Solopreneur Podcast – Solopreneur Smarts

Psst…. Sign up for the Stretch Yourself Challenge here! Counting down to the end of 2012… how do you feel about what you’ve accomplished this year? Let’s count our Blessings first. Oh so many blessings for me! I’ve worked with talented business partners – that’s got to be my number one blessing.  I’ve revamped or launched many new information products, wrote and self published a book, grew my small blog network’s traffic and income… I’ve had the chance to work with many interesting new clients too.  Overall, my business is in better condition now then it was back in January. Now let’s give the year a kind critique. What opportunities came and went that we had to say a regretful no to? It’s not possible to be up for every good idea that comes down to road, but it’s sad to not feel prepared to jump into something that would have a positive impact on your business.  For me, it was often an issue of having the time and energy to act. There wasn’t a lot I could do about that except to manage what I had and make the smarted decisions I could at the time.  Basically, I ask myself things like: Is the opportunity so good that it warrants funneling some energy towards it?  (Will I reach new people in my target market?) Can I act at a level necessary to truly take advantage of this?  (Do I have the energy and ability to concentrate?) Can I leverage this to accomplish what I’m focusing on right now? (Will it funnel the people nicely towards my ____ project? Is the project ready for eyeballs?) If I can say yes to these questions, I’ll go for it.  If can’t, I’ll give it a pass. A few times this year I noticed that my clients will be presented with a very good opportunity to reach their market – but they have a hard time taking full advantage of it.  They can’t say yes to enough questions.  More often than not it boils down to one thing: Something Isn’t Ready. The Website isn’t ready – the sales page isn’t finished, the Mailing List isn’t fully set up, the  Shopping Cart system hasn’t been chosen, the Info Product is in pieces on their hard drive… they’re just not ready and so the only answer to opportunity is to wave as it passes by. I can accept this situation – sometimes things are simply in process and that’s that.  But when the situation spans an entire year – we’ve got a problem.  Some how, something’s got to get finished or the missed opportunities are going to pile up in their minds and the weight WILL crush them. Don’t be a chronic starter. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the details to such an extent that nothing ever gets done. Learn to be a Finisher! Finishers start a project with the end in mind. Finishers set and meet deadlines. Finishers work from a task list. Finishers know what they’re going to do and what they’ll outsource. Finishers are motivated by the finish and make it happen. Finishers love other Finishers :)  They know each other on sight.  They partner with one another, they promote one another, they buy from one another. So what is unfinished in your business right now?  Can you decide right now to make the most of this last month of 2012?  Can you finish it?  You’ll be so amazingly proud when do – and you’ll blow into 2013 with a new attitude! Have you ordered your Kindle Copy of Solopreneurs are Smarter yet? Grab it here – It’s FREE on Cyber Monday Only!

Yes, it’s that time again – time to expand your horizons and blast through your boundaries. I feel blessed that there have been several people in my life over the years who have taken the time and urged me to stretch myself.  We all need this!  If we’re only ever spending time with people just like us, we’re never going to feel challenged. If it’s true that we’ll live the average lifestyle of the five people we spend the most time with – what does that mean for you? Is it time to meet some new people and try some new things? Listen in for some encouragement and ideas for doing that :) I’m offering a very special Black Friday thru Cyber Monday sale that it will include access to my boundary stretching workshop: If you want to join me for the Stretch Yourself Challenge, make sure you’re subscribed to my list (form on the right here at SoloSmarts.com) and I’ll send you the link to sign up as soon as it’s ready for you! Have you ordered your copy of Solopreneurs are Smarter yet? Grab it here!

Tom Ewer of Leaving Work Behind is earning a fine living by blogging for clients.  He’s not writing for $20 a pop either and that’s why I love having him on Solo Smarts to share how he’s trading his writing skills for a real income. Check out Tom’s book: Successful Freelance Writing Online: How to Generate a Full Time Income by Writing for Blogs WordPress Plugin Recommend Affiliate Tools Page is a time saving plugin that helps me equip my affiliates with tools to promote my information products. It’s installed on my Affiliate site and is configured to work with Amember. I can add fresh links and graphics easily and the plugin makes it even easier for my affiliates to copy and paste code for their sites and emails. My Book is on Amazon! Pick up Soloprenuers are Smarter for just $2.99 when you order the Kindle Version.

