Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Amy Egenberger

I have a friend who is good at quoting me. She tosses back ideas, suggestions and bits of brilliance that I once gave her. As annoying as that can be, I’m learning to pay attention.

How well do you take your own advice?

We all carry wisdom. And it can be easier to apply to the lives of other people. Maybe it’s time to notice the fabulous ideas that come up, seemingly for other people, and ask how we can find those same notions helpful for ourselves, too.

Last night at a potluck dinner, I started chatting with Jay who owns an interesting creative eco-business. He is very committed to keeping it local, but he gets requests from around the country for his product. Jay chooses, however, to decline the business and instead honor his values for sustainable earth-friendly business practices (in this case no heavy dependency on fossil fuels to transport his goods long distances). Suddenly an idea popped into my head for how he could expand his outreach without added transportation!

Before I shared the idea, I asked him, “What is your vision for growth?” He said he had two. This made me think, “Do I have a vision for growth? Do I have two?” Much of my work, too, is based locally with in-person classes that provide meaningful support and opportunities for people to gather face-to-face in the same room. Sure, one possibility is to go virtual with more online offerings, but what else could I do? What’s another idea? In generating ideas for Jay about his plan, an idea arose that could apply to my own growth plans.

The practice is to really pay attention to the tips you have for others and try them on for yourself as well.

Another way to play with this phenomenon of mirrored back marvels is to take it inward.

What’s a dilemma you are facing right now? In your business, in your home life, take note of whatever challenge looms. Even write it down if that helps.

Then pause. In your minds eye, imagine that one of your dear friends or creative cohorts had this very problem. What would you suggest she do if she came to you for help? How can you do that for yourself? What resistance do you feel in your body, heart and mind upon hearing that guided direction? That is a real sweet spot to move yourself forward.

What is your best idea for others? How might that apply to your own situation? It takes courage, consciousness and a dose of humility to consider your own wise counsel.

Like looking in a multi-way mirror, you can allow all the good ideas and suggestions you see possible for others to bounce back into your court, too. Getting together with your creative cohorts, including folks in very different fields, is a great way to generate insight and cultivate new ways ahead that can benefit everyone in the conversation. Including you!

What of your own creative advice is worth taking today?

Making way for creative action, Amy Egenberger, MEd., CPCC, is proud to be a Licensed Facilitator of the Right Brain Business Plan®. She is a seasoned educator, life coach, artist and founder of Spirit Out! Coaching. Amy helps people find the courage and clarity to get moving on their creative path. A book, a business, a project, a change… your creative spirit gets out! Amy is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.

Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Cass Mullane

We’re competent, capable businesswomen. We have a myriad of skills and we know we can tackle most anything that’s put in front of us. We can research and learn about whatever we need to, and we know we can put that knowledge to use. However, just because we are capable of doing so many things does not mean we have to actually do everything! In fact, our competence often gets in our way. Instead of properly weighing the value of our time and our talents, we often choose to take the “quick and easy” route and decide to just whip things out ourselves. Probably not an optimal use of our time.

If you’re trying to do it all yourself, STOP IT!

Even if you’re fully capable of updating your own website, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best use of your time. Think about it… if you hired someone to upload changes and manage your site, then you would have a chunk of extra time to spend on tasks that only you can do, like meeting with clients, selling your products and services, or creating quality content.

Sounds pretty obvious, but getting some outside assistance with the tasks that other people can do makes good sense financially, mentally and in terms of growth. If there are tasks you dread (perhaps bookkeeping or adding business cards to your CRM), then take a look at finding someone who loves to do those jobs and give them the work. Then, make a point of focusing your energies on the tasks that you are best at. Ideally most of these tasks will be revenue generating so you can pay for your assistants and you can pay yourself!

