This morning creative souls from around the world gathered for the first of 5 Greatest Hits encore replays from the past 3 Right-Brainers in Business Video Summits. We just couldn’t wait until the big event in 2014 when my 2nd book comes out to connect live with you guys, so now we have opportunities every other Wednesday through March to meet up in the chat room.

If you missed today’s replay of Danielle LaPorte’s “vintage” interview with me back in February 2011, it’s definitely worth catching. Sign-up here to watch the replay and to get access to the other 4 popular interviews we’ll share through March 26th.

In today’s live part, I shared my 5 Core Desired Feelings that I uncovered using Danielle’s awesome new book The Desire Map.

Plus, I shared an exciting announcement. We are offering a facilitator-led Right-Brain Business Plan® e-Course starting on February 3rd and you can get in for the lowest-ever price of $97 if you grab your spot NOW through Friday, January 24th at 9pm PST.

One of my star RBBP facilitators, Kiala Givehand, will be there to guide you through the 8-weeks of videos from me, to support you with the exercises for each key piece of your plan, and to answer your burning questions.

Plus, she’ll be leading 3 live group coaching calls and some catalyst chat sessions so you’ll have live touchpoints with an expert RBBP leader throughout the entire program. You will be in good hands with this incredible woman!

Make sure to grab your spot now in the e-Course for the super, affordable rate of $97 before it goes back up to the already low price of $147 after this Friday.

And if you missed our live Greatest Hits session today, sign-up here to catch the Greatest Hits replay and to make sure you get the reminders about the other 4 awesome speakers that I’ll be reprising in the coming weeks.

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

Ok, it’s time to do the admin: update the website, get the social media done, add all those business cards to the mailing list, write and format the newsletter, enter the expenses and the receipts, lock down the logistics for the next event, print the handouts, upload the videos, design a new business card, post the blog, set up the calendar, and on and on and on!

How often do you sit down to do the administrative tasks related to your business and wonder, “Why am I doing this?!”

You all know the value of surrounding yourself with good people. We’re regularly reminded how smart it is and how healthy it is. Jennifer Lee calls all these people “Creative Cohorts” and I think that’s a wonderful term.

So, who’s on your team? Which of your Creative Cohorts supports you with the administrative work? Whether you’re a new business owner or you’ve had a business for years, you need to find quality people to help you get the things done that can lead your business to success. Your first step is to take a look at what you really need to outsource and figure out how much that might cost you to hire someone to do that work.

“But I can’t afford to hire anyone.” Reality check: If you’re really serious about kicking your business into gear, you cannot afford not to hire someone! Your goal here is to dedicate more of your precious time to revenue generating activities and less to non-revenue generating activities, like admin tasks.

Let’s say you want to outsource eight hours a month of the basic administrative tasks and your assistant will cost you $20/hr. That’s $160 you need to come up with to get these tasks done by someone other than you.

Here’s one way you can pay for it: Redirect your spending. This week you will likely find the money to buy coffee/tea ($10), to go to lunch ($15), to pick up extra supplies ($50), to go out to dinner ($25), to buy some stuff online ($50), and the list goes on. What if you spend your money on administrative help instead? When you add up just these few things, that’s about $150. You’re already almost to your $160 goal and you haven’t done anything except redirect where you currently spend your money.

Now take a look at what you spend on automatically billed recurring charges, like online or print subscriptions and monthly memberships, and identify what you no longer need or use. Cancel the unneeded recurring charges and that could yield another $40 or more per month. Now you can start to see a solution to a real business need. Won’t $190 buy you some support on the admin side this month?

So make a plan in 2014 to go out and hire professionals who specialize in doing the admin tasks you don’t like to do. Figure out what admin tasks are best delegated, estimate how much it will cost to hire your admin assistant and identify where you can redirect your spending to make it all happen! When you hire the right people, they’re doing what they love so they’ll more likely do a good job for you plus they’ll do it more efficiently. The benefit to you: extra hours each month to spend doing what you do best.

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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.”

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

Have you heard the term, “Impostor Syndrome”? There was a lot of internet chatter about the term in 2013 – it showed up in everything from Facebook posts to articles in newspapers across the country. Still, some of us missed hearing about it AND some of us need a reminder that we’re suffering from it.

Impostor Syndrome is the feeling that you’re not as good or as smart as other people think you are – that you’re just really good at faking it, that you’ve been lucky to get where you are and that one day someone will discover the truth.

In other words, Impostor Syndrome is about feeling that everyone else is better than you.

It’s an unpleasant mental space to be in, and I’m willing to bet that you’ve been there or are there right now. The kicker is that when you’re deep in Imposter Syndrome you unconsciously send signals out to your clients that say, “Don’t hire me! Don’t work with me! You can find someone more competent than I am.”

I know this because I’ve been there, too. I’ve had my moments of wondering if I’m really providing the value that I say I am. Whether my clients feel they are getting the best services possible. I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on that self-destructive feeling and to recognize the ways in which I advertise it in every word and gesture. I’d like to say I’m perfectly well-adjusted now but self-doubt still creeps in. It’s just that I’ve learned how to identify the telltale signs and squash them before they get in the way of doing the job I know I can do.

