Name:  Addie May Hirschten
Company Name:  Fantastic Fables
Website: www.fantasticfables.net
Blog: http://fantasticfableswithaddiemay.blogspot.com/

Note from Jenn: A couple months ago we received a lovely e-mail from Addie May Hirschten letting us know about how the Right-Brain Business Plan book helped her see the bigger picture of her business more clearly. Addie is a creative soul and storyteller and I was delighted to hear how having her colorful and visual plan all in one place has helped her prioritize and accomplish her goals. Thanks for sharing your story with us, Addie!

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

Addie Hirschten is a painter, writer and professional storyteller. She began her storytelling career as a children’s librarian.  After moving to Indiana, Addie started the company Fantastic Fables as a creative outlet for her theatrical programs.  She now performs throughout the state of Indiana in libraries, schools and camps.

Painting and drawing have always been of interest to Addie.  Fresh paintings are posted every few days on her blog and website. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Art from Appalachian State University and currently teaches for the ArtReach program of the Indianapolis Art Center.

Behind all of Addie’s artwork and performances is a message of celebration for the world we live in.  By passing on paintings and stories, she hopes to plant seeds of inspiration, hope and healing for others.

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?

In the past I have jotted down ideas on little scraps of paper or in journals.  After reading the Right-Brain Business Plan I decided to create a vision board on the wall of my studio.

By cutting pictures and layering post-it notes I made a concrete collage of my hopes and dreams.  The process of creating this visual business plan helped me to see more clearly where I want to go.  I was able to see how different projects overlapped, understand the purpose behind them and connect the projects to the correct audience.  This will help with my marketing efforts.

The best part of creating this business plan is that now my ideas are all in one place.  From that spot in my studio I can interact with the plan every day.  I can add to it and change it (without turning on my computer!)  Like a friend the plan taps me on the shoulder as I am sitting at my desk and reminds me to keep my projects in perspective.

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

One element I love is the “sticky-note project plan.”  I created a schedule section in which the “action” elements are broken up into monthly sections for the next two years.  Before creating my plan my future projects extended only into the next few months.  By pushing my projects further into the future I realized that they can be larger.  I then looked back at my “business vision” and the list of my wildest dreams.  From that I recognized that I should have the larger projects be of higher priority.  I have begun to tackle those larger projects.  These goals now take precedence over the more immediate day-to-day problems.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

While I love planning, scheduling and having my ducks in a row, my favorite work days are ones when I can just follow my nose, paint, record a storytelling podcast or just read.  It is wonderful to relax into the creative process.

The challenge is to create balance between the artistic play that produces our best work and the focus that is needed for success in business.  Taking the time to create a business plan helps.

What’s your big vision for your business?

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:
“Success is to laugh often and much,
to appreciate beauty,
to find the best in others,
to leave the world a bit better,
to know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived.”

It is my hope that my work reflects Emerson’s message.  When I paint I am honoring the beauty of the natural world. When I share stories I am passing on passion to others.  My vision is that I can share my message of hope with anyone who needs to hear it.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Don’t stop!  Don’t ever stop creating and celebrating life. Award winning illustrator, Ashley Bryan wrote, “I never gave up.  Many were more gifted than I but they gave up.”

One simple secret to success is to take your art supplies out of the closet.  In the past year I moved to a new house where I now have a studio room.  I can sit down at any moment and continue with my creative projects.  Whether you devote a room to your art or a desk in the corner of the kitchen make your supplies easily accessible.  Create space and time for your work.  It makes it easier to keep going with your vision.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I share new paintings, stories and projects every few days on my blog.  I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Thanks again Jennifer Lee for writing the Right-Brain Business Plan!  It was not only a fun read, but it is helping me to form my future in a whole new way.

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Addie May Hirschten. See her blog post about her Right-Brain Business Plan®.

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.

For more support with developing your RBBP, check out the Right-Brain Business Plan® Home Study program.

Name: Kiernan Antares
Company Name:  Soul Whisperer & Soul Mastery Mentor
Website: www.kiernanantares.com
Blog: http://kiernanantares.blogspot.com
Twitter: @KiernanAntares

Note from Jenn: It’s always fun to see the different ways people make their Right-Brain Business Plan®. Here’s a peek at Soul Whisperer Kiernan Antares’ lovely plan. Even though Kiernan has a background in business, doing this visual and creative approach helped her develop an inspiring plan that she updates regularly. Congrats on all the goals that you’ve accomplished already, Kiernan!

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

Kiernan Antares is a Soul Whisperer and Soul Mastery Mentor helping people to discover their Soul Purpose and transform their lives for the past 15 years. Kiernan’s unique and powerful presence is expressed by combining and bringing balance to spiritual and real-world living. Whether through the written and spoken word or through her healing touch this modern day mystic and visionary is becoming widely known as a pure source of love. As the Soul Whisperer, Kiernan has an uncanny ability to get to the core essence of any matter and transform it into an expression of infinite love, beauty and wisdom. In your time together, she takes you into a sacred space of Spirit where she accesses your soul’s agreements and reveal your soul’s path; your purpose, lessons, and obstacles. She looks at where you’ve been, where you are today, what is out of alignment, and what you need to do to overcome your blocks and live the life of your dreams. At the same time, powerful transformational energies are at work clearing these blocks and aligning you directly with your soul and Higher Self so that you can move forward manifesting your purpose ~ with ease, grace and the full support of the universe behind you.

