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One Reason Many Creative Businesses Fail

- September 29, 2018 | by April -

One Reason Many Creative Businesses Fail

One reason why many creative businesses fail is because entrepreneurs expect regularity.

They assume they’ll make about the same amount of money they did last month and last quarter and last season.

Creative businesses don’t work this way.

You have periods of time where you have big spikes in sales and you have lulls.

Same with attention.

If you host a webinar in mid December when your ideal customer is extremely busy and not paying attention, you’ll probably have a lot less attendees than if you wait until around January 5th when your ideal customers are back in front of their computers and ready to make big changes for the year.

I have many clients who ask questions like, “How can I get more consistent sales?” or “How can I figure out how much I’m going to make every month so I can budget things out?”

When you’re running a creative business, the answers to these questions are you really can’t.

If you sell handmade jewelry, you should have a huge increase in sales around holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas.

If you sell digital courses, you’re going to notice that less people are in front of their computers and less willing to take online courses at certain periods of time such as around holidays and in the summer, especially if they have kids home from school. People get fired up to learn new things in September and October and in the beginning of the year.

If you sell knitting patterns for scarves, socks and hats, you’re going to have a lot more sales in fall and winter and a lot less sales in late spring and summer.

Knowing what to expect in each month, quarter and season of your business helps you to plan well, launch new products when people will buy and launch your best content when your ideal customers are paying attention.

If you don’t think about these things and just put out new products whenever, expect hundreds of webinar viewers in your slowest month and hope to grow your email list when no one is paying attention, you’re going to end up frustrated and with an empty PayPal account.

Instead, you need to make the most of each season of your business and this is how you do it:

Step 1: Analyze your business.

If you’ve been in business for at least one full year, make a list of your biggest promotions, launches, ads, webinars, blog posts, etc. for as long as you’ve been in business (or the last three years).

Now, get three pieces of paper. On the first one, make a list of all twelve months. Separate the second one into the four quarters (quarter 1: January, February, March; quarter 2: April, May, June; quarter 3: July, August, September; quarter 4: October, November, December). Separate the third piece paper into four sections, one section for every season: winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Now place the first list you made of all your promotions and launches and everything else into where they belong. Put each launch, promotion, ad, blog post, etc. into the month they took place, the quarter they took place, and the season they took place.

Next, pick two different color highlighters or markers and assign one as successful and one as “could’ve gone a lot better.”

Highlight or mark each event that was a success. Highlight or mark each event that could’ve gone a lot better.

Are there any big themes?

Have you noticed that almost everything in the month of July “could’ve gone a lot better” or everything in the first quarter is a success for you?

Maybe you have a mix of things but most of your successes lie in the fall and in January.

This is how you decide when to plan your launches and which months you should put a lot of emphasis on growing your email list.

It also shows you that in particular months you’re going to have to be extra creative to keep your ideal customers’ attention. And, since many of your followers will miss the content you put out during these months that you should reference it or even re-post it during your best months.

P.S. If you haven’t been in business for more than a year, you’re going to make your best educated guesses on your busiest and slowest months, seasons and quarters. Then, as you go through your first three years, pay attention to the themes.

Step 2: Make a financial plan.

One of the hardest issues creatives deal with is the financial ups and downs.

But, the good news is that if you plan for them, they won’t hit you hard. You’ll know they’re coming, you’ll know you have to save until the next big pay day and you can even plan products or services that will sell during your slow months to get you by.

I’ve had multiple clients who save their one-on-one spots for their slow months and only coach or consult during those months/seasons. They keep a waiting list open and have clients who are ready to sign up as soon as they open up the spots.

Maybe you offer your one and only sale during your slowest quarter of the year to get a big payday to help with the downtime!

No matter what…you need a plan.

You need to know which months, quarter, and/or season are your slowest. You need to know how much you need to save to pay your bills and your employees and not have to eat ramen noodles every night for dinner.

Most importantly, you need to expect this to happen.

If you sell handmade handbags and have a rush of sales before Mother’s Day, you can’t expect to have the same sales the next month.

Set your expectations accordingly and you’ll get a lot more enjoyment out of running a creative business.

Step 3: Plan your launches and big promotions during the time they’ll be most successful.

Now that you know when your launches will get the most sales and your content will attract the most eyeballs, you can plan respectively.

Get one of those huge twelve-month calendars where you can see all twelve months at the same time. Highlight your best months with one color and your worst months with another color. If you have some months that fall in the middle, you can pick another color for them.

What upcoming products and services are you planning to launch? Pick a month/season/quarter that will work best for you.

Also, consider holidays. Do they work well for your business or do they work against your business?

For instance, if you have a product-based business that sells something that would make a nice gift, holidays probably increase your sales whereas in a consulting, teaching or service-based business like mine, holidays decrease sales.

Put a star next to holidays that give you a spike in sales. Put a cross next to holidays that always impact your sales poorly. This way you know whether or not to plan promotional material around those holidays.

This visual will help you consider when to invest in ads, when to host webinars, when to post your best blog posts, when to post more frequently on social media, when to invest more time on live videos and more.

Step 4: Decide how to use your downtime wisely.

When you don’t have sales rushing in, you might think it’s the time to sit back and relax.

While this is a great time to plan a vacation with your family, that’s only a week or two. What about the rest of your slowest quarter?

This is the time to take a bit of a creative sabbatical and develop your next line of fabric designs. It’s your chance to write 10 blog posts to use during your busiest time of the year when the last thing you have time for is blogging. It’s perfect for creating content for your next launch.

Want more ideas and more details? I wrote an entire blog post on 18 Smart Ways to Use Your Business Downtime that you can find right here.

It’s just as important to plan this time as it is to plan your busy time. If you don’t use this time wisely, you’ll find yourself frantic when the sales rush in.

Do you know your busiest seasons? What are they? And, how do you use your downtime to prep for your busy seasons? I’d love to know in the comments below.

10 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development, Success

How to Come Back After an Unplanned Break

- September 20, 2018 | by April -

How to Come Back after an Unplanned Break

Did you your autoimmune disease flare up causing you to stop blogging for three months?

Did you get a new day job that took over your life causing you to take a break from posting regularly on Instagram?

Did starting grad school take way more time than you thought causing you to stop almost everything including emailing your list for the last five months?

Whatever it was, you felt you had no other option but to take an unplanned break and now you’ve found your footing. You want to return but you don’t know how to do so gracefully. It’s been months and you feel guilty and wonder how your followers are going to react.

Are they going to be upset? Are they going to ignore you? Are they going to think you’re just going to disappear again?

Let me ease your mind.

Your followers are busy with their own lives. Your super duper ‘check all the time to see if you’ve posted new content’ fans will have noticed that you’ve been absent. They might’ve even checked in with you to see if you’re okay.

But most of your followers are overloaded with their own lives to notice your absence in their inbox or on Instagram.

They’ll just be happy when you reappear with great content.

So, how do you come back?

Do you need to acknowledge your absence? Do you need to apologize? Do you need to come back with a party or some over-the-top content to grab your followers attention?

I’ve been asked these questions by probably 100 clients over the past eight years of running my consulting business, so let me tackle this once and for all.

Here are three suggestions to help you return after an unplanned break:

1. Jump back in without apologies.

Your followers don’t want your apology. They want you to get back to the content they love.

Like I said above, the people reading your blog or subscribed to your email list have overwhelming lives of their own. They probably haven’t noticed your absence, so don’t make it more obvious with flashing lights and long apologies.

Instead, create valuable, entertaining content for them. They will appreciate that more than an apology about how your day job is draining all your energy and you broke your toe and you’re taking care of your sister’s cat while she’s backpacking through Europe and you’re sorry for not emailing for the past three months.

Think about the ‘I’m sorry for not posting’ apologies you read. Don’t they fall into the annoying category?

Don’t stumble into that trap.

Just jump back into posting your regular content.