If you immediately start to play the tape in your head that says you cannot afford someone to help, or you cannot pay someone to do what you can do yourself, here’s an exercise you can do right now that will make it crystal clear why you can and should pay someone else:

1. Write down every single task that you do in the next few days and how much time it takes.

2. Separate those tasks into two piles, one for tasks that only you can do and one for tasks that someone else can do.

3. Now review them. Let’s say you find that you spend a total of 15 minutes uploading content to your site or your blog in the morning and another 15 minutes in the afternoon. That’s 30 minutes each day, which adds up to 2.5 hours each week and 10 hours each month.

4. Now let’s say you took that 10 hours each month and focused the time exclusively on revenue generating activities that you’re really good at. Could be coaching your clients, marketing your products and services, creating content that only you can create, meeting people face to face, whatever it is, focus on doing that.

5. Figure out how much money could you bring in each month by spending those 10 hours on revenue generating activities. An extra few hundred? An extra few thousand?

6. Imagine how much better would you feel about doing your business without those tasks hanging over your head and keeping you from doing what you’re good at?

Now, here’s the kicker: let’s say you have five tasks like that each day. That totals up to 50 hours each month! What could you be doing with an extra 50 hours each month to generate revenue and to take better care of yourself and grow your business?

* Note: My brilliant friend Liz came up with this title. After we laughed our brains out, she gave me permission to use it. I have great creative cohorts!

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Cass Mullane’s 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 the author of Cool Stuff Jar which is slated for publication in Spring 2014. You can also visit Cass on Facebook. Cass is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.”

Name: Sarah Deragon
Company Name: Portraits to the People
Website: www.portraitstothepeople.com
Blog: Blog
Twitter handle: @sarahderagon
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PortraitsToThePeople
Instagram:@sarahderagon
Pinterest:www.pinterest.com/sarahderagon

Note from Jenn: At the start of the year, I had the pleasure of doing a photoshoot with the super talented Sarah Deragon of Portraits to the People. I first met Sarah a few years ago at a creative gathering and was delighted to hear from her how reading the Right-Brain Business Plan helped her take the leap into full-time entrepreneurship. And wow, has her photography business totally taken off! Check out some of her fabulous and colorful “not so corporate” headshots (including one of mine!) below and learn about how creativity and intuition have helped Sarah grow her business. Plus Sarah shares a bit about her new personal photography project that is all sorts of awesome!

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I run a portrait photography business in San Francisco with my wife. We have a lot of cool things that make us unique: we’re a woman owned and operated small business, we created the “not so corporate” headshot, we built our own website and have worked to find a bunch of interesting locations around San Francisco to take our clients for photoshoots. I also do studio work now too, yeah!

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 was the most wonderful road map for success that I could’ve ever imagined. As a photographer, I’m an extremely visual person and creating a visual representation for the goals I wanted to achieve was very inspiring. I read the RBBP when I was working at a full time day job and I can honestly say that it was the catalyst for me starting my own business. After reading the book, this overwhelming “starting my own business thing” was suddenly quite manageable and I was elated! I was also inspired to start a Success Squad after reading this book and this monthly meeting of creative ladies was instrumental to me quitting my job and becoming the successful business that we are today!

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

I’m lucky that I get to tap into my creative intuition every day being a photographer. I’ve always considered myself a creative and intuitive person and now with running my own business, I see how much tapping into those two things have contributed to the success of our business. My intuition has taken me to crazy exciting places and using it on a daily basis has helped me get rid of fear in my business dealings. If I have an idea or come up with a new package – I push it out there because seriously, what’s the worst thing that can happen? You can learn a lot by something being a complete failure, ha!

What’s your big vision for your business?

My big vision for my business is that I continue to have the opportunity to work with other creative professionals like Jennifer Lee. I love photographing entrepreneurs, life coaches, makers, authors and other creative small business owners! They truly understand the importance of having a stellar photo that reflects who they are. Photoshoots with these folks are truly my favorite!

