With 2015 in full swing, it’s a great time to clarify your vision and goals for the year. One of my favorite practices is to revisit my Right-Brain Business Plan®. While I don’t make one every year (because it usually takes some time for my dreams to manifest), it does seem like every other year is the sweet spot for me. And I was due for one this year. I’ve been using this method since I made my first RBBP in 2007 and have since built my multi-6 figure business based on this right-brain approach.

If you want to make your own, you can join is in the Right-Brain Business Plan® Home Study.

Here are some highlights of the goals I’ve reached from these past RBBPs…

From 2007 RBBP: doubled my income, achieved target number of coaching clients, led workshops, created products, made TV appearances, hired a bookkeeper, got my yoga teacher certification

From 2009 RBBP: landed my first book deal, set up an integrated e-commerce and e-mail management system, led first of many RBBP e-courses, hired first VA, got my Expressive Arts Intuitive Painting teacher certification

From 2011 RBBP: launched first book The Right-Brain Business Plan, led first Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit, launched my RBBP Kit, launched Right-Brain Business Plan® licensing program, launched Unfolding Your Life Vision® licensing program, launched my Mentorship Program in 2012, hit 6-figures

From 2013 RBBP: Hit multiple-6 figures, landed book deal for second book Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way, was one of the first business teachers on Creative Live, spoke at Emerging Women where I shared the stage with the likes of Elizabeth Gilbert, Brene Brown, and Alanis Morrissette, grew my RBBP community and team, moved to a new house and focused more on home, started to explore RBBP licensing program for non-profits, launched second book, redesigned my websites, brought on Associate Coaches, expanded Mentorship Program to include in-person Shooting Star level and led retreat at my home, launched the Product Development Playground e-Course

2015 and beyond RBBP: My latest RBBP focuses on a continuing theme of health, home, and happiness so that the success of my business helps to nourish my personal life even more. I want to simplify and streamline our infrastructure so we can embrace more ease. And that in turn will help my team and I better serve our growing community and also focus on being more strategic. I want us to do more with less and still rock it out! I’ve also been dreaming of having a studio space where I can do my big intuitive paintings, host in-person mastermind retreats, and invite other awesome teachers to lead creative workshops. I know it would feed my inner muse and I like that it brings more of a face-to-face, local touch to our virtual world. Not sure if it will happen this year but I’m holding the intention lightly. Most of all, I want to have fun, spaciousness, and to keep making a positive impact on our family of RBBPers.

We’d love to have you join our RBBP family with our flagship course that will help you kick-off the year with a plan that makes your heart sing!

Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator and Associate Coach Kiala Givehand David Blaikie (from flickr)

Last month I wrote about the importance of knowing your perfect customer and gathering as many details about them as you possibly can in order to help your business thrive. You can read that post here

At the end of that blog post, I mentioned that even as you try to hone in on who your perfect customer is, it’s important that you don’t narrow in so much that you leave yourself with only a few people who can benefit from your services. So on the one hand, you really want to get clear on who your customers are, and on the other hand, you want to have a broad enough customer base that you can stay in business.

Yes! Many creative entrepreneurs start out casting a wide net in hopes of finding customers and clients, only to realize over time that many of the people following or subscribing aren’t actually their perfect customers. How do you know if someone is not your perfect customer? Well, there are several telltale signs, but let’s look at the two most common:

FREEBIE OVERLOAD — Let’s start with the customer who wants everything for free. These are the people who load up on the freebies you offer, but as soon as you start to charge for your offerings, they unsubscribe from your list, give you a thumbs down on YouTube, or send you emails telling you that they are so disappointed to see that you are no longer giving away your time, expertise, and knowledge.

It’s tough seeing folks unsubscribe, but you have to stay true to your values and your personal goals for your business. This is a hard one for heart-centered entrepreneurs because we really want to be of service to others and we really hate rejection. But we must remember that our perfect customers are the ones who see value in what we offer and are willing to pay us for it, not the ones who only want the freebies. If your list is filled with people in this category, it’s time to start doing some serious work to help you get clear on your ideal customer. Otherwise, you could be spending a good amount of time, energy, and resources on the creation of freebies or products that no one will ever buy.

READY OR NOT? Another way to know that someone is not your perfect customer is when they tell you that they really, really, really want to…take your class, sign up for your program, join your membership community, buy your products, etc…but they can’t because they just don’t have the money right now or they don’t have the time to invest. Those are valid and honest reasons for a lot of people and it simply means they aren’t your perfect customers right now. Maybe they will be down the road, but remember, your perfect customers are the ones that can and will pay you, even if they have to do it in installments or at a later date.

You don’t have to give up on these customers, instead, you should continue to put your energy into giving value to your community and the right people will find their way to you and when they do, they will be ready to work with you!

Creating a profile of your perfect customer is something you should do periodically so that you are always aware of who you want to work with. One part of that work is knowing as much as you can about them, and the other part is knowing which customers are not your customers. If you can figure out both ends of the spectrum, you will be well on your way to creating a thriving business that you love.