2. Don’t overthink it.

Many of my clients who have taken an unplanned break think they have to come up with Beyonce-at-the-superbowl-like comeback content for the first thing they post when they return.

This keeps them from posting because they can’t think of the “perfect” thing to post.

It doesn’t have to be the most brilliant piece of content you’ve ever posted. It should be good and offer value, but don’t stop yourself from moving forward because you haven’t created the best blog post of all time.

After a break, your first Instagram post or blog post or email to your list should look like the content you created before the break. Write something you’re used to writing or take a photo similar to the photos you uploaded before you stopped posting.

You want your followers to see the content and think, “yep, that’s so-and-so.” It should work with your brand.

3. Come back with consistency.

So you took an unplanned break? Sh*t happens. (Yeah, I just cursed. This is serious!)

I get it. For the past three months, I’ve had to change medications about six times and it has taken a huge toll on my health. I never thought I would miss a week of blogging, but I had to prioritize my work and Sunday Society was my absolute priority.

I finally have my medication under control and I’m back!

When you return, decide what consistency means to you. Emailing every week…blogging every other week…posting on Instagram three times per week.

Establish that rule for yourself and stick to it.

Don’t disappear again for another three months.

If you keep disappearing and reappearing, you become an untrustworthy brand and when you ask for money, your followers are going to decline because they don’t know if you’re actually going to be there. They don’t know if you’re going to deliver on your promises.

Coming back with consistency is key to returning with grace.

If you do these three things, you can return with confidence.

The bottom line is get back to work…the world needs what you have to offer.

Have you taken a unplanned break? What was your experience returning to blogging or emailing your list or Instagram or Facebook?

26 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development

GDPR FAQ + Simple Answers

- May 16, 2018 | by April -

Since posting my privacy and cookie policies for you to steal and use last week, I’ve received some GDPR-related questions.

You have to be compliant in less than 10 days, so I’ve collected the questions and answered them in this blog post to hopefully clear things up for you.

Before we get started, I’ve got to add my usual disclaimer: This isn’t legal advice considering I’m not a lawyer (thank the stars…no offense husband!). I do have a super talented lawyer advising me, but you should always consult your own lawyer.

Let’s get right into it…

1. Does this apply to me if I’m in the United States or another country that’s not located in Europe?

Yes!

If you’re an online business OR a brick and mortar business that collects personal data and ANY of it comes from people in Europe, this applies to you.

(I’m looking at you lady who emailed me to tell me this doesn’t apply to U.S. businesses and that I’m overreacting. Ummmm…do you see all the U.S. businesses who are sending out emails to say they’ve updated their privacy policies in compliance?)

2. Does this apply to me if I don’t sell anything yet?

Yes!

This doesn’t just apply to businesses that collect credit card information. This applies to websites that collect any personal data. This means blogs that have comments (which collect names and email addresses), websites that use Google Analytics, websites that use cookies, websites that use email marketing, etc.

3. Do I need to add a link to my privacy policies to my email opt-in forms?

Yes!

This is something you need to do to be GDPR compliant.

This shouldn’t be a big deal to people…except that they have to go in and add a link to their privacy policies to their opt-in forms which can be a technical hassle. Otherwise, why do you care that you have to link to your privacy policy? Let’s be transparent people!

4. Do I need everyone on my email list to opt in all over again?

Here’s where things get tricky. If you want to completely cover your bum, have your list opt in all over again when you’ve made everything GDPR compliant.

Obviously most companies don’t want to do this, because they’re going to lose a bunch of people on their lists.

Instead, most companies (and this is what I’m going to do) are emailing their lists once they’ve gotten everything GDPR ready with their new privacy and cookie policies. In this email, there’s a way to unsubscribe (like in every email) if subscribers aren’t okay with your new policies.

This is what I’ve seen pretty much everyone do from big to small companies. If I were you, I would jump on this train.

5. What are the rules around this whole “cookies pop-up form” thingy?

If you use Google Analytics, comments (that collect personal data such as names and email addresses), plug-ins that collect personal data, Facebook Pixels for Facebook ads, or anything else that uses cookies you need this on your website.

The rules: it needs to be a soft pop-up form (meaning that it doesn’t need to take up the whole screen or impede the readers view) like the one at the top of my website, it needs to stay up unless the viewer clicks out of it, it needs to link to your cookie policy, it needs to say that your website uses cookies.

If you’re worried about this affecting your website, don’t…people will get used to seeing this really quickly. It will become invisible to people within days. We adapt to things like this.

(I would walk you through how to do this, but I didn’t do it. My awesome web designer, Amanda Creek did. She offers consulting, so hit her up if you’re struggling with this whole GDPR thing and she if she has any openings.)

6. How long do I need to keep the cookies pop up form on my blog or website?

For now, indefinitely.

7. Are “they” really going to come after a small business like mine if I don’t comply?

Do I look like a fortune-teller? I don’t know…but I wouldn’t get caught in Europe breaking the law if you haven’t complied.

Also, do you want to be the type of business that doesn’t comply with the law? A business that isn’t transparent and looks like it has something to hide? Really?

Still behind on getting GDPR compliant? You can download my privacy and cookie policies to use as a basis for your own right here!

I hope this helps to answer any lingering questions you might have.

We can do this ladies! We’re smart, capable women. And, we want to treat the people who come to our websites like actual people…not numbers. That’s partly what this is about. Let’s make these last changes and feel good about the business we’re doing.

17 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development

Your GDPR Privacy Policy + Cookie Policy Swipe Copy

- May 9, 2018 | by April -

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation.

That’s what everyone is freaking out about right now because the enforcement date is May 25th.

If you run a business, you’ve got 16 days to make sure you’re following all the rules or risk being fined.

I run a Facebook group filled with badass girl bosses and there have been numerous reactions: overwhelm, research, panic, mayhem, frustration, denial, and calm.

I would’ve joined the panicked group, but I’m married to a super smart lawyer. (He’s won multiple awards including being in the top ten lawyers of Virginia and the top 100 lawyers of the United States. Hell yes, I’m proud.)

I did what I always do when something legal pops up in my business. I asked my husband to take care of it.

Before we get into this, I have to make something very clear. This is NOT legal advice. Nothing in this blog post is legal advice. You should always check things with your own lawyer. Okay…now we can move on…

My lawyer husband rewrote my privacy policy so that it ticked all the GDPR boxes. We added it to my Terms and Conditions (you can find it near the bottom if you’re curious).

He also wrote a separate cookie policy, because it’s required by the GDPR to have a very clear cookie policy. We’re going to be adding this to a separate page on my website. And, you’ll soon see a pop up at the top of my site that says, “We use cookies on this site. Please read our cookie policy here.” You’ll have to “X” out of it.

It’s clear that you need something like this on your site by May 25th that states that you use cookies and links to your cookie policy. It also needs to be a soft opt-in that readers have to close if they no longer want to see it.

I feel blessed that I’m married to a lawyer that takes care of all my legal needs. I know that some of you are super stressed about getting your privacy and cookie policies just right.

That’s why I’m providing you with my swipe copy for you to steal.

All you need to do is read through it VERY CAREFULLY so that you change anything (like the business name) that doesn’t apply to your business.

In the cookie policy, you’ll need to rewrite the Third Party Cookies section based on what you use. Change it to match the plug-ins and things that you use that collect data or information about your users. Use the same format…just change the information so that it fits your third parties.

This swipe copy will at the very least give you a great place to start.

I hope this helps get rid of some of your stress!

37 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development

The Top 14 Planners for Entrepreneurs for 2018

- December 8, 2017 | by April -

The right planner.

To some it may not seem like a huge deal, but think about this for a minute:

What if your planner kept you focused on your top three tasks throughout the day, so that you stopped getting sidetracked by your pile of dirty dishes in the sink and your latest painting idea?

Or, what if your planner reminded you to exercise each day which actually got you moving and after the first quarter you feel energized throughout the day and you drop a dress size?

