Here it is! >>> Optimize Coach Program
($700 off today!)

The bring-a-friend part is a second step after you sign up. You'll fill out a google form with your friend's info. It needs to be manually approved, so it might take a bit but then they'll get an invite to join.

I recorded a quick sneak peek into the coaching dashboard so you can look around…

So, what have I learned so far? 

TONS. I wanted to share some insights. 

What is the ultimate purpose of life? To become our highest self. Or a Good Soul. 

How do we do this? By putting our virtues into action — because the greatest cause of our suffering is the gap between where we are and who we are capable of being.

So when we close that gap by taking action on our virtues consistently there is no more suffering. Our highest self is not longer screaming to be heard. 

The virtues that we'll focus on are: 

1. Wisdom
2. Self Mastery
3. Courage
4. Love

​Another thing that struck me in the training so far, is this observation about Viktor Frankl:

Frankl found himself in a concentration camp.

He realized that the career questions—What do I want from life? What can I do to make myself happy?—are not the proper questions.

The real question is, What is life asking of me? ​

If you don't know, Frankl, the author of Man's Search for Meaning, was able to find purpose and make an impact in one of the worst situations imaginable. 

So what is life asking of you?  

Honestly, this program is pretty intense. It's covering a LOT of material. So if you are tired of signing up for coaching programs where you pay $397/month and get one little 20 minute video a month, this is really something to look into. And the price is crazy low. 

Again, here's where to sign up.

Here it is! >>> Optimize Coach Program

Warmly and with hugs!

Nicole Dean

PS. If you'd prefer to get a taste of what it's like before signing up, you can choose this first
(I used to pay $99/year for it but it's free now)
Free Optimize Me Premium Level

If you do want to be inspired to face the hard stuff and do it anyway, keep reading.

My friend, Kelly McCausey, wants you to get over the things that are holding you back. And, for just $2.99 purchase (Kindle) or paperback version of her new book, you can get into her $497 coaching program that will guide you to do just that.

It all starts with 19 stories of women — including me — who share the stuff that TRIES to hold us back. And how we get past our sh(poop).

You'll hear from me and my friends how we do the hard stuff, even when battling things like anxiety or addiction or horrible events from the past that try to define us. The stories are raw and honest and inspiring.

In mine, I shared how I've dealt with anxiety and depression for over 30 years — and still get on my computer to do the hard/scary things (most days… except when I don't).

Kel and I hopped on a Zoom call to talk about the book. It was supposed to be audio-only but we had so much fun we decided to publish the video. I apologize for looking like I just crawled out of bed, but I did. lol!

I couldn't talk about getting past the stuff holding you back and then say “but don't publish the video because I look goofy…”  So I said “Oh hell, go ahead.​”

As I mentioned, if you buy the book (either Kindle or paperback), you'll get a $497 coaching program for free. 

In the coaching program, you'll discover…

• Session One: Why Your Sh*t Isn't Special
• Session Two: What is Ego & Essence
• Session Three: How to Prioritize Your Stoppers
• Session Four: How to Create A Hit List & A Sh*t List
• Session Five: What are the First Steps to Get Past Your Sh*t Behind You Every Single Day

Here's what to do next if you're interested in the book and want the coaching program, too…

Step One:

Click here to grab your copy of either the print or the Kindle version of the book.

Step Two:

After you buy a copy of the book, go here to claim the bonus coaching program.

If you already have a story about getting over your stuff, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Much love,

Nicole Dean

FAQ: 

Is this book just for women? Hell no.

Is this just a bunch of sob stories? Ummm… no. It's stories of overcoming some big stuff.

Got Other Questions?

Let me know in the comments. I do read them all.

Of course, I’ve also added a bit to this to give you some more content ideas. So if you’re planning your content for this month, I hope this is helpful.

What are people thinking about in October?

There's a crispness to the air. The summer flowers are out of bloom and the leaves are changing.

This is nature's signal to us – a signal that there are less than 90 days to go in the year. We're down to the final quarter. It's time to hunker down and get going!

Your clients have under 12 weeks to complete their yearly goals. Are they on track? How can you help them make that final push?

Content about goal achievement, productivity, motivation, grit, and perseverance is really timely this month.

Plus, of course, we still have the tie-in of covid to address.

Regarding covid, here are a few packages that might be of interest to your audience: 

• 24 Pieces of Done-for-You content about boosting your immune system that you can use to create your own content.
• DFY Content: Fully Remote! Timely Ways to Make a Living from Home.

Here are some content packages (including articles, affirmations, workbooks and more) that can help you connect with your audience on finishing the year strong: 

• 1300 Pieces of Done-for-You content about goal setting.
• Done-for-You content about Organization including home and office organization, turning chaos into calm and more.
• Lead Magnet: 10 Questions to Help You Identify Your Limiting Beliefs.
• Worksheet: Life Purpose Questionnaire
• The Miracle Question Worksheet

The fun observances and holidays this month include…

OCT 1 – World Vegetarian Day

October 1 is World Vegetarian Day.

This is a day for people all over the world to learn about and recognize the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables.

You can connect with your audience over eating more plant-based foods. Challenge them to go without meat for a couple of days. Encourage them to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet.

Let them know that vegetarianism isn't all salads and tofu! There's a whole world of flavors and textures that they can enjoy – even if they never plan to give up their beloved meat. Post a recipe for a good vegetable dish on your Facebook or Instagram page.

This is also a great time to talk about the frugal reasons to eat less meat or the environmental / green reasons if you prefer that route.

Check out these resources with ready-made content…

• 137 Pieces of Content about a Plant-Based Diet
• DFY Vegan Recipes you can Use on Your Blog
• Food Gardening Mega Pack (it may be a little late in the northern hemisphere to start planting much, but this is great for next year!)
• Go Greener: Simple Eco-Friendly Makeovers for Your Health and Our Planet

Sidenote: This is how I keep fresh fruits and veggies in the house, even when I have no energy to go to the store.  See my post and pic on FB.

OCT 1 – International Coffee Day

October 1 is also International Coffee Day, a day to relax while we enjoy our morning cup of coffee – before the hectic routine of the rest of our day takes hold.

Today, you can connect with your audience over coffee.

Plan a FB live or Zoom to enjoy a cup of coffee with your audience. You can reflect with them about the joys of coffee and plan your day together.

You can also take this into two other directions:

Networking over coffee. Talk about your favorite networking techniques.

Examining all habits both good and bad and deciding how you want your days to look.

Whichever topic you prefer, you'll find some excellent content here…

• Affirmation Printable: I Make A Difference One Cup Of Coffee At A Time
  
• Build Your Network One Cup At A Time With Successful Coffee Meetings
  
• Habits: How Tiny Tweaks Can Get Big Results
• Start Right! Rock Your Morning to Rock Your Life

Monetization tip! My friend Maruxa has a coffee company and they have a referral program. Monetize this day by sharing her delicious coffee. Check it out here.

