Passionately On Purpose

by Cara Lumen

As entrepreneurs we are often our own support staff and certainly are our own cheerleading team. That’s one of the reasons I love using a 5:15 report.

The 5:15 report is a powerful tool for both support and acknowledgment. Whether you are facilitating a committee, an office full of people, or focusing on your own individual business, the 5:15 report will help you and the people you are working with to stay on target, shorten meeting times and allow space for everyone to acknowledge what they accomplished, what worked and what they would like to change.

If you are working with others a 5-15 report lets each team member know about what’s going on with specific projects, people and processes. It helps to quickly identify what is working, and what is not. It provides a forum for celebrating success, asking for help when needed, smoothing potential pockets of disharmony, and passing along information of interest.

The 5:15 should take no more than 15 minutes to write and 5 minutes to read. The process has three parts:

• A simple description of what you did during the week/month. (I do mine weekly).
• An honest description of your state of mind and the climate you see around you.
• One idea that will improve your job, department, or organization.

The Magnetic Momentum Builder Captures Feelings

As I worked with the 5:15 format I began to personalize it.  I turned it into the Magnetic Momentum Builder that tracks not only my actions for the week but my feelings.  Was I relieved, excited, amazed, satisfied?  Emotions are a big key to where we should be moving.  Noticing them helps us hear our inner guidance. I write them in my Magnetic Momentum Builder which is simply a table in Word.

The Magnetic Momentum Builder is a Motivator

I have also created my Magnetic Momentum Builder to act as a motivator – to capture areas I want to be certain to take action in – article submissions, blog posts, radio show scripts, my outreach strategy.  It becomes a nudge as well as an acknowledgement list.

Here are some of the things I include:

Major Wins - It’s important to notice and acknowledge our successes. This could be a “little” success like finally figuring out how to do a small technical task, or an unexpected windfall.  Just give yourself a pat on the back and add some gratitude in there for what has shown up in your life. 

Unexpected Blessings - I have categories for people, ideas, prosperity. Noticing the unexpected gifts that have shown up in your life again deepens our awareness of the signs and signals and guidance we consistently receive from the Universe.

Qualities for the month - What do I want to embrace – my creativity, higher completion, do I want to focus on deepening relationships?  This gives me the opportunity to consciously emphasize a quality I want to embrace.  

Specific Achievements - You can have your Magnetic Momentum Builder include a list that includes things like clients you served, courses you took, collaborative partnerships you formed, or products you created.  It should include personal breakthroughs and skills you have developed. Take time to look for all the good that has come your way and acknowledge yourself for what you have achieved. And remember to write down how you feel about them.

The original 5:15 report only asks these questions:

1. What I accomplished
2. What’s working?
3. What could be improved?
4. How am I feeling? What is the climate of the group?
5. Good Idea (what one thing will make the biggest improvement in my life, work or the organization?)
6. What concrete steps will I take to make this happen? By when?
7. Intentions for the next week. (If this is for a committee, this line could be "Add to the Agenda.")

Realizations

Now look over what you have written and see what realization you have received.  How did the week feel?  What gave you the greatest hit?  What are you inspired to do ? 

Action Plan

See if there is something you should add to your Action Plan. Does something need to be moved to the top of the list, or put aside for now?  Is there a new idea that needs to be captured ?  What system can you put in place that will make it easier to track your blog posts, or your invoices, or whatever you need in the backend of your business? Write your intentions down. Setting an intention moves me forward energetically .

How to Use the Magnetic Momentum Builder

Sometimes as I complete a task I add it to my Magnetic Momentum Builder right then and there even if it’s during the week because I’m excited, relieved or overjoyed to have completed it. On Friday afternoon I take time to complete my Magnetic Momentum Builder and acknowledge how much I accomplished during the past week. As I write my intentions for the following week it gives me an opportunity to rethink, reevaluate and refocus my goals and intentions.

The Magnetic Momentum Builder acts as an acknowledgment for what you have accomplished, a reality check about how things are going, and a "do-next" reminder for yourself. It will keep you on track and passionately on purpose.

by Cara Lumen

Your marketing strategy should be built on your strengths.  If you are a good networker, focus on networking, if  you are a good writer you can leverage that strength into a complete sales cycle. 

