Five Inexpensive Must-Do’s When You’re Just Starting (And Four More Expensive Must-Do’s for Later)
“I’m just starting out. I have no money, and I’m wondering what are five things I can do to get my business started.” There it is, glistening on the monitor. The most fundamental of business questions in the most usual of situations. You can hear the pain in it, can’t you? And the inspiration and […]
Chocolates, Harry Potter, and Marketing for Artists and Other Inspirational Types
Melissa Berry makes chocolates. And not just any chocolates, these are extraordinary truffles in mind-blowing flavors. I stood next to her booth at the farmer’s market the other week and watched as a woman bit into one of Melissa’s truffles and stopped. Her chin went up, her eyes rolled back, and she took a deep, […]
Going for the Easy Win
We’re in the middle of a big ambitious goal: a website redesign, including a major update of our look, and launch by July 1. It’s going to take a lot of focus and effort from the team, and I’ve been doing my part, too- rewriting outdated copy, thinking through the vision, etc, etc. It’s a […]
Connecting with Intimidating, Influential People Who Can Promote You
Every so often some brave soul emails me a request like one I received recently. “I don’t know you. I love your work and respect what you’re doing. I finally drummed up the nerve to reach out because I’m really stuck! Can you help promote my event/product to your readers?” (I paraphrased.) First off, I […]
How Spiritual Leaders Create a Practical World-Changing Vision
If you’re a heart-centered entrepreneur your business may, at times, feel more like a mission, a movement, than just a business. Business advice about niche and marketing can sometimes fall flat because it doesn’t really capture the sense of activism you have around making the world better. And reading corporate mission statements that try to […]
Why We Talk About Problems… and What Comes First
Problems are the bread-and-butter of marketing training. “Talk about the problem!” “Press on their pain points!” “What problem is going to trigger the ‘buy now’ reflex?” Boy, doesn’t that feel good? My heart aches just thinking about that kind of approach, and that’s why so many heart-centered business owners avoid talking about problems. Then they […]
How to Tell Potential Clients to Hire You
You ever have those moments when someone so obviously needs you and what you offer that you just want to tell them, “Just sign up! You need this!” Maybe you’re tempted to grab their lapels and shake them. The funny thing is, if you’re feeling this, chances are the other client has at least an […]
Why It’s Hard For Me to Be Cheerful Sometimes
I realize that I get caught in a trap: a trap of being reactionary. There is so much pop-spirituality-business stuff out there promoting a “feel happy be successful” agenda that I realize I sometimes take the opposite stance. I tend to make radical and off-putting statements like: Neediness is your doorway to abundance, and poverty […]
Sticky Notes Versus the To-Do List Tsunami
Earlier this year I replaced our kitchen sink. At one point I was faced with having to tighten down the basin drain, which comes in two parts: the metal ring on top of the drain hole, and the bottom part which screws into the top part, allowing water to drain down the pipe, instead of […]
Why Doing Workshops Will Put You In the Poor House
I was teaching one of the final classes for the 2010 Opening the Moneyflow participants, and I made an offhand comment, “You know, because it’s really hard to make a living just from workshops.” Someone in the class immediately jumped in, “Whoa… Whoa… Did you really just say that it’s notoriously hard to make a […]