holistic practitioners | marketingforhippies.com

three foundations of a thriving business

By: Tad | Published: January 16, 2012 · 10 Comments

At some point last year, it became clear to me that there are three main things most entrepreneurs need to have handled in order to thrive. They overlap each other like circles in a Venn Diagram.

And I realize now that I’d never written about them explicitly. So, here we are.

First, there’s a seven minute video of me sharing the overview and then I’ve written a recap and bit more about my thoughts on this.

First of all, I want you to imagine that a successful business is like a stylish bucket full of water. And then we need to ask ourselves, ‘why don’t most people have a full bucket of water?’

FOUNDATION #1: Your Platform

Your platform is what you’re known for.

It’s your brand, your identity, your reputation.

It’s also the basis of every, single marketing decision you’ll ever make. It’s the core of what makes a business either authentic or not, original or a copy cat.

I want to submit that there are six things you can be known for. And that most entrepreneurs only focus on ONE of those things (which is also the one that makes them seem the most generic, boring and ‘just like everyone else.’ You can be known for what you do, but also why you do it, your point of view on it, you can be known for you and your style, you can be known for the particular journey you take people on and you can be known for the unimagined possibility you introduce into people’s lives.

Most businesses try to get known for what they do or make (e.g. I’m a massage therapist, I make widgets, I sell groceries). The challenge is that, unless you’re the only one in your area or community doing that then how are they supposed to make a decision about who to work with? How should they know if you’re a perfect fit for them?

When people don’t have a platform their marketing will always come across as generic and lack lustre.

Foundation #2: The Container

There’s no point in pouring more and more water into a leaky bucket. The first step is to stop the leak.

It seems obvious. But most entrepreneurs don’t so much have a leaky bucket as a sieve or strainer. It holds onto almost nothing.

And some entrepreneurs have a bucket that’s so ugly (to them) that they don’t even bring it with them to the river side. They’re afraid people might see them with it and laugh at what an old bucket they have.

It’s important not just that our bucket ‘works’ but that we’re so proud of it and so charmed with it that we want to take it everywhere. That we’d be so happy for people to see us with it.

I’ve known so many people who’ve gotten covered in the media for their work and have gotten no clients from it. Or they’re super well known and loved, but don’t have a lot of clients. So much water that pours in and then almost immediately out.

Your container is the embodiment of your platform. It’s what people see or experience about your business that immediately gives them a sense of whether or not what you’re offering is a fit for them. The clearer your platform, the stronger your container.

If you were hosting a party, the platform would be the theme of the party and the container would be all the decorations, the cleaning, the hot cup of cider offered to guests as they arrived. Your website is a container. Your landing page. The story of your business. The free workshop you do is a container. The blog is a container. The community that you cultivate and create is a held in the container of your online forums, live events, your email list etc. Your container is comprised of all the structures you create that warmly hold your community.

Your container are all the things they can see, hear and explore that give them a sense of you.

Your container are all the processes and systems you create that make it safe for people to check you out at a safe distance and slowly get closer to you and opt in to being in touch with you.

Imagine Oprah Winfrey tells everyone to check you out. Vaguely mentions what you do but not enough to give anyone a real sense of it. So, what do they do? They check you out online. But, what if you don’t have a website? Or what if your website doesn’t really clarify what you’re about? So many people would see your site, maaaaybe bookmark it . . . and then be gone forever.

But what if they found your website and the homepage immediately helped them figure out if what you were doing was a fit or not, the ‘about me’ page gave them a really good sense of who you were and what you were about. And then there was a way they could sign up for things to be in touch with you (e.g. ‘join my email list and get this free gift’ or ‘follow me on twitter or facebook’ or ‘come to my monthly free workshop’ etc). Imagine the following you’d build over time.

For a container to be effective, it needs to be clear (which means the platform should be clear). It’s good if it’s safe and welcoming, but atthe bottom line it needs to be resonant.

If they’re on Island A and trying to get to Island B, your container is, basically, your boat. And of course, a boat might have many rooms in it or different types of tours you could take people on (the different offers you could make).

Your container is the home made ready for the party. When they show up that they want to stay. They get to the door and they’re nervous, but then they smell the food, they see how beautifully decorated it is, they see the wonderful people inside, they’re greeted with a cup of hot apple cider and they hear the beautiful music etc.

One of my colleagues Bill Baren recently shared a thought about this. He had a client who was promoting a teleseminar and there was a webpage people would go to to register for the teleseminar. They were obsessed with reaching more people. But Bill asked them to pause and check out what percentage of people who were actually going to the landing page were signing up. It turned out that 10% of people who hit the page actually entered in their name and email to register for the free teleseminar. That means 90% hit the page and just left.

“Doesn’t it make more sense,” he offered. “To see if we can tweak the page to boost the percent of people that say yes? Isn’t that a better use of energy? Instead of investing so much time and effort in getting more people, let’s see if we first can’t get more results from the people who are already coming. Right now we’ve got a tub with a huge leak. Instead of pouring in more and more water, let’s plug the leak first.”

When there’s no container it can be so confusing, ‘I’m doing everything right and I’m not getting any clients!’

Think of online dating. You create a profile. And then, you get a message from someone. But do you open the message right away? Often not. Most often, people will check out, ‘who is it that sent this message?’. So you go to their profile and, within seconds, you’ve determined whether or not it’s a fit. Your profile is a container. The message is just a path that gets them to it. Make sure the container is good.

Having a strong and clear container is the basis for creating ongoing , long term relationships with your clients.

And that’s vital.

Most entrepreneurs are obsessed with getting new clients. But it’s often much, much, easier to get an existing client to come back than to find someone entirely new. A massage therapist might make $100 on their first hour long massage (to keep number simple). But if that client comes back even three times a year for three years – that’s $900. The front end ($100) always pales in comparison to the back end ($900). And with some work (less than you’d fear, but more than you’d hope) you can increase the backend. What if they came in 4 times a year for three years? Suddenly, it’s $1200. With no new clients. And what if each of those clients referred even one new client? What if you offered workshops, products or other packages to them? Without a single new client you could be making much more money. And having your clients feel so much more supported.

Your container is your sales funnel. It’s the levels of offerings you have. It goes from the free samples to the bronze, silver and then gold levels.

I was in a Gaelic short film in the summer of 2011. You’d think that I would be spreading the word to everyone I know about it. But I haven’t. Why? There’s no website. No DVD’s are available. There’s no email list people can sign up for. Where would I send them?

One of my dearest colleagues has yet to create a website that’s really worthy of his work yet. I adore him. I want to spread the word for him. But he has no email sign up form yet. His homepage feels a bit vague. And I’m only going to have one chance to launch him to my list. I want that to count. I want it to matter. If I send people now, they’ll go and leave and he’ll get very little from it. I don’t want to waste my time.

A good container creates instant and ever deepening clarity.

A bad container creates confusion.

And I hate confusion. If you ask me to spread the word about you and you’ve got a bad container, it puts the burden on me to explain it all and make it clear to the people I’m spreading the word to. It makes it hard. Don’t make my life hard. If you have a bad container you’re not ready to approach hubs yet.

I want to be able to take one look at your boat and say ‘I get it’. Just from the kinds of boat, types of sails, the paint job, clothing of the staff on board . . . I want to know what the platform is. I want to know: aha! this is an adventure boat or a luxury boat or a fun times boat or a new agey boat.

If you offer some kind of therapy, I want to know, ‘is it in person or over the phone? Am I sitting or lying down? Am I hooked up to some fancy machine? Are you touching me? Am I naked? Are all these things happening at once? (awesome).’