Michael Port has put out a call to his Book Yourself Solid Coaches to help him revise his cornerstone book Book Yourself Solid and of course, I answered.  In fact, I volunteered to organize the original signups for what sections people wanted to work on.  And that’s what gave me the idea for this article.  Several coaches had really focused on networking. It is their natural strength and they have developed that into their major marketing strategy.  There’s going to be a new section on Social Media and several coaches had been taking more training in that as they made that a major marketing strategy for themselves.  But me, I signed up for the Writing Strategy – my absolute favorite thing to do.

Writing is good for your soul

It’s Sunday morning as I write this and although I have 12 to15 posts in varying degrees of completion, it was important for me to bring something new to life – to explore this topic and see what I uncovered.  I use my writing to sort myself out, to expand a concept, to learn something new, and to teach.  It allows me to capture the ideas that are swirling around me in nebulous form and bring them onto the physical plane for examination and consideration.

Write to sort yourself out

Journaling has long been a cornerstone of self-understanding.  When we write it down it stops spinning around in our head and becomes concrete for us. We can make lists and compare opportunities and make choices once we bring our ideas into form. 

I wrote an article about my cat Sebastian who was busy pulling push pins off of my bulletin board.  I saw that as an opportunity to think and write about curiosity and exploration and how we might increase that in our lives.

When I moved from California to Kansas City to be near my children I wrote all sorts of articles on choices, and giving stuff away, and rethinking where you put things in the new environment. 

Emerson says  “For the instinct is sure, that prompts him to tell his brother what he thinks. He then learns that in going down into the secrets of his own mind he has descended into the secrets of all minds. He learns that he who has mastered any law in his private thoughts, is master to that extent of all men whose language he speaks, and of all into whose language his own can be translated. The poet, in utter solitude remembering his spontaneous thoughts and recording them, is found to have recorded that which men in crowded cities find true for them also.”.
 
Our thoughts have value.  Our insight will be the insights others need to hear. Writing is a great way to think outloud on paper and figure things out for you and for others.

Write to expand a concept

This article is an example of expanding a concept by writing about it.  My participation in Michael’s book revision made me very aware of how I very much prefer the writing strategy above all others and I wanted to look to see what that meant for my choices and my results and how that might also be applicable for others.

Write to learn something new

When I read a book I underline and I take notes.  Then I go type those notes into my computer.  And ultimately I try to explain some of those concepts to someone else – which helps me learn it even better.  And often there is a phrase or a word or a concep t that inspires me to write about it.  What does it mean to me?  How can I apply that to myself. 

Write to teach

When you teach you learn.  I love to do this.  Several years ago I wanted to get better at writing and submitting articles so I created a teleclass Article Magnetism, How to Write Articles that Attract .    Recently I spent a lot of time creating my own marketing plan and decided to teach a teleclass on that, which I did and will again.  Ultimately I put many of the great systems I had created into an ebook How to Write a Magnetic Marketing Plan

As I coach I create new handouts for my clients.  They are part of my coaching library and many have become articles.  I’ve created so many great systems that I’m working on combining them into one book Your idea Generator. 

Writing as your sales cycle

So here’s what writing has produced for me so far. 
1.    I have lots of blog posts which are often the starting point for exploring and expressing my ideas.
2.    These turn into articles which I post in article directories like Ezine Articles where I am a Platinum Expert
3.    Posts and articles often become part of my radio show Passionately On Purpose
4.    I write articles that become my cornerstone series
5.    I turn those ideas into ebooks
6.    I turn them into teleclasses and home study courses
7.    My coaching handouts become articles and enter this cycle of possibilities

A sales cycle consists of products and services at different price points so people can join you wherever they will.  Think of it as a merry-go-round where people can choose their adventure – their entry point – the steady benches, the off-the-ground-but-steady pony or the exciting and adventursome galloping horse.  Your sales cycle must contain a product for each of those levels.  This may mean price point and it may mean beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.  Think variety, think levels of opportunity and engagement.