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?

I thoroughly enjoyed creating my Right-Brain Business Plan®! With a background in the business world, I’ve written my fair share of business plans and my biggest complaints were that they were rarely realistic or living and ultimately ended up in a binder, shelved until the next year – they were dry and uninspiring. With the Right-Brain Business Plan® I loved creating something that suited and inspired my inner artist and it is actually something I keep by my desk and review regularly. In simple terms – it makes me happy!

I update it regularly as I add or revise my business offerings because it inspires me to live up to my purpose of inspiring others. New ideas flow in more easily and as I open to the creative spirit it urges me to expand myself – to think bigger.

The words and images in my plan have meaning to me and I refer to it in everything I create. It’s allowed me to organize my thoughts in a way that keeps me focused, and yes, inspired.

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

I have completely redesigned my website and ezine with new branding that reflects my purpose and mission. I have a new Soul Purpose service offering that I am so excited about; in a creative download I was able to see how I could bring all my gifts together in a way that would make a far more powerful difference in people’s lives. I am in the process now of writing my next book, with plans repurpose it into a series of Soul Mastery coaching programs.

I’ve gotten more active with social media and relaunched my internet radio show. With my focus clear and concise my messages are now targeted and in alignment with my goals.

In addition, I’ve created a new ezine subscription gift – an eBook titled ‘The Master Key to Igniting and Unleashing Your True Calling with 5 Essential Strategies to Activate It.’

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

I’ve learned not to force things. When I find myself pushing too hard and feeling frustration building I walk away from what I’m doing and give it to Spirit. Often when I do this I receive the creative inspiration I was looking for almost immediately. When I have questions, whether ideas or next steps I’ll sit in front of my alter to meditate, when I honor Spirit in this way the answers flow in before I’ve even gotten the question formed properly in my mind.

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 chose to create mine in a scrapbook format. Beautiful background paper helped to inspire my creative spirit. I clipped and pasted images and words from magazines or the internet. I added tables, charts and text for the content. My fun little extra was creating 10 cards that reflect my values all tied together with a ribbon. I keep them in an envelope pasted to a scrapbook page.

What’s your big vision for your business?

My big vision is to help thousands of people worldwide to discover, claim and live their PURPOSE, PASSION and POWER through writing books, radio, public speaking, coaching and leading workshops.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Get clear on your passion and purpose, then get out there and live it. Let your Spirit guide and inspire all that you do. There’s never been a better time for the creative genius to be fully authentic and share their gifts so don’t wait or hide out anymore.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I highly recommend the Right-Brain Business Plan®! It’s an amazing process that is both practical and creative – what a fantastic and winning combination!

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Kiernan Antares. See her blog post about her Right-Brain Business Plan®.

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.

For more support with developing your RBBP, check out the Right-Brain Business Plan® Home Study program.

Name: Cynthia & Norm Frenette  
Company Name:  Green Couch Designs
Website: www.greencouchdesigns.com
Blog: www.cynthiaf.ca
Twitter: @cynthaif

Note from Jenn: I spotted Cynthia's super cute values cards on Twitter awhile back and just knew we had to feature her and her creative business. This husband and wife team over at Green Couch Designs is up to some really fun stuff and they certainly have a knack for bringing ideas to life. Thanks for sharing your process with us and these fantastic shots of your Right-Brain Business Plan®

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

We are Green Couch Designs, a husband and wife, full-service web and graphic design, and illustration studio. We're located in Mission, BC, Canada, where we work from our home office and love having the freedom to do so!
What makes us unique is our approach to our work, we truly love what we do and it shows! We're a small studio so can offer our clients much more attention and care than larger agencies have time for. We specialize in unique design and in-house construction for websites and blogs, stylish illustration, and creative graphic design for print, web and everything in between. We have many years of experience in all avenues of design and offer a large skillset, years of experience and know-how to get projects done fast, affordably, on time and on budget.

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 has helped us scope out how we want to grow and figure out what steps to take to help us get the word out about us and our work. It's also helped us discover new avenues and ideas that we'd like explore as new parts of our business potentially including stock website and blog templates, ready-made customizable illustrations, and even branching off into fabric design, quilting, and more traditional art! Writing down and visualizing what we really want to go for really helps give us courage to just jump in and get it accomplished.

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

We've made progress on revamping our website- tick!- and working on spreading the news that we are experts at what we do, and do it with great service, affordably and no-attitude!  We've also been working on more marketing ideas, I've been in the industry for 20 years this year- wow!- so watch for a 20/20 deal (20% off a first project with us) coming soon for a limited time for all new clients who hire us to work with them in September-October.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

Our business is all about ideas and bringing them to life. As designers, we really have to read into what our clients are telling us and what their businesses are all about, and determine what will work best for them. We often hear, "You read my mind!" or "You came up with exactly what I wanted before I even knew it!" and we consider that a wonderful compliment to our work!

