I’m excited to share some helpful tips with you about an effective, but often overlooked, marketing tool. Can you guess what it is?

Workshops.

Every time I review my marketing for what’s working best, I come to the same conclusion: 

Workshops are a great way to grow your business.

My clients are finding this to be true, too!

Why? Group experiences give people a taste of your vibe and what you can help them accomplish – without a big investment of time or resources. It's an invitation to your world, a chance for you to open your arms and say, "Come closer. Let's see if this is a fit." It gives them a sense of community.

Group experiences can take many forms, including:

• Free Talks.
• One-Time Workshops.
• Mini Group Programs.

These experiences can take place in person or online. Find a physical space (your living room, the local library, or a special room you rent). Or use a virtual space such as Zoom or Facebook Live. The most important thing is that you show up LIVE, so people can be with you in present time. 

Here are some more HOT TIPS to help ensure your next group experience is a successful investment of your marketing time and energy:

1. Make it as low-barrier as possible: Keep it short and not too expensive. Think of it as a bridge to clients, rather than a big money-maker.
   
   
2. Be intentional and clear about your content. What will participants take away from the experience? What specific problem will you help them solve? 
   
   
3. It’s more challenging to narrow down your focus that it is to be broad and general. While it may be tempting to keep a workshop broad, the opposite is actually more effective. Pick one problem to solve. Stay focused. Hear me? Stay focused! It's okay not to cover EVERYTHING. It's okay to leave them wanting MORE (in fact, that's the point!)
   
   
4. Don't shy away from introducing yourself and sharing your WHY behind the content you're sharing. This, more than anything, will draw people to you.
   
   
5. Provide a high-quality handout (branded with your logo and colors) your participants can take home with them. Be sure to include your contact information!
   
   
6. Pass around a clipboard to collect names email addresses for your mailing list (with their permission, of course).
   
   
7. Try partnering with another professional that offers complimentary services to the same clientele as you. You may find your synergy is extra magnetic.
   
   
8. The more focused you are, the more likely you are to attract people who want what UNIQUELY YOU have to offer. And these people are more likely to hire you to continue working with them 1:1. It's worth the time and effort to get clear.

Are you ready for some coaching to clarify the message behind your next workshop or marketing campaign, to help ensure it's a success? Click here to schedule a no-cost 20-minute consult with me now. 

Have you had success with workshops as a way to attract new clients? Have questions for me? Please share in the comments below!

Until next time,

LIFE (AND BIZ) IS A JOURNEY. SHARE YOURS!​

By the time you read this blog, I’ll be on the road. I’m in the final stages of packing now, hiking boots and all.
 
My destination? The Blue Ridge Mountains and Asheville, NC – one of my favorite places! I’m heading down to host my first Big Magic retreat at my friend Suzanne Armstrong’s studio. I’m so grateful and excited that this day is almost here.

Of course my fears have popped up, telling me, "you'll be boring," "who do you think you are?" "this is too much for you to handle."
 
And I know how to address those fears. That's what I teach my clients to do, and yes, I need to apply those lessons to myself too, because I'm human. We all get to give ourselves permission to be human.

So, I’m looking forward to a day of fun, play, and going deep to uncover the truths of our lives – and working through those things that block us from fully living these truths. My favorite material!
 
We’ll be exploring Elizabeth Gilbert’s themes from her book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear: Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity. These are key ingredients for living a creative life.
 
What does that mean, to live a creative life?
 
To me, it means, feeling free to fully express myself.
 
It means embracing imperfection and sharing who I am, flaws and all.
 
It involves an understanding and acceptance of PROCESS, not just product.
 
In my work, I help my clients apply these principles to their marketing. Women shouldn’t feel pressured to lock their truth in a closet in order to market their business.
 
In fact, here’s a little-known secret:

truth-telling is a smart marketing strategy.
 