Or, what if your planner gets you to think about how you want to feel each and every day which helps you to lower your anxiety and increase your happiness?

Now, the perfect planner sounds more like something you should find, right?

Well, I’m going to make it super simple with this blog post. This is what you’ve been waiting for…the post that blows any other post about planners for 2018 out of the freaking ocean. (I say kinda humbly…but not so much because I’ve put over 50 hours into this beast!)

I purchased 14 different planners (and three bonuses non-planner planners) to photograph and review for you.

Below you’ll find details on the most popular planners on the market along with some not-as-well-known planners that you might want to take a peek at.

For each planner, I’ve included a favorite detail, pluses, drawbacks and the bottomline. I didn’t hold back. If there’s something you probably won’t like about one of these planners, I’ve done my best to include it.

I also took all of this information and created a simple quiz that will help you determine which planner is the right fit for you. Take it by clicking the image below and find out which planner you should invest in for 2018.

Now, go and find your planner!

1. Bullet Journal

Favorite thing about a bullet journal:

It’s completely customizable. You make it whatever you want it to be and include whatever you want to include. There’s no extra fluff.

Includes (Leuchtturm 1917):

  • Two ribbon bookmarks
  • Table of contents
  • Numbered pages
  • Dotted, lined or blank pages
  • Pocket folder in the back

Pluses:

1. You can include things that you might not have room for in other planners such as detailed notes, lists (that aren’t to-do lists), ideas, habit tracking and brainstorms.

2. When you realize something isn’t working for you, you can just stop including it. For instance, if you decide that you don’t like daily spreads, you can stop doing daily spreads and try weekly spreads. This means that you use the entire journal–not just parts of it.

3. You can be as creative or as minimal as you want.

4. There is an entire bullet journaling community that shares tips, spreads, ideas and more. When you start bullet journaling, you become a part of that community.

“I like the flexibility of this method, because both at work and at home, sometimes I am so busy I barely have time to open the journal at all. Since I write in all the dates, I don’t waste any of the journal if I don’t use it on a particular day. Of course, the downside is that I have to draw in the calendars, but I’ve found that I can easily do it while watching a half-hour TV show with hubby.

I don’t like copying tasks over and over, so I’ve learned to list my tasks down the right-hand side of the page, and then I list the date on the left side of the page with any date-specific tasks. I continue to use that list until it is mostly accomplished (even if the dates spill over to the next page), and then I’ll transfer the remainder to a fresh page if I need to.

The Leuchtturm journal has two bookmarks sewn in, which is very handy if I’m tracking both daily tasks and a project at the same time. I also like the pre-printed index pages at the front of the journal, and the fact that it has a hard cover. Best of all, the A5 size fits into most of my bags and purses, so I can carry it around with me all the time. Last week, I was able to write a 90-day action plan for both businesses while riding the Metro one afternoon.” -Carole Carlson

Drawbacks:

1. If you want daily spreads, you have to recreate them every single day and that takes time (unlike a planner that you just fill in).

2. You might get so caught up in wanting your bullet journal to look nice that you put too much time into planning, lettering and decorating.

3. You have to create everything from scratch.

Bottomline:

If you always find yourself wishing your planners included certain things or didn’t include specific things, why not create your own? If you’re a creative and want another outlet for creating, bullet journaling is a great option.

You can do as much or as little as you want each day. Or, if you’re a minimalist and only want to plan want you absolutely need to, a bullet journal allows you to do that without any waste.

“I love that the bullet journal is 100% customizable. Since I have a day job and I feel like my business is not your typical business (which I think most people in this group of creative business owners can relate to), I felt like a lot of the planners out there didn’t quite fit what I needed. I don’t need something to plan out my hours from 9-5. I need something to plan out my hours AROUND the 9-5 day job. With the bullet journal, I can keep track of things you can’t in a typical planner (ie. a place to put notes for my upcoming projects, etc). All of that can be in one place in my bullet journal, which means I only have to carry around ONE journal/planner for all of my planning and brainstorming.” -Madeline Stoker

2. Conquer Your Year

Favorite thing about the Conquer Your Year planner:

One of the unique things about this planner is that it’s broken up into 12-week sprints. If you get overwhelmed by your huge goals, this planner can help you break them up into manageable pieces.

Includes:

  • Introduction
  • Information on getting started
  • Worksheets to break down your big picture goals
  • 12-week sprint planning spreads
  • Weekly spreads that include a weekly reflection
  • Quotes at the top of the weekly spreads
  • End of year reflection

Pluses:

1. It’s an inexpensive option!

2. Some of the pages include a pretty watercolor wash that gives them a little something extra.

3. Each day includes a spot for your top five to-dos.

4. This planner doesn’t just focus on what you’re accomplishing but also focuses on your wellbeing. Each day there are eight cups to check off as you drink water and seven 15-minute exercise increments to check off as you move your body.

5. Compared with many of the other planners on this list, the Conquer Your Year planner is much lighter in weight which would make it easier to take with you on the go.

6. There’s a spot to note three things you’re grateful for each day.

7. The weekly reflection will keep you focused on your big picture goal as well as your health.

Drawbacks:

1. The cover is kinda flimsy cardboard which could get easily damaged. For someone who uses her planner every day, this could become a problem. Mine is already a bit bent.

2. There isn’t any room to put notes or extra information on a daily or weekly basis.

3. There isn’t a place for scheduling timely events such as meetings or appointments.

4. The entire planner is this purplish pink color which might get stale after a while and it limits creativity if you like to use stickers and such in your planner. For me, this is the biggest drawback, especially because I don’t love the color.

“I used the Conquer Your Year planner but didn’t like it. It had very little space for writing the to-do’s, and a lot of space for reflection and questions.” -Ana

Bottomline:

If you’re looking for an inexpensive option that helps you break down your big goals into more manageable pieces, this is a planner you should consider. If you also need help focusing on your well being on a daily basis (reminders to exercise and drink water!), you should check out the Conquer Your Year Planner.

3. Daily Greatness Business Planner

Favorite thing about the Daily Greatness Business Planner:

The way the yearly calendar is set up, because it shows you every day in the year in a two-page spread. When you plug in launches, interviews, sales, etc., you can see the overview of your business very clearly in that two-page spread.

Includes:

  • Quotes on colorful pages
  • Content about productivity, organization, finances and goal setting
  • Suggestions for getting the most out of the planner
  • Yearly calendar
  • One-page business plan, business vision planner, business goal planner
  • Strategy and budget worksheets
  • Monthly calendars
  • Weekly priority and action planners
  • Weekly spreads
  • Quotes on weekly spreads
  • Weekly check-ins
  • 90-day reviews
  • Finance manager worksheets
  • Year end business wrap up
  • Two ribbon bookmarks

Pluses:

1. Unlike many other planners, the beginning of this planner has you focus on your business plan and vision. There are a bunch of worksheets that help you map out your business.

2. Each day has a place for your top three tasks of the day.

3. Each day starts with an interesting prompt such as ‘what I’m most excited about in my business is…’ or ‘one word that describes how I want to feel today is…”

4. Unlike the other planners on this list, the weekly check ins include different questions. This gets you to think about different areas of your business on a regular basis.

5. Each week starts with a priority planner. Then, you plan out your four major goals for the week and then you break those down into projects, appointments, tasks and actions.

Drawbacks:

1. You have to fill out the monthly calendars yourself–they aren’t done for you.

2. You’re given plenty of space to list to-dos for the week, but you’re only given three to-do slots for each day. 3. Some of the colors are really bold which can be a turn off or turn on. The bright orange, yellow, and lime green aren’t my style.

Bottomline:

If you’re a creative entrepreneur who likes bright, bold colors, you should check out the Daily Greatness Business Planner. It was made specifically for entrepreneurs and will constantly keep you thinking about how you can improve your business.

4. Day Designer

Favorite thing about the Day Designer:

There’s a section at the top of each daily page to write your top three for the day. That gets you focused on the three most important things you need to tackle that day, but it’s not the majority of the page. You still have room to schedule appointments and list other to-dos.

