When I’m feeling especially tense and stressed (like in the beginning of shelter-in-place!) and my normal daily practices aren’t cutting it, one of my top self-care strategies is to book a relaxing massage. Of course with shelter-in-place measures and social distancing, that wasn’t an option.

Early on in my quarantine, I reached out to my friend Eugenia anyway and inquired if she’d be willing to do some virtual healing work with me in lieu of an in-person massage. And, low and behold she was already cooking up some online offers (they’re now up on her site)!

We met up on Zoom and she guided me through a very grounding personalized session that included some gentle yoga, breathing exercises and self-massage instructions. It was no surprise to me that her therapeutic gifts and supportive energy translated beautifully to a virtual experience. I left the session with the same kind of grounded feeling I’ve had after getting direct bodywork from her but I didn’t have to drive home under the (“blissed out”) influence and I learned some additional practices to add to my self-care routine. Cool to get some unexpected benefits of being forced to work with her in this new way.

Now, I don’t know if she would’ve created virtual offers if we weren’t under stay-at-home orders, but by golly, times of uncertainty, challenge and change certainly demand innovation from us, right?!

If you do mostly in-person work or you don’t do much business online yet, I’m wondering what this anecdote sparks for you?

Some in-person work adapts fairly easily to the virtual world (think therapy, coaching, or art instruction). But other folks like bodyworkers, hairstylists, portrait photographers, dog walkers, acupuncturists and doulas, just to name a few, may have to think outside the box to discover new ways to work within our current restrictions.

Here are some questions to help you think outside the box:

• What are some related skills that might translate more easily online or to an info product? For example, perhaps a dog walker might be able to offer virtual private obedience training sessions with pet parents and their dogs. Or an acupuncturist can create resources that show clients some acupressure points that they can do themselves.
• What are some tangential, adjacent or past skills that you can leverage now? Maybe you’re currently a yoga instructor but in your past life you were a bookkeeper and you can temporarily offer some bookkeeping or financial systems support to yoga studios that have had to move online classes and change their backend systems.
• What are some fresh ways of looking at how you can deliver the same results, knowledge, or support through a different medium? And how can you trust in your own natural impact? If you focus on the benefits or how you want your client to feel, you might be surprised that there are other ways of getting to that same or close enough outcome. My session with Eugenia above is a great example of this. Eugenia just showed up as present and supportive as she always does and that is the core magic of her offerings. The delivery method almost doesn’t matter at that point. I’m just happy to have a way to work with her!
• What’s something you’d love to do, but just haven’t had the chance to get to yet? When our normal routines get majorly disrupted like they are now, it can be a great opportunity to reset or try something new. Give yourself some space to experiment and play, even just for a bit. Allow yourself to be inspired and see where that takes you.
• Who are some of your most creative, off-the-wall-thinking friends? Ask them to do a call with you to brainstorm or free associate some new ideas. Sometimes you’re so close to your work that it just takes an outside perspective to open up options.

If you’re like most people I’ve been hearing from during the pandemic, you’re wondering how to keep sharing your gifts and serving your peeps, while still tending to your needs as the ground continues to shift beneath us. I hope these examples and prompts have planted some seeds for some beautiful innovations to sprout and flourish.

If you need more support or guidance on how to package your know-how into digital products or virtual offerings, please check out my Product Development Playground. It includes a pandemic-response inspired Quick Start Guide with tips to get your Minimum Viable Product (read: quick and scrappy product) out there faster than you think with little to no cost.

Name: Sarah Bellman
Company Name: Holistic Rebel LLC
Website: http://www.holisticrebel.com
Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/HolisticRebel/
Twitter: @SarahBellmanLMT
Instagram: https://instagram.com/HolisticRebel

Sarah Bellman is a Right-Brain Business Plan® licensed facilitator located in Ohio. She’s the October guest host of our RBBP Facebook group so make sure to stop by and get some support and encouragement from her. Plus, if Sarah resonates with you and you are interested in integrating aromatherapy, crystals, and elemental theory into your sacred space then check out this Feng Shui Guide here.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I have grown into two LLCs. One is service-based massage therapy with a shop featuring artisanal brands called Lavender Moon Spa & Botanica whereas the second is a hand-crafted herbal skincare line known as Holistic Rebel. The two businesses are separate entities but are very compatible with one another. Current office setup is in a quiet country setting with a shop, massage room, and aroma lab. Getting into vending events for festivals, expos, and conferences.