We get to be ourselves! What a relief! We don’t have to construct a false persona to hide behind. We get to share our stories, the stories that demonstrate our passion and life journeys that brought us to the work we do.

And THIS is the stuff that draws clients and customers to us.
 
Because our life journeys aren’t easy. They contain detours, U-turns, and road blocks. And we find ways to get through them. And these details demonstrate our resolve, our resilience, and our creative fire.
 
For example, here’s my truth right now: running my business was stressing me out more than was acceptable to me. The lack of consistent income was eroding my confidence. So I got a part-time job doing marketing communications for a local non-profit. And I’m feeling a weight lifted off my shoulders.
 
It’s okay to do what you need to do to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
 
You may hear business coaches out there telling you that getting a job to support yourself as you grow your business is a cop-out. You’re either all-in, or you’re out. But I’d like to present a counterpoint to that argument. Sometimes getting a side job helps you be all-in. It gives you a chance to come up for air. It gives you a foothold as you climb the mountain.
 
As women, we carry so much on our shoulders. We don’t need to be shaming each other for doing what we need to take care of ourselves.

Creating a business, like creating a work of art, is a PROCESS.
 
In Big Magic, Gilbert makes the point that we shouldn’t demand that our art support us financially. And I would argue that applies to entrepreneurship too. When we’re growing our businesses, we shouldn’t demand that they support us financially right off the bat. We often need to give ourselves time to figure it out. We need to give ourselves breathing room so we can –dare I say – ENJOY the journey.
 
It’s a bold step to start – and run – your own business. Whether you’ve been in corporate for awhile and you can’t stand it anymore, or you’re ready to take your venture to the next level, please, please take good care of yourself. Get the support you deserve.
 
And don’t worry – my part-time job still leaves me PLENTY of room to continue serving my clients. So if you’re thinking about taking your next step and your want your marketing to reflect who you truly are, let’s talk.
  
If you'd like, you can follow my hiking (and biz) adventures on my Instagram page! Just click below to check it out.
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Do you know a creative woman entrepreneur who would enjoy this blog? You have my full permission to share it with her!

Here's a fun fact about me:

I love to watch talent shows on TV.

I love the performances themselves, but I love the STORIES behind them even more.

Each season reveals a new crop of contestants and their beautiful, compelling backstories: how they overcame tragedy, challenge, and setback to get to that stage.

This, my friends, is the juicy stuff.

These stories always leave us reaching for the Kleenex.

These stories always have us cheering for these people.

These stories are real, and they're freaking powerful. 

So let's talk about stories for a moment.

I've been having lots of conversations with entrepreneurs about their stories lately. (Perhaps you've been one of them). And I'm noticing some common themes.

Most women hesitate to draw back the curtain and fully share the backstory behind their business.

Why? Here's what they're telling me:

"I don't know where to begin."
"I'm not sure if the world wants to hear what I have to say."
"My writing skills aren't good enough."

Can you relate?

Here's the thing. If you're gonna put yourself on the business stage (online or otherwise), you need to share your backstory. It's what makes you relatable. It's what makes you memorable. It's what inspires people to connect with you. It's smart business!

I'm sure these talent show contestants were hesitant when they started, too. I'm sure they were tempted to hide behind the curtain. But they found a way to get their story out so they could show up fully as themselves and share their gifts.

And you can too. 

That's why I'm offering you a first step that's easy and fun. 
Introducing my Storyboarding workshop.

Storyboarding is a low-pressure, playful way to get started visioning the arc of your story. It's vision boarding with a twist. It's the perfect way to explore what your story is – for your brand or your memoir – before you pick up the pen. Fresh perspectives and insights are guaranteed!

Doors are only open for a few days, so now's your chance to grab this one-time offer for a very low price. Click here for all the details.

SPECIAL BONUS! I'll be Livestreaming all week on my Facebook biz page with loads of free content about Storyboarding, what's great about it, and why it's important for developing and strengthening your business brand. Come on over and check it out!