Art of Earning, events, Philosophy of Social Media
My first website was a “local” arts & crafts blog. What I did not consider when starting my online business was that people would want to meet me outside the comfortable confines of the online space.
To me, online business was being safe & sound on my couch. Alone. Possibly in my PJs.
Meet? For coffee? In real life?
I’m an introvert, a bit shy, and not particularly socially skilled.
I tried to use my 6 month old infant as an excuse.
“Nope, can’t. I’ve got a baby.”
Of course, that doesn’t work when the people who want to meet up with you are moms themselves looking both to get out of the house and to get ahead with their dreams.
“Bring her along!” they’d say.
Luckily, their persistence forced me out of my comfort zone. Within the first few months of starting my business, I’d met several new friends and even taught my first workshop.
At first, the terror of meeting someone new and battling my idea of her expectations of me was all I could think about. I’d be sick to my stomach days ahead of a simple coffee date. As coffee date after craft show after workshop started to pile up, things became easier.
Practice makes perfect.
I learned that the only expectation I really needed to worry about was the expectation for me to learn about someone new, explore her story, and meet her in the moment. It didn’t matter if I was more or less than she thought I was or if I had strange interests or if I ordered an iced latte in the middle of winter. What was important was meeting then & there with shared purpose.
That took me about 18 months to really understand. But still, it happened!
By the time I started to master meeting new people, I realized that much of the “social networking” that was happening among people online was happening offline. My peers & mentors were meeting up at conferences, workshops, retreats, and just generally traveling around furthering their careers.
Cause & effect.
If I wanted to grow my business by expanding my network, I was going to have to get out of my house. And my state.
I took the leap. Last year, I made it a point to travel to every conference that truly interested me and embrace the strangeness of strangers. I flew to Portland, OR for World Domination Summit & Profit Catalyst. I took the bus to NYC more than a few times. I hopped a plane to LA, St Paul, Chicago, and San Diego. And I sprinkled in plenty of day trips.
I put a priority on surrounding myself with people who “get” what I’m all about. Or people who should. Or people I just desperately wanted to understand myself.
Yes, it’s difficult to leave my child to travel. Yes, it’s difficult to pony up the money. Yes, it’s weird to be in a room with 500 people I don’t know.
But the benefits of meeting my clients, customers, and colleagues far outweighed any downsides.
I now have good friends – a support system – that span this country. Now we schedule Skype chats to stay in touch in between trips.
I have a better understanding of who my customers are and what their needs are. Cause they told me, over drinks.
The people I look up to in my industry know my name, my face, and what my work is all about. Cause they asked.
But best of all, I have the experience of seeing people encounter my work firsthand. I have the confidence that comes with the “aha! moments” that people take away from dinner or drinks. I feel the ease with which my work emanates.
That’s something I’ve not experienced in any other setting in just the same way. And so I keep leaving the house, I keep traveling, I keep meeting people.
In the end, online business is no different from offline business.
We are all in the people business. And if you’re going to be in the people business, you better understand your business in relation to people.
Click to tweet it!
Regularly interacting with your peers & potential customers allows you to consider these questions:
- What is it like to talk about my business with people who care?
- What aspects of what I offer appeal to people outside my current audience?
- What appears most valuable about what I do?
- How do others talk about me & my work?
- What lights me up when I talk about my business with people who get it?
- How is my story different from others stories?
Put away your excuses. Put on a sharp outfit and get out of the house. If you can, get in a plane, a train, or an automobile. Leave home behind — leave online in the dust.
Venture out to find the people who will enable you to make your business sing.
***
Sound like a plan? It’s not too late to join me for The Art of Earning LIVE. Find your own place in the You Economy with this intensive, intentional, and intimate experience. Take a minute to find out more.
Art of Earning, events
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Reading via email? Love you! Watch the video on YouTube!
We all spend too much time working on our businesses. When was the last time your business worked on you?
