I'm a “why” person. I can do anything consistently if I'm given a reason. I've always been a bit stubborn like that. #superstubborn

For instance, I knew for years that because I have Hashimotos, that gluten wasn't helping my body. But it wasn't until I talked with my functional doctor about 5 years ago, and he gave me the reasons and how gluten was actually affecting my thyroid, that I was like “ok. I get it.” And I haven't intentionally had it since.

For years, I've been wanting to establish a solid morning routine to start my day. I figure, if we live to be 70 years old, that's only about 25,000 mornings.

And I strongly believe in Robin Sharma's quote (those that know me have heard this concept a million times) –

Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny – shaping who you are becoming and what your life will stand for. There’s no such thing as an unimportant day. Robin Sharma

With the assumption that that's true, then the best thing we could do is to start our days intentionally, right?

So, back to that morning routine. I've read The Morning Miracle, My Morning Routine and Tools of Titans for inspiration. While I did get ideas and inspiration from each one, nothing seemed to stick for me. They are great books, but they were overwhelming.

I'm not getting up at 5 am for a run. Like ever. EVER.

Until now.

I will share my morning routine in a bit, but I also want to share enough other options that my friends are doing so that you could figure out what YOUR perfect morning routine would look like. Just like I did.

So for you, I asked my smart friends…

Do you have a morning routine that you follow each day before you start your work?
If so, what does it look like?
Why do you do it this way?

For full transparency: This post is a compilation of responses from my friends as well as some fun stuff I researched and curated from people who I look up to who are not my friends – yet. Give me time.

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

Lou Bortone
“The Godfather of Video”
LouBortone.com

My Morning Routine, aka Punching and Kicking Stuff – Lou Bortone

The only “non-negotiable” in my morning ritual is my daily trip to “9 Round Kickboxing,”where I get to start my day by kicking and punching things. (Because randomly punching and kicking humans is frowned upon!)

My first-thing-in-the-morning kickboxing workout gets me going and fires up those endorphins so I can hit the ground running (or kicking!)

As soon as I get up, I mix my pre-workout drink (my version of coffee) and a do a quick check of emails before I leave for the gym.

I know, I know. Everyone says NOT to check your emails or socials first thing in the morning but, being in a client-centric business, I disagree with the conventional wisdom.

I check my emails because, if a client needs something or one of my students is in a
pinch, I want to know about it ASAP so I can jump on it. It’s usually a quick fix and
doesn’t throw off my routine.

Once I’ve done the email check and downed my workout drink, it’s off to 9 Round for 30
minutes of kicking butt. The day has officially begun!

Get Lou's free “Sizzle Reel Secrets: How to Create Professional Videos Quickly and Easily” here!

Candice Davis, Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

My morning routine changes with the seasons, but I’m always happier and more productive when I have one. Right now, I greet each day with a prayer of thanks before my feet hit the floor around 5:00 in the morning. After a glass of water with lemon and MSM, I sit in my favorite chair and crack open my journal to do a bit of self-coaching on the page. Self-coaching allows me to set the tone for the day and decide in advance what results I want to create and what action I need to take to get those results.

(I asked Candice what ‘self coaching' meant to her and this was her reply.)

I often use a practice called “the model,” which I learned first from Brooke Castillo, of the Life Coach School, and then from my life coach, Jody Moore. It’s based on cognitive behavioral therapy and allows you to examine and change the thoughts that are creating your results, thus changing your results.

This year, I’ve added a new routine of writing my primary goal. My goal is to create and deliver $500,000 in value. I write that goal in my journal 15 times as an affirmative statement: “I am creating and delivering $500,000 in value in 2020.” It reinforces my belief in this possibility, and has helped me to stay consistent in taking action in that direction.

When I feel awake enough, I dive into some writing or review my clients’ writing work, and by 7:00, I’m off for an hour-long walk with my husband. On our best days, we also do ten to twenty minutes of pre-breakfast meditation, but that doesn’t happen every day. I’m never rigid about any of this. I have to enjoy it all, or as I learned the hard way when I tried to follow someone else’s morning routine, it creates more stress than it alleviates.

Angela Wills, Digital Business Coach
AngelaWills.com

I've been working on this and playing with it so, yes, I do have a morning routine! Here's what mine looks like:

Wake at 7am and grab my water and coffee. Spend 1 minute meditating. Nicole as you know you got me into meditation by recommending it to me as my coach and I have yet to get beyond one minute but I do really value that one minute of meditation! I use the Insight Timer app. What's fun about the app is it also has some meditations for kids that I use for my daughter at night to get her to ease into her bedtime more easily.

After I meditation I write in my journal three things: Gratitude, What I want my day to look like, and as many affirmations as I can think of and that I feel will serve me that day (I am strong, I am happy, I am helpful, etc). I drink my coffee, which is a cold brew coffee with almond milk, while I journal.

Then I check my calendars – I have a physical planner and I also use Google Calendar so I check them both for the day and the week. This helps me foresee what's coming up. I know this sounds really BASIC but I can't believe how many years I got by not doing this. Of course I would forget things, miss them or just not do stuff that would have helped my business when I didn't make it a daily habit to check my calendar and a nightly routine to plan my days.

Next I get dressed and ready. My clothes are laid out from the night before and I have a skincare and makeup routine I can do in about 10 mins. I grab a smoothie and then go wake up Ella by 8am (or sooner if possible) and then start on her routine (she's got hers we created together). My son wakes himself and gets ready himself, he's 17 and Ella is 5.

Then, I get into a BIT of a work routine. Check my emails, look at my to-do list, brainstorm if I'm feeling overwhelmed and just work through the top priorities for my business that day.

This is an IDEAL day I'm describing. Every day is NOT ideal but I do try to keep to this routine and get my day started off right. I used to wake up, get coffee and look at my phone until time flew by and it was time to wake Ella. I like my organized routine much better!

I found that Natalie Sisson has a really solid morning routine. She talks about it in her podcast and you can learn more about it at the link below.

Natalie Sisson

NatalieSisson.com

The summary if you're short on time is this:

#1. Wake up early
#2. Drink Water
#3. Move my body with Yoga
#4. Essential Oils
#5. Meditation
#6. Hot and Cold Shower
#7. Get Dressed
#8. Hot Water and Lemon
#9. Daily Greens

I also looked up to see if Vishen Lakhiani had a morning routine (as I greatly admire him). Of course he does.

Vishen Lakhiani
Mindvalley.com

Again, here's the overview if you're short on time.

1. A 6 phase meditation that he's invented.
2. Minimum effective dose workout (Tabata)
3. A killer workout playlist
4. Breakfast for fuel (green smoothie)
5. A bulletproof boost for his brain

Free Training from Vishen

Masterclass: Which of the 4 Levels of Human Consciousness Are You Living From?

Another person I admire for this productivity is Jim Kwik. I was able to see him speak in San Diego and purchased some of his training. I think you'll enjoy what he has to say.

Jim Kwik
KwikBrain.com.com

Here's his list:

1. RECALL MY DREAMS.
2. I MAKE THE BED.
3. I DRINK WATER AND TAKE SUPPLEMENTS.
4. I FOCUS ON BREATHING.
5. I MEDITATE.
6. I MOVE.
7. I TAKE A COLD SHOWER.
8. I MAKE A TEA.
9. I JOURNAL.
10. I CREATE A TO-DO LIST, A TO-BE LIST, AND A TO-FEEL LIST.
11. I READ.
12. I MAKE MY BRAIN SMOOTHIE.
13. I GO THROUGH MY BRAIN TRAINING.
14. I START MY DAY WITH MY MOST DIFFICULT, IMPORTANT TASK.

Free Training from Jim Kwik:

Masterlcass: Train Your Brain to Speed Read and Retain More Information

If you've been following me more than a hot sec, you know I just really admire and enjoy Tim Ferriss so much. Here's his routine. I'm sure it changes constantly, knowing how he optimizes, but this was a video he recorded showing his routine at this time.

Tim Ferriss
Tim.blog

Tim's tips are:

1. Sleep with your phone on airplane mode.
   (Note From Nik: A lot of us have kids or family members who might need us so we can't do that, but we can turn off text notifications. I also have an override set up so that if either of my kids calls, my phone will ring, even if it's on Do Not Disturb.)
2. Make Your Bed.
3. 10-15 push-ups
4. Journalling with 5 Minute Journal or Morning Pages
5. 10-20 minutes of meditation (choose whatever you like best)

Amy Harrop, Content Savvy Expertise
AmyHarrop.com

I enjoy mornings. I'm a morning person, and I get up around 5 a.m. usually. Of course, it helps that I have two cats who act as alarm clocks.   In my household, I am the first person up, and have the house to myself for the next 3 hours or so.

I am a morning coffee drinker, and when I get up in the morning I have my cup of coffee and spend some time playing with the cats. I finish my cup of coffee and review my tasks and communications for the day as I wake up.  I find for me, I like to have my coffee before I jump into anything, and reviewing content and  information is a good way to ease into the day.

After that, I start my power hour as I like to call it. I spend about 15 minutes doing stretching and some yoga poses. Then, I meditate, and do meditative writing and journaling. I like to finish this up with some spiritual reading and contemplation.

After that, I'm ready to take on my important tasks of the day. I'm a big fan of Michael Hyatt’s ‘Free to Focus’ system, and I have three larger projects I focus on each week. I tackle one of those usually every morning and then when I'm finished, I will work on some smaller tasks. For the most part, I try to wrap up everything around lunch time.

I like my morning rituals, and I do think having a power hour every morning helps keep me focused and productive.

Marie Forleo

Here's an excerpt from the video:

Really Productive People (RPPs) make their morning routine non-negotiable.

“First of all, I think everybody should have a morning routine, a little collection of things that you do for yourself before you start interacting with the rest of the world.

For example, my morning routine involves meditation, time with Josh and Kuma, green juice and some exercise.

All these things I do set me up for success emotionally, spiritually and physically. I’m not perfect at this so, for example, if I have to catch a 5 am flight, my butt is not getting up at 2 am to do all those things. I’ll do whatever I can fit in and finish the rest of my little routine later in the day.”

Oprah (the Oprah)

In this interview she says:

“Usually before the sun comes up, I offer myself to something greater than myself. If it’s for one minute, 20 seconds or 10 minutes, I at least stop in that space in my house every morning. I have a little meditation space where I just go. I have beautiful spiritual readings there. I light my three candles there, daily word or something and I express to this greater energy field than I, that I don’t want to be alone as I move out into the world.”

Rachel Hollis

5:00am | Wake Up
5:10am | Coffee, read a non-fiction book + Start Today Journal
5:40am | Spanish
5:55am | Motivational videos
6:05am | Write motivational posts

After that it's first mealtime (almond butter and jam…yummmm) followed by the gym in my skull cap and then it's time to wake up the kids and get out into the world!

Sarah Santacroce, LinkedIn Consultant & Strategist
SarahSantacroce.com

I have been meditating most days of the week for about 4 years now. It really is a practice, as they say. Meaning that some days are better than others   I use the Insight Timer app for my guided meditations.

After I send the kids off to school I make myself a coffee (black, since I'm fasting until late morning) and go down to my office, take out my yoga mat and tune into the session of the day. I've recently discovered YogawithAdriene.com and love her! She has a monthly calendar with a free yoga video for every day of the month. Check it out!

Ben Greenfield of BenGreenfieldFitness.com
Posted on Instagram

My Morning Routine, Simplified.

Someone recently asked me for my morning routine. Here is it, in a very basic but quick nutshell. I hope you find it helpful, and feel free to leave your questions or your own morning routine in comments!

1. Wake and complete gratitude journal while laying in bed. Do not take phone out of airplane mode.

2. After journaling, go to kitchen and drink 30 ounces of water from a glass mason jar. Into water, place two packets or vials of Quinton hypertonic minerals OR a teaspoon of good salt, along with 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 hydrogen tablets.

3. Drink, then proceed outdoors into sunshine in bare feet wearing as little as possible. Complete 10-15 minutes of stretching (I linked to my routine at in my bio and at bengreenfieldfitness.com/morningworkout), foam rolling and deep tissue work, specifically focusing on anything that feels tight or painful. During this time, feel free to listen to encouraging, spiritually enhancing music, or an audiobook or podcast, but continue to keep phone in airplane mode.