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 still working on elements of it, I *just* finished our Passion and Purpose Proclamation, a quilt stating "Something Wonderful this way comes"  and this whole saying just tied in to what I believe  our company is all about and what we try to do. Something positive and fun, something to look forward to, something exciting to give and to get. Fresh and modern, bright, happy and cool. So I put it into my “Vision” for our company and this came out!

What’s your big vision for your business?

Our big vision is still evolving but ultimately to keep doing what we love, eventually building a dream home and attached studio we can work from, travel for inspiration, and gain recognition for our work.

 What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Just stick with it, if you can dream it, do it! If it works then awesome! If not, then at least you tried and learned from it. It can be hard sometimes but it's worth it!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Big thanks to Jennifer for this book, it's wonderful and so helpful in working out your business ideas! And thank you so much for shining the spotlight on us!

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Cynthia & Norm Frenette.

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.

For more support with developing your RBBP, check out the Right-Brain Business Plan® Home Study program.

Name:  Jacqueline Lloyd Smith
Company Name:  Strategic Play® Group Limited
Website: http://www.strategicplay.ca/
Twitter: @jacquiello

Note from Jenn: Jacqueline Lloyd Smith is a savvy business consultant who speaks my language - one that's visual, colorful and tactile! I got to meet Jacquie and her International teammates in Atlanta a few months ago and absolutely love the work they do with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™, graphic facilitation, and innovation. You can get a peek at the type of work she does from some of the fun photos below.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

Strategic Play® focuses on visual problem solving, training, and facilitation to improve innovation. We work with individuals, teams, and organizations and use unique hands-on tools like LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™ processes, Simplexity™ Applied Creative Problem Solving, and Graphic Coaching.  All our workshops include the creative arts, as we know that when people are having fun they learn and think at a higher level. Building 3D models enables people to have richer and deeper conversations, allowing them to solve problems faster while communicating better.

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?

Since we are a visual, hands-on company, using a right-brained approach to business planning simply makes good business sense.  We know our hands are connected to our brains and if we want to get the most out of our heads, we need to use a whole brain thinking approach.  This process gives the brain a picture, which it needs in order to think.  This creative approach to business planning is truly a revolution since people are hungry for hands-on creative tools.

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

I attended Jennifer’s workshop with my associates from Europe and Australia. We were able to share our individual business plans with each other and discuss ways we might collaborate into the future.  We are growing our business quickly and this workshop gave us a way to really focus in on what we hope to achieve in the near and distant future. For any business to be successful it needs to have clear goals and a good path forward.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

When we build with LEGO® models we are building ideas that have not yet been tried, we create stories that have never been told, we share ideas we discover as we build.  We then test those ideas in the playroom, where we can take risks and troubleshoot solutions before going to market where we will need to take risks. We use art, play, and storytelling to solution find and innovate. We capture ideas on large graphic, visual charts where people can see how they and others are connecting and contributing to the development of the future.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

If you are a creative person take advantage of your core strength and build a business plan using your imagination and intuition.  Using this process will help you to get clear about what you want to achieve and your true passion. When you hold your completed business plan in your hands you will be able to tell the story of how you are going to be the creator of the future that you want and will develop.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. - Marianne Williamson, Return to Love, 1992

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Jacqueline Lloyd Smith.

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.

For more support with developing your RBBP, check out the Right-Brain Business Plan® Home Study program.

Name:  Miranda Hersey
Company Name:  Miranda Hersey Creative Coaching
Website: www.mirandahersey.com
Blog: www.studiomothers.com
Twitter: @mirandahersey and @studiomothers

Note from Jenn: Miranda Hersey, a creative coach for moms, is full of inspiration and positive support. I was delighted to get to know her and her business better in my recent Right-Brain Business Plan® e-Course. And I absolutely LOVED seeing the video she made at the end of the course where she did a super fun show and tell of her Right-Brain Business Plan®. The outtakes at the end are priceless! Thanks, Miranda!

I’m passionate about creativity, learning, and helping others realize their intuition and presence. As a creativity coach, I specialize in working with creative mothers, helping women navigate the complexities of living their creative dreams while raising their children. With a lifetime of dedication to the arts and five children of my own, I understand the challenges of maintaining a creative identity — and career — while raising a family. It’s not easy, but there are ways to use the “constraints” of parenthood to your advantage.

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?

I fell in love with the RBBP within the first few pages. I wanted very much to complete the entire book and create my plan, but with so many balls in the air, I found myself making much slower progress than I wanted. So when I saw that the RBBP e-course was starting again, I signed up, knowing that the course deadlines would keep me on track and see me through to a complete plan. It did that, and a lot more. I learned so much from my classmates and through Jenn’s personal interaction with each of us—what an amazingly supportive and inspiring community. (And now that our course is complete, our relationships continue through an alumni accountability group. Bonus!)