Includes:

  • Yearly calendar
  • Monthly calendars
  • Daily pages
  • Quotes on the top of daily pages
  • Instructions on how to use the Day Designer
  • Multiple worksheets in the beginning to focus on values, goals and strengths
  • Ideal month worksheet
  • Ideal week worksheet
  • Note pages
  • Pocket folder

Pluses:

1. Every daily page has a quote at the top which is motivating and a fun way to start planning the day.

2. There’s a place to list to-dos and appointments on each daily page.

3. There’s a little ‘don’t forget’ box on each daily page, so you have the option of including something you definitely don’t want to forget.

4. There’s a place for daily gratitude which can be a positive way to end the day.

5. Each daily page also has a box for notes which is a great way to record something from each day or summarize what you’ve learned that day.

“The Day Designer is great because it is daily and is large enough to handle my often messy handwriting or all the notes I want to jot down as I’m working. I like that it’s spiral because it stays open on my desk. But it is too big to carry around.” -Rebecca

Drawbacks:

1. The daily planner is large, so if you need to carry it with you, this might not be the planner for you or you might want to go with the mini daily planner that they offer.

2. Daily pages include a spot for dinner which isn’t something everyone wants included in their planner.

3. The to-do list is quite long, giving you 17 spots for to-do items. Who is going to complete 17 tasks in one day? And if you list 17 tasks, won’t that be overwhelming every time you glance at your planner? (Maybe you can use the extra space for more notes and make this a plus instead of a drawback!)

Bottomline:

The Day Designer is like your traditional planner that’s been modernized. You have plenty of room for to-dos and appointments/timely tasks, but you also have room for things a traditional planner never included such as daily gratitude and your top three.

If you like the idea of a modernized traditional planner with some extras, you should check out the Day Designer.

5. The Desire Map Planner

Favorite thing about The Desire Map Planner:

The daily spreads are unlike any planner you’ll ever come across, because they focus on how you want to feel and what you can do that day to feel those core desired feelings.

Includes:

  • Desire Map introduction
  • Note from Danielle
  • Core desired feelings worksheet
  • Yearly calendars
  • Monthly calendars
  • Monthly check-ins
  • Daily planning pages

Pluses:

1. In true Danielle style, her planner is gorgeous. The design, the cover, the fonts…it’s all beautiful.

2. The monthly calendars are spacious and each one has a list of feelings down the left side.

3. The monthly check-ins will help you center back to the feelings you want to focus on as well as the major goals you’re working towards.

4. The daily planning pages concentrate on: how you want to feel, your schedule and to-dos, what you want to change, what you want to stop doing and gratitude.

5. There’s a place on every daily planning page to list your top three to-dos for the day.

6. Each day there’s a different soul prompt such as ‘what is your greatest desire’ or ‘how did you feel when you woke up today’ that will get you thinking about the important stuff in life.

7. At the bottom of each daily page, there’s a statement or quote from Danielle such as ‘joy is power’ or ‘you don’t need to know the answer before you begin.’

Drawbacks:

1. On the daily pages, you have to create your schedule. There’s a place for it, but it’s not done.

2. For some people, some of the statements at the bottom of the daily pages and/or some of the soul prompts might cross the line into too woo-woo.

“This year I tried out the Desire Map Planner. I’m a mixed media artist. I did love that it has alot of room on each page. However, one major drawback is its sheer size and weight. I went with the daily planner (there is a weekly one, too). If you need a planner that will sit on your desk and you work on or in it – that’s perfect for you. I do have several freelance jobs and need to carry my planner with me a lot. The daily planner is simply too big to do that. Otherwise it’s a gorgeous planner with lots of room for journaling and drawing and lovely prompts. I especially loved the month-at-a-glance pages.” -Ursula

Bottomline:

The Desire Map Planner is such a unique planner that concentrates on one of the most important things in life: feeling the way we want to feel consistently. If you can do that, you’ve won at life!

If you tend to get caught up in day-to-day life and weeks or months go by without you focusing on yourself or what you need or want, you need this planner. The concept is amazing and it delivers.

6. Get to Work Book

Favorite thing about the Get to Work Book:

Every month includes a project spread where you break down a project into action items and deadlines on one page and can put all your notes for the project onto the other page.

Includes:

  • Year at a glance
  • Monthly reflections
  • Monthly calendars
  • Monthly tear-out calendars
  • Monthly project spreads
  • Weekly spreads
  • Extra project planning and note pages

Pluses:

1. The year at a glance gives you a place to put all your big projects, launches, sales, etc. and see them all together.

2. The monthly reflections give you room to brainstorm your wins, the things you’re still working on and the things you want to let go of as well as a place to goal set for the next month.

3. For each day, you’re given room to list your top three of the day along with space to plan timely events or list other to-dos.

4. In each weekly spread, you’re given room to list three main action items for the week and room at the bottom for notes or anything you’d like to include in your daily plans.

5. You’re given lots of space for project planning.

6. There is a good amount of space per day for a planner that doesn’t have daily spreads.

“This is my second year using the Get to Work Book. I really, really like it. I like that it’s a weekly spread, that it has sturdy covers, a book band to keep it closed in my bag, and that it lays flat on my desk. I like the design of the pages and the way the weekly and daily priorities are laid out on each weekly spread. I really need that weekly view, because I tend to goal set and think in weekly increments. That being said, I can see the appeal of the daily spread as well.

I like that the design is simple and gets out of your way. I stamp and washi and sticker to organize and beautify. The look of a planner is super important to me. If I don’t like the look, I don’t find myself using it.

If I could change something, I would actually make it a bit bigger. I do totally fill the columns when I’m writing. I’m also having my head a bit turned by something like the Day Designer, with a ton more room and daily layouts. But I’d still need the weekly one too.” -Janet Taylor

Drawbacks:

1. If you want to include time-specific events such as meetings and appointments, you’ll have to create the place for it.

2. There are only three checkboxes for the top three to-dos. If you list other to-dos and want checkboxes, you’ll have to add them.

3. The monthly calendars don’t include holidays.

Bottomline:

This planner is a great fit for someone who wants to use her planner to plan out projects, likes to focus on a top three of the day and likes grid paper (cause there’s quite a bit).

If you’re looking for a planner to get in, get it done and get out, this is a good option. The Get to Work Book will keep you focused without fluff.

“First of all, the design of the Get to Work Book is stunning and I really love the way it’s bound. I like that you can lay it flat and that the cover is a hard, protective cover rather than a flimsy one that would get ruined easily. I also loved the project planning pages, which I felt helped me to start learning how to break down tasks into more actionable chunks. I think I carried the project planning aspect over to my new planner, so I am really grateful that I used the Get to Work Book while I did. The main thing that I would change about the Get to Work Book is that I would add daily pages. I did like the monthly and weekly views but without the daily pages to plan each day and write daily thoughts/notes, I felt a bit limited.” -Amanda Creek

7. Happiness Planner

Favorite thing about the Happiness Planner:

This planner is focused on happiness–on planning a day that will make you a happier person! That’s pretty cool.

Includes:

  • Ribbon bookmark
  • Introduction
  • 26 rules to live by for a happier and more fulfilling life
  • Beautiful quotes
  • 15 worksheets to help you focus on what makes you happy and unhappy, your strengths and weaknesses, your definition of success and more
  • Yearly calendar
  • Weekly planning pages
  • 100 daily planning pages
  • Weekly reflection pages
  • 100-day review
  • Pocket folder

Pluses:

1. Even though this planner focuses on happiness, you still have room to write in a schedule and six to-dos.

2. Every daily page starts with a quote.

3. There are sections on the daily pages for: what you’re excited about, exercise, your main focus, meals, notes, gratitude and more.

4. Each daily page ends with you filling out what good things happened that day (which keeps you focused on the positive) and what you hope for the next day.