Also, I am a Right-Brain Business Plan Licensed Facilitator helping other like-minded creativepreneurs a support system for building their business in a way that supports them. My workshops are accredited by NCBTMB and offer continuing education hours for holistic practitioners.

How has the Right-Brain Business Plan® helped you? What is different for you and your business after approaching planning in a creative, visual way?

The RBBP found me in 2011, a year after I graduated from college and felt lost and unsure of my career path. At that time I had been a massage therapist for 7 years with BIG dreams but no plan. I started reading Jenn’s book and created my BIG vision board which led to 4 more RBBP plans because my dreams were flowing in and becoming my reality. This creative, visual business planning has helped me to build a framework for my goals and projects which acts as a baseline. Progress is being made and results are noticeable. I kept showing up, creating, organizing, evolving, and envisioning – I kept showing up and celebrating. I better understand my strengths and talents along with weak spots to know when to set boundaries, ask for help or accountability. And connect with other creative-minded business people!

What goals (big or small) on your business plan have you already accomplished or have made progress on?

Started with a DBA which has evolved into two LLCs. I am living my best life on my terms, my schedule, my perfect clients/customers. I am my own boss and my honey helps me in my business. I love it! It is hard work with a lot of decision making and not always easy or profitable but I don’t imagine doing anything else. Just better! I feel connected to a great team of cohorts to round out areas I need support in – bookkeeper, graphic designer, accountant, accountability partner who is a tech/website guru, health professionals – more than ever. The biggest accomplishment has been the mental shift from anxiety and fear into creating a doable plan to get what I want and to really celebrate my progress from the tiniest step to build the moment to gigantic leaps. I don’t feel in my own way as much.

Why do you love teaching the Right-Brain Business Plan® and using it with your clients? What are some client success stories?

I am so grateful for Jenn and the RBBP for what it has done for my life. I jumped at the chance to become a licensed facilitator in 2015. Watching the process help so many creative people build a framework around their abstract notions and ideas into something tangible and measurable. Participants have ranged from artists, healers, massage therapists, chiropractors, salon owners, herbalists, hairstylist, fitness instructors, creative business owners from little to advanced experience. Every workshop seems to have some hidden theme that connects each one of us, adds a bit more support and shines a light on doable action steps. Dreaming, learning, sharing and working with other creativepreneurs melts away resistance, fear, feeling alone and obstacles. It’s truly inspiring and motivating!

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

Every day! I am a reiki practitioner/master so am always working with my intuition and 3rd eye chakra. I learned years ago to always trust that. Always! It’s crucial with healing work. Am an avid learner of energetic studies, TCM, Ayurveda, plant intelligence, aromatherapy, crystals, chakras. Throughout my day I incorporate therapy techniques, herbs, essential oils, colors, flower essences, crystals for my own healing or for others. When making products, I’ve had an essential oil or herb that has jumped out at me so I go with it. I really try to trust the process and the timing of things. And show up for self-care and restorative time. Oh, and my workspace is very sacred to me so feng shui and intuition are used for decorating.

Is there anything you’d like to share about your Right-Brain Business Plan® in terms of what it’s made out of or how you made it?

I have one huge dream vision board that wouldn’t end, two envision binders full of exercises from Jenn’s book and home study. The ideas where constant, I could not turn them off. I would do one plan, complete it then be off to a new project or revenue stream. Before I started facilitating RBBP workshops I wanted the experience as a student and went to a 4-hour workshop from another facilitator and made a plan with the official RBBP (accordion style) kit. When my entire office setup changed I felt inspired to do something a bit different with a digital version ~ it really helped me with decorating my office space. Helped me share my inspiration when working with a feng shui practitioner. I do a new RBBP whenever a fresh start is needed. It’s an ongoing process.

What’s your big vision for your business?

Right now, I am very comfortable with where my businesses are – I have reached most of my goals from 2011-2016ish. With that said this state has peaked and I’m turning towards owning a building and land in which my businesses will be flourish. I am in no hurry. Just started to dream of a quiet little setting, ideal for a holistic healing center with other practitioners, a larger botanical shop with lots of free aromatic whiffs and aromatic lab for workshops, working with 3rd party labs for testing and quality standards, maybe have a salt cave relaxation room, on-site laundry services (this will be living the dream!), well trained staff, organic herbal gardens and a greenhouse. Love the idea of a beautiful water feature. And traveling more for conferences, workshops, and vending events.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Start with one baby step. Then another. Action helps with clarity so the cycle builds momentum. Notice your progress, the shifts in your perspective. Doesn’t seem like much at first but have patience and faith, over time you’ll see measurable results. Really celebrate your achievements – big, small, and especially the tiniest – doing so makes you want to show up more. And prevents burnout and analysis paralysis. Give yourself plenty of room to breathe and adapt as needed. Be in alignment with your values and the process and go with the flow. Trust yourself and keep checking in.