The RBBP book and e-course opened my eyes to possibilities that I hadn’t considered. In my other career as a writer and editor, I’ve consulted on business plans before, and I’m well versed in the requisite ingredients—but Jennifer’s right-brain approach is a completely different animal. The difference is that the RBBP works from the base of individual passions and values, ensuring that your business vision is an expression of what is most important to you. In this way, your business passes the acid test: If you won the lottery, would you still get up every day and do what you’re doing? For me, with this business, the answer is yes. The RBBP process helped me know that, to the core.

Before embarking on the RBBP, I knew what I wanted to do (complete my certification as a creativity coach and launch a coaching business), but my action plan was a little fuzzy, to say the least. The RBBP helped me to define exactly what I want to do, identify the many different ancillary elements of my business, and—perhaps most importantly—empowered me to make it happen. There’s something about having a roadmap that is deeply comforting. Sure, a few interesting and unexpected side trips may come up along the way—and I’ll be sure not to miss out on those—but being able to see the big picture is reassuring and inspiring all at once.

Being able to “collage your way to a business plan,” as I often put it, really feels like having your cake and eating it too (without ever gaining a pound, of course). The process wasn’t about putting myself in a box and creating a bunch of somewhat meaningless jargon; it was a brilliant path of self-discovery, followed-up by a concrete action plan. Pretty appealing stuff.

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

One of my goals in the products and services arena was to launch a monthly empowerment workshop for creative women. I have partnered with a creative cohort in my hometown to make this happen. Working collaboratively is exciting—it’s less scary than going it alone and provides built-in accountability, which more than compensates for not having complete creative control. We’ll be launching our workshops this fall. Other items that are in the “YES! DID IT!” category are: website, newsletter, guest posts at online creative venues, robust Facebook page (www.facebook.com/studiomothers).

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

I use my intuition as a guide and a filter—as many of us do—but sometimes it can be difficult to discern between one’s true intuition and those unpleasant voices that often peer over our shoulders, providing unwanted commentary. One of the reasons that the RBBP is so effective is that it helps us tap into our intuition and strengthen that voice. Creating a business plan that may well encompass your life’s work and deepest sense of mission can be frightening and intimidating. It can be hard to let go into intuition. But by turning the process into a creative, visual experience, it’s easier to take a deep breath and remind yourself to trust the process. Not sure exactly where a particular exercise is going? Suddenly stricken with panic and self-doubt? That’s OK. See the exercise through to the finish, and suddenly you realize that you’ve arrived somewhere. It was hairy for a while, but you made it out the other side and have a whole lot to show for the effort. This affirming outcome serves to deepen your intuition, which in turn feeds back into your work. Wow!

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 made my plan using the Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit. Creating the physical version of my plan at the close of the RBBP e-course was a fabulous way to integrate all of the work we’d done over our 8 weeks of classes. I printed photographs of the larger elements and printed mini versions of our playsheets in order to migrate my existing work into the compact format. I wanted my plan to be a tool that I would refer to and use regularly, and the kit included components that helped me create exactly what I wanted. It was amazing to see how the different elements all fit together to create a complete, coherent piece.

What’s your vision for your business?

My big vision is to make the world a better place by supporting mothers in their creativity so that they may live full, satisfying lives—and embrace the beauty of the everyday. As a coach, my ultimate goal is to be a supportive, connected guide who helps women find and embrace their own deepest truths, define and meet their goals, and live each day in wonder and presence.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

My advice for other creative entrepreneurs is to read and complete the RBBP, if you haven’t already. Even for those who think they’re already following their dreams, the RBBP will help develop and define that dream as you turn your big vision into reality. Then, put your plan into action and stay the course. Staying plugged into an accountability group, partner, or coach is key.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I feel so fortunate to have found the RBBP. I know that I wouldn’t have the clarity, inspiration, and determination that I have today if I hadn’t had the RBBP experience. Hugs and gratitude to Jenn and all my classmates from the summer RBBP e-course!

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Miranda Hersey.

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.

For more support with developing your RBBP, check out the Right-Brain Business Plan® Home Study program.

Name: Mikki Baloy Davis
Company Name: Pamo Healing
Website: www.pamohealing.com
Twitter: @mikkibaloydavis

Note from Jenn: I had the pleasure of meeting Mikki at the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) Conference in Atlanta in June. Mikki is a gentle, wise soul who does shamanic healing and energy work and officiates ceremonies. Plus, this lovely woman has a wicked sense of humor! Mikki is launching her new e-Book Office Shamanism soon. I’m getting a sneak peek now and it’s brimming with good stuff. Read on to learn more about Mikki and her delightful Right-Brain Business Plan®.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I’m a shamanic healer, workshop facilitator, and ordained ceremonialist.  It’s work that’s beautiful, transformational, profound, common-sense, magical, ancient AND modern… I feel so lucky to get to be a part of people’s healing processes and to witness so much resiliency and revelation.  Plus, it’s fun – my job includes playing with paint, talking about power animals, and writing wedding ceremonies.