5. It comes in multiple pretty colors.

6. This size of this planner makes it travel-friendly.

Drawbacks:

1. The boxes for each section are small, so you can only write a short sentence or less (unless you have tiny handwriting).

2. The only calendar included is a yearly calendar.

3. If you have appointments and meetings to schedule, it’ll be hard to do so in advance unless you fill out all the days ahead of time and even then, you have to be on the specific page to see it as opposed to having a monthly calendar overview. (They do offer another planner that’s more expensive and bigger but includes monthly calendars!)

Bottomline:

This is an interesting planner that helps you focus on more than what you want to accomplish. It steers you in the direction of thinking about your mood and improving your happiness each day and week.

If you struggle with anxiety or depression and need help focusing on the positive stuff in life, the Happiness Planner could be a great fit for you.

8. The Happy Planner

Favorite thing about The Happy Planner:

The monthly planning spreads are reaaaaally pretty and fun. They include things like what you’re reading, pinning, watching and loving.

Includes:

  • Yearly calendar
  • Monthly planning spreads
  • Monthly calendars
  • Weekly planning spreads
  • Notes page

Pluses:

1. The space on the monthly spreads is utilized well, giving you room for three monthly goals, seven things you don’t want to forget, notes, birthdays and fun information about you like what you’re currently reading, feeling and listening to.

2. The monthly calendars are bigger than most which gives creatives space to have some fun with decorating and stickers if that’s your kind of thing or a little extra space for planning if not.

3. The weekly spreads give you plenty of planning space for each day even though it’s not a daily planner.

“I’m trying to manage daily tasks and short-term goals and I find The Happy Planner to be quite useful! I love the amount of space I have to write things down and they’ve made it super easy to add and remove pages. I really like some of the ideas in bullet journaling YouTube videos I have seen and I find I can implement some of those modules in my Happy Planner too. It’s also nice to not have to draw out all of your modules for the month.” -Rianne

Drawbacks:

1. It’s a spiral bound planner which is fine except the spirals in this planner make it hard to turn the pages which can become pretty annoying.

2. The way the daily planning space is broken up looks a bit weird unless you’re going to use the stickers by this company.

3. There isn’t an hourly timeline in the daily planning for appointments and meetings and other timely events.

4. The design of the planner I picked feels a bit high school-ish which is great if you’re in high school or college, but not so great if you’re running a business in your thirties or beyond. I’m not sure if others have the same feel or not.

“I’ve been using the Happy Planner and really like it for the most part. I like how the days are sectioned off and I can use each section for a different part of my life. But, some parts of my life are much busier than others, it’s a weird size so no other papers fit into it, and it’s too big for even my over-sized purse. Also, I tend to spend way more time having fun decorating it than I do actually working my to-do list. The calendar and all it’s insertable, decorative things are fairly expensive.” -Jeannie Gray

Bottomline:

The Happy Planner seems like a great fit for young adults or those young in spirit. I would pick this planner if you like the accessories, including the stickers, and plan to use them in your planning regularly. Otherwise, I would choose another option.

“The Happy Planner is my favorite so far. It’s colorful, has cute quotes, has pretty decent sized squares, and has a few options to choose from. Best of all it’s super reasonably priced.” -Amanda Howell

9. Inkwell Planner

Favorite thing about the Inkwell Planner:

After the monthly calendar, there’s a monthly planning spread that includes a beautiful honeycomb pattern, a place for planning notes, a box for your focus and a place to track three habits throughout the month. The spread is creative, motivating and unlike anything in the other planners.

Includes:

  • Important dates spread
  • Goals worksheets
  • Yearly calendar
  • Monthly calendars
  • Monthly planning spreads
  • Weekly planning spreads
  • Notes and ramblings pages at the end of each month (dotted pages)
  • Extra notes section at the back (grid pages)
  • Gift list
  • Wanderlust and project planning
  • Monthly bill tracker
  • Ruler
  • Band to close the planner

Pluses:

1. This planner includes a lot but still isn’t as big or heavy as some of the other planners, making it more travel-friendly than most.

2. All of the extras (such as the monthly bill tracker, gift list and wanderlust or travel information) are helpful and you’ll probably use them unlike planners that include things you’ll just skip over.

3. The ‘plan ahead’ section gives you just enough to get going, including the goal worksheets.

4. For each day, there’s eight lines for you to list to-dos or appointments and three boxes which I would use to list my top three for the day, but you could use in lots of ways.

5. The monthly planning spreads are unlike anything I’ve seen in other planners. It includes a place for you to track three daily habits each month.

Drawbacks:

1. There aren’t any checkboxes for you to list your to-dos. I don’t know about you, but I like a checkbox. Checking off something once I’ve completed it gives me a spark of joy.

2. There isn’t a place for timely events such as appointments and meetings on the weekly spreads unless you create it yourself.

Bottomline:

This planner almost has it all. It’s pretty, well-designed, and includes really helpful extras such as a monthly bill tracker. If you can deal with not having a daily spread for each day (including a place for time-specific events) and you want something that’s already super pretty, I would recommend you check this one out. (When I checked out the website today, I saw that they have a new daily planner. So, if you want all of the above plus daily spreads and you aren’t going to be taking your planner on the go, you might try that option.)

The Inkwell Planner was a huge surprise to me in the best of ways–I’m smitten!

“Although I’ve never met her, I feel like I know Tonya, the owner personally of Inkwell Planners – from watching the planner set up videos, following her Instagram, listening to her podcast, and just in general using her products and her vibe of encouragement that comes with them! Inkwell’s mission is to encourage women to find their own productivity, which shows in so many things this company does.

The planners are created with high quality materials and are designed beautifully yet minimally. There are colors but not over the top or feel like you’re using something made for a 4th grader. The design of the weekly planner includes the important elements (dates, monthly spread, weekly view etc) but really just leave space for you to add all the goings on of your life! I think planner peace comes from less is more. A big part of these planners is also goal setting, which I love. The daily planner is unlike any daily I’ve ever seen..most are set up with a long running list of to dos without any hierarchy or ranking of importance. Inkwell’s daily planner page is broken down into priorities, important tasks, and other tasks, along with an hourly schedule of the day. The daily planner is undated so that you can use it when necessary, without making you feel like you didn’t accomplish anything certain days that you may not need a broken down task list for. Although I live and breathe by my weekly planner, I have been thinking about getting a daily planner to have at my desk to use on my office and task-orientated days.

The paper is thick but not too thick. Ink doesn’t bleed thru. The tabs and cover are a sturdy construction and after almost a year of use (its in my purse or camera bag daily,) it still looks great! There are notes pages in between each month and the little folder at the back is great for stashing stickers, receipts, and other pieces of paper. The hard cover bound book is great to store a pen in the coil, or to fold the book on itself when you need to make your own surface to write.” -Amanda Feltmann

10. Melbourne Planner

Favorite thing about the Melbourne Planner:

It’s beautiful. The cover is gorgeous, the inside is gorgeous, the tabs are nice and the artwork is lovely.

Includes:

  • Yearly calendar
  • Dates to remember including a holiday list and place to record birthdays
  • Goal section to record 3 month, 6 month, 1 year and 5 year goals
  • Contact section
  • Note pages
  • Monthly calendars
  • Weekly spreads
  • Two pocket folders
  • Band to keep planner closed

Pluses:

1. The sections are clearly labeled and easy to find.

2. For each day, you have a section for six to-dos and notes.

3. The note pages are dotted and there are some in the front and back.

4. At the top of the weekly spreads, there are small monthly calendars so you can easily see where you are in the month.

5. Unlike some spiral bound planners, this one is easy to flip through.

Drawbacks:

1. The actual planning pages are very minimal and don’t give you any guidance unlike many other planners on this list.

2. There aren’t any daily planning pages–you get ⅓ of a page for each day which isn’t a lot of space for someone who likes to include more information in her planner.

3. There isn’t a place for timely events such as appointments and meetings unless you include them as one of the to-dos.

4. It’s often wasteful to include a contacts section in a physical planner when most people keep this information in their phones.

