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!

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.

Are the summer months typically slower for your business?

If so you’re not alone. Just because it can be more challenging to fill programs or launch new products while all of your peeps are on vacation, don’t fret.

There is actually an upside to downtime.

Not only do you have more space to increase self-care (which I highly recommend!), but you also have time to focus on behind-the-scenes aspects of your business that may get neglected when you’re running full steam ahead.

Sure, the slower months can sometimes spur you into an unconscious hustle/scarcity mode that causes a fruitless frenzy. But you can choose another more proactive approach – one that focuses on what’s going to have the biggest impact on your business in the long run.

Use the Embracing Ease play sheet from my book Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way to jot down notes on ways you can improve your systems and get more support.

And here are some additional prompts to help you make the most of your downtime:

• What to-dos always fall to the bottom of your list but you know will drastically improve your business or bottom line?
• Where are there bottlenecks in your processes? Do you know where you’re losing money? Are there areas of your business or operations that have you feeling frustrated, confused, in the dark or caught off guard?
• Do you need a better way to track data like sales, inventory, profit, or leads to help you make better decisions? When my team and I created a simple shared Google spreadsheet to track raw materials and inventory of kits, we were able to finally stay ahead of when we need to replenish supplies.
• Is there a waning program or product that is due for a reboot?
• What improvements will make your brand experience that much more special and engaging? What will really make a difference for you, your team, and your customers?
• Is there a back-end tool that will help integrate information or manage content more effectively so that you can focus on delivering value?

The silver lining of slower months means more space for thinking strategically and tending to your smooth sailing systems.

Focusing on infrastructure doesn’t mean you need to invest in expensive systems (which can be especially challenging when sales are down). Remember, a nifty spreadsheet can work wonders, so get creative about no-cost solutions or process improvements.

Also, keep in mind that you don’t need to overhaul everything. To start with, just pick one small infrastructure project that you can implement in a couple of weeks.

As your business matures you’ll start to learn the natural cycles of your year. With that knowledge you can set aside money during your peaks to invest in infrastructure during your valleys.

If you’re experiencing some downtime right now, how will you maximize this pause? How can you plan ahead to take advantage of other lulls in your business?

Are you yearning for some quiet, creative time this summer? I’ve got a few summer specials that just might fit the bill.

What better time to let those creative juices flow, than during the warm summer months?  Why not treat yourself to your very own personal creative get-away right from the comfort of your own home?  Of course, nobody will object if you want to take your kit along on vacation, either…

My Unfolding Your Life Vision Kit and  Dream Box Kit have been used by creatives just like you to help them realize their dreams. From now until July 19th you can get 20% off either of those kits – or buy them both, in a bundle!

Want to run your own inspiring life vision workshops based on these bestselling kits without spending a fortune or spinning your wheels! I’ve taken out all of the guess work for you and I share my best secrets, so you can focus on teaching inspiring and profitable workshops now. The Unfolding Your Life Vision® licensing program also includes rights to lead my inspiring Dream Box Workshop as well! You get 2 for the price of 1, on sale for 30% off to boot.

Looking to play with paints? Grab my Playtime With Your Inner Muse e-book for 50% off.

This summer I’ve been enjoying more time in my studio creating my big, wild paintings using the process I cover in this fun, colorful guide.

 

Just click the links above, and enter the coupon code SUMMERFUN2015 at checkout.  Easy, breezy.