OCT 2 – World Smile Day

World Smile Day is the first Friday in October. We celebrate this holiday by helping to make others happy. Smiling at friends and strangers, doing random acts of kindness, and sharing joy are all activities to enjoy today.

And YES, even if you're wearing a mask, your eyes can still smile! <3 

Of course, it's easier to make others happy when we're happy as well!

This holiday would be perfect timing for launching a product about happiness or inner peace. Everyone seeks happiness. Help bring happiness to your audience with tips to help them find it.

Actually I am working on a fun project that will bring happiness to my readers. Stay tuned! #yesitsweird #yesitsfun

Check out these helpful resources below for done-for-you content that is excellent for this holiday…

• Here you'll find done-for-you content about laughter.
• 50 Ways to Crush the Things that are Keeping You from Happiness and Success
• Hopeful Light Meditative Audio
• 166 Pieces of DFY Content about Positivity
• DFY Content Package: Take a break from stress. How relaxing can make you live longer.
• 488 Resources about Happiness that You Can Use in Your Own Business
• 30 Days to Happiness Challenge
• Pursuit of Happiness Ebook & Journal

OCT 5 – World Teacher Day

October 5 is World Teachers' Day, a day to celebrate teachers and their important role in our society.

With teachers being so stressed, today is a great day to encourage your followers to send their kids' teachers a little gift. Post a “thank you” meme. Write them a little note.

And all of you parents teaching at home. I see you. (Hugs.)

Plus… teachers come in all shapes, sizes, and venues. As a coach, you too are a valuable teacher for your audience.

This holiday also gives you an opportunity to talk about the importance of learning new things throughout your life.

Share an inspirational graphic on your blog, Facebook page, or Instagram page about learning. Add an affirmation or informative article related to your topic.

You'll find lots of ideas and ready-made content about helping others in these resources below…

• DFY Article: 9 Life Lessons You Weren't Taught In School
• Article: “Continuous Learning Made Easy”
• Affirmation: “Each Day I Learn Something New”
• 67 Done-for-You Articles, Checklists & Affirmations about Reading
• 42 More Pieces of DFY Content About Teachers
• If you're looking for content about coaching, of course, you need to check out CoachGlue.com

OCT 5 – Child Health Day

The first Monday of October is Child Health Day, a day to promote healthy habits for our children – both in mind and body.

You can celebrate this holiday by connecting with the parents, teachers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others in your audience who work with children.

Send an email to your list to share this holiday with them and give them some tips for starting healthy habits for their kids.

This would also be a great email to introduce a parenting product geared toward helping them make a healthy, happy home for their children.

Check out these resources below, for brandable content you can use for this holiday…

• Key Nutrients To Help Your Children Feel Happier Healthier And Smarter
  
• Emotionally Healthy Habits For Raising Kids Worksheet
  
• Content for exercise
• FREE! School Lunches Your Kids Will Actually Eat – 5 Articles
• How to Boost Your Teen's Self Esteem.
• 15 Valuable Life Skills To Teach Your Teen

Sidenote. I adore this nutritionist when it comes to kids nutrition! Kids Eat in Color.

OCT 10 – World Mental Health Day

October 10 is World Mental Health Day, a day to promote and raise awareness for the importance of our mental health.

This holiday gives you a great opportunity to launch a helpful product on mental health, such as:

• Stress
• Depression
• General mental health
• Addiction (an especially important topic this year as drinking and other substance abuse has sky-rocketed across the board)

Check out these resources…

• Content about depression and mental health.
• Content about Stress & Anxiety
• Content about Procrastination (which is often a side effect of both depression and anxiety).
• 11 Ways to Practice Mindfulness without Meditating
• Checklist: The 7 Habits of Serenity
• 2472 Done-for-You Resources about Self-Care that You Can Publish in your Business
• Here is some content about addiction that you can use.

OCT 16 – World Food Day

October 16 is World Food Day.

You can celebrate this holiday with your audience by talking on your Facebook page about food: nutrition, healthy eating habits, buying whole foods at farmer's markets, and more.

Post an informative article or meditative reflection about food.

For a fun and educational project, get your readers involved in the celebration with a healthy food recipe contest – creating meals from around the world. 

You can give prizes throughout the day to those who participate.

Check out these dfy resources and more resources to use to create your own content…

• 36 Pieces of Done-for-You Content about Nutrition
• Go Greener: Simple Eco-Friendly Makeovers for Your Health and Our Planet
• Are you a food blogger? This dfy content is for you!

OCT 17 – National Clean Out Your Virtual Desktop Day

As a coach, you can connect with your audience on this holiday by talking about clutter. Clutter doesn't affect only your desktop, but also your mind and your life in general. Clutter wastes your time and causes undue stress.

Today would be a perfect day to launch a product about decluttering. Post an inspirational graphic about decluttering on your blog, Instagram page, or Facebook page, along with an informational article that introduces your product.

Check out these resources below for excellent content you can use…

• Here are some really cool pieces of DFY content about decluttering.
• No More Chaos! How to Finally Get your Workspace Organized for
  Maximum Productivity.
• Digital Decluttering: Simplify your Online Life for More Sanity and Less Stress
• DFY planners are a great way to get organized.

OCT 31 – Halloween 

October 31 is Halloween, a day of fun, parties, costumes, and trick-or-treating.

You can find these resources and more below to use…

• DFY Blog Posts: Healthy Alternatives To Halloween Candy Your Kids Will Love
• Other Halloween Content.

Where to Publish the Articles

• Your blog. Ronnie recommends using the Content Auto Loader.
• Medium
• Email newsletter
• Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
• Tip: use the Content Summarizer to automatically select highlights from the article, then link to the full article on your blog
• Publish in a weekly or monthly magazine template
• Tip: Use this free coaching magazine template.
• Print it and hand it out in your office

How and Where to Publish the Slide Deck Presentations

• Present as a live webinar
• Post the PDF to SlideShare
• Create a video slideshow and published on YouTube and Facebook. Use Ronnie's relaxation background audio as the music.

How and Where to Publish the Reports and Ebooks

• Give it away as a lead magnet in exchange for name & email
• Sell it as a low-ticket tripwire ($7 – $27)
• Transform it into a slide deck presentation and deliver it as a webinar
• Tip: Use the Auto Slide Deck tool to create presentations automatically
• Extract the key highlights and present it as a Facebook or YouTube Live
• Tip: use the Content Summarizer to automatically extract the key highlights from the book
• Create a coaching program or course by combining a few reports, articles, worksheets, etc.
• Tip: Watch the free video training series: How To Build a Course Using PLR.me Content

How and Where to Publish the Affirmations & Reflections

• Record several affirmations and sell it as a meditative audio course
• Create a relaxation video and publish it on YouTube. Use the PLR.me Inspirational Wallpapers as the background images.
• Tip: Recite the affirmations, display the affirmations on the screen and add some relaxation background music that you can download.
• Post the affirmation to Twitter and Facebook
• Add an affirmation to your magazine or newsletter
• Tip: Use this free coaching magazine template.
• Email your list the “Affirmation of the Week”

Need Pictures to Spice up Your Content and Make Social Media Posts?