When was the last time you revisited your perfect customer portrait?

Kiala Givehand, EdS, MFA, MA is the founder of Giving Hands Creative, Generations Literary Press, and HowToArtJournal.com. She has a unique perspective on what it means to be a multi-passionate business owner. As an empowerment & accountability coach for creative female entrepreneurs, introverts, writers, & artists, Kiala uses her fierce energy to help her clients identify and embrace their gifts so they can empower their lives with passion and intentional success. You can visit her on her Website. Kiala is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators and a Right Brain Business Plan Associate Coach.

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Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Ho’omalamalama Brown

As a creative I am inspired by so many things and often distracted by so many more.
I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for my weekly schedule. I’m old-school and
still prefer writing it out with coordinating colors for matching categories, not to mention
sticky notes. Whatever your style keep it up, it’s like gold in your hands.

Let me clarify, your ideas are valuable and by plugging it into a schedule you are
insuring a profitable return. A schedule becomes a refinery that melts tiny details into a
bar of golden opportunities. The best part is that each step gets you closer to achieving
your big goal. Let’s break down the parts of a good schedule…

1. Allows you to plan long and short term goals.
2. Able to break down larger task into manageable steps.
3. Weekly, monthly & yearly views.
4. Digital or written you still need a way to set project deadlines or reminders.
Turn your ideas into profit one step at a time. PEACE be the Journey – Ho’o

Enlighten and brighten is the Hawaiian translation of Ho’omalamalama. As a performing artist and instructor of Polynesian culture Ho’o (ho-Oh) found her calling in the health and wellness realm. Today she extends that light into creative coaching utilizing the RBBP method, an effective way to help other creative entrepreneurs succeed. You can find Ho’o here: http://www.hoomalamalama.com/
Ho’o is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.

Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator and Associate Coach Kiala Givehand Photo credit: Patrícia Almeida

Have you ever created an offering or a product that you just knew was going to be a big hit with your audience but it bombed? Maybe you’ve written multiple blog posts but felt like you were talking to yourself. Well, you aren’t alone. Many creative business owners find themselves working, sharing, tweeting, posting and creating with no interaction from their customers (or potential customers). There are many reasons why this happens, but one of the most recurring reasons is that the business owner hasn’t figured out the real, nitty-gritty details about their perfect customer.

Yes! Most right-brained entrepreneurs have an idea of who they want to work with, but the beauty is in the details. For example, what does it really mean to say you want to work with women who haven’t figured out they are creative? That only tells me two things about your perfect customers – they are women and they don’t know they are creative. Or what about listing your perfect customers as “women in transition”? What woman isn’t in transition in some area of her life? You get my point right? These are much too general and will have the business owner spending too much time, energy, and money trying to reach an audience that they know very little about.

To get more specific you can start to think about what age group these women are in, as well as where they live, work, and play. You might consider what has kept them from knowing they are creative. It helps to think about where they shop and what they spend their money on. How much money do they make in a year? How much of that is disposable income? Do they have kids? Grandkids? What kind of jobs do they have? What do they currently do in their spare time? What do they read? Where do they get recommendations about products they are considering? What problem are you solving for them? And on and on and on.

Really getting to know your perfect customer helps you in multiple areas of your business. Here are a few…

1) Knowing the details about your perfect customer gives you a more specific target audience so that you aren’t trying to be all things to all people.

2) When you know as much about your perfect customer as you can, you are more able to market directly to their pain (and pleasure) points.

3) Understanding the habits, beliefs, fears, and strengths of your perfect customer can help you develop the kinds of offers they need and want. It keeps you from creating a product that only a few people will find useful.

4) As you blog, write, and create materials to educate your audience, knowing their behaviors can give you a special kind of insight into what will speak directly to them. You will learn to use the right language to excite them, motivate them, and encourage them to work with you.

5) You can save time by knowing where and when to focus your social media efforts, your marketing dollars, and your energies around trying to build a community of people who are eager to experience the work you do.

As you build your tribe of perfect customers – the ones who are right now, out there waiting for the gifts, talents, and passions that only you can share with them – remember to go deep into the details of who they are and what problems you are solving for them. This will make a major difference in the way you show up in the world as a business owner and will help you find your right people, establish a relationship with them, and nurture the ones who want to be in community with you.

Of course it is possible to have so many details about your perfect customer that you end up only having about 20 people on the planet who fit the description. I’ll talk about this in part two of this series next month. Until then, tell me…who are your perfect customers and what problem are you solving for them?

Kiala Givehand, EdS, MFA, MA is the founder of Giving Hands Creative, Generations Literary Press, and HowToArtJournal.com. She has a unique perspective on what it means to be a multi-passionate business owner. As an empowerment & accountability coach for creative female entrepreneurs, introverts, writers, & artists, Kiala uses her fierce energy to help her clients identify and embrace their gifts so they can empower their lives with passion and intentional success. You can visit her on her Website. Kiala is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators and a Right Brain Business Plan Associate Coach.