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?

My background is in both theater and in non-profit management, so I have the organizational know-how to run an office, produce a play, and learn my lines (in fact, there were times I did all three at once).  I’m perfectly capable of working in Excel and Quickbooks, but… ick.  It just feels better to work with color, to see an actual material thing come out of the business planning process.  It was easy for me to avoid the dry, “responsible” stuff before it became a labor of love and glitter.  Now, I don’t need to avoid it.  I have this tangible, pretty business plan that I can update at will, whenever I see another image that’s inspiring or have a great idea.  It’s not so much a plan as a process – which is how I approach my work anyway!

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

I’m having some wonderful friends and colleagues in my upcoming e-guide, Office Shamanism: Big-time Energy Shifting, Inside and Out.  I’ve also been keeping to my writing deadlines so that I can launch on time.  I’ve made contact with a few of the people in my creative cohort for different kinds of support, and listed a bunch of places that might host my workshop so that I can send my proposal to them in the coming months.   This is all in just the weeks since my RBBP class, and there’s a lot more good stuff to look forward to!

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

My work is absolutely intuitive, from start to finish.  There are ancient (read: time-tested) tools and techniques that I try to use impeccably, but ultimately every session, workshop, and ceremony is different from the last.  I love to tap into the shared energy at any given moment, allowing the process to be collaborative.  I intuitively create the space for change to happen.

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 created my RBBP at the Creative Problem Solving Institute conference (where I was leading a workshop, as well).  Jennifer provided all of the materials and we had a ball making art-mess in the midst of keynotes and hotel luncheons.  It was so much fun to go home with this cool thing and show it to my husband, and see him get excited for me and my business, too.

What’s your vision for your business?

I want to continue to build my private consultation practice, working with as many people as I can in-person and by phone and skype.  I want to bring my workshop, Journey to Your Muse, to major retreat centers and create a multimedia program on the same theme.  I’m sure I’ll develop other workshops along the way.  I’ll launch Office Shamanism and write other digital guides – one of which I’ve already outlined –  and I’d love to do a few weddings, baby-blessings, and other ceremonies every year.  I’m also hoping to continue to study the shamanic work of several different cultures to build a really big repertoire of techniques (a giant healer’s toolbox).

That should keep me busy for a while.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Go where the joy is, because we’re here to thrive – not to settle.  And if there are things that scare you or feel really sticky, there are ways to deal with that, to learn from and heal the sore spots so that you can move forward in doing what you love.

Is there anything you’d like to share ?

Just to check out my website www.pamohealing.com.  I love to keep in touch.

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Mikki Baloy Davis.

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.

For more support with developing your RBBP, check out the Right-Brain Business Plan® Home Study program.

Name: Michelle Berlin
Company Name: Living Right Brain™
Website: http://www.livingrightbrain.com

Note from Jenn: Michelle Berlin of Living Right Brain participated in the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit earlier this year and it’s so cool to see what she and her sister are launching now. You’ll be inspired by all of the goals they’ve already accomplished and how they’re infusing their intuition and passion for art into their creative business. Congrats! (All photos below courtesy of Deidre Lynn.)

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

Living Right Brain.
Daily Creativity.
Create Art – Create Dreams- One Step At A Time

We, my sister and I, are in the ‘reaching your goals through creativity’ business.
We are a source for downloadable art projects and creative coaching tools.
We have just launched our site (thanks to Jenn!) and we will be adding new items as fast as we can produce them!

View our first video Affirmation Celebration ‘Leaves’ and let us know what you think!

What makes us unique is that we are striving to create a line of projects that are designed to help move you closer to your dreams easily and with creativity, giving you a sense of satisfaction and clarity through art. It will be a beautiful site with daily inspirations, a community gallery, input and sharing.

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 I found Jenn and the RBBP I had no sense of direction.
I had way too many ideas and I thought every one of them was too good to let go.
I didn’t see any way to compile all of these ideas into something cohesive until I signed up for Jenns RBBP course and it changed everything for me! I found the tools I needed to see where my strengths were and what was okay to let go of.

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

Got our domain name!
Figured out our content!
Getting our name a trademark!
Made our first video!
Launching our site!
Getting my ARTbundance coaching certification!
Signed up for more Coachville courses!
Organizing my studio for more videos to come!

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

My entire business is about creative intuition! My goal is to move your life forward with ease and grace through art and creativity. Part of what I learned in Jenn’s course is that you will move forward if you love what you do and I really love creating art with a purpose.

What’s your vision for your business?

To have a successful online business supplying creative coaching tools and projects that will help guide people to their goals through art. It will be so amazing to wake up every day knowing that my art is helping to make people happy and healthy

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Listen to your heart, what do you really want to do? Put it down in black and white or pink and purple- just get it out there and start living it! Even if it’s just for tiny moments at a time- it will feed your soul!

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?

