May 31, 2012

Attract your next customer with these five words :: Do Love Daily (video)

As a marketing consultant, I had occasions when I wondered where my next client would come from. In fact, my Sh*t Freelancers Say video harped on this concern.

If you’re a business owner, you may be wondering the same thing:

How do I attract a new batch of customers? What can I do to find my next client?

And if you’re in the planning or concept phase of your business, you may be concerned about the demand for your goods and services and wonder:

Are people interested in what I have to offer?

Something I learned when building a business around my passion is: It’s important to build a business that you love, but it’s vital to build a business others love, too. (Tweet this.)

So, how do you ensure your business is serving others?

In today’s Do Love Daily video, I share the five words that will attract your next customer or client and ensure that you’re addressing their needs with your business. And if you’re in the concept phase of your business, these five words will help you determine whether there is a need or not.

Attract your next customer with these five words. (Tweet this.)

Ensure your business is serving others with these five words. (Tweet this.)

Can you see yourself using this magical phrase to acquire your next client or customer? If so, feel free to tweet about the video.

 

Know your common thread (Do Love Daily No. 4)

How to say goodbye to your fear of failure. (Do Love Daily No. 2)

Are you in your Element? (Do Love Daily No. 1)

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If you need help building a business around your passion or turning your side hustle into your full-time, join the email list to receive tips on how to do what you love and convince the rest to follow.

Filed Under: Blog, Do Love Daily, Video
May 17, 2012

How to Say Goodbye to your Fear of Failure :: Do Love Daily (video)

I’ve been there, and I’m sure you have… You get excited about a new goal, a new possibility. You may even put a detailed plan together on how you will make this new possibility a reality. And then all of a sudden, you find yourself wondering:

“…but what if I fail?”

No matter how far along you are on the road towards pursuing your passion, regardless of how “experienced” you are—we all still face the fear of failure.

In today’s Do Love Daily video, I share my two-step approach to saying goodbye to your fear of failure.

Let your fear of failure fuel your passion and lay the framework for your goals. (Tweet this.)

Can you see this method working for you? Do you see how we can use our fears to fuel our passion and lay the framework for goal-setting? If so, feel free to tweet about the video. 

 

Know your common thread (Do Love Daily No. 4)

Attract your next customer with these five words. (Do Love Daily No. 3)

Are you in your Element? (Do Love Daily No. 1)

—

If you need help building a business around your passion or turning your side hustle into your full-time, join the email list to receive tips on how to do what you love and convince the rest to follow.

Filed Under: Blog, Do Love Daily, Video
May 11, 2012

Get in Your Element :: Do Love Daily (Video)

I share takeaways from Ken Robinson’s book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (aff. link). What does it mean to be in your element? What are the benefits to living a life in your element? Watch the video to find out.

Tweet about this video.

“When in your Element, you have clarity around your goals and steps to achieve them.” (Tweet this.)

So, when are you in your element? What talents and skills are you using? What activities are you doing? I would love to hear! If you’re sexy and you know it, share what it means to be in your element in the comment box below. Just write, “I’m most in my element when I’m…” and fill in the rest!

Resources: The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (affiliate link)

 

Know your common thread (Do Love Daily No. 4)

Attract your next customer with these five words. (Do Love Daily No. 3)

How to say goodbye to your fear of failure. (Do Love Daily No. 2)

—

If you need help building a business around your passion or turning your side hustle into your full-time, join the email list to receive tips on how to do what you love and convince the rest to follow.

Filed Under: Blog, Do Love Daily, Video
May 3, 2012

From Freelance Writer to Online Business Owner :: Interview with Arielle Loren, Corset Editor-in-Chief

I interviewed Arielle Loren, Editor-in-Chief of CORSET to find out how she grew her following as a freelance writer which led to a successful launch of her online magazine.