My favorite places to get images are:

• Big Stock Photo ** My Favorite
• Deposit Photo
• NEW! Bold Stock (Lots of beautiful pics.)

Got questions? Just let me know in the comments. I do read them all.

Much love,

Nicole Dean (with lots of help from Ronnie Nijmeh)

Of course, I’ve also added a bit to this to give you some more ideas. So if you’re planning your content for next month, I hope this is helpful. If it is, then I could be talked into making this a regular feature. #justsayin

August is a time of transitions and is bittersweet.

Summer is wrapping up. The leaves are about to turn colors. It's back-to-school time. Everything is saying that before we know it, Halloween will be here.

Some ideas for content to help your audience.

• A mindset shift happens taking your audience from relaxation-mode to the chaos of reality. Help your readers prepare for this shift with mindset tips and training.
• Routine. Your audience may struggle to adapt to a new routine. Help them to get organized, manage their time, and cope with change.
• Healthy balance. Inspire and educate your audience how to maintain a healthy work-life balance in their lives.

Here is some content that may help:

• Habits: How Tiny Tweaks Can Get Big Results
• Start Right! Rock Your Morning to Rock Your Life
• Here are 388 Done-for-You Items Around the Topic of Habit

Back to School.

Here is some done-for-you content to save you time in publishing your blog posts.

• FREE! School Lunches Your Kids Will Actually Eat – 5 Articles
• Here are 209 Done-for-You Items About School

AUG 1 – Girlfriend's Day

August 1 is Girlfriend’s Day, a day to celebrate your girlfriend and the happiness that she brings to your life.

How can you use this holiday to connect with your audience?

Consider these ideas:

• Have a webinar. Choose one of the slide deck presentations below, such as “25 Ways to Tell Your Partner You Care,” for some ready-to-go content.
• Give your email readers a gift appropriate for this occasion, such as a free download of “25 Ways to Romance Your Lady.”
• Record an audio version of an eBook on love, such as “Strengthen Your Relationship With Reflections on Love.”

AUG 4 – Single Working Women's Day

Single Working Women's Day is August 4, a day to honor and acknowledge the single working women in your life.

Check out these resources for excellent content for your Single Working Women's Day projects…

• Newly Single Top 10 Ways To Help Yourself Move On
• Stress Tips For Single Moms
• And Here's What I Get When I Search for Single Moms for Content

AUG 4 – Sisters' Day

The first Sunday of August – August 4 this year – is Sisters’ Day. If you have a sister, this is a day to celebrate her.

You can connect with your audience on this holiday by encouraging everyone who has a sister to give her a call and let her know that she's important to you. You could be instrumental in helping some siblings to reconnect and realize how valuable they are to each other!

Post an article about siblings on your blog or Facebook page. Something unusual like “What Frozen Taught Me About Love, Sisterhood, and Snowmen” could generate some interesting conversations in the comments and bring new readers.

Check out these resources for some excellent, ready-made content you can use for your Sisters' Day ideas…

• Here are 13,198 ideas.

AUG 6 – Fresh Breath Day

Everyone is concerned about if their breath is fresh. You could join the spirit of this little known holiday by giving your audience some information about how to keep their breath fresh naturally.

Good nutrition directly affects your health, strengthening it, and helps support fresh breath. You could put together an informative product about good nutrition.

Speaking of the breath, another related angle is deep breathing to calm you, bring you clarity of thought, and help you manage your emotions.

Also, your breath – whether it's fresh or not – is instrumental in meditating.

Here is some done-for-you content you can use:

• Each Breath is a Reminder of My Blessings Affirmation
• Here are 13,198 Pieces of Content about Breath and Breathing
• 36 Pieces of Done-for-You Content about Nutrition

AUG 8 – Happiness Happens Day

August 8 is Happiness Happens Day. On this day, we can focus on making ourselves and others happy.

Consider what activities bring joy to your life. How can you do more of that?

How can you uplift others around you?

Check out these resources for ready-made content, all related to happiness…

• 488 Resources about Happiness that You Can Use in Your Own Business
• 30 Days to Happiness Challenge
• Pursuit of Happiness Ebook & Journal
• Happiness Stealers

AUG 9 – Book Lovers Day

August 9 is Book Lovers Day, a day to celebrate the joys of reading.

You can easily connect with your audience about books and reading on this holiday. When it comes to books, there are many areas you can focus on.

Related topics include:

• Read more to know more
• How to get your kids to read more
• Speed reading
• Making time to read

For example, with our busy lifestyles, many people are interested in how to read faster. Use a speed reading article as the basis for your video.

Check out these resources for excellent, ready-made content for your Book Lovers Day program…

• 67 Done-for-You Articles, Checklists & Affirmations about Reading

AUG 10 – Lazy Day

August 10 is Lazy Day. Celebrate this day to relax.

You can celebrate Lazy Day with your audience by just kicking back and having a fun sharing day in a Facebook Live session. Learning to relax is a valuable tool for self-care.

Another topic that you can mention, however, is that if they're finding that every day is a lazy day for them, perhaps they would like some techniques to overcome their habit of being lazy.

They might also appreciate some strategies to motivate themselves so that they'll want to get busy and get something accomplished.

Offer your readers a free article download to get started and encourage them to seek further coaching from you for followup.

Use the resources below for some done-for-you content on these Lazy Day topics…

• How to Overcome Laziness
• 2472 Done-for-You Resources about Self-Care that You Can Publish in your Business

August 11 – Son and Daughter Day

August 11 is Son and Daughter Day, a day to celebrate our children and tell them how much we love them.

You can easily use this holiday to engage with your audience by talking about positive parenting, increasing their child's confidence, or making their home routines conducive to raising healthy, happy, and responsible kids.

Check out these resources to create great parenting content for Son and Daughter Day…

• Here are 234 Done-for-You Articles, Affirmations, Action Guides and Worksheets on Parenting

AUG 12 – International Youth Day

August 12 is International Youth Day, a day to celebrate young people and their positive contribution to our society. People all across the world recognize this holiday.

Our youth is our future – for the community we live in and the world!

You can connect with your audience today by setting a positive example and volunteering to help some youths in your community. If you have teenagers, take them with you to encourage them to give a helping hand to someone else and demonstrate the importance of helping others.

Make a video with the highlights of your volunteer day and post it on your blog or social media pages.

Offer a free download to your list members for an affirmation that encourages others to help out in their community.

Check out these done-for-you blog posts you can use for your International Youth Day activities…

• How to Boost Your Teen's Self Esteem.
• 15 Valuable Life Skills To Teach Your Teen

AUG 15 – Relaxation Day

August 15 is Relaxation Day. Naturally, this holiday encourages you to relax and let your stress melt away.