‘Business plan’ isn’t a dirty word!

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Michelle Berlin.

The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit is available now.

Access a multimedia library of interviews and resources from the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit and order the book The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success.

Name: Jennyann Carthern
Company Name: Jennyann Carthern Art & Illustration
and Paint is Thicker Than Water
Blog: http://www.paintisthickerthanwater.com/
Twitter: @JennArtist and @Illustratedblog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JennyannCarthern
www.facebook.com/paintisthickerthanwater
Network: http://paintisthickerthanwater.ning.com/

Note from Jenn: The Right-Brain Business Plan® has helped artist and illustrator Jennyann Carthern proudly embrace that she indeed a Right-Brainer. And after graduating from art school two years ago, this creative approach finally helped her develop a new relationship with business. Check out her values cards and detective bulletin board pics below.  (All photos below courtesy of Jennyann Carthern.)

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

My businesses are about connecting with people, telling their stories and making art.

Paint is Thicker Than Water™ is a teaching business where I provide art lessons to teens that help them create their stories and find their niche. Guiding them to create structures in their lives to accomplish goals, dreams, and make plans for their future, using creative tools and encouraging them to draw from their imagination. I start at their core to awaken their calling.

I also offer private and group art lessons, along with portfolio development to youth approaching art school higher education.
In my Illustrative work, Jennyann Carthern Art and Illustration™, I provide Illustrations for Children’s Books and Privately commissioned Artwork. Private commissions include, Landscapes, Portraits, and Personalized Illustration for Children’s Nurseries, Bedrooms, and Play Spaces.

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 has helped me create my businesses. It wasn’t long ago; that I decided to just do it, and start my businesses. I had graduated from The California College of the Arts, with a degree in Illustration and spent two years doing nothing, so I got rid of those two years of excuses and decided to just jump. I jumped with my eyes closed, crash landing into a pool of puzzle pieces. The Right-Brain Business Plan has helped me source through those pieces.

My past is riddled with business courses that I took at a local community college. Those courses overwhelmed and frustrated me, much like my experience in academic environments growing up. The Right-Brain Business Plan created a new conversation in my understanding and comprehension of the materials that I’d tried so hard to piece together in my business classes. It also stripped away a label from my spirit. A label I’d carried  growing up with a learning disability. That label carried a tremendous amount of grief toward education. Grief that felt discouraging and disappointing, especially when everyone else got it, except for me. I’ve replaced that with Right Brainer

I now know and believe that I never really had a learning disability. I was a Right Brainer all this time. Society  pinned that label on me, and I carried it for all these years. This awareness has guided my businesses in harnessing the creative in my students, and expressing that enthusiasm in my Art, while sticking it to the label.

Yes! I can see clearly now, and everyday is a bright and sun-shiny day.

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

Well, my first goal wasn’t actually a goal, but I had placed this word on my Big -Vision Collage, and my Life Vision Board. Spotlight! It’s weird how it happened, but YES! I’ve become a spotlight here on Jennifer Lee’s Blog, and I also met my accountability partner while attending  The Right Brainers in Business Video Summit.

Others goals I’ve accomplished since starting my Right Brain Business Plan include discovering my creative mission, to help others release their labels by nurturing their creativity and discovering their niche.

I’ve also learned that I should never settle for less. I’ve made God my business partner, doing this has given a clear vision, into the depths of myself. Within those depths I’ve found me. I’ve realized that I was to much of a Yes person. That’s not a bad thing, but I wasn’t always saying Yes, to the things I really wanted.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

I draw from within, it’s kind of like micro species or organisms. They live in this invisible world that surrounds us, unseen by the naked eye. Yet! They thrive, prosper and create life. My intuition breathes in this way, and relies on Faith. I don’t need to see it, to know something incredible is happening all around me, because I can feel it. So, if I feel something happening I trust it, and let it do it’s job! Trust, is epic after all, it may sink you or make you swim, but you’ll never know unless you Trust it first.

What’s your vision for your business?

To be the change I want to see!

To give birth to my dreams, and see them grow and evolve into something incredible.

I’ll give them all the space and time they need to learn, make mistakes, and grow. No matter how long it takes. I’m still in, and I’m here to nurture and make this happen. My career as an Illustrator has a bright future ahead, and my continued career as a Teaching Artist is here to inspire others.

I’m also here to stone the myth of the starving artist, and release a new creative fuel into the world. That Yes! Art happens, and it happens to be lucrative!

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Stop trying to be someone else!

What I mean by that is hold tight to what brings you joy, and don’t let others condemn you for it. If you’ve discovered a fun ingenious way to do things, do it!

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 Right-Brain Business Plan is really my blog. My blog is my journey and my transformation as I create the stage for my career. I chose the cast, directed the actors, and created some awesome special effects.

My blog re-lives the events of my Right-Brain Business Plan. Showcasing my Big-Vision Collage, pasted on foam board, and my values card deck, collaged on 5 x 7 index cards, that I later laminated. I also showcase pictures of my detective bulletin board, attached to the door of my closet office. I taped grocery bags to the inside of the door, then used sticky notes for the title and tacked a mini dry erase board to the door.

