Let’s face it… life can throw you curve balls. I see it happen all of the time in my own life and with my clients.

You have a sudden health crisis, a loved one unexpectedly needs care-taking, your dear pet gets ill, or someone close to you passes and you need to step away from work to tend to other priorities.

Or sometimes it’s not that dire (thank goodness!), but you simply need to take some time off. Hey we all need vacations every now and then, right? But as an entrepreneur you still need to bring in money to pay the bills even when you’re on holiday.

Or maybe you experience cyclical dips in your business and need more immediate, reliable opportunities for income that don’t always have to equal money for time.

When you’re in a pinch, do you have anything in your entrepreneurial back pocket to quickly sell (without you needing to be there)?

If not, you might want to consider adding some evergreen information products to your portfolio.

These are perennial offers like e-books, e-Courses, kits, or self-paced programs that you can sell at a moment’s notice. With your products you can package up your “know-how” such as your process for helping your clients tap into their creativity, or your proven tips for increasing flexibility and balance through simple yoga poses, or whatever it is that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about, into a format that’s easy for your peeps to reference or experience on their own.

You put in work upfront to create the product and then once it’s done, you can launch it (and re-launch it later) to bring in some extra cash. Yes, there is some effort to put together a launch plan and you must have the follow-through to execute the plan but here’s the cool thing once you have that process in place, you can repeat it.

Which is what makes having information products such a great lifesaver!

You can run a sale on your product(s) during slower months, you can promote a self-study course instead of needing to actually deliver the entire course live, and you can still share your gifts and impact people in powerful ways even if you need to step away from your business for a bit.

Don’t have an info product yet? Or stuck trying to get your next product out there (because you have so many ideas or your idea is just too big)?

Our upcoming Product Development Playground may be just thing for you. We’ll cover how to create and launch your next product.

By the way, a great example of being able to leverage existing products to bring in money when you’re in a bind is SARK’s Love Boat. I donated some 2015 Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit Booster Passes to help their cause (if you missed the boat earlier on the final video summit earlier this year, you can grab your pass for nearly half-off!).

Want to have you own info product that you could sell at a moment’s notice? Join us in our 6-week facilitator-led Product Development Playground e-Course starting on September 28th. Early-bird ends on September 25th, so act now to get best savings!

Guest post by by Cass Mullane, Accountability Coach, Right-Brain Business Plan® Licensed Facilitator, Prosper Creatively, LLC

We all have days when we want to pull out our hair or just curl up in a ball and check out for a while. It’s part of doing business, it’s part of life. Often what separates more successful people from everyone else is their ability to quickly handle the things that tend to derail them from their purpose and to get back on track.

What derails you?

Is it thinking that you’re not good enough? Is it the fear of taking on something new? Is it resistance to change? Is it something someone close to you says that triggers all that negative self-talk? Is it analysis paralysis? Is it procrastination? Is it disappointment? Is it saying yes to everything without taking anything off your plate? Is it taking a two minute project and turning it into a two day mental meltdown?

The list of things that derail us is long. But it is definitely not insurmountable.

Regardless of the thing that ultimately knocks you off track, the trick is to figure out ways to shorten the amount of time you spend checked out. It’s critical to learn how to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back to business quickly!

One of my favorite ways to get back on track is simply to do something productive. I always pick something short and easy. And I make sure it is something that requires just a bit of thought and concentration. Then I do it.

You might do a small task that is related to your business. File a few papers, make an easy call, pay a bill. You might do something physical like riding a bike, taking a run or a walk or just going outside and breathing some fresh air. You might do something fun like playing with your kids or grabbing your favorite markers and coloring for a while.

The effect of intentionally doing something productive, no matter how small, is that it shifts your attention away from the thing that derailed you and, instead, focuses it on a productive bit of activity. Plus, when you’re done, you get that yummy feeling of satisfaction when you cross something off the To Do list.

When you intentionally shift your attention, the habitual negative self-talk that usually happens when you derail never gets a chance to start. If you manage to switch your attention right away, you avoid going down that neural pathway altogether. In addition, when you shift your attention elsewhere, you make the choice to create a new neural pathway, a new response to that thing that used to derail you. As time passes, and you continue to choose the new neural pathway, it becomes the preferred response. Think about how much mental energy you’ll save!

Now multiply the things crossed off the To Do list and the amount of personal energy saved by the number of times you want to pull your hair out in a quarter. Get the picture? This small shift could have a tremendous impact on your world.

So the next time you’re on the brink, pick something productive, that’s short and easy, that requires just a bit of thought and concentration… and go do it!

Cass Mullane is an artist with an MBA. Cass’ calm, comfortable approach consistently yields positive results for clients. Her business and personal coaching practice, www.ProsperCreatively.com, specializes in delivering solid left brain business skills to right brainers and creatives in a fun, visual way. She’s a best selling author, textile and mixed media artist and creator of the Cool Stuff Jar™ coaching program. You can also visit Cass on Facebook!