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Advice for other creative entrepreneurs:

1. Start your own Success Squad! I found this monthly meeting with other entrepreneurs one of the keys to my success the first year I ran my business. We cheered each other on, had conversations about pricing, figured out our own social media recipes and were there to push one another in a loving and supportive way.

2. Stop looking at what other people in your field are doing. I know it is hard, but to create your own brand/biz, you really have to focus.

3. Silence the inner critic. Yeah, this one is hard!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

In January, I launched my first ever personal photography project called The Identity Project. It is a photo project for the LGBTQ community that seeks to explore the labels that we choose to identity with when defining our gender and sexuality. I’m currently accepting participants and folks can become part of the project by sending in a form through my website!

First photo – Photo Credit: Jessica Zollman
Rest of the images are: Photo by Portraits To The people

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.

You can see more of the portraits from our Hayes Valley photo shoot here.

Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Laura Burns

What if you didn’t charge your clients for your services, but instead let them choose how much to pay? A little scary, huh? Meet Adrian Hoppel, a Philadelphia web designer who quit his soul-crushing job to create an intuitively positive business where he lets his clients ‘gift’ him with payment they feel is appropriate. You can read the full article over on the Huffington Post.

If you’re not ready to ditch the invoices and move to a barter economy just yet, there are still plenty of ways to adopt a similar philosophy. Adrian’s motivation was that he hated feeling “awful, hollowed out and bitter” every day at his corporate job. Many of us are familiar with feeling this way, and sometimes even those of us with our own business can begin to feel that negativity and inauthenticity again. For those looking to create more of that positive environment in their current work life, here are a two ideas to think about.

Just say no
Like Adrian, don’t be afraid to turn down jobs from people and organizations you don’t respect. I left my previous career to create a business that felt honorable and positive, and one of my biggest rules is that I only work with the clients I respect and enjoy. It was scary at first, but once I stopped letting the fear of not having enough clients guide my actions I found that my perfect clients came out of the woodwork and found me.

When business is slow it can be tempting to take any job you can get, but in some cases that can be damaging. If you immediately get bad vibes from a person or a business, it’s best to politely decline the job and save yourself the negativity and potential unhappiness of working with people you don’t like. It’s likely that you created your own business because you wanted a more authentic and happy work life, so picking clients and customers who creep you out, are patronizing, or otherwise really don’t fit your idea of a perfect customer – is crazy.

Now for a one-time or short-term project, working with a client outside your comfort area or perfect customer profile may not harm you. However, making a practice of taking business that doesn’t feel right can get in the way of living your life the way you want. Also, when you accept too many jobs from people outside your target market you run the risk of establishing your reputation and referral base among the wrong group of people!

Increase your available payment options
We all take payment for our businesses in different ways, and you know what works best for your biz. Some of us work off of contracts and invoices, while others whip out their smart phones and take credit card payments on site. No matter how you choose to receive payment, there are options beyond the traditional. I’ve found in my own personal business that having a variety of payment options has helped me feel emotional fulfilled and allowed me to remain true to my core self’s desire for generosity and flexibility. Three of my favorite alternative payment options are listed below. I have adopted all three of these in my business, and it has really worked out for me. I’ve found that implementing these three options has given me the ability to work with ‘my people’ and still be able to pay my bills. While you may not feel these are right for you, try to be open to the ideas here and contemplate how it would feel to accept payment with these methods.

Sliding scale: Create a sliding scale of your services/products and prices. This allows you to still work with the people and organizations with whom you’ve established yourself, but opens up space for those who previously could not afford your work. By expanding your client/customer base you can gain perspective and create accessibility for other deserving clients.

Installments: One of my favorite changes I made in the first year of my business was to allow people to pay in multiple installments. This is an accessible way for people to pay in a way that works for both sides. You still get the fee that you need in order to run your business and turn a profit, but your customer gets to avoid the stress of paying a large amount of money that might be difficult for them to pay all at once. Not every client will need this option, but I love having it available so that my services are accessible for everyone. This change in how I agree to accept payment has revolutionized my business. I’m now able to work with those creative minds who would have previously been intimidated away by the price tag.