Bottomline:

If you yearn for a traditional planner that’s beautiful, the Melbourne Planner is for you.

Flipping through this planner, you’d think it came from the 90’s, especially with the contacts section, dates to remember section and minimal planning space, but there is something nostalgic and comforting about that which some people will adore.

11. Passion Planner

Favorite thing about the Passion Planner:

The monthly calendar includes a box to write your ‘not to-do list’ and that’s also really important when it comes to productivity. Everything you say no to creates more time for the things you really want to do.

Includes:

  • How you’ll benefit from this planner
  • Welcome message
  • Your passion roadmap
  • Planner instructions
  • Yearly calendars
  • Monthly calendars
  • Weekly spreads
  • Quotes on the side of the weekly spreads
  • Monthly reflections
  • End of year reflection
  • Blank note pages
  • Grid note pages
  • Ribbon bookmark
  • File folder
  • Band to keep it closed

Pluses:

1. There is a lot of space for planning on the monthly calendar spreads.

2. On the monthly calendar spreads, you’re given room to write down: people to see, places to go and a not to-do list.

3. The to-do lists are split between work to-dos and personal to-dos. The projects are also split between work projects and personal projects.

4. On the weekly spreads, you’re given space for ‘space of infinite possibility’ instead of boring old ‘notes.’

5. You’re given room to write in a ‘focus’ and ‘good things that happened’ in each weekly spread.

6. Within each monthly reflection, you’re asked questions that make you consider how well you spent your time and what improvements you can make for the next month.

“My most favorite thing about the Passion Planner is at the bottom of the weekly 2-page spread. It’s one column for a personal to-do list for the week and one column for a business to-do list. Like many here, I work from home and what I do for my family and what I do for my business are totally intertwined and equally important, and I cannot stand having to keep two separate journals. I like all my records in one place.” -Kat Southern

Drawbacks:

1. This planner is huge–one of the biggest on this list. If you keep your planner at home, this isn’t an issue but if you plan to carry it with you, I would look at other options.

2. The to-do lists are weekly–not daily. You’re given 14 personal to-do spots and 14 work to-do spots for the week which may not be enough for some people.

3. The hourly timeline is really scrunched together, making the weekly spreads look crammed.

“I used the Passion Planner for a while and liked it but needed more room for daily notes and it was too big to put in my purse (I had the big one). I was also afraid I’d run out of blank note taking pages so I kept taping my own pages into it and never actually using the provided ones.” –Jeannie Gray

Bottomline:

The Passion Planner has a lot of good things going for it, but the crowded look of the weekly spreads makes it a deal breaker. If you can get past that and don’t need to travel with your planner, you might enjoy this one.

12. Powersheets

Favorite thing about the Powersheets:

Powersheets are not a typical planner in that it doesn’t include any schedules or daily to-do lists. Instead, the Powersheets walk you through taking your ideas and turning them into goals and then turning your goals into actions.

Includes:

  • Note from Lara
  • 5 steps to get started
  • Worksheets to get to know yourself better
  • Cultivated life evaluation
  • Worksheets to help you let go, face your fears, cultivate what matters and determine other critical things that will help you set the right goals for yourself
  • Goal setting section that includes a place to list 10 goals for 2018 and then walks you through breaking down each of those goals
  • Monthly sections that include a preparation worksheet, a worksheet to clear mental clutter, a brainstorming worksheet, a goal setting worksheet and month in review worksheet
  • Celebrating 2018 worksheets
  • Two sticker sheets

Pluses:

1. It’s beautiful in a whimsical yet adult way. The gold foil on multiple pages and the cover gives it an extra special touch.

2. There are numerous helpful worksheets that will spark ideas, motivate you and inspire you to set the right goals for yourself.

3. Before you dive into goal setting, there are worksheets that have you focus on self-awareness which is always a good idea before setting your goals for the year.

4. This ‘planner’ will help you focus on what you want to accomplish and then help you plan out what you’re going to do when during the year.

5. Each monthly section takes you from preparation to action to review.

Drawbacks:

1. This can’t replace a typical planner. It doesn’t include any calendars or places for weekly or daily planning. You have to buy this in addition to a regular planner.

2. The cover is a flimsy cardboard that will get damaged pretty easily. For the price tag, I expect a nicer cover.

3. It’s large and heavy, so it wouldn’t be the easiest planner to take with you on the go.

Bottomline:

The Powersheets are a worthwhile investment for creative entrepreneurs who want additional help with goal setting and reaching those goals throughout the year.

I would absolutely recommend picking up a copy to use in addition to your regular planner if you get motivated by physically writing down your goals and mapping them out.

“Power Sheets have literally changed my life. I went from being totally overwhelmed by all the things I wanted/needed to do, to being able to really evaluate what my priorities were and why, and having a good way to keep track of the progress I was making on my goals. At this point, I’m a little bit lost without them!” -Sarah

13. Productivity Planner

Favorite thing about the Productivity Planner:

It’s realistic about what you can accomplish in one day by only giving you space for five tasks which will help you stay focused and get more done.

Includes:

  • Ribbon bookmark
  • Table of contents
  • Information on the concept and hacking productivity
  • Tips on creating a better to-do list and how to decide what’s your most important task
  • Information on the Pomodoro technique and why time tracking is important
  • Instructions on how to use the Productivity Planner
  • Weekly planning pages
  • Daily planning pages
  • Quotes at the top of the daily planning pages
  • Weekly note pages
  • Weekly review pages

Pluses:

1. You will always determine what tasks are most important which means you can focus on work instead of on ‘what to do next.’

2. You give yourself a productivity score at the end of each day which can help you think about what you can do better and what you’re wasting time on.

3. The weekly reviews give you a chance to think about your wins, issues you came across, what you learned and do a bit of planning for the next week.

4. The quotes at the top of the daily planning pages are motivating and inspiring. Out of any planners that include quotes, these quotes are the best and most motivating I’ve seen.

5. The size of this planner makes it travel-friendly.

Drawbacks:

1. You don’t have any room to schedule timely tasks. If you use a planner to plan meetings, interviews and appointments, this isn’t the planner for you.

2. There isn’t a calendar in this planner–not yearly or monthly calendars.

3. This planner is for focused, productive planning only. You get space to plan five tasks and a little space for notes–that’s it. If you want to document or plan anything else, there really isn’t room for it.

4. For creatives who like pretty covers, there’s only one option: black.

Bottomline:

If you keep appointments and meetings scheduled on your phone or on a computer calendar and are looking for a planner to keep you focused during the day, the Productivity Planner is a great option.

If you often get sidetracked throughout the day, this planner could become your best friend.

14. The Simplified Planner

Favorite thing about The Simplified Planner:

The design. It’s sleek, modern and sophisticated while also being fun and girly. The beautiful gold wire binding and protective gold corners make the outside look modern and sleek. Then you open it up and see the fun multi-colored tabs and girly stickers and you’ve got the best of both worlds.

Includes:

  • Sticker sheet
  • Message from Emily
  • The process of simplifying
  • Instructions on how to use the planner
  • Yearly calendar
  • 2018 holidays
  • 2018 bucket list
  • Monthly calendars
  • Daily spreads

Pluses:

1. The sticker sheet will add a bit of fun to your planning pages.

2. At the top of each monthly calendar there is a simplicity tip.

3. For a daily planner, it’s smaller than most. (It’s still a bit heavy, so keep that in mind if you’re going to be taking it with you out and about every day.)

4. For each day, you’re given room to list to-dos and timely events such as appointments and meetings. You’re also given space for notes and meals.

Drawbacks:

1. For each day, you’re given 16 to-dos which is a lot–probably more than anyone could handle in a day. Looking at that long of a list of to-dos seems like it could be overwhelming. (You could turn this into a plus by using some of this space for something else like additional notes.)

2. If you don’t want to keep information about your meals in your planner, a big chunk of each day in your planner will be wasted.