Kristie Rimmele knows what it’s like to be a solopreneur.  The freedom, flexibility, ability to chase your creativity and interests… yet earlier this year she decided to leave it all behind and take on a day job working for someone else.  Not at all surprisingly, she hasn’t loved it.  Listen in to hear her story – and her plan to get back to running her own business. Kristie’s site: Branding on the Net Join Kristie and I at Solo Masterminds! Register Now For NAMS9 The NAMS9 Workshop is coming up in February 2013 and I’ll be there.  I’m actually teaching on Podcasting this time around but I’d be going whether I had an Instructor spot or not.  I love NAMS! I’ve got my hotel reservation and last week I picked up plane tickets.  Cannot wait for February to be here :) Learn more about the NAMS9 Workshop here.

Would you like a transcript of this interview?  Subscribe to my list and I’ll send you a link! Can you believe that Nicole Dean got her start online selling baby bracelets?  Today she’s a well respected and admired marketer with a financially successful and personally rewarding online business. Whether you’ve known her for years like me or you’ve just learned about her here, I know you’re going to feel inspired by her story. Go get to know more about her on her blog, Nicole on the Net. Want to be awesome like Nicole?  Come join us at Solo Masterminds. Learn from Nicole’s Income CPR!

There hasn’t been any breast cancer in my family.  The same isn’t true for Teresa Smolinski of Pre Wrap.  She has always been diligent in taking care of herself, doing self exams and regular mammograms.  In March this year, she found a tiny lump that changed the direction of her world.  I met Teresa way back in 2005 when she joined us at Solo Masterminds. I admire her business smarts and I’m blown away by her grace and strength as she fights cancer. Listen in to hear her story – and gals, listen well. It was Nicole Dean’s idea to take Teresa’s October 1st Facebook status and turn it into a graphic that could be placed on a t-shirt or mug.  I’m so glad she asked me to get involved!  We had the graphic designed and a Zazzle store set up the same day. Here’s me sipping coffee from my own mug. You can shop for your own Mug or t-Shirt. Anything you order will be a show of support for Teresa, a positive message to other women to take care of themselves. There is a small amount of profit in your purchase that goes to Teresa too, so please help us spread the word about it.  Tweet the link, post it to FB, anything is a help.

There’s this marketer I’ve heard rumors about.  (Don’t ask me who, I won’t tell.)  Rumors say affiliate commissions are slow to be paid and there’s financial trouble under the surface. I’d never know it to follow this marketer on social media.  I see fun trips, costly outings, meals out – all on a regular basis. All signs point to a prosperous life! I shouldn’t listen to rumors and I shouldn’t judge based on just what I can see.   But I do – and so do most people. That has me thinking. Are we living a life that backs up our message?  Am I? Is the person everyone sees on social media lining up with the person we claim to be in our copy?  Sometimes, definitely not. It ought to.  Listen in, then leave your thoughts in the comment. October Highlights I’m running a month long membership drive at Solo Masterminds and if you’re a women in online business, I’d love for you to consider joining us there. My first Know Your Blog Stats Workshop is October 13th. My third Plan Your Offer Funnel Workshop is October 23-25th. Friend me on Facebook and give Solo Smarts a Like.    

WordPress Security is one of those topics I’d rather not think about.  (Blissful unawareness – that’s what I want!)  But that’s a terrible attitude for a business owner so I’m pulling my head out of the sand to learn more about WordPress Security.  I’ve invited Regina Smola and Cindy Bidar in this episode to share some of their expertise on the topic. Regina is the owner of WP Security Lock and Cindy partners with her on Safe WP.  To learn more about both, listen in!

Amy Wright has created a unique niche for herself on the online marketing world.  Amy explains her business: “Sometimes you need to hire someone… just to hire someone. Ads, resumes, references, background checks, phone calls and emails trying to find that “perfect fit”. I use my HR ninja, virtual-assistance magic, and administrative moxie to virtually duplicate you in a matter of days. Cool, huh?” Yes Amy, very cool! Listen in to learn more about what Amy does to match up Virtual Assistants with busy marketers. Other bits… I also have a quick chat with Andrea Amir of Smart Money Chicks.  Go get signed up for her Debt Free Holiday Challenge. Monday Morning Breakthrough starts next week! Get subscribed to my personal list to receive your weekly invite to join in.

