When I think of you, I feel very subconscious.

I can feel like I’m not enough. Like I’m fluke. Like I don’t know enough. I feel like there’s something missing in my daily routine.

I work hard – but it’s not hard work.

Could I be more successful if I made my work hard? Could I earn more if things were more difficult? Could this business be larger, more expansive, more influential if I worked at the things that were hard?

No, I’ve found my easy.

And when you find your easy, you realize that the work isn’t hard. It’s challenging, it’s uncomfortable, it’s time-consuming, it’s boundary pushing. But it’s not hard.

Of course, I could be more successful. I will be more successful. But it won’t be because of any one book (unless it’s the one I write…) or because of one coaching session or because of any specific knowledge. The hard work of learning what to do and how to do it doesn’t make you successful. All the money in the world can’t buy the real key to finding success:

ACTION.

What is one thing you can act on today to make a difference in your journey towards your goals?

PS I’ve just released an update to my last ebook – Storytelling for Creative Biz Success. Only, I’ve changed the title – so now it’s How to Sell with a Story. I’m working on additional updates for the near future but in this FRESH version, you’ll see a whole new easy-to-read layout, updated chapter on writing Stress Free About Pages, and a video with me explaining my about page best practices! Click here to learn how to leverage your own story to generate more sales & shape your biz!


PPS I’ve also just released that oh-so-popular chapter on about pages as a separate guide! For just $10, you can have my technique for writing compelling, engaging “about pages” and bios without stress or hives. Click here to buy Stress Free About Pages.

When I took over the reins at Scoutie Girl last summer, I had big goals. One of them was to earn enough money to allow my husband to quit his soul-crushing, back-breaking job. January of this year was the first month I out-earned him. I continued out-earning him by larger & larger amounts each month. In April, we started talking seriously about what it would take for him to quit his job.

In July, we realized that we needed to make a decision between full-time daycare in the Fall or him quitting his job. Monday, he gave his 2 week notice.

Nothing makes me happier than to give him back the gift he gave me when I quit my job when Lola was born. Nothing makes me more excited than to imagine what this means for the growth of our family and Mike’s opportunity to explore his own passion – whatever that turns out to be.

Nothing makes me more terrified to realize that’s its my responsibility and mine alone to provide for our family.

Yet, I am confident in my ability to do so, as I continue to accept my own self-worth and ability to produce life-changing, business-shaping work.

the bottom line

But the bottom line is, I wouldn’t be here without you. And so, I want to fulfill two goals with one big offer:

• extend a giant hug & a huge thank you.
• expose a lot of people to big thinking & brainstorming with me.

UPDATE: Brainstorming sessions are officially booked! If you haven’t gotten a confirmation of your time yet… well, I need to figure out how to either work it in or give you the bad news… I will be contacting everyone with super sweet offers though.

So here’s the deal. Mike’s first week home is August 30-September 3. I’m hitting the ground running by offering FREE 30 minute brainstorming sessions. In order to make this work well for me (a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do…), I am opening 12:00pm – 3pm EASTERN on the dates above to whoever would like a little (well, big) kick in the pants, or idea generation, or hand holding.

Here’s how to claim your spot:

• Visit my calendar and propose your meeting time. Please be sure to select the week of August 30-September 3.
• When you propose your time, include one goal or idea you’re struggling with and what’s holding your back in the “message” area.
• Also include your website address and a very brief description of your business.

This is first come, first serve and is available to new clients only. Depending on how quickly spots fill up, I reserve the right to do this again at any time!

Thank you to the always awesome Catherine Caine for starting this great idea.

Ready? Go!

This is the first topic we’ll be covering at The Creative Empire. If you haven’t heard, The Creative Empire is a new membership community for creative entrepreneurs. It will feature exclusive business-changing content, a dedicated forum, conference calls with us, and a supportive environment for growing your business to the next stage and beyond. We’re launching in just 1 week for an invitation only test run. How do you get an invite? Easy, right below the video, you’ll find a sign-up form. Get on the list, get an invite. In addition to the invitation, you’ll receive a 6 part mini ecourse of ideas for Conquering Your Business.

How do you allow the market to drive & shape your business while your creative spirit stays authentic? We’ve got ideas and you’ll find them in The Creative Empire.

Click to subscribe to The Creative Empire!

Transcript

Tara Gentile: Hey everyone, it’s Tara Gentile and Megan Auman coming at you from The Creative Empire, a brand new in-the-works membership community for creative entrepreneurs. And what we’re really interested in at The Creative Empire is learning how to leverage our creativity to develop robust and sustainable businesses. And one of the topics that Megan and I have been tossing around in regards to this new community is the idea of market-driven creativity.