Name your own price days: This payment option has been picking up steam the last few years – I’m seeing more and more independent businesses adopt versions all the time. The basic premise is that you pick a day and let people choose what they want to pay for your work. You choose your specific product or service and open it up for people to pay based on what they can afford/how they value your work. There are numerous articles online with anecdotal and scientific evidence that when people are allowed to name their own price, they’ll pay more when they perceive the quality of work is high. Of course some will lowball, but the majority will exceed what you would have charged in the first place! These ‘name your own price days’ are also great marketing tools and can help you get attention for a product or service you’re wanting to promote.

You don’t have to do a full Adrian maneuver and move to a barter economy to make your business feel more authentic. There are always changes you can make that will allow more of your core values to shine through and attract your perfect customer. Don’t be afraid to try out new methods, even on a trial period, to see if your notice a difference in your business. You never know what will work for you unless you try it – and the changes possible can lead to a more authentic and positive work life!

I help heart-forward businesses create thoughtfully crafted plans for growth and sustainability. I love to inspire people to think critically, dream big, and clear out the cobwebs to let in the light and the joy! Wanna leave your soul-crushing job to start your own business? Check out my new book, Work Life Revolution! Laura Burns is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.

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

Balance is like Unicorn, we know they exist but have never seen one. Turn on the tv, radio, podcast or jump onto Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. You’ll eventually hear the word balance. We all want, need and desire it but do we really know what it is?

I made a To Doodle (things “To Do” in doodle form) because this topic interest me. The top represent subjects that can be on our mind at any given time. Notice the word balance in disarray tumbling onto the umbrella called “plans,” how vivid.

Maybe I should start at the beginning:
Balance is not…

• Perfection – I call this the Martha Effect, when we confuse our ability to be flexible with someone else’s ideas. You’re out of alignment with your authentic self because you’re living up to another person’s expectations.

• Romance – This is the Prince Charming Effect, if I had the right partner/lover everything will work itself out. Not! Our childhood exposure to damsels in distress and needing a prince is so nineteen-fifties . Yikes! (By the way “Happy Valentines Day.”)

• Cash-flow – Also known as the Hollywood Effect, because we convince ourselves that money equals balance. Which is so far from the truth because Hollywood is full of imbalance, scandal and stress.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Balance is…

• Being flexible with your time and projects because we all live in the real world and “Life” happens. And if you’re married or have children the best thing to do for yourself is to let go of unrealistic expectations.

• Practice self-care because health loss is difficult to regain. Remember your BFF (best friend forever) is your body. It’s ability to handle stress or drastic changes is connected to your health.

• Being proactive. No I’m not talking about the facial cleanser but your ability to plan ahead. For instance you know that taxes are due April 15th so get them ready early. Procrastination will throw you into imbalance, sometimes leading to stress or depression. Be proactive, it’s more attractive.

Until my next post, discover your own path to balance and live everyday as if it was on purpose.

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.

Name:  Kiala Givehand
Company Name: Giving Hands Creative
Website: www.kialagivehand.com
Blog: Blog
Twitter handle: @kialagivehand
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KialaGivehand
YouTube: givinghandscreative – Book-in-a-Day videos

Note from Jenn: I can’t say enough about how I adore this woman! Kiala Givehand and I met in person for the first time when she came to my Right-Brain Business Plan® facilitator training in 2012. I was struck by her grounded energy, wisdom, and creative spirit. She inspires me with all that she does in her creativity coaching business, with her literary magazine, and her amazing book arts. Over the past couple of years I’ve gotten to know Kiala better as I coached her at the Shining Star level in my Mentorship Program, leaned on her to be an early reviewer of my second book, and got to witness the birth of her first tangible product – her Mixed Media Inspiration Deck. I admire how Kiala takes what she learns and makes her big visions real.

