with transcripts and create a home study kit. These can sell from $97 to $997 depending on the topic and volume.
Topics that are targeted to a very special niche are good candidates for the higher dollar information products. For example, you could sell a “time management for busy professionals” information product. If you instead created “time management for dentists” you’d command more money. You’d have to use their jargon and know something about the demands of their work to customize your content to them but you don’t need to be a dentist!
Third, teleseminars are a great way to gather information for a book or for a coaching group or a teleseminar series. Hold a teleseminar on your topic area and leave plenty of time for participant questions.
Have it transcribed and note your answers, in your words, to their questions. You find out what your audience’s concerns are, how you provide solutions and where you might need to do research to get more information.
Now you’re on your way to creating your next information product –the biggest secret is that you’ll want to create several products –once someone loves your product they WILL want more.
Ready to get into action? “Launch Your Teleseminar in 14 Days: Make $100,000 Income Sharing Your Interests and Passions” at http://authenticlifeinstitute.com/teleseminars.htm is a complete training in Teleseminars which opens the door to unlimited opportunities. My clients who use it say “I’ve been putting off using teleseminars because I didn’t know how to begin –now I know!” In addition to discovering how to create powerful teleseminars, you’ll get tips on how to leverage them into information products for profit, and free coaching with me to be sure you USE the information and much more.
Unemployed: Challenge AND Opportunity
Nov 17th
I spoke today at an unemployed support group sponsored by the State of CA. My topic was “Turning Interests Into Income.” There were about 100 people there.
Looking out at the sea of faces I saw pretty much two things. Resignation or a spark of excitement as they considered ways to generate income without having a j.o.b.
My heart goes out to all folks who are involuntarily unemployed AND I was reminded that I’m not to work with everyone -because self employment is not for everyone.
So I focused on those with that beautiful “spark” of hope and possibility. What a privilege it is to be allowed into someone’s life -even briefly -during their biggest challenges.
I am so grateful for the work I’m able to do and I’m so grateful for YOU!
P.S. Here’s another Providence photo -that’s the gorgeous State House with the leaves just starting to turn color -I’m building a new website (a.k.a a new profit center) called www.Providencelover.com
Ask Ann
Nov 10th
Dear Authentic Lifers,
I just realized that the “Ask Ann” form we put on my webpage isn’t working…so…if you have asked me question in the last month or so…please know I’m not ignoring you -I never got it!
My web guy just fixed it -but in the meantime, I want to invite all of you to post a question here and I’ll give an answer next week (week of Nov 16 and beyond).
I’m leaving tomorrow on a vacation to celebrate my wedding anniversary, my birthday and my husband’s birthday.
So go ahead, got a question about self employment? Ask away. I look forward to supporting you because, if self employment would be your ideal lifestyle, I want you to enjoy your life as much as I love mine!
P.S. I went back to my home state of RI in October -here’s my favorite beach in the world. It’s called Galilee.
Living a Rich Life Without a Job
Nov 6th
My current coaching clients are all in the process of becoming self employed. They’re excited (and so am I). And they’re thinking about how to creatively make money doing what they love. Are you considering becoming a “free agent”? If so, here are some questions to ask yourself:
What topics/subjects really interest me?
How could I be paid to inform people about this interest?
How could I be paid to provide people with a service related to this interest?
How could I be paid to perform this interest for other people?
How could I be paid to create products related to this interest?
How could I be paid to assist people who are focused on this interest?
How could I be paid to learn more about this interest?
You may find that you have several interests. And if that’s the case you may want to pursue more than one. Imagine if you could live 5 different lives and in each you get to go deeply into different interests. Here’s my list (you can have more or less than 5 if you like!): I’d be a writer, traveler/tour guide, teacher, sex therapist, and singer. How can you indulge in all your interests in one lifetime? You can pursue your interests sequentially –doing one a time for a period of time. You can do some of them simultaneously. You may work on them in alternate blocks of time -6 months a year on one, 6 months on another. And, sometimes you can combine interests. For example, I may choose to combine my love of travel with writing and be paid for travel articles.
I’ve noticed that my clients tend to focus on their “options” and that these options are limited by their previous experience. Instead, I invite you to ask “What is possible?” You may want to have this conversation with another person to help expand your “possibility” thinking. Please know that you absolutely can earn money by providing value –not time.
As you begin this exploration, fear will most likely creep in. The best antidote for that is to remind yourself that you can only live one day at a time. Don’t try to forecast too far out in the future. You can take a step today towards fulfilling work and that step may lead you to a very unexpected, exciting place that you could never have foreseen. Just keep taking steps and moving forward. AND, get support! As Barbara Sher says, “Dreams Die in Isolation.”
Your Honesty is Your Originality
Oct 30th
I took a workshop last weekend (life long learning rocks) on writing and speaking with Barbara Sher –one of my heroes. She said something that immediately dissipated any lingering doubt I had about not having anything original to say.
She said “your honesty is your originality.” That’s it. HELLO…I called my biz Authentic Life Institute for a reason! My life has been about being very very true to who I really am and helping others to do the same.
So I hereby officially release any doubt that I have nothing new to say. Look out because my originality is feeling very free and ready to shake up a lotta lives. And I hope one of them is yours!
November is an important month for me –many milestones have occurred during November including my wedding last year on the 12th, my birthday on the 13th and my wonderful husband Ted’s b’day on the 14th!
I’d love for you to join me on a call –my birthday gift to you –where you can ask me anything you’d like about self employment –how to get started, how to choose an idea, how to get clients/customers, how to grow an existing biz, how to set up systems, how to manage team –anything at all. Open Q&A. Rare opportunity for 1-1 coaching with me.
No registration. No recordings. Be there live – November 16 3:00 pm Pacific/6:00 pm Eastern 712-432-3900 Conference Access Code: 117957
OR post your question here and I’ll post an answer.