One idea wears many hats

I think of ideas as actors – they can put on different costumes and play different parts.  When you have an idea that appeals to you, begin immediately to see how many ways it can be presented. Chunk it up, or chunk it down.  Make it a series.  Take each point in one article and write a separate article for each point. Leverage your ideas into your sales cycles from many different directions.

If you are a writer, there are many wonderful ways to add value to your business.  Go exploring and see where it takes you.

©2010 Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

It’s possible we are all born with the entrepreneurial spirit of curiosity and independence and a desire to learn, but not all of us keep it going for one reason or another.  If you’ve kept your free spirit going, you may know yourself as a bit different, a lot curious, and having a great time in life.

An entrepreneur naturally looks for new connections, different ways to do things, and is always walking to the beat of their own personal drummer.  Some entrepreneurs go into business for themselves .   And others don’t.

There is more to being in business for yourself than the idea.  YOU are the major factor in creating your own online business.  Here are some of the qualities I think are helpful for entrepreneurs.

1. Entrepreneurs are Passionate

The whole point of being in business for yourself is to be able to follow your passion, wherever it leads you – to take your dreams and bring them into reality.  So don’t choose an idea because it might make you money, choose it because you HAVE to do it, you NEED to do it, and you WANT to make a difference the lives of the people you will serve.

2. Entrepreneurs are Flexible

Entrepreneur Magazine says 2010 will be the year of the entrepreneur    because unlike a large company we are fluid and flexible and can respond quickly.  Are you flexible?  Can you change directions easily?  I sometimes get going so thoroughly in one direction that to turn me in another direction is like stopping a freight train.  I could handle that if I would periodically stop and question my direction along the way to see how things are working.  If I still want to go in that direction – great.  If it needs tweaking – tweak.  If it needs to be abandoned have the courage to drop it.

Do I dare bring up control issues?  I have recognized that I have a need to figure out at least one way a project could be done so I can see that it can be accomplished.  Then I’m open to the suggestions of others and am willing to go whichever way seems best. It’s a bit tricky to be controlling and flexible at the same time. Going with the flow, being fluid in your expectations is a helpful trait for an entrepreneur to have.

So flexibility is a necessary quality – the ability to change direction, to toss out something that isn’t working and expand on something that is.  To respond quickly, to know your own mind, to make decisions quickly and surely, and be prepared to change direction if your choice proved to be wrong.

3. Entrepreneurs are Creative

In this instance, creative is not about drawing and painting, but it is about an art. It is about the ability to look for new ways to do something, new applications, new insights, and new approaches.  There is a constant questioning quality here, of choosing everything with fresh eyes.  The natural entrepreneur sees connections that others don’t and sees possibilities where none seem to be.  He/she is flooded with ideas and has to work at choosing the best ones. Managing ideas and shaping them into form is very creative, whether they turn out to be organized ideas on a page or a gizmo that makes something work better.  Ideas are the gift of possibility.

4. Entrepreneurs are Independent

The natural entrepreneur has a willingness to be different, to stand apart from others, to stand alone if necessary.  The entrepreneur is seldom part of a herd – unless maybe it’s a herd of other entrepreneurs and then that’s like trying to herd cats.  There is a bit of bravery involved here, to be willing to go it alone, or do it your way when no one else seems to be going in that direction.  It can be a bit lonely, but with every step you stay true to yourself and follow your own passion, your own dreams and your own intuition.

The natural entrepreneur can manage criticism – if it is good they will absorb it and implement it.  If it is not they will ignore it.  They stay true to their vision while being open to change.

5. Entrepreneurs are Visionary

A visionary sees potential, explores possibilities, and always presses against their own boundaries.  Seth Godin in Lynchpi n suggested that working “outside the box” is not what we want to do because we are all alone out there.  He thinks we should always work along the edges of the box – pushing those boundaries further and further out to expand the entire contents of the box – which includes everyone. 