Remember: the confused mind says ‘no’.

Before someone even thinks about stepping onto your boat they need to know what kind of trip they’re in for. And people hate it when their expectations are broken. They got on what seemed like the ‘classy’ boat but it turns out it was the ‘raunchy’ boat. Then people are pissed.

Amway has a bad reputation for this. You meet someone. They seem nice. They invite you for ‘coffee’. You end up getting a 45 minute presentation. It’s sneaky. The beauty of a good container is that it’s immensely upfront.

Real life example: you go out an tell someone about what i do (path). they say cool and check out my website (container) and like it because of all the unique content that expresses what i’m about (platform). I run a free teleseminar (container). It’s hosted by a colleague who tells all of their friends via their email list (path). While they’re on the teleseminar I tell them about a next thing i have (path). So a container can also be a path. Once they’re in relationship with us there’s just an ongoing deepening. I tend to think of the path as ‘how do they find out about things?’

In my Six Week course I’m running right now, one of my clients shared this, “don’t forget the path to your website, it doesn’t matter how awesome your website looks, if there is no path to it, it’s as though it doesn’t exist. the main paths that a paying client would take to your website are search engine searches. so you have to know what your clients would be searching for (keywords) and you have to tell them something on your website that would show them that you have the answers.”

The platform is the gift you want to give. The container is the making of it. The platform is what you want to offer to the world. But not offering it in a foisting it upon others and being pushy kind of way. I think of the container as more like a space you create that you carefully invite people to. And you design the space so clearly that it would inherently attract people who are a perfect fit for you.

There’s a chain of hotels I heard about the models it’s boutique hotels after magazines. So, one hotel is a Rolling Stone magazine style hotel. Another is a Chatelaine style hotel. That kind of thing. You can imagine what the Rolling Stone style hotel would look like and how, even in the colours, construction, design of the rooms, food served might be different. They are not generic hotels. They’re particular. The hotel (container) perfectly expresses the platform (the magazine).

When we first start out, our container is like an old one room house. There’s really not much to it. We offer one thing. Maybe that’s individual sessions, workshops, a particular product etc. And it’s a lot to even get that together. But, as we grow our business, we have a chance to add rooms to our house. With each room, extension, addition and beautification we can hold more people and make our home more resonant with the right folks. Of course, each addition to the house is a project. And these projects often take longer than we’d think and go over budget and we’re left thinking, ‘is this worth it?’. Because while we’re working on that we’re not making money. But eventually, it’s all done and we step back and get chills. Our house is a little more beautiful and exciting to us. And we want to show everyone. And, eventually, our home is perfect. Not too big and not too small. It’s got just the right number of rooms all painted just the right colours. There are minor fixes to be made but, basically, we’re there.

And, at that point, our attentions moves mostly to creating more paths to our place. So, much of this process is about our time and attention. At first, most of it goes to the platform. Then it moves into creating the container. And then the paths.

Here’s an odd way of looking at your container. Have you ever dated someone and realized it wasn’t going anywhere? It had gone as far as it was going to go? So what did you do? Likely you left them. There was no more potential. Nothing else to get or give. Clients are like that too. If the show up and check out your website and there’s lots of free stuff but there’s no products to buy, no workshops to attend, no next steps . . . they will just drift away and find someone else who can better help them on their journey. A container is not simply a static thing. It’s a series of invitations into something more deep and wonderful.

The container has a lot to do with being ready. Preparing our home to receive guests. Making sure we’re ready for when they show up. Being craftsmen of our arts. Attention to details. Small things matter. Wrapping our gifts as beautifully as we can. This gives us a sense of pride. We’re excited (not embarrassed) to send people to our website. We can’t wait to show off our cafe. We know that the details are handled so we don’t fuss about them. We can relax. The container, we find, not only holds the potential client – it holds us too.

Foundation #3: The Path

If the platform is the bucket design, and the container is the bucket, then the path is a faucet that water comes out of (and I suppose your clients and income would be the water). Not much point in having a beautiful bucket if it’s going to sit there empty all the time.

Another analogy: So many people set up their businesses in the middle of a forest with no paths leading to it. They are hoping that somehow, lost in the woods, the right people will stumble upon them and want to buy what they’re offering.

The more paths you have leading to your doorstep the more easily you can be found. This is the heart of marketing, making it easy for the right people who are a perfect fit to find you and say ‘yes’ to working with you.

But there are so very many ways to market what we do.

And that can feel overwhelming. Where do we start? Especially when everyone has an opinion about what the ‘best’ form of marketing is. There’s public speaking, writing, hosting events, social media, PR, advertising, online events, free samples of our work . . . So much.

Weight watchers has an interesting and very down to earth take on this. When doing their workshops, they’ll ask their audiences, ‘what do you think is the best form of exercise for weight loss?’ and people will throw out their opinions: running, walking, swimming etc. And then they’ll say, ‘Here’s the truth. There is one form of exercise that is the best. It’s proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be the most effective form of exercise for weight loss. Do you want to know what it is? The best exercise is . . . the one you’ll do.’

And there it is.

The one you’ll do.

I think the analogy of paths is good for another reason: they’re already looking for us. People are already struggling with certain problems and symptoms and looking for relief. Let’s make it as easy as possible for them to find us by making as many clear paths through the woods as we can. The easier you are the find, the more easily you will be found.

Many people think that marketing is about searching people in the forest. But we need to remember, the people we think we need to search for are already searching for us. And they’re highly motivated. So, let’s put our energy not into chasing anyone but into getting very clear about who the perfect someone’s are that we want to work with, creating wonderful and inspiring containers to receive them into and then making it almost impossible for them not to find out about us and check us out in low risk ways.

We can’t always afford to lay down a highway to our doorstep. Start with trails of breadcrumbs. Start where you can with the types of paths that resonate most with you.

When there are no paths it’s like you’ve got this amazing thing that nobody knows about.

My suggestion to you: pick three paths. Pick three marketing tactics and strategies that feel really good for you and invest deeply into them. Do you like writing? Speaking? Hosting? Think about the ways of expressing yourself that you are naturally drawn to and delve deep into those.

When a business has all three of these, a clear platform, a strong container and easy paths they tend to have all the business they can handle.

What do you think?

| Categories: holistic practitioners, marketing strategy, platform, Start with Why - Tags: building trust, holistic practitioners, niche, pressure free, relevance, safety

the client love connection

By: Tad | Published: September 15, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I was just interviewed via video by Rebecca Cowan (pictured here) for her new program The Client Love Connection.

We had such a lovely conversation. I made some pretty impressive drawing on my white board for her. We seemed to resonate a lot on our concerns about the marketing world. So I asked her to write me a blog post about her experiences in the marketing world.

I bet you can relate to it.

I remember when I first wanted to be in business for myself, my boyfriend at the time had called me a capitalist and broke up with me over it!

He thought, like lots of people, that business is bad and the evil corporations are ruining the world. It’s actually a pretty common stigma. And with some of the business strategies I learned when I started my first business as a very “woo-woo” hypnotherapist, I don’t blame them!

For me, it wasn’t about world domination or making so much money that I could buy my own country. I wanted to heal people! I had the goal to make the world happier by making people healthier.

Noble cause, right?

But the part that was hardest was the marketing and the business strategies I was told I had to use to be successful.

I wanted to hide away most days when I thought about the kinds of things I had to do to promote my business. I thought there must be something wrong with me that I didn’t want to use them.