4. Upon finishing stretching and breathwork, use restroom, then, if time permits, proceed to 20-30 minute sunshine walk or sauna (hot) and ice (cold) therapy (otherwise can save hot and cold for later in day). There it is! Simple, but effective.

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

First of all, let me give kudos to my buds.

You’re all awesome!

ok. So, me?

Here's the deal. If you're on my lists you know that I sunk pretty bad this year. I fell into despair pretty deeply between my son going into the Navy, my daughter graduating this year, and facing the empty nest. So, I had planned a whole bunch of travel to look forward to. And then I had a family tragedy (a suicide). And then the “you know what / aka C word” hit and all my travel was cancelled. Add a few other things on top of that that I don't need to talk about here and yeah…

I crashed and hit a pretty low point.

And, I stayed in it.

And, I stayed in it some more.

And, by “it”, I mean my bed.

It's a funny thing with me. I tend to decide when enough it enough and I snap myself out of crap when I decide that I'm done with it.

I make the decision “No. I'm not willing to stay here anymore” and then I go find people who have the answers and I create a structure to help myself.

It started with a cup of hot lemon water.

Why? I had been reading that starting your day with a cup of hot lemon water does a few things. It hydrates you, is good for cleaning things out, and is just a nice ritual.

I decided I would do it for 30 days and see how I felt.

The odd part was that it really did flip a switch for me in a lot of ways. I was putting something loving into my body first thing, and not just dousing myself with caffeine. There's nothing wrong with coffee if it works for you, but as someone who has years of anxiety under my belt, I feel like starting my day with a little bit of self-love is a good thing. Plus, if I don't start with a cup of coffee, then I usually only have one small cup a day. (Black because of intermittent fasting. The small amount of lemon water does not kick me out. I eat something between noon and 3 as my first food of the day.)

The only warning with the lemon water is to have some actual water afterwards (switch it around) and don't brush your teeth right away as the lemon needs to work its way off your teeth first.

So, by telling myself with my first action of the day “you are worthy and you are loved” – for me, it sets the tone for how I want the rest of my day to go.

ok ok. ok. I have to back up a titch.

I'm going to give you my FULL morning routine which is currently a LOT. It's a lot right now, because 1. I need a huge influx of self care. 2. I have the luxury of being able to usually do it as I don't have little kids and I work from home. (Yes, I get up earlier than usual to fit it all in.)

Now, this is my typical morning routine, but I also have a shortened one if this one makes your head spin.

My actual morning routine: 

1. I get up and pee. #facts
Why? Because. Biology, silly.

2. Then, after I wash my hands, I scrape my tongue.
Seriously, if you don't know about this, you need to do it. #sogross  Here's the deal. Your body spends all night getting the gross stuff out of your body through your tongue. That's why in the morning you have a layer of what's called “Ama” on it. Ama is basically the yucky stuff that's built up in your body and your tongue is trying to help you to get it out. So… if you don't scrape it off your tongue and instead just drink coffee, you're re-ingesting that crud. HELL no. So, I quick do 5 passes on my tongue with the tongue scraper and rinse it off.

3. Brush my teeth.
Why not? I mean, did you just read about the Ama?! It takes a few minutes and I can do it again later. But it's done. Plus, you don't want to brush your teeth right after you drink the hot lemon water because it's not great for enamel so I do it prior to that.

4. Hot Lemon Water.
Then, I head to the kitchen.  I have a sweet little electric kettle that I fill up with water and press the button to get it boiling. I like the ritual of that, as opposed to using the microwave. Plus it's quiet and doesn't wake up everyone.

5. Quick Tech Check In. 

Once I have my lemon water, I take a quick tech break.

Then, I grab my lemon water and take it to the bedroom where I sip it and play a game of Blockduko and check on the “safe” things to check on that I won't be able to relax until I've check them. You know the things – which might be totally different for you.

YOU might choose to skip this step if it derails you. I have parameters… of course. lol.

What I don't check:

Email, news sites, or social media.

What I do check:

My calendar. I check it the day before, but I also recheck it when I wake up to make sure nothing slipped my mind.

Texts and Facebook messenger. Knowing me and how I protect my time, saying that the first thing I do is to check FB messenger probably sounds odd, but I check it for two reasons.

1. My daughter in Latvia doesn't have the ability to text me from her phone. We communicate mostly through Facebook messenger. I check in there to make sure nothing is up or to see if she sent me any fun pictures!
2. On the business standpoint, I also need to see if I have any CoachGlue.com or ContentDrafts.com affiliates who want to promote something of mine who are waiting on me (perhaps they need a simple clarification). Because not doing that could cost me thousands of dollars for that day. And, it's an easy thing to fix without getting sucked into a million distractions. (As opposed to checking email which could derail my entire morning.)

I also do those two things because once they are done, I'm able to focus on my next morning steps without wondering if everything is ok.

So, I pop into Facebook messenger. If I see a message “Hey Nik, I wanted to promote this offer today but I had a question or I can't find my link or do you have a sexy angle that I can use to my specific audience” — I get them set up and then I go back to my morning routine. Easy peasy.

That step usually lasts 5-10 minutes tops – then I'm ready for…

6. Light Fasted Exercise. 

I do approximately 15-35 minutes of some form of gentle exercise. (Again, much less if I'm not able to. My “minimum” to achieve this step and keep my commitment to myself is 5 minutes of exercise or one sun salutation.

I do that exercise before eating anything or drinking anything with calories that would take me out of my fast. So, lemon water or plain water, then gentle exercise.  Lately that has been swimming in my pool, but I also do yoga, pilates, walking, or bicycling. Something low impact and gentle to my body that also kicks things into gear and starts fat burning mode and tells my brain to wake up… ideally while also giving me a bit of fresh air first thing in the day.

This was a lesson that I learned while taking Ben Greenfield's Longevity Blueprint course and it's been really good for me. I am definitely clearer in my head and I'm getting a ton more done. It's awesome. Sometimes it's hard to talk myself into getting out of bed and into the pool, but it's definitely worth it afterwards.

7. Reflection/ Meditation.

After my exercise, I grab my coffee or green tea and go back outside for my sitting/ reflection time.

I personally do a four part meditation and it's a bit long on days when I do the whole thing how I like to do it. I do a shorter version when I have to version but this is my preferred one. (Again, to keep my commitment to myself, I have to do a one-minute meditation. However, my full one is about 25 minutes total.)

I start by sitting and doing some breathing. Did you know that breathing is one of the only body actions that you do both automatically (without thinking) and also by choice? It also can calm you down within a minute. It's pretty amazing. If you have anxiety, I highly suggest scheduling in breathing breaks. Here's what to do:

1. Take a quick physical assessment/ scan. How do I feel right now? Scan from your head down. My head? My throat? My chest? My stomach? My arms? My legs? Where am I holding tension? On a scale of 1 to 10 where I am?
2. Take 5-10 long deep breaths. There are tons of different breathing exercises (and if you have panic attacks, I highly suggest learning some) – but a simple counting in, holding your breath for 2 counts, and exhale counting out works. I like to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, but you do what works for your body.
3. Take another quick check. How do you feel?

The scans are important to me because they are a reminder when I am panicked to breathe because I have evidence that it works.

ok. Back to my routine. I like to do at least 10 breaths, but I prefer 4 minutes. I do all kinds of different breathing exercises. From “breathe in for 5 through your nose, hold for 5, and breathe out through your mouth for 5” to some pretty freaky/funky breathing that I've learned through yoga. It's ALL good. Intentional deep breathing helps your cortisol reset and helps you tell your body it's safe. It's just a good thing to do during the day a few times. It's got to be good for your lungs, too, right?

Then, I do a quick mindfulness exercise, going through my senses. Sounds, check. Sights, check. Smells, check. Tastes, check. Touch, check.

Then I slip into the mediation. I am a person who gets bored super easily so I sometimes switch this up and listen to a guided meditation, but I usually do a silent one.

• If you're interested in meditation (this is a post about entrepreneurs who meditate).
• My favorites resources for busy people who want to meditate.
• And this is the class I would recommend if you're ready to learn more about meditation. I adore Emily and her voice is very soothing.

Here's my deal with meditation. Everyone asks which one to do. Do the one you'll do.

After the 20 minutes of that, I do about one minute of gratitude. This is not just thinking “I'm grateful for my daughter” but actually feeling how much I love her. Grabbing a moment from inside my head and bringing it back to life. Letting that love envelope me and fill me.

Then, after all of that, I do a minute of manifesting. Dreaming. What do I actually want? Sometimes things come up where I go “REALLY?! HOLY CRAP!” It's good stuff.

8. Put my Day in Writing. 

During all of this time, you can imagine that I've had a lot of time to think. So I get out my iPad and do my daily “what do I want my day to look like today” list. Of course, I already have a basic idea since I know which projects I'm working on, but it's always helpful to put it into writing and have something to refer to throughout the day. I include things like “get some fresh air” or “take the dogs on a walk” – because it's what I want my full day to look like. Plus, I love crossing items off as I complete them. #oldschool

ok. ok. ok. So that's a lot right?

The “this is what I am committed to” short version.

In all things in life, I think we need to make promises to ourselves and keep them. It builds great habits plus self-esteem and confidence as we are able to be someone who does things. Right?

So, I have a quick and dirty habit stack that I am committed to do – if I have a day where I just can't, or I have other commitments. If my mental health is not great, then I know I can at least do the following and keep my commitment.

1. Tongue scrape. (I mean really it takes 2 seconds and I've got to brush my teeth anyway, right?)
2. Hot lemon water.
3. One sun salutation (yoga) or 5 minutes of exercise (fasted before I have anything other than lemon water) or anything intentional like stretching for a few minutes.
4. One minute of Meditation and breathing. Yes, it sounds silly but I am keeping my commitment and it's amazing how much you can chill in one minute.
5. Check on today's goals. Is it still what I want to work on?
6. Check FB messenger for emergencies. (I do this last if I'm doing the short version as I don't need as much patience to get through everything.)

Now what will your morning routine look like?

I suggest you choose from the areas that are most important to you right now. Don't try to do all of the things. Just do the ones that will have the biggest impact on your day.

For me, that is cleansing and hydrating (the hot water), exercise, and mindfulness with breathing to center myself for my day.

I've done other things like reading a bit or writing out my thoughts (both in journaling and in typing out everything in my head) and I really enjoyed that but in this season of my life, I am very happy with this routine that I've set. I may add that later, if I find a way to habit stack it in. (If you don't know about habit stacking, I suggest you read Atomic Habits.)

So let's picture three areas to tackle. 

You'll notice that some things like yoga or green drinks are in more than one area. So if you are looking for a quick, efficient morning routine, you can do those.

Body – Getting Healthier

• Hot water
• Exercise
• Vitamins
• Green drink of some sort
• Breathing
• Yoga

Brain – Getting Smarter, More Well-Rounded, More Productive

• Reading 10 pages of something awesome
• Listening to podcasts on a walk
• Green drink with added Brain Boosts
• Exercise (it makes you more focused)

Mindfulness – Staying Calm, Being Peaceful and Non-Reactive, Keeping out of Fight or Flight, Lowering Cortisol, Being Clear in What You Want

• Silent Meditation
• Guided Meditation
• Hypnosis (I really enjoy this.) I do the hypnosis audios from this training.
• Breathing (long slow deep breaths)
• Quiet walking / swimming (instead of listening to something)
• Reading something calming or inspiring (Bible, Affirmations, etc.)
• Yoga

My friend, Rayven, has this cool Morning Routines coloring pages package available if you want to dig deeper.

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

PS. I love reading this when I feel like I just can't do something or I feel intimidated or overwhelmed.

“No more excuses! Do it or don’t do it but don’t make excuses. Stop using your incredible brain to think up elaborate rationalizations and justifications for not taking action.

Do something. Do anything. Get on with it! Repeat to yourself:

‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me!’

Losers make excuses; winners make progress.

