What to Do When Someone Disses Your Business

By on May 16, 2012 in Creative Business Development

“It must be nice not to have stuff to do all day. I wish I could work from home and only work a couple hours a day.”

A guy said this to me as his wife was shopping in my booth at a craft show when I sold jewelry. These weren’t strangers–they were friends.

He wasn’t trying to be mean or get me riled up. He honestly thought that I didn’t work all day like people who have “normal” jobs. He even asked me how much daytime television I watched.

This wasn’t the first time someone questioned my work ethic and I knew that it wouldn’t be the last time.

Usually, if my husband’s around, this is the point where he’ll say something like, “You wouldn’t believe how hard she works. She puts in more work hours than me.” If they know he’s a lawyer, they’re usually surprised. And, some people don’t believe him.

Those people just don’t get it.

But, what should you do when someone really close to you doesn’t get it and disses your business? That’s what I’m talking about in today’s video.

I’d love to know your thoughts. What do you do when someone disses your business? Please share in the comments below.

Announcement: Blogging for Your Creative Business is coming up. Sign up below to get more information.

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Huge Special: Get 4 for 1!

By on May 10, 2012 in Success

I’ve got a super exciting announcement for you.

You’re going to want to sit down for this one. Are you sitting?

When Mayi and I saw that Marie Forleo {you know–the genius marketer who helped both of us build our businesses} was opening the doors of B-School again, we teamed up to do something that neither of us has done before.

Watch the video below for all the details {and some laughs}.

Purchase HERE {You must use this link}. And, forward your receipt to blacksburgbelle@gmail.com to get signed up for the other three programs. I will respond within 24 hours!

Want to know a little more about our three programs that you’ll get for free? Check them out here: Life is Messy Bootcamp, RoadMap, Blogging for Your Creative Business.

Did you miss any of Marie’s FREE trainings {Warning: They’re only available for a limited time, so take advantage now!}? If so, you can find them here: 6 Pillars, Dirty Little Secret, and Behind the Scenes {affiliate links}. Enjoy!

Click the banner below to help us spread the word on Twitter!

If you want to help us make Bridging the Gaps a reality + if you want get our amazeballs bonuses too, please make sure you use OUR AFFILIATE LINK to enroll in B-School. We cannot stress this enough. We won’t be able to give you our goodies unless you use OUR LINK to purchase. It’s that cold turkey. Help us give you presents :)

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My Pet Peeve and Why It Might Hurt Your Business

By on May 9, 2012 in Creative Business Development, Success

Pet peeves. We all have them.

People who blow their noses at the kitchen table while you’re still eating–and then have the audacity to open up the tissue and look at their snot. People who yell at you from their cars while you’re walking your dog. When the lady at Wendy’s fills your diet coke with mostly ice, so you get like three sips of actual diet coke. The lady with the baby carriage who acts like she owns the ENTIRE sidewalk. When your husband uses the last of the toilet paper on the roll and doesn’t replace it {Yes, Kris, I’m talking to you!}.

Today I’m sharing one of mine. It’s not just a pet peeve, because I don’t like it. It’s also a pet peeve, because it can hurt your business.

Watch today’s video to find out more.

Now, I’d love to hear from you. Do you have advertising on your business blog or website? Why or why not? And, if you want to have fun playing this game, throw in one of your pet peeves!

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Are Your Multiple Passions Holding You Back?

By on May 2, 2012 in Creativity, Success

Do you ever wonder how you would spend your time if money was not an issue?

I can tell you one thing for sure–I would do many things. I wouldn’t pick one focus and stick to it forever. That’s just not me.

Even though I love to write, I also love to read, plan and prepare new vegan recipes with my husband, take photos, talk about marketing and business for hours, and speak at live events.

If someone said, “You have to choose one thing to do for the rest of your life right this minute or you’ll die,” I’d rather die. Actually, no I wouldn’t. I’m pretty terrified of dying and I haven’t made my way though half my bucket list yet. BUT, it would feel like a death sentence. I would feel creatively stifled and probably depressed.

When working with creative entrepreneurs, I constantly hear about this issue–the issue of having too many passions or interests and not knowing where to focus. So, I decided to give you my thoughts on this topic in today’s video, and if you want something to laugh at, make sure you watch to the end where I try out my best butterfly impression.