Keep showing up for yourself and your dream. What you are doing is beautiful and empowering work! Just takes consistent steps forward, lots of self-care, maybe a dash of therapy. Live your best life, share your talents with the world and love your workspace. Make it sacred. Surround yourself with sources of inspiration and positive productive people. If you are interested in integrating aromatherapy, crystals and elemental theory into your sacred space then check out this Feng Shui Guide here.

Want to create your own Right-Brain Business Plan®? The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit includes supplies to make your own accordion book style visual business plan.

Name: Susan Miller
Company Name: Lighted Path® Coaching
Website: http://lightedpathcoaching.org/
Blog: http://lightedpathcoaching.org/blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LightedPathCoaching/
Twitter: @LightPathCoach
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanmillerlpc/

Susan Miller is a Right-Brain Business Plan® licensed facilitator located in North Carolina. She’s the July guest host of our RBBP Facebook group so make sure to stop by and get some support and encouragement from her. Susan is offering a FREE Creative E-course for you! Sign up at this link: https://bit.ly/2ZNRvvb for Wise Woman: 7 Day Creative Journey; an expressive arts journey into your feminine soul.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I consider myself a creativity muse, edge-walker, light-bearer, and joy-seeker. These play out in my work as a mixed media artist, expressive arts therapist, creativity coach, spiritual director, and a heart-centered entrepreneur coach. and a Right-Brain Business Plan Group Facilitator. Through my business, Lighted Path® Coaching and Art Studio, I offer creativity workshops/retreats, inspirational art e-courses, spiritual direction, and individual/group coaching for creative heart-centered entrepreneurs. I combine art with inner healing, with the desire to open up those I teach and guide to their intuitive creative process, resulting in a deeper understanding of self with greater trust and abundant joy.

How has the Right-Brain Business Plan® helped you? What is different for you and your business after approaching planning in a creative, visual way?

As a past RBBP Shooting Star and associate coach in Jenn’s RBBP Mentorship program, I have learned SO much about my own entrepreneurship journey, as well as had the opportunity to connect with so many other creative entrepreneurs. The RBBP strategies served as a catalyst to launch a transition into more of my creative services from my clinical counseling services. I was able to see things more clearly from my own intuitive wisdom to organically move into what I was dreaming of. I learned to have an ease-filled approach rather than striving. And not only myself, but so many other creative entrepreneurs in this program grew their businesses in much of the same way.

What goals (big or small) on your business plan have you already accomplished or have made progress on?

My goal several years ago when I started RBBP was to move from more clinical counseling work into a creative business where I focused on art-making, creative workshops, and retreats. This happened when I was prompted by Jennifer Lee, as my coach, to think of my business as my artist self. I was so amazed at how this changed the flow of my business and got my priorities in order. Over time, I began to bring my creative services into the forefront, and Lighted Path Coaching and Art Studio is well-established and my primary focus. I now am bringing into fruition another layer to that piece, my own artwork, and commission work.

Why do you love teaching the Right-Brain Business Plan® and using it with your clients? What are some client success stories?

The Right-Brain Business Plan helped me so much in establishing strategies that work for sustainable creative entrepreneurship, that I want to share the good juicy news with others, and offer support as they move toward their own business growth. I use RBBP as the main strategy for my entrepreneur coaching, individually and in groups. Since April 2018, I have been providing the RBBP online program as a catalyst for supporting a group of creative entrepreneurs. They have grown their businesses in the direction they have wanted to go, growing more and more sustainable as they work on their RBBP. The changes that they have experienced have been remarkable to me, as they put RBBP into inspired action!