Now, how can you tell if your favorite excuse is valid or not? It’s simple. Look around and ask, ‘Is there anyone else who has my same excuse who is successful anyway?’ When you ask this question, if you are honest, you will have to admit that there are thousands and even millions of people who have had it far worse than you have who have gone on to do wonderful things with their lives. And what thousands and millions of others have done, you can do as well—if you try.”

~ Brian Tracy from No Excuses!

In fact, John J. Ratey, M.D., of “Spark! How Exercise will Improve the Performance of your Brain” went as bold as to say…

“I tell people that going for a run is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin because, like the drugs, exercise elevates these neurotransmitters.”

 

– John J. Ratey, M.D., Author of “Spark! How Exercise will Improve the Performance of your Brain”.

The problem is time. Unlike someone like a pre-school teacher who is on her feet all day, us “computer folk” don't have an active job to keep us moving. In fact, speaking for myself, if I'm not careful, I can get pretty stagnant. I have to make time to exercise.

Because as I said, it's good for my mind. I can directly tell that it helps lessen my anxiety and depression and it helps me to be more focused during the day. Plus, I sleep sounder and that's always good thing, too!

I'm about to share what my friends said about how they fit exercise into their busy days.

But first, since we all KNOW that exercise is important but so many of us still do not prioritize it, I dug up this old pep talk from my good friend, Scott Tousignant, to share.

What’s your ROI on Exercise?

by Scott Tousignant
MetabolicMasterpiece.com

Time is our most precious commodity, which is why it’s so important to prioritize the tasks that you perform throughout the day to ensure that you are doing the tasks that give you the greatest return on your investment (ROI). Unfortunately not many online entrepreneurs are aware of the ROI on t

heir daily tasks and they spend their day being busy rather than productive and wonder why they continue to struggle growing their business.

Every business is different and certain tasks may produce a greater ROI for certain businesses compared to others. There is however, one task that will provide an incredible ROI for every online entrepreneur. That task is physical fitness. Ironically, it’s the one task that many online entrepreneurs will brush off and say they don’t have time for.

Let’s take a look at the ROI on exercise:

• Increased energy: Keep up with your kids and live life to the fullest
• Increased focus: Your mind stays on target with the task at hand
• Increased productivity: Get more done in less time so you have more time to do what you enjoy the most in life.
• Increased Creativity: Your mind becomes more open to ideas and solutions
• Increased confidence: The benefits of this are limitless in business and life.
• Increased self esteem: Enhances your belief in your abilities
• Increased networking opportunities: You become more approachable and you are more willing to “get out there” more.
• Increased sense of well-being: Feel great about yourself and your actions
• Improved sleep: When you exercise you enjoy greater quality sleep and wake up feeling rested and ready to take on the day at hand.
• Reduced Stress: It becomes easier to handle the challenges that life throws at you.

With all of these benefits how can you possibly avoid exercise?

Yes it’s hard work, but it’s hard work with a huge ROI.

I challenge you to find any other task in your day that provides more benefits than exercise.

I encourage you not to fall into the trap of, “As soon as I finish this project, I’ll start to exercise.” I’ve got news for you… there will always be new projects and with this mindset you will never make the time for your health and fitness.

Another trap is waiting until you achieve a certain level of business success before you make your fitness a priority. “As soon as my online business takes off and these PPC campaigns start turning a profit I will have the freedom to workout more often and the finances to get a gym membership.” With this mindset, money is more important than your health.

Now let’s say that your ROI on PPC becomes so great that you finally have the freedom that you and your family deserve, but then out of nowhere Google slaps ya! Your income stream stops and you scramble to find another method of traffic. Let’s say that within a few months you find that banner ads become your new #1 profit machine and life is all good and happy again.

But what if LIFE decides to slap you with diabetes or a heart attack, because you placed your health at the bottom of your priority list?

What if life slaps you and cuts your life short by a year or two?

That’s time that you can’t get back. That’s time that you could have spent creating more memories with your family. Sure you had some great trips and vacations in the early days because you focused on business and money, but there was a hidden cost that didn’t reveal itself until it was too late. Was it worth it?

Everything in life is a choice. Your current situation is a result of all the choices that you’ve made in life. Your choices are often influenced by your values. Right now, you have a choice to bump your health to the top of the list of your priorities, or continue putting it off and hope to have the time to make it a priority down the road. Do you value your health? Before you make that decision, remember… time does eventually run out.

Thanks, Scott!

So that lead me to ask my smart friends this:

As an entrepreneur, I end up sitting on my butt a little more than I should. I'm always coming up with ways to get more movement into my day. How do you fit movement into your daily schedule without guilt? What kinds of exercise do you do? Any tips for sneaking it in?

This post is a compilation of responses from my friends.

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

Brian T. Edmondson
InternetIncomeCoach.com

I'm a huge believer that there is a correlation between diet, exercise, health, energy and business success.

As someone who has been working from home “living the laptop lifestyle” for over 10 years I've literally have had days where I haven't left the house or seen the light of day – not good!

These days I make it a point to make sure I don't spend hours and hours (or days) just sitting in front of the computer screen.

Here are two things that work really well for me:

1. Schedule my exercise into my calendar

Just about everything I do (business or personal) gets put into my calendar. If it's on the calendar then it's going to get done, period.

– Monday 11:00 am one-on-one coaching call – check
– Tuesday lunch meeting with a potential new private client – check
– Thursday blog post writing block from 2PM to 4PM – check
– Friday 7:00PM movie of the latest Marvel comics movie – check
– Saturday afternoon watching my Penn State Nittany Lions crush Michigan, Ohio, or Wisconsin – double check!

And of course, my one hour workout at the YMCA is scheduled into my calendar as a recurring event. It's on the calendar and very rarely is there anything important enough to bump it off the calendar – mostly everything I do is scheduled around my exercise schedule.

Unlike in the past, I get out of the house at least once a day (hello sun!) to get my exercise in.

2. Apple Watch stand reminder

Of course when you're sitting at a desk and computer all day it's easy to get into the groove and go hours without standing, which isn't good as well.

I generally work distraction free for 50 minutes, then will stop to take a break, stand up, walk around the house, and drink some water or have a snack. Sometimes I'll even squeeze in some extra jumping jacks or pushups just to get the blood flowing.

One of my favorite gadgets is my Apple Watch (yes, I'm an Apple Fan Boy) and a nice feature is every 50 minutes it will remind you to stand up and take a break if you haven't already done so. Of course you don't need an Apple Watch to do this… I used to use a simple kitchen timer in the past.

By scheduling exercise into my calendar and making sure I take frequent stand breaks throughout the day (and hydrating properly) I find that I have a lot more energy, focus, and am much more productive.

Lain Ehmann
FastLain.com

After a period of inactivity, I committed to getting back to a regular workout routine this year. For a long time, I told myself I was “too busy” to workout!

In January, I started going to Orangetheory, a group exercise class with 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights. You wear a heart rate monitor to make sure you’re working out at the right intensity. Everything is tracked, from heart rate to calories burned. I geek out on those metrics!

I started out a few times a week. Now, nine months later, I hate missing class.

I feel better, I look better, and it’s now a regular part of my day. First thing in the morning, Mon-Fri, I drop my daughter off at school and then head over to the gym. I sometimes have to force myself to take a day off. And the more I push myself physically, the more confidence I have. That’s good for me AND my business.

Carol Little, Public Speaker, Trainer and Coach
LittleTrainingCompany.com

Working out is essential for me, not only for my physical health but for my mental health too. I can think better when I feel good in my body. I find I’m more creative too. That may sound strange but it’s true. I often walk around a lake in my neighborhood not for the exercise but for my peace of mind. I come up with great ideas out on that trail! So, my tip is: if you have a problem you’re trying to solve, rather than sit at your desk and stew, walk your way to a solution. It’s more fun and you get some movement in when you would otherwise be sitting.

Personally, I love working out first thing in the morning. Nothing conflicts with an early morning workout. No phones, no emails, no clients…nothing. Plus, there is such a sense of satisfaction that comes from having my workout done by 9am. I keep things interesting by alternating my workouts. I do yoga, cardio (treadmill, elliptical or I ride the bike.) and weights. It doesn’t really matter what I do as long as I do something everyday. I consider it a bonus for my business too since, as a speaker, feeling comfortable in my body is crucial to feeling comfortable in front of the room.

Well, there you go, my thoughts on working out.

Karon Thackston
MarketingWords.com

As a girly girl, I have never liked exercise. That meant I would have to get hot and sweat, and that’s just gross! The exercises I did for years were based on videos, the majority of which were 30-minutes or less. Frankly, following the same DVDs over and over felt robotic.

Then I discovered pickleball about a year ago! (Google it.) A friend kept asking me to try it and I kept putting it off because (1) we play outside… in the heat. And (2) we sweat… a lot! No. Thank. You.

Shockingly, that turned out to be my thing. I adore it! I play typically 2-3 hours at a time, 4 – 6 days a week. Therein lies the “trick” to getting more movement in my day. I had to find something I loved, and that I wanted to do.

When it rains, I feel cheated because I couldn’t play that day. I miss the game, the people who I get to interact with face-to-face, and the time in the real world away from any screens.

Angela Wills, Digital Business Coach
LaptopLifestyleYouniversity.com

Once really easy and non-negotiable new movement in my daily schedule is walking my daughter to and from school every day. Our family has one vehicle and now that my husband works days we have no choice but to walk. It's about 25 minutes twice a day for me so some nice consistent movement I hope will pay off!

If you don't have a kid to walk to school, maybe you can borrow one? haha! Seriously though I bet there's a mom out there who'd love it if you did walk her kid to school every now and then. Or maybe there's another activity you have to do regularly that you can make yourself walk to instead of driving? I actually really enjoy the forced walks now, though!

Otherwise another thing I LOVE to do is Pomodoro Method of working. I learned this from the book “How to Live a Good Life” by Jonathan Fields. In it he suggests working for one stretch of time and then breaking for a short period of time and doing something “FUN” on that break, something that gets you moving. I like to work for 52 minutes (which I'm actually doing as I write this) and then break for 17 minutes. During the breaks (I do about 4 per day) I usually do things like flip on some dance music, throw a toy for my dog Shadow or try to learn a new move on my weighted hula hoop. The music is my go-to and then I do try to get creative.

As a bonus tip I can sometimes get a quick wash and dry of dishes in when doing Pomodoro and not feel like household stuff distracted me or threw me off track.

Dvorah Lansky, Bestselling Author and Course Creation Specialist
ShareYourBrilliance.com

How do you fit movement into your daily schedule? What kinds of exercise do you do? Any tips for sneaking it in? Or for making it more efficient?

While I love to dance and move and walk and ride my bike… I find that I often get so busy with my work projects that exercise and movement take a back seat. Here are some tips that help me to make movement a priority.

From the following list – I do one or more of these each day. Just think how fit I'd be if I did them all!

1. The computer does not go on in the morning until I've “earned it” by dancing or exercising or going to a walk.
2. When I look outside in the morning and think “it's so beautiful out” I use that as a prompt to get my shoes on and go for a stroll.
3. Some of my neighbors go for a walk around the neighborhood, every day, rain or shine or sleet or snow – they're like the postal service. I see them in the summer with their shorts and water bottles and in the winter with their parkas and mittens. I walk with them from time to time – however I recently made the commitment to walk with them daily for at least 90 days! They go at the same time each day so I can easily schedule it as a priority in my calendar.
4. In the afternoon when I'm winding down from work, I play with my cat on the front steps. Once she's ready to go inside, I head off to take a short walk to a specific spot in the neighborhood. I especially enjoy doing this around sunset.
5. There's a cafe about a mile from my home. More and more I budget time to walk there instead of drive there in the morning. I'm trying to figure out a way to carry a light book or some work with me as I love hanging out there, but don't want to carry a lot of weight – hmmm maybe I'll try a light backpack.
6. I have two sets of weights in my living room. I put on motivating music and lift the weights. Lifting weights makes me feel so strong. And for some reason my cat (Princess the Wonder Cat) loves hanging out with me when I'm working with the weights.
7. We have community dances in a nearby town each Saturday night. I used to go religiously and I loved it. Haven't been in a long time, however I promised myself that I'd begin going this month. Dancing makes me so happy.
8. Can't wait to see what our others experts in this Expert Briefs series have to share.

