Celebrating Personal Freedom

Happy Independence Day!

 

I’m getting ready for a big reunion party at my house this evening, but I wanted to write to you today about “freedom.”

As we celebrate the birthday of our country, many people are feeling extremely grateful for the freedoms we have.  And as designers and business owners in this country, we have the incredible opportunity to create anything we want.

As your own boss, you can choose to design your business to support whatever lifestyle you desire.  You are completely free to run your business and live your life on your own terms.

Are you doing that?

Imagine...

Imagine if you were able to leverage your talent and your time so that you could give value to more people – without working any more hours.

Imagine if you could work when you want, how you want, and where you want – and make more money!

(You can.)

This is what I’ve been doing over the last few years, and it’s what I’m going to personally teach to 25 of you over the next year.

Will you be one of the lucky ones to join me?

If you are ready to transform your business (or start a whole new one) and begin living a truly extraordinary life, I would love to work with you.

Get all the details of the Extreme Designer Makeover program here, and join me as we expand what you thought was possible for your business.  But hurry – early bird pricing ends when Independence Day is over.

Extreme Designer Makeover
Transform your business... transform your life

CLICK FOR DETAILS - - > EXTREME DESIGNER MAKEOVER
 

To your success,

 

 

 

P.S. Enjoy your holiday weekend.  I wish you the freedom to express yourself and love your life!

 

I Surrender!

Thoughts from my experience at David Neagle's Experience the Reality of Success

Because this was my second time at David Neagle’s Experience the Reality of Success, I decide to have a different experience. Instead of participating fully in the powerful experiential exercises that David presented, I wanted to simply observe.

Or did I?

No, I really didn’t WANT to sit back and observe. What is the point of investing in a workshop and flying across the country for a week if I’m not going to participate? So why wasn’t I fully committing to the experience?

On day three, I realized what was holding me back. Fear.

Fear of disappointment that my experience wouldn’t compare to the incredible experience I had last year at ERS.

Fear of failure – it’s so much easier to claim I didn’t participate than to admit I didn’t reach my goal.

Fear of looking bad – I’m a success coach, for goodness sake! This is supposed to come easy to me.

I know it’s common to have these fears, and I’ve dealt with them all many times. I also know that if I “feel the fear and do it anyway,” I come out stronger and happier.

But I still wasn’t committing.

On the last day of the workshop I figured it out. I remembered that the reason I had such a profound experience at the last ERS workshop was that I completely surrendered. I mean completely. I let go of control and trusted that everything would be perfect. I even surrendered to the FEAR. And that is what let me walk right through it.

Surrendering is what allowed me to have such a meaningful experience at the workshop. And it is what allowed me to step into my most powerful, successful year ever as an entrepreneur.

Surrender.

Kind of a mysterious concept. So easy, and yet so hard. Hard to trust that it will be okay. Hard to know that the answers are already inside you. Hard to believe that success is yours NOW, if only you will allow it. Yet, once you decide to completely surrender to the power of the universe and the power inside of you, everything becomes easy.

Notes from the Interior Design Summit:How to Start a Giving Program for Your Business

Inspiration from Maggie Keenan's class, "5 Ways Giving Makes A Difference for Your Design Business"

Having a Giving Program is a great business strategy. It creates Win-Win. You get involved in social issues AND boost your image.

How does "giving" helps businesses?

• enhance your business image
• increase sales
• build client loyalty
• improve employee retention
• create / boost / enhance your brand

COOL TIP: Giving Program does not have to be about YOU giving money. Get creative. Hold a contest. Raise money. Donate time or knowledge.

Don't treat "giving" as side project. It should be an integral part of business. Otherwise you won't reap the benefits AND neither will the charity!

First thing to do is define your Giving Goals. Then develop your Giving Budget. Then create your Giving Story. Use your Giving Story in all your marketing.

If you are a local business, why not give to LOCAL causes. Help your community & boost awareness of your own business among ideal prospects.

INTERESTING STATISTIC: If price and quality are equal, consumers will switch and recommend a new company based on a Giving Program or Cause. Wow!

Make sure your Giving Program is "authentic, not opportunistic."

Maggie F. Keenan, Ed.D., is the author of Small Businesses Give Big… why charitable giving is a great business strategy. You can find her book at: www.smallbusinessesgivebig.com

Notes from the Interior Design Summit:Greater Client Attraction by Allowing Your Prospects to KNOW You

This post includes notes and inspiration from Heather Dominick's class, "Greater Client Attraction by Allowing Your Prospects to KNOW You"

Thoughts on the big debate: Should a designer ever do a free consultation? Heather says there is a middle ground between FREE consultations and PAID consultations. It's not black or white. There is a way to have a "Get to Know You" session where you and the prospect can see if you are a good fit for each other.

It's all about CONNECTION.  The intention of all your marketing materials should be to create a connection with your ideal client. You just need to learn simple ways to connect with your prospects:

• Be more personal in your marketing
• Ask questions and listen
• Stay in touch with regular phone calls and newsletters

Make a mindset shift: from "selling" to "SERVING" !!

Heather Dominick is the EnergyRich® Entrepreneur Success Coach to healers, coaches & entrepreneurs around the world: www.energyrichcoach.com