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

Creative intuition is how I operate. In working with individuals and groups, I believe that it is crucial to healing and better soul understanding to open up the portal of intuition through exploring creatively. As an artist, my art-work comes from an intuitive approach that opens up to the depth of the soul, bringing forth beautiful whimsical figures, enchanting animals and birds, all inspired by God’s gift of Nature. My art workshops allow participants to explore their inner soul wisdom as the inspiration of their paintings, while I share exciting mixed media techniques to create deeply meaningful, radiant and magical art. I offer intuitive art-making retreats that are inspirational and fun, supported by nature, offering the right blend of reflection, restoration, and creativity. One of my hallmark yearly summer retreats, Intuitive Soul Art & Yoga, located in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, blends together art and yoga to offer participants life-changing creative and restorative experiences.

What’s your big vision for your business?

Presently I am focusing on the art part of my business, developing a strong body of work, techniques that are unique to me, teaching art workshops, and offering creative retreats. I have a gallery space at 311 Gallery in the arts district in downtown Raleigh NC. This has helped me to meet more artists, and am developing more gatherings and connections with other local artists. I am developing my custom portrait and pet commissions which I love to offer as a unique experience using intuitive collage and painting. I’m working on my artist website this summer where I will have my art for sale. I would also love to participate in an online art auction one day! When we put it out there, things begin to happen with more ease! I am having a LOT of fun and feel like that is so important for generating the creative life!

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

There are four things that help creative entrepreneurs in growing a sustainable and joy-filled business:
1. Get a clear vision and re-evaluate regularly. This is the foundation you need to remember your why!
2. Gather around you like-minded creative entrepreneurs who are a positive influence. Support is nourishment.
3. Get help when you need it. It is worth the investment to hire someone so you can do what you do best.
4. Expect your business to take at least 3 – 5 years to be sustainable. Remember, perseverance is a muscle.

Here is my FREE Creative E-course for you! Sign up at this link: https://bit.ly/2ZNRvvb for Wise Woman: 7 Day Creative Journey; an expressive arts journey into your feminine soul.

Want to create your own Right-Brain Business Plan®? The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit includes supplies to make your own accordion book style visual business plan.

Name: Kiala Givehand
Company Name:
Healing Arts Creative Studio, LLC
Website: http://kialagivehand.com
Blog: http://kialagivehand.com/blog
Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/KialaGivehand/
Twitter: @kialagivehand

Kiala Givehand is a Right-Brain Business Plan® licensed facilitator located in Florida. She’s the June guest host of our RBBP Facebook group so make sure to stop by and get some support and encouragement from her. Plus, if Kiala resonates with you CLICK HERE for a COMPLIMENTARY Discovery Session with Kiala and get the help you need to move your business forward.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I am a bookbinder, intuitive artist, and empowerment coach. I teach creative, intuitive, motivated, and multi-passionate women how to embrace creativity to unapologetically live the life they most desire. I empower them to identify and own their unique gifts, talents, and passions so they can emerge and feel powerful in their own skin. Sometimes that means building a business they love. One of the ways my business is unique is how I combine left and right brain strategies when facilitating classes, workshops, retreats, and one-on-one sessions. From ancient guidance systems like mandalas, astrology, oracle/tarot cards, numerology, yoga, and automatic writing, to technology and computer-based systems, I take the fear out of self-study and help women conquer the complex systems they need to have running in the background of their businesses.

How has the Right-Brain Business Plan® helped you? What is different for you and your business after approaching planning in a creative, visual way?

The RBBP has been my foundation for the last 7 years and with each year I find myself returning to it as a tool for growing and sustaining my business. I had tried for years to follow the traditional path of business planning and I never made it far. Once I started using the RBBP I was able to see, and most importantly, feel, my way to building a business that is uniquely me.

What goals (big or small) on your business plan have you already accomplished or have made progress on?

My vision & values get more clear each year because of my RBBP.

I now LOVE marketing. OMG! I can’t believe I’m saying that, but I LOVE to write launch and marketing plans. Thinking of creative ways to engage and connect with my community is a highlight. I’ve successfully launched 60 online courses, five e-books, four mastermind groups, 11 in-person classes, three retreats, and a series of freebies.

I love bringing people together, combining talents and passions, and creating powerful offerings for our communities. I’ve curated 7 collaborative online classes and ran a popular webinar series for 3yrs. Creating repeatable processes is a powerful lesson I learned in the RBBP community.

I now have a physical space where I hold in-person classes/workshops, and retreats, and where I meet with clients. This is something from my first RBBP and I’ve been building towards it for more than 15 years.

Why do you love teaching the Right-Brain Business Plan® and using it with your clients? What are some client success stories?

