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Why you need to start by blogging. A story.

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Why you need to start by blogging. A story.

Hey there rebel!

My clients always ask me how I started...

And I have to say, the only thing that got me started and trampolined into the air, high enough to be able to start a business, was blogging. 

That's right, all you need to do is start blogging.

If you don't have a business yet, or you have one, but it's not going anywhere, the only "magic pill" that I know of is adding a blog to the equation.

Why?

Because it helps people. It engages them. It attracts them. It makes them want more. And it's FUN! Unless you'd rather do a podcast or a vlog... hey, whatever form of content you work with best, i say go for it. Because your strengths will trampoline you into the future, just like my writing did for me.

Enough with the vagueness, here's the story...

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Is your brand not focused enough? Here's how to niche, the rebel way.

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Is your brand not focused enough? Here's how to niche, the rebel way.

THE OTHER DAY I WAS TALKING TO A FELLOW CREATIVE REBEL ABOUT NICHEING... 

But first things first: What IS a niche?

To niche, or niche down, is to make your brand very specific, as in covering a specific topic or bringing a specific result to a specific audience.

Anywho, so my friend was saying that she had just broadened the topics she covered and was afraid that made her brand too vague and unfocused. And since all the experts advise to do the opposite, she was worried.

A lot of us worry about this because we love a lot of things and we don't want to "super niche" like the experts advise. As a result, most of us worry that our brands are too general and unfocused, that we don't have a niche, that we're confusing our people, etc. It's a perfectly natural feeling to have.

However, worrying about it doesn't mean that we should blindly do whatever the experts tell us. Especially if you're multipassionate and nicheing down equates to getting into a super tight catwoman suit. Or a shrinking box.

So if you feel like your brand is not focused enough and you don't know how to niche it, I'd like to propose an alternative way to "niche." 

No time, money, or mentors? You can still start your business.

No time, money, or mentors? You can still start your business.

I've been asking questions on twitter, and this one thing kept emerging when it came to starting a business.

People are not starting their businesses because they have no money. Or they have no time. Or they have no mentors. Or motivation.

But mostly, money.

And before we start to tackle each of these in turn, can I just say...

You know those are excuses, right? You know people have started businesses with nothing, and from nothing they got everything.

Right???

If you go to your heroes - Richard Branson, Seth Godin, Marie Forleo, Danielle LaPorte, Gary Vaynerchuk, Chase Jarvis, Jeremy Cowart or whoever you idolize, you'll find that they made something great out of nothing. My favorite authors had full-time jobs and still managed to publish their books. My favorite rebels bootstrapped their businesses for years before they could really invest. 

My point is, if you really want something, you will find a way to do it. 

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Starting a brand? Stop asking other people to tell you who you are.

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Starting a brand? Stop asking other people to tell you who you are.

I was listening to a particularly vivifying speech by Simon Sinek.

You know the one... he's one of the big rebels, who says we should start with WHY, not with WHAT. He's the one who says the words purpose and fulfillment a lot. He doesn't apologize for it and he doesn't teach leaders to be perfect. He teaches us all to be human, vulnerable, and humble. 

Which is WHY I like him...

He doesn't BS, he always stands firmly by his truth, no matter the consequence. (Which is what true creative rebels do, by the way.)

So I was listening to one of his motivational speeches in a compilation called "The 10 Rules of Success According to Simon Sinek" or something. And although I never click these clickbaity things, this time I did, and I was happy for it. 

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How exactly can you "find" your purpose and why would you want to?

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How exactly can you "find" your purpose and why would you want to?

Confession time.

A lot of the time I worry if people understand what I mean by "find your purpose" because I used to be someone who was confused by that.

What does she mean my purpose! I make my destiny. This is crapola.

What does she mean find it? I need to make it, not find it, duh.

I'm with you on the whole "make your destiny" pitch and following your passions instead of something so ephemeral that a lot of people can't even explain. 

But the question here isn't what you call it. It's whether you want to infuse your life - and creative career - with meaning. It's whether you need to focus all of your efforts in one direction, so that you're less scattered. And it's whether you want something so big, so personal, that will last you throughout all of your crazy creative ideas, and you'll love it, and it will motivate you like crazy. 

One way to get all those things is to "find" your purpose.

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Don't confine yourself into a niche. Find your Core Message first.

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Don't confine yourself into a niche. Find your Core Message first.

YOU’RE STARTING SOMETHING - A BLOG, A BRAND, A BUSINESS - AND THE EXPERTS ARE ALL SAYING THE SAME THING: NICHE DOWN.

Which you don’t really want to do because:

  1. You’re a rebel and you don’t want to put yourself in a box;
  2. Even if you did want to do that, you wouldn’t even know where to begin!

Listen, I get where you’re coming from because I’ve been there. More than once. And the truth is that I have listened to the experts more times than I would have liked. But there comes a time when you stop listening to the experts and start listening to your own gut or internal compass or whatever you call it.

There comes a time when you need to do what works best for you.

Now let’s see why this is really bad advice...

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Feeling stuck? You need a higher mission.

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Feeling stuck? You need a higher mission.

I like to believe that I've discovered my life-long mission. It's to help people become more alive and confident about their creative superpowers. It's to help others see things differently and think and act in authentic and courageous ways.

It's to awaken the creative rebel in everyone.

Your higher mission - or purpose - is the natural resolution of your life. All of your talents, skills, and life experiences have led to this moment. Now let's explore it a little bit closer and see how you can trigger it in your own life.

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How to "make it happen" as a creative and a dreamer.

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How to "make it happen" as a creative and a dreamer.

Have you noticed how every week a different topic is trending?

You can very easily see this if you're on twitter every day, even just for a few minutes because suddenly everyone is talking about the same thing. And I'm not talking about some kind of event or you know, the latest stupid thing twitter is doing... I'm talking about a topic that can be seen from many different perspectives. The latest popular theme has been "the fetishization of passion" as Elizabeth Gilbert calls it in this podcast episode.

She says that it's dangerous to put so much pressure on passion because it was never meant to carry it. There's a scary trend of people wanting their passions and creative talents to become their full-time jobs...

Are you an entrepreneur or not? Give yourself the permission to start.

Are you an entrepreneur or not? Give yourself the permission to start.

They say an entrepreneur is someone who has started their own venture. As if starting something equals a title. They say to qualify as a "true entrepreneur", you need to be making a certain amount of money, as if money can tell you who you are.

I see so many people define themselves as "wannabe" or "aspiring" entrepreneurs, but that just makes me sad because these people are putting themselves in a box they may never get out of. Isn't it infinitely better to state who you are and work hard to get there? What makes you happier - saying you're a wannabe or that you're there already?

Jeff Goins says the key to turning pro is to think and act like a pro.

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What is your creative dream? Start from the Core, not the Surface.

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What is your creative dream? Start from the Core, not the Surface.

I have noticed a worrisome trend on the interwebs...

Every person who comes to me, almost everyone who filled my survey, and most of my peers answers "What is your dream?" with a job title or a skill.

What do you want to do? - I want to be a writer.
What do you do want to do in 10 years? - I want to design websites.
What do you want to do NOW? - I have no idea.