However, when we let our vision stay too close to what we know on the physical plane, we naturally accept the limitations of the physical plane.  When we actually sit down to vision, we must allow ourselves to wander in the field of infinite possibilities and allow the connection to the earth-plane limitations to break so we can really go exploring into new territory.

If you’ve ever been around a visionary who is sharing a great idea, the worker bees are all sitting there saying “how do we get that done”  And the point is, the visionary does not stop her vision based on how it can happen. If you think it can happen, it can.

6. Entrepreneurs Believe in Themselves

Natural entrepreneurs have a strong belief in their own value, what they have to offer and their ability to deliver it.  They are tuned into their inner calling and simply go make it happen.  They maintain a positive attitude and know that they can figure out how to do or get done by others, anything they want to accomplish.  There are driven by their belief that they can!  http://caralumen.com/wordpress/philosophy/do-you-believe-you-can-and-why-not/

7. Entrepreneurs are Constant Learners

There is a constant curiosity about a natural entrepreneur, they are always learning new things, taking classes, reading books and blogs on their topic, networking with others in their field.  They try new ways to accomplish tasks; they look for and see new connections between the things they learn, and they rush out to share what they have discovered with others. 

8. Entrepreneurs are Commited

Whether racing across the finish line in the lead, or consistently moving forward one step at a time, a natural entrepreneur maintains a steady and persistent forward motion toward their goals.  They are not discouraged by small steps; in fact they break their work down into small projects so they can see a completed step and a steady progress.  They keep their eye on the top of the mountain and move steadily and persistently up the path leading to the summit.

0. Entrepreneurs are Resourceful

There is always another way to do something that might be easier, faster, or more lucrative.  The natural entrepreneur finds the way around the barrier, or a short path to the top of the hill.  They are the scout that leads the pioneers across the mountains.  They explore, they examine, they consider, and they choose.  And if one way is blocked they find another way.

Are you a Natural Entrepreneur?

It’s OK if you’re not, but if you want to be you can always develop the qualities that will help you reach your goals.  Look at your strengths.  Build on them.  Forgive yourself your weak areas.  They aren’t really weak; they are for someone else to enjoy doing.  Follow your passion, be flexible, know that bringing your ideas to life is an art form, keep looking for a new path, be resourceful and always believe you can!!!!

©2010 Cara Lumen

Passionately On Purpose Radio with Cara Lumen , Your Idea Optimizer, who keeps you passionately on purpose while you make a difference in your world. As a Business Coach, Content Developer and Educator she talks about how to uncover your passion, define your purpose, identify your path, make money from what you already know and attract the people you are meant to serve. But most of all, she’ll help you believe you can!!!  Join her Mondays at 10 AM Central to stay Passionately On Purpose

The Show

10 Ways for You to Start Earning More Income in Today’s Economy.

You’ve got what it takes, you just have to look at what you are offering from a new viewpoint. Let’s talk about ten adjustments you can make that can increase your income.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.6MB)

Passionately On Purpose Radio with Cara Lumen, Your Idea Optimizer, who keeps you passionately on purpose while you make a difference in your world. As a Business Coach, Content Developer and Educator she talks about how to uncover your passion, define your purpose, identify your path, make money from what you already know and attract the people you are meant to serve. But most of all, she’ll help you believe you can!!!  Join her Mondays on to stay Passionately On Purpose

The Show

How to Fearlessly Follow the Passionate You

When you are at a crossroads, how do you tell which road to take? Kathy Kirk of Applied Spirituality will join me to talk about how to overcome fears and indecision and move in the direction of the Passionate You.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.6MB)

 by Cara Lumen

We all have our own unique spin on life. No one else will approach a task or idea in the same way.  That’s what makes us unique – and wonderful.  Your job, in building your online business is to take what you already know and turn it into a product or service that benefits others.  So how do you do that?

What Do You Love to Do?

No business is worth doing unless you love to do it. Kahlil Gibran says, “Work is love made visible.” If your days are not filled with excitement, joy, satisfaction and fulfillment, you haven’t found your sweet spot yet.  Keep looking.  Keep tweaking. Create and adjust.