I love teaching the RBBP and using it with my one-on-one clients because it gives us a common language to discuss all things business related no matter what industry. It gives us a foundation on which to build a business you love, and it lets us establish what is most important to you so that if you begin to stray, we can circle back to what you said you valued most. These things are important to me as a coach, mentor, guide, and catalyst. The RBBP is how I am able to become a part of your team and help guide you through what your heart most wants. The way Jennifer has reimagined the traditional business plan for the Right brainers and heart-centered among us is invaluable and gives us the fundamentals we need to feel more in line with how we want to do business and show up in a world where left brain logistics seem to be the norm. Every client I have worked with has found a way to make the RBBP their own and to personalize how they use it. This is the other beautiful part of this system — it’s flexible. I don’t believe in cookie-cutter businesses so when I work with clients, I can use the RBBP to get a sense of how you are unique and what your most unique business qualities are — this is how I help you stand out and stand in your power so you can help your perfect customers.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

My business is ALL about teaching and empowering women to tap into their creative intuition. I teach classes on how to strengthen your intuition and how to feel more creatively confident. My retreats are all centered around creativity and intuition. I breathe this into everything I do in my business.

Is there anything you’d like to share about your Right-Brain Business Plan® in terms of what it’s made out of or how you made it?

I’m a bookbinder, so each RBBP is a unique and different kind of handmade book. I think of them as “vision books” so they include lots of images and words that resonate with what I’m wanting to manifest in my life and my business.

What’s your big vision for your business?

This is kind of cool because I’m in transition now.

My big vision for my business is to empower women and couples to live the life they most desire and to do it authentically, unapologetically, and with intention. I’m in the midst of my big vision now. My online business is thriving and running smoothly and I’m beginning to build the in-person part of my business that allows me to host in-person workshops, classes, and retreats. Eventually, I hope to open a “sanctuary” for creatives who need sabbatical style space and support for creative visioning and heart-storming over extended periods of time. I added this to my RBBP in 2012 and can see how it’s manifesting in some shape or form each year.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Stop waiting for permission to create what’s in your heart. Start today!
Invest in yourself. Don’t try to piece a business together by downloading freebies and attending 1000 webinars. Hire someone who can truly empower you to make your dream a reality.
And most importantly, it’s not enough to just read the book, you MUST take action and do the work. That’s when you’ll see the reward.

RBBP is more than just a book, it’s a mindset and a community. Tap into both and you’ll find all the support and resources you could ever need.

For those who are thinking about starting a business but you feel overwhelmed by the traditional ways of thinking about business planning, I highly encourage you to find a RBBP Licensed Facilitator that you resonate with. Book a discovery call with them and get the help you need to move your business forward. Start today! You CAN build a business that you love. CLICK HERE to book a complimentary Discovery Session with me! I’d love to see where you are in your business and whether or not I’m the right person to move you forward.

Want to create your own Right-Brain Business Plan®? The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit includes supplies to make your own accordion book style visual business plan.

Name: Cass Mullane
Company Name: Prosper Creatively, LLC
Website: http://www.ProsperCreatively.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/ProsperCreatively/

Cass Mullane is a Right-Brain Business Plan® licensed facilitator based in Colorado. She’s the May guest host of our RBBP Facebook group so make sure to stop by and get some support and encouragement from her. Plus, check out Cass’ book The Cool Stuff Jar: Three Simple Ways to Live a Happier Life.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

My company, Prosper Creatively, LLC, is all about merging business and creativity. By tapping into your innate strengths, taming your Mind Monkeys™ and incorporating the amazing power of play and creativity, I show you how you can transform your business and your life.

I have the unique combination of being a strong creative as well as a strategic thinking MBA. After departing the corporate world in 2004, I built a thriving business and personal coaching practice that focuses on accountability and specializes in delivering solid business skills for right-brainers and creatives in a fun, visual way. Tapping into this whole brain approach has helped to make me a highly valued coach with a fun international clientele.

How has the Right-Brain Business Plan® helped you? What is different for you and your business after approaching planning in a creative, visual way?

The Right-Brain Business Plan® gave me a high-quality tool to use in my coaching practice and also for myself. Creating my own visual business plan was a blast, and I knew that by using this visual and hands-on approach, I could help many other entrepreneurs wrap their heads around their businesses.

In the bigger picture, I started making it my mission to figure out more ways to marry up creativity and business. I consistently use visual tools to capture possibilities, to map out concepts, to design plans, to measure progress and simply to take notes. I also hold retreats in cool places like Barcelona, that are a combo of business, creativity, and play.

