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Why I Think Pressing Pause is BS

- November 15, 2017 | by April -

I have a feeling I’m going to receive some rant-filled emails from this.

Oh well. When has that stopped me in the past?

Almost never.

I’ve sat down to write a similar blog post at least fourteen times in the past couple of years, but I knew some of you wouldn’t want to hear it.

Because this is the kind of truth that people reaaaaaaally try to avoid.

Well, the time has come where I can’t shut my own self up anymore.

I tried duck taping my hands together but I got distracted when the UPS deliveryman dropped off the best robe of all time that I ordered from Target.

It’s knee-length, has weight but isn’t suffocating, has two deep pockets, and is the kinda soft that happens after you wash a t-shirt a hundred times. Plus, it sort of looks like you’re wearing a cute hooded cardigan instead of a robe.

But, we’re getting off topic. Back to today’s reason why I’m frustrated with humanity.

First, you need a bit of backstory.

In the months before I started my business, I moved from NYC to Virginia, got married and adopted a pregnant dog that had seven puppies…the day before our wedding.

Throughout the past seven years of running my business, I’ve dealt with a very serious parental illness and two very serious in-law illnesses that all included hospital stays and surgeries.

Three family members have passed away.

About five years ago, I began to battle for my life.

My body was attacking itself and no specialist could help me. Over the past five years I’ve spent months bedridden. I’ve been to the hospital more times than I can count.

Fifty percent of the time, if I roll up my sleeves, my arms are covered in bruises from IV sticks. I’m receiving a treatment that’s literally keeping me alive. Without it, my lifespan would be another 10 years if I were lucky. This treatment gives me debilitating migraines, along with flu-like symptoms, so it’s not all magenta glitter and jelly donuts.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, I’m currently going through a major personal issue that isn’t up for discussion because it’s…well, personal. But, what I can say about it is that it’s testing me mentally more than anything in the past ever has.

The only reason I took on the persona of Debbie Downer and listed all of these life-altering things is because these are the types of reasons people give me ALL THE TIME for “putting their businesses on hold.”

Along with some others:

  • I just had a baby.
  • My kids are young and I’m going to wait until they go to school.
  • I just don’t have enough time.
  • My brother died.
  • I’m getting a divorce.
  • I got a new day job and it’s taking up more time than I expected.
  • My dad just got diagnosed with cancer.

Every time someone says that she’s putting her business on hold for one of these reasons, I just don’t get it.

And, I don’t mean on hold for maternity leave for two months or to grieve and spend time with family for a month. I’m not Voldemort.

I mean ON HOLD without a specific return date planned.

Now, before you call me a heartless wanker, let’s think this through.

When you either have something wonderful happen to you (like getting married or having a baby) or when your world is rocked (like when you get sick or experience a loss), why would the first thing you let go of be your passion?

If knitting or writing fiction or life coaching were the thing that lights a fire under you every day, why would you drop it like it meant nothing?

I’m probably going to get backlash from moms.

“You don’t know what it’s like. You don’t have kids.”

You’re absolutely right. I don’t. My health has kept me from being able to have children.

But I’ve got some arguments for you.

First, there are amazing moms who are crushing it in the business world. So, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. You don’t have to be a crap mom to be passionate about your work.

Second, does it inspire your kids when they see you happy, engaged and alive with energy? Or, is it better for them to be the reason you gave up on your dreams, seeing you lose pieces of yourself over time? (Oh yeah…I can already see the hate mail…A non-mom daring to have an opinion about moms?!? Are you already imagining me with devil horns?)

It inspired me to see my mom passionate, constantly working on side projects. I’m so glad she didn’t give that up, because I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to leave my day job when I did if I hadn’t seen the way my mom navigated running her own side businesses without the internet back in the 80s and 90s. I knew that if she could do it without the internet, I could absolutely do it with it.

She’s like superwoman to me. I’m lucky that I grew up with a mom who spent quality time with me and made time for her own creativity.

I’m NOT saying every mom needs to run a business. Entrepreneurship isn’t for everybody.

I’m saying that I don’t think it does anyone any good to give up on or “pause” your dreams. What message does that send?

I get slowing down.

You have a baby and you have to limit your working hours.

Your mom gets diagnosed with terminal cancer and you want to spend every moment you can with her so you have to work around when she’s resting and getting treatments.

You start developing weird health issues that your doctors can’t diagnose so you have to rest more and work less.

But, people, life is so very short.

Please take a moment before you decide to put YOUR DREAMS on pause even for six months or a year to remind yourself how short life is and that you have no idea how much time you have here on Earth.

Putting your dreams on pause is like spitting in your passion’s face. Like giving the bird to your creativity.

In the last seven years, I’ve experienced loss, devastating health issues, personal problems that leave me confused and frightened.

But, I’ve never pressed the pause button. Never.

Over that time I’ve missed less than ten weekly emails—probably more like five. And, those all occurred because I was hospital sick or at a funeral.

My business gives me something to focus on when everything else is crashing to the ground. My business allows me to be there for family members when they get sick. My business gives me a creative outlet when that’s exactly what I need.

If your business doesn’t do the same for you, maybe you’re in the wrong business.

And, if the next time you hit a major speed bump in your life and your first thought is to take a break from your business, you need to ask yourself how bad you really want this?

Because there’s someone else out there who won’t take that break, who will surpass you, and will win. Those are the people who succeed.

26 Comments · Filed Under: Happiness, Success

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

Imagine This…

- October 4, 2017 | by April -

Imagine this.

You’re wearing an oversized oatmeal-colored sweater and your favorite pair of blue jeans that lift your bum.

What only you know is that you’ve also got on your only pair of matching underthings (a red lacy bra and undies–because black is soooo boring) that you usually reserve for date night with the husband, but you ordered a few more matching sets since wearing them gives you an extra boost of confidence.

And why shouldn’t you wear them just for yourself?

You stroll over to your kitchen and heat up some water in your turquoise kettle.

You pull out a mug with the word ‘boss’ on it and fix a cup of peppermint and licorice tea.

Next stop…the living room.

After fluffling the ears of your terrier, Matilda, you walk over to your laptop with your cup of tea.

You flop onto the couch and Matilda perks up. She stares up at you with those adorable chocolate eyes and you pet the couch beside you, the signal that she can jump up and snuggle into your side which she does immediately.

By the time you get your laptop powered up, Matilda’s soft snore plays like background noise.

You open up the blog post outline you worked on two days ago, because you now appreciate that comfortable feeling an outline gives you unlike the blank page that mocks you in the cruelest of ways.

You take a few sips of your tea which is now the perfect temperature. It slides down your throat, the sweet taste of candy without any calories. Thank you, Tea Pigs!

You set your mug down on top of the latest edition of Mollie Makes, reminding yourself that you are in fact a boss.

Then, you start typing.

You type and type and type and type and type.

You fill in your entire outline within forty minutes. You look up once you’ve finished and realize your tea is cold.

You didn’t stop to take another sip, to check Instagram or email. That’s unheard of for you and you’re so proud of yourself for getting this task done within forty minutes instead of the two hours it normally takes.

Matilda’s still snoring, curled into a little ball at your side.

You read back over your rough draft and you can’t help but laugh, jostling Matilda. She glances up at you with that ‘excuse me but I’m sleeping and the world revolves around me’ look and you laugh again.

You really really really like your rough draft.

Sure, it needs edits.

Every rough draft needs edits.

But, every section is clear. It comes across as witty and it’s already got some funny bits. It sounds like you, not blog robot you. YAY!

For the first time you don’t feel as if you have to rewrite every sentence.

You read it again just to make sure you didn’t lose your mind in the last ten minutes.

Nope. Your rough draft is actually good!

You voice message your only local business friend–the only person who will understand what a big win this is–to let her know. She’s so excited for you that she suggests that you meet up for lunch.

You agree. Why not celebrate writing an incredible rough draft when you’ve been blogging for six months and never had this experience before?

——————————————–

This is an example of visualization.

I made this blogger up.

I imagined someone who had slogged through writing her rough drafts for her blog posts for the past six months and what she could visualize before writing her next blog post in order to try to make the experience a lot better.

I guarantee it would be more positive if she took five to ten minutes to visualize this type of experience before sitting down to write.

A lot of people write off visualization. They think it’s too out there or “woo woo.”

But, olympic athletes use it all the time. Some swear by it. I used it before every dive when I was on the diving team in high school which helped me place at states.

Visualization isn’t just for sports–it’s an incredible tool for entrepreneurs.

You can use this before a webinar, before writing a blog post, before going live on Instagram, before a product photo session…before almost anything you do in your business.

All you need to do is sit somewhere quiet and walk through the situation in your mind. Try to use all your senses and include as many details as possible.

Even if you only have a couple minutes to do this, you’ll most likely see positive results.

And, the more you practice it, the better you’ll get at it.

At first, this will probably feel weird and foreign. That’s normal. Keep going and it’ll become a natural part of your warm up.

Have you ever tried visualization? Did it help? Do you do it regularly? Share in the comments below!

15 Comments · Filed Under: 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

Why You Don’t Need Thousands of Customers

- July 26, 2017 | by April -

What dominates your thoughts when it comes to your business?

When you’re lying in bed awake, wondering if it’s considered rude to poke your snoring spouse to get him to roll over, what thoughts are keeping you up? When you’re jotting down your daily to-do list what’s driving your decisions?

Is it how to get more?

More customers, more email subscribers, more Instagram followers, more sales, more Facebook Live viewers, more Pinterest followers, more comments, more likes.

If so, I get it.

I fall down the more, more, more Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole on a regular basis. I make a lot of business decisions based on MORE.

What blog post topic will get more comments…what content upgrade will get more email subscribers…what Instagram Live topic will get more viewers.

This mindset isn’t nefarious. We need to think strategically about how to grow our businesses.

We need to write emails that will convert more of our subscribers into customers. We need to put out podcast episodes that will drive more listeners to sign up for our email lists. We need to create more eye-catching Facebook ads that get people to click on them to view our awesome landing pages.

But, in this ‘more more more’ state of mind, we lose sight of something critical.

We forget that we don’t actually need hundreds of thousands or millions of fans to take our families to Disney, order expensive wine when we eat out, buy professional grade watercolors and indulge in organic strawberries.

Most of us only need a core group of people who adore our brands to live the lives of our dreams and run the businesses that light our hearts on fire.

