Create A Creative Business That Celebrates Your Ideal Life
Today’s episode is sponsored by my brand new roadmap – 57 Ways To Monetize Your Gifts and Create True Security For Yourself! Includes access to four bonus templates called the Creative Entrepreneurs Path to Cash and map your journey to an ideal business that celebrates the life you want to live.
Download your free roadmap today at getpaidforyourcreativity.com/57waysgift
Episode 011 Show Notes
Here’s some of what I covered on this week’s episode:
Depending on when you listen to this I launched the Create A Proneur podcast a few days shy of two months ago, April 9th, 2019 and in this episode, I want to break down my top three lessons I’ve learned from launching the show and how they can affect every project you create.
Lesson 1: Pick a project you’re willing to commit to for the next five years.
Now five years might seem like too long of a commitment but hear me on this. I’m certain if I’m still producing the podcast five years into the future (and for the record that date will be April 9th, 2024) I’m clear that the show and more importantly how I’m producing it, won’t be the same as it now.
For example, I project I’ll be publishing more than one episode a week, as a matter of fact, I’m planning to start dropping occasional bonus episodes in the next quarter starting in quarter two of 2019.
Do I have plans to do a daily show? Probably not, but I can definitely see at least two episodes a week on a regular basis in the future.
My point about having a five-year vision is that you avoid picking a project that doesn’t bring you joy or help you fulfill a larger vision. In other words, if you can’t see yourself doing something for at least five years, it’s probably not the project for you.
That’s not to say that you won’t experience drudge work on your journey but if every day was kittens and rainbows it wouldn’t feel like you worked for something bigger than you. Here’s another reason why a five-year vision is important, your five year dictates your one year, two years, etc, etc.
When you have a clear five-year vision with year by year milestone breakdown helps dictate your monthly and daily actions.
For me, I can tell you my two to three-year vision is to write and publish a book of the same title of the podcast and in five years, run an online and in-person “travel based experience” program that supports creatives to free themselves from the shackles of the “starving artist” to running their own thriving businesses based on their creativity.
My five-year vision is for the podcast to serve as a connector for creative entrepreneurs and an audience builder for my educational platform and brand allowing me to fully express myself.
Lesson 2: Consistency is everything.
This podcast is not my first foray in the game, I launched another show six years ago and my deepest regret I didn’t stay with it. I really didn’t have a clear vision and not just for the show, but for my life so the show felt more a project that I was dabbling with than a game changer that supported a larger purpose.
So before I decided to get back into the podcasting game again I made a commitment to be consistent. Producing at least one weekly episode is non-negotiable, so matter what life throws my way at the minimum I have to publish at least one weekly episode.
Even saying that out loud makes me feel even more committed because I know that my commitment will be rewarded not just in present but in the future. So you before you launch your next project ask yourself “what am I committed to doing consistently?”
It could be publishing a weekly podcast like me or a one new blog post a month or write 500 words a day of your book, or take and share a photograph on Facebook or Instagram.
Whatever you decide, get started and keep going and I’ll give you one last tip before moving on to my last lesson. Get clear on how you’ll be able to keep your commitment when life inevitably gets in the way.
For me, I can record a podcast episode on my iPhone if I’m away from home studio, I can also batch produce several at a time to stay ahead of myself in case I can’t I’ll be traveling, or just want to take time to work on other projects. Whatever arrangements I need to ensure I maintain my commitment it’s important to me that I’m consistent with my word.
It’s said that keeping your word to yourself when no one is watching is the epitome of integrity.
I want to be in integrity so I work to make choices that help me to keep my word. If I can’t trust myself how can I trust anybody else?
Lesson 3: Everything is a choice. Choose Well.
I chose to launch a podcast because I love to teach and obviously I love to talk. I’m currently reading a well thought out book titled Choose by Ryan Levesque. Choose is not your typical business book but not one of those boring, stoggy, “I’ve heard this a thousand times before” types of books on entrepreneurship.
Similar to the same it’s the subject focus is on figuring out what you’re passionate about and then trying to decide what kind of business you can start based on your passion.
This book is different, Choose is based on getting clear about a market, and an audience with a proven track record of purchasing products and services similar or exactly like the ones you want to offer, or at least are thinking about offering and matching them to a verified market.
Now I want to make sure I’m clear on one caveat. The author admits he has a preferential leaning (as do I) towards informational products and services like eBooks, courses, membership products and the like when investigating potential markets to tap into.
So for example, if you’re a watercolor artist, a potentially perfect profit center option could be launching an online course teaching watercolor painting, or if you’re a food photographer, similar.
There are so many lucrative opportunities in the online educational arena, that’s what Ryan’s book and accompanying support material accomplish so beautifully walking his reader through a series of exercises and activities designed to help you get absolute clarity not only the best potential market to consider but how to choose the best product and/or service deliverable based on your personality and the way you like to engage with your clients and customers.
At present, I’m still going through the book and support material so you can expect I’ll share more on findings in a future episode of the podcast, in the meantime, based on my current interpretation I highly suggest adding Choose by Ryan Levesque to your summer reading.
Choosing the right passion, the right market, the right deliverable makes getting paid for your creativity so much more of reality.
So many of us don’t take all the variables into account when we make our choices and risk we run in doing so is not being happy with them. If you experience a string of so-called “failed” choices makes it harder to trust ourselves in future.
One of the Mindset shifts in Ryan’s book I loved is when he talked about how he chose his first business project, a how to make jewelry with scrabble tiles information product.
His initial inspiration came from a crafter selling something similar on Etsy. He ordered the product and immediately discovered upon examination how poorly the product was put together.
Knowing he could do better he did just that and released his improved iteration of the info product and decided to view it as his “practice business” as Ryan put it, it took the pressure off getting it right and that gave him the inspiration to get into action.
I took several lessons from Ryan’s story, first, he didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, he didn’t try to build a different mousetrap, he just took an existing one with obvious flaws and using his intuition, made his iteration better.
Second, he didn’t rely solely on passion. Ryan didn’t have a passion for making scrabble tile jewelry making. He found a product in need of improvement, a fertile market already investing money in a market and an opportunity to serve that market with a better offering.
Sometimes we can find ourselves investing considerable amounts of time and money pursuing an idea or a passion without verifying if it’s worth pursuing.
Choose. The Single Most Important Decision Before Starting Your Business can help you choose well. Get your hands on a copy today!
Additional Resources Mentioned on the Podcast
Episode 007: How To Create A Creative Products Business w/Jane Button
Episode 004: The Passion Based Business Plan Part 1
Episode 005: The Passion Based Business Plan Part 2
Stay tuned for a future episode of the podcast where I’ll share more of my impressions and discoveries from the book and how I’m using it to create my own “practice business” projects and who knows, I may be able to score an opportunity interview with the author!
So if you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of you listening on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories and tag me! @createaproneurpodcast
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Lastly, I want to invite you to help contribute to this podcast by submitting a question for the Listener Question of the Week edition of Create A Proneur Podcast. All you have to do is go to https://getpaidforyourcreativity.com/QA and record a question (under 3 minutes or less) that could be featured on an upcoming episode!