This week is all about doing something nice for someone else. I want to inspire you to choose one of the people you know who could use a boost of one kind or another – and set out to give them that boost. Don’t think for a moment that your time is better spent promoting yourself.  Making other people look good is a great way to shine yourself. Some ideas to start with: Give them a Tweet: ‘I follow @______ because she gives great tips on getting traffic to my blog.’ Share them on Facebook. Pick one of their blog posts or podcast episodes and share it with a well written testimony from you where you share exactly what you enjoyed most about it. Ask them to enter into an interesting exchange on your Facebook page – it can be a planned Q&A or casual banter. Feature Them: Invite them to write a guest blog post for you and promote the heck out of it. Look for any reprint content they have available and use it in your newsletter or add it to a small report that you’re giving away. Interview Them: Make up five or more questions designed to help others get to know what they do and send it over via email.  Use the Q&A for a blog post or email it to your list. Invite them to be a guest on your podcast if you have one. Introduce Them: Look around and choose someone you think should know about them and personally make an introduction. ‘I think you should meet _____ because he and you share a common interest in ____’. You could always shoot me a message to say ‘Hey Kelly, I think _____ would be a great guest on Solo Smarts because ______’. What if you made giving others some buzz a regular part of your week?  Imagine the good you’d do and the friendships you’d build. By the way this list is brief on purpose – I’d love for YOU to continue the ideas in the comment area :)  How will you give someone else a boost this week? Place an advance order for  Solopreneurs are Smarter!

It’s a ‘Coffee with Kelly’ episode and I’ve got a short but inspiring story to share with you about my friend Angel.  Like so many others working a full time job, Angel has a dream of being a full time solopreneur.  She had a brief taste of the freedom and flexibility before she got married 18 months ago and has missed it every since. Now a new home owner, the prospect of dropping the day job is intimidating and has to be approached with care.  This week Angel took a step forward in a creative way.  Listen in to hear all about it. I’m also going to give a quick wrap up of my summer, it’s been pretty awesome :) Right now you can gain half price access to the Plan Your Offer Funnel Workshop session recordings. We are in the final two weeks of my 2012 Hot Seminar Series, this Monday we have Alice Seba on the topic of Content for the Game and we’ll close next Monday with Connie Ragen Green on Confidence for the Game. I get to share all about Podcasting with a great bunch of VAs at Tawnya Sutherland’s VA Virtuosos in September. Hurrah!  I opened up advance orders for my new book: Solopreneurs are Smarter!

This week I’m talking with David Perdew, founder of the NAMS Workshop. I’ve been to two NAMS events so far and I’m definitely heading back for this one. I don’t have any other live marketing events to compare it to but I’ve heard enough from others to know that NAMS stands apart with it’s pitch free environment and hands on learning focus. The eighth NAMS event is coming up in August so I invited David to come share what he has planned for us. He has lined up motivational speakers like Paul Evans and Felicia Slattery.  There are three full day workshops covering content creation, public domain content & offline mobile marketing. There are three other tracks of learning going on each day.  This is part of what I enjoy most about NAMS, the variety of topics available to us. I went to my first NAMS because I trusted the recommendation of my friends who’d been there before me.  Now I highly recommend it to you – even if you’ve never imagined that you would attend a live event, I want you to really think about joining me for this one. Sign up for the MyNAMS membership and you’ll get to purchase your ticket for only $197. If you want to buy a ticket as a non-member you can do that here.  Use coupon code ‘take200today‘ to get your ticket for $297. You can order the recordings of the last NAMS event here. By the way, David is going to be speaking during this year’s Hot Seminar Series.

How often do you find yourself experiencing dread in your work day? Call me crazy but I don’t think we should tolerate dread in our business.  If there’s something you often dread doing – why keep doing it at all? Can you change your attitude about it?  Can you attach enough value or reward to the work that you stop feeling dread and actually look forward to it? Just quit?  Have you considered whether you even have to do it?  How much time you spend doing work that has no real pay off?  Most ‘fear based’ activities are a total waste of time. Outsource it!  If it’s something that must be done- who says you have to be the one to do it?  I refuse to put my hand to work that I don’t enjoy.  The funny thing is that some things I hate doing, others really enjoy. Check out my Plan Your Offer Funnel Workshop coming up the last week of May.  (If you’re on my mailing list you’ll have access to a killer 75% off coupon code.)