I had learned how to have sales conversations, how to sell from stage, and lots and lots of internet marketing strategies: creating products, writing sales letters, using Facebook and Twitter to fill my events.

Even though I had all this knowledge, I didn’t like who I had to be to use it.

Most of the marketing I had learned was based on…

    •   Competition!

    •   Pushing or bullying other people into buying your products or services by keeping up the appearance of an authority or perfection.

   •   Using a “magic” set of words or a formula for marketing that feels like you’ve just tricked them into being your client.

   •   Preying on human psychological needs for acceptance or love and extorting that need for profit.

   •   Drawing in clients with big promises, whether you can fulfill them or not or puffing up your “perceived value” to seem more attractive.

   •   Attracting lots of clients whether they are right for your business or not.

   •   Being someone you’re not…

And the strange part was that I was taught lots of my business methods from other spiritual, heart-based entrepreneurs! The old models of marketing are still thick even amongst well-meaning

When I changed my business and found an alignment with teaching entrepreneurs about making marketing videos, I discovered that I didn’t want to teach my clients the same marketing tactics that I’d learned. I wanted them nowhere near my business!

I wanted to teach my clients how to connect with potential clients through video and give them permission to express their true selves on film and actually do more business because of it! I wanted my clients to feel safe doing business and find those perfect clients that were waiting for them.

I feel that there is a lot of healing that can be done in business. So when I decided to create The Client Love Connection Online Marketing Experience I wanted to gather other entrepreneurs who were teaching marketing in a new way.

I sought out marketing experts that were teaching collaboration, honesty, freedom of expression, and client attraction in a way that would make entrepreneurs embrace marketing. I want to allow client and entrepreneur to connect on a human level and make the decision to work together because it’s the right match, not because you’ve used a marketing trick that you didn’t like using in the first place.

Our businesses all have a light filled message and purpose for the world. Your marketing should reflect that as well. If marketing hasn’t felt very good and you’ve found yourself avoiding it, that’s fine! It’s normal. It’s time that marketing fit your business instead of changing yourself to fit marketing that you don’t like in the first place

The Client Love Connection Online Marketing Experience is an online VIDEO summit of 18 interviews with the experts in client attraction and connection. This event will change how you feel about marketing and bring you new tools for growing your business that feel like the natural fit for the good-hearted person that you are.

If this message has hit home with you, then I hope you can join us and I really look forward to connecting with you.

Love,
Rebecca Cowan
Client Love Connection Creator
And Marketing Video Master

If you’d like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you’ll also get a free copy of my fancy new ebook “Marketing for Hippies” when it’s done.

| Categories: Ethics in Advertising, holistic practitioners, marketing philosophy - Tags: authenticity, building trust, generosity based business, pressure free

guest post: do what comes naturally in your biz

By: Tad | Published: September 10, 2011 · 1 Comment

by Suzanne Monroe

Since you’re in the business of natural health, you totally get what it means to live naturally. Organic foods, meditation, supplements, yoga, fitness, or whatever else you do to take care of your body, mind and spirit and fill yourself up physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Living naturally literally comes naturally to you, which is why your clients see you as a model. But do you follow this same motto in your business?

Are you doing what comes naturally to you in your business, or are you listening to what everyone else is telling you that you should be doing?

Focus Your Energy on What You do Best

Doing what comes naturally in your business means focusing your time on your talent. That is, focusing your energy on what you do best. But why does it seem there are so many things you should be doing? (Don’t you just despise the word “Should” anyway?) Once you’re in the game, you realize there’s 100s of experts telling you 100 strategies you should be using to build your business.

Oops, foot in mouth, I’m one of them! I’m always sending you marketing and biz tips that you should be doing and I truly believe you need to have a mentor you resonate with and learn their success secrets so you can grow. And I love to give away my best biz secrets to my clients….

BUT…. I always say that there’s something you should focus on first.

What’s that? Start where you feel most comfortable.

I recommend taking an inner check, quieting the mind and coming back to yourself so you can remember what feels good to you and where you feel most comfortable.

Being comfortable when you get started allows you to really shine and gain confidence. Being comfortable is a sign you are doing what comes naturally to you.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about taking steps outside your comfort zone…when the time is right. But why not start where you really shine first and then grow from there?

It’s what I did to build my business.

I started with public speaking and workshops, because I feel very comfortable talking in front of groups.

So if you love speaking to groups, get out there and speak. But if you hate standing on stage, then maybe doing a webinar would be a better way of connecting with your tribe. Do you love being on camera? Then focus your energy of videos for your community. If you love writing, start with a blog for your niche. It seems simple, but it’s easy to forget.

Are you a Marketing Failure?

Wait a minute! As a holistic practitioner, what if you just love listening and coaching your clients…are you a marketing failure? Absolutely not! Why not host a live teleseminar where you provide live coaching to your listeners. So valuable!

Got Business Bliss?

If you aren’t tapped into the core of your being in your biz, then likely you’re not where you want to be in terms of clients, income or what I call, Business Bliss (lit up, on purpose, knowing what to do every day and having complete fun and joy as you follow your passion and create the lifestyle you desire.)

When you start with what you’re good at, you can build your business quickly and effectively….and most importantly, your potential clients will be drawn to you because you’re tapped into your heart center.

Tell me, what comes naturally to you in your business? Share here and tell me one action step you’ll take now to reignite your beautiful, natural talent!

Thriving Together,

Suzanne Monroe

Founder & CEO

The International Association of Wellness Professionals

Are you a wellness professional, holistic health practitioner, or other health-minded, heart-centered entrepreneur who wants to learn the business and marketing tools to create lasting success? Get your FREE Wellness Professional’s Success Starter Kit at http://www.iawp-connect.com and jumpstart your wellness practice today. Suzanne Monroe is a Holistic Business Coach and the Founder & CEO of the International Association of Wellness Professionals, where passionate practices become thriving businesses.

If you’d like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you’ll also get a free copy of my fancy new ebook “Marketing for Hippies” when it’s done.

| Categories: holistic practitioners, Inner Work, marketing philosophy - Tags: authenticity

success story: calgary’s mortgage navigator

By: Tad | Published: September 8, 2011 · 4 Comments

A little while ago, Charlotte Lammerhirt (pictured here) attended my daylong workshop for holistic practitioners in Calgary.

Except she’s a mortgage broker.

And yet, somehow she’s take the strategies and resources and done and amazing job at applying them. I thought I’d share her story as it not only gives a good idea of what I teach in that workshop but also just some plain old inspiration of what you can do to quickly and affordably improve your marketing as a service provider.

Check out the links to her work. I think you might just be inspired at how warm and human marketing can be.

Hi Tad,

I know that you are very busy but I just wanted to send you a thank you email….

My website is finally complete (yay!) but I just really wanted to send you this email of thanks….

Taking your day long workshop in the spring in Calgary really made a difference in my marketing.

From that workshop I . . .

1) changed website designers and found someone who built and trained me on wordpress…so great!

2) bought Carrie Klassens “how to write a loveable home page” e book and rewrote my home page

3) took the “new about me” class and wrote a totally new bio

4) found a photographer who took some really really great (at least I think so) headshots of me

5) I started to do my own videos (just some really boring lender ones on there right now) but did one on ‘xtranormal.com’ about mortgages that people love and think are hilarious

6) I am on twitter!

So right now I have a great website that I am sooooo proud of….I love it!

Your workshop really made a difference in my business… Just so you know I do read all of your emails or at least I catch up on your site directly at least twice a week. It is so amazing what you share….all for free.