3. For a smaller planner, it’s quite heavy–but this company does sell weekly planners if you love the design but want something more travel-friendly.

Bottomline:

This really is a simplified planner. It contains what you traditionally need in a planner and nothing else but in a very modern design. The Simplified Planner is beautiful and it’s the type of planner that you’ll get in and get out of without lots of fuss or wasting time.

Bonuses!

As I researched planners, I came across non-planner planners. A lot of them. I picked three to include as bonuses in this post.

The Content Strategy Planner, Second Edition

This is a planner and workbook in one that will help you map out your content for twelve months. If you feel like putting your ideas into your regular planner or Evernote isn’t cutting it, you should check out something like this.

It includes:

  • Quotes
  • A message from Sara
  • Table of contents
  • Suggestions on how to use the planner
  • Worksheets to get you started
  • Monthly calendars
  • Growth and review worksheets
  • Weekly spreads
  • Balance reviews
  • Metrics and assessment worksheets
  • Opportunity worksheets
  • Content planning pages
  • Note pages

Create: One-Year Blog & Editorial Planner

The creator and author, Meera Kothand, says it best in the very beginning when she writes, “Where marketing meets simple so that bloggers and solopreneurs can build an unmissable stand out online presence minus the sleaze.” This is also a planner and workbook in one. It will guide you in putting together the blueprint for your editorial calendar.

It includes:

  • Table of contents
  • Quotes
  • Introduction
  • 5-step planning process, a primer for setting goals, and the four major blogging tasks
  • Your main pillars: content and email
  • Your year at a glance worksheets
  • Quarterly planning worksheets that include planning your goals, planning your blog and email content, monthly calendars and monthly reviews
  • Quarterly review worksheets

eatWELL Menu Planner

This is Inkwell’s menu planner. It’s the perfect gift for ladies and gents who love both organization and cooking (or meal prep). If you like to be super organized in the kitchen and plan out all of your meals, you should check this out.

It includes:

  • Weekly meal plans
  • Grocery lists
  • Holiday meal plans
  • Take out favorites (a place to list them)
  • Quick and simple meal ideas (a place to list them)
  • Seasonal fruits and veggies
  • Kitchen conversions
  • When to buy organic
  • Food expiration cheat sheet
  • The butcher shop (visual guide)

And that’s a wrap on all of the planners I reviewed for 2018!

I hope you found one on this list that’s right for you. If so, please share which one in the comments below. I’d love to know which planner you’ve decided on.

P.S. THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my post last month asking for feedback on the planners you love and hate. It added so much to making this post more valuable.

29 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development, Productivity

The Planner Dilemma (Plus, My Question for YOU)

- November 1, 2017 | by April -

What knows all your secrets, sometimes makes you feel like scarfing an entire box of Oreos due to shame but also gets you giddy with excitement thinking about your goals?

Give up? Got an answer? Kind of annoyed that this blog post starts with a silly riddle and are imagining smashing one of those whipped cream pies in my face? (That’s cool…just make sure it’s dairy free, please!)

It’s your planner.

When you find the right system, you feel like you’re in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory and you’ve found the golden ticket.

You spend an entire day planning and you can barely go to sleep that night, because you’re so wired from your brainstorming and drafting session (not to mention the seven cups of coffee you might have guzzled during the plan-a-thon).

And, this system does help you stay on track.

You post on Instagram regularly, blog more, and even send emails to your list. YAY!

You use it consistently for three months when the inevitable happens.

Your friend (aka, a random person in a really large Facebook group that you sporadically check in with) mentions that her life has been changed by such-and-such planner and you spend the next two hours reading everything you find about that planner.

Your stomach flips with guilt when you think about cheating on your current planner that’s been helping you get more done, but you can’t help but wonder if this new planner will help you not only get more done but also drink more water and exercise more like that woman from the previously mentioned FB group.

While you fold laundry and load the dishwasher, you think about it some more.

You try to write a blog post, but this other planner invades your thoughts. You try to paint, but once again, this other planner wiggles its way to forefront of your mind.

Finally, you give in and order this other planner, gulping when you realize that the shipping costs you an additional $8.95.

You don’t get a lot done until it arrives four days later, because you figure that you can’t do much until you have your new planner. I mean…how are you supposed to plan anything without it?

This time, you spend two full days working in your new planner and you’re even more sure this is the right system for you.

Do you feel like you fall into this ‘do I have the right planner’ trap? Do you waste time researching, moving into a new planner, and planning things you’ve already planned before?

Are you the person who gets stuck in planner mode–never really moving into action mode?

Maybe you plan a whole sales funnel but never set it up? Maybe you plan out a big launch and then go with something small? Maybe you’ve got products to sell but you never do the marketing?

I want to help you pick the right system for 2018, so that you’re satisfied going into January and you don’t have to play the ‘do I have the right planner’ game throughout the entire next year.

Let’s make it one and done, shall we?

That’s why I’ve bought most of the BIG planners out there–along with some that aren’t as well-known–and am putting together a huge blog post that will compare all of these planners and help YOU figure out which one you should pick for the next year.

I’m photographing all of the planners, to show you exactly what they look like. I’m also writing up a summary, including the pros and cons and what’s included and what’s excluded within each.

I’m also creating a quiz to help you figure out which planner will be the best fit for you.

But, I need YOUR help.

I haven’t used each of the planners day in and day out. While I can flip through them and get a pretty good sense of what it would be like to use them, I would love to hear from creatives and entrepreneurs who have used them on a regular basis.

If you have used any of the planners in the list below on a regular basis, all I need you to do is leave a comment below letting me know:

1. Which planner did you use?

2. What industry are you in? What’s your job title? (This will give me a sense of what industry a particular planner might work best for. For instance, if a bunch of photographers love the same planner, that says something.)

3. What did you love about the planner? What did you dislike about the planner?

4. If there was one thing you could change about the planner, what would it be?

That’ll be a HUGE help when I’m putting together the in-depth blog post on these planners. Thank you in advance! (As a heads up, I’ll be using these comments as quotes in that blog post.)

Here’s the list of planners:

  • The Desire Map Planner
  • Simplified Planner
  • The Day Designer
  • Passion Planner
  • Get to Work Book
  • Daily Greatness Business Planner
  • The Happy Planner
  • The Happiness Planner
  • Productivity Planner
  • Conquer Your Year
  • Daily liveWELL Planner by InkWELL Press
  • Lara Casey’s Powersheets
  • Melbourne Planner
  • Bullet Journal

If you don’t see the planner you absolutely LOVE on the list above, please add it the comments and I might include it in the post, especially if it’s mentioned a bunch. I can’t include every planner and I’m trying to focus on the ones that I think will help creative entrepreneurs reach their goals, but I’m open to including more. Thanks!

58 Comments · Filed Under: Bullet Journaling, Creative Business Development

10 Ways to Increase Your Charisma

- October 18, 2017 | by April -

I talk way too much about Dancing with the Stars on a blog that has nothing to do with dancing, but I can’t help myself.

One of the things that breaks my heart with this show is that amazing dancers get sent home and lousy dancers (who I’m sick of watching) stay and the reason this often happens comes down to one thing: personality.

If viewers love you, they’ll vote for you even if you look like a blind donkey during your rhumba.

And, it’s not just personality…it’s charisma.

If you want to win the mirrorball (the trophy you get if you win Dancing with the Stars), you better have lots of charisma.

I’m assuming you aren’t trying out for Dancing with the Stars next year, but you probably are thinking about doing a Facebook Live or a webinar or setting up a sales funnel or recording a video for your next launch. You’ll be a lot more successful with all of these things if you’re more charismatic.

The good news is that charisma can be taught. Look at the earliest videos of Steve Jobs–his first presentations–and then look at his last presentations. They’re quite different. You can see that Steve Jobs did a lot of work on improving his charisma.

Because this is such a big topic, I knew I couldn’t do much with a 5-minute video, so I put together a mini-class for you.