If you have 100 people who are so head over heels for your brand that they tell every neighbor, every store clerk and every unsuspecting dog walker about your products, then you’ve got a huge chance of success (whatever that means to you).

You don’t need 5,000 lukewarm customers who may never buy from you again and never recommend your products to anyone.

You need a couple hundred or one thousand people who love your business so much that they buy all your products and constantly recommend them to everyone in their lives.

These people post your products on Instagram.

These people buy your products for everyone in their families for Christmas.

These people recommend your products to their best friends so many times that their best friends give in and buy them.

These people unbox your products on a vlog on YouTube.

These people bounce with happiness and hang up on their moms when they see a package from you has arrived.

These people feel like they experienced a celebrity sighting when they see you in person.

These people watch all of your Instagram stories.

These people appreciate your products and would never ask you for a discount.

These people stop watching their favorite television shows when they notice you’re doing a Facebook Live.

These people sound pretty freaking great, don’t they?

They’re truly amazing. They make you feel outstanding every time you interact with them and they’re the customers that will always remind you why you’re doing what you do when you’re having a crap day.

These people are your ideal customers.

Now I’m going to tell you how to get these kinds of customers, because they do exist.

The good news is that it isn’t very hard to build a customer base that’s loyal and adores your brand, but almost every single small business is messing this part up. They don’t realize how valuable these customers are, because they’re constantly thinking about getting new customers and growing their followers.

The way you get these super fans is: you care about them, you make content for them, and you spend your marketing time on them.

When you get on Instagram Live, do you talk to people who are new to your brand or do you chat with the people who’ve bought all of your products? It’s a good idea to introduce yourself to people who have no idea who you are, but you should spend time connecting with your most loyal customers–the ones who stopped making dinner and painting their nails when they noticed you started an Instagram Live.

When you write a blog post, is it directed at your most loyal customers or is it directed at people who have no idea who you are? Are you writing a blog post in an attempt to gain new readers and followers or are you providing valuable content to the readers who’ve been around for months or years?

When you have money for marketing, do you spend some of it on treating your most loyal customers like VIPs? Maybe sending them a special thank you gift in the mail? Imagine if your favorite brand sent you a $50 gift card to spend in their shop. Think about how you’d feel if your favorite business noticed that you get a latte from Starbucks every morning (because they checked out your Instagram Stories) and sent you a gift card along with a note to enjoy a few lattes on them. You’d pretty much squeal like a four year old, wouldn’t you? That favorite brand would become an ultimate favorite that you never stopped talking about!

Think about all of the things you do within your business. Are they angled at growing your customer base? Do you spend any of the time and/or budget for those areas on your loyal customers?

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t spend any time growing your customer base or following. Of course you should. But, you should also remember how valuable your devoted customers are–they’re more valuable than Cindy or Stephanie who haven’t ever bought from you and may never buy from you.

What do you do to acknowledge the customers that have already bought from you?

If your answer is nothing, you’re doing things backwards. You need to work to retain those customers and treat them like the awesome people they are.

Instead of spending fifteen minutes on an email to someone who wants to know why she should spend more money on your organic shower gel when she could get three products for the same price at Bath and Body Works, send three thank you emails to loyal customers.

You probably won’t end up convincing that person to buy your shower gel whereas the three thank you emails will make a big impression.

Stop spending so much time on the people who don’t value your business and spend that time showing your appreciation for your biggest fans.

Stop creating content for your ‘meh’ followers and create content for the people who love hearing from you and can’t wait to read your next blog post or watch your Instagram stories.

It’ll make you happier and it’ll definitely make your customers who matter a lot happier.

13 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development, Success

27 To-Dos for Your Next Launch

- July 5, 2017 | by April -

What are you launching in the next year?

Downloadable prints? An ebook? A jewelry line? An ecourse?

Did your mind just wander to a thought like…

“Well, I’m writing an ebook but I’m not really going to ‘launch’ it.”

or

“I’m working on some new jewelry pieces but I’m just going to add them to my Etsy shop. I don’t actually ‘launch’ them.”

or

“I really want to create an ecourse and I hope I finish it this fall, but I don’t really understand the whole ‘launch’ thing.”

If so, you’re pretty much like all the women inside of my membership program, Sunday Society.

Every month I teach a workshop inside of Sunday Society and last month, in the workshop, I walked the women through planning their next launch.

After the workshop, I went back through the chat (because my monkey mind has to know what the women were saying during the call) and I realized that almost all of them had no idea what a launch entailed.

This kinda blew my freaking mind since I had just assumed most people did. (I mean…I don’t know why I assumed this. It’s not like we learned this in algebra class or something.)

Most had never launched a product even though they’d been in business for months or years.

And, if they had launched a product, they’d done a very small launch, never really considering all the components that could make their launches waaaaaay more successful such as:

  1. Writing an ideal customer avatar.
  2. Making sure you’ve got a solid brand identity including fonts and a color palette.
  3. Writing a sales page.
  4. Creating free lead generation content.
  5. Having a landing page with an opt-in form.
  6. Making a thank you page.
  7. Writing blog posts.
  8. Email marketing.
  9. Creating Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest posts.
  10. Sharing behind-the-scenes content.
  11. Creating content upgrades.
  12. Producing ads.
  13. Creating photos, illustrations, screenshots, infographics, quotes, and testimonials.
  14. Using Facebook and Instagram Live.
  15. Using Facebook and Instagram Stories.
  16. Using YouTube.
  17. Producing other videos.
  18. Hosting a blog tour or crawl.
  19. Having affiliates.
  20. Hosting Q&A calls and webinars.
  21. Hosting podcasts or doing interviews.
  22. Writing guest posts.
  23. Doing Instagram takeovers.
  24. Doing giveaways.
  25. Hosting challenges.
  26. Having a customer service plan.
  27. Creating a self-care plan.

If you’re a living, breathing person (not an alien or vampire–if you’re a vampire, I half want to meet you and half feel my body going numb with fear since you actually exist), you’re probably overwhelmed after reading that list.

Take a deep breath.

Come on. I’ll do it with you.

In and out.

Once more. In and out.

I’ve got good news and bad news.

The bads news is that launches are a lot of work. They take planning and weeks–if not months–of hard work.

But, there’s A LOT of good news.

Launches pay off. All of that hard work will build your list and make you a lot more money than you usually make.

Another bit of good news is that you don’t launch all of the time.

Most people launch two or three or four times a year. No one could sustain launching all the time. They would burn out and so would their customers. You work reallllllly hard for a month or two and then you have some down time. You rest and recuperate.

You take a vacation to Italy and eat more pasta and pizza than you do in an entire year. Yum! You read the Harry Potter series with your kids and having extra “cuddle sessions” with your spouse. You spend three weeks in sweatpants, knitting Christmas presents for your whole family while watching every episode of Friends.

Also, that big list up there. You don’t do all of the things on it. Think of it like a buffet. You’ve got all these options to pick from which is actually kinda awesome if you think about it. It means that you can pick your favorites, the ones that work best for you and your brand.

There are some non-negotiables like writing an ideal customer avatar and creating a sales page and email marketing. But most of the things on the list are optional. The more you do, the more successful your launch will be, but you should start where you feel comfortable and grow from there.

Don’t start by trying to do it all.

Your eyeballs will feel like they’re falling out of your head halfway through your launch.

But also don’t give yourself an out. Push yourself and have fun.

Remember this is YOUR business. You’re in charge and you make the decisions.

If you want details about all of the things on the list above and help planning your next launch, I highly recommend joining Sunday Society. As soon as you register, you get instant access to the 98-minute workshop along with the 30-page workbook.

And…even though it’s pre-recorded, you can join any of the upcoming Q&A calls (that I host every month) to ask all the questions you have about launching.

3 Comments · Filed Under: Success, Sunday Society

How to Make Sure You’re Netflix and Not Blockbuster

- June 7, 2017 | by April -

If you’re new around here, I started a membership program for creative entrepreneurs, Sunday Society, a year ago.

If you’re not new around here (heeeeeeey girl!), you’ve probably heard me talk about Sunday Society once or twice (or 37 times).

What can I say? It’s my most favorite thing. I even love it more than Gilmore Girls…gasp!

Anyways, the program is based around two to five live calls each month. The video calls are a combination of business consulting and group coaching and teaching.

On the very first call, I talked about what members could expect from Sunday Society and one of the things I said was that I would change and transform the program based on what worked, what they liked and what they needed.

I’ve learned a lot about what the members need to be successful and I’ve made changes based on what I’ve discovered.

If you’re running a business and you don’t gather feedback on your products and services, you’re missing a huge opportunity to improve and grow.

You should interact with your customers frequently to see what they love about your brand and products and what they wish was different.

If you create in a vacuum and think your product can’t be enhanced, you might wind up like Blockbuster instead of becoming Netflix.

Here are five questions you should regularly ask your customers to see what you can do to improve:

  1. What’s your favorite part of ___________ (insert offer)?
  2. If you were recommending my __________ (insert offer) to a friend, what would you say?
  3. Why did you choose my _________ (insert offer), instead of buying from another brand?
  4. If you could change one thing about ___________ (insert offer), what would you change?
  5. Is there anything else I could do to make your experience better?

As an example, I’ll walk you through the major changes I’ve made to Sunday Society based on member feedback.

First, I host a workshop every month.

When I started Sunday Society, I knew that I didn’t want it to be a collection of online courses, because there are many online courses already out there. But, the further I got into running the program, I realized that it would be helpful to teach a workshop every month on a very specific topic.

I’ve hosted four workshops so far:

  • Plan Your Next Launch
  • Write Click-Worthy Blog Post Titles and Email Subject Lines
  • Simplify Your Business
  • Write Your Welcome Email for New Subscribers

(If you decide to join Sunday Society, you get immediate access to these workshops along with related worksheets and workbooks.)

The reason I decided to include a workshop each month is because some of the best calls were the ones that were the most interactive and I wanted the members to have a chance to do the work during the call–instead of after. When they do the work together, there’s an energy created from the group that makes it more exciting.

Second, I host a call each month to check in with the members’ goals.

At the start of the quarter, the members share their top goal for the next three months. I write down each member’s goal on an index card, so that I can easily access them during the calls. Each month, we check in with how they’re doing with that goal.

The reason I added this type of call is because many members need help with productivity. They need a push to accomplish their big goals.

During these calls, we talk about the wins they’ve had so far and anything standing in their way of reaching their goals.