Relaxation topics like these would be welcome today:

• The many mental and physical benefits of taking time to relax
• How to relax
• How to beat stress
• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Deep breathing

Check out these resources for your Relaxation Day program…

• Here are some ready-made slide deck presentations perfect for this holiday, such as “25 Ways to Alleviate Stress” and “Self Care Practices That Benefit Your Mind, Body, and Soul.” Brand these with your company name and logo to generate more publicity for your company.
• Here are lots of inspirational wallpapers about relaxing. Why not put these onto slides and make a relaxing video?
• Here are some audios you can use for the background music!

AUG 16 – Tell A Joke Day

August 16 is Tell A Joke Day, because everyone loves to laugh!

In fact, laughing is good for you too – both mentally and physically. We all should take advantage of the lighter side of life and laugh often. It would benefit us to make time in our busy lives to laugh each day.

You'll find plenty of ready-made resources below for your Tell A Joke Day activities…

• Here you'll find done-for-you content about laughter.

AUG 21 – National Senior Citizens Day

August 21 is National Senior Citizens Day.

You can connect with your audience members of any age today by talking about:

• Tips on aging
• Self-care for caregivers
• Relationships with grandparents
• Tips for seniors who date

Remember – not all Senior Citizens are “old.” Many of them live active, vibrant lives. Some have taken advantage of their wisdom from many years in the workplace to offer consulting. Others give much to their community.

Today would be a great day to interview one of these seniors on Facebook live.

Whatever program you'd like to plan for Senior Citizens Day, you'll find some excellent done-for-you content for it in these resources below…

• 22 Pieces of Done-for-You Content about Seniors

AUG 22 – Be An Angel Day

August 22 is Be An Angel Day. This holiday encourages us to help those less fortunate than ourselves, to lend a helping hand to those who need it.

You can engage with your audience and Be An Angel to help out those who need it by having a Question and Answer session in your specialty.

You can do it live or have folks send in their most pressing questions and record a session with you reading the questions and answering them.

Check our these resources to help you create content for Be An Angel Day…

• Some Content about Volunteering
• A Crash Course in Kindness
• More about Kindness

AUG 25 – Kiss And Make Up Day

August 25 is Kiss and Make Up Day.

This holiday isn't just for romantic relationships, although it certainly applies to them. It's also about forgiving others who have wronged you, whether at home, work, or elsewhere (including yourself, if necessary).

This holiday gives you a chance to engage with your audience over an excellent way for them to set themselves free from many of their burdens: by learning to forgive.

Related topics include:

• Forgiving yourself for past mistakes
• Forgiving others
• Letting go of the past so you can move forward
• Learning from your mistakes
• Consider these ways you can use this holiday to connect:

Post an inspirational graphic about forgiveness on your website, blog, or social media pages, inviting your readers to the webinar.

Whatever program you decide on for your Kiss and Make Up Day activities, these resources below can provide some excellent, done-for-you content…

• Free forgiving & Forgetting Pack of 5 Articles
• 30 Day Forgiveness Challenge
• 104 Pieces of Content about Forgiveness

AUG 26 – National Dog Appreciation Day

August 26 is National Dog Appreciation Day.

Dogs are the BEST! They offer companionship, can strengthen our health, are loyal, and show unconditional love.

How can you celebrate this holiday with your audience?

Consider these ideas:

• Start this Dog Appreciation Day project ahead of time and spearhead a collection for a local no-kill animal shelter or dog rescue.
• You could donate a percentage of your proceeds for a month or for a particular product. Having a charity project like this often spurs sales of the product.
• On Dog Appreciation Day, take a picture or film a video of you giving a check to the shelter of all the donated funds.
• For some extra publicity for your business, contact the media about your project, so they can be there for the donation.

Whatever your ideas are for your Dog Appreciation Day, check out these resources for excellent dog-related content…

• 37 Pieces of Dog-Related Content.

AUG 26 – Women's Equality Day

August 26 is Women's Equality Day. On this day, we honor women and have activities to support their importance in all realms of our society.

Even though the Women's Movement has come a long way, obviously we still have a long ways to go.

Check out these resources you can use for your Women's Equality Day program…

• Here are a few resources about Equality.

AUG 27 – Global Forgiveness Day

August 27 is Global Forgiveness Day, a day to put the past in the past and forgive those who have wronged you – even yourself if you need to.

Have a webinar based on forgiveness. For example, you could use the slide deck presentation, “Forgiveness – A Step by Step Plan for Freedom,” for a ready-made presentation.

In your presentation, offer a free download to the attendees for some affirmations that encourage them to forgive.

Post an inspirational graphic about forgiveness on your blog or social media pages, with an article such as “Give Yourself the Gift of Forgiveness.”

Here is some ready-made, brandable content you can use for your Global Forgiveness Day projects…

• 30 Day Forgiveness Challenge
• 104 Pieces of Content about Forgiveness

AUG 31 – International Overdose Awareness Day

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, a day to advocate for the survivors of a loved one's overdose and to support and help those with addictions.

You can connect deeply with your audience today by offering to enrich their lives with help for addictions or helping them to overcome their grief of losing a loved one because of their addiction.

These done-for-you resources will help you build your program for International Overdose Awareness Day..

• Here is some content about addiction that you can use.

Where to Publish the Articles

• Your blog. Ronnie recommends using the Content Auto Loader.
• Medium
• Email newsletter
• Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
• Tip: use the Content Summarizer to automatically select highlights from the article, then link to the full article on your blog
• Publish in a weekly or monthly magazine template
• Tip: Use this free coaching magazine template.
• Print it and hand it out in your office

How and Where to Publish the Slide Deck Presentations

• Present as a live webinar
• Post the PDF to SlideShare
• Create a video slideshow and published on YouTube and Facebook. Use Ronnie's relaxation background audio as the music.

How and Where to Publish the Reports and Ebooks

• Give it away as a lead magnet in exchange for name & email
• Sell it as a low-ticket tripwire ($7 – $27)
• Transform it into a slide deck presentation and deliver it as a webinar
• Tip: Use the Auto Slide Deck tool to create presentations automatically
• Extract the key highlights and present it as a Facebook or YouTube Live
• Tip: use our Content Summarizer to automatically extract the key highlights from the book
• Create a coaching program or course by combining a few reports, articles, worksheets, etc.
• Tip: Watch the free video training series: How To Build a Course Using PLR.me Content

How and Where to Publish the Affirmations & Reflections

• Record several affirmations and sell it as a meditative audio course
• Create a relaxation video and publish it on YouTube. Use the PLR.me Inspirational Wallpapers as the background images.
• Tip: Recite the affirmations, display the affirmations on the screen and add some relaxation background music that you can download from the PLR.me Content Library.
• Post the affirmation to Twitter and Facebook
• Add an affirmation to your magazine or newsletter
• Tip: Use this free coaching magazine template.
• Email your list the “Affirmation of the Week”

Need Pictures to Spice up Your Content and Make Social Media Posts?