And, just for fun, I’ve been teaching relaxed art classes in my studio that I plan to put online in 2020. I did not imagine that I’d be a business coach who also teaches art!

What goals (big or small) on your business plan have you already accomplished or have made progress on?

• A beautiful studio space outside my house in a delightful professional environment at Cottonwood Center for the Arts in downtown Colorado Springs, CO. Over 70 artists have their studios in this thriving non-profit, so I’m happily immersed in daily creative stimulation.
• Wrote and published The Cool Stuff Jar: Three Simple Ways to Live a Happier Life, a #1 International Best Seller on Kindle. It’s available now for 99 cents! WOO HOO!!
• Utilize a team of assistants and contractors to do the work I don’t need to do myself
• Got my knees replaced so I can satisfy my wanderlust more comfortably
• Spending more time producing my art
• Shifting my coaching practice to focus more on the Cool Stuff Jar® mindset – choosing the good, incorporating play and creativity, life-long learning
• Preparing to launch a podcast in the next several months
• Creating digital and physical products relating to the Cool Stuff Jar® mindset

Why do you love teaching the Right-Brain Business Plan® and using it with your clients? What are some client success stories?

Many of my entrepreneur clients have never done a business plan, often because fear has them paralyzed and they don’t have a clue where or how to start. What the Right-Brain Business Plan® does is allow me to shine a light on their fear (and make it shrink dramatically) and show them a path to follow using their innate skills to develop something that was previously unfamiliar or scary.

One story I love is about a painter who was one of my earliest RBBP clients. We came up with a great visual way to measure progress on her monthly moola targets. She painted two bulb thermometers side by side on her studio wall and filled them in as moola came in and moola went out. As the month progressed, she could always see where she was in terms of cash flow and in terms of hitting her targets. No more fear!

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

Creative intuition is one of my favorite tools whether I’m using it to come up with suggestions for clients or in making my art. When I feel a hit with a client, I know when something’s right and I know when I need to delve deeper and peel back the layers. One of my unique skills is that I can help guide people through many twists and turns they’ll encounter in their business. Tapping my creative intuition helps me deliver tailored coaching to individual clients and to business teams.

When doing my art it’s the same – I work loosely, abstractly and organically. I do not plan my art from start to finish and I don’t normally know exactly what it will look like at the end. My joy is in the process and in the journey that I go through in order to arrive at a piece of art.

Is there anything you’d like to share about your Right-Brain Business Plan® in terms of what it’s made out of or how you made it?

My very first Right-Brain Business Plan® was made out of some sturdy cardboard packaging that I knew would make a great cover, and some cardstock taped together for the pages. I love to make books out of discarded materials, so the project was both practical and fun.

Nowadays, I still use the original book structure and I’ve replaced most of the original images and words with updated material. I’ve also expanded it to include a sketchbook and journal pages and my regular planning favorites: sticky notes and the whiteboard.

It’s simplified over time so it only contains images and words that conjure up the things I need to stay focused and on track. For example, I do not have the individual names of my management team, but I do have a very specific image that represents my team. When I see the image, it immediately draws my attention to my team.

What’s your big vision for your business?

This is kind of cool because I’m in transition now.

My book, The Cool Stuff Jar, came out and right after that, I had both knees replaced. That shifted my perspective as I had about six months where I was either prepping for the surgeries or rehabbing my knees, so I was not personally generating a lot of revenues for my business. I had plenty of time to think about what impact I could have on a much bigger scale and to decide what I might need to take on in order to accomplish this giant idea I came up with.

So, my Big Vision is: Spark a worldwide movement for individuals to intentionally choose to be happier by paying attention to their individual mindset, taming their Mind Monkeys™ and fully incorporating the power of play and creativity to transform their lives.

My tag line for everything is Expand Your Mental Playground™.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

1. Choose your mindset every day – make this skill into a power tool for your toolbox.
2. Show up and do the work.
3. Focus on doing what only you can do – delegate the rest.
4. Own your money and make it into a power tool for your toolbox – shine a light on the fear.
5. Value your time and charge for it.
6. Build a healthy team to work with and hang out with quality people.
7. Spend time with people who are smarter than you – learn from them.
8. Seek harmony between your work and your life.
9. FILL YOUR COOL STUFF JAR!!