A tip I'll share is… look at your calendar and choose a dedicated time each day or many times each week where you can put on music and dance, or go for a walk or lift weights. Commit to daily exercise for 30, 60 or 90 days and you'll likely be hooked for life!

Another tip – go through the suggestions shared by the contributors in this series and jot down all of the ideas that inspire or intrigue you. Then circle three of them that you'll incorporate into your life. Keep the list somewhere handy so you can participate in more of these activities when you're ready.

Kelly McCausey
LovePeopleMakeMoney.com

One of my favorite ways to exercise is to swim laps but the local women's only gym with a pool has passed hands three times in three years and appears to have closed for good this time. It's frustrating because swimming didn't feel like ‘working out' and I am going to miss that opportunity to make exercise fun.

I just caught myself in an old story! Truth is, even ‘non-fun exercise' is fun these days. Since having bariatric surgery a year ago, I've lost 90+ pounds and built up strength I haven't enjoyed in many years.

I recently rejoined Anytime Fitness. I love their 24 hour access and there's a location within easy reach for me. I am tackling a weight machine workout that really stretches my abilities and lets me get in and out fast.

At least once a week I take my granddaughter out for an adventure. She's two and a half and has boundless energy. Whether we're covering every square foot of the grocery store or lapping through the pet store – I'm enjoying her so much I hardly notice all the steps I'm getting in.

Candice Davis, Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

I once gained twenty pounds over the course of a month because I was so focused on bringing a project in on time. Not good!

After that painful lesson, I made sure I found some ways to move my body every day.

I added an app to Google Chrome to remind me to get up from my desk at set intervals. (Stand Up! Timer is free.)

I also used inexpensive kitchen pantry shelving and some zip ties to create a desk on my treadmill. Now, I can walk at a very slow pace and work at the same time. Just stepping on the treadmill reminds me to pick up my free weights and do a short strength-training routine before I jump into work.

Lastly, I developed some small habits, like pacing while I'm on the phone, walking every aisle in the grocery store, and having active dates with my husband to make sure I sneak in some of the daily movement the human body was designed to enjoy.

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

First of all, let me give kudos to my buds.

You’re all awesome! Whether you realize it or not, you’ve inspired me.

We live in a world where “busy” is worn like a badge of honor. And “I'm too busy” is frequently an excuse to not fit self-care into our days.

The quote I started with from John J. Ratey of Spark says so much:

“I tell people that going for a run is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin because, like the drugs, exercise elevates these neurotransmitters.

It’s a handy metaphor to get the point across, but the deeper explanation is that exercise balances neurotransmitters — along with the rest of the neurochemicals in the brain.”

– John J. Ratey, M.D., Author of “Spark! How Exercise will Improve the Performance of your Brain”.

For those of us who are the CEOs of our own companies, our brains ARE our livelihoods.

When we're depressed, anxious, or fuzzy-headed, we can't tap into our genius, creativity or productivity as effortlessly.

Why sit in the struggle when a quick walk can literally reboot your brain?

So doesn't it make sense that exercise can actually INCREASE the bottom line of your business? 

In fact, I would be hard-pressed to think of any people who I really look up to who don't prioritize their own health.

So… argument one. Exercise leads to productivity which leads to increased profit.

On top of that, as entrepreneurs (bloggers, authors, speakers, consultants, service providers, and coaches), we spend our work time sitting in front of a screen.

In a world where sitting is the new smoking as far as danger to ourselves goes, we have to make it a priority to move frequently and consistently.

“Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death, The chair is out to kill us.”

– James Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, in an interview in with the LA Times.

Now that may be a wee bit dramatic but something has got to get people moving!

And, if for no other reason, as a yoga teacher, I do know that most back pain starts in the butt. So sitting is definitely not helping your back pain.

Let me share a few things that have helped me to make exercise actually happen over the years..

1. My best friend, the timer.

I use a timer when I work. Pretty much always. It is my lifesaver. So, for instance, I set the timer for 45 minutes of work, then I take 15 minutes to walk around, do laundry, exercise, head outside for a bit, whatever. It may not seem like much, but it really works on helping me stay focused!

When I get back to my desk, I am refreshed and usually have some solutions for the issues that I was feeling stuck on, plus, I come back to my desk with some great clarity.

When I need to lose some weight or I feel like kicking my own butt, I break up my day so that I do focused work for 40-50 minutes, then do physical activity (like squats or situps – or the One and Done One Minute Workout) for 10 minutes then a quick break to do something around the house (check the mail, get more water, let out the dogs, or move the laundry) and repeat. If I can do that 1-3 times in my day, that helps to keep my metabolism up all day long.

2. Wearing running shoes.

I find that it’s silly, but if I put on my running shoes first thing in the morning, I move more during the day than if I’m barefoot. Plus, I can’t climb on the couch or in bed for a nap as easily. (ducking and running)

3. Don’t work weekends.

I try not to work much on the computer (if at all) on the weekends, unless I’m launching a big project (or if something major happened during the week- fun or otherwise). This gives me permission to not sit as much and instead, be gardening, doing yardwork, organizing the house, doing batch cooking, going on a hike or paddleboarding, or any number of activities that do not involve me sitting.

4. Outsourcing.

I know, it’s not directly related to exercise, but it keeps my butt out of the chair, which helps.

5. Exercise 7 Days/Week.

I used to plan exercise days and plan my “recovery” days back when I was a gym rat. Now, I aim to exercise every day so that when life gets in the way and I miss one, I'm still way ahead.

But to me, exercise, just means choosing to do something to move my body. Go on a hike, go to a yoga class, swim in the pool during a break, hop on my bike, go paddleboarding.

6. “1 Minute Workouts”.

I have been doing a program called “One and Done: 1 Minute Workouts” that is basically 20 seconds of hard effort followed by another 2 minutes of active rest (not just recovery but actually doing a planned movement). You repeat that cycle 3 times which adds up to only 1 minute of all out effort. I was surprised how sore I was once I started doing it.

You can create your own workout, or this is the one I'm doing. One and Done Workout

7. Yoga is the Double-Up Workout for Me. 

I meditate daily because it's good for me and it is helping me to be more in touch with a lot of crap that needs to bubble out. (Fun, right?)

I do yoga because it's exercise, stretching, strengthening, balance, and meditation. To me, it's the whole shebang.

I try to go to class every day, but if I don't make it, I'll do another form of exercise, like the “One and Done” workout I mentioned above.

8. Finding wasted time and making it useful.

When my daughter was in chorus and dance classes in downtown Pensacola (a 15-20 minute drive from home), I found myself sitting around for an hour to an hour and a half several times per week while she was at practice. I was too far from home for it to make sense to run back, so I'd sit and play Words with Friends or watch Hulu. So, after a year of that, I realized what a colossal waste of time it was. #duh

So, the next year, I joined a gym right near where her rehearsals are. I found that, in the hour or so from when I drop her to pick her up, I could get really sweaty. I had just enough time to run to the gym, park, get inside, and get a good workout. It's not ideal, but it worked for me. (Exercise without guilt is a good thing.)

So that's the majority of what I do to sneak in exercise.

But how do you actually make yourself do it? 

For that, I would highly (highest recommendation) recommend you read or listen to Atomic Habits by James Clear.

He has studied how to make habits stick more thoroughly than anyone else I've ever read. It's fascinating if you dig that stuff.

Quick Muscle-Building Workout. 

I also wanted to share this quick muscle building workout as I have done it a lot when I had a gym membership last year. I could get in and out of the gym in a half hour. No, it may not be the MOST effective workout in the world, but I do believe in “done is better than perfection”. And this was something I was able to commit to.

That's it for me. Now it's your turn. How do you find time to exercise in your busy day?

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

PS. I love reading this when I feel like I just can't do something or I feel intimidated or overwhelmed.

“No more excuses! Do it or don’t do it but don’t make excuses. Stop using your incredible brain to think up elaborate rationalizations and justifications for not taking action.

Do something. Do anything. Get on with it! Repeat to yourself:

‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me!’

Losers make excuses; winners make progress.

Now, how can you tell if your favorite excuse is valid or not? It’s simple. Look around and ask, ‘Is there anyone else who has my same excuse who is successful anyway?’ When you ask this question, if you are honest, you will have to admit that there are thousands and even millions of people who have had it far worse than you have who have gone on to do wonderful things with their lives. And what thousands and millions of others have done, you can do as well—if you try.”

~ Brian Tracy from No Excuses!

And I oftentimes rewatch this when I feel like I'm backsliding or not making progress fast enough. #DUDE

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!

The question for my smart friends today is…

You’ve agreed to be “stranded” on a deserted island for one month… for a million dollars.

You accepted, knowing that you’ll have a nice bungalow, food and water, as well as necessities like toilet paper, soap and sunscreen – but NO technology.

You can, however, pack up to 10 books.

Which books would you bring? And why?

I think you'll find the answers this week interesting.

Kelly McCausey
LovePeopleMakeMoney.com

I'm rather excited about the million dollars and a month in a delightful bungalow

I just took a 48 hour break from social media – I don't know if I can even imagine 30 days!

Ok, about the books…

I have read, but would love reading again:

• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks (When I read it again, it will be the 6th time! I never seem to stop getting something good from this one.)
• Leadership & Self Deception by The Arbinger Institute (I've read this one twice already – I love looking at what it means to ‘be out of the box')
• Rewire: Change Your Brain (There's a section about mediation that was really meaningful for me the first time.)
• The Bible (I've been meaning to read it all the way through again with an eye for the ‘no BS faith' I'm leaning into these days.)

I haven't read yet, and want to:

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson (I feel so out of the loop by not having read it yet!)
• The Know It All by AJ Jacobs (His book ‘The Year of Living Biblically' was hilarious.)
• Choose Yourself by James Altucher (I love listening to his podcast and have been wanting to read this book as it gets referred to often.)
• The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker (Discovered her on a podcast and I'm enchanted by her love of community.)
• Daddy's Curse: A Sex Trafficking True Story Of An 8 Year Old Girl (Because human trafficking outrages me and I want stir the flames of my anger… because anger makes me take action.)

For fiction, can I pretty please cheat and name a series as a single book?

Earth's Children by Jean Auel would be a delightful companion for a long getaway. I've read the first three books ages ago and would love to pick them back up and read all the way through the series.

From Nicole: I adore Kelly. One thing she is SO good at is staying focused. Eye on the prize. She sees her coaching clients struggle with lack of focus, so she's created a training to STOP “Bright Shiny Object Syndrome”. Get that here!

Lou Bortone
“The Godfather of Video”
LouBortone.com

If I had no iPad or Kindle on the island, I’d have to fall back on my go-to hard copy books. These books are the ones that adorn my office bookcase and are never more than an arm’s reach away…

5. Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes – This book sparked my passion of my ancestral homeland, and started my love affair with Cortona in Tuscany, where I hold my annual Marketing Mastermind retreat!

4. Influence, by Robert Cialdini – Because, who doesn’t want to have more influence?!?

3. Video Marketing Rules, by Lou Bortone – Yes, I’m including my own book and taking it to the island with me! After all, it’s the “bible” for online video marketing, and I don’t want to lose my edge while I’m lounging on the beach!

2. Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill – Because I like this island and I think I might buy it.

1. The Godfather, by Mario Puzo – Everything I ever needed to know about business and life – loyalty, Family, power, and the occasional horses head in someone’s bed – is in this classic book that launched a movie franchise. How am I gonna get a boat to get off the island? “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse!”

Candice L. Davis
Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

Egads! Only 10 books? For nonfiction, I'd bring “Discover the Power Within You.” It's a great reminder of our unlimited potential. I'd also pack “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” a memoir by Maya Angelou. Stephen King's “On Writing,” would make the list too. Memoirs of writers who beat the odds to succeed at their craft never get old for me.