I am still working on….

1) crafting my free offer for my website (your ebook is in my bag…)
2) working on my niche…..ugh…..still just have ‘first time home buyers’ not focused enough
3) welcome video…..saving a bit more coin
4) Facebook…coming in the next couple of weeks
5) monthly e newsletter

The feed back I have been getting in regards to the esthetics of the site have been good….They (i.e my friends and husband) think it looks good and is very professional.

However, in terms of the content, they think that . . .

1) I am too narrow in my focus…(i.e (just renters?? but I can do mortgages for everyone!!)…..but I know that I am probably not narrow enough as I have not yet found who my niche is

2) Some pages like my bio, may be too wordy and long winded i.e Char, no one is going to read all of that!

3) xtranormal.com! Funny but a little weird!

So I think what I have decided to do is to listen to their input but go with my instincts.

My friends and family are great but I am reading and studying all I can about marketing and the majority of what I am reading is to FIND YOUR NICHE. It’s hard as most of my friends are well meaning but none of them have taken any marketing courses!!

So I need to stop asking them (a disguise for asking for their approval) and just do what I think is the best for my business.

My site is www.themortgagenavigator.ca

Thank you again so much, you really made a difference in my business

Charlotte Lammerhirt
The mortgage navigator

Share your thoughts and reflections below. I’m sure Charlotte would love to hear them.

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners, marketing strategy, marketing tactics - Tags: blogs, empathy, online marketing, relevance, trusted advisor

case study: the therapy vault

By: Tad | Published: September 6, 2011 · 1 Comment

Lisa Mitchell (pictured here) has created something beautiful that was born out of empathy. It’s an amazing example of how our deepest wound can be our truest niche. It’s also an incredibly practical case study in becoming a hub for a community.

Furrthermore, it’s got a really wonderful and unique welcome video on the homepage.

Here’s an interview I did with Lisa recently. I hope you enjoy.

What is the name of your project?
The Therapy Vault

What’s the story of how this came about? What was the need you saw in the community that it emerged from?

After 20 years in the mental health profession, as an art therapist, psychotherapist, and trainer, I realized that I felt tired and burdened with client stories of pain and recovery.

In my work with therapists, as their therapist or trainer, I heard about these same difficulties of carrying remnants of stories and pain not their own. In our profession, we are expected to bare it. And there’s a myth that if we have good boundaries, proper training, and excellent self care we shouldn’t feel burned out or heavy hearted.

I had an answer in my art and creativity.

In order to save myself from burn out, and to help other therapists learn to sustain themselves on a day to day basis in their practice, I decided to expand my business. Of course, I didn’t have a clue about how to do this. Or what it would even look like.

In my work with Suzanne and Jeffrey, I not only found my business platform, The Therapy Vault, but I also learned to live into it by honoring parts of myself that I wasn’t allowing in my work formerly.

It was tough work, because it required more vulnerability than I felt comfortable with, but in a funny way, they helped me become unburdened. And now I feel totally re-inspired with my work, and am helping other therapists transform their burdens into beautiful pieces of inspiration.

Can you share a few examples of how your project works?

The Therapy Vault Breakfast Club is an online membership community where therapists receive an eworkbook every month.

In it, there is an art invitation (yes, that’s what I call them) that is rich with ideas for creative transformation. I also provide some good context with an audio and sometimes a video ‘How To’ so that my members don’t have to be super experienced with art materials and techniques to do the project. We all do the project, and then get together on a monthly community call to share the experience.

One of the most precious things that I can think of is having a group of therapists talking about the real life experience of how their job affects them. When they do, there are sighs and wonderful feelings of validation.

I offer a free workbook on my site called, “Create a Pocket Vault and Feel Passion for Your Work….again.” Basically, it walks therapists through making a precious container, one that is creative and colorful with magazine images inside and out. The container’s intention is to hold a representation of the calling that the healer answered when they first became a therapist.

For a lot of these wonderful healers, that’s been a really long time–20-30 years. And for some who are new, they don’t even realize that they answered a calling.

So, when they make their pocket vault, it’s like they are giving a home to a precious possession–a life force. I’ve had therapists tell me that they go to their Pocket Vault on hard days and just the act of opening it up helps them renew their sense of purpose. It’s lovely.

Who do you find it’s working best for?

In the beginning, I was just targeting my work for seasoned therapists. Psychotherapists, social workers, counselors who had been in the field for a long time. Now I see that this is important work for new folks and other healing professionals because they experience the same kind of burdening. I had a call just the other day from a Youth Advocate asking if she could participate. So, the audience is growing, and self-selecting.

At it’s heart, what is this project really about for you? (beyond money, status and such).

It’s about helping healers rediscover their beauty. I thrive on seeing beauty in others, and when I can help someone dig their beauty out of the burden that covers it, we are both transformed.

What’s the response been so far?

When I tell therapists that they don’t have to blame themselves or feel inadequate for feeling burdened or burned out the response is wonderful. When I offer them a supportive, safe place with fun creative activities to do–they become enlivened. The shame that they carry about their feelings disappears and they tell me that they don’t ever want to stop making art with me!

I’m still growing my online presence and the Breakfast Club Community, but my current audience is helping spread the word very fast. And, I’m thrilled to have had lots of interest with various organizations who want me to speak and train on the topic.

how did you promote this in the beginning? what were the top three most successful approaches at the start of it?

It’s funny because The Therapy Vault is an extension of the business that I’ve done for the last 10 years. So, I’m not sure when I started “promoting” it.

I do know that with my newly clarified purpose, I started talking about my workshops and trainings differently. And, the newest offer, The Therapy Vault Breakfast Club, is still in it’s infancy and growing in membership size.

So here’s what I did:

I was so fortunate to have an enthusiastic group of local followers because I’ve been writing similar content at my other site for years. I put out a request to my list asking for them to participate in free focus group workshops.

These workshops served multiple purposes. They helped me work on new content, get pictures of a variety of completed art projects, and learn how to articulate the benefits in the particpants’ own words. In the process, the focus group became my faithful tribe and have since participated in multiple Therapy Vault programs.

I started talking about The Therapy Vault in trainings that I was giving to agencies, and just handed out business cards. Because I was already in front of my target audience, all I had to do is add a little compassionate piece about how difficult the job is and I had people interested right away.

I’m involved in several professional groups and I took every opportunity I could to talk about what I was doing. This was where several speaking opportunities have sprung from. I haven’t
done the talks yet, but I’m expecting these to generate lots of interest and participation.

What are the top three most effective ways you’ve found to market this now?

I have such a wonderful list of followers at this point, after all this time–they are the ones that I’m reaching out to to spread the word. They have done a super job.

Speaking opportunities have come my way that will serve as really good advertising and credibility builders.

I’ll be doing a telesummit soon, and I know for sure that it will be a hit!

What are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?

Jeffrey Van Dyk helped me write these. I say them to myself every day.

Do things in my Own Time. Don’t rush just because someone else wants it right away. If it doesn’t feel ripe/ready/right let it simmer and don’t force it.

Do things with my Own Judgement. Don’t listen to the tapes/voices that have old standards and expectations. They aren’t useful and just keep me back where I started from.

Do things in my Own Way. I’m such a creative person. And sometimes I squelch that because it’s scary. So, my Own Way is to be both creative and thoughtful.

What’s the next level for your project? What are you most excited about that’s coming up?

In January, I’ll be hosting a telesummit: The Sustainable Therapy Practice Telesummit.

That should be amazing and full of new learning for everyone who participates.