My favorite places to get images are:

• Big Stock Photo ** My Favorite
• Deposit Photo

Got questions? Just let me know in the comments. I do read them all.

Much love,

Nicole Dean (with lots of help from Ronnie Nijmeh)

This has been the summer of home maintenance for me.

• Pool liner replaced. Check.
• Roof fixed. Check.
• Trees trimmed and cut prior to hurricane season. Check.
• A/c breaks in car and at the house and needs to be repaired. Check.
• Ceiling in bathroom from water leak repaired. Check.
• All baseboards replaced in living room, bathroom, and master bedroom (after water leak). Check.

I feel like lessons have been presenting themselves to me a lot lately through this experience.

For instance, after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, we needed a new pool liner. Our pool was filled with shingles and nails and branches and was not salvageable.

So, we found Dan. We both really liked Dan. He was the owner of the company and answered all of our questions. In fact, we liked him so much that we also used his company to do our pool maintenance for a few years.

I thought of him as almost a friend. I'd see him riding his bike and say to my hubby “that's Dan!”

Flash forward to 2019. We need a new pool liner. They last approximately 15 years and ours must have had a timer.

We didn't think twice. We just contacted Dan's company. I drove over there. I told them that they had my measurements on file, I chose a liner, and I paid half – approx $1800.

And then I waited.

And I waited.

And I waited.

I knew the process takes about 6 weeks, so I didn't start to get annoyed until after week 6 when we hadn't heard a peep.

• Was our liner ever ordered?
• Was it scheduled?
• Were they just going to show up one day while I'm laying out there in my swim suit with my white butt showing?
• Could I plan a pool party or would they show up in the middle of it?

There was zero communication.

So, we reached out and got a “you should be up soon”.

And then another week went by.

And we followed up again, and got another “you should be up soon”.

And I was, at this point, REALLY not loving this process.

Then, one day, we got a call saying “we'll be there today”. So, again, not great communication. We scrambled and got prepared.

Some workers showed up. They didn't communicate great either. We weren't clear on the process at all.

They installed the pool liner. They came back a few days later to check the water levels. We never saw Dan or heard from him or the company to ask how things were going.

We got an invoice. I went in and paid the balance on it (another $1800). And still no word from anyone.

Not a “thank you”. Not a note in the mail. Nothing.

So… if we are still at this house in 15 years, you can bet that Dan's competition will be getting our business. Even if we have to pay a little bit more.

A similar thing happened with our roofing company, but I won't go into details about that. Let's just say they went MIA, too. And we had no idea if or when they might show up. And this was way after the “we'll have it done in 2 weeks” window.

Why am I sharing this story today?

Not so complain so much, but just to show the importance of communication.

If customers are left to wonder “Did my order go through?” or “Is this a scam?” or ‘Do they even care about me?” then your help desk will get the brunt of the frustration. And, if their cries to the help desk go into a void, then in this day and age, your customer will go to social media.

I was excited to order my new pool liner. I was excited about the experience. Now, not so much.

It's hard to earn back that excitement they felt while they were placing their order. And it's hard to earn back that trust.

What can you do to keep your customers happy?

1. Communicate clearly the product they are buying so get exactly what they paid for. You'd be amazed how often I want to buy a course and I can't even tell from the sales page if it's a video, audio, or written training. A confused mind does nothing. Or if they buy, and are confused, they aren't getting what they thought they were buying in the first place.

2. Clearly explain the process that will happen during and after their order. Where will their download be? Where should they look?

3. Set expectations. If your shopping cart will send the download info and it may take up to 30 minutes, let them know that up front so they aren't frustratedly clicking “check mail” wondering if their download got lost.

4. Say “thank you” and mean it. Without our customers, we're out of business.

5. Make it easy to contact support. Both during office hours and after office hours. Don't make them jump through hoops. Don't make them feel like their time was wasted.

6. Clearly have a link on every page of your site that takes customers to their members' area and to support. You'd be surprised how often I go to sites to log in and can't find it. Yes, I have it in last pass for most sites, but that's just an extra hoop. Make it easy for people to consume the material they buy from you so they'll get results and go from being a customer to a fan!

If you need some help with what to say to your customers after they buy, you might like these:

• Done-for-You Follow-up Emails for Your New Leads. (And how to structure your follow-up.)

If you're a contractor. This is equally important. 

Our policy at CoachGlue.com with our team is do not leave us guessing. If we ask for something to be done and do not get a message that “this is done”, then we assume it is not.

Also, in both of my basecamp accounts, the person who does the work is not allowed to mark it as done. They have to say it's done. Then someone else checks it. And then we mark it done.

We've had to let good workers go who were doing the work but not communicating because it causes stress, chaos, and confusion.

So, keep your clients in the loop. Let them know when things are done. Let them know if you're going to be late. Otherwise, it's up to them to guess and that's not, as you can see in my earlier example, how you keep a client happy.

This is also super important when dealing with affiliates and JV partners. 

A confused affiliate does nothing.

Make sure they have the information they need to promote.

And always, always make sure they know they are appreciated.

This comes back to the Love Languages. Give them words of praise, public shout outs, gifts when appropriate, and genuinely love and appreciate them. They'll KNOW if you do.

With hugs and high fives,

Nicole Dean and Lemur

Today I sent one of my smart coaching clients this…

Yes. Our brains are meant for one purpose. To keep us safe.

Anything that makes our bodies feel in danger…

EVEN the fear of something completely physically safe like writing a blog post or sending a mailing… our minds will try to divert us.

You open that book draft you've been working on and all of a sudden…
“I’m hungry.”
“I’m thirsty”
“I need to go to the bathroom”
“I wonder what the dogs are up to”
“Did I ever confirm that hair appointment?”

This is all an effort to get us to avoid the perceived danger.

When we listen to the fear, we don't do the things we need to do to grow.

Heck, our brains will even try to protect us from the fear of embarrassment.

“I can't go to the gym until I lose some more weight. Everyone will stare at me.”

“I can't post this even thought I want to… What if I get haters?”

I watched my kids battle this.

Me: “Sit down with me and do your handwriting.”

Boy child: “I'm hungry.”

To me, the awareness of that is huge.

Personally it gives me power, because I can point at my reaction and go “ok, brain. I know you love me and you're trying to keep me safe. But I also know that I need to do this thing. So let's work together to do it.”

I also make sure that I'm telling my body that I AM safe.

By breathing. Slow. Steady.

Because when we are scared, we hold our breath.

And, conversely when we hold our breath, our bodies think we are in danger.

So, just by consciously breathing through the things we do on a daily basis (and might potentially avoid), we can be more productive.