I'd have to indulge in quite a bit of fiction. Characters are a lot like company for me. If I can count the Harry Potter books as a set, I'll bring all 7. Otherwise, I'd bring “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” along with “Things Fall Apart,” by Chinua Achebe; “Paradise,” and “Beloved,” by Toni Morrison; and “Invisible Man,” by Ralph Ellison. These are all books I can read over and over. Each time, I discover something new about myself, humanity, or the world we live in.

I'd fill the last 2 book slots with books I haven't read yet. Maybe something from someone else on this list!

Cindy Bidar
Marketing Strategist
CindyBidar.com

My favorite book of all time is The Stand, by Stephen King, so that one is definitely on the list. I'm also a huge fan of Tad Williams' Otherland series, so at least one of those has to be included.

I can't spend a whole month in fantasy land though. I'd also want to get some work done. I'd love to have some uninterrupted time to dig into Deep Work by Cal Newport. He makes an excellent argument against multi-tasking and our near-constant state of distraction. Even though we think we're being productive, it turns out we're getting far less work done than we are capable of. He also includes some innovative ideas for carving out pockets of time for more efficient work.

10% Happier by Dan Harris is worth another read through as well. His story of overcoming drug addiction and severe anxiety through meditation makes a compelling case study. And with 30 days on a deserted island, I think I'd have plenty of time to develop my own meditation habits.

For business growth, I can't think of better choices than The E-Myth Revisited and The Big Leap. Both books encourage entrepreneurs to work within their “zone of genius” while letting others handle the tasks that they're good at. That's a lesson I'm still learning, so a refresher course is probably in order.

On my reading wish list I have Essentialism by Greg McKeown, The One Thing by Gary Keller, and The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz.

Where do I sign up for this deserted island? I have some reading to do!

From Nicole: I love love love Cindy's marketing checklists.

Check them out here. (Save $10 with coupon code: 10)

D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed.
Bestselling Author and Course Creation Specialist
ShareYourBrilliance.com

First of all…. Sign me up! This sounds peaceful and relaxing. Here are the books I'd bring…

Book 1-2: Think Better, Live Better and The Power of I Am by Joel Osteen. I find Joel to be incredible inspiring and I always gain peace and clarity from his words.

Books 3-5: A few books with positive quotes as I find that positive quotes are “food for the soul.”

Book 6: The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard. This is one of the most inspiring success books I've read.

Book 7-9: Mystery Books off of the NY Times Bestseller list. I love me a good mystery. It takes me a way, out of my head and helps me relax.

Book 10: Remodel Your Reality: Seven Steps to Rebalance Your Life and Reclaim Your Passion by Kimberly Fulcher – I find thing book to be motivation and it inspires ideas for creativity.

Mark Mason
LateNightIM.com

Well, if there was no technology, I simply would not go. LOL But, if you forced me to go, books would be critical. I'd think in terms of what my goals were for my stay.

With all that time on my hands, my goals would be:

1. Spiritual health

Book 1: Bible with annotations (probably an NIV edition)
Book 2: 1 year Bible study guide (would have to research which one)

2. Fitness.

I have always wanted to learn Taekwondo

Book 3: Learn Taekwondo

3. Entrepenuer/Finance Plan for when I return

With a million Dollars to spend, I would want to have some books to motivate/stimulate my business mind

Book 4: Tribes by Seth Godin
Book 5: Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

4. Betterment of self

I would want to read the following classics (or read them again)…

Book 6: Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Book 7: Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
Book 8: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Book 9: Geoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales
Book 10: Tolkien, Lord of the Rings Trilogy

So, the point would be that with these 10 books I would return from the island better than when I arrived, with $1M in my pocket.

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

Again, I actually asked this question because I need some good book recommendations. I always strive to make myself a better person so I read as much as I can.

That's part of the reason I try to listen to a book summary every day here.

However, I know already what 5 of the books I'd bring even before I asked the question.

3 Notebooks.
I'd bring 3 empty notebooks and I would spend the month writing. I can't even imagine how much I'd accomplish in that time. Just think how creative you'd be without the distraction of technology.  I could take those notebooks home at the end, and hire a Virtual Assistant to type them all in and, voila!, I'd finally have all of my next books done!

One Journal.
A place to write my thoughts that weren't related to business. I'd write notes about the books I'm reading, letters to my kids, jot down my personal reflections during the long, quiet days, goals, dreams, and ambitions, fears, and any “ah-ha” moments related to becoming a better person.

I think this qualifies.
A photo album of my family. I'd miss my kids too much if I couldn't see their smiley faces.

For my last 5 books, it's more of a struggle. 
On the one hand, I'm thinking I should bring LONG books because I read really fast. Like maybe I could finally read War and Peace or re-read Gone With the Wind.

Decisions, decisions…

CONFESSION: There are books that I'd like to bring vs. the books that I would actually bring.

I'd like to think I'd bring something to make myself a better person, but probably, I'd just bring some steamy super sexy vampire novels. A month is a long time to be alone, if you know what I'm sayin'.  

What I would probably do is to ask some people who I admire what they'd recommend.

Oh wait. That's what I just did.  (Pretty smart, eh?)

Then, I'd get overwhelmed and just grab a few books off my nightstand as I headed out the door. lol. #iknowme

If I grabbed a few books off my nightstand / bookshelf in my room, they would probably be…

1. 2100 Asanas: The Complete Yoga Poses – I would have plenty of time to learn some new yoga poses.
2. Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life – I am really digging this.
3. Essentialism by Greg McKeown – I would love to read this again.
4. My big World History Encyclopedia. That would be super fun to pour through.

If I didn't do that I would probably pick something from these genres..

1. A time-management or productivity book. I love them and could read one every day. (Yes, I get the irony there.)
2. A classic novel that I haven't read.
3. A biography or autobiography of someone I admire from history. I like to see how people actually handle situations, not just what they “say” they'd do. Actions speak louder than words.
4. A financial investment book. I'd want to know how to best handle the million dollars that I'll be handed.

Now,  let's hear from you …

Your Turn.

Which 10 books would you bring?

If you'd like to answer this question, go ahead and post your list on your blog (with a link to this post if you wouldn't mind) and then comment here to let us know where you posted your book list so we can go see!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

One thing that I've struggled with over the years (since I started this business in 2004) is the “Can I pick your brain?” question.

The super sweet part of me has said “yes” many many times. Sometimes it's awesome. But, honestly it rarely makes me feel like it was a great use of my time – or theirs. (I'll explain in a bit.)

The exception to this is when I've offered 15 minute sessions at conferences for a few hours to the people who were in my session. That is always super fun and I love it! But they just sat through an hour-long teaching presentation with me, so they know who I am, what I stand for, who I help, and how I can help them – before they sit in the chair.

Over the years, I've done a lot of introspection over this.

How can I help these people WHILE also feeling like it was a good use of both of our time. Actually, not a good use, because it's always good to connect with people but the BEST way to connect.

I love to share information. I love to be generous. I love to help others.

I know that there is a smart way to do it and there's also a way that leaves me feeling frustrated – which is not good.

I'll share more in my part, but first… I asked my smart friends this:

How do you handle people who want to “pick your brain” over coffee or on a Skype call?

Do you let them? Do you have a system for this that makes you money? Do you prequalify them?

Or do you deflect and run away? If you deflect, how?

This post is a compilation of responses from my friends and excerpts from people who I admire who are not my friends – yet.

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

Amy Porterfield
AmyPorterfield.com

From Nicole: In her podcast, Amy talked about 5 things she stopped saying “yes” to, including the “Can I Pick Your Brain?” question. This is an excerpt, but you can read the whole transcript here. She said… 

In the early days when I was meeting with people I did have a lot of opportunity just to meet with people. It was a pitch and catch and great conversations.

Then it turned into more of a pick-your-brain scenario and that’s when I started to say “no”. I had a former hair stylist that every time I sat in her chair she would pick my brain.

Here I was paying for the service and I had to give her advice the whole time. Then I would go home and a day later I would get a text asking me more advice. Notice, I said “former” hair stylist. Nobody wants to do that. You’ve got to have that down time, right?

I think with this one, saying ‘yes’ to one-off chats and coffees you have to be careful about it. I still want you to do it but when you start to feel resentful you have to pull yourself back.

You can’t be mad at anybody. They are allowed to ask you to pick your brain. You’re the one that has to say, “You know what, no. I’m not going to do this anymore.”

I eventually realized it wasn’t my “best “yes” to say “yes” to these types of meetings. I needed to get my time back. Remember, every single time you say “yes” to a coffee date or an opportunity to have lunch with someone you are taking yourself away from your work.

You’re taking your focus away time, your effort, possibly money. Say “yes” to what feels right to you but be mindful of that as well.

For you, I know you’re getting these requests or you’re going to start getting them soon. People will want to meet with you. I want you to limit them and also just be really mindful and go with your gut.

If someone asks you to a coffee date you can even ask a few questions just to make sure it’s not a whole session where they’re going to ask you a million questions and you don’t get any value from it.

I will say that going with your gut is important too because just a few years ago Rick Mulready asked me to a coffee date. I didn’t know him. He was a referral from Pat Flynn. Pat introduced us.

I wasn’t really sure who this guy was so I didn’t know if he was going to pick my brain. But I just had a good feeling about it. I felt like he just wanted to get together to meet other people in the industry.

Now we are best friends so I’m glad I said “yes” to that coffee date. So go with your gut on that.

Lisa R. Wells
Marketing, Operations, & Systems Guide
LisaRWells.com

When I first started my business and people wanted to sit and talk with me, I was soooo flattered. But then something great happened, I got busy and my time became more precious. What I did was create a paid product that was called “pick my brain session.” That worked great because it attracted those who were serious business owners and invested in their business while at the same time, repelling freebie seekers and tire kickers.

My business has changed over the years and now that I have more time, I offer different options.

First, I provide a Clarity Call for those interested in my mastermind program. This gives people a chance to get value and me the opportunity to get feedback.

Second, if the question can be answered in 15 minutes or less, I give them a link to schedule a call and I offer that twice a month.

Third, if they are a student in one of my online programs and want 1:1 help, I direct them to fill out an online form (aka jump through some hoops) and then they can schedule a 30-minute call.

Fourth, if someone doesn’t want to apply for a mastermind, not a student, has a problem that’s longer than 15 minutes and they want to just pay me for an hour, I give them that option as well.

If someone has a quick question, I don’t mind helping them out as long as it’s not a repeat offender (I know who you are). If they go through the trouble to fill out a form and follow directions, I don’t mind sitting for 30 minutes with a student. But if it’s someone who wants free coaching advice, they will have to pay a premium.

Here’s a starter sentence you can try:

“We are trying to minimize the amount of time spent on one-off consultations as we continue to streamline [our training programs / masterminds / coaching programs]. During our team meeting today, we came up with a few alternatives that may work for you:”

Take back your time, you are worth it!

From Nicole: This is a great tool that will help you in your business, even if you are just starting and have no list or you’re a seasoned pro who is stuck in “doing it all herself” land.

In THREE minutes – less time than it takes to tie your shoes or pull on yoga pants, you’ll be on your way. Fill in this short quiz and, based on your answers, I’ll give you free systems to get started to get you back on track with what you need to work on first.

Sarah Santacroce
LinkedIn Consultant & Strategist
SarahSantacroce.com

Coffee meetings… not my thing. Yes, of course I used to do them in the past, but not any more.

For virtual ‘pick your brain' calls I usually invite them to my monthly live webinar where I go through my system on how to get clients with LinkedIn. It's not a salesy webinar, nothing to buy on the call… except for an invitation to get on a ‘Clarity Call' with me. But wait, this is not just another ‘pick your brain' call I clearly explain on the webinar who this call is for (established business, 3k+ average customer value). This criteria helps me filter, because as an introvert energy management is crucial to me, and I simply can't talk to everyone.

For local coffee meeting invites I have come up with a brilliant solution as well. I just launched it which is why I'm so excited I call it ‘Walk & Talk'. Instead of sitting down drinking coffee, I host a free intimate event where we go walking for 45 minutes and then end with a short & healthy lunch (which each attendee pays for themselves). This is a moment where everything is permitted and we learn about each other as whole human beings: life, passions, business, family, health etc. Spots are limited to 8 people. Feel free to start something similar in your city!