Arielle Loren is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Corset, the “go to magazine for all things sexuality.” Arielle graduated from NYU and in just 2 years, built a name for herself freelance writing on women’s issues, health, and sexuality. She’s written for Ebony, Vibe Vixen, Clutch, etc. and is now earning a full-time income doing what she loves while living in Brazil.

Here’s what we cover in Part 1:

  • Blogging helps you explore your interests, hone your voice, and build your brand. (Tweet this.)
  • The best way to start doing what you love is to…START. (Tweet this.)
  • Arielle advanced her freelance writing career by writing…and writing some more. (Tweet this.)
  • To develop your brand as a freelancer, choose a niche you’re passionate about and have an authentic voice. (Tweet this.)
  • As a freelance writer, take every opportunity to respond and interact with readers. This will help grow your brand & following. (Tweet this.)

In Part 2 of the interview, Arielle explains:

  • How she discovered that digital subscription is a viable business model for Corset. (Tweet this.)
  • How she turned her digital magazine into a profitable business by its second issue. (Tweet this.)
  • When launching your own brand, it’s important to be your #1 cheerleader. (Tweet this.)
  • When you’re doing what you love, it doesn’t feel like work. (Tweet this.)

Here’s how to connect with Arielle: Send her a tweet, lend her a Like, and get her latest issue of Corset.

To be notified when the next interview drops, be sure to subscribe to our email list (a.k.a. the Do Love List—oh, yeah!). Until then, if you do one thing and one thing only…Do Love!

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews Tagged With:
May 2, 2012

Live Taping of the Do Love Show :: Photos

For the first live taping of the Do Love Show, I had the privilege to interview Damien Ritter, Co-Founder and CEO of Funk Volume. Dame shared how they cultivated a fanatical community around their record label—from 70,000+ Facebook Likes to people rocking FV tattoos—using social media and how being a music industry newbie has in fact served him and his company well. Look out for the final cut of the show, and in the meantime, visit http://myfunkvolume.com/ and “Turn it up!”

Filed Under: Blog, Events
April 25, 2012

What did I struggle with as an aspiring entrepreneur? :: Two Girls | One Tip Tuesday

I had the opportunity to speak with Coach Jennie, Co-Founder of Hungry Entrepreneurs, a new community for entrepreneurs teetering between launch and bankruptcy. I met Coach Jennie during our GenJuice Tour summer 2010, and I’m so lucky to still call her a friend!

I really enjoyed answering the questions:

  1. What is something I struggled with as a hungry entrepreneur? Not sticking to my strengths and being honest about the work I wanted to do. When I first started consulting, I looked at the market and let that determine the services I offered, instead of sticking to my natural talents. Once I “returned to my roots,” I was able to overdeliver to my clients and position myself as a more premium product as a result.
  2. What is one super, juicy tip guaranteed to put food on the table of hungry entrepreneurs? Address these 3 assumptions ASAP (ideally in your first 30 days): 1) Someone will use my product, 2) Love it, and 3) Pay for it. Perform customer development by interviewing prospective customers and making necessary revisions to your product offering.

Check out the video for additional tips (such as “Do what you love out loud.”)

What tips do you have for the Hungry Entrepreneurs community?

To get notified about my next interview, subscribe to the Do Love List. (Yeah #dolove!)

 

Photo Credit: hungryentrepreneurs.com, coachjennie.com

Filed Under: Blog, Interviews, Video
March 30, 2012

Stop apologizing for who you are :: Fierce Leadership Summit

“Take a risk. Share your passion. Do what you love. Care about the people you touch. The best way to stand out from the crowds is to give a shit about what you do. Stop apologizing for who you are. You are enough. Stop robbing the world of your unique voice.” -excerpt from The Fierce Manifesto, Fierce Leadership Summit 2012

Four days later, I’m still alerting my sister about epiphanies inspired by the phenomenal women I met at the Fierce Leadership Summit. The themes of the day included:

  1. Be your authentic self.
  2. Stop stalling and start sharing your natural gifts with the world.
  3. Surround yourself with positive people.