Try it out. Take a few slow breaths right now. Feels good, right?

So, what are you avoiding doing today? Is it a fear-based avoidance?

Perhaps “I know that I should finish creating this training, but… I'll post on social media a few times. That's still working, right?”

Our brains are slippery. They think they're helping. And they do keep us alive. “GO BRAINS!” But they can also stand in the way of achieving the things that are out of our comfort zone.

Just some food for thought.

Hugs and high fives,

Nicole Dean

PS. If you'd like some done-for-you content about keeping your brain healthy and happy, grab this package:

So, grab a drink and get comfy. It's story time….

Once upon a time (aka last week), I launched a new site, Content Drafts.

It consists of done-for-you blog posts and other assets that you can use to create informative and inspiring content for your audience.

My mission for the last decade has been to make the web and the world a better place. So, I am going to help do that by getting impactful content out to the world — through you.

These are FULL articles. I call them “content drafts” only because I want you to use them that way. You are amazingly wonderful and full of brilliant stories. Use these posts to create awesome stuff that makes a difference.

The first package is called HABITS: Tiny Tweaks for Big Results. It's pretty great if you want to check it out.

Anyway, I had that package done and the backend offer was also in place.

I was ready to send an email to my lists and I knew that I had at least 5 friends who were waiting to mail their audiences, too, as soon as I said “go”.

Since this was a new concept, I wasn't sure how the sales page would convert. I had one published and ready to go, but I wanted to split test it so that I knew if I was headed in the right direction or not. Especially before my affiliates started to get too serious in their promotions.

It used to be that testing two different sales pages was a pain in the butt.

In the video below I show how I did it in minutes. One of the sales pages converted at twice the other. I'm glad I didn't guess or I could have walked away from a lot of money and cost my affiliates sales, too.

Here's the scoop and I show just how easy it was:

Click here to check out Thrive Architect which is what I used to Create Content Drafts.

(It is my absolute #1 recommendation right now – and I've tested nearly all of them.)

Here's how it works.

You install WordPress like you normally world.

Then you choose a very light and quick loading simple theme (I do not use the Thrive Theme).

I used WPAstra as it got really good reviews from people who knew their stuff.

Customize the theme a bit. Mainly add your logo and choose colors.

Then you add that page builder as a plugin.

Once you do, you have the option of using pages/posts that look like simple regular pages (that show up based on your theme choices) or building intricate / cool pages with the page builder.

The reason I like this page builder and all the tools that comes with it so much is that it is built for business.

It's easy to do list building and quizzes and all kinds of cool things without having to pay for a bunch of extra tools.

And, it's super fast and easy to split test as you can see in the video above, which is a big deal for me.

Warmest wishes,

Nicole Dean & Speedy the Sloth

Picture this…

You're driving down the road in a car and you're headed towards an idea, a goal, or something awesome that you want.

Maybe you want to do a webinar, or write a book, or attend an event.

You're excited about it!

But then — you hear the voice of fear in your head and it can stop you in your tracks.

What if…

What if fear (that voice) was just an unruly, overly tired child sitting in the backseat? He (or she) is kicking and whining a little bit, trying to get your attention.

Maybe he's trying to manipulate you and he is definitely trying to get control of the situation. To do what HE wants.

But you know he's not in control.

You are.

So you tell him to simmer down and you keep driving.

What you don't do is pull over and give him the freaking keys to the car, right?

Don't give fear power over you. Over your success. Over your future. Over your happiness.

Trust me. I've done it enough for both of us. And I want more for both of us.

Fear is a good thing… if we're being chased by a bear. But when we're trying to get sh*t done, then we've got to realize we are not in harms way when we are following our dreams and we can (and should) proceed.

So the next time that little stinker in the back seat tries to take control, remember where you're headed and why. And who is in control.

Take a deep breath and keep driving.

You're worth it.

Stay tuned for more awesome stuff.

Hugs and high fives,

Nicole Dean

PS. Talk to me. What do you want to accomplish and what's holding you back?

Is picturing your fears as a child helping you to ignore them? Or what do you do when fear stops you?

Well, she's doing her annual VA Virtuoso Training and it's all about how to be a rock star Service Provider.

And what I want to say is this.

If you've been learning for awhile and studying and have been in this space, you CAN be a VA and get clients that start to pay your bills.

You DON'T have to struggle.

You DO know enough.

Just make a list of the tools you use on a regular basis. There are tons of coaches, authors, speakers, and more who will PAY for help with those things!!!

One of the biggest needs out there is excellent customer service! So if you can answer emails and learn a help desk (you can!) you're golden.

Even if you start off doing research for a client, you can grow into bigger things.

Get paid to learn.

When Virtual Assistants come to me, a lot of times, they charge me a discounted rate because they want to learn while they earn. And they do.

That's what I did when I was an Affiliate Manager. I had a few gigs that more than paid the bills, and I had my regular income coming in which was nothing to sneeze at. But… the key reason I did it was that I was also learning by DOING. And that's the best kind of learning there is.

For instance, I'll message my VA now and say “How do you do X,Y, and Z in Infusionsoft?” (Assuming this is complex question and not something simple she should know.)

Her answer? “I don't know, but I'll find out and get back to you.”

She's literally getting paid to go figure it out and fix it for me and explain it to me. So, when she runs into the problem later, for another client or her own business – she knows what to do!

She's getting paid to learn.

So, if you've been blogging for awhile and you're just not getting leverage yet, or you're posting on social media really well, but are just not profitable yet, or if you're a constant learner and you know ConvertKit or Thrive Themes or some other tools inside and out, consider earning while you're learning.

I did it. And I've helped a lot of people do it over the years. It works.

Don't get me wrong. Obviously you need to bring something to the table when starting your business. But even if you start with a small gig, you can build up your skillset while growing.

If you're interested, here is my best recommendation where to start and it's totally free.

Click here and sign up for this FREE VA Business Kick Start package and you'll get all of this…

1. VIDEO: What to Expect in a Career as a VA Plus Top 10 Resources
2. EBOOK: Kick Start Your VA Business
3. CHECKLIST: 200 Services a VA Can Offer Their Clients
4. CHECKLIST: Virtual Assistant Start Up + Why Get Started in Business
5. #VAforum: Virtual Assistant Networking Collaboration Forum
6. VIDEO: Setting Your Price, Getting Paid & Making it Legal
7. WORKSHEET: The Hourly Pricing FORMULA
8. CONTRACT: Independent Contractor Agreement (Word .doc)
9. GRAPHICS: Images for Social Media Marketing
10. EBOOK: Getting Started With Affiliate Marketing (& Video)
11. VIP LIST: Notification of Market Leading News in the VA Industry

Again, you can see everything you'll get and sign up here.

Becoming a Service Provider is not just for women. I've hired a lot of Service Providers over the years who are men. Writers, editors, tech, graphics, book design, audio, video, and more.