I’ve also started a book. It turns out that there’s incredible research that backs what I’m talking about, and I’m going to start capturing it all in book form. So, I’ll be writing my proposals soon.

If people want to find out more about your project, support it or get involved – what should they do?

They can visit www.thetherapyvault.com. They can get a free workbook there and start creating right away. I also have various live workshops that are posted on the Programs page.

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners - Tags: becoming a hub, empathy, relevance, safety

oakland’s pay what you want holistic clinic

By: Tad | Published: June 10, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Imagine a holistic health clinic where you didn’t have to pay.

Last August, I was emailed a link to a video about just such a clinic in Oakland, California. Since people know I do most of my workshops on a Pay What You Can basis – they tend to send me lots of stories and examples. I watched the video and was so moved and posted it onto my blog.

And then, just a month ago I was in Oakland leading a marketing workshop with my pal Alex Baisley called, ‘Marketing for Hippies and Gyspies’ (myself being the hippie and alex being the gyspie). As we did the introduction circle at the start of the day – a woman, Aumatma Binal Shah (pictured right), introduced herself and the amazing, gift economy holistic health clinic she ran.

Levers and gears clicked in my head. I burst out in the biggest smile and blurted out, ‘You’re on my blog!!!’. I was so excited. I think you will be too when you read about it and watch the video below.

Aumatma’s project – The Karma Clinic – is special, brave and generous. I want to see it get every scrap of support it can. Spread the word.

Below is my interview with her.

What is the name of your project?

Karma Clinic

What’s the story of how this came about? What was the need you saw in the community that it emerged from?

I had a vision when I was 18 that I would be doctor running a ‘free’ clinic.

At the time, I wanted nothing to do with either- medicine or free! Fast forward 4 years of pre-med undergrad and at the end not having a clue what to do with my life since I really did not want to go to medical school, I was discouraged and confused.

At that time, I got a piece of “junk mail” at my parents’ home from a Naturopathic College. I took one look at the curriculum and knew that I was meant to become a Naturopathic Doctor and that I was being called to be of service. Through school, I volunteered at numerous free clinics and noticed that something was missing- people mostly took us for granted, and did not follow the suggestions/ recommendations given to them.

After graduation from Naturopathic school with a Doctorate in Naturopathy and Master’s in Nutrition, I felt the need for an inward journey for discovery and deepening of understanding the world from a wholistic perspective.

That desire led me to a monastery where I spent a year, living mostly in silence, without any contact with money, and lots of time to connect with myself and nature while living harmoniously & sustainably with community and the earth. After a year, I felt called to re-start my service to the world on a broader scale so I left the monastery to join a naturopathic office, with my mentor.

Within a few months, I started to notice a repeated uneasiness in the pit of my stomach after each session, upon walking out of the office and telling the client they now owed us a large sum of money (usually between $300-500). I did not like the equation of this connection and relationship with another person with cash or transaction.

In complete synchro-destiny, I received an email from a dear friend who runs an organization/ hub for gift-economy projects, saying that there was some talk of a ‘karma hospital’- similar to Karma Kitchen, but instead of serving food, the intention was to serve health. Very excited by the possibility, I moved across the country 3 months later, to converse and create with others that were inspired by the same vision.

This closed a loop for me of the vision I had in meditation 10 years prior, and I knew that I was following my path, my truth.

Can you share a few examples of how your project works?

The way it works is: a client contacts me (or some other practitioner within the network) for an appointment. They get sent an extensive questionnaire which they fill out and send back. Then, they make an appointment to come into the office. We have our first session, generally about 2 hours.

At the end of our time together, I say something like (it changes to what’s most authentic in the moment): “Thank you for this opportunity to be of service, and a small conduit for your healing process. I offer this to you as a gift, because there’s no price tag that is enough- and any price is too much! Your session was made possible by someone that came before you and if you wish to pay it forward, so that someone else may have this experience, you can do so- now or at any point in the future.” At that point, the client may have questions, or an offering, or a ‘thank you’ and a hug! All are received with trust and generous heart.

Who do you find it’s working best for?

In terms of the gift-economy component, it works best for those that are wishing to grow in their generosity, don’t have access to medical care and are in need of it, and are willing to make a shift in their life for the better.

In terms of my own specialties, I work with a variety of issues but focus on: anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress-induced chronic illness. The reason that I focus on these is that they often get ignored and eventually result in greater imbalances and diseases in the body. So, its the way I feel I can be of the most service to those that need it the most!

how do you deal with the ‘guilt’ that can come up when people are afraid they won’t pay enough – i get this all the time.

The ‘guilt’ is a feeling that’s an internal measure that can actually be used as an indicator light for internal truth, rather than intellectualized truth. However, that feeling of guilt is internal- understanding that it is not coming from the gift-economy practitioner because there’s no pressure to give back in the gift-economy. The “right” amount should feel light and joyous. So, when giving a gift, one should give the amount that feels good- its a different place for everyone, but each individual has that place that feels “light and right” to them! It’s not too much, not too little.

What are the top three most effective ways you’ve found to market this?

I haven’t marketed at all! My clients spread the word all on their own. So, the best thing I have found to do is to be present with the person immediately in front of me.

do you have any fancy marketing and promotion ideas coming up?

No. Just moving with the flow of what the universe brings in.

what advice would you give to someone wanting to try a gift economy approach?

Put on your gear (of compassion and trust) and dive in! It does help to have a mentor though- because inevitably, things arise which need to be talked through. In the beginning, it’s also helpful to have some period of time that your basic needs are met to start out (I say 6 months is a good period of time), to allow yourself to really dive into the gift-economy, without expecting anything in return. Last but not least, connect with community that inspires you and connect with your own gratitude regularly.

What are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?

TRUST. TRUST. TRUST. I have deepened (and continue to deepen) my trust in the universe- that all my needs will be met if I just allow my gifts to flow through me.

What’s the next level for your project? What are you most excited about that’s coming up?

Excited about the growing network of gift-based healers across the country! I am going to be on tour June 5th-July 15th, doing funshops on “Money & Media for healers”. These workshops are also offered on a gift basis and am looking forward to having conversations with other healers around money, sharing gift-economy model for healthcare with them, and inspiring them to try new ways of practicing their art/ service/ gift.

Go watch this little video about the Karma Clinic:

If people want to find out more about your project, support it or get involved – what should they do?

Come visit our site at:

http://www.karmaclinic.org

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners, Political Context for Marketing, PWYC - Tags: authenticity, building trust, generosity based business, holistic practitioners, irresistible offers, safety

Are you Marketing in a Box?

By: Tad | Published: May 16, 2011 · Leave a Comment

In my email recently, I got a newsletter from Maggie Ostara who’s work I’ve just started following. And I think she really nails this whole conversation about niche and the ways that entrepreneurs seem to just fall into ‘the way it’s always been done’. Below is her article . . .

I have a new client who calls himself a personal trainer.

Now the thing is, what this guy does is SOOO much more and so much more cool and important than whatever I think of when I hear the words “personal trainer.”

Okay, yeah, so that’s what he was officially trained in–that’s the box he was given by the people who certified him. But get this–he does not like the gym! In fact, he is against people going to the gym. He thinks people hurt themselves at the gym.

But when people call him, because he’s a personal trainer, they ask him where his gym is.

Get the contradiction?

Do you see how that label, that box, does not suit him, and in fact is probably hurting his sales and marketing?

Not only this, but if he markets to people who are looking for fitness, he’s got an upstream flow to battle.