So please, visit me on my blog, and get inspired to start your own Right-Brain Business Plan!     http://www.paintisthickerthanwater.com

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Don’t give in, and don’t give up! Don’t settle for less, and Trust in what you want, how you’ll get there, and please believe in you!

Growing up, I always tried to fit myself into someone else’s mold, without realizing that my mold was already cast. Waiting for me to pick it up, paint it, and give it my dreams.

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”– Joseph Chilton Pearce

Don’t be afraid to take center stage!

Yes, you may not know all the answers, and Yes, they may laugh at you! What matters is the fact that you were brave enough to ask the question.

Be yourself, without consequence!

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Jennyann Carthern.

The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit is available now.

Access a multimedia library of interviews and resources from the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit and order the book The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success.

Name: Nicole Fende
Company Name: Small Business Finance Forum
Website: www.smallbusinessfinanceforum.com/landing/rbbp.html
Twitter: @BizFinanceForum
Facebook: www.facebook.com/smallbizfinance

Note from Jenn: As a creative type and a financial professional, Nicole Fende has a great blend of right and left-brain talents. Check out her fabulous magnetic Right-Brain Business Plan® and meet her company mascot and villan! If you want to hear Nicole and me chat about the Right-Brain Business Plan® and managing the moola, listen to her interview me on her Small Biz Finance Radio Show. (All photos below courtesy of Nicole Fende.)

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I am a Small Business Finance Tamer, specializing in unruly profits.

I help solopreneurs and small business owners overcome their finance phobias, grow their profits, and have fun doing it.  I make people LOL while teaching them secrets to numbers whispering.  Think of me as the right brain profit coach.

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?

I was fortunate enough to attend the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit.  Even though my book hadn’t arrived yet, the experience inspired me to create my own version of the plan.  This was the solution to my struggles in bringing all the elements of my plan together in a cohesive manner.

I knew I needed a visual plan that could easily change over time.  That led to using a large magnetic white board as my base.  I had some beautiful scrapbooking paper which I cut up and attached magnets to the back.  Each piece could represent part of my business plan and it could be rearranged at any time on my magnetic board!

After devoting an entire weekend to my Right-Brain Business Plan® I had the key pieces laid out in a way that I could review at a glance.  My only question, “Why hadn’t I done this sooner?”

The single biggest surprise was the processing my brain did on the elements as I worked to create visual representations.  Of course I made it look nice, however as I crafted each piece I was contemplating its value and fit to my overall goals.  To get the most out of the process you must be mentally present as you craft the plan.

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

I’ve just wrapped up my first Rock Your Profits online course to rave reviews. The launch of the next course is underway.  Plus I’ve partnered with a colleague to offer an on-site two day business seminar, we’ve already booked two cities, and expect to make a formal announcement and launch by the end of May.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

Since my goal is to help those who aren’t numbers people, I rely heavily on my creativity to translate finance into meaningful, manageable bites.  For example, I intuitively realized people relate well to mascots, heroes, sidekicks and villains.

First I created a mascot called Fluffy the Finance Feline with help and inspiration from Tori Deaux (and Emmit of course!) of Circus Serene.  Fluffy has been a huge hit in my Rock Your Profits eCourse, popping up in a variety of roles and outfits to deliver profit insights.

However I realized that a mascot wasn’t enough.  I am in fact fighting a villain, the fear of finance.  In order to better reach my target market, and articulate the pain I cure, the Number Muncher was born.  The artwork was created by Jennifer “Scraps” Walker.

(Illustration by: Jennifer “Scraps” Walker)

What’s your vision for your business?

To provide the tools and resources to make finance easy, approachable and fun, enabling solopreneurs and small business owners to grow their profits.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

As a former corporate executive, in a traditional and conservative industry, I was leery of appearing “different” or “quirky”. Big mistake!  Those very characteristics are what make me effective and appealing.  As I’ve embraced my unique perspective my business has really taken off.  Be yourself, that’s what people want.

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?

As I mentioned above, I used a magnetic white board as the foundation, with scrapbooking paper on magnets for the components. Then I added in a key component to reflect my business and outlook, gambling budgeting.

This easy budgeting tool treats your business like a trip to the casino.  Your poker chips represent the money you’ve budgeted for various things (like marketing), as well as your time.  Your time is an asset, spend it well!

I added clear plastic pouches to hold my bets for each component of the plan.  The kits can be purchased on my site.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Numbers are like pets, they need to be trained.  You wouldn’t ignore potty training for your dog would you?

Ignoring your finances can lead to a big stinky mess as well.

Start with the chapter “Managing the Moola” in the Right Brain Business Plan.  Looking for more?  Schedule a free 30 minute coaching session with me to see if I’m the right next step to growing your profits.

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Nicole Fende.

Nicole’s interview with Jenn on the Small Biz Finance Radio Show.

The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit is available now.