I took something away from each and every speaker. I walked away from the event as my authentic self, and I don’t intend on looking back. Aside from the event impacting me, I’m floored by the change I’ve witnessed in my sister who also attended the event. Her new enthusiasm for her future is so encouraging, and I am so grateful to Nailah Blades of Polka Dot Coaching for putting on the Fierce Leadership Summit.

I met so many incredible women (and one gentleman!) at #FLS2012, including the gorgeous and witty TV host Sharzad Kiadeh of LuxLyfe, the beautiful and intelligent Marketing Optimist herself Donna Queza, the man who went from no publishing contract to published book in under 12 months Jason Womack author of Your Best Just Got Better, the super uplifting and energetic woman behind the Fierce Leadership website Rema Morgan of Pink Lemonade Creative, and the phenomenal ladies Rona, Stephanie, and Rachel of GraceBlu Designs which is top notch interior design.

I included the specific takeaways I received from each Fierce speaker below:

  • Nailah Blades, Founder of the Fierce Leadership Summit and Owner of Polka Dot Coaching reminded us that we typically introduce ourselves as someone we’re not. With Nailah’s guidance, we all reintroduced ourselves as our “authentic selves.” Rather than, “Hi, I’m Danielle Leslie, and I’m a Marketing Consultant,” it became, “Hi, I’m Danielle, and I love helping people see their potential and do what they love for a living.”
  • Dyana Valentine, a professional Instigator, prodded us to declare our super conditions. I took the liberty of declaring my mom’s super conditions as eternal inquisitiveness and perpetual curiosity. In other words, “she be askin’ all them questions.” 🙂 Dyana’s instigating certainly supercharged everyone in attendance and was a great way to start the day. If you can use some tough questions in your life, check out her Woke Up Knowing Think Tank Retreat.
  • Britt Castro, Founder of Financially Wise Women helped us examine our relationships with money. Britt instructed us to recall our earliest memories with money. This was my favorite exercise of hers because it was the first time I really thought about why I relate to money (and don’t relate to money) the way I do as an adult. Britt also pointed out the differences between working with a male accountant versus a female accountant. If you’re looking for any money-related guidance (e.g. investing, accounting), Britt is your best bet!
  • Erin Haslag, Owner of Well in LA shared a lot of great wellness tips. The huge takeaway for me was paying more attention to how I start my day. Typically, the alarm on my iPhone wakes me up. Then, while I’m still in bed, I check my Gmail, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. Erin challenged us to avoid the phone or computer for our first hour after rising. She suggested exercising, writing, and similar activities.
  • Melanie Mills, Creator and Owner of GLEAM and one of the Fierce sponsors, shared her story about becoming the Emmy Award-winning makeup artist she is today. I have to say I was so impressed by Melanie—talk about audacity, fearlessness, and humility. Melanie’s motto is: Live it. Own it. Work it.
  • Danielle Dowling, Relationship Expert, is first and foremost a talented storyteller. As she shared a portion of her dating history with us, I felt myself leaning in to catch every detail. What did I learn from Danielle? It’s important to know and state your dating purpose on date #1. If your dating purpose is, “I want to find a boyfriend with the hopes of marrying in the next 2 years of meeting him,” then it’s important to be honest with yourself and the person you’re dating. If you need dating/relationship clarity, definitely seek out Danielle. After all, her super condition is ruthless awareness which comes in handy.
  • Sam Bennett, Owner of the Organized Artist Company helped us wade through our own bullsh*t and declare our priorities. She then challenged us to dedicate 15 minutes every morning towards one of our priorities. She shared that her clients have completed entire books and screenplays using this technique. If you need help organizing the 30+ projects you’re juggling, check out her Get It Done workshop.
  • Alaia Williams, Founder of One Organized Business shared tips to help us refine our all-important personal brands—from considering our strengths, personal style, and professional goals. Alaia stressed the importance of having a business card and in fact provided the nudge for my mom to order her first set of personal business cards. Alaia made her passion for connecting people and cultivating community apparent, and in fact she is responsible for organizing a lot of tech/entrepreneurship-related events in LA, so follow her on Twitter to stay up to date.
  • I Danielle Leslie, Founder of We Are BIGFISH and Creator of Do Love Project spoke about how to get paid for doing what you love. I was beyond excited to speak at #FLS2012. It marked me announcing Do Love Project to the world (or the Fierce ladies in the room and anyone watching the live broadcast). I shared the 5 fears that stop us from doing what we love for a living and provided ways to overcome, or at least begin to cope, with the fears. When I wasn’t feeling nervous/anxious, I had the time of my life presenting!
  • Jodi Womack, Founder of No More Nylons was representing Ojai and more importantly has done an incredible job growing Women’s Business Social. She shared tips about cultivating our own networks of smart, diverse, and of course grounded (no snootiness allowed!) women. If you are looking to get plugged into a collective of women business owners, stay updated with Jodi’s events.