What I mean by that is that people who are looking for fitness are expecting certain things. They expect a gym. They expect to work out, to lose weight, to get stronger. There’s nothing wrong with all that. Except that the main stream ways of doing those things actually hurt your body a lot.

So my client actually helps people relate to their bodies, and learn to move, in entirely new ways that build flexibility, mobility, inner strength and stability. And as a consequence, they gain confidence, they look better, they have more vitality, stamina, a broad perspective, more drive.

Can you see how what he’s offering, positioned differently, outside the box, could make his business entirely different?

See, I know all of you out there spend too much time at your computers and on the phone, sitting. Sitting, sitting, sitting. You and everyone else these days. And as busy entrepreneurs, could you use a simple practice that would help you look better, feel more vitality, give you more confidence, ease your body aches and bring you more stamina? Well hell yeah, as my coach would say.

What if my client were to get more in touch with what you are really looking for–you want to look good when you’re on stage or for your photos and network meetings (or those snapshots that keep showing up on Facebook), right?

You want to feel good without having to go to the gym. I know I do–I hate the gym. I would never go look for a personal trainer–yuck. But what this guy does, so man, yes I want that.

But in his box, if he weren’t my client, I would never find him, and he wouldn’t find me because he’s not marketing to me. He’s in the box he was certified into.

Can you see that?

As soon as he steps outside that box, and starts really looking at all of the people who need what he offers, and gets in touch with what they want, wow a whole new world opens up.

Where are you in a box in your marketing? Are you just thinking of people to market to who are like you? I see healers only market to each other–it’s crazy! Do you know how many people out there need the services of healers, coaches, and yes, leading edge personal trainers? Millions and I am not kidding.

But if all you ever do is to talk to other healers, coaches and personal trainers you are living inside a box.

This is a comfort zone issue, isn’t it? Because you know people who are in the box with you. You speak the same language. You have agreements about what is important. But let me ask you, how big a contribution are you really making if you are just talking with people like yourself, if you just use your specialized language. Do you want your village to be monolingual or multi-lingual? I may only know English, baby, but I am multi-lingual English! And it’s more fun that way. Reach out, find out what people outside your box want and need? Listen. Communicate.

And you know what, when you do that, you can make WAY more money, too.

Way more.

Because you create specialized solutions for people in a different industry where they need and want what you’ve got but they don’t entirely know it yet–and you can show them how you are the solution to the problem that is making them miserable, or stressed, or sick, or broke–you have got an out-of-the-box breakthrough happening. And that means more money for you. Give it a try–and make sure you hit reply and tell me how it goes!

Maggie Ostara, PhD is a Soul Healer and Strategic Marketing Expert. She draws on her many years as a successful business owner to support healers, teachers, and coaches to get their work out to the world, and make their contribution to the New World Age now emerging.

She combines a strong intellectual background with intuition and body wisdom for a grounded, powerful, expansive, nurturing and insightful way of facilitating your business and spiritual growth. Her credentials include being a multiple-published author,Certified Clarity Breathwork trainer and practitioner, a qualified Awakening Your Light Body teacher, former Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Columbia University in New York.

Do you love what you do, but hates marketing and sales? Learn an entirely new way of marketing called “Creating Money by Creating Community” with Maggie’s free teleseminar available at www.soulsignaturemarketing.com

If you’d like get cool posts like this in your inbox every few days CLICK HERE to subscribe to my blog and you’ll also get a free copy of my fancy new ebook “Marketing for Hippies” when it’s done.

| Categories: holistic practitioners, Niche Marketing, quality of life, word of mouth - Tags: authenticity, irresistible offers

patch adams on community

By: Tad | Published: April 24, 2011 · Leave a Comment

In this 16 minute video, Patch Adams shares his provocative views on the business of health care.

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners, Money, Political Context for Marketing, word of mouth

abundant yogi – not an oxymoron. an option

By: Tad | Published: April 21, 2011 · 9 Comments

Last year at some point, I came across a lady named Kris Ward who runs a business called Abundant Yogi. Maybe I felt an affinity because my own business name is one of apparent contradictions too. “Marketing and hippies?? What?”

I’ve been following her stuff for a bit and thought it might be nice to share it with you all.

So many conscious entrepreneurs really struggle with making their business more than just an expensive hobby for them. Kris was in that place and in this blog interview she shares where she is now and some ideas on how you can turn your expensive hobby into a really wonderful, sustainable business you’re thrilled with. And to do it in a way that also creates a wonderful quality of life.

What is abundant yogi? What’s the story of how it started?

Abundant Yogi is a reaction to all the “yogier than thou” tendencies I saw in the yoga and holistic wellness community, where teachers and service providers within the industry were afraid to promote themselves and their services for fear of looking greedy, too “corporate-y”, or un-yogi-like. I knew this was going on because I played into it for YEARS before I sat myself down one day for a serious BIG-SELF on little-self INTERVENTION.

I got really honest with myself about the lifestyle I wanted and the dreams I had, and I basically just made the decision that I was going to defy the norm and become an “Abundant Yogi” (a phrase that, up until that point, had pretty much been an oxymoron––at least for me and the other yogis I knew).

This decision was a no-brainer for me. I’d been wired like a true entrepreneur since I was a scrawny little 7th grader selling Blow-Pops and Airheads at school for 50 cents a pop and counting my wad of babysitting money over and over in a very joyful yet OCD fashion. My dad always told me I’d have to marry a rich guy or become a business owner because I had such expensive taste. I actually LOVED participating in the exchange of value.

To deny that I loved the game of business as much as I loved being a yogi and wellness coach just so I could be accepted by my ‘spiritual’ community was a big fat lie and super uncomfortable for me. It wasn’t authentic.

So I stopped pretending, relaxed into my desires, and started trusting them a lot more. I sought out and mentored under some really amazing people––entrepreneurs, leaders and coaches who were running multi-million dollar businesses built on integrity and real value. I began modeling them and learned everything I could from them, applying all the parts that felt right to me.

It took a few years but eventually I found my groove and got to the point where I actually felt free from the good opinions of others. At least enough to be myself (potty mouth and all) and “let it all hang out” on my blog and in my videos, courses and newsletters. And once I found that sweet spot, everything just started to flow.

Clients, speaking gigs, money in my bank account, better relationships, more confidence and creativity, the support team I wanted and needed… it all went from being ONE HUGE STRUGGLE (or nonexistent) to being quite fun, exciting, and easily accessible.

And you know how we humans are. The second we have a breakthrough and we discover the “magic formula” to anything, all we want to do is share the good news and bring other people into the same good fortune. So that’s how Abundant Yogi came to be.

I figured surely there were others out there like me (in the yoga community and beyond) who actually LIKED the idea of getting paid to be the real them, truly leaning into their pleasure, passions, and callings, and giving themselves permission to live the lifestyle they choose––for no other reason than that they choose to. That’s what the creative life force within them is called towards. And they choose to answer that calling in an honest way, through doing work that they LOVE that utilizes the best of their unique passions, talents and skills. That, to me, is the essence of lifestyle design.

Who do you work with?

Yoga teachers, Massage Therapists, Coaches, Healers, Wellness Professionals, Artists, Writers…. creative people with a passion to serve and a hankering for the good life.

What are the big three blunders that you see them making in their businesses?

