Twyla Tharp, renowned choreographer of over 160 works and winner of two Emmy awards, does not wake up every day hoping that inspiration knocks on her door.
How does she consistently create art that resonates?
She wakes up at 5 AM, goes to the gym, and then to her studio as if on autopilot.
Twyla, like many people who have become experts in their chosen fields, follows a routine and has reframed creativity from being an ethereal entity into a habit.
Did you know that in 2013 there were an estimated 152 million blogs? Or that Wordpress estimates that around 2.7 million blog posts are written every day?
While all of those blogs and blog posts may not be used as marketing for small businesses, that’s still a lot of people attempting to get their ideas out into the world and be heard.
No matter what industry you’re in, you know that it only takes a quick Google search to see that you’re not the only one teaching what you teach.
However, you also know that you don’t run your business to serve every single person, and that in this new online era personality is just as important as the solutions you provide.
So what can you do to be a “purple cow” in your industry, as Seth Godin recommends?
Here are ten areas that you can emphasize to show your potential clients and readers how you’re different while still staying authentic to who you are.
If you want to have a business that you love running, creating systems is a must. Systems help you do less busy work and more of the work that matters to you.
However, no two businesses are alike when it comes to which systems to create. This is great news because it means you don’t have to force your business into systems that don’t work for your personality or your business’s demands.
What’s more, when done right, they can help your business stand out from the rest of your industry.
(Want to know what else makes your business unique? Get the free mini-guide “10 Ways to Make Your Business Stand Out from the Crowd” when you register for Your Business Blueprint training).
So how do you decide which systems are best for your business?
You have big, audacious goals, and you know what you *could* and *should* be doing to reach them.
Despite having both the motivation and the know-how to get things done, you’re confused as to why you can’t seem to accomplish your goals.
At the end of each week, each month, or each year you look back and feel guilty about all that you didn’t check off your to-do list, and you wonder if it’s because something is wrong with you, or that maybe you don’t have enough willpower to reach the huge goals you set for yourself.
I’m here to tell you that nothing is wrong with you, and that willpower is overrated.
Knowing what markers to look out for in order to reach your ultimate goal is imperative, but what about day-to-day? How do you organize your daily workload so that you hit the milestones you’ve set for yourself?
Certainly not by working harder.
As cliché as it sounds, it’s true.
Working longer hours is not the way to get more stuff done.
You have a grand vision for your business. But do you have a business map?
That vision gives you the drive and motivation to push forward and not to give up when things get unbearable.
But the same guiding light can as easily become the source of anxiety if you can’t figure out to how to actually reach it.
Imagine if you could update all of your social media channels, keep tabs on what your competitors are up to, keep your content organized, and make sure you don’t spend hours looking for information buried in your Inbox? Let’s look at some creative IFTTT recipes.
IFTTT (If This, Then That) is a tool that has the power to do all of that almost automatically once you set up key “recipes,” or processes, that you want to happen.
While IFTTT can’t do all of the work for you, it does set a brilliant foundation for you to do the things that you know will move your business forward.
It exists to help you be more productive so you can make the most out of the time you have each day.
You’ve decided to start a business while working your 9-5, and although you feel really passionate and driven, when you get home from work, you’re not exactly sure what you “should” be doing to make progress on that side business!
This is a place many new entrepreneurs find themselves in while they struggle to balance their full-time gig with their side hustle.
While there is no formula to follow, here are some guidelines that will give you clarity on how to move forward.
How many times have you read an e-mail and decided to answer it later only to find it unanswered in your Inbox 2 weeks later? Or what about the times that you had a great idea, wrote it down on a slip of paper on your desk and it got lost or forgot within a few days?