You may have to thumb through your past looking for those special times when you felt fulfilled and happy.  What were you doing? Who were you doing it with?  How did you feel?  What we are meant to be doing we’ve been doing in some version all our lives. Identify your passion and build on that.

Who Do You Want to Help?

You will organically be drawn to a particular segment that you wish to help.  It may be an age group; it may be people with a particular challenge, or animals or the environment.  Find your own personal fire – the passion that will fuel your work.  Then go build a business around it.

How Do You Want to Help Them?

You may want to go to foreign countries to help.  You may want to be active in your community. Or you may want to sit at your computer and serve.  

How do you want to help?  What are you willing to do?  A little?  A lot?  You may want to teach, write, give talks, coach, create products, connect people or organize businesses,  Look at your talents, your strengths and your passion and let them guide you.  For instance, I finally discovered that at the core of my passion is the simple task of organizing – organizing people’s ideas, organizing words on a page, or organizing concepts for a telecourse or radio show.  I happen to do that organizing in the area of building internet businesses but that passion could take me in any direction I chose.  Look for the core reason you want to be in service and let it guide you.

Build your business from your inside out

Aristotle says, “Where your talent and the heart of the world cross, there lies your calling.”  What do people ask you to do for them?  What opportunities keep organically showing up in your life? What subtle invitations are you receiving from the world around you that invite you to change, to choose, to commit?  Build your business from your inside out and share with others what you already know. You ARE your business – share your heart.
 
©2010 Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

All business is driven by interpersonal relationships.  Whether it’s the helpful, cheerful grocery clerk, the patient, positive customer service representative, or the knowledgeable tech support person who can explain it so you understand it, we are all drawn to the people that give us the most positive experience and the best results.

In your business, that should be you.  

How are you with people?

OK, you’ve decided you are ready to start an online business ,  now what? Since you ARE your business it will look a lot like you.  Look at your life and see how you naturally relate to others.  Are you one of those magical people that everyone loves to be around?  Are you a wise, knowledgeable person that people seek for answers, are you an advice giver, a party giver, a 1:1 type of person?  Are you a loner?  Are you shy? Are you adventurous or conservative?  How you naturally relate to others is a good place to start building the community you want to serve.  Become aware of both your strengths and weaknesses in your relationships.  You will build your business to take advantage of both.

It’s not about selling, it’s about serving

The ordinary standard for a successful business is how much you earn.  I think the standard for a successful business is how well you serve, how many lives you change.  So the first thing you want to do in developing your online business is to 1) decide on who you want to serve and 2) decide what you can and are willing to do for them.

Who do you want to invite into your community?

The old way of marketing is on the wane.  A new, gentler, more connected form of interaction is emerging.  We get to choose who we want to serve, who we want to interact with, who we want to help succeed.  You’ll hear that called a “niche” but the new term is “community.”  Feel what a difference that term makes in what you will do and how you will do it.  

Another term I could do without is “Target Audience”.  It sounds like we are going hunting.  I like to think of it as “Interest Groups.” You are starting an interest group, a community of people who are interested in your topic. And that interest group will have specific needs, a specific vocabulary, and a particular way they like to be approached. The more clearly you are able to address that, the more people will recognize you as someone they want to connect with.

My interest group is made up of primarily boomer women who need or want to start a business for themselves and don’t know where to start.  They want to help others, they are willing to learn, and they often have some business background they are ready to translate into a new online business.  They are passionate about what they want to offer.  Those are the people that make up my community, the ones who read my posts, and take my courses and come to me for coaching.

And the more I tune into them the easier it is for me to see what they need.  I get to watch what is changing around them; I get to think about what is keeping them awake at night.  Then I can decide how or if I would like to help them solve that problem.  

See how gentle and organic this is?

Attract the people you are meant to serve

We are not meant to serve everyone, but the people we are to serve need us and it’s our job to help them find us.  And once they do, we want to take care of them.  And like any group of friends, they will ultimately call on us for our service or products and they will refer their friends to us.  And suddenly, we are surrounded by like-minded people who need and want what we have to offer.