So we want to talk a little bit more about what we think market-driven creativity is and how you might be able to use it for your business. So, Megan, tell me more about the concept of market-driven creativity.

Megan Auman: So market-driven creativity, this phrase came out of a session that you and I were having… Meredith over at the Smaller Box, had this really great post up called, I think it was Do You Want to Make Money or Create. She talks about there are two camps, one being groups of people who follow their creativity, follow their passion, follow their vision to create this business and it’s kind of their vision, come hell or high water, they’re making what they want to make.

And then the other group is focusing on the business, so what do the customers want, making the products that the market place is demanding in order to make the big bucks. And I think what you and I are talking about is that there’s actually a middle ground in there…

Tara Gentile: Right.

Megan Auman: and that you can look at the market but then use your creativity to meet the needs of that market and hopefully have something that’s uniquely yours but also appeals to a lot of people too and I really think it’s about looking at the market and then using your creativity to solve problems in the market.

Tara Gentile: Right.

Megan Auman: And then I think the other portion of market-driven creativity is to start with your own vision, your own ideas, your own creativity and then to take that and say…and kind of react to what’s going on in the market.

I have a friend who always talks about this idea of prototype & ship – prototype & ship – and I actually think Seth Godin talks about it too. Seth is not the friend I’m alluding to. I wish Seth and I were friends we’re not that. But Seth, if you’re out there, you can call me any time.

So this idea that instead of kind of refining your vision in secret in your workspace, you do something. You get it out and then you respond to how the market’s responding to it and I think I do that a lot with my products.
You know I’m actually in the process of kind of bringing back a revamped product line, something that I had done, that I had taken away and then I realized, hey the market really likes this, how can I bring it back, still make it my own, make it something that I really love but that the market really loves too.

Tara Gentile: I think when you allow the market to sort of shape and mold your own vision you create a product that kind of sells its self.

Megan Auman: Yeah, exactly, yeah.

Tara Gentile: And it kind of takes that burden off your shoulders of finding an audience or targeting an audience and figuring out how to market to that. When you solve their problems through your own art or through your own creativity, whatever that might be. Whether it is art or design or something more scientific…

Megan Auman: Or even being a blogger, you talk about that, that’s something you do with Scoutie Girl, you’re responding all the time to what the market is interested in talking about but you’re putting your own creative spin on it.

Tara Gentile: Right, right and it creates a product that almost can’t lose and when you’re talking about business, I think that that’s an important thing to look at and that’s something that we’re all sort of striving for.

Megan Auman: Yeah, so I think it all really comes back to that you can’t make your products in this bubble on…you know, it’s me and my products and I don’t have to look at the world. I think you do have to look at the world but at the same time you don’t have to abandon your creativity in order to have a successful business.

Tara Gentile: Right, right. So I think that about wraps up what we wanted to say today about market-driven creativity. If you’re interested in learning more about the topic, how we feel about it and also what market-driven creativity can specifically do for your business and in actionable sets…you know projects that you can try, marketing techniques that you can try, hop on over to thecreativeempire.net and sign up for the mailing list where you can get on the invite list for our first month of community goodness as a charter member.

So once again, hop over to thecreativeempire.net and until next time, it’s been Tara Gentile and Megan Auman for The Creative Empire. Thanks so much and have a fabulous day.

Megan Auman: Bye, guys.

Megan & I are starting to get ready for the first roll-out of The Creative Empire. And we’re talking a lot about what subjects the creative community needs to embrace, work through, discuss, and learn to maximize both the profitability & the personal satisfaction we experience with our businesses.

The main question we keep coming back to is:

What should drive my business?

Is my business driven by personal passion? Is my business driven by the market? Is it driven by our competitors – or lack thereof?

What forces determine what products I roll out? What affects how much I charge for them? What determines my audience & client base?

We have our ideas. And I really can’t wait to tell you about them. If you’re not on the list for The Creative Empire yet, sign up below! List members will, well, be getting some downright awesome information & opportunities over the next two weeks.

If you are on the list, tell me: what is driving your business right now?

And if you’d like to know a little bit more about what Megan & I think of “creative empires,” be sure to check out the video discussion we posted about a month ago!

After you hit subscribe, you’ll receive a confirmation email. Click the link in the confirmation email to get yourself on the list!

Blogging is a tool. Sure, it’s a marketing tool that we’ve all been told we just have to use. But it’s also a tool for giving your business credibility, keeping you on target & accountable, engaging customers, finding inspiration for new business ideas. Your blog should work for you & your business – you should not work for your blog.