If they have questions or need feedback from the group to keep moving forward, this is a great chance to get those questions answered or get the feedback that they need.

The members know that I’m going to ask them about their progress on these calls, so it gives them another layer of accountability.

Third, I host at least one call per month on a Saturday.

The calls are scheduled on different days of the week and different times of the day to give all members a chance to participate.

The first couple of times I hosted a call on a Saturday many members thanked me. Members who have day jobs appreciated the opportunity to join the call live (I also host evening calls for this reason).

Because of the amount of members who came to the Saturday calls and thanked me for having them, I decided it needed to be a monthly thing. In the month of June, we’re having two calls on Saturdays and two calls on weekdays.

There are other changes that I’ve made, but those are the main three that I believe have made the program better and more effective.

What changes have you made to your products and services based on customer feedback? Have you been open to customer feedback or do you always ignore criticism?

2 Comments · Filed Under: Success, Sunday Society

What My Husband Did to Surprise Me Yesterday

- May 17, 2017 | by April -

Yesterday my husband walked into the bedroom and handed me the latest publication of Writer’s Digest that came in the mail that day.

He pointed to the cover and said, “You want to go?”

I glanced at the cover and realized he was referring to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference that is taking place in New York in August.

My first thought was: Oh my gooooooooooooosh….no! I’m not ready for something like that. Are you bananas? There are REAL authors at that thing.

And, my armpits may have started perspiring at the thought of networking (ewwwwww…who else has social anxiety and gets the heebie jeebies from that word?) with published authors who, you know, have published an actual book.

But, my second thought was: I married the right guy.

I seriously picked the right man to marry.

I’m one smart, awesome woman. (Hmmmm…so maybe I need a little more humility? Mom, I blame you for always telling me I was the best at everything always.)

The reason my second thought was that I married the right guy wasn’t because he looks super hot in a suit or jeans and a t-shirt (although that helps).

My thoughts turned towards giving myself a pat on the back for marrying my husband because it’s incredibly important to surround yourself with the right people.

The people who believe in you, who want to see your dreams come true, and who actually want to see you happy.

My husband knows that I dream of becoming a published novelist.

One of my passions is writing fiction. And, he also knows that my brand and business is built from my writing (hello, blog posts!) and that I’m always trying to improve my writing.

He doesn’t know this (because I didn’t tell him…but he reads my blog posts so he’ll know now…hi sweetheart!) but it means the entire universe to me that he suggested it.

He came to me with an idea on how to support and encourage my dreams.

Not only that, but he was open to spending time and money on my dreams–not just willing to listen to me talk about it or say “no, sweetheart” when I ask if he minds if I spend a night or weekend day writing.

Whenever he does something like that, it makes me feel like I’m not alone in my daydreams. It tells me that he listens (most of the time) and wants to support me on becoming a better person.

I frequently joke with him that he’s an enabler because we basically have a library in our house (three overflowing, big bookshelves) and he regularly surprises me with gift cards to buy books like he did for mother’s day, giving me a card that said I’m a great doggie mama.

I know. He’s the best, but don’t get any ideas. He’s taken and I’m the jealous type who will come after you like a starving hyena after a chicken bone.

The point is that he constantly encourages me and I do the same for him.

We both want to see each other happy and fulfilled.

That makes running a business and taking risks (such as spending an entire month prepping for a CreativeLive course when I had no idea whether it’d pay off financially or not) so much easier.

I’m a better person being married to my husband. He makes me more patient, pushes me to take my health into my own hands and doesn’t let me quit on myself when I’m having one of the worst days of my career, including calming me down when I threaten to throw my Macbook Pro onto the floor and smash it into little pieces.

Okay, I’ll stop bragging about my hot, genius, hilarious, caring husband. (He has a big enough ego anyways. I don’t need to add to it.)

Let’s move onto another example: my partner in crime. The woman who wore adult tutus with me, who talked me into speaking at CreativeLive when I didn’t know if I could pull it off, and who inspires me every single time we interact with her charming personality and innovative ideas.

If you don’t know who I’m talking about, it’s Mayi Carles, the tiny Panamanian artist with a T-Rex heart.

She is the most creative person I know and just like my husband, she makes me a better person.

She pushes me to do things outside of my comfort zone, she’ll stay on a call with me for an hour just so we can brainstorm names for my membership site and she forces me think about things in completely different ways.

Whenever she shares a new project she’s working on, it triggers something inside of me to work harder. Not in a competitive way, but in a ‘I’m-so-pumped-and-feel-like-I-can-take-on-the-world-now-too’ kind of way.

Mayi and I connected seven years ago (I can hardly believe it’s been that long) and we’ll be the best of friends no matter what. Even if she stops running a business to join a traveling circus or something else I find kinda crazy.

My mom is another example of surrounding myself with the right people.

I’m literally the person I am because of my mom.

She’s the one who gave me my inner Paris Geller and don’t you ever forget it haters.

I have my mom to thank for my bright green eyes, my intense personality and my belief that I can do whatever I set my mind to do.

My mom cheered me on when I first joined the diving team in middle school and could only walk to the end of the board and dive off. The first year was brutal. I spent months learning how to do a back dive and front a flip and a really ugly looking back flip. I only placed in meets if there were only four or five girls in my age range. Then, I would place fourth or fifth.

My mom didn’t suggest that I give up. She believed in me (and drove me to the pool to practice every single summer day) which made me believe in myself and by the time I stopped diving, I’d racked up lots of first and second place ribbons along with some newspaper mentions.

She is one of the first people I call for any reason: to celebrate, to cry, to laugh, to calm down. When my husband and I are in Richmond visiting my mom and step dad, she’s the one who sits with me, gabbing away, when I’m too sick to get out of bed.

My mom makes me feel powerful and intelligent and beautiful when I spend time with her or chat with her on the phone. (Love you, Mom. Longer than the road and higher than the sky.)

And, then there’s the flipside.

The family members who make me feel crappy every single time I waste time with them. The ones who never have anything positive to say. The ones who made me feel like they were doing me a favor just by answering my phone call. The ones who made fun of my dreams.

Even though they’re family, they had to go.

I won’t name names (just in case…you know), but I had to protect myself by cutting family members out of my life.

I know that sounds harsh and it hasn’t always been easy, but it’s the right move for my sanity.

There’s the boyfriend who was emotionally abusive.

There’s the “friends” that stabbed me in the back or used me when it was convenient for them.

There’s the neighbor who always complains. Always. Life can’t be all bad, can it? Damn lady…read a good book or take a bubble bath or get a dog.

I don’t want to think about the person I’d become if I’d spent more time with the negative naysayers.

If I was a betting gal, I bet I would still be working a day job that sucked every ounce of energy I had out of me. I bet I’d be miserable. I bet the best part of every day would be when I slipped in between the covers on my bed to go to sleep.

I wonder if there’s an alternate April in another world who kept spending all her time with those people. (Maybe I read too many fantasy novels.) If so, I feel sorry for her.

We don’t want to believe that we’re influenced by the people we spend time with, especially if those people are the opposite of what we want to be, but consider it for a moment.

When one spouse decides to get healthy, it often rubs off on the other. When one spouse gains weight, it tends to make the other gain weight. (Who can enjoy a hamburger and fries when the other person is eating a salad?)

When your friends or coworkers are positive and making strides in their careers, it makes you feel upbeat and motivates you to do better, right?

On the other hand, when you go to lunch with a friend who complains and gossips the entire time, you leave feeling lousy. You grumble at the lady who accidentally bumps into you and you spend that evening binging on Cheetos and watching Gilmore Girls to “cheer up” even though you don’t really know why you feel down.

Think about it.

Who in your life makes you feel good when you spend time with them? Who makes you feel negative and frustrated and stressed?

If something amazing happens in your life, who are the top three people you’d call to celebrate with? Who would you be almost worried to tell because they’d probably dump some bird crap all over your good news instead of congratulating you? 

Same thing with where you spend time online. What Facebook groups make you feel like you can conquer your dreams? Which ones make you feel hopeless or overwhelmed? Who do you follow on Instagram that makes you laugh out loud or happy? Who makes you feel like you need to constantly be playing ‘keeping up with the Joneses?’

Did you do a good job of picking the people in your life? Do you need to make some cuts or at least stop squandering away as much time with those people? Do you need to excuse yourself from a few Facebook groups and unfollow some people on Instagram?

The right people don’t try to hold you down, they don’t make you feel bad about your accomplishments and they don’t make you feel guilty for chasing your dreams.

The right people make you a better, happier person just by hanging out with them.

Period. The end.

P.S. If you’re looking for a group of positive, motivating women who never make one another feel lousy or rotten, check out Sunday Society. It’s an affordable membership program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about making their daydreams a reality.

“Not only does April offer her wisdom and expertise daily (as well as live weekly calls), but each and every Sunday Society member jumps in, helps you, offers advice, and cheers you on. Since joining in February, not a day goes by where I can’t wait to check in and then get working on my own plans–and this is after YEARS of feeling stuck and afraid I would never be able to move forward with my dreams. April’s monthly challenges help make everything bite size and doable, and that’s also been key for me to stay on the motivation train. Love Sunday Society!” -Katie Meyers, CALMING CREATIVE

6 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development, Happiness, Success

Decluttering Your Business through Editing and Elimination

- March 22, 2017 | by April -

Glance down at what you’re wearing today.

If you were back in the store, would you pay to buy those pieces again at full price?

This is the question that I ask myself each time I clean out my closet. I used to feel guilty about donating a $98 dress even though I knew I wouldn’t wear it again because I’d already spent a good chunk of money on it (and there’s always maybe someday, right?). But, if I was in the store, looking at it and trying to decide whether or not to buy it, it would be an easy no.

That’s how I know I’m making the right decision to eliminate it from my closet and donate it, hoping that someone who really loves it will get to wear it.

It doesn’t make sense to keep it hanging in my closet, taking up space and making me feel guilty everytime I look at it just because I spent $98 on it a couple years ago.

We tend to hold onto projects and paragraphs in blog posts and commitments the same way.

If we’ve already put hours and hours into a new product, we have a much harder time letting go instead of adding it to our Etsy shops even though it doesn’t work with our other products.

If we’ve spent six hours writing and editing a blog post and realize it’s crap, we publish it anyways or feel like the six hours was wasted.

If we’ve already said yes to speaking at an online summit but then receive the details that include emailing our lists about the speaking engagement three times and know it’s not the right fit, we follow through instead of saying, “Sorry, I’m out.”

“Sunk-cost bias is the tendency to continue to invest time, money, or energy into something we know is a losing proposition simply because we have already incurred, or sunk, a cost that cannot be recouped.” -Essentialism, Greg McKeown

Here are four steps I recommend you take to make sure you’re spending your time on the right things:

Step 1: Inventory Your Business

It’s important to regularly look at everything we’re doing in our businesses to see if we’re doing things just because we’ve been doing them or have committed to something in the past.

Mark a day in your calendar to do this each quarter over the next year. On that day, make a list of all your products, services, projects, tasks and commitments.

For each, ask yourself these questions:

If I was starting from scratch, how hard would I be willing to work to start this project? What would I be willing to give up to make time for this project or commitment?

Ask yourself these questions about each of your products, your daily uploads on Instagram, your FB live videos, your meetings with your team, the interviews you’ve agreed to, etc. Evaluate anything that takes up time in your calendar.

Step 2: Get Past Your Fear

When I began blogging, years and years ago, I started a wedding planning blog. I wanted to blog about something and I was planning my wedding at the time, so I thought it’d be a great topic.

I built a readership into the thousands and a side income of around $450/month in ads and sponsored posts.

Once I got married, I realized that I didn’t want to spend my days looking at bouquets of peonies, wedding cakes and mermaid dresses.

Even though I knew that I didn’t want to continue blogging about weddings, it took me a few months to get past my fear of giving up something I’d worked incredibly hard to build.

I spent those months talking it out with my husband and friends, walking and thinking about what I’d really like to blog about and crying over my stupidity of wasting so much time on something I’d never want to do long-term.

I wrote a blog post for CreativeLive about giving up my readership and side income and I was shocked by a couple of comments from readers who couldn’t believe I would give it up including this completely ridiculous comment:

“Just because you get married doesn’t mean you have to shut down your wedding blog! If something is financially working, why shut it down? You are either an idiot, or you are not explaining yourself fully (or you are embellishing your story for drama). If you had nothing more to say about “weddings”, you could transition from weddings to family, but within the same blog, to the same followers, as…duh! They are progressing in their lives too! I am transitioning from photographing weddings to photographing babies because my friends are all married and are having babies now. Does that mean I throw my camera away? Do I close down my photography business? NO!!! It just means I take it in a new direction…At the very least, you probably could have sold the site to someone who would have gladly paid for the list of followers and paying advertisers…SOMETHING other than just shutting it down! And you want me to take advice from you? WOW!” -Latara Dragoo

When I first read this comment, I thought…what a you-know-what! How dare you scream at me with your capital letters and presume to know what’s best for my life and business when it’s obvious your business is struggling.

Then, I took a deep breath and realized that this person didn’t get the meaning of my post.

She didn’t get that closing my wedding planning blog was the best decision I could’ve made because it gave me the time to build THIS successful business that I truly love and brings in a much bigger income.

She didn’t get that life is way too short to spend it doing something I resent. She was proving the point that people fear giving up something they put hundreds of hours into even if it’s the exact right decision.

This was my response:

“First, I started the blog as a hobby–not as a way to make money. When I started my blog, none of the blogs I read had ads on their blogs or wrote sponsored posts yet, so I had no way of knowing what it could (and would) grow into. Second, when I realized that I didn’t want to continue with daily blogging about a topic that I no longer cared about, I wasn’t about to start another blog that I’d end up resenting. I don’t have kids and blogging about family is not a direction I would’ve wanted to go. Most importantly, if I didn’t let go of that blog, I wouldn’t have had the time or room to create the business that I have now which I love. Third, when you create a blog that is based on your interests, strengths and personality, it’s hard to sell it, because it’s not as if the person who buys it can just pick up where you left off and be you. If you’re planning on selling your blog, you have to create something that can live on without you being the blogger.”

I tried my best to explain my viewpoint while realizing that this person is shortsighted and not my ideal customer.

When you’re looking at all of the things you spend time on in your business, try to do so without the baggage of fear and the what ifs.

Don’t torture yourself by thinking about how you could’ve done things differently and holding onto products, services and tasks just because you already spent time on them.

You can’t change the past, but you can make sure you don’t waste another second on something that isn’t worth your time.

Step 3: Edit Your Business

You’ve already made a list of all your commitments and realized that some of them need to get cut. Make the time to cut them now, including sending emails or hopping on a Skype call to let anyone else involved know that you’re eliminating the task or project from your calendar.

For the ones that you’re hemming and hawing over, ask yourself this question:

If you were starting from scratch, would you say yes to this commitment, project or task again?

If you were just starting your business, would you still sell one-of-kind jewelry? If you’d never posted a picture on Instagram, would you still commit to posting three times a day? If you’d just received the email about guest posting monthly on a blog in your niche, would you say yes again?

If the answer is no, try letting it go for a short period of time and see what happens.

Try selling jewelry you can make again and again for a month. See if that business model works better.

Try posting once a day on Instagram for the next week. Do your numbers drop? Does your engagement drop? Or…do you have enough time to also do an Instagram live video twice a week that has resulted in multiple sales?

Tell the blogger that you’re unavailable to guest post for her for the next two months. Does it really hurt your business? Or…do you realize that guest posting for the past twelve months has probably resulted in all the new readers for your own blog that you’re going to get from it?

Edit your business by removing the non-essential tasks so that you have more time to focus on high-leverage tasks that actually move your business forward and make you money.

Step 4: Take a Moment Before Committing

Now that you’ve eliminated tasks that are getting in your way instead of bringing you joy and income, you don’t want to fill your calendar back up with crap.

Before you say yes to ANYTHING, take a breath. Really scrutinize what saying yes means. Consider whether this task or new product idea or interview request is helping you to achieve your overall mission and goal.

Think about the time and effort it’ll take and what you’ll have to say no to in order to make time for it.

It’s incredibly hard to say no (especially for people pleasers and to things that might turn out to be great opportunities), but running a successful business is all about editing out the unproductive, unrelated stuff.

Learning to say no, instead of automatically saying yes, will make you less overwhelmed and your business more profitable.

I say no to about 95% of the opportunities and requests that come my way. There are many that I wish I had the time to commit to, but I know if I want to ensure I have enough time for the things I really want to spend my time on, I have to say no.

What will you edit out of your business today? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

18 Comments · Filed Under: Productivity, Success

100 Badass Female Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2017

- December 21, 2016 | by April -

100-badass-female-entrepreneurs

As women, we should lift each other up instead of tear each other down.

When did we start believing that one person’s success meant less for the rest of us? I believe when another business consultant has a victory, it means I’m more likely to reach those same heights.

That’s how this list began.

I was sick of seeing women saying horrible things about each other on social media, so I asked my lovely readers to nominate their favorite badass female entrepreneurs.

You came through! Every woman on this list was nominated by women in my audience.

We’ve got an amazing list from lifestyle bloggers to copywriters to authors to photographers to business consultants and more.

Under many names in the list below, you’ll find quotes from the women who nominated the entrepreneur, describing why she nominated her as well as one of my favorite posts from that entrepreneur or where you should follow them on social media.

I would love for you to take two extra steps: 1) please share this list with your social media followers and 2) pick at least one woman on this list to connect with on social media, to tell her that she’s doing inspiring work.

The more positivity we put out, the less the hate will stand out.

  1. Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee Williams

The girl boss spirit of Abagail and Emylee makes you want to spend hours on their website. They help creatives with design, branding and marketing and definitely have the ‘abundant, we-can-all-succeed’ mindset.

“These girls share a lot of actionable advice, are hilariously funny and open and make you want to be best friends with them. They also seem really down-to-earth and relatable. Even though they’ve had a great amount of success, it still seems like you can do it too – and they’ll help you get there.” -Samantha Donohue, Pawtastic Photography

Must-Read Post: How to Plan Your First Webinar

  1. Alex Tooby

Need help with Instagram? Alex has a free 7-day Instagram ecourse you should check out.

“Her Instagram courses are amazing. What I really like about her is the honest way she shares her experiences and how she built her business.” -Andrea Szabo-Kirchmayer, Andimaginary

Must-Read Post: Everything You Need to Know about Instagram Business Profiles

  1. Alexis Giostra

Alexis wants to help you work smarter–not harder. And, if you’re a #plannergirl, you need to subscribe to her YouTube channel.

“Alexis consistently puts out quality products that are practical and immediately useful to fledgling entrepreneurs. She has a gift for delivering solid business methodology in easily understood modules. And she really is a productivity guru! What’s not to love!?” -Debra Giuliano, Artfully Chosen Words

“Alexis is known as Miss Trenchcoat on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. I found out about her on YouTube, where she has lot of planning and productivity videos. I love her YouTube videos and her whole branding style of the “strange and charmed” theme. As she puts it, her business is for ‘quirky millennial women who are busting their butts trying to establish their career, a home, and a life they can be proud of.’ I discovered her when searching for reviews on various types of planners on Youtube and I found hers to be very thorough, interesting and useful.” -Tiffany Smith, Tiffany Scribbles

Must-Watch Video: How to Use Instagram to Promote Your Business

  1. Alisa Burke

Alisa is a mixed-media artist and she teaches a lot of online art courses. Check out her blog for DIYs, an inside look into her sketchbook, coloring pages and more..

“Judging from her blog and Instagram, her life’s non-stop creativity and adventures. I like that she’s not only teaching, but still makes her own products and pushes her art forward. It’s the kind of life and career I aspire to.” -Nela Dunato, Nela Dunato Art & Design

  1. Allison Marshall

When you land on Allison’s website, the bright colors scream, “you’re gonna have fun hanging out here.” You’ll find tips on growing your audience and building a business you love.   

“I love the valuable information she offers as well as the fact that she always stays true to who she is. She always delivers and delivers it as herself, never fronts or fakes anything. She speaks from the heart always.” -Klayci Green, Homegrown Harmony

Must-Read Post: The Ultimate Guide To Shooting Beautifully Styled Blog Photos

  1. Alycia Wicker

Alycia helps interior design pros kick ass online.

“Alycia is badass, unapologetic, and wildly successful. She motivates her followers and clients to do more than they ever thought possible.” -Misha Hettie, Uncommonly Good Biz

Must-Read Post: How To Write Like A Human And Not A Total Lame-O

  1. Amanda Creek

Amanda is the super talented website designer who redesigned Blacksburg Belle. I think she might be a magical wizard–she’s that good. If you’re a creative entrepreneur in need a website design, do yourself a huge favor and contact Amanda to see if she has openings.

Must-Read Post: How To Plan Your Website Using Wireframes

  1. Amanda Goldman-Petri

Need another podcast to listen to when you’re doing the dishes or putting on makeup or folding laundry? Check out the Market Like a Nerd podcast.

“I found out about Amanda when she was interviewing a lot of top notch experts in the online business world through a daily series of interviews, which was called million dollar masterclass. She is a marketing coach for online entrepreneurs. I love her branding, her style, and her website–which looks like a comic book strip.” -Tiffany Smith, Tiffany Scribbles

Must-Watch Video: Growing Your Business vs. Scaling Your Business

  1. Amanda Sue Howell

Amanda Sue is my lovely virtual assistant. You might’ve seen her in my FB groups making sure everyone is playing by the rules. She has six children, runs a business, homeschools her kids, writes fiction and crochets like a pro.

“She makes me not scared to have kids and run a business. She has multiple children, but she gets stuff done. Besides being wildly funny and creative, she is one of the most supportive women.” -Sarah Fox, The Bookish Fox

Must-Read Post: Confessions of a Not So Shy Introvert

  1. Amber Avery-Pierce

“Amber creates some of the best handcrafted soaps I’ve ever used. She is a great mom and has turned a whim of an idea into a successful business in the community. She is a reminder that taking leaps of faith are sometimes the only way to freedom.” -Molly Darlington, Madame Molly’s

  1. Amethyst Mahoney

Straight from Amethyst: “I run Spiritual Badass – one of the only places on the internet specifically for magical business owners who read Tarot cards, do Reiki or other energy work, Angel healings, or life coaches who use these modalities. Basically it’s the place for people to go who are ostracized in other groups.”

“She is inspiring to me and I believe she is someone to be watched as she continues to reach out and empower other women entrepreneurs.” -Molly Darlington, Madame Molly’s

  1. Amy Hoy

“She’s smart, successful, outspoken and isn’t afraid to stomp over startup/entrepreneurship myths.” -Nela Dunato, Nela Dunato Art & Design

Must-Read Post: Why You Should Do A Tiny Product First

  1. Anastasia Amour

Anastasia does incredibly important work. She helps women to learn to love their bodies. That’s pretty great, isn’t it?

“She inspires and encourages women to love themselves, flaws and all. She teaches women to accept themselves in such a raw way.” -Cole Nemeth, Cole Nemeth

Must-Read Post: Body Love Can’t Come Overnight: Embrace Body Neutrality in the Meantime

  1. Anne Samoilov

Anne is your girl if you need help with your next launch (and who doesn’t want their next launch to be super successful?!?).

“Anne is sincerely interested in the success of her clients. She is professional and personable. I deeply respect Anne for her knowledge and experience. She is a delight to work with!” -Debra Giuliano, Artfully Chosen Words

Must-Read Post: 5 Ways To Gather Social Proof For Your Next Launch

  1. April Bowles-Olin (hey, that’s me!)

If you’re new to Blacksburg Belle, here’s the short version of what you need to know: I help creative entrepreneurs build their dream businesses around the lives they crave to live. I run a membership program for creatives, Sunday Society, that gives entrepreneurs a space to connect with other girl bosses and work on different areas of their businesses together.

Instead of talking about myself, I’ll share what some of my readers said for their nominations:

“April is the most motivating authentic badass biz hero ever! Seriously! I thank the stars I came across her CL course!” -Neesha Merani, Paper Wand

“I NEVER miss April’s posts. And I read her posts FIRST – before any other blog post!” -Renuka Weeradekare

“April is the one I ‘squeeeeeeeeee’ about when an email comes in. She has been such a force in changing everything about the way I work and market for the better. She is a great teacher.” -Angela King, Spirithorse Designs

“She’s not afraid to tell it like it is to get you off your butt and get the work done! No slacking here! It’s like she’s stalking you and knows everything! LOL! You are awesome April!” -Shelly Seward, The View from Where I Am

“April is a savvy social media and creative business coach. I became fascinated with her perceptive, practical vision delivered through a deceptively light, whimsical, disarming girly frappe. Her delight in life always encourages me to drop the deadly seriousness that will kill entrepreneurial enthusiasm.” -Deb Fels, Deborah Fels

  1. Arianna O’Dell

Arianna specializes in helping hospitality and travel businesses with PR and marketing.

“Arianna is creative, entrepreneurial, and the very best cheerleader to her colleagues. She is fearless in that she will try and test ideas. I nominate her because she is generous in sharing her knowledge.” -Allison Durazzi, Allison Durazzi

Must-Read Post: How To Overcome A Nasty Online Review

  1. Ash Ambirge

I can’t get enough from Ash. Every single time I see an email from her, I bounce up and down in my seat like a five-year-old eating cotton candy.

“I’m sure Ash will grace many o’ nominations. She is one of the few entrepreneurs who speaks the truth online. Her emails are the only ones I open and read.” -Kaye Putnam, Kaye Putnam

Must-Read Post (although…in my opinion, all of Ash’s posts are a must read): How to Stop Writing With a Stick Up Your Ass

  1. Audrey Roloff

Audrey focuses on helping couples build strong marriages.

“Audrey and Jeremy Roloff are strong figures with a passion for saving marriages and keeping faith strong. I love reading their articles and have implemented some of their advise.” -Andrea Foushanji, Andrea J Design

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Becca Piastrelli

Becca quit her tech job in 2013 and has been running The Dabblist full time ever since. Taking raw ingredients and turning them into something beautiful with your hands is one of the values her blog and business is built on.   

“Becca has such a big heart. She is passionate about holding space for women to make deep connections.” -Sarah Shotts, Sarah Shotts

Must-Read Post: Stop Shaming Handmaking As Lesser Work

  1. Bonnie Christine

I taught at a retreat that was co-hosted by Bonnie and I felt like we instantly connected. She creates lovely fabric patterns, blogs at Going Home to Roost and shares pieces of her life with her husband and two kiddos on Instagram. I have a biz crush on Bonnie–she makes running a successful business look easy (even though we all know it’s not).

Must-Watch Video: Love for the Process

  1. Breńe Brown

Brene is the author of multiple best-selling books and has spent over thirteen years studying vulnerability and courage.

“Brene just cuts through the crap and makes you look at yourself in a way that feels genuine and real. I’ve known so many women that carry soooo much baggage and don’t feel good about themselves. It breaks my heart when I see them struggling and continue down the same self-destructive path. I tell them to listen to some Breńe Brown. It always helps. If not right away, then gradually or later, but it always helps. I love listening to her talks, they always pump me up!” -Nancy Gaines, Yourdori Girl Photography

Must-Watch TED Talk: The Power of Vulnerability

  1. Bridget Beth Collins

“I’m so inspired by Bridget’s work. Truly creative and innovative. She just released a beautiful journal with her nature art and I’m dying to go buy it!” -Neesha Merani, Paper Wand

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Bridget Prater

Bridget is a great example of a multi-passionate entrepreneur. If you feel like you have to focus on just one thing, take a look at Bridget’s website. You’ll find a mix of graphic design, web design, fiber art and more.

“Bridget does it all! She runs an Etsy shop where she sells woven art and enamel pins, and she is a graphic designer and she find the time to support and help other makers.” -Arielle Moore, Cake Spun

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Caroline Kelso Winegeart

Caroline is a self-proclaimed artist, designer and happiness hunter. From scanning her blog posts, it’s obvious that she wants to help creatives live a more passion-filled life.

“Caroline is so authentic and shares her process very openly. She takes her audience on a journey to live their most vibrant lives. I learn so much from each of her weekly emails.” -Sarah Hendler, Golden Nuggets

Must-Read Post: How To Embrace Experimentation In Your Creative Business

  1. Christina Scalera

I met Christina at a retreat for creative entrepreneurs that I spoke at and I never would’ve guessed she was a lawyer from spending time with her. (I feel like I can say that because my husband is a lawyer.) She’s savvy and fun and doing really cool things–like making legalizing your business easier.

“She is real on Instagram – more so than in her blog or emails. Her words are from the heart and how cool to be a lawyer that drops the corporate to help creatives!” -Mary Kathleen Scott, Discovering Breadcrumbs

Must-Read Post: When Is It Worth It to Pursue a Client For Money They Owe You?

  1. Claire Pelletreau

Feel frustrated by your Facebook ad results? Check out Claire’s blog.

“Claire is a Facebook ads specialist but I love her get-real voice that stops a technical subject from being boring. I also LOVE her podcast, The Get Paid Podcast for sharing the reality of what it takes to get paid online.” -Lucy Parsons, Life More Extraordinary

Must-Read Post: How to Create Facebook Ad Images When You’re a Terrible Designer

  1. Courtney Johnston

If you suffer from ‘no matter what I try, my sales copy sounds like a seventh grader trying to impress her english teacher’ syndrome, you should lose yourself in Courtney’s blog.

“She’s awesome and real. She gives kickass actionable advice. She also seems really down to earth and someone who will tell it to you like it is. I think I’ve got a bit of a biz crush on her when she started periscoping without looking perfectly made up. It made me believe that if she can keep it real and be successful by being herself, then maybe I can too.” -Samantha Donohue, Pawtastic Photography

Must-Read Post: 3 Reasons Your Sales Page Isn’t Working (And Simple Tweaks that Can Double Your Sales)

  1. Dana Shultz

Dana creates delicious recipes with 10 ingredients or less! That’s pretty cool.

“Thanks to Dana’s awesome recipes my family eats healthier and I spend less time in the kitchen with less dishes to wash. Her recipes are easy to make, wholesome and super yummy. And her photos! They are so delicious that I want to lick the screen when I’m reading her blog. Her writing style is honest with a good sense of humour. I visit her site daily.” -Andrea Szabo-Kirchmayer, Andimaginary

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Danae Carson

“Danae is always supporting other people whether it’s enthusiastically sharing their stuff online, participating in their projects or featuring them on her blog. She has so much love and energy for what she does and for what others are doing too!” -Cole Nemeth, Cole Nemeth

  1. Danielle Krysa

Danielle started her blog to share art that she was jealous of but that same art now inspires her instead of filling her with a toxic envy.

“I love that Danielle took something that many of us feel deep down–that envy and fear of competitors and instead of being a “hater” or letting it discourage her, she turned it into something spectacularly positive–a whole brand, podcast, books, etc. celebrating those competitors.” -Janet Taylor, Household Art

Must-Listen to Podcast Episode: A Passion for Process

  1. Danielle Pedersen

“There is no way to see her work and not fall in love. She creates the most beautiful ceramic creatures that feel magical.” -Neesha Merani, Paper Wand

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Danielle Spurge

I’ve known Danielle for years, starting out when she was finding her footing selling on Etsy. Now, she’s practically a rockstar in the creative realm. I send creative entrepreneurs her way pretty much every single day. She’s a go-to resource for makers and handmade shop owners.

“Danielle keeps it real. She runs a great podcast and she tells it like it is. No sugar candy coating from this girl. You can tell she cares about her audience and wants to spread creativity and success.” -Tricia Bertrand, Jewels by Trish

“She is no nonsense, shares useable information for product sellers, and is not just for Etsy.” -Angela King, Spirithorse Designs

Must-Listen to Podcast Episode: Why You Need to Have Your Own Website

  1. Denise Duffield-Thomas

Money issues? Denise is your gal.

“I love Denise’s nurturing and very female attitude. I also love the way she shows up all over the place, always adding value.” -Lucy Parsons, Life More Extraordinary

Must-Read Post: 4 Steps to Creating Financial Independence

  1. Elise Blaha Cripe

Elise is the creator of the Get to Work Book that you can check out right here.

“I love that she’s taken a relatively simple idea and turned it into a tightly focussed line of products. By really focussing on her ideal customer and listening to them, she’s built a beautiful brand and product line. She also has a wonderful, thoughtful podcast.” -Janet Taylor, Household Art

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman

These are the two women behind the incredibly popular blog, A Beautiful Mess. Whenever I’m having a rough day, I click over to A Beautiful Mess and I’m instantly happier while scrolling through pretty photos, unique DIYs and fun fashion posts.

I’ve also been subscribed to their Happy Mail monthly subscription since they launched it and it encourages me to send out physical mail every month. I highly recommend it!

Must-Read Post: Tips for Laying Out Blog Posts

  1. Emily Quinton

You could spend hours on Emily’s website and Instagram feed, because her photos are gorgeous. Plus, she gives lots of actionable tips that you can apply to your own photos immediately. If you’re a maker, you need to check her out.

“Emily is a wife, a mom and an entrepreneur. She has four kids, runs a successful biz with her hubby, and takes weekend off. She is professional and just so sweet. She is real with her audience and gives us insight into how she successfully does things personally as well as in her business. (She runs courses on photography. If only I lived in the UK, I’d attend her courses live!)” -Tricia Bertrand, Jewels by Trish

Must-Watch Video: Simple Tips for Food Photography

  1. Emily Thompson

One of the things I love about Emily is that she’s unapologetically herself. Always. She’s funny and confident and she’s one of those people that you want to spend more time around because of the way you feel when you hang out with her.

Emily co-hosts a podcast with Kathleen Shannon that is filled with valuable advice for creative entrepreneurs.

Must-Listen to Podcast Episode: Creating a Business Model with Tara Gentile

  1. Erin Blackwell

Over the past six years, Erin has photographed more than 300 women. She loves making women feel great about themselves through beautiful photos.

“Her photography work is beautiful but she is also extremely generous with her knowledge to other photographers. She started a local women’s professional photographers group that has over 200 members for the purpose of elevating the whole profession and each other. She loves helping women see just how beautiful they are.” -Maria Rote

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Erin E Flynn

Erin offers support to website designers and her blog is packed with content that will help you up your web design business.

“She truly cares about her clients. Her work, her advice, her efforts in the web design and development industry all come from a ‘community first’ place. Personally, she’s gone above and beyond to help me and my business. She’s really smart and just does business well.” -Amanda Creek, Amanda Creek Creative

Must-Read Post: How to Raise Your Rates (And Why You Should)

  1. Fiona Humberstone

If you’re struggling with branding, you need to pour yourself a cup of tea and dive into The Brand Stylist. You’ll need the cup of tea because you’ll probably spend a good hour (or more) reading through Fiona’s blog posts.

“She is the best teacher on brand styling with the kindest heart on earth!” -Monika Burger, Eimotion

Must-Read Post: Self Publishing vs. Traditional: Finding the Right Approach for You

  1. Gina Horkey

Gina will help you escape the 9 to 5 by starting your own freelance business.

“Gina is a perfect example of the entrepreneurial spirit. She provides affordable courses for getting started as a freelance writer or virtual assistant. Gina has built an active and vibrant community of freelancers who generously share encouragement and job opportunities. Priceless!” -Debra Giuliano, Artfully Chosen Words

Must-Read Post: Being Authentic Matters

  1. Gudy Herder

Gudy is a trend expert specializing in interior design and lifestyle. Warning: the images on her website will suck you in so get ready!

“She has a beautiful understatement of style and I love her work more than anything. It is full of fresh ideas and endless inspiration!” -Monika Burger, Eimotion

Must-Read Post: How to Create an Inspiration Wall with 60 Creative Professionals

  1. Heidi May

As a knitter, Heidi’s cozy yarn photos on Instagram make me want to cuddle up and knit a chunky scarf while watching Friends on Netflix.

“I aspire to be the Velvet Acorn! She has 222664 sales on Etsy since 2010. She also has a shop on Ravelry where she always has something in the top 50 patterns. She has a short and sweet website, no blog, and only posts a little on Instagram. She creates cute patterns, mostly for kids, and sells really well. She’s extensively copied which aggravates me, but I guess that’s what happens when you start to become successful. Anyway, I when I feel down, I look at Heidi May’s numbers and make myself get back to work. Seeing someone make it work inspires me that if they can, then I can, too.” -Patty McGuire, Pattymac Knits

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Jamie Jensen

Jamie will teach you to incorporate sassy, smart, and soulful stories in your copy.

“Her writing is amazing! She always makes me laugh. Besides that, she is the kind woman who also has business savvy. As if that weren’t enough, she has a movie on Hulu!” -Sarah Fox, The Bookish Fox

Must-Read Post: How to Write an Email People Actually Want to Read

  1. Janet Murray

Have questions about PR, press releases and getting media coverage? You’ll find all your answers and more on Janet’s website through blog posts and podcast episodes.

“Janet is a powerhouse of expertise who uses her 15 years of experience as a journalist to teach entrepreneurs how to get national press coverage for their businesses. She’s brilliant at online community building but also brings everyone together in her stylish in-person events.” -Lucy Parsons, Life More Extraordinary

Must Listen to Podcast Episode: Five Ways to Get More Media Coverage in 2017

  1. Janice Sullivan

Janice is a fine art photographer specializing in fine art macro photography. She has a ton of energy and is willing to experiment and try new things.

“She’s a wonderful photographer and an awesome teacher (in The Arcanum). She’s inspirational!” -Jeri Mearns, Jeri Mearns Photography

Must-Read Post: Fun Gadgets for Macro Photography

  1. Jasmine Star

Jasmine left law school for photography and now teaches creative entrepreneurs how to build successful businesses.

“Jasmine is a strong entrepreneur who isn’t afraid to be vulnerable with her audience. She is a dynamic teacher who makes learning enjoyable. Her Facebook posts are so very inspiring and motivational.” -Sarah Hendler, Golden Nuggets

Must Follow on Facebook

  1. Jen Carrington

Jen is a creative coach who works with purpose-driven creatives to build more fulfilling lives and businesses.

“She’s a quiet voice that’s unassuming but strong and caring. She doesn’t roll with trends or seem to be in a hurry like so many people online seem to be.” -Mary Kathleen Scott, Discovering Breadcrumbs

Must-Read Post: The Things that Get in the Way of Building a Joyful, Impactful and Productive Daily Grind

  1. Jen Funk Weber

Jen has been a crafter and needleworker all of her life and her website focuses on DIY, conservation and creativity.

“Jen Is living her dream life, traveling the world, doing what she loves. She is encouraging and helpful but will also give you a kick in the arse when she knows you need it. Her travels and experience give her a wonderful, unique outlook on life’s problems and situations.” -Cara Vincens, The Hooting Pirate

  1. Jen Olmstead

Favorite line on Jen’s website: Friends don’t let friends have boring websites. YES! The Tonic Site Shop is handcrafted, completely customizable websites for modern creatives.

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Jenna Kutcher

Jenna is a photographer, educator and artist.

“I appreciate her attitude towards community building. She’s helped me to build my business and learn how to advertise using social media in a way that attracts buyers instead of followers.” -Arielle Moore, Cake Spun

Must-Listen to Podcast Episode: Starting a Movement and Fostering Community with Natalie Franke

  1. Jennifer Kem

Jennifer will help you get seen, get heard and get paid. Check…check…check!

“She’s a powerhouse entrepreneur. Every product she launches sells out, she works with some of the biggest names on TV (through her agency KemComm) and is generous with her time and knowledge.” -Kaye Putnam, Kaye Putnam

Must-Read Post: Be Willing to Repel

  1. Jenny Penton

“Using her art, Jenny helps woman not only take care of themselves but also to lead a better life. The life they were meant to live. She is the mother of 8. EIGHT! And encourages woman to look beyond their motherhood to their own unique talents and bring them to the world.” -Cara Vincens, The Hooting Pirate

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Kelsey Baldwin

I just started reading Kelsey’s blog posts and I’m already a huge fan. (That must-read blog post below might’ve made me cry.)

“Kelsey is so inspiring, she surpassed huge obstacles and found herself in an extremely tough situation and made it through. She’s her own boss and I love everything she does.” -Monica Aguinaga, Monica Aguinaga

Must-Read Post: Why Sharing Your Story Can be Both Inspiring and Terrifying

  1. Kris Carr

I’ve had the opportunity to see Kris speak at three conferences and every time, I leave feeling more motivated than ever to make healthy changes in my life. Through one of Kris’ books, I realized that I was allergic to gluten and when I stopped consuming gluten, I felt so much better. It changed my life.

Must-Read Post: 10 Ways to Increase Your Energy and Fight Fatigue Naturally

  1. Kris Windley

Kris taught a segment during my CreativeLive bootcamp about the writing process and I felt like everyone watching had some ‘a-ha’ moments: ‘wait…I’m supposed to write the rough draft and edit at different times?’ (Try it. It makes a HUGE difference!)

