You either love ’em or hate ’em. I’m not a fan of the avocado. Or at least I haven’t been up until not that long ago. You see, I find them kinda gross – the mushy texture, and the reptilian, bumpy green skin. (Sorry, if you’re an avocado aficionado!).

Despite my aversion to this green power food, I know that avocados are good for me. So, I tricked myself by hiding them in my morning smoothies. They sure add lots of creaminess and extra nutrition. While I would never eat an avocado alone, I may stop picking them out of my California rolls, and I for sure will continue having them as smoothie companions.

Learning to get along with a food I once despised has helped me realize that I don’t have to avoid things I thought I “hated” in business and in life. In fact, that’s just an old story I’ve been telling myself and I had been missing out! So here are some ideas to help you try something new:

• Make it palatable. Blueberries and squeeze of agave nectar help to mask the avocado taste and tell-tale green tint. If there’s something you don’t like doing, what’s a way to make it more appealing to you? Hate using spreadsheets? How about adding fun colors, fonts, and even graphics. I do that to mine and it makes them a whole lot easier to look at!
• Make it a game. The more I experiment with my smoothie recipes, the more I learn about how to tell when an avocado is ripe and what the best avocado to banana ratio is for optimum richness. By making it a game, I’ve stayed engaged and gotten to know my “tools.” I find that to be the case, too, when I’m doing things like budgeting or pricing. If I stick with it long enough and look at it like a game, I can start to feel more comfortable with all the variables and I can often find more creative solutions.
• Invite others to play with you. I started to take pictures of my smoothies and avocados and sharing them on Instagram. I was amazed to hear how many other people put avocados in their smoothies and how fellow avocado haters were willing to try it in their smoothies, too. I felt supported in my new avocado adventures! It reminded me of the camaraderie that developed as creative souls who disliked the traditional way of doing business came together during my Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit.

So, I’m curious, what’s your “avocado”? And how can you start to make friends with it this week?

“Ask yourself how you want to feel when you’ve completed your business plan?” – Danielle LaPorte author of The Fire Starter Sessions

During her guest interview on the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit, Danielle LaPorte invited us to ask ourselves how we wanted to feel after the session and after doing our business plans. Then she encouraged us write it out in a stream of consciousness and do whatever we needed to do to feel that way.

This is a great inquiry to ask when you start anything. It helps you set an intention for your experience. How do you want to feel at the end of today? What do you need to do to make that happen?

For Right-Brain Boosters on steroids, check out the multimedia library of interviews and discussions from the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit.

Take one dose of Right-Brain Booster as needed to enhance your creative intuition.

(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

I’m super excited to let you know that the Right-Brain Business Plan™ Kit is available for pre-order now! If you’ve been wanting to put together your own Right-Brain Business Plan, but haven’t figured out how you want to do it, this kit has the supplies you need to make a fun and inspiring visual plan. Grab the book, get the kit, and bust out your magazines, scissors, glue, and markers and you’re ready to go. Kits will ship out around May 7th.

Check out this fun and informative video of Tara Gentile giving a presentation on The Dare of DIY at Etsy.

A great Creative Business Toolbox post from artist Christine Mason Miller about licensing your art.

“Slow down.” – Pam Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation

During her guest appearance on the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit, Pam Slim showed us this great gift she received from author Patti Digh. It’s a small, artsy tile that says “slow down” and Pam said that looking at it helps calm her down when she’s feeling a bit out of touch or is spinning.

How can you create a touchstone to remind you to slow down? Maybe it’s a rock from outside to remind you to stop and ground. Or a photo that inspires you to pause and take a deep breath. When I’m feeling like I’m in a tizzy, I love to listen to India Arie’s fabulous song “Slow down.”

For more Left-Brain Chill Pills, check out the multimedia library of interviews and discussions from the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit.

Take one dose of Left-Brain Chill Pill as needed to quiet your judging mind.

Here is the last part of the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit Q&A from the chat logs. Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

Q: How can you justify hiring people for things you’re not good at (e.g. accountant, etc) when you’re not really making money yet?
A: This can certainly feel like a chicken and egg situation. Here are a few ways to look at this. First, prioritize who you hire. Right out of the gate I chose to invest in an accountant because you can’t avoid taxes and I wanted to make sure they were getting done right. He also helped set up my Quickbooks. I didn’t hire a bookkeeper or virtual assistant until about three years into doing my business full-time, although, I could’ve probably invested in these services sooner. If you’re needing any legal assistance, hiring a lawyer is a good idea. I didn’t hire one until 2010, prior to that I made due with the less expensive LegalZoom.com and TMExpress.com. Also, realize that you do need to spend some money to make some money. For example, I hired Jeremie Miller to help with the webinar. It was an upfront cost, but I made that back and much more through doing the summit, and I couldn’t have done the summit without his expert involvement. So think of it as an investment if it’s toward something that can bring in a profit. If you need to hire someone but are short on funds, you can consider working with students, interns, or someone just getting started whose rates may be lower.

The next place to look is the statement about “not really making money yet.” Ask yourself what are some ways you can start bringing in money now, even if your business is brand new. If you know there’s someone you need to hire, set that amount (plus a little more) for an income goal. For example, when I knew I needed to hire a lawyer to help do some trademark work and agreements, I decided to run another e-course to help cover the costs.

Q: Do you and Kate Prentiss (your graphic designer) have a formal business agreement?
A: Yes, Kate and I create formal business agreements for our projects, typically a work for hire agreement (here’s an example of one) and a project estimate. For our first couple of projects we were a bit more casual, but now it’s helpful to be clear about expectations about deliverables, payments, ownership, etc. and to have it officially in writing. And we still make sure we keep lines of communication open if things are taking longer than anticipated.

Q: How do you balance working on your biz. with doing your own creative work? What is your daily schedule normally, Jenn? Your most creative time?
A: My business is a wonderful outlet for my creativity, so I feel like I get to express that in most of what I do. I’ve designed my work and my life to honor my creativity so I don’t necessarily feel like I have to balance between the two in that sense. For smaller, personal creative outlets, I enjoy taking pics on my iPhone, doing a doodle every know and then, and sometimes going to painting class.

In terms of my daily schedule, it actually varies day to day. You can read about my morning routine in Goddess Leonie’s How to be a Morning Goddess free Goddessfesto. During the late morning/afternoon I might coach, write, work on projects, or plan. I take breaks throughout the day. I’d say my most creative time is probably in the afternoon at about 3 or 4 and then sometimes in the very middle of the night. But then there are times I can be highly creative because I’ve just sat my butt down to do the work. And what helps with that is using the application Concentrate – it’s how I wrote my book!

Q: Do you do separate RBBP plans for different aspects of a business, like a book?
A: I have a Right-Brain Business Plan for my business and I did create separate pieces of an RBBP for my book because there were certain things like the business landscape and getting the word out that were more specific to the book. You can certainly do separate RBBPs for different aspects of your business. Instead of taking a deep dive on all of the sections, you might want to focus on the pieces of the plan that make the most sense. For example, the Business Landscape is a good exercise to do for different offerings to make sure you’re clear about what customer needs you’re meeting and how you can stand apart from your peers. You might have specific getting the word out and managing the moola goals, too.