Here’s one way we sabotage ourselves when we’re suffering from Imposter Syndrome. Do you recognize this behavior from your life? How might it be affecting your clients when you say this particular word?

“Easy”

The lesson here is simple: just because a job is easy for you to complete doesn’t mean anyone can do it.

People who are experts in their field have spent years learning and honing skills that the average person does not have. Whatever your field, you’ve studied it, practiced it, immersed yourself in it and have gotten where you are through hard work.

Many of us feel guilty for charging someone for our expertise, forgetting that it’s easy work for us because we are experts who’ve spent years attaining the level of knowledge we have. We’re quick to reassure clients that a particular job or task was easy. The client takes away that the job was no big deal, and then has trouble understanding why the bill is what it is. The crux of the issue is this:- maybe it is easy – for us. But our clients would not be able to do it themselves. And that’s worth hiring us for.

We don’t need to apologize or undercharge for something that’s easy for us. It’s easy because of all the hard work we put in to learn. Not because it’s easy.

If you find yourself telling your customers that any part of the job that you perform for them is easy, you’re sending out a signal that anyone could do it. They don’t need you. It may not even be worth it to hire you. And maybe they shouldn’t have to pay you, after all.

I bet you don’t imagine for a second that you’re saying all that with one word. But you are.

Wipe “easy” from your vocabulary and remember that if something were as simple as all that, your customer wouldn’t have come to you in the first place.

photo source as www.images.com/corbis

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.

Name:  Julie Brown
Company Name:  Our Vintage Flair
Website: www.ourvintageflair.com
Blog: Blog

Note from Jenn: I love seeing a team of people using the Right-Brain Business Plan to get clear on what they want to accomplish in their business. And how cool that this creative team is a trio of family members with a flair for all things vintage and beautiful. Their gorgeous and unique RBBP definitely evokes their brand. Read on to get inspired about creating your own RBBP.

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

We assist women with beautifying their homes and and gifting in style via our elegant, vintage-inspired line of handmade cards, gifts and home decor. We believe that objects of beauty enrich everyone’s lives and that handmade items, in particular, offer a deeper meaning and uniqueness that can’t be found in mass-produced items. As a creative trio (three family members), our talent runs deep. We each bring our own interests and strengths to the mix which is what makes us (and our work) truly unique. Our current focus is on mixed media designs which allows us to incorporate various techniques into our work … the end result being items with an incredible amount of detail and style. And, since there’s always something new to learn and emerging trends that come along, we’re never at a loss for inspiration !!

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?

We knew that, in order to take this from a hobby to a full-time business, we needed a plan. Although there were many (valiant) attempts at creating a business plan, we could never quite pull it together and agonized over this until we stumbled upon the Right-Brain Business Plan. After reading the book’s summary via Amazon, we knew immediately that it addressed our ‘world view’. Meaning, it confirmed that there actually were alternative ways to form business plans (who knew?) and second that, even though ‘creatives’ don’t necessarily think in traditional business ways, they can still be successful in business. The process of creating the business plan was incredibly helpful; however, for us, the real benefit has been in surrounding ourselves with the visual inspiration boards. They serve as a daily reminder of where we’re at and where we want to go.

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

The SMART goals play sheet (included as part of this program) allowed us to focus on establishing some initial, short-term goals. These were ones that we wanted to accomplish within the first three months. These goals included reaching certain sales levels through a focused marketing effort (both a specific number of items sold and a dollar value for these items), securing a wholesale contract, and running an online or onsite class.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

We always allow our intuition to guide us through the creative process. We each have our own way of approaching the design of any given item and allow that process to unfold. We never follow a set pattern, rather we start with a canvas or base item (ie. a greeting card) and build it as we go. Design ideas will come to each of us individually (when we’re not working) that we always share. We’ll then often set them up as challenges to see who comes up with what !!

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?

We decided to use supplies that we had on hand; therefore, our first project was to map out our big vision using a cork board and magazines. We leafed through magazines and initially cut out anything that we thought we could use that catered to our vision. We then narrowed it down based on what we felt would be most important to use as daily visual inspiration. To display our values, we printed out and attached each value to a small, decorative envelope and then added them to a binder ring for convenience. We used a decorative wire wreath to display printed versions of other important notes. We loved the style/look of the play sheets provided with the program; therefore, we printed some of them onto sturdy cardstock, completed them and also displayed them as part of other boards that we created. Minimal cost with major impact !!

What’s your big vision for your business?

We’d like to continue to build the brand, Our Vintage Flair, such that we become known not only for the items we make and sell, but for sharing our talent (ie. catering to the DIY market). We envision running a series of both onsite and online classes that allow others to benefit from both our creative and business knowledge. We plan to blog more consistently so that our readers can follow our story and benefit via daily tips, ideas, updates, etc. We’d also like to explore wholesaling our items; however, only to a very select number of stores that cater to our style (ie. the type of store that we would open for ourselves).