And that’s my wrap-up for the Fierce Leadership Summit! If you’re in LA (or have access to internet) when #FLS2012 comes around next year, I hope to see you!

Filed Under: Blog, Events Tagged With: , ,
March 29, 2012

Confessions :: Alice, Philanthropic Event Planner

Confessions is a series that attempts to answer the question, “What stops us from doing what we love?” Each confession contains a summary from an interview I conducted. All names are disguised. Hope you enjoy and find some inspiration from the personal insights.

Meet Alice. She’s in her forties and works a 9-5 in the IT industry. If she could earn a full-time income doing what she loves? Alice would plan fundraiser events for non-profits.

When asked if she knows anyone who does what they love for a living, she immediately highlighted her boss who has been working in the IT industry for over 20 years.

So, what’s stopping Alice from doing what she loves for a living? She cites a lack of experience (which I categorize as the Fear of Inadequacy) and not being able to make sufficient income (Fear of Earning) as the biggest things stopping her from doing what she loves.

What is so debilitating about the Fear of Inadequacy? Individuals use this as an excuse for not taking action on their passions and believe that it’s a legitimate reason to stall on their dreams. We want to appear as credible on the topic as possible, and if we have little direct experience, we may feel the threat of someone exposing us…and we may also take on the Fear of Failure. In this case, it’s important to remember that:

  • Expertise is relative. We know more than we give ourselves credit for.
  • The best way to learn is by doing…so, just try something. Start with a 3 week passion project and scale up from there.
  • We may not have direct experience, but we certainly have related experiences that will help us make sound decisions.

 

:: MY RECOMMENDATION ::

How can Alice overcome her Fear of Inadequacy and Fear of Earning and take her event planning from nothing to something? START SMALL. …In fact, screw small—just start. My suggestion for Alice is to plan a 20-person dinner party for her choice non-profit by finding a caterer willing to donate their services, a venue willing to donate its space, and extra points for finding a PR professional willing to donate services. This is something she could plan and complete in 2 months.

The point of the dinner is to:

  1. Have an event to add to her portfolio
  2. Have a client testimonial
  3. Build rapport with a non-profit that could potentially hire her or recommend her for a future assignment
  4. Gain experience putting on an event and hopefully gain more confidence in her abilities
  5. Show her that she doesn’t need a ton of money to start planning philanthropic events

If you’ve ever told yourself, “I’m not ready. I need more experience,” then I’d like to share with you that every major milestone I’ve had in my life was because I took a chance on myself and applied for positions I was not “experienced” enough for, planned marketing campaigns using untested tactics, and started companies after learning from others. If you constantly tell yourself you’re not ready, you will never jump. If you need help jumping, or are seeking guidance when you decide to jump, feel free to email me, and I am happy to help.

 

Photo credit

Filed Under: Blog, Confessions Tagged With:
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