As a creative, big-dreamer type, you may be like me and get seduced by your grand, elaborate visions. It may start with a flash of inspiration and then in no time your creative mind goes into overdrive with all of the possibilities.

You see patterns, you connect the dots with other cool ideas, you go on tangents. Pretty soon you’ve imagined a fantastical project that will actually take you 5 or more years to implement, a team of resources that you don’t have in place yet, and maybe even costs thousands and thousands of dollars.

BUT passionate, excited you wants to get this BIG idea out there in ALL its glory pronto!

You want a new website that includes your entire product line, you want to launch that program with every level and feature you can think of, or insert your “biggest-possible-dream-ever” here.

This all-or-nothing thinking is a common pitfall among bright, driven creatives.

Unfortunately it can keep you stuck and overwhelmed because you can’t get any traction and then to top it off you might beat yourself up about not making any progress.

Well, let me introduce you to different perspective.

My hubby is a software developer and he taught me about an engineering concept called the Minimum Viable Product.

A Minimum Viable Product (or MVP) launches with only the most basic, core features needed to get initial feedback from a small group of customers.

You can think of it as “good enough for now.”

By implementing a small piece earlier rather than later, you can see what works and what doesn’t and make more nimble adjustments before investing too much time, money, and resources into developing a complicated product that no one wants.

Believe me, I can still get seduced by my big dreams and active/ambitious imagination! That’s when I need to connect back to one of my guiding principles, “Dream big, but start small.”

I remind myself of my own experience with “good enough for now” and how starting small can lead to some really cool impact over time.

This photo is from early 2004 (wow more than 11 years ago!) when I led my very first Unfolding Your Life Vision “workshop” (my “MVP,” a small no-cost gathering of trusted friends at my house).  I continued to use the approach with individual clients and did more workshops (sometimes only with 2 people!!). Then 4 years later in 2008 I finally launched my first tangible product, the Unfolding Your Life Vision kit. And then it took another 3 years until I created my UYLV licensing program. Now we have hundreds of licensed Unfolding Your Life Vision facilitators around the world.

If I had tried to implement the entire big vision of having products plus licensed facilitators worldwide, the idea never would’ve gotten off the ground. Instead, it happened through a series of various “MVP’s” over several years.

Let this be an invitation to get your imperfect and unfinished ideas out there right away and test them. Allow things to unfold over time as you learn from each MVP.

So, what’s one small thing you can test now?

I cover this topic in more detail in my Product Development e-Course. If this concept has sparked your interest, come join my Multiple Moola-Making Methods video class , where I’ll share more about how an MVP can help you diversify your income and I’ll talk more about the course. Hope to see you there!

Are you looking for some hands-on focused support in your life or business?

Sometimes you just need someone in your court to guide you, motivate you, and show you the way toward making your visions a reality. You know that having focused attention tailored to your individual needs will help you cut to the chase faster than any group program or course could ever do.

My two wonderful Associate Coaches Sharon Tessandori and Susan Miller are at the ready to help get to where you want to go more quickly and with more ease (and fun!). Both of these ladies are valuable leaders in my flagship programs and they are both super savvy entrepreneurs who know what it takes to run 6-figure businesses.

I turn to these savvy entrepreneurial ladies to bounce ideas about my own business off of them. So, you can know that I trust these two immensely.

Imagine what could happen for you if you had the amazing chance to work with either of these awesome coaches on my team!

Plus, if you sign-up for your coaching package by August 23rd, you’ll save $50 off the full-pay option (use code: COACH50) and special bonus e-book bundle with goodies from both coaches valued at $39.

Meet our fabulous coaches:

If you’ve been around our tribe here for awhile, you may recognize Sharon Tessandori as my guest on CreativeLive in 2013 where she shared about her journey opening her successful yoga studio 10 years ago. She leads my RBBP Home Study group calls, does 1:1 coaching with some of our Mentorship Shining Stars, and has been part of the RBBP family since I made my launched my 1st RBBP e-book in 2008!

Susan Miller was a featured spotlight on one of my past video summits and has been part of my Mentorship Program and RBBP Licensing Program since 2012, so she knows the Right-Brain Business Plan inside and out. Susan is a certified coach, a licensed counselor, a PhD, and an artist who has 30+ years of experience running a business. Susan is a Circle Coach for our Mentorship Program and does 1:1 coaching with some of our Mentorship Shining Stars.

We have limited space for these special 1:1 packages with our amazing Associate Coaches, so if you’ve been yearning for more focused, individualized, and hands-on support in your life or business, grab your spot today!

By investing in yourself in this way, you’ll be well positioned to make the most of the rest of 2015.

If you’ve ever tried to learn a new skill, chances are you emulated people you admire – perhaps copying their style so that you could practice techniques.

Maybe you’re taking up tennis so you study a pro’s backhand. Or you’re starting your own business and look to role models for inspiration on your website design or way of writing. Or maybe you’re getting into painting, photography, sketching, or mixed media and are learning from luminaries in the field.