Access a multimedia library of interviews and resources from the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit and order the book The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success.

(Headshot by Junica Chavis)

Name: Coach Maq
Company Name: G-STRING Living
Website: www.gstringliving.com
Twitter: @GSTRINGLIVING

Note from Jenn: This week’s spotlight is on Maqueita Eleazer a.k.a. Coach Maq who gives a whole new meaning to g-string! Her creative RBBP is a reflection of her spiritual and creative coaching practice. She used her passion for scrapbooking to inspire how she approached her fun RBBP. (All photos below courtesy of Maqueita Eleazer.)

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

G-STRING Living (verb):  1. acronym for Gracefully Standing True Receiving InNer Guidance; 2.  A way of being that supports you in discovering, embracing and living as your authentic self; 3.  Metaphorically represents living your life like a G-STRING: open, carefree, bold and authentic.

G-STRING Living is the self-discovery journey towards authentic living!  The foundation of this journey is grounded in the truth that everything we need to create the life experience we desire is already available to us; within us there is an Inner Guidance that is continuously speaking to us.   All that is required to receive from this Guidance is to discover and acknowledge its presence in your life and give it permission to express itself as you!

The G-STRING Living Coaching process is a 7- phase self-discovery journey:
Jewel 1: Transformation
Jewel 2: Surrender
Jewel 3: Mastery
Jewel 4: Truth
Jewel 5: Awareness
Jewel 6: Authenticity
Jewel 7: Balance

Using spiritual laws and the Jewels as the foundation I offer, through the vessel of spiritual life coaching, an experiential, customized coaching process laced with creativity to match the client’s specific needs and desires.

“What makes my business unique?” well… the name. I believe that I was the vessel chosen to share G-STRING Living with the world because I needed to learn to be present and not to allow myself to be limited by only what my eyes can see.  G-STRING Living reminds me moment by moment to see beyond what I can see and to make choices based on the Guidance that I am receiving.

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 is a Godsend; the angels in heaven were definitely looking out for me when a colleague forwarded me the Jennifer Lee Soul Art interview. The RBBP gave me “permission” to use my passion for scrapbooking as a means to create my business plan this has supported me in pushing through the resistance.  Creating my RBBP has raised my vibration because I have finally taken all of the ideas that have been floating in my head and put them on paper which is supporting me in moving forward.  I am now able to visually see my priorities and make choices that are in support of my vision.

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

One goal was to attract opportunities to share GSL with others, and this RBBP spotlight interview is supporting me in doing that!!  Another goal is to form alliances with other creative entrepreneurs.  As such, I have formed an alliance with Karen Burns of The Wytches Brew who will be creating the G-STRING Living: Jewel Sugar and Salt scrub line, it is our intention to debut the Transformation Scrub in June.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

I have learned that my creative intuition is the lifeline of my work.  I must make all choices concerning my work according to the Inner Guidance I receive.  I have learned to be patient, to trust my gut and that my feelings never lie.  Every morning, the first thing I do is connect with the Source, listen and act according to the Guidance that I receive related to GSL.

What’s your vision for your business?

I am committed to co-creating an outrageous world where women are discovering, embracing and living as their authentic selves by being powerful, vulnerable, creative, courageous, loving and surrendered to their inner guidance.  It is my desire that G-STRING Living will be known as a way of being for women all over the world.  I even envision seeing my definition of G-STRING Living in Webster’s dictionary:).

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

There is value in waiting… waiting for the natural process of the universe to take its course.  As creative entrepreneurs I think we sometimes put tons of pressure on ourselves to bring our ideas to life instantly, however, nothing that is beautiful or worth anything was ever created in an instant.  When you think about the germination process of a newly planted apple seed so much happens underground before we ever see its “fruit.”  I call this part of the process the incubation period and during the seed’s incubation period there are so many internal and external processes that are contributing to its successful growth.

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?

When I chose to create my RBBP I decided that I wanted to visually display what I felt for GSL, so every page is a visual representation of the love and passion I feel.

The front and back cover are canvas panels that were sponged painted; I then decoupage them with cutouts of some of my journal entries.  (I used sparkle Mod Podge to decoupage.)

The accordion-style pages were made by taking purple file folders (after cutting off the tabs) and taping them together.

The pages were decorated with my Cricut Expression which is an electronic, personal die-cut machine.  When it came to the things that I would handle often, such as my vision, I laminated them.  I used Velcro to secure those things that I would share with others or would change frequently such as my monthly and quarterly goals.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

The most important lesson I have learned since I began my journey as a creative entrepreneur almost a year ago is that, in order for my vision to manifest the energy of it has to move every day!  Because of that movement, my vision will maintain the momentum necessary to pull me forward, even on those days when I just want to stay in the bed and hide from the world.  My vision is like a baby it is vital that I nurture it, spend time with it and bless it daily.

Creative Resources

Click here for more information about Coach Maq

The Right-Brain Business Plan® Kit is available for pre-order.

Access a multimedia library of interviews and resources from the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit and order the book The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success.