I’ve built a sizable web presence & online business around my blog, Scoutie Girl. While it’s traffic may be smaller than other sites in its niche, I have created a highly influential readership that is as passionate about what I have to offer as I am passionate about what they have to offer! I get a real kick out of helping someone else create an influential & powerful blog of their own, whether to support an existing business or to launch a brand new one!

And with that, I have added a new service to my brainstorming sessions: the Blog Brainstorm & Action Plan. This is a laser-focused type of coaching in which I will help you solidify the goals you have for your blog, critique your current blog, punch up the sales potential, give direction to your content, and identify additional revenue streams you could explore.

The Blog Brainstorm is a 45 minute call, Skype, or chat session where we’ll hash out your strengths, weaknesses, and lofty ideas. Then you’ll receive my personal notes from the call, as well as a action plan in pdf format so that you can work through what we discussed. The cost of the service is $75.

Want the details? Click on over to the brainstorming page for more information on the Blog Brainstorm & Action Plan, as well as the other brainstorming services I offer.

It’s time to take a risk. It’s time to go out a limb. It’s time to take a leap into the great unknown.

Earlier this year, I wrote a post on knowing when to take a big step forward in your business. And – as I am today taking a big step forward in my own business – I wanted to revisit those ideas. I stand by everything I said in that post but at the same time, I want to offer you more. I want to offer you a look at business risks, how you can prepare for a risk, and how to plan for the time after taking a risk.

These are the areas I see micro businesses fall short on most often. It’s not a lack of passion, it’s not short-sighted vision, it’s not a limited skill set that makes a micro business fail. It’s not preparing for, tackling, and following through on business risks.

What a Business Risk Looks Like

In my own business and those I observe, risks have almost always presented themselves as opportunities.

My biggest business risk came when presented with the opportunity to purchase Scoutie Girl as an existing blog business. It required me to plunk down a sum of money that my family did not have. There was no guarantee that I would be able to continue the success the site had enjoyed thus far. There was no guarantee I would have the resources to put in the time to grow the site as it needed. Purchasing Scoutie Girl was an opportunity but a financial risk – and a risk for my family in general.

What does your business risk look like? Is it the opportunity to do a wholesale show? Maybe your risk is renting studio space or moving to a new house with a home office. Maybe your risk is a partnership or collaboration. Perhaps your risk is learning a new skill or raising your prices.

These things are all opportunities but they are risks because they take time. Time you don’t think you possess. It takes time to find out if a new idea works or if a new business is going according to plan. A business risk is an investment in time, money, and resources. I just don’t think you can have it any other way.

Preparing for a Risk

Sometimes risks come out of thin air and materialize quickly. Most often though, you see them coming – you visualize them – you create the opportunity yourself.

If you are visualizing taking a risk in your business, you should have started preparing yesterday. Before I purchased Scoutie Girl, I had already been blogging at Handmade in PA for 6 month. I blogged every day, 5-6 days a week. I was writing, networking, designing, and consulting before I even knew that that’s what I was doing! My preparation helped to create the opportunity that I was presented with. It also nearly ensured my success.

If one day, you dream up a big idea – one that is covered from head to toe in big risk or big opportunity – but you haven’t prepared for its execution, you will feel like you’re constantly struggling to keep up with it. Excitement will transform into stress. Success gives way to coping, coping often leads to quitting.

When you’re prepared to take a risk, when you take baby steps towards creating your own opportunities, taking a big step forward is [almost] easy. It feels natural. And what feels even more natural is the success that follows.

You’ve Taken a Risk, Now What?

Congratulations. You’ve created your opportunity, you’ve planned, you’ve executed, your risk is taken. Now what? Planning out your success is just as important as planning to take the risk itself.

Your great idea or big opportunity is nothing if there is no great plan for success.

Before you take your risk, consider how it will change your streams of revenue, how your marketing efforts will change, how your internal business structure will change. Will you need an assistant? An advertising budget? Time off from other endeavors? A change in family dynamics? People to outsource work to? A business partner? A few business partners? I ask you these things because these are just a few of the things I have had to plan for and execute as a result of taking big risks with my business.

Taking a big risk with your business requires more than just your big ideas. It requires a plan, other people, and a clear vision of what success looks like. It also requires an idea of what the next big risk might be.

My Next Risk

Next week marks one year of blogging at Scoutie Girl for me. Today marks yet another big step forward in my own business.