Marie Forleo
MarieForleo.com

From Nicole: I found this awesome video that Marie Forleo did which pretty much gives all of the smart advice that I was thinking. How handy is that? And how awesome is she? 

Kelly McCausey
LovePeopleMakeMoney.com

When someone asks if they can pick my brain and they're not a client, I say ‘Yes! You can ask me anything in my community – I'll give you a link to join in. I love answering questions there and bonus, you'll get input from all the smart people there too!”

Just thinking… it's different if we're socializing at an event, a little brain picking is welcome for the most part – especially if it flows both ways. I love chatting up topics of mutual interest over lunch or while hanging out between sessions. Great ideas for content often come through answering questions.

Candice L. Davis
Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

The strict mom in me wants to say I don't let people pick my brain very much, but it's just not true. Just last weekend, I spent two hours at a coffee shop, letting a woman I met on Facebook pick my brain about the book she wants to write and how she can use it to build her platform. The truth is that I enjoy those connections when it feels like the person wants to build a relationship, and she was a pleasure to talk with. (I also gave her a coupon for one of my courses.)

I also continue to offer free consultation calls on a limited basis. Going by video is one way to eliminate people who are just looking to pick and run. Employing a pre-call questionnaire is a method I sometimes use to weed out people who aren't serious about their goal of becoming an author or using their books to create more impact and income. Rather than answer a few questions in writing, those people will usually go away. And I'll typically share at the top of the call that I'll be making an offer in the last five minutes–if I think we're a good fit.

Brian T. Edmondson
InternetIncomeCoach.com

I handle this one on a case-by-case basis.

I have a lot of friends and peers in the industry who I'm always happy to chat with over the phone, Skype, or meet with in person to shoot the breeze and talk business. In some cases they'll want to meet up just to pick my brain (or just vent about clients!) or vice versa. In most cases we're on the same level playing field and it's a mutally beneficial relationship.

On the other side of that I do offer one-on-one coaching and work with private clients and do occasionally have people who are not paying customers or clients reach out to me for advice; this is usually through email.

If it's a quick and easy question to answer then I'll go ahead and answer the question. I'll also point out to a product I have related to the question or even suggest a one-on-one consult if they want to dig deeper. Answering a quick question through email doesn't take a lot of time and can lead to customer or client.

Now when it comes to doing an in-person meeting, the last thing I want to do is meet someone in person for the sole purpose of having my brain picked. I know for many people it can be difficult to turn someone down for a meeting, even if it's just for a “quick cup of coffee” without feeling like a jerk… but you have to value your time and even more importantly respect the fact that other people are paying you for your expertise.

Usually my response will look something like; “I appreciate your invite to get together for coffee but unfortunately I'm not able to make it. If you have a quick question go ahead and shoot it over and I'll be happy to answer.”

After they send over their question, I answer it then point them to additional paid ways they can dig deeper with me. This rarely happens, but if they really push for or insist on a meeting I gently point out to them that I have customers and clients who pay me for my time and advice and it would not be fair to them if I let others pick my brain for free.

Cindy Bidar
Marketing Strategist
CindyBidar.com

I admit, I used to be really bad at deflecting or redirecting this question. I often found myself getting sucked into conversations on Facebook messenger or email that never seem to end. Each polite answer was met with more questions, and once you start answering, well… how can you stop?

Here's what I do to curb these now.

First, I know where I want people to go to get answers. I have free and paid Facebook groups as well as private coaching, so depending on the person and the question, I know exactly what to suggest.

I also keep ‘swipe' files on hand (you know, templates!) that say things like, “That's a really great question, and I bet others wonder the same thing. Would you mind starting a thread in [GROUP] and I'll answer you there.” That way I don't have to think about it too hard. I just copy, paste, and tweak.

Finally, it's true what they say. If one person has a question, dozens of others have the same question and just aren't asking. I like to use the “pick your brain” questions as starters for blog posts, emails, and other content. Then I can also redirect questions to those resources rather than continually answering the same questions again and again.

From Nicole: I love love love Cindy's marketing checklists.

Check them out here. (Save $10 with coupon code: 10)

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Like Amy above, I had a former hair stylist (and a few others who I will not mention here as it still gets me riled up) who would “pick my brain” WHILE I was paying them for THEIR services. (Note, I said “former” as well.) Obviously I found others who could do a great job while respecting that it was my time. Not theirs.

And, if I think of how much time and money I've invested in my business since I started it in 2004, how much I've accomplished, how much I've helped others to build their businesses in that time, then yes, I've earned the right to charge for my time.

My friends tease me because I avoid the business conversation to a ridiculous extent when it comes to strangers. In fact, on airplanes, I've been known to say “I sell life insurance. How's your death and dismemberment policy?”

That usually ends the conversation. Fast. I put my headphones back on and have my productivity back. Of course, I don't always do that, but I do when my gut says that I need to protect my boundaries with that person, or that I need the time for me.

However, I obviously can't do that with people who I know. Because…

1. I have a relationship with them and care about them.
2. They might actually NEED life insurance, and then what am I going to do?
3. They can just Google me and find out I'm lying.

So, with them, I have had a harder time finding my way.

In one way, I have it easy. I know the people that I serve are established business owners. They have a market, a website, and either have traffic (an audience) or a product created from expertise they've established in another area. That's where I make the biggest impact, which is where I want to live. For me AND for the people I help.

So that eliminates 99.99999% of the people who approach me.

If they are trying to build a business that is outside of my scope of expertise, obviously, that's easy to defer. I can either point them to someone else, or just state that I am not an expert in that area. Easy peasy.

If they are just starting to build their business and aren't quite to the stage where I specialize, I can refer them to read my blog, or my books, or to sign up for my newsletter first.  Or I'll email them some resources which are mainly affiliate links to friends who can better serve them. That way, I am helping them to get started (by sharing ONLY the best) and my friends and I are making money.

Beyond that, I have programs in place where they CAN access me. And that's the next step.

My coaching program. I keep it affordable and I provide that option to anyone who wants to talk with me about their business. People usually contact me prior to signing up so I can make sure they are a great fit. If not, again, I'll refer them to someone else who is. My coaching program is my playground, so it's totally no pressure for me and it's fun. I accept only those who I find pure joy in working with (frequently people who've known me or of me for some time) and we get massive crap done.

The Beach House. Once or twice a year, I (along with Kelly McCausey) provide mastermind retreats at the beach for women to literally talk with me about their businesses in a room with other smart ladies. I, personally, am facilitating, so they get my input on their roadblocks – PLUS we make magic and memories and it's just freaking awesome!

However, if someone has a quick question, like “Hey Nicole, why did you switch to ConvertKit?” Then I'll answer it, and also post the response on my blog. I decide whether it would benefit that person to include their info in the post. If not, then I don't. If so, I ask them if I may and, if I get permission, I do.

I am now able to stand my ground because of one thing. Fairness.

Brian really hit on the important thing to me. My coaching clients are AWESOME. I love them! And they pay me for my time. It really isn't fair of me to give one-on-one time to everyone who approaches me, because I value my coaching clients and I truly love them. So, that is the motivation that I need to be able to have a healthy boundary in this instance.

YES. I want to help people. But it has to be in a way that's beneficial and in integrity to all.

Your Turn!

Please share your favorite response when someone asks if they can pick your brain.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

I was really resistant to meditation myself until it kept punching me in the face everywhere I turned.

It started poking me when I was reading Tim Ferriss' book last year –  Tools of Titans, the tools, tactics, and ‘inside baseball’ of the billionaires, icons, and world-class performers.

Meditation was mentioned by so many top performers that it was so apparent that I should dig a little deeper.

I started to meditate a bit. Not consistently (and a little resentfully) but I was doing it on occasion, very infrequently. More as an “I'm feeling totally overwhelmed. I'm going to go sit a bit.” As if it's an instant thing. lol. Laughing at myself as I type that.

Then, as I've been listening to a book a day, the topic of meditation KEPT coming up over and over again with science proving its benefits to our bodies and minds.

And then, a few months ago, I was reading”My Morning Routine” by Benjamin Spall & Michael Xander, and it again, was mentioned again and again I was like “OK already…. I get it. I'll do it every day.”

Oprah Winfrey told Dr. Oz that encouraging everyone at her office to meditate has benefited her company immensely. It started with 7 people meditating, to 270 and now EVERYONE meditates in her company.

The effects? She said….

“People who used to have migraines, don’t. People are sleeping better. People have better relationships. People interact with other people better. It’s been fantastic,” she said.

Jerry Seinfeld says this about what could have been the most stressful years of his life…

“With the Seinfeld show, I was doing a TV series in which I was the star of the show, the executive producer of the show, the head writer, in charge of casting and editing, for 24 episodes on network television—not cable—for nine years!

And I’m just a normal guy. And that was not a normal situation to be in… So I meditated every day. And that’s how I survived the nine years.”

So that lead me to research some more. I looked up some people I admire and I also asked my smart friends this:

Do you meditate? If so, what style / how?
How often? Why?
And what results have you felt from it?

This post is a compilation of responses from my friends and quotes from people who I admire who are not my friends – yet.

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

Tim Ferriss
New York Times Best-Selling Author
Tim.blog

From Nicole: In a guest post for the Medium, Tim said…

For the last few years, I’ve interviewed more than 200 world-class performers for my podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. The guests range from super celebs (Jamie Foxx, Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc.) and athletes (icons of powerlifting, gymnastics, surfing, etc.) to legendary Special Operations commanders and black-market biochemists.

The result was my book Tools of Titans, the tools, tactics, and ‘inside baseball’ of the billionaires, icons, and world-class performers I have been fortunate enough to interview.

Of all the routines and habits, the most consistent among guests is some form of daily meditation or mindfulness practice.

More than 80% of the world-class performers I interviewed shared this trait.

It is a “meta-skill” that improves everything else. You’re starting your day by practicing focus when it doesn’t matter (sitting on a couch for 10 minutes) so that you can focus better later when it does matter (negotiation, conversation with a loved one, max deadlift, mind-melding with a Vulcan, etc.).

Meditation acts as a warm bath for the mind. Perhaps you’re a world-conquering machine with elite focus, but you might need to CTFO (chill the f* out) a few minutes a day before you BTFO (burn the f* out).

Meditation allows me to step back, so that I’m observing my thoughts instead of being tumbled by them. I can step out of the washing machine and calmly look inside it.

Maruxa “Muh-Roo-Shah”  Murphy
MaruxaMurphy.com

Yes, I absolutely meditate. To me, meditation is my first line of defense every morning to ensure I can create more love, opportunities, and impact on all I plan to do that day.

I wake up before the kids and the husband does, grab a cup of my Perky Perky coffee, and then listen to a meditation through Insight Timer (an app that has thousands of guided meditations). I usually will meditate for 15-30 minutes and then stretch and then get started with waking up the kids for school.

I've actually however, added 3 more mini-meditations throughout my day as well though! I'm working with a coach named Betty Jean Bell on loving myself and my body (I'm currently trying to lose some weight and keep it off) and as part of her training, she has me doing 5-10 minute meditations on self-love and awareness of body morning, midday and before bed. They are INCREDIBLE and I've found adding this mini-meditation breaks has helped me see what is possible when I am more present with myself. I love meditation!

There's plenty more below from Lewis Howes, Natalie Sisson, a bunch of other smart awesome people, and of course, me. Plus I created a separate post with tips on where to begin and the best tools and resources that I like.

You are welcome to keep scrolling to read. Or if you'd like the resources, too, just sign up here…

(If you sign up, you will not lose your spot on this page.)

Natalie Sisson
Entrepreneur and Adventurer
NatalieSisson.com

From Nicole: In a blog post about her morning routine, Natalie says…

After I’ve rolled up my yoga mat and am feeling pretty good about myself, I sit on the comfy rug at the foot of our bed, and lean my back up against the bed, and I open up my insight timer app.

Note: This is the ONLY time I grab my phone. I will choose somewhere from a 10 to 20 minute guided meditation, a chanting mantra meditation, or simply one that just plays a really beautiful chime or gong, when the time is up.