Go where your interest group is and hold up a big invitation

Now you know who you want to serve, you know what you want to offer them, but they don’t even know you exist.  You have to go out and lay markers on the trail so they can find you. You have to invite them to come join your community. This can mean things like a web site  that explains what you do, a blog  that writes about what you think and know about your topic, a radio show   that can be a commentary format or an interview format that offers your target audience insights and entertainment. It can be article submissions   or teleclasses, or signature products like ebooks and audio books.  It can be about going to networking groups, joining online communities, posting comments on blogs and forming collaborative partnerships.  The type of invitation markers you lay on the trail depends on you and your talents and the interests of the people you serve.

Loyalty is priceless

Did you know that 80% of your sales will come from 20% of the people connected with you?  That group of people are tuned into what you offer, they want to know and hear what you are saying and teaching and doing.  They trust you. And they are ready to purchase from you. When you design your outreach material, your forms of invitation, fashion them for the people you can best serve.  Once they have come into your community keep serving them well. Referrals are the best form of community building. And referrals come from positive interactions and great results.

Where do you start?

Begin with who you are and what you love.  Start talking about your topic and writing about it and offering services around it.  Get excited about it and share your thrill at how you are in service.  That’s contagious.  And as people begin to gather around you, take good care of them.  Listen to them, be ready to anticipate or respond to their changing needs.  Design new ways to serve them. Think of yourself as a valuable member of a global tribe – you serve those who need you and support them in their well-being. Build your online business with positive experiences and great results.

This is Part 2 of the How to Build an Online Business Series 

Part 1: Are You Ready to Start an Online Business ?

 © 2010 Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

A lot of us are at a crossroad.  We look around and see that retirement is no longer an option.  We’re older and are not certain how long we can stay in the work force or we may already be out of it.  What do you do when you are no longer a viable candidate for working for someone else?  You start your own internet business, of course!

Should I start my own business?

That depends.  Are you passionate about something that will make a difference in the lives of others?  Then yes, absolutely.  Are you willing to learn a lot of new stuff?  Are you ready to be flexible and adventurous and open to new places where you might fit in?  Then come on in, the water’s fine.  

How do I begin?

Look deeply at your passion, that desire you’ve held in your heart all your life, and see where it is needed.  For instance, my passion is about organizing and teaching and the people I help are older like me, who are spiritually oriented, want to be in service to others and don’t know where to start.  I’ve learned where to start and how to continue to build a business so my coaching business is about helping people build a successful internet business from their inside out.  

What do you love to do?  What knowledge do you have that will benefit others?  What population do you want to serve? What is your passion?  What excites you so much that you want to rush out and share it with others?

That’s your new line of work.

OK I have my idea, now what?

Probably the fastest way is to team up with a business coach who can help you sort out your ideas, who knows the path before you and can guide you on your journey one step at a time.  You can also start reading.  Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling is a great foundation. (I’m one of his Certified Book Yourself Solid Coaches)  My own How to Create Your Own Magnetic Marketing Plan has a lot of exploratory exercises in it to help you focus your direction.  Romanus Walter’s Kick Start Your Business, Four Powerful Steps to Get What You Want Out of Your Life and Busienss opened some insights for me.  And Roy Spence’s It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven by Purpose ,  Seth Godin’s Lynchpin, Are you Indispensible,   will also get you thinking.  Go online and find people in your field and read their blogs and go to their free telecourses and take some classes in what you don’t know.  Expect to spend some time because a great part of this journey is about self-discovery – who you want to serve and what you want to offer – and why.

What do I need?

Not much if it’s an internet business.  I help my clients develop a web presence with a five things – a web host , a URL a shopping cart , a merchant account and my content and business coaching   We can go from ground zero to the moon – given time. Hiring a business development coach is an investment in focused, rapid progress and results.  There are many levels of business success you can achieve.  It depends on you, your vision, and your commitment.

What do you offer?

The first page of a web presence I work with is the services page. What exactly do you want to offer, to whom do you offer it and what do you charge?  Sometimes that’s easy to figure out, sometimes it takes some exploration. We work on your who-and-do-what statement so you can express clearly the benefits you offer others and the target audience you serve.  This is a clarity that keeps on coming.  