Today, I’m announcing that my boutique web design business is growing & changing: I’ve brought a graphic designer on board to create an unstoppable team – if I do say so myself. Grace Lee, the designer behind ceramics line eikcam, will now be working with me to create web sites that are as beautiful as they are functional. She’s a seasoned graphic designer & art director who shares my vision of creating design that drives results.

You can now procure branding, graphic design, image consulting, photography, and web design services all from our design studio. This is big, people. I’m excited – and I think you should be too!

We are booking design projects for August. Interested? Drop me a line. Let’s talk. Let’s think big and act big. Let’s take risks together – visualizing success, opportunity, and making stuff happen.

{image credit: Grace Lee}

We all have our boxes. We have a set of standards, formulas, guidelines. We know what’s worked in the past so we work to emulate it in our own web sites. We work hard to create a space that is familiar for readers – something that makes them feel at ease. So at ease that they fall asleep.

If you’re having trouble getting comments, traffic, and links back to your blog, have you considered that you might be blogging inside a box?

I can ask you this question with all seriousness because I have broken out of my blog box. I’ve seen people put all sorts of labels on Scoutie Girl: craft blog, handmade blog, design blog, lifestyle blog, etc… blah blah blah. Who cares? And really, do any of those fit? Heck no. Scoutie Girl is a crazy blog that works – and works well – because of one overarching principle: the indie craft movement has a lot to teach us about the way we live, work, and spend our money.

I use no other guideline to dictate what I will write about, how it content will be presented, or how the conversation will be directed. If it fits that principle, it’s in. If it doesn’t, it’s out.

All the while, my posts have become more passionate, more inspired. People comment more, link more, and talk about me behind my back – gah, I love that!

Are you trying to fit your blog into a box?

If you think you might have this problem – and even if you don’t! – go check out my guest post on Dave Doolin’s fantastic blog, Website in a Weekend: Blogging Outside the Box – Approaching Your Blog with Creative Spirit.

P.S. You should also check out my guest post on Be Awesome Online where I talk about how being awesome online means really being yourself!

Building a Creative Empire from tara gentile on Vimeo.

If you’re reading this on a feed reader or via email and you don’t see the video above, be sure to click through to the original post!

It’s here!

My latest ebook is now available to download.

Storytelling for Creative Biz Success is an ebook-slash-workbook that will guide you through writing engaging content for your blog, website, or other content-driven marketing. Each chapter provides brainstorming ideas, concrete steps, must-have elements, and sales- oriented tips. You will create a killer “About Page,” generate keyword ideas based on your ideal customer, brainstorm post ideas, story-proof your website, and write product & service descriptions. All with the guidance of your personal story.

I wrote this one as a real labor of love. It’s been a long road getting to where I am in my business, my writing style, and my personal journey. This ebook is a reflection of that long road but it’s also jam-packed with activities & exercises to help you rethink your business & frame it in terms of your own personal personal story.

Interested in learning more? Click on thru…

Who: For anybody you’d like to know more about moving their blog or website to WordPress. By me! And Candy, from Candied Fabrics, and Justine, from Justine Smith Media, will be giving me a hand!

Where: Ustream. Hint: go to Ustream now and register a username so that you can chat with us & ask questions! Don’t forget to login before you enter the chat room.

What: A basic video Q&A about installing WordPress, adding a theme, transferring a blog (specifically Blogger), and adding a bit of functionality & fun.

How to prepare: While some of this conversation could be applied to the WordPress.com blog community, it is meant for those wanting to run open-source WordPress software on their existing web hosting. If you need to purchase web hosting, I highly recommend choosing a web host that offers unlimited hosting and uses the cPanel interface. Have no idea what I’m talking about? That’s cool. I highly recommend:

(Note: That’s an affiliate link – it means I earn a commission if you sign up with them. But it also defrays the cost of the time for this chat!)

Web hosting is the service that holds your files for your website, keeps them available 24/7 worldwide, and runs the software you need to keep your website operational. A good web hosting company can answer questions about almost anything website management related.

And, in a chicken & the egg kind of moment, you’ll need a domain name. Which comes first doesn’t really matter – just so you have both.

I will talk very briefly about installing WordPress. But a good web host should have a “one-click install” for the software meaning you set up a username & password with your host and they’ll set up your initial WordPress blog! Score. Look around your web host, find the button and push it. It will save us a bit of time!

Completely new to WordPress? Been putzing about but still have questions? Considering making the switch? Log your question in the comments below so that I can add them to my list.

PS Yes, the video will be recorded and I’ll do my best to have a transcript of the chat available as well. That will be available shortly after the chat. Want to make sure you get it? Sign-up below to receive this blog’s updates via email. You’ll be glad you did!