I’ll focus on my breath. But I’m more of a fan of the guided meditation because I still haven’t quite worked on the focusing the mind.

Depending on how excited I am about the day ahead, which is usually a lot, my mind can be wandering to some of those tasks and projects already. So I really liked the guided meditation. This app is free.

You can bookmark your favourites.

She goes into a bit more details her free download “My Morning Routine Checklist” (<- get it!) where she says…

It’s taught me to be much more grateful, aware and present and to behave more mindfully in all situations. It’s also incredible for focusing on breath and as a result I breathe more deeply and have a greater sense of calm throughout the day, not just during meditations.

Research shows that meditation can help reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors and have been shown to help with anxiety and depression.

Plus, it helps us to stay centered and calm, shift our mental perception and change our reactions to varying situations, as well as allow us to connect with our inner wisdom.

What’s more you don’t have to be sitting like a zen monk to do it either, you can lie down, sit and even do walking yoga. Make sure it works with you and your lifestyle.

Candice L. Davis
Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

Meditation makes me a better writer and a more effective business owner. Sure, I expected to feel more focused and creative right after meditating, but I also discovered the effects carry over throughout the day. When I'm meditating regularly, I can make decisions faster and I'm much less prone to distraction. It's easier to bat away the noise and create the next product, write a blog post, or connect with a client.

I usually meditate every day, sometimes for five minutes and sometimes for up to thirty minutes.

Whether I use a mantra meditation or a guided meditation to release anxiety, allow abundance, or fall asleep, I find the results are equally as good.

Chase Jarvis
Photographer, Former Professional Athlete, Founder/CEO of CreativeLive
ChaseJarvis.com

From Nicole: In a blog post about his morning routine, he shares:

I’ve been on record for several years now sharing my experiences with meditation. Meditation and the resulting benefits, have probably been the biggest game-changers for me as an adult.

Throughout my life I’ve tried a few different methods with differing degrees of “success” but it wasn’t until I found Transcendental Meditation that I really felt like I was receiving the greatest benefit. Again – I’m not aiming to be preachy here – just sharing what’s worked for me.

It’s perhaps also worth noting that I am not at all religious in the classic sense. I consider myself spiritual (think that we are all connected and that life is a magical thing and the world a magical place), but I don’t look at meditation as a woo-woo thing, or a religious thing, or anything other than a healthy practice that connects our physical + mental worlds in a meaningful way.

Again, I’m not advocating you use TM specifically — there are a lot of different methods out there …but it’s been hugely beneficial in my life and worth trying if you haven’t already.

The science also, finally agrees with the thousands of years of practice, that meditation increases creativity, reduces stress, adds clarity and focus, and a lot of joy to the lives of many people the world over.

Sarah Santacroce
LinkedIn Consultant & Strategist
SarahSantacroce.com

I started meditating 2.5 years ago. Something to do with my 40th birthday?;-) Midlife crisis or as Brene Brown would say ‘midlife unraveling'. I'm a type A personality who always believed that there is no way that I can sit still and think of nothing! But when I start something that I really believe in, then I'm going all in. It was like that with meditation. I really knew that I needed this in my life so I wanted to make it a regular practice.

I try to meditate every week day, for 15 – 20 minutes, before the kids get up. When I say ‘try' it's because it really is a ‘practice'. I don't just sit there and get in some kind of woo-woo trance. Usually out of the 20 minutes I get 15 minutes monkey mind (meaning the mind goes in all kind of directions and I keep coming back to the present, breath or whatever else it is that I'm focusing on) and only 5 minutes are these moments of absolute silent mind. But those 5 minutes are so worth it!! And I know that by practicing daily these 5 minutes will become longer and longer

As you can tell I'm still a meditation-newbie. But I have seen major changes in my life & business thanks to meditation. I'm less anxious and less reactive. I don't make a big deal out of small mistakes anymore. If I send an email with a broken link to my whole list I don't panic. When someone on my webinar says that there's no sound, I don't hyper ventilate. I trust in the process and I trust in the compassion of others. When a big mandate gets cancelled last minute I trust that there was probably a good reason for it and that it's not about me, because I am enough.

In fact that's probably the most important thing I have come to realize thanks to meditation: I am. And I am enough.

From Nicole: If you are an introvert, you'll love Sarah's podcast. You can listen to our interview here.

Lewis Howes
LewisHowes.com

From Nicole: In his book “The Millionaire Morning” (<- which you can get free plus shipping at this link), Lewis says:

Meditation has been something that’s expanded my mind ever since I started when I was 19 years old, training in sports.

It allowed me to stay calm, focus on my vision, and decompress my mind from any stresses of life. When I meditate, the rest of my day goes much smoother, and when I don’t I sometimes feel overwhelmed.

In his podcast, he gave some more details on one type of meditation (of several) that he does each morning:

During this meditation, I’m visualising, who is the human being that I want to become? What is the dream that I have in my heart, and how am I going to bring this to life, today? And I also reflect on, again, when things go wrong, how am I going to respond? Do I want to be a human that responds out of frustration and anger, or from a place of peace, calm and love. And that’s what I do during my meditation, and at the end of that, I move my body a little bit, to kind of come out of the meditation, and then I’m off to taking on the most important task for the day.

Kelly McCausey
LovePeopleMakeMoney.com

A few years ago I read the book ‘Rewire‘ which has some great information about meditation. The subtitle is “Change Your Brain to Break Bad Habits, Overcome Addictions, Conquer Self-Destructive Behavior”.  There is a particular meditation suggestion where you sit and imagine that you are holding yourself as a baby.  Your goal is to comfort your tiny self.

It was profound for me. I had a flood of emotion around thoughts, wondering if anyone actually held and comforted me as a baby. Imagining that I was holding and loving myself as a baby was so much easier than imaging loving myself as a grown woman.  Interesting, right?

I've repeated that medication practice a few times since then and it becomes more natural and easy every time.

That experience got me interested in meditation. I bought 10% Happier and enjoyed that. I listen to the 10% Happier podcast and used the App for awhile too.

It hasn't become a steady habit for me, but I turn to it when I'm feeling twisted up about something.

Laura West
Creative Business & Success Coach
JoyfulBusiness.com

Yes, I do meditate! I have been using Calm.com and Headspace. They are my two favorite meditation apps. It’s definitely a “practice” as in I’m always practicing. I find when I do it consistently it helps me be more present. When I’m out of practice then I find I get really great ideas during my meditation and I struggle between letting go of the pull of the idea or jumping up to write my great idea down! Back to the breath…

From Nicole: Laura has a cool free gift for coaches (or for you to use in your own business). Get it here: Easily Creating Client Breakthrough Magic. (Contains 5 Coaching Tools.)

Ed Catmull
President of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios & Author
CreativityIncBook.com

From Nicole: In the book “My Morning Routine” by Benjamin Spall & Michael Xander, he shares:

“I meditate every day (I haven't missed a day in years) for thirty to sixty minutes before working out. It is always some form of Vipassana meditation, such as focusing on the breath. I have received a great deal of benefit from the simple yet difficult practice of learning to stop the internal voice in my head. I learned that the voice isn't me, and I don't need to keep rethinking events of the past, nor overthink plans for the future. This skill has helped me both to focus and to pause before responding to unexpected event.”

He goes on to say that he keeps a pen and paper by him when he meditates in case he gets a great idea so that he can jot it down and get back to his meditation.

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

I meditate. In fact, that's me doing a little yoga / meditation in the Atlanta airport.

Usually twice a day, but I do get in at least 15 minutes once per day, every day in the morning.

My second meditation is usually another 15 minutes, but if my schedule isn't conducive, it may be just 1-5 minutes whenever I can fit it in, even if it's in my car when I get home from running an errand.

I usually find my afternoon meditation to be more relaxing than my morning one and I look forward to it more.

It's something I commit to doing but if I need to miss it, I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

I am fairly new to meditation compared to some of the people above, but it definitely makes me smarter, kinder, and more successful than just letting my monkey mind rule the day.

I find that I can have one of two days…

A day without meditation.

Roll out of bed, grab my coffee, then my phone, check email and I'm off in reaction mode all freaking day long. My stress levels are high, I feel resentful, and I'm overall not the best version of me as the day goes along. As things seem to snowball (because I'm being reactive), I then “don't have time” for an afternoon meditation, because I'm not being productive.

A day with meditation.

Roll out of bed, grab a cup of water (add green powder) and my coffee and bring them both to my bedroom. Drink the water concoction, and set my coffee on my night stand.

Then, I grab my phone and choose my meditation app for that morning. if I'm listening to something, I put on my headphones, sit comfortably in bed, close my eyes.

Before I start the app, though, I do a breathing exercise and then a quick mindfulness exercise that I love. Then I look at the time (if I'm not using an app) or I press play on the timer / music and let my mind rest. (Remember, even while you sleep your mind is still active, so this time is so needed!)

After my 15-20 minute meditation ends, I decide whether to do another or if I'm ready for the day. I either choose a second 15 minutes after a few sips of coffee, or decide that I'm done.

Usually if I do a second one, it's just silence with me and my mantra. (Or my afternoon one is.)

After the meditation time, I stretch a bit in bed. Nothing too big. Just some forward stretches and side stretches – mostly so I can reach the puppies and pet them a bit.

I then grab my notepad and write the following four things.

• My number of days in a row of the habits I'm currently practicing. So, for instance, it may say “Day 45 of BAD (Book a Day)“.
• My “creation statements” (through my coaching with Belanie Dishong).
• I write “Why am I so thankful?” on the same page and list 10 reasons. They might be something basic to life like clean water (which so many on the planet do not have access to), or sushi (because sushi), or men who do yoga in kilts (comments filtered).
• My 5 wins for the day. Basically what 5 things do I need to accomplish so that the day will have been a success to me? They may be personal or business or a mix of two.

I get out of bed, calm, thankful, and ready for my day. I am less reactive when things go wrong, and I don't physically feel like crap, like I'm in fight or flight all day. I can just be.

And, it's not made up. This stuff is being proven with science now.

For instance, Sarah Lazar, Ph.D. has been studying the effects of meditating for 8 weeks on two groups. She did a brain scan before and after the 8 weeks in a study that was funded by the NIH.

Here's what she found.

(From an interview with the Washington Post you can read here.)

Lazar: We found differences in brain volume after eight weeks in five different regions in the brains of the two groups.

In the group that learned meditation, we found thickening in four regions:

1. The primary difference, we found in the posterior cingulate, which is involved in mind wandering, and self relevance.

2. The left hippocampus, which assists in learning, cognition, memory and emotional regulation.

3.  The temporo parietal junction, or TPJ, which is associated with perspective taking, empathy and compassion.

4. An area of the brain stem called the Pons, where a lot of regulatory neurotransmitters are produced.

The amygdala, the fight or flight part of the brain which is important for anxiety, fear and stress in general. That area got smaller in the group that went through the mindfulness-based stress reduction program.

The change in the amygdala was also correlated to a reduction in stress levels.

But if stress, health, and productivity isn't enough of a reason, there is this…

Your Sex Life. 

“If stress is impacting our sex—which it is—and if meditation is the most effective stress-relieving tool that we have, then it stands to reason that if you’re practicing meditation, it may in fact make your sex better.” – Ziva Meditation Founder Emily Fletcher

How to Start?

What NOT to do is to say “I'm going to meditate twice every day for 15 minutes each time, like these people.” That's a lot. And I think I would have quit if I'd started like that.

I've created a separate post with tips on where to begin and the best tools and resources that I like. You'll also receive this post in an email in case you want to refer back to it.

If you'd like that, just sign up here…

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

There are countless ways to grow your lists. And everyone that is selling you their method says that it's necessary or you will die miserable and alone.

I disagree. And, in fact, I KNOW that my friends all use a variety of list-building methods and frequently they are completely different – AND they work!

In order to demonstrate my point, I asked my smart friends…

What is your favorite way to grow your lists?
Meaning YOU personally.

What are you doing right now that works best for you?

Note! You'll find a special offer or recommendation for each contributor at the end of their answer. Those links will open in a new window, so they won't interrupt your reading flow. <3

I think you'll find the answers this week interesting and hopefully helpful to your business.