Enjoy this free 30-minute video that contains 10 ways to increase your charisma today:

In the video, this is the blog post I recommended you read about visualization.

P.S. I’m hosting an in-person retreat this upcoming spring. It’s going to be a small retreat (only 5-10 spots) and I’m going to open up the spots to the women in Sunday Society first. I assume all of the spots will be taken from the women in Sunday Society but if they aren’t, I’ll open them up to everyone on the Blacksburg Belle email list. If you’d like the chance to grab up one of the spots, make sure you’re in Sunday Society!

4 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development, Success

16 Free Interviews (Time Sensitive): Pivot Assembly

- September 13, 2017 | by April -

Pop quiz. Ready? (Don’t worry…I’m not secretly watching you right now to see if you get the answers right.)

  1. Do you feel stuck in your current job?
  2. Do you wish you’d picked a different industry but feel like it’s too late?
  3. Do you always feel as if the other person has the upperhand when you’re negotiating?
  4. Do you know what you want to sell but you just can’t nail the message?
  5. Do you feel super sleazy whenever you think about marketing?
  6. Do you want to know how to launch an idea-driven business?

If you said yes to ANY of the above, I have something really exciting to share with you.

Months ago, a friend of mine (and someone I have tons of respect for), the lovely Michelle Ward, asked me to join a project she was working on.

It’s this epic thing called the Pivot Assembly.

I’ve been sorta nibbling at my fingernails, kinda wiggling in my chair ever since Michelle interviewed me for this conference, because it was one of the best interviews. (We had a lot of fun and could’ve talked for hours.)

For my part, Michelle asked me to discuss non-sleazy marketing. I probably included 5,032,084 exclamation marks in my email response back to her with my YES. If you can’t tell, I love talking about marketing. It’s kinda my thing.

Anyways, back to the Pivot Assembly. (I’m sooooooooooooo happy I can talk about it!)

Today is the day this virtual conference full of 15 free interviews with today’s best career change experts (plus me…cause I feel kinda weird calling myself an expert) starts.  

As part of the conference, you’ll have access to unlimited knowledge and guidance on how to shift from the job you’re in now, into the dream position, industry or business you’ve always wanted. (Seriously…it’s a MUST and free if you watch it while it’s happening!)

Pivot Assembly creators Jenny Foss and Michelle Ward are bringing 22 years of combined experience, and credits in New York Magazine, Forbes, USA Today, The Muse, US News & World Report, NBC News, Fast Company, Newsweek, and The Daily Beast–just to name a few.

Below you can find everything offered during the conference. To make things easy, they’ve broken up the free interviews into two tracks, depending on your ultimate professional goal.

The ​Traditional​ ​Job​ ​Conversations:

  • Paul Angone: getting unstuck at work
  • Scott Barlow: building out your pivot strategy
  • Jenny Blake: successfully pivoting to a new industry
  • Jenny Foss: making yourself “make sense” on paper
  • Crystal Marsh: making a pivot as a Millennial
  • Miriam Salpeter: using social media to propel your career forward
  • SheNegotiates: negotiating your best deal

The​ ​Entrepreneurship​ ​Conversations:

  • Ash Ambirge: packaging your big idea (nailing the messaging)
  • April Bowles-Olin: non-sleazy marketing
  • Tara Gentile: launching an idea-driven business
  • Jennifer Lee: business plans for creatives
  • Laura Simms: why you shouldn’t follow your passion – and what to do instead
  • Pamela Slim: finding the thread that ties your work together
  • Danielle Spurge: the best way to start a handmade business
  • Emilie Wapnick: career tips for multi-passionate people
  • Michelle Ward: what to expect as a new entrepreneur

To catch my interview on Non-Sleazy Marketing and everything else, you can sign up right​ ​here​. My interview will be available on Friday, September 15th.

And, I’ve got something extra awesome to share with you.

You can purchase the interviews to keep indefinitely to listen at your convenience, plus 16 amazing career pivot resources (things like ecourses, books and online workshops) thrown in by the experts (plus me…because again it’s totally weird calling myself an expert) for only $97.

The total cost if you purchased everything individually would be $2698, so you’re saving 96%.

(I contributed my ebook, Marketing for Creatives, along with a product I’ve never released before, a workbook called A Year of Content Ideas. Within that workbook you’ll brainstorm a year of content ideas for your blog, podcast, or vlog. Check out all the details here.)

On September 16th (that’s Saturday), the price will jump to $179 and will be gone forever on September 25th. (I know that’s a lot of details thrown at you all at once. Basically, if you want the package of interviews and products, you should buy it now but it’s still a steal until the 25th.)

Regardless of what you decide, come check out the conference right now. It’s running from Wednesday, September 13th to Friday, September 15th.

Hope you enjoy it!

P.S. Because I’m a contributor, I do make a commission if you buy from my link above. Whether you buy or don’t buy, I would love for you to watch the interview on Friday, September the 15th. I think you’ll get a lot out of it, especially if you struggle with marketing.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: Creative Business Development, Success

How to REALLY Figure Out How You’re Different than Your Competitors

- August 16, 2017 | by April -

I work with a lot of creatives who shrug and cringe when asked how they’re different from their competition. They mumble something about a general strength like being a good listener or a generic style aspect of their brand like using bright colors.

Many can’t answer this question because they haven’t developed their own style.

And then, they torment themselves for not having their own style, as if they should magically know what the hell it is.

On the other side of the coin, I also chat with way too many creatives who want to start an online business but haven’t yet because of one main objection.

That objection goes something like, “But there are already 19,473,294 people doing the thing I want to do. How will I stand out? Why will anyone care what I have to say?”

I want to clear this up for you today. In today’s video, I tell you how to figure what makes you different and how to develop your own style. Click that play button below to hear my thoughts:

I’m not going to summarize what I said in the video above, because I’m not going to give you an easy out. Either you watch it or you don’t. (Yep…I’m feeling quite sassy today.)

I hope you take to heart the message from today’s video.

P.S. No matter where you are in your business, you have something of value to offer. If you don’t know what to share on social media, share the truth. Show what you’re working on. Talk about the wins and losses. Show what’s happening right now. Stop faking it until you make it and show your followers what your work and life really looks like.

12 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development, Creative Process

My Secret Big Mac Sauce (a.k.a., All of My Trade Secrets)

- August 9, 2017 | by April -

A couple months ago on a mastermind call, I rushed through the list of all the tools, apps, and resources I use in my business.

My fabulous friend and co-host, Mayi Carles, and I were running up against the two-hour clock (our live call platform puts on live calls) on a mastermind call and we wanted to get to all of the questions the lovely ladies in our program put into the questions queue. I gulped down a bunch of breaths after rambling through the entire list. Usually, when I pause in a call like that, Mayi picks right up. And, I definitely needed to catch my breath.

Instead of tackling the next question or moving onto the next point, Mayi’s mouth hung open for a couple of beats and I wondered what I had done wrong.

I thought I must’ve messed something up. I wondered if my screen froze in the middle of my monologue. I wondered if I had bright red lipstick all over my teeth. I wondered if my dogs had started barking like wild hounds and I just hadn’t noticed because I was so zoned in.

Before I could ask what I did wrong, Mayi said, “You have to turn this list into a resource that you offer on your blog. I would hand over every email address I have to access that list.”

I glanced at the chat and lots of the women were agreeing with Mayi. Comment after comment said something similar. They told me it would make an incredible content upgrade. It took me a couple months to work this into my content calendar, but I’ve created a downloadable list for anyone who wants to know basically everything that it takes for me to run my business.

This list doesn’t encompass people, like my virtual assistant or website designer, but it covers all of the things. I tried to include every single resource.

One of the cool things about this file is that there are a lot of free and budget-friendly tools on it. I’m not going to lie. There are plenty of expensive items, but you’ll see how much you can do with limited funds.

If you want access to my master list, simply click the image below.

3 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development

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