What do you know?

The beautiful thing about the internet is the freedom we now have to teach what we know.  Ebooks, telecourses, radio shows, articles, blogs, are all signature information products that will help you build your reputation as an expert and bring you passive income.  You can make money from what you already know!

Again, there are how-to-books out there to study.  I have home study courses on Article Magnetism, How to Create Articles that attract How to Write a Magnetic How To Book and I’ve set up short, targeted, signature product coaching packages    to teach you to create a particular type of information product. Once you have your web presence and your services in place you will want to create some signature products.

How do I attract people?

It’s like any other social situation, you like them and they like you back.  Sure, there are people out there selling and pushing people to buy things.  That’s not my way.  You are out to build a community, a community of people you want to serve, people who need what you have to offer.  You want to invite them to come into your community and receive the value you have to offer – that will be in your opt in offer, your emagazine, your blog, any of the free value-laden offerings you make and of course your services and products.  And over time they will trust you, like you, come to you and refer you.  It’s all about being an inspiriting, passionate, helpful, over-delivering person.

What can I earn?

That depends.  Some people are better at that part than others.  You might just fill such a strong current need that you are catapulted into success. You might find someone to develop a collaborative partnership with.  You might create an information product that is greatly needed by the people you serve.  You might be offering a service so needed that you can barely keep up.  Or you may simply take it one step at a time and see where it takes you.  Finding you niche can take time.  You need to look around at what people are asking you to do and see if it’s something you want to provide.  I just read about a young man who has a bicycle review site that makes him tons of money.  Bicycling is his passion and his business organically grew from that.  Where is your passion?  Follow it.

The independence of owning your own business is empowering

I’m a service professional.  I help people realize their dreams and move out into the world to touch the hearts of others.  What a great way to spend my life!

When you decide to start your own business you take your future into you own hands and that is very exciting. You can take it any direction you want.  You can use any of the skills and talents you have.  You can do the parts you want and farm out the rest.  When you find your sweet spot you will love every minute of your day and everything you do will keep you passionately on purpose.

How does this sound to you?

What do you think?  Are you up for it?  Is it something you want to do?  If you decide to start your own internet business, plan to immerse yourself in the process of learning and doing and exploring what lies within you.  Don’t quit your day job if you have one until it is time.  If you don’t have a job then put in a lot of six and seven hour days.  Hire a coach, make some decisions, identify your passion, tone up your talents and get out there and make a difference in your world!

© 2010 Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

I’ve coined a new phrase, "High Branding" because finding your high branding position makes everything fall into place. Let me explain.

As an entrepreneur I can do a lot of things, just like you. As an entrepreneur I have a hard time narrowing my niche to a small enough target audience to be effective. Just like you.

I had all sorts of names within the structure of my business because I wanted people to know all that I did and I didn’t want to miss any income opportunities. Does this sound familiar? I had different names for my internet marketing coaching, for my copy writing services, for my web content strategy and design, for marketing strategy development and for signature product development. My services page on my web site was a mess. But it was still only me doing my thing – my things, if you will.

But less is more. I knew that but I couldn’t find it.

Look without

I began to notice two things: what my clients were asking me to do for them, and what skills and talents I was using to answer their needs. I wanted my niche to find me.

For years I have kept an Acknowledgement List. It helps me see myself as others see me. I began to look over testimonials and acknowledgements that people had sent me. I began to see what they saw in me that I might not be seeing in myself. But it was the conscious look within that helped me find my High Brand.

Look within

I kept looking deeper and deeper to what was at the core of my passion.  It turns out it is organizing!  I love to organize words in my writing.  I love to organize ideas into a book or course.  And that same organizing skill moves into my coaching to help people choose their most productive ideas.  I became "Your Idea Optimizer" And all that I was doing began to fall easily under that umbrella. It didn’t matter if we were creating web sites, ordeveloping marekting skills, or creating signautre products, it was all about helping people identify their passion, align it with their vision and bring it out into the world.