D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed.
Bestselling Author and Course Creation Specialist
ShareYourBrilliance.com

My favorite way to grow my list is to do a JV promotion with an Internet Buddy who shares a common audience. The new students that come into our community fire me up, reignite my passion for what I do and stir up excitement in our community Facebook group.

Seeing these new students take action and watching our alumni students pitch in and help the new students get acclimated, makes me very happy and also reinforces that I am on the right path in how I am running my business.

From Nicole: I love Dvorah's courses. This is one that everyone needs. Create Colorful Web Graphics. (With a special coupon instantly applied.)

Ronnie Nijmeh
Founder of PLR.me

(Click here for a free account.)

My favorite way to grow our list is through Facebook advertising. It can be a little tricky to find the right targeting and setup proper event track, but once it works, it works on autopilot.

A few tips to get started…

1. Zone in on your targeting!

Don't get super fancy. Just start with:
– People who visit your site, but don't opt-in (i.e. a “retargeting”)
– If you already have a list – upload that to Facebook, then create a “lookalike” audience of people already on your email list
– If you have a list of customers – upload that to Facebook, then create a “lookalike” audience of people who've bought from you
You can get more fancy later, but small is best to start. It's easier to keep track and make changes.

2. Make sure you installed the Facebook pixel correctly and you're tracking opt-ins correctly.

This can be SUPER finicky, depending on your website setup. The key thing when tracking opt-ins is to make sure people aren't going to be double tracked if they visit the download page twice.

3. Add UTM parameters to track your ads.

With this data, we know which specific ad drives the opt-in and it gets attached directly to the person's record. This helps us confirm Facebook's data, and also lets us know who came from where.

4. Ideally, you should be tracking sales within Facebook as well.

That way you know 100% when a sale came from Facebook or some other means (Google, affiliate, etc.)

And when you track sales (and not just leads) you will know definitively which ad is more profitable, because sometimes it's not super clear.

For example, one ad might give you leads for $3 each (super cheap!), but a cost per sale of $279… while another ad might give you leads that are $19, and a cost per lead of $19 (way more profitable!).

5. Know your numbers!

What is a lead worth to you? What is your conversion rate to your paid products or coaching? Without knowing your numbers, you have no idea if the ad is profitable or not.

A few metrics that are helpful to know:
– Customer Lifetime Value (how much your client typically spends with you over their lifetime)
– Email Subscriber Value (how much is one subscriber worth)
– Opt-In Conversion (what percentage of landing page visitors subscribe to your email list)
– Sales Conversion (what percentage of subscribers turn into paying customers)

For example… if you know that every subscriber is worth $20, then you can spend up to $20 to break even. So if your cost per lead is under $20, then you make money.

Putting it together…

Here are some real Facebook ad numbers from the last 14 days for one new campaign:

Note: my Facebook Ad Account is in Canadian dollars, so the cost per lead are even lower. (i.e. $3.17 CAD = $2.41 USD)

Looking at the screenshot above…

Row #1:
You can see 88 leads at a cost of $3.17 CAD ($2.41 USD) and this has directly lead to 1 sale. The “ROAS” stands for “Return on Ad Spend”. 0.16 means we're losing money on this ad because we're spending $1 to generate $0.16.

Not great…

That means we added 88 new people to the list at a cost of $3.17CAD per lead, and we made 1 sale to recoup some of the ad cost.

While this isn't immediately profitable, we know our numbers and our Annual Email Subscriber Value is over $40… so over time, we'll recoup the cost per lead.

Row #2:

Here you can see 31 leads at a cost of $7.73CAD, but this directly led to 3 sales with a ROAS of 2.37 (that means we spent $1 to generate $2.37 in revenue generated)

So in this case, it costs 2.4x more per lead (compared with Row #1), but it generated 15x more sales!

Row #4:

In this case, we're not directly list building. Instead, we're targeting people who performed certain actions on the site (i.e. spent a lot of time on the site, visited the pricing page, etc), and going directly for the sale.

This ad has lead to 4 sales with an ROAS of 24.37. So $1 of ad spend led to $24.37 in revenue generated.

The Bottom Line:

List building via Facebook ads is awesome! Just make sure you have the proper tracking in place so you have accurate numbers of leads and sales.

Then makes sure you know your numbers, so you know what's working (and what's not!)

It takes some time and patience, but it's worth it!

From Nicole: Ronnie is the BOMB! He's got over 12,000+ done-for-you coaching resources (including articles, lead magnets, and checklists) in personal development, health, wellness, and finance to choose from (and more added every month).

You can get 2 for free every month right here.

Cindy Bidar
Marketing Strategist
CindyBidar.com

My very favorite ways to grow my list are the ones that are fun, easy, and don't suck up a lot of my time!

Recently, that's meant offering paid products for giveaways my friends are hosting.

Giveaways are fun because I get to promote them to my list, and they offer a ton of value (typically lots of smart people contribute, so there's something for everyone in a good giveaway). They're easy, too, since all I have to do is create a promo code for an existing product. It literally takes minutes to do.

Here's the best part though: I get to offer fantastic value to my new subscribers right from the start. By sharing a full product with them, they have a much better idea if I'm a good fit when they are ready to invest in a course.

From Nicole: I love love love Cindy's marketing checklists.

Check them out here. (Save $10 with coupon code: 10)

Also, if you don't know WHAT to send to the people who sign up for your freebies, check this out: Get 10 done-for-you follow-up emails here.
Enter this coupon to save $10: 10
(Yes, the number 10.)

Bob Sparkins
(Formerly Known as Bob Jenkins)
Manager, Marketing Education
Leadpages.com

My favorite way to grow my list of subscribers who are most likely to want to buy in the near future is by offering my slides and some type of extra bit of content after delivering a presentation. Whether on a virtual summit or on stage at a conference, or even on a podcast, I find that it's a great time to build that list. These are people who are focused on you and your content for 30-90 minutes, and they made some kind of effort to be in your presence.

Now the trick is, how do you best get those emails? In person, you can have a sign up sheet (which is still a good old-school way to go) or collect business cards with the distinct mention of “give me your business card and I'll send you my slides and more interesting things…”). Online or off, you can be ready with a website URL to giveaway.

But in all cases, my favorite way to build my list in these situations is by using a Leaddigit. This is a keyword text-to-optin method that has the highest conversions of any of the other methods I've tried. In a lot of these situations, people have their phones, but they are away from their computers. It can be cumbersome for them to open up a browser, navigate to your URL, find your opt-in box, click it, and enter their information in.

Instead, have them open their text message app, and send your word to a number.

In my case, I send a copy of my book, “Take Action! Revise Later” via email when people text TARL to 33444 (in the US).

There are a few different services that do text-to-optin, but the one I like the best because of it's integrations and pricing model is Leaddigits from Leadpages (yes I work there).

Whatever you use, be sure to keep your keyword simple, and easy to spell.

From Nicole: Bob and the team at Leadpages put together a book with 30+ contributors (me included) sharing our best ways to get more coaching clients.

You can download that right here.

Tracy Roberts & Susanne Myers
Co-Founders PiggyMakesBank.com

Tracy and I are PLR sellers and what's working better than anything else for us right now is providing smaller versions of our paid products to grow our list of leads. We give away a workable, usable, valuable sample of the type of pre-written content they can expect with our paid products.

Here's an example of one of our freebie packs: 7 Day Autoresponder Audit.

This particular pack and a few like it perform really well for us. Not only do they convert well when it comes to signups, they also convert really well when it comes to turning subscribers into paying customers. And that's what it's really about at the end of the day, isn't it?

The reason they perform so well to convert free subscribers to paying PLR customers is a bit of a lucky accident. On a whim we decided to include our extensive training document on implementing content like this that's included with our larger 30 Day Challenge Packs. It provides a lot of added value and more importantly it helps our subscribers consume the PLR. They put it to work. They use it to grow their own lists. There's no better way to prove that pre-written content works, and that this whole idea of using a 30 Day Challenge to grow your list works than to see it in action on a smaller scale. After seeing for themselves how easy it is to implement these types of content bundle and that they work really well, it's easy to convert them into customers.

Don't be afraid to give away some of your best stuff. Don't be afraid to teach your subscribers something of value. Show them that you know what you're talking about and help them in a real way. There's no better way to build trust and with that your paying customer base.

From Nicole: You can get Tracy and Susanne's 7 Day Autoreponder Audit (FREE) to make sure that your new leads are actually turning into customers.

Connie Ragen Green
Best-Selling Author
ConnieGreen.com

The most effective way for me to grow my list is to speak, in person and virtually to my best target audience.

This community consists of authors and authorpreneurs who need my help to finish their book, get it published, and create products and courses around the content they have written. I make sure everyone in my circle of influence knows that I am open and available to serve this community with my knowledge and experience.

From Nicole: Connie is an amazing Affiliate Marketer. Her course Affiliate Contest Secrets shows you how she's won lots of affiliate contests. You can check that out here.

Angela Wills
Digital Business Coach
LaptopLifestyleBusiness.club

My absolute favorite way to grow my lists is to participate in Giveaway or Bundle Events. I've added hundreds of people at a time to my list this way and it usually involves minimal work because I already have the product, the product description, pricing and all the pieces ready to go. I simply submit my details to the event I've chosen to associate with and then when it runs, the leads start to flow in.

The last event I participated in brought me 300 new leads and counting for about 15 minutes worth of work. It was a bundle sale and I also promoted it as an affiliate and earned over $500 in commissions from the sales I sent to the bundle.

When I tell people how much I love these events they usually ask me how to find some that they can participate in as well. My best advice for this is to get on the email lists of people who do already participate in these sales, myself being one example, and then have a look out for what else they are promoting. Once you find a sale or giveaway and get on the lists of those participating you've very likely to get some emails about other events. Most people do more than one event, because we find them easy, effective and fast for list building, so we keep doing them!

From Nicole: Angela has created a course about how to use Giveaway Events to grow your lists that you will love. You can check that out here.

Nicole Dean
Author, Consultant, Awesome Human
From here!

My coaching clients ask me all of the time what they should do to grow their lists.

My answer is that there are a million ways to grow your lists, but the one you'll do CONSISTENTLY is the one to choose. Because forcing yourself to do something you hate to grow your lists is NOT going to get you momentum.

However, you can always outsource other list building methods – to grow your audience.

But first, really look at what you love and what you don't love.

What are your strengths and what are your non-strengths at this time.

What could you really commit to being consistent to?

So, if you know you hate writing, then for goodness sakes, do an audio or video method instead. Webinars work!!!

If you don't like to have to show up somewhere at a certain time on your calendar, then create a super sexy funnel and master how to send FB traffic that converts.

Choose one place to really focus for a month and you'll get a lot more momentum than if you keep switching from list method to list method, flailing and flustered. I promise.

And to answer my own question?

At CoachGlue.com, I love having JV partners send us traffic for free and low cost items. It works. All day. Every day. We currently have several FREE funnels for affiliates to send traffic to:

• 5 Ways to 10x Your Coaching Business in the Next 90 Days!
• New Client Kit
• The Coach Quiz: What’s the #1 Thing Missing from Your Coaching Business that Could Make 2018 Your Most Profitable Year Yet?
• Charging What You’re Worth
• How to Earn 10k Recurring Every Month in your Coaching Business
• 21 Powerful Ways to Get More Clients on Instagram

I also use FB retargeting ads there, and we do FB ads offering a free item. If I can't get someone to promote as an affiliate, then I just tap into their audience instead. One larger coach (whose name you'd know) has already sent us $96k in business. Too bad she isn't an affiliate. That would have been a nice payday for her.

Here at NicoleontheNet.com, I like to grow my lists by bringing together awesome people to create awesome content and then all share and grow. Collaboration makes me happy and it makes me money.

At Beachpreneurs.com, so far we've been mostly growing the lists with attendees to our events. We will be releasing a video series soon based on a presentation we gave to a women's networking group in May that I think will do well. “Women are Catty and Other BS Rules that We Don't Believe”. Watch for that!

Your Turn!

Please let me know what your favorite way to grow YOUR lists is. I'd love to hear what you think!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean