Self Employed Success

Are you curious about what happens inside a real mastermind group meeting? It’s not a secret anymore! Come, peek inside one…

Join me for a Taste of a Mastermind Group – Arena Style.

In this one-hour mastermind group session, three people are on the “Hot Seat,” bringing their challenges, questions and idea needs to the group.

And you’ll be able to sit in the arena and watch the mastermind group meeting in action through your web browser. Watch the meeting via video conference on your computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. (If you won’t be near your computer, you can dial-in on your phone to listen.)

This particular mastermind group session is about running and growing a business, so it is extra helpful to those of you who are self-employed small business owners. (Personal and professional development mastermind groups are run the same way, so this is a great chance to peek inside a group meeting and see the inner workings.)

This will be an All-Content-No-Selling video conference.

If you’re sick to death of “free events” which masquerade as a sales pitch, you’ve come to the right place! You can be assured that our focus will be solely on the Hot Seats and watching a mastermind group in action.

Join me on Tuesday, December 6 at 3:00 p.m. eastern/12:00 p.m. pacific

Come and see behind-the-curtain into a real mastermind group meeting! Experience the power of mastermind groups for yourself by attending this free mastermind group session.

Yes, the meeting will be recorded.

If you can’t attend live, register anyway, and I’ll send you a link to the recording of the meeting.

Click here to sign up

You’re going to love it!

Recently I made a commitment to write a new book. Whether I’m writing a book or a blog post, the hardest part is getting into the habit of writing. After all, writing a 60,000 word book means blocking out huge chunks of time on a consistent basis – and actually writing during those appointed times!

Then I heard about an idea that sprang up from the academic community called Shut Up and Write. People who had to write their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation would agree to get together on a regular basis, spend a few minutes getting settled, and then “shut up and write” for 25 minute sprints. Then they’d take a 5 minute break and do another 25 minute sprint.

This technique of 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of break is a proven method for working within your brain’s normal rhythms. Add that to the group support and accountability of working quietly together, it’s a real win-win.

Imagine having time set aside each month when you will definitely get some writing done towards your book, blog posts, or other writing projects. This isn’t a replacement for all the time you’ll need to get all your writing project done, but it can be a cornerstone to developing the writing habit.

I decided to create my own Shut Up and Write virtual accountability group, and you can join me for five Shut Up and Write virtual meetings, beginning July 29.

We will meet every 2 weeks:

• July 29
• August 12
• August 26
• September 9
• September 23

We’ll meet via video conferencing (I’ll send you the Zoom link once you register for the group), and each meeting will be 90 minutes. That will allow us enough time to do THREE 25-minute sprints of writing, and still have time to share, support and motivate each other.

(If you don’t have a video camera, or you won’t be near your computer, you can dial-in on phone or Skype.)

Our 90-minute video meetings will be from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM eastern.

1:00 PM eastern (New York time zone)
12:00 PM central (Chicago time zone)
11:00 AM mountain (Denver time zone)
10:00 AM pacific (Los Angeles time zone)
6:00 PM London (England)
7:00 PM Berlin (Germany) or Paris (France)

Do you want to join me?

The cost is only $20. (NOT $20 per meeting — $20 for all 5 meetings)

If you’d like to join Shut Up and Write, register here

P.S. Once you register, please email me and tell me what writing project(s) you’ll be working on.

P.P.S I can’t wait to get writing together!

Did you ever work on a project that you just ADORED?

The kind that you think about day and night, the kind that gets you jumping out of bed each morning eager to get immersed in it?

In just 7 short days, I’ll be launching a new project I’ve been talking about, dreaming about, fretting about, and loving for over a year.

If you’ve been in business more than five years, you’re going to love this! I can’t wait to share it with you. 🙂

Keep your eyes peeled for the next big adventure…

Very cool … my blog has been listed in ODesk’s 10 Freelance Lifestyle Sites list!

(Yay!)  🙂

Like a dog on the scent, I keep my nose to the ground, looking for signs of a strengthening or weakening economy. I’m not looking at large, macro, worldwide events, but instead using my own eyes and ears to determine how the average person is reacting to things.

All around me I’m seeing signs of economic life:

• In the past month, whenever we go to restaurants (even on the traditionally slow restaurant days), the places are crowded. Not as crowded as they were a year ago, with lines snaking out the door, but tables are full and waitstaff is bustling.
• Where I am seeing lines form is at the movies. In January and February, you could walk through the door and right up to the ticket window. Not so anymore. Short lines, but lines none the less.
• I keep close track of people who steal my website text for their own websites. Over the past six months, the instances of plagiarism had decreased, but within the past month I’m seeing a resurgence. This means people are creating new websites, which is a good sign. The fact that they’re comfortable stealing someone else’s text to promote their own business tells me they won’t be in business for long with low ethics and lack of creativity and skill leading them to their demise.
• I’m getting many more calls for coaching and consulting. People are understandably cautious on finding just the right person to help them with their dreams and challenges, but once they find the right fit, they’re willing to invest in growing their businesses. Month over month, I’m seeing a 10% increase in revenue for the past three months.
• My clients are also reporting a small uptick in revenue, and more prospect calls.

Could it be a thawing economy? I hope so!

What does this mean for you? Keep your eyes and ears open, make sure all your systems are in place, and make sure you’re ready for an upswing in business. Now is the time to clean out your office, get a filing system in place (AND everything filed away properly), create intake forms for customer information, and generally automate your office and financial systems. In this way you’ll be ready when the surge begins instead of getting caught with your systems in disarray.

A woman I met at the NSA Internet Marketing Intensive a few weeks ago posted a nice blog post about me!  Awww, shucks, folks!

Annmarie Kelly was the coordinator for the speakers. She did such a great job in keeping us informed about the event, getting information from us in a timely manner, and answering all sorts of questions. It was a joy to work with her.