“She is flat out authentic everywhere she is. You can see her personality shine through automatically. And it’s a personality worth seeing!” -Mary Kathleen Scott, Discovering Breadcrumbs

“Kris has a great style of teaching that mixes a don’t-stress-out-about-this attitude with real talk and a powerful writing toolbox. She’s great at making writing accessible for new writers and helping experienced writers tighten up their skillset. (Plus she makes adorable printables with little kittens wearing wing tip glasses.)” -Sarah Shotts, Sarah Shotts

“I nominated Kris because of her talent and tenacity. She’s a little voice in the back of my head, encouraging me and giving me some no nonsense “head mistress” talk as well. I love how she has grown her biz and fine tuned it little by little. I love that she’s so positive and giving, even when life is not always the easiest for her. She is the epitome of a BA biz lady to me.” -Nancy Gaines, Yourdori Girl Photography

Must-Read Post: Your Blog Editorial Calendar Can Actually Make you Happy

  1. Krista Miller

Krista is another superhero in my eyes because she helped Amanda Creek with the coding for my website. (Thanks Krista!)

“She provides abundant value for ladies in business, specifically designers and developers, but also people who are trying to navigate the online business world. I really value the advice she gives through her blog and love her Facebook groups!” -Amanda Creek, Amanda Creek Creative

Must-Read Post: 5 Simple Copy Lessons You Can Learn from Swiss Design

  1. Kristin Thompson

If you want to land more speaking engagements or want to build a business around speaking, you have to check out Kristin’s website.

“Kristin is a rock star. She walks her talk when it comes to helping other entrepreneurs grow through speaking. I love learning from her. (Through her courses and also through her example!)” -Kaye Putnam, Kaye Putnam

Must-Watch Video: How to Use Speaking To Attract New Coaching or Consulting Clients

  1. Lain Ehmann

Lain covers topics from personal development to productivity to community building and has worked with many well-known internet marketers including Pat Flynn and John Lee Dumas.

“Lain is smart and funny and kind. She is an amazing business woman and a great encouragement to women. She has a great knack at seeing women’s talents and unique abilities.” -Cara Vincens, The Hooting Pirate

Must-Read Post: “Why Isn’t My Sales Page Converting?”

  1. Laura Hollick

Laura is an award-winning artist and creative spiritual entrepreneur. Her website feels like a playground for adults.

“She’s unique, stands out from the crowd, gives permission to women to express themselves. Her yearly Soul Art Day is a treat to find one’s true essence.” -Ana Matamoros, Ana Life Design

Take Her Quiz: What Kind of Creative Spirit Are You?

  1. Laura Miller

Laura published her cookbook in May: Raw. Vegan. Not Gross. If one of your resolutions for this year is eating healthier, you should take a peek at her recipes.

“I love how open and real she is as an anxious, introvert, vegan. I relate with her on many levels and not only enjoy her blog and Instagram but also her YouTube videos. She makes me laugh and accepts my quirkiness.” -Andrea Foushanji, Andrea J Design

Must Try Recipe: Raw and Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

  1. Lauren Hooker

Elle and Company is such a pretty website. But, even better, it’s filled with value-packed blog posts for creative entrepreneurs.

“I love this fact that’s she’s so open about her entire business and shares her knowledge freely. I also love that even though she’s monetizing through courses, it’s not the only content she puts out. She still blogs regularly at least twice a month and has awesome webinars on various topics each month and leaves them up for FREE! I also love that not everything is directly related to a product or what she’s trying to sell. It’s helpful, informative and actionable and makes me trust her so you can bet your boogie when I have enough money to invest, I’ll invest with her.” -Samantha Donohue, Pawtastic Photography

Must-Read Post: Why Instagram’s New Changes Don’t Scare Me (And Shouldn’t Scare You)

  1. Lisa Congdon

I always get questions from artists who want to know what they should blog about and I always use Lisa’s blog as an example of an artist who does blogging right. I constantly go to check if there’s anything new and I enjoy all of her posts–whether they’re short or long or in between.

“Lisa has taken her artistic talent, and by reaching into many different income streams, made her art and name a fantastic brand.” -Janet Taylor, Household Art

Must-Read Post: On Changing the Story

  1. Madeline Shayne

Madeline is a talented photographer that creates such unique pieces of art with her photos.

“I love her photographs. She has a wonderful ability to tell a big story with just one image. Her photos remind me of those big Hollywood productions.” -Anja Griessmeyer, Cat and Raven

Must-Read Post: The Intersection of Creativity and Inspiration

  1. Mariah Coz

I stumbled upon Mariah over a year ago by watching her live on Periscope. I knew right away she was my kind of girl. She shares all of her behind-the-scenes secrets, plans and results. When you read her blog, you never feel like she’s holding back and it’s one of the reasons I love her content.

“I looooove Mariah, she’s super cool. I’ve learned a lot from her and it’s one of the few people online that actually knows what she’s talking about.” -Monica Aguinaga, Monica Aguinaga

Must-Read Post: Case Study: How to use Viral Giveaways to Grow Your Email List (1500 new subscribers and $5k in 10 days)

  1. Marie Forleo

The first conference I attended was Marie Forleo’s Rich Happy and Hot, because I won a seat with a video entry. I’ve been a fangirl ever since. Marie is the example of what happens when you have a clear vision and work your booty off. Her program, B-School, completely changed my business and life and I will forever be grateful for that.

“I love all of Marie’s videos. Every piece of content she puts out contains so much value and heart. She’s the business whisperer that I’ve never met.” -Neesha Merani, Paper Wand

Must-Watch Video: The Secret to Staying Motivated–Especially When You’re Not Seeing Results

  1. Marji Guyler-Alaniz

Straight from the FarmHer about page: “Today, FarmHer has grown into not just a gallery of images that are changing the way people perceive a farmer, but also into an online community built just for women in agriculture. This community is a place where this imperative group of women can experience stories about others like them.”

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty cool.

“Marji Guyler-Alaniz started FarmHer in 2013 and has since launched an amazing business that shines a light on women in agriculture, something that no one had done before. A photographer that travels the country taking pictures of women farming has grown into a business that also has events for women in agriculture, a line of clothing, a TV show, and the opportunity to reach people not only across the country and across the world.” -Lexi Marek, Lexi Marek

  1. Mary England

Mary has created a website where self-love meets creativity. She helps people learn how to accept and love themselves. We need more women like this in the world, don’t you think?

“She’s so positive and motivating. I love how honest she is, how fearless she is and how kind and supportive of other people she is.” -Cole Nemeth, Cole Nemeth

Must-Read Post: How to Embrace Your Inner Weird

  1. Mayi Carles

Mayi embodies the kind of entrepreneur most of us want to be: the kind of entrepreneur who allows herself to experiment with new ideas and move into very different directions. She’s coached creative entrepreneurs, she runs Life is Messy Bootcamp, she wrote a cookbook, she designed rainboots, she designed an entire ballet set and more.

When she had her adorable baby, Olivia, she adapted by doing work that lit her fire instead of sticking with the stuff she’d already been successful with.

And, she makes the most entertaining while still packed with value videos ever.

“I love Mayi’s heart-exploding energy. She radiates sunshine. I just smile any time I see one of her blog posts or videos. She’s also a super talented artist.” -Neesha Merani, Paper Wand

Must-Watch Video: Do Things that Don’t Scale

  1. Melyssa Griffin

One of my favorite things about Melyssa is that she’s completely transparent, even sharing her income reports each month. If you don’t read her blog, you should start immediately.

“She’s kind of a re-discovery for me. I used to follow her back when she was under the Nectar Collective. I stumbled upon her a month or so ago, and I love just about everything on her site. She’s got a great looking site, super clean blog graphics, and she’s outstanding with the amount of value she offers.” -Amanda Sue Howell, Magic in the Mess

“She’s very supportive and provides excellent information both in her free and paid content. She also has a zero tolerance policy for bad behavior. I bought her Pinterest class and found it very informative. And while I haven’t had the wild success that others describe, it has helped.” -Patty McGuire, Pattymac Knits

Must-Read Post: How and Why You Should Be Using Webinars in Your Business (No Matter Your Industry or Stage of Business)

  1. Michelle Ward

I met Michelle years ago when we both spoke at the Etsy Success Symposium. Because I’m introverted and was super nervous about my first big speaking engagement, Michelle thought I didn’t like her which couldn’t have been further from the truth. I was just trying to stop myself from projectile vomiting all over everyone.

Michelle is another transparent entrepreneur who constantly inspires me.

If you’re trying to figure out what you want to do ‘when you grow up’ or you’re trying to transition from a day job to making your business your full-time gig, you should check Michelle’s blog and courses.

“She is kind, gentle and awesome!! She helps people figure out what they want to be when they grow up. No job title is outside the box with her. You can be whatever you want!” -Shelly Seward, The View from Where I Am

Must-Read Post: 9 Things My Business Break Taught Me

  1. Mimi Thorisson

Mimi and her family moved to the country and she started documenting her culinary adventures that led to hosting a cooking show and publishing two cookbooks.

“Cook, lifestyle blogger, cookbook author, mother, wife – she does it all. I don’t know Mimi, but her energy and enthusiasm are wonderful.” -Jeri Mearns, Jeri Mearns Photography

Must-Read Post: Wonderfully Ordinary

  1. Miranda Parker

Oh my goodness, Miranda Parker’s boudoir photography is steamy and sexy and beautiful.

“Miranda photographs women at their most vulnerable. She photographs women’s inner and outer beauty. Her blog posts hit you deep with other women’s testimonies of life, struggle and acceptance. She is a strong, beautiful woman and she photographs the same.” -Andrea Foushanji, Andrea J Design

Must Follow on Facebook

  1. Misha Hettie

Misha is a self-proclaimed friendly neighborhood story evangelist. Just from that title, I like her already. How about you? She’ll help you turn your yawn-worthy copy into something you’re proud enough to actually share with other humans!

“I fell in love with Misha Hettie when I saw her photo with purple donuts. And purple hair. She is my Spirit Animal. Misha tells it like it is in a no-holds-barred but I still love you kind of way. Her videos are the bomb diggity (because the 90s). When she says Uncommonly Good Biz, she means it.” -Amethyst Mahoney, Amethyst Mahoney

Must-Read Post: How To Improve Your Social Media Presence – Really

  1. Nancy Gaines

I encourage creatives to use their own photos so that they’re more branded and unique, but not everyone has the skillset. And, it’s better to use high-quality stock photos than using crappy, waaaaaaay too dark and fuzzy photos. The great thing about Nancy’s photos is that they don’t look like your typical stock photos (which is a really awesome thing). You should check them out.