I’ve spent the last two years turning my pursuit into a business that does just that. It takes care of me. Inspires me. Motivates me.
There’s give & take.
What would it take for your business to take care of you?
More money? Less time? More honest communication? Less promotion? More passion? Less crap?
You’re Invited
Today, I’m opening registration for The Art of Earning LIVE. This event has been many, many months in the planning. I couldn’t be more thrilled to announce it to you.
The goal of this event is “self-care for your business.” When you nurture what you’ve got, it takes better care of you. You know your body needs good food, plenty of exercise, quiet time, and periods of rest. So does your business.
This intentional, intensive, and intimate business event is all those things for your business.
How would things be different if your business inspired you, created more wealth, served all the right people, and allowed you the freedom you need to truly express yourself?
Click here to find out more and register!
Announcements, events
Want to know what comes out of my group coaching sessions? This.
Caffeinated Buddha moniker by Leah Quinn. Drawing by Carrie Keplinger.
Join me for a FREE webinar
Title: Making Money is Beautiful
Description: Bust 7 myths about the art of making a living with work that you love. Discover what making MORE means in the New Economy. Learn to embrace a different kind of “new normal.” This is a reprise of my Hello Etsy talk at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Date & Time: Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 at 8:00 pm EDT
Click here to register!
Announcements, events
Reading this via email? Love you! The finger painting hereto mentioned is a
video I created about The Art of Earning LIVE at Teahouse Studio. Check it out!
I was also tickled pink to be featured in a US News & World Report article yesterday on Mastering the New Freelance Economy alongside my heroes Chris Guillebeau, Pam Slim, Ramit Sethi, and Tory Johnson.
Announcements, events
This is a boring news post. Sorry! I’ve got a juicy one coming tomorrow that’s been in the works for about a month.
I’m often asked to share my schedule of classes, events & course offerings months in advance. The part of me that demands flexibility is all things wants to cry at the thought of such rigidity. The much more rational and caring part of me thinks that’s a pretty damn good idea.
So, here’s the shake down through December 2011.
What Tara has up her sleeve through the end of 2011:
BlogHer – August 5-6, San Diego: I’ll be attending and teaching at BlogHer this year. Imagine 3,000 she-bloggers who are passionate about everything from victims’ rights to attachment parenting to cooking to technology. This is a diverse group of influencers people. I’ll be teaching about building digital products from your blog, along with Tara Mohr and Megan Auman. There are still tickets left if you’d like to attend! Otherwise, stay tuned for links to the live blog of the workshop.
Website Kick Start – begins August 30 (6 weeks): My signature program on learning WordPress & creating your own website is back for the Fall. This year, I’m kicking things off with a FREE teleseminar on how to prepare for building a website. Want to join me? Sign up here.
I’m also excited to say that I’m bringing on a new team member as a dedicated support person for this course!
Your Novel Business – group coaching program – begins September 6 (4 weeks): This is an intensive group coaching program for those who already have a business but are looking to up the ease factor in a creative & intuitive way. Business owners who engage their vision & imagination attract committed customers, create products/services that sell themselves, and strategically plan for success. This course is LIVE and limited to 12 participants. Want more info? Sign up here.
I’ll be running this program again in November.
BlogHer Handmade – September 15, Minneapolis: I’m attending & teaching at Blogher Handmade, as well! This time I’m talking about advanced strategies for “monetizing” (ugh… I hate that word) your blog. This event is part of The Creative Connection Event (which got rave reviews in its inaugural run). You game? Register to attend here.
The Art of Earning LIVE – September 24-25, Berkeley, California: This workshop will bust the myth about the need to be a starving artist. On Day 1, we will discuss how creativity is the most in demand skill on the planet and how you can “get right” with what that means for your pocketbook. On Day 2, we’re getting personal & taking a look at YOUR business and it’s potential for profit & growth. This workshop will be informative & interactive – and maybe just a little gut churning. Leave your money hang-ups at the door and learn how to embrace your personal worth as an artist (of any sort!). Find out more here.