Stay tuned over the next 12 months as I roll out my new Cool Stuff Jar™ world. I’ve got digital products, videos, classes, card decks, the paperback copy of the book, a podcast, plus business and creative retreats all in the works. To be the first to learn about all the fun as it happens, click here.

Also, please consider reading The Cool Stuff Jar: Three Simple Ways to Live a Happier Life. It is chock full of suggestions that you can start implementing immediately. If you feel so moved, kindly take a few minutes and write a review.

Want to create your own Right-Brain Business Plan®? The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit includes supplies to make your own accordion book style visual business plan.

Name: Fabiana Grassi
Company Name: Fabiana Grassi Interpreter and Translator
Website: https://collettivointerpreti.com/project/fabiana-grassi/
Email: fabiana.grassi@collettivointerpreti.com

Fabiana Grassi is a freelance interpreter and translator located in Italy. She recently sent us an email sharing her excitement about finding the RBBP. We were equally excited by her enthusiasm and her get-it-done attitude and asked her if she’d be willing to share her RBBP with us here. We love seeing entrepreneurs find clarity, take action, and celebrate their creativity! Thanks, Fabiana for sharing more about you and your business.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I’m a freelance interpreter and translator, I mainly work with direct clients instead of agencies because I prefer to have direct contact with my clients. I value quality above everything, not only for the translation itself but also for the overall service. I’m also a very creative person and I consider myself an artist (I draw, paint and sew quite well). My creativity helps me find innovative solutions for my clients, I’ve been called the “MacGyver” of problem-solving! I love what I do and I’d like to make my clients feel that I’m their partner in their translation processes. Translation is often seen as a nuisance, but I want to prove it can be a nice experience if you do it with the right professional.

How has the Right-Brain Business Plan® helped you? What is different for you and your business after approaching planning in a creative, visual way?

Before my encounter with the RBBP I was both lost and overwhelmed. I knew what I had to do, but so many things had to be done and I couldn’t figure out how and when to do them. I was also kind of taking back my creativity and I couldn’t find inspiration for my artistic hobbies. When I started making my RBBP I felt something unlocking inside of me, my creativity got unleashed and I started using it for something different. As I finished every piece of the plan, my vision got clearer, my next steps were defined and I finally understood where I was going. I also used my creative note-taking symbols in the plan (they’re used in consecutive interpreting and they’re different for each interpreter). I now feel inspired in my everyday work and I’ve been using this creativity flow in my hobbies as well!

What goals (big or small) on your business plan have you already accomplished or have made progress on?

I’ve definitely made progress on the marketing goals. I understood what I had to do and through which channels I had to do it, so I set up a publishing agenda and a measurable weekly contact goal for new clients and prospects. I’ve also started writing articles both on LinkedIn and on the website I share with some trusted colleagues, where we write a blog on translation and interpreting (the English part is still a WIP). But I feel that the most important progress so far is having a detailed path in front of me: it makes me feel inspired, empowered and ready to make it happen!

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

I use it to propose creative solutions to my clients in order to meet their goals and expectations. I also use it in my contacts with them (presentation brochure/kit, creative resume) and in my communication strategy. My consecutive interpreting notes are mainly made of creative symbols to summarize concepts and useful words. As for the “hidden” part of the work, I use my creativity in every plan, spreadsheet, and scheme.

Is there anything you’d like to share about your Right-Brain Business Plan® in terms of what it’s made out of or how you made it?

Since I didn’t know which final form would suit me best, I started with large pieces of paper for my big vision collage. I carried out every activity on regular A4 paper and then I put the relevant information on some larger paper sheets. My RBBP is both the larger papers – which are the visual schemes – and the A4 sheets with all the details in their original form.

What’s your big vision for your business?

I want to make people love translation. I want my regular clients to smile when their boss tells them they have to get a document translated, I want them to know exactly what to do if they need an interpreter for an event. I want to build a friendly environment for them to work with me while educating them on my job (all too often people have no idea how an interpreter works and how important client-interpreter collaboration is). I want to assist them and mainstream our working relations. I want my name to be associated with the values I take pride in quality, trust, attention, innovation.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Follow your instincts. Do all the activities in this book. They may sound unrelated to your specific business, but you’ll end up getting more and more information every time, more and more details that will be useful in the future. Even those “serious” jobs like mine can benefit from some creativity and a fresh approach.

Want to create your own Right-Brain Business Plan®? The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit includes supplies to make your own accordion book style visual business plan.