Here's what I want for you if this story resonated with you:

1. Get a few clients and get some money coming in.
2. Take a big sigh of relief. It's hard to be creative and productive when you're scared and frustrated.
3. Schedule your work for your clients. AND schedule your time to work on your own business.
4. With some money coming in, get back to building YOUR business.

Stay tuned for more awesome stuff.

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

I've been thinking that our followers oftentimes think we are somehow “lucky” in business or smarter than they are. So, this week, I asked my awesome friends to share a fail, disaster, or total miss from their businesses. And, to let us know if there was a lesson or some good that came from it.

I'm totally teasing with the title. These aren't “Massive Fails“. My point is to show that at the time they probably felt like it, but you can see that every single one was or is just a step on the path to more awesome things.

I hope you enjoy this post. If so, please comment and share!

Brian T. Edmondson
InternetIncomeCoach.com

When it comes to getting “lucky” in business (or anything else in life) I always think back to one of my favorite quotes from the Roman philosopher Seneca who said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Even those who win the lottery had to actually go out and buy a ticket and realize that they were taking a gamble and ran the risk of (certainly) losing money.

Lucky for those of us in business (no pun intended), the chances of success are much higher than hitting PowerBall, but we should realize that there is no guarantee of success and most likely we'll have to lose a lot before we find a winner. Whether running a new paid advertising campaign, launching a new product, etc. we'll have to test several different headlines, copy, audiences, etc. and fail quite a few times before we find a winner. For most people who fail in business it's not because they aren't lucky enough or smart enough, it's because they just didn't persevere long enough before they could succeed. It's the classic Acres of Diamonds story.

I could give endless examples of where I've failed and continue to fail, but the key is I embrace the concept of failing fast and failing forward. A big example of what many people would consider to be a big failure was when I declared personal bankruptcy at the age of 25 while pursuing my dreams of building an online business. A traumatic experience no doubt, but I came out of that experience a better person in so many ways.

Just recently I sank around $1,000 into a Facebook ad campaign to promote a product and didn't make one single sale. Losing $1,000 and having a big crush to my ego (I'm supposed to be a marketing “guru” right?) wasn't pleasant, but the lessons learned on what worked and didn't work were priceless.

Don't be fooled by anybody that tells you that starting an online business and making money online is easy and doesn't take hard work, dedication, and sometimes, yes… a little bit of luck.

Karon Thackston
MarketingWords.com

I have had numerous fails during my 20 years of owning MarketingWords.com. Every time I’ve made a mess of things, I’ve learned something – even if it was to never, EVER do _____ again.

One of the biggest mistakes I made (and one of the hardest to get over) was not outsourcing. In my mind, outsourcing was an expense that I could not afford early on. I thought I needed to do as much as possible myself to save money. Here’s how that worked for far too many years…

I’d need to set up a new funnel (or do some other techy thing, or install and configure some funky plugin, or whatever). I’d spend hours trying to learn how to do what I needed, digging around the ‘Net for free tips and whatnot. Then, I’d fail at my first 3 or 4 attempts. It finally dawned on me that I was losing money hand over fist by not outsourcing.

When I realized how much I could have been making in the 5-7 hours I struggled and did not even accomplish what I wanted, I was shocked. All the while, I could have paid a pro to setup the {whatever God-awful, techy thing you think of} and it would have taken them only minutes because they do this sort of thing all day, every day. I wasted time (when I could have been making hundreds of dollars) in order to save $50 or $75.

I head slapped myself and began looking for help the same day I had this realization. Not only did it free me up to make more, it also alleviated a LOT of stress.

Lou Bortone
“The Godfather of Video”
LouBortone.com

Share a fail? There are too many to keep track of! As entrepreneur, the only profession with a worse “failure rate” is baseball, where you only have to hit the ball 3 out of 10 times to be a superstar.

In fact, there are definitely times when I’m only batting 3 for 10 when it comes to promotions, selling products or selling coaching. Fortunately, those 3 “hits” are usually enough to run a successful business, and the “public” rarely knows, nor cares, about the 7 ideas that flopped.

I remember one embarrassing “dry spell” when I was participating in a “selling” program with a highly regarded “guru.” Our mission was to make 50 sales calls and close as many as possible, using their “foolproof” sales script. I made dozens of calls and was literally zero for 50. Nada. The big, fat goose egg. Epic failure. Not. One. Sale.

The lesson: Sales “scripts” are not for everyone, and some selling “systems” simply don’t work for introverts or less assertive personalities. I was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. But once I dumped their “foolproof” script and put my own personality into client conversations, everything changed for the better. Skip the script. Follow your gut. You do you!

Angela Wills
Digital Business Coach
LaptopLifestyleBusiness.club

A total miss happened very early on for me. I was DESPERATE to leave my afternoon-shift factory job and I wanted to be gone in a flash. The ONLY thing on my mind was getting out of there. There is so much to a business than replacing one income for the next, which I was able to do by taking on Virtual Assistant clients.

I quit my job and moved into my business role but the total miss became evident about four months later when I was basically tied to my desk morning, noon and night. I had quit my job to be home for my son, to create a life I loved and to love what I did and I had none of it. The only thing I'd done was trade one boss for about 15 (or up to 25 at times) and I was so stressed out, overwhelmed, overworked and just could not even see or think straight. It was a serious problem!

I fixed it, of course, and it's now eleven years later and I make it my mission to NOT see others get caught and stuck in the same trap as I did. I now live with the kind of freedom that lets me do what I want, when I want and where I want.

That did not just happen. It had to be designed. It had to be thought about, planned about, worked on and tested until it became a reality. And I love that. I love that we CAN create exactly what we want, if we get really clear on what that is.

Kelly McCausey
LovePeopleMakeMoney.com

I have tried a lot of things in my business that didn't work over the years. I'm willing to fail, even spectacularly, even publicly, if it means I'm stretching and growing and have the chance to love people and make money. That means I could tell you any number of stories

Like the time I decided to tackle the whole launch formula thing.

I was selling an array of products easily and profitably but a lot of smart heads said I should have a ‘signature product' that sells for a higher price. So I retired a lot of individual products, went into my virtual work shed to create a really big product with modules galore. Then I studied the process of having a big launch. I planned out videos and emails and crafted the best sales page I could imagine – which wasn't easy because the product was now sooo big I didn't know what to say about it. I reached out for affiliate support – which did not come in droves.

The launch week arrived, everything was ready. Freebies every day, new videos every day, awesome follow up planned. And pfffffzzzffffzz.

I made sales. About $10,000 in total. Hurray? Not really. For all the time and effort, it didn't increase my overall sales. My expectations were that all this extra hoopla and the big course price, together would create at least $25,000 at launch and keep making me big chunks of cash for a long time to come. That isn't what happened. Turns out, it's not simple to sell expensive products that include everything but the kitchen sink.