Well they all have to do with Monkey Mind (stinkin’ thinkin’ that keeps them stuck instead of taking crucial action) and we go into ALL of these in my free training videos on the Abundant Yogi PhD site:

1) Thinking they’re not ready yet. They still need more training, more credentials, more experience, more testimonials, more fill-in-the-blank in order to really get started and charge what they’re worth (BS! They’re ready. They just have to own their brilliance, take action, focus on serving others instead of protecting themselves from “too much risk”. They’ve got to take responsibility and start being a PRO.)

a2) Thinking it’s all been said before. They have nothing original to add. How are they ever going to compete with all the others in their field? It’s all so saturated! (More BS! There is no such thing a competition when you’re just trying to be the best YOU you can be.)

3) Thinking that marketing sucks or doesn’t “work” in their field or with their market. Their market is “different”. Marketing “backfires” with yogis / spiritual folk / hippies / health nuts / holistic minded peeps. (Triple BS! Marketing is simply good leadership. It helps people who are looking for what you have to offer to actually FIND you and take full advantage of what you have, so they can get the relief / results they want.)

What’s your understanding of what’s underneath those challenges for you?

Fear. We think we have to wait until it’s gone before we move. Actually we have to act in spite of it.

It’s when we take risks, step outside of our comfort zone, and courageously focus on helping others get their needs met that we actually realize how powerful we are and how much value we have to share. It’s in seeing ourselves take this action that the confidence comes, the rewards come, and the fear falls away.

What are the three most important marketing tools or tactics that you would give to any practitioner looking to grow their business?

1) Be unabashedly, unreasonably, unapologetically YOU. If you try to be anyone/anything other than the real you (in your marketing, your communications, classes, sessions, services, etc.), you’ll attract people that want more of the fake you. And you’ll always have to do that song and dance in order to keep them happy. That’s no fun at all. They’ll make you miserable and you’ll resent them for it, so everyone will pay for it in the long run.

2) Don’t be afraid to go narrow and strong in your niche. Boil what you do down to a kernel. (Ex: I just helped one of my clients narrow her “What do you do?” speech down to: “I’m a bedroom joyologist. I help women feel sexy and empowered in and out of the bedroom no matter what.” It was more tough than you probably realize for her to whittle it down to that very precise statement because she was afraid of being too narrow or excluding too many people. But you really can’t be too narrow. What is the saying?? “She who chases two rabbits catches none.”

Your market wants to feel like you know them, get them, understand their problems, irrational passions, fears and dreams. How can you speak their unique language and describe every aspect of their experience to them if you try to go too broad and speak to everyone? Zoom in on ONE tiny group and spoil them ROTTEN with super valuable content on a regular basis to create bonding, trust and even a sense of reciprocity. They’ll want to give you more business because you’ve helped them so much!

3) We often hear so much about how we should “show our expertise, but also show our vulnerability”. And this is true. People want to know that you’ve been where they are, you understand what they’re going through. So for sure, don’t be afraid to reveal some of your own struggles. BUT, for heaven’s sake, never reveal them if you’re right in the middle of them!! People have enough problems. They don’t need the weight of having YOURS dumped on them too. Wait until you’ve found resolution before you share your challenges so you can teach from a new place of clarity and even offer some insights as to how to avoid or get out of a similar sticky situation.

If you could sit a practitioner down and say, ‘look, do these three things every week and your business will double in a year’, what would they be?

Each week:

1) Create a valuable piece of content that offers relevant tips, tools and insights that will help your people get results in advance, even before they ever pay you a penny. Include at the end of that piece of content a simple and clear call to action that allows people to get on your mailing list for more helpful goodies.

2) Share each piece of content on your own blog, on other people’s blogs, via social media, etc. Turn a written piece into an audio piece, a video, a little handout, a tweet, a Facebook post, a nugget you can share with your clients/classes/students. Repurpose your content however you can and spread it around generously.

3) As your list of potential clients/customers/students grows, offer them opportunities to get more of your help/products/services so they can get the results they’re looking for. Create packages and programs that will move them further down the path they want to go. Over time, create an entire curriculum or family of products/services that they can choose from so that they’re always progressing forward and taking the next step into their own growth/freedom/transformation via YOUR offerings.

*BONUS: Take the time to write out testimonials for your satisfied customers and clients. Tell them you’ve taken the liberty of writing one for them and ask them to please edit it so that it feels true and authentic to them. These will provide valuable social proof and peace of mind for those who want what you have, but may be holding back or stuck on the fence because of their own skepticism or limiting beliefs.

Why does it feels so scary and gross for most practitioners when they think about growing their business, getting their name out there etc?

It’s just resistance. It’s our thoughts spinning out. We don’t have to believe them or even pay attention to them.

The more passionate we are about something the more we’ll tend to bump up against resistance, most of which is self-created and self-perpetuated. It’s a defense mechanism that paralyzes us and keeps us from taking too much risk and going for what we really really want.

So why don’t we WANT to go after what we really really want with 100% passion, commitment and gusto? Because what happens when we eff it up? What do we have LEFT when we’ve put everything we’ve got into what is MOST important to us and it just FLOPS?? We have nothing!

This is how Monkey Mind works. It’s at work ’round the clock clinging to approval, control and security. But it’s not even focused on what is REAL. It’s projecting into the future about what may or may not happen. Either way, it’s so scary to even fathom that it would rather choose to play small and just half-ass things instead. “At least if I don’t commit 100%, I won’t have to lose everything. I’ll just lose a little bit.”

But that’s just not living.

I guess that’s okay for some people but I’d rather be a dog and live fat, lazy and happy than do that.

If I’m going to be a human and have a mind, body and spirit like this, I’m going to uncover what’s possible for me because I have to answer that call from within.

For others who want that, bring it. You know where to find us.

Can you share three success stories from some of your clients? I’m curious to hear about what it’s like to work with you.

1) Well I already told you about one––my ‘bedroom joyologist’. She coaches women, live and over the phone, on how to feel sexy and confident in and out of the bedroom. She was a former model. When she moved on from that she didn’t know what to do next. For months she just took naps because she was lacking direction. She couldn’t figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. So we did some work on lifestyle design to get her honest with herself again on what really made her tick. Today, just a few months later, she’s rocking and rolling with her own personal brand, getting testimonials left and right, spicing up many a sex lives and giving women all over the US and Canada the tools they need to feel sexy and confident in their own skin. That’s priceless. And my client is happier than ever.

2) Then I have another client who is the mama of two darling twin babies. Like me, she works with yogis who need serious help in the business and marketing arena. When she came to me she was stuck. She didn’t know how to be a mom AND make any money in business. It was pretty much one or the other. Once again, in just a few short months, she’s up and running, doing big launches, enrolling new clients every week, attracting sometimes 80+ new leads/potential clients to her website per day… and all of this without giving up any mommy time. She put herself and her own lifestyle needs first, then we redesigned her business to SUPPORT and uphold that lifestyle––not take away from it. All of my courses teach this to some degree.

We just upgraded her systems and tweaked her pricing, packages, coaching methods and schedule so it would be possible to juggle being a mom of twin babies AND a rockin’ business coach for yoga teachers.

3) Third, I’ll tell you about my client in Alaska who trains and certifies yoga teachers and also uses yoga as a healing platform for women who have suffered through sexual abuse and other trauma. She’s a character! She’s always been quite the taskmaster so getting things done wasn’t a problem. However getting them done with joy and ease, while attracting ONLY those clients who she adored working with, rather than clients who drained her energy, THAT didn’t come so easily. After working with me privately as well as going through my virtual programs, she’s a completely different woman. I see her in action now and she’s just graceful. There’s no more forcing, only allowing. She trusts herself so much more and she’s more in her feminine. She gives herself what she needs, without guilt or drama and get’s twice as much done with less stress. But above all that, the biggest change I’ve seen in her so far, is going from operating in what I’d call a FOG (albeit a very optimistic one), to operating from a place of extreme clarity of desire, grounded in who she is and what she’s here to do, and moving into momentum now with very clear priorities and intentions. Again, I think that’s priceless.