Yet-to-be-titled Blogging Bootcamp – November: This one is still under wraps. But I can tell you that I’ll be co-teaching an intensive virtual workshop on taking your blogging practice to the next level – both technically & spiritually. I’m excited about this and I think you should be too! No sign-ups yet… but put it on your wish list for November!
get amPed Business Coaching
One final note: I’m full up on one-on-one business coaching until September. And starting September 1, I’m restructuring my rates – yes, that’s a fancy way of saying rates are going up a bit but I’m also literally restructuring them in that I’ll be offering a monthly, regular coaching option which I’m really excited about.
If you want to lock in today’s rates for the Fall, contact me NOW (hello at taragentile dot com). Let’s talk about what’s holding you back and what will move you forward. Recharge your passion – electrify your profit.
Announcements, Big Thinking, events
I just came back from the World Domination Summit, a 2-day party with 500 of my closest friends.
Looking around the ballroom, everyone gathered & buzzing with excitement (and coffee, it is the Northwest after all!), it was clear to me that there were only 2 types of people in this room:
- Leaders
- And those on the cusp of becoming leaders.
That’s one exciting revelation for me. I really wanted to run on stage, grab the mic, and tell everyone what amazing leaders I saw sitting around me. I didn’t…. maybe next year, Chris?
Last week, I spoke with Sinclair about a lack of leadership in the entrepreneurs around me. They’re struggling to find their voice, struggling even more to be heard, and therefore struggling with cash flow. She agreed: a major stumbling block in making a business work is accepting your role as a leader to others. It’s less that entrepreneurs are not leaders and more that they haven’t owned their own leadership yet.
Becoming a leader can be frightening. It means your opinions are trusted, your ideas are given weight, your voice is heard. That’s a lot of responsibility! But offering a product for sale or guidance for hire carries the same weight. You can’t avoid the responsibility and, if you try, you end up feeling a bit trampled.
If you’ve abdicated your position of leadership as a business owner, you probably have a difficult time prioritizing your work, you feel like you have to shout to be heard, and what little communication you receive is generally in the form of polite encouragement instead of cash. When you don’t act out of leadership, you feel subject to the flow of the system instead of a driver on your own wide open road. When you haven’t accepted leadership, you use qualifiers like “I think,” “in my opinion,” and “maybe” instead of unequivocally owning your beliefs.
Do you want to be qualified or do you want to be amplified?
When you accept your own leadership, your voice is joined by those who trust you and by those who support you. You are no longer listened to – your word is acted upon.
Being a leader isn’t about how many customers/followers/friends you have, it’s about shining out of the dark.
Being a leader also isn’t dependent on what your business is about. You can lead from any industry at any level, it’s a mindset not set of qualifications.
Accepting your role as a leader allows for your art – your voice – your change-making to be witnessed.
You, my friend, are at the cusp of a new dawn and we need you as a leader in this new day. We need a jolt of your power and a taste of your juice. We need you to bring forward new, crazy ideas. We crave your voice & vision.
Will you step up? Will you show up?
I’ll be speaking more about this & a whole lot more at Profit Catalyst in Portland in a few weeks. This event – organized by Sinclair & also featuring the brilliant Charlie Gilkey – will be like no other and the good news is you don’t even have to catch a flight to attend. Sinclair is offering a simulcast version (watch with us live!!) of the full event so that you can get activated, catalyzed, and edified about doing business in the 21st century right from the comfort of your very own home.
To get all the details on Profit Catalyst – both the LIVE and SIMULCAST versions – click here.
PS The first 10 peeps to click the link above AND register for the Profit Catalyst simulcast will also receive a free 1 hour coaching session with me to be used between August and September 2011 (a $200 value). This is a great way to follow up on what you learned and grab one-on-one help where you need it most! So click here and get registered.