I dropped it. I don't sell it anymore. I GIVE it to my coaching clients to support them in whatever area they're needing extra information in.

In some ways I don't regret giving it a try because I had to know. In another, private, deep down in my heart way – I wish I hadn't done any of it. It sucks to fail.

I took my lessons from it though. I rock at creating, marketing and selling smaller products that meet very specific needs. I am in my genius zone with I deliver group coaching programs and challenges. I keep my focus on these things and continue to love people and make money.

Candice L. Davis
Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

Every time I'm asked about a business failure, the same story pops into my mind. It was the kind of painful moment that lays a groove in your brain so you never forget it. Four years ago, my business partners and I put weeks into building our first digital product, an online course to help people write, publish, and market their nonfiction books. We were proud of the course, and we invited some of the experts we knew personally to become affiliates for our big launch day.

They had the audience. They had the engagement. They sold nothing. In fact, they did little or nothing to promote the $1500 product.

The problem: We'd reached out to experts who'd never been involved in affiliate marketing, had no idea what it entailed, and didn't really have an interest in promoting affiliate products. They were lovely people who wanted to do us a favor, but a post or two on their Facebook business pages didn't move the needle for us. Our affiliates didn't know what they were doing–and neither did we.

The lesson: It's a lot easier to work with experienced affiliates for a big promotion, but if you're just introducing your affiliates to the concept, it's wiser not to rely heavily on them for your marketing efforts. (It seems like common sense now, but we were caught up in the excitement of building something new!) Make the effort to get the newbie affiliates' buy-in, and make sure they have all the information they need to do a great job as an affiliate. A few months later, we did just that, and we enjoyed our first multi-five-figure day with one webinar for a single affiliate.

Terry Dean
MyMarketingCoach.com

Well, this is a toughie, because I have so many failures and mistakes. Where should I start?

Here's a good one. I had a flash of brilliance. It was an incredible idea that was going to make a fortune.

Create a step-by-step marketing course designed specifically for local business owners. Perfect. They all need this. I disappear into my man cave and work on this for 6 months. It was a masterpiece. Over 300 pages packed with A-B-C instructions, checklists, worksheets, and more. The crowd cheers, “He is finally done and ready to launch this game changer.”

Launch. Silence. A few sales trickle in, but nothing like the stampede that was expected.

Six months down the drain. What was my mistake? No one identifies themselves as a local business owners.

Local business owner is too general. They're dentists, chiropractors, CPAs, physical therapists, gym owners, martial arts dojos, restaurateurs etc.

I was able to make the project profitable by editing the product and sales copy to dentists. Then going after that specific audience.

But this miserable failure has an even better silver lining to it. Around half of my one-on-one coaching clients sell B2B in these exact types of niche markets. A portion of their success has been built upon my failure.

The big takeaways here are to do your research before running with a big product idea. What are people currently buying? What do they want to buy? What solutions are they searching for?

Everyone wants a custom solution just for them…even if the answer is 95% the same as other related markets. Becoming more specialized is a way to set yourself apart.

And even painful failures can be a stepping stone to greater success.

Note from Nik: If you're an intermediate to advanced marketer and you sell your own products – be sure to check out Terry's My Marketing Mentor Program

Nicole Dean
Awesome Human, Author, Business Consultant, etc.
From here!

Well you already know my motto. “You don't have to be perfect to be profitable'. (You can even tell from this image circa 2012.)

God knows that I'm not. I manage to screw things up often enough to prove that.

My biggest failures and what I learned.

I would say my biggest failures over the years always come from (lack of) confidence and (lots of) fear.

I'm scared to do something and I don't take action and I miss my window of opportunity. (You have no idea how often this happens.)

I WISH I had more failures, but I have the opposite problem. I don't have enough. Because I do the things that I know are safe and easy. Which isn't always a bad thing in my position. But it sometimes is.

I mean, I do preach to my coaching clients and we brainstorm what would be “fun, easy, and profitable”.

And that's true. That's where I like to spend 90% of my time.

But… sometimes a good stretch is needed as well.

Along the same lines, I've oftentimes been scared to let go of something so I hold onto too many things and I dilute my energy.

I've failed to let go of tons of stuff, even though every year, I commit to doing it.

Every year, I make a list of websites that I need to sell or give away.

Every year, I think how much easier my life would be if I would just do it.

But I don't do it. This mistake has literally cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars – simply because I'm not 100% focusing enough on my ‘money' projects.

The funny thing is that, if I looked at my business and my life as if I were my own coaching client, I'd kick my butt!

I would never let one of my coaching clients hang on to this much baggage. It's not practical and it's certainly not the most profitable plan.

It's not even that I really spend TIME on most of the “extra” stuff. It's just a mental drain and sucks my soul. (Not to be toooo dramatic or anything. lol!)

I keep justifying that the extra websites and projects are just “sitting there making money” – which is true for a lot of them. But, how much risk and wasted mental energy do I really need in my life?

If I were to let them go and focus on my Focal Point – the profit that I would get from that would so squash the small amounts that some of those small sites bring in every month.

Over the years I have worked hard at simplifying, but it's still not enough. 

1. No more junk mail. (I've eliminated most of my junk mail.)

2. No more telemarketers (we turned off the ringer on the home phone years ago).

3. I'm dumping all unnecessary things – even if it only involves a few minutes per month.

4. Heck, I even had laser hair removal on my legs so I don't have to waste time shaving anymore. lol. (Too much information? Probably.)

It's time to file this away for good and to put my chronic overwhelm from mental clutter to rest.

Lesson learned. All things come with a price. Even good things. I don't need this much “stuff” in my life or in my head.

My Epic Fail. 

But if I were to say one EPIC fail that I had, it would actually be a co-epic fail with my friend, Kelly McCausey who shared above.

We host Beachpreneurs Conference / Workshop events.

And, because we are smart, we rely on experts. So, for our hotel event, because there's so much risk, we used an Event Coordinator.

That was a smart move.

But we still ended up with miscommunication between us and the hotel, which cost us money – and a LOT of stress.

Kelly read the contract. (And at this point she'd already hosted a few events, so she was pretty knowledgable.)

I read the contract. (I used to write Bank Manuals for a living so I know how to pick apart words!)

The Event Coordinator read the contract. (And this is what she does for a living.)

We all misunderstood one word.

It was a costly word.

The result from this mistake?

Since then, Kelly has become pretty freaking smart in negotiating with hotels for events. Both for us and for her own events. It was also a great test of our partnership AND our friendship (not really) AND we learned some things about communication AND in stress management (really). lol.

Thankfully we have a great hotel now for our Beachpreneurs events. And we love going back every year. (Join us!)

Talk to me.

1. Do you have a failure that you would like to share? And a lesson learned?

2. Did one of my friends' posts resonate with you?

3. Do you suffer from mental chaos? What are you doing about it?

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. If you like this post – share it and check out my friends’ sites. That’ll make me happy! Appreciate you!