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

Like most artists, we struggled for a long time placing value on our work (both from a monetary standpoint and from a design perspective). We worked hard to find a niche market that would recognize and appreciate the quality inherent in our designs and be willing to pay for what we had to offer. We would encourage all artists to do the same. Create small goals, define the tasks that need to be done to accomplish these goals and then commit to working on them consistently every day. Consistency is the key !!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

We read through the book several times initially and now refer back to it routinely for ideas and inspiration. Similar to the message it delivers, the book is laid out in a creative, easy-to-follow format. So happy to have found it and recommend it highly !!

For more support with developing your RBBP, check out the Right-Brain Business Plan® Home Study e-course happening all the time.

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.

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

You crack open a cookie and the fortune is good. We like that, right?

What if the paper were blank?

Would you write a good forecast for yourself? Would you let your saboteur predict gloom and doom?

Clarifying your own good fortune is more than setting resolutions that often dissolve, or leave us feeling inadequate when we fail to honor those well-meaning promises to ourselves.

The shift we can make is to apply our resolve to the spirit of our good fortune intentions so that we feel empowered to co-create along the way and call in support on various levels. For example, if your intention is to create clarity in your workspace and calendar, then your eyes are opened in a new way to be able to recognize the resources that can help you. You meet a professional organizer at a networking event and choose to hire her. A fun calendar app comes out that’s perfect for your style. When you set an intention, you open yourself to the good fortune of the support coming your way.

Another example is an intention for financial freedom. Get ready to receive because the good fortune may come in a windfall (wouldn’t that be great?!). Or, it may come as light shining on the places where such freedom is absent so that you can take the necessary action to free yourself.

Intention sets your creativity in motion.

At a recent Right-Brain Business Plan® workshop, we literally stepped back form our big vision collages. With a hand up shading our eyes, we lean in and call out what catches the eye from across the room. The phrase “good fortune” pops out on my horizon. Imagine that! Yes, let’s imagine that for a moment.

What would good fortune look like for you and your creativity?

This doesn’t mean everything is perfect or without challenge. Sometimes it means riding out what at first feels like bad luck until the good fortune unfolds. Like missing your flight and getting bumped to first class. An unexpected car repair means you can get around safely with less worry. We do know how to look on the bright side.

But spelling out your own good fortune is more than putting a positive spin on the yucky stuff.

The power is in your creative intention.

Here’s a simple GIFT for creating your good fortune:

G – Good – Dare to imagine what would be good for you. Your intentions need not be grandiose or groveling, but simply good.

I – Intention – Set the tension between your current situation and your desired result. Like holding the knitting yarn just tight enough, you’ll be able to cast on each best next step as you go.

F – Fortune – More than just good luck, your fortune includes the wealth of assets and successes as you define them.

T – Telling – Tell your heart with pictures, tell your mind with words, and tell your body with a pose, gesture or dance.

What will you put in your New Year fortune cookie?

May you fill 2014 with good fortune!

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

I like to consider people peers instead of competitors. After all, we’re striving for the same thing: success with our businesses. Rather than exclude others, I try to think about ways to partner up so everyone benefits. One way I know to improve the odds of success and to defray the expense of marketing is to partner up with other people.

Here’s an example. My studio mate and I wanted to do a special holiday event offering gifts and art for under $100. We spoke with two other artists about joining forces for the event. Our goal was to attract a different buyer into the building with the dual purpose of inviting them to purchase for the holidays and introducing them to our facility. Then we thought, “What if other artists participated with us?” We could certainly expand our marketing reach and have a much more exciting and viable event.

The facility I’m lucky to occupy is filled with more than sixty studios and over eighty artists as well as classrooms and gallery spaces. What started out as four artists thinking about doing something special in our studios for the holidays, ended up as an event with nearly half the artists in the building participating and thousands of dollars in sales that may not otherwise have happened.

Here’s how it transpired:

• We invited other artists to participate
• We asked for a $10 contribution from each artist to cover printing and to be able to fund a few $50 gift certificates
• We created a passport that visitors would take to each studio and get a stamp in order to be eligible for the gift certificate drawings
• We enlisted the support of the facility and the staff
• We sent out periodic reminders to the artists suggesting ways to market the event

When the weekend of the event arrived, we were facing several inches of snow and it was bitterly cold with a nasty wind chill. Not exactly optimal for drawing people out of their warm homes and into cold cars! Had each of us worked in isolation, we probably would have been able to hear crickets chirping in the empty hallways. But that’s not at all what happened! The group marketing effort paid off and we had a full parking lot during the entire event. People came, brought their families and spent time chatting and shopping with the various artists in their studios. People made connections and conducted business. Plus, the overall feeling was one of happiness and festivity. Not bad for a day that started out at -4 degrees!

So who can you partner up with? Think about what you’d like to achieve, what your goals are. Look for others with similar goals and think about what you can do to leverage your combined talents and resources. Can someone leverage social media? Who can help with graphic design? Who has access to your ideal clients? What special gifts do you bring to the party? When you partner up with the right intentions, everyone stands to benefit

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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.”