What a relief! All my efforting fell away. All need to explain the details of what I do disappeared. My high intention, my overall purpose is to help people creatively build their business from their inside out  – and choose their best ideas to make it happen..

I created a new web site, changed my tag line adn key words, and came to rest under the umbrella of a High Brand.

How can you find your High Brand? How can you get to the core of what you offer?

Be Patient

It took me three years to arrive at this new awareness, so first of all be patient. And allow it to emerge organically as you go about placing yourself in deep service.

Keep an Acknowledgement List

What started as an Acknowledgement List years ago is now my testimonial collection, but it also contains complimentary emails that people have sent me along the way. It’s in my computer and I use it regularly to find copy phrases to use for promoting my products and services. And they usually make me feel good too. Watch how they see you and what they ask of you.

Redo your marketing plan on a regular basis

Every time I redo my marketing plan and have to define my target audience and describe the problem I solve and the benefits I offer them, my brand gets stronger. I discover new words and phrases as I express how I am currently feeling about my work. Redo your marketing plan at least once a year as a checkup. Notice how far you have come, be aware of how you have changed, see if you can you narrow your target audience, identify what your clients are asking for. Then pay attention to what you find and see how you can adjust your business to give you greater fulfillment and prosperity.

Write a Resource Box

We only need a resource box when we submit articles, but finding the words to capture the essence of your business in three lines or so is very revealing. I have about three that I have used along the line. They are all in one place and I keep rearranging phrases as my own awareness grows. Keep honing and polishing the words and phrases you use to attract people to your offerings. The simpler the language, the clearer the understanding.

Look for the Umbrella

What title can you give yourself that says it all? I helped one of my clients brand herself as The Unstoppable Confidence Coach and another has become The Marketing Mentor. Look for the core service you give, what others continually ask you to provide, the highest benefit others receive and see what emerges. That’s how you discover your own High Branding.

© 2007 Cara Lumen

There is something very creative about trying to figure out how to get what you want without investing any money.  You look at a situation and think “Here’s the problem, how I can solve it in an unusual way.”  I’m not saying you have to do something cheaply, just cleverly, with innovation, and out of the box thinking. Here are some ways to spend less and get more

One of the things I do every quarter is examine my business and see what I can leave behind.  Like lightening the load so you can go faster.  I look at my services, information products, clients, and partners and the more I toss out the more I have room for something new to come in.

There are a lot of things we put in place when we started our business that we need to periodically question.  I recently adjusted the level of my shopping car t to reflect the reality of what my business was doing and saved some money. I had subscribed to a “what if” level more than a “what is” level.  I look at the statistics on sales and decide what courses should be given live this year and what can stay as home study courses.  I had a demand for my early metaphysical books   so I made them available again.  I decided to turn a course I gave into the extremely useful Magnetic Marketing Plan workbook rather than a home study and give it live once a year.

If I see something I want to add, I first look to see if I have some version of it already that I just need to bring out and spruce up.  I found a half started marketing book when preparing for that class.  And another book on masterminds that is inches away from completion.  At the top of my list will be “Go finish some of the great ideas you have started.” Does this sound familiar?

How can I do more marketing without spending more money?  My radio show   is free to do.  I just have time invested. My article campaign   is free to do, again it’s a time investment but those articles often end up as radio shows, and blog posts and even courses.  And then there is my blog which allow me the flexibility to write about a variety of things, cast my thoughts on broader waters, so to speak, and see what ripples back in the form of interest.  The blog continues to attract new people and writing for it is one of my favorite things to do.

Yes, I invested in a blog course . Yes, I invested in a course about building your platform which can be translated into building your market share.  But the rest of my investment is my time.  Time to get better at some software that will open up some new opportunities for me.  Time to create some videos.  Time to read some business books. (Do check out Seth Godin’s Lynchpin )  Time to think up new ways to be in service.

How can I take an idea and turn it into something of value to my target audience?  And better still, how can I make that so affordable by my clever version of it, that everyone can easily afford it.  It’s fun and challenging to be creative about conserving my resources and those of my clients.  

© 2010 Cara Lumen