When you’re new to something, sure, it can be helpful to practice by following someone else’s look or style until you start to hone your own voice.

BUT what if you were able to tap into your own inner wisdom and authentic voice NOW? Without pretending to be someone else (even if you’re not intending to). Just think how empowering that would be.

That’s what I love about Intuitive Painting when it’s purely focused on process not product. With intuitive painting there is no agenda, no end-goal, no master piece for sale afterward, no techniques or skills to learn.

It’s just you, paint, brushes, paper and your muse. Instead of looking to someone else for the answers, you tune into your own inner wisdom. Just ask yourself what color and where and go from there.

You have the creative freedom to trust your own voice, move through your blocks, and express your emotions. There’s space for exploring the taboo, giving voice to the unspoken, befriending “ugly,” diving into your dark side, and also just having a blast.

Imagine if you could bring that same level of creative freedom to how you approach your business. To have full permission to run your business in your own way.

As a creative soul and someone who takes a stand for being uniquely you, I get disheartened when I see so much of the “same” thing online. Like when I look at certain hashtags and all of the pictures look so similar in style as if everyone’s taking the same classes. Or when I hear folks asking for the exact 10 steps to build their list or how many emails should they send out for their launch (and what exactly should the emails say)?

It can be tempting to just leverage templates, follow someone’s step-by-step technique, or rely on boiler plate designs because you think that with those resources you’re covered. That if you just do what everyone else is doing, you’ll achieve the same results. But here’s the thing. You’re your own unique creative being with your own unique voice and message. Boiler plate will only get you so far. At some point you need to think for yourself and trust your own voice.

Let go of what you “think you have to do” or are “supposed to look like” to be “successful.” Instead lean into your creative intuition and authentic expression – that’s where the real magic happens.

Be willing to say the thing that no one is saying, to paint the images that only you can paint, to run your business and live your life the way only YOU can. Sure it may feel scary, and even lonely at times, AND at some point you’ll start to attract your right peeps who resonate deeply with your unique message and offerings. Bravo to you for courageously carving your own path.

Guest post by by Cass Mullane, Accountability Coach, Right-Brain Business Plan® Licensed Facilitator, Prosper Creatively, LLC

Last month I wrote about adding a zero to your revenue streams to learn how to start thinking bigger about your business. This month I’d like you to add a zero to your Circle of Influence and start having a greater impact in your community.

Whether you think so or not, you already have a circle of influence. Think about the people you hang out with, work with, commune with… all are within your circle of influence. These are the people who listen to you and who you listen to.

Now I’d like you to expand your thinking and add a zero to that…

What I mean is, start identifying people you’d like to get to know, people that you respect and admire, people who are more successful, people who may even scare you a little bit. These are people who can help open doors for you. And these are people who can help you leap ahead in your business.

Let me give you an example. I have a delightful client who wanted to get to know a leader in her community who was a well-known public speaker, someone who was earning WAY more than she was and who had a network that was WAY bigger than hers. She was completely intimidated by this woman, yet admired what she’d done to engage her community and to grow her business. My client wanted to meet her, because she really wanted to play in her sandbox, but was scared to death even to say hello!

So, we set out a plan to get to know this leader. The first step was to follow her on social media and to start engaging online with likes, comments and shares. The second step was to do something helpful, to be of service to the woman my client wanted to meet. The third step was to invite her to connect more directly, in this case, since the woman was local, to have a cup of tea or, ideally, to attend a local event at which my client was speaking so she could see her in action.

Now, over the course of several months, my client worked diligently at building a relationship with the leader online. She commented, posted quality relevant content, shared regularly and began to receive comments back. Then the opportunity arose for my client to help the leader who had put out a request on Facebook for a handful of people to assist at an event. My client hopped on the chance to be of service.

What happened next was beautiful.

The leader made time to meet individually with the people who stepped up to help at the event. She thanked my client and told her that she was happy to put a face to the person she’d been interacting with online. Then she asked what she could do for my client.

My client screwed up her courage and said that she was a speaker and that she wanted to be considered for a breakout session at the leader’s fall event. The leader responded that she’d already booked all her speakers for the event. Then she went on to say that she already visited my client’s website (because she was intrigued by her quality posts and comments) and had another colleague who was looking for speakers for a similar event in the spring.

And that’s how my client got booked to speak in Scotland.

Now my client is receiving inquiries from booking agents and making inquiries of her own to speak at larger and larger events. She is building relationships with other speakers and growing her business by leaps and bounds.

That’s the benefit of expanding your thinking, doing the work and adding a zero to your circle of influence.

Cass Mullane is an artist with an MBA. Cass’ calm, comfortable approach consistently yields positive results for clients. Her business and personal coaching practice, www.ProsperCreatively.com, specializes in delivering solid left brain business skills to right brainers and creatives in a fun, visual way. She’s a best selling author, textile and mixed media artist and creator of the Cool Stuff Jar™ coaching program. You can also visit Cass on Facebook!