Kiala is facilitating the upcoming 8-week RBBP e-Course which starts on Monday, February 3rd. There’s still time to grab a seat and get hands-on guidance from this incredible leader.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

Giving Hands Creative is a creative ventures company dedicated to helping women and couples rediscover their innate creativity. Using a philosophy of self-empowerment through creative action, I work to provide various spaces for women to expand, grow, and live more fully. I plan, host, and facilitate creative workshops and retreats, provide one-on-one, short term creativity coaching, and guide women in small groups of collaborative creative sessions designed to nurture and support the creative process. And I create tools to inspire and promote creativity.

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 gave me tools that were both creative and functional. After years of reading traditional business books on how to write a business plan, I finally found a book that spoke my language and provided the necessary steps to get started, move forward, and experience success along the way. Using the RBBP helped me lay the foundation for my business, focus on the products and services I want to offer, identify and reach my perfect customer, and actually see forward movement in a matter of months. I’ve always wanted to share my gifts and talents with the world, but I didn’t know where to begin. The RBBP gave me the guidance I needed to move my business from a dream to a reality. It’s the best business investment I’ve made.

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

I launched my first product, The Mixed Media Inspiration Deck™ in December 2013.

I launched online workshops in art journaling, bookmaking, and mixed media art.

I successfully planned and hosted my first live bookmaking workshop in May 2013.

I completed a year-long project called Book-in-a-Day where I created a handmade book each week and did it in one day while video taping the process. Then I shared it on YouTube. There are 52 one-of-a-kind books as a result of this project.

I revamped my website to include an online store and integrated blog.

I started an online creative community — givinghands.ning.com where other creatives can “hang out” and share their love for creating.

My list numbers more than tripled within a year.

In May 2014 I launch my first 4-month Empowerment Group for women who want to grow creatively.
and on and on…

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

My work is all about creative intuition so I’ve learned to listen to my gut/muse when making both logistical and creative decisions. I’ve learned to trust myself more and to go with what feels right for the mission I am trying to fulfill. I pay attention to what I need as a creative and think about how other creatives might need the same things. That is how I was able to create the Mixed Media Inspiration Deck™ — I followed my intuition.

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?

Yes. The first RBBP I created was a hard cover accordion book (similar to the one Jennifer shares in her book). But because I am a bookmaker, I eventually created a RBBP that reflects the kind of interactive books I love making, so my 2014 RBBP is a foldout lapbook with multiple panels and pockets. It is hand painted to reflect the kind of work I do as a mixed media artist and includes several places for journaling (to appeal to the writer in me). This 2014 version is made from regular manila file folders and features acrylic paints and inks.

What’s your big vision for your business?

My big vision is two-fold. Vision 1 is to host writing and art retreats for women and/or creative couples where I teach alongside other artists who share my love for building community, inspiring creative action in others, and living a life full of growth and giving. These retreats will focus on self-empowerment through a variety of creative activities, like, writing, photography, drawing, painting, and of course, bookmaking, while also offering meditation, yoga and lots of laughter.

Vision 2 is where I coach/mentor small, collaborative groups of women who want to empower their lives with creative action. I will work with 8 – 10 women for 4-months at a time using the same approach I’ve been using for years to help keep me inspired to create and to live creatively in the midst of everyday life. The RBBP has helped me see how this big vision can become a reality.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

As creatives, we tend to live in our heart-centered spaces most of the time, so we often miss the mark when it comes to growing our businesses. Even if we create a traditional business plan, we typically stop there, thinking that is enough, but it’s not. At some point, we have to move our dreams of business success into an actual plan. Eventually we must work that plan into reality. The RBBP shows you how to take your dream from your heart to the paper. The playsheets and other tools go one step further and help make your dreams real.

For more support with developing your RBBP, join Kiala and me for the Right-Brain Business Plan® e-course starting on February 2nd. You’ll get 3 live group calls with Kiala, live group accountability chats, and more!

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.