Do you have multiple passions? Has this held you back from moving forward with your business? Or, have you figured out how to make it work? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

P.S. Want to know the best investment I’ve made in my own business since starting it? You can check out all the details here {just so ya know–that’s an affiliate link} and get some super awesome free trainings.

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What You Have to Say Matters

By on April 30, 2012 in Productivity, Success

Nobody cares what you have to say.

You’re not important.

Who do you think you are? You’re nobody.

My impression of your inner critic is pretty good, right?

I think you’re in need of a pep talk. We all have that little voice that says these awful things to us. It holds us back from doing the work we’re meant to do, and that’s no good.

Have you put off blogging, writing, making videos, starting your business, or making your art because that mean little monster is telling you that you suck?

Well, I’m here to tell you otherwise.

What you have to say matters. Your art matters. You matter.

Don’t allow that mean little monster to hold you back from doing your important work.

And, if you need a little more than this short pep talk, I’ve made a fun little print for you. Download and print it right here.

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Do You Need Some Creative Inspiration?

By on April 25, 2012 in Creativity

Let’s have some fun today.

In today’s video, I’m giving you an assignment that I think you’re really going to like.

As creative entrepreneurs, we’re constantly creating. This is one of the reasons that I read daily. I need inspiration for the many posts, articles, videos, digital guides, and courses that I create. I need to constantly learn new things, feel inspired and excited by new ideas, and fill up my creative tank.

You don’t want a dry tank. Watch today’s video for my solution to keeping that tank full.

Want some ideas on fun videos, podcasts, books, and websites to fill up that creative tank of yours. I’ve listed 10 below that inspired me. {None are affiliate links–they’re just awesome.}

1. A Beautiful Mess {website}

2. The Fire Starter Sessions {book}

3. The Power of Unpopular with Erika Napoletano {podcast on BlogcastFM}

4. Vlogging 101: How I Found My Voice – The Story I Thought I’d Never Share {video on heartmade}

5. The Creative Habit {book}

6. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future {book}

7. Creature Comforts {website}

8. Guide to Businessy Goodness {digital guide}

9. Unicorns for Socialism {website}

10. Marie Forleo’s music videos {videos on MarieForleo.com}

Do you have something to add to the list? I want to know about it. Leave a comment letting me know what’s inspiring you–website, book, podcast, video–anything goes.

{Side Note: It’s my mom’s birthday today and she ALWAYS watches my videos. So, happy birthday Mom! I love you longer than the road and higher than the sky}

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Do You Suffer from the “But-I-Should-Be-Doing-This” Guilt?

By on April 18, 2012 in Productivity, Success

Do you feel guilty when you’re spending time with friends and family, because you think you should be spending time on your business?

Do you feel guilty when you spend time on your business, because you think you should be spending time with friends and family?

If you do, you’re definitely not alone.

I receive plenty of emails that revolve around this issue–the “but-I-should-be-doing-this” syndrome. Watch today’s video to see my thoughts on how you can deal with this issue in a way that’ll make you, your family, and your friends happy.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How do you deal with “but-I-should-be-doing-this” guilt? Answer in the comments below.

P.S. How fun are those balloons? I think that’s my favorite background so far. It’s definitely the most dramatic.

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Are Your Daily Habits Hurting or Helping You?

By on April 11, 2012 in Productivity, Success

Monday was the first day in weeks that I wasn’t nauseous. No, I’m not pregnant.

It’s nothing too exciting. I’m suffering from some pretty bad allergies. You know when your nose is constantly running down into your stomach and it gives you that sour stomach feeling? That’s what was happening with me.

Anyways, I saw my awesome doctor who gave me this nose spray that has kept my nose from running like a leaking faucet. Thanks, doc! The slime coming out of me was really unattractive and I’m a little vain.

Plus, I like to eat, and I hadn’t had an appetite in weeks.

You wanna know what I scarfed down in one day, because I finally had my appetite back? Green juice, a tofu breakfast sandwich, tater tots, chips and salsa, strawberries, a tomato sandwich, some more chips and salsa, two bean burritos with tomatoes and arugula, another breakfast sandwich, and another helping of tater tots. And, if I’m being completely honest, I also indulged in a couple Skinny Girl margaritas {BTW, I highly recommend this delicious cocktail}.

If that was my daily habit, vegan or not, I’d be overweight and unhealthy.

I gave myself that day to indulge, because I was finally feeling better, and I had lost seven pounds due to not eating very much over the past month.