“She has the biggest heart and makes everyone feel wonderful about themselves. She is a great support and her comments and words always leave me feeling fuzzy-good. Her photography is fabulous and tells a fabulous story that feels so familiar.” -Cara Vincens, The Hooting Pirate

  1. Natalie Franke

Natalie is the co-founder of the Rising Tide Society which is an “international network of creative entrepreneurs who believe in community over competition.” Hello…I’m all for community over competition. Natalie speaks my love language.

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Nicky Laatz

If you’re looking for affordable fonts and graphics that are perfect for creative entrepreneurs, you need to check out Nicky’s corner of Creative Market.

“She is such an amazing font creator – I love all her work, it’s so gorgeous and she is living her dream. Being a creative that actually creates for a living! She just hit 1 million sales on her Creative Market shop – sooooo happy for her!” -Neesha Merani, Paper Wand

Most Follow on Instagram

  1. Patty McGuire

Patty is a super talented knitting pattern designer. She has taken knitting and made it much more modern (and easy for us gals who’ve knitted about 64 scarves and are ready to move on). She also happens to be a DIY queen.

“Patty has the most gorgeous Instagram feed ever! She is all about the knitting, but she also includes fun craft tutorials. She makes knitwear look tres cool!” -Tricia Bertrand, Jewels by Trish

Must-Read Post: 7 Reasons to Knit for Your Dog

  1. Promise Tangeman-Wurzell

Promise is a graphic and web designer with one of the cutest dogs of all time, Parker.

“She is funny. She is creative. Just awesome!” -Monika Burger, Eimotion

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Random Olive

If you want to learn the basics of brush lettering, you need Olivia in your life. Her Brush Lettering Practice Guide is exactly what you need if you’re learning the ins and outs of brush lettering. I know, because I bought it myself.

“As a fan of brush lettering, I love her videos on IG. She makes lettering look so easy.” -Anja Griessmeyer, Cat and Raven

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Regina Anaejionu

Regina will help you “monetize your epicness.” I like the sound of that.

“She is straightforward, but in a super hilarious non-jerky way. She recently did a post that was THE business, about why you shouldn’t fall into the “omg I need to have a 6-figure biz” black hole.” -Amanda Sue Howell, Magic in the Mess

Must-Read Post: 10 Amazing Morning Writing Activities to Set You Up for a Productive Day

  1. Reina Pomeroy

Reina and Christina recently interviewed me for their podcast, The Creative Empire, and it was one of the most fun interviews I’ve ever done. Reina is upbeat and energetic and I always get a positivity boost when I watch her Instagram stories.

Must-Read Post: How to Get a Killer Testimonial from a Client

  1. Ria Sharon

Ria teaches classes on creativity and inspiration on Skillshare, sells printables on Etsy and fine art on Minted.

“She is super smart and amazingly creative!! I nominate her because I love the work she does and how supportive she is with others.” -Alisha Hastings-Kimball, Songbird Studio

Must Follow on Instagram

  1. Richelle Shadoan

Richelle, who is known as Red to most of her friends, is a designer of unique, bold jewelry. With her jewelry and blog posts, Richelle wants to inspire your fearless and independent spirit.

Richelle attended all of my CreativeLive courses, so I got the chance to dig into her business and learn more about her jewelry. I can say with certainty that she cares about every single piece that she creates which makes her badass in my book.

Must-Read Post: “Less Stuff, More Quality’ is My Passion

  1. Rocky Callen

I fell in love the moment I read Rocky’s tagline: Be brave. Bleed ink. The world is waiting.

“As a book coach, she liberates people’s books, and she brings people’s stories into the world. She is also so generous. She gives so much free time to help people with their books, and she also is interested in giving back to charity. She has bestselling books, and she is involved with suicide prevention.” -Sarah Fox, The Bookish Fox

Must-Read Post: Honor Your Author Heart

  1. Sally Tudhope

Sally will help you look great online. She’s been creating websites for 20 years and has worked with authors, life coaches, business mentors and more.

“Sally is super smart, organised, enthusiastic and so easy to work with. I’m Sally’s client because although I have the skills to build the website myself, I wanted someone with the experience of building websites for clients. It’s not easy to hand something over like that but I’m so happy I found Sally. You just have to read her website and follow her on Instagram to know that she’s real, she knows her stuff, she understands her clients, and she really looks after them. Sally’s a breath of fresh air. And she’s doing it on her own! Frankly, I’m in awe.” -Ailene Cuthbertson, Old Mountain Art

Must-Read Post: My Top 5 Favorite Sales Pages

  1. Samantha Parker

Samantha is your girl if you need help maximizing your social media strategy.

“Samantha Parker is a badass unicorn with real business advice full of rainbow sparkles and glitter shots of awesomeness. Plus, she runs Badassary Magazine. How can you not love that? One only has to be in her presence (even online) for a few moments to realize how down-to-earth and honest she is. Or just take a look at her last boho desert photoshoot.” -Amethyst Mahoney, Amethyst Mahoney

Must-Read Post: What a Good Social Media Manager Is and Isn’t

  1. Sarah Fox

Sarah makes writing fun! When I see a new email from Sarah, I click to read it immediately (and that’s only true for about three email lists that I’m on). She’s one of those people that I feel like I’ll be saying something like, ‘Yeah…I knew her back when…’ because she’s going to write a best-seller one day.

Must-Read Post: Treat Your Writing Like Aretha (Give It Respect)

  1. Sarah Jenks

Sarah is an emotional eating and lifestyle coach.

“Sarah has powerful positive messages about women’s bodies and an incredible intuition.” -Sarah Shotts, Sarah Shotts

Must-Read Post: My Weight Loss Journey

  1. Sarah Shotts

“She’s been so much fun to watch (and I’m truly sorry that I wasn’t able to meet her at CreativeLive). This year she did a virtual camp, complete with prompts to do things like scavenger hunts and make s’mores.” -Amanda Sue Howell, Magic in the Mess

“Sarah is smart and funny and a kind, gentle soul. She lifts women up by being herself and encouraging us to enjoy life’s adventures, big and small!” -Cara Vincens, The Hooting Pirate

Must-Read Post: What I Learned During My Hiatus

  1. Shannon DePalma

“She is helping people kick ass and grow their business’ and she’s just awesome!” -Kendra Martin, Kendra Martin Photography

“As a coach, she really works to set up female professionals for long term success. She does not allow any half-assed answers, prompting one to go further. She is one of the baddest badasses I know!” -Christine Kirby, Carousel Atelier

Must-Read Post: The 10 Best Tools for Wedding Businesses

  1. Stephanie Nickolich

Stephanie will help you build a successful sales funnel.

“I think she embodies the myth that one can become a millionaire really fast online. I’ve seen her tutorials on sales funnels, and I think she’s really smart and a relentless go-getter.” -Ana Matamoros, Ana Life Design

Must-Read Post: The Psychology of a 6-Figure Sales Page

  1. Tara Gentile

Tara has taught multiple CreativeLive courses, has a value-packed podcast and is the creator of the Quiet Power Strategy®.

“Tara is a genius small business coach. She was a divinity student in college, then discovered a knack for business. She brings her unique view and sensitivity to find the truth in a crowded and loud conversation. I highly value her view.” -Deb Fels, Deborah Fels

Must-Read Post: How I Book and Prepare for Public Speaking Gigs

  1. Tara Swiger

“Tara has been on fire this year. She has ramped up her game and provides so much high-quality content for free, and yet still has customers clamoring for her membership programs. And she has done it all using systems (which she freely shares) that can be replicated.” -Richelle Shadoan, Red Scorpio

“Tara has been around for a long time, and is extremely supportive. She is very nuts and bolts about running a business. Her Market Yourself Workbook is the first marketing book I ever purchased.” -Patty McGuire, Pattymac Knits

Must-Listen to Podcast Episode: How to Take Action (Without Waiting Around for More Confidence)

  1. Tiffany Angeles

If you have icky money issues, Tiffany will help you fix those negative beliefs about money.

“I really love her podcasts! I just want to create art but knowing I want a business to support myself…I need to be reminded that the “money” word is not a bad word.” -Janice Sullivan, Sullivan J Photography

Must-Listen to Podcast Episode: Do You Love Money? Are You Sure?

  1. Tiffany Han

“Tiffany encourages her audience to find the courage to reach beyond their comfort zone. She spreads her positive energy to everyone who comes in contact with her. I enjoy her email and podcasts.” -Sarah Hendler, Golden Nuggets

“To quote Tiffany: ‘I light fires under creative women to create bold brands and businesses that they love (and that love them back)’. She is all about bold moves and saying yes!” -Shelly Seward, The View from Where I Am

Must-Read Post: Confession: I Don’t Care Anymore

  1. Tracy Lee Jones

“I had the privilege of taking a course with her. She is smart, business-savvy and compassionate. If she saw that one of us was being left behind, she gaves us a free 15-minute one-on-one coaching session. She over delivers always!” -Ana Matamoros, Ana Life Design

  1. Vanessa Van Edwards

I took Vanessa’s CreativeLive Bootcamp, Master Your People Skills and she kept me engaged for 30 straight days. I highly recommend it to every single person I know.

“I learn so much that’s important from Vanessa: 1) How to create a meaningful life from one’s strengths, and vulnerabilities 2) The enthusiasm she has for human dynamics, and sharing what she discovers has enriched my daily life hugely 3) How to be engaging and loveable and expert – all at the same time.” -Deb Fels, Deborah Fels

Must-Read Post: How to Succeed Using the Secrets of the Most Innovative Entrepreneurs

  1. Varina Patel

“She is an amazing teacher! I would love to write like her and she rocks when it comes to working the shot!” -Janice Sullivan, Sullivan J Photography

  1. Wardee Harmon

Wardee started Traditional Cooking School to honor her grandmother’s cooking traditions.

“She is doing exactly what I hope to do! I love the way she scales information and yet keeps personal contact with her subscribers. Such great content!” -Lita Bledsoe, The Bledsoe Zone

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I hope you found a bunch of new women to connect with and learn from in this list.

Even though I spent over 20 hours working on this list of badass female entrepreneurs, I’m sure I left some really great ones off. Have someone to add? Nominate them in the comments below.

31 Comments · Filed Under: Creative Business Development, Success

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