What would you say is the core focus of your work?

The focus isn’t so much on giving these women NEW businesses.

We just needed to tweak their businesses so that their preferred LIFESTYLE came first, and so that the clients they worked with and the work they do could be an absolute JOY, not a drag. We had them STOP doing what wasn’t fun and profitable, and start charging more for the work that they DID love doing; coaching, teaching, etc. And we repackaged their programs and upgraded their offers to make them irresistible to their ideal clients. My Alaska client is still a yoga teacher trainer and a yoga therapist for survivors of sexual abuse, but now she’s doing national launches instead of just working within the teeniny close-knit community where she lives.

I’m so proud of all of these women. Each of them is doing the work that they needed to do to finally get out of their own way and start living life by design.

Thanks, Tad, for the opportunity to share. I appreciate you spreading the word and sharing the Monkey Mind Makeover and Lifestyle Design Plan with everyone here. This is seriously transformational material and it’s my intention for many people’s lives and businesses to be upgraded and liberated as a result finding it.

If you want to learn more about what

Kris is up to and to see if it’s a fit just

CLICK HERE

for some free videos.

| Categories: Case Studies of Inspiring Business, holistic practitioners - Tags: authenticity, holistic practitioners, Yoga

karma community – an online holistic calendar listing in calgary

By: Tad | Published: April 11, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Calgary’s very own Leigh Clark.

I got word of a new community calendar called Karma Community where holistic types could list their practice and their events for free (or pay a little bit for a snazzier listing). I got excited because I’m very excited about anything ‘hub’ related. Becoming a hub isn’t easy. But hubs are so powerful for a community – they help it tighten and deepen.

Lessons I Want to Flag:

If you’ve got events you’re trying to promote or a scene you’re wanting to support – don’t just think about growing the tribe bigger – also think about growing its roots deeper. Not just making the web bigger, but making the existing bonds stronger.

word of mouth spreads within communities, the more tightly woven a community, the faster word of mouth spreads for everyone.

With any kind of online community tool (e.g. facebook, myspace, karma community etc) they are useful in direct proportion to how many people actually USE them. The more people you can get to use it – the more useful it is for everyone. This is why it’s vital to have a ‘free‘ option. You want a lot of people using it. Many of these models (also websites like coachville.com, xtranormal.com or yola.com) grew fast by giving away a basic version totally for free. They get people hooked with solid value and then offer them more. You want to make it so. easy. to join. No hassle. No barriers. Easy. Look in your own community for these types of online tools and communities. If you think it will be useful to you and your people – then promote the hell out of it. The more you promote it, the more people will use it. And the more people that use it, the more useful it will be for you.

It must sustain you too. It’s vital that you design this to not only give free value – but also support and compensate you in some way. What we feed should feed us too.

Here’s the interview . . .

so, what is the karma community?

karma community is a loosely woven group of people who support and participate in personal development activities in Calgary and the surrounding area. However, over time my intent is to attract participants from other regions (or in other words – to take over the world).

and when did it officially get started?

I’m not sure how to best describe this. It’s not a formal thing with some kind of registration date and official membership. I suppose you could say it started when the concept for the site was launched. I wanted to find a way to bring people together so they could feel like they were part of a larger group, not so isolated.

Here’s how I describe it on the site:

Want to be part of the community?

Welcome. There’s no sign up, no login, no necessity to give us any personal details. You become a part of karma community through simple intention and, if you choose, by participating in events we list on our calendar.

We’re living in a time where it’s important for those of us doing this kind of work to be part of a supportive community. There’s a lot of people who are struggling and don’t realize there’s a whole group of people out there willing to support them. This is just my way of letting them know they’re not alone, and inviting them to be part of the group.

what’s the story of how this got started? what’s the need you saw in the community that prompted this?

Well, I was downloading my emails after being off my computer for a couple of days over the New Year break. I’m on a few mailing lists and about 3 or 4 emails had come in about events and activities going on in town. It’s my habit to forward these on to any of my friends who I think might be interested. So I was doing that and thinking to myself ‘wouldn’t it be great if there was some kind of calendar that showed everything that was going on?’. End of story.

what’s the response been so far?

In a nutshell – it’s a bit of a runaway train. I started getting emails 15 minutes after I sent out the introduction. The listings started coming an hour after that. I’d love to see it continue at that pace, probably a bit unrealistic perhaps. must be exciting! is there any kind of email newsletter attached to it?

Yes, people can sign up for the newsletter on the site at the bottom of this page http://karmacommunity.ca/about/.

The newsletter is mailed every Monday and shows the upcoming events that are listed for that week.

is it linked to social media in any way?

At the moment no, but it will be.

how have you been marketing it so far? what’s been most effective there?

Let’s just say I’ve done what you might describe as a ‘soft launch’.

And by soft, I mean marshmallow. I’ve sent out one email to my contacts. The great thing is that people believe in the service and are distributing the introduction through their networks. Of course, I will be doing more than that but likely not until all aspects of the site are functioning. I just really wanted to get the calendar running first and get some feedback, so I know how to fine tune the direction as we work on the remaining features.

let’s talk money – is this financially supporting you at all right now? or do you think it might in the future?

It was never my intent to rely on this as a sole source of income. However, I don’t want to place any limits on the potential growth opportunities of what we can do here. Once we have the currently projected features in place we’ll have the ability to generate more revenue and pay back the investment required to launch the site. After that there will always be more ideas to pursue in order to generate more revenue. I’ll be pleased when it’s breaking even and the investment is repaid. Then I’ll focus on some additional ways to tweak things in an upward direction.

where would the money come from? which features will generate money do you think?

The money comes from the paid event listings and will also come from other types of listing we’ll be offering – resource centre (business directory), classifieds, general site sponsor ads, that kind of thing.

what are the three biggest lessons you’ve learned from doing this so far?

It will always take more time that you anticipate.
It will always take more money than you anticipate.
Sometimes the more expensive solution is the best solution.

if someone else wanted to create something similar for their own crowd what are the top three pieces of advice you’d have?

Save yourself time and money by using my infrastructure. We have the ability to add multiple calendars for multiple locations. Don’t start from scratch unless you have lots of money and lots of time.
Ask yourself if this is really your calling, listen to your guidance. We’re not all here to climb Mount Everest or invent Facebook. If your appointed task is to build an online calendar then rest assured, it’ll happen. Somehow.
Start with an intent to help people and to be of service. The rest is just details.

anything else you want to share?

I’m a perfectionist in many things. And I’m all about function. Pretty much everything I touch has to be ‘just so’. That means the finished product has to be the best it can be for the resources that are available. I’m trying to provide a service that people can use, and will recommend.

It’s important to me that people think it’s great, because if they don’t think that, I haven’t done my job. I always want feedback and I’ll always try to improve what we offer to align with what people want, the way they want it. Does that mean we’ll incorporate every idea someone submits? No. At the end of the day it’s my responsibility to see the bigger picture and keep the project on track. That being said, I’d like to think of any project I work on as an experiment, a collaboration. And it needs to be fun.

For more info on Karma Community CLICK HERE

| Categories: becoming a hub, Case Studies of Inspiring Business, event promotion, holistic practitioners - Tags: becoming a hub, holistic practitioners, online marketing