Then, Tuesday came along, and I practiced restraint. I didn’t eat two lunches and dinners like I had the day before. I went back to my normal habits of eating three meals and a snack. This keeps me satisfied, healthy, and happy.

You’ve built up habits that impact your business, health, personal success, and happiness. Are these habits hurting or helping you?

Watch this week’s video to find out more about the impact of your habits on your success. Oh, and before you hit play, just know that this is what happens when you let your husband pick up false eyelashes for you–they’re out of control big and way too Kim Kardasian-like for my taste. Yes, I wear false eyelashes in my videos–I already told you that I’m vain.

Now, it’s your turn. I want to know a habit that you want to change. Please take a minute to share in the comments below.

Quick Note: RoadMap will be open for registration again soon. If you want to be first on the list to know when that happens, sign up below.

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Get This Organized and Under Control to Save Time Every Day

By on April 4, 2012 in Productivity

Do you ever have those days where you say to yourself, “What did you actually accomplish today?” and the answer is not much of anything.

I hate those days.

And, when I look back on them, I see a continuing theme. I spent time on “busy work” and I spent a lot of time on the computer not doing anything productive. One of those days might look something like this: Check email but don’t respond. Hop on Twitter for 20 minutes. Check Facebook. Play around on Pinterest for 30 minutes. Check email again. Start writing a blog post. Stop to check email and finally respond to those emails I put off that morning. Get back into writing that blog post….and on and on it goes.

Getting a handle on this is what I’m talking about in today’s video. Watch it to find out how you can save time and be more productive every day.

Now, it’s your turn. Let me know how you’ve dealt with email overload in the comments below. Share tips for organizing your email and keeping things simple, so you don’t waste half the day on checking and responding to email.

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What You Can Learn From Listening to Your Customers + Home Depot

By on March 28, 2012 in Creative Business Development

I’m allergic to gluten.

Whenever I go out to eat, I know I’m taking a risk. But, I’m not a hermit and I don’t like to always eat at home.

My husband and I pick the restaurants that we’re eat at very carefully. We call ahead of time and ask if they have gluten-free options. If the person who answers the phone has no idea what we mean by gluten, it’s a definite no. We also ask if they prepare gluten-free food with separate utensils and pans, because cross contamination can get me just as sick as eating a piece of bread.

As soon as we meet our waitress or waiter, I explain that I’m highly allergic to gluten and ask that the chef be notified with our order. Almost always, the wait staff is extremely accommodating and nice.

A couple weekends ago, my husband and I decided we were in the mood for sushi, so we went to a local restaurant that we’ve eaten at before. We brought our own gluten-free soy sauce and told the waitress about my allergy when placing our order.

My mouth was watering when she brought over the delicious sushi rolls filled with asparagus, roasted peppers, avocado, lettuce, and pineapple and topped with coconut flakes. But, when I swallowed the first piece, I knew something was wrong.

I immediately sliced apart another piece of sushi and saw that the asparagus had been breaded. Crap.

I got really sick. My gluten allergy is no joke. For the next couple days, I felt like I had the flu.

When the chef and manager found out what happened, they were extremely apologetic. They wanted to fix the situation. Unfortunately, once I consume it, there’s really nothing that can be done.

However, they’ve taken many steps to rectify the situation. They recognized our order the next time my husband called in and made our regular-sized sushi rolls extra large. They’ve invited us in for free meals. They’ve become more diligent about making sure things ordered gluten-free ARE in fact gluten-free. And, they recently told my husband that they’re adding more vegetarian and gluten-free items to their menu to serve more people like us.

They listened to their customers.

You’d think that we wouldn’t go back there, but we have. Why? Because, it’s obvious that they care about their customers and they listen. That’s the most important part to me when it comes to loyalty.

This post could have been about how awful that experience was, but it’s not. It’s about how important it is to listen to your customers, and how well that restaurant is doing just that.

You want to take every opportunity to listen to your customers, make changes in your business model, and make your products and services more appealing.

Watch today’s video to figure out how to make your stuff more appealing to your customers and to find out what you can learn from the Home Depot.

Quick Update: I’ve added another bonus to Six Weeks to a More Passion-Filled and Profitable Business. You can check it out here. Scroll down to the bonus section and take a look at the first bonus listed. Members are already raving about it. Registration closes on Monday at 9pm EST.

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