Day 14-15: What happened?

Hah! If you have been following this blog, you are probably wondering what, exactly, happened to me. It's like I began skipping days and dropping off the planet or something.  The truth is I've been working behind the scenes on putting into place all of the things I've been learning. It's no good working to learn something if you're not going to apply it.

One thing I did is revisit the graphics for our Creative Technology Services business. I'll post them here so you can see them.  A cousin of mine has told me she's not entirely sold on the tagline as it is, but that can be changed. This is the logo. Nice, clean, and - I think, anyway, impactful.

The graphic actually was born out of a fabric design I had done for outdated technology. I revisited it and combined two pieces into one for a better effect. I like this logo. It really captures what we do very nicely, and it's simple enough that it wouldn't be lost if we monogrammed it on a shirt.

The next step was to redesign our Facebook header. I must say this took a bit of playing around to get right, but I'm actually very happy with where it ended up.  It should speak to the intended audience about who we are and what we do at a glance, which was the goal.

The part about the tagline that my cousin wasn't entirely sold on was the fact that she couldn't figure out whether we were marketing our training and technology services for creative entrepreneurs or whether our focus was teaching them how to market. I think perhaps a change to business training and technology for creative entrepreneurs might clear up some of the confusion there. Fortunately, with Facebook it is possible to easily and quickly get the feedback you need to make those kinds of adjustments without having to spend a fortune on market research.

Creative Technology Services will be the parent company, with two divisions beneath it: 40 Day Writer and Infinite Possibility Games. I have yet to sit down with my husband and help him figure out his target audience and marketing scheme, but for 40 Day Writer I have already spent a lot of time thinking about this.

40 Day Writer is about helping writers "write the world a better place" with books, classes, and events that help them clarify their message, find the time they need to write it, get from chapter one to done, polish their manuscript, put together a perfect book cover, and get their book on the market so it can reach its intended audience.

We now have our hosting in place and are working on getting the websites up and running.  I'll continue sharing what I'm learning and you can continue to view the works in progress.

Day 13: Launch Day Dynamics

Travel can wreak havoc on the best plans in the world. It has certainly done a job on my efforts to plan out my business. That doesn't mean I haven't done work on it over the past 3 days, but it does mean I haven't had a chance to post the work that I've done.  I will tell you that we have secured our hosting. It is being set up as we speak, and it should be live by tomorrow. That means I can begin to work on implementing all the fabulous things I am learning ASAP.

Launch Day

You are how you market: Consider what matters to you and how you want to be known.  The success of your launch depends largely on the structure of your offer: how you make it, what it includes, and how long it lasts.

Goal: Create a reasoned, sensible, appropriate launch based on integrity

Keys to Launching

1. Announce product launch via email, social network, blog & other relevant platforms

2. Remember that things are unlikely to unfold as planned. Plan what-if actions ahead of time.

3. Your live period of the launch lasts 3-7 days

4. Share new & exciting testimonials as they come

Launch Day Anticipation

Hopefully having expended the energy to generate awareness of your product or service, you have a long line of people eager to get the product you're about to offer them, so that email you sent is going to be eagerly anticipated. That doesn't mean that every person on the email list will buy the day you send. Have a system for keeping track of those that do and a plan in place for following up with those that don't.

 Hooking the Fence Sitters

48 hours after launch, send a special follow-up offer for those that haven't bought yet that gives something extra if they buy now. Those that have already bought will get a bonus they weren't expecting, which will make them happy, and those that were on the fence may become buyers.

Day 12: Preparing to Launch

The one thing I know for a fact I have got to nail down before I can make any real progress forward in my business is to secure our hosting. I cannot have this monthly uncertainty of whether or not my clients are going to be able to reach me.  It's not good for business. It speaks volumes - and what it says is that I am unreliable and unlikely to be there if they need me. That has to change.  There are many things in my life that will have to change, but this is one key element of that.

Having said that, here is how he breaks down the launch sequence:
1. Pre-Launch: Lasts between 7-21 days, depending on your plan
2. Launch: Lasts 1-7 days, depending on what you do
3. Post-Launch: Indefinite

Pre-Launch

Early

During early stage pre-launch, your goal is to get people talking about the problems your product is intended to solve. You want to put out content tidbits that warm them up. Audio, video, pdf's, easy-to-consume materials that "give so much value you think you've gone too far, then give more". You do not mention the product itself at this point.  The point of this phase is to see how the audience responds to your content so that you can make any necessary changes before release day.

Late

Late in the pre-launch, a few days before you launch, you mention your product, what problems it solves, and where your audience can find it. You encourage them to sign up for launch-day notice and give them a reason to share the information with people they know it will help. You may host a contest or give-away around your product.

Day 11: Planning Your Product

This chapter was all about planning the product you would create. Since I've already created two products for my target audience (The Write Time: How to find all the time you need to write a book and How to Write an eBook in 40 Days (or less)), I didn't have a lot of work to do on this. I spent my day, instead, on creating the white paper I will use to attract my target audience and develop my email list.

I called it Building a Business with a Book.  It covers how to create 10 additional products from the book that you eventually write, generating additional revenue streams with only a moderate level of additional work required to get there. I'm hoping this offering will be appealing to my target audience of people considering building a work-from-home business with very little start-up capital as it shows them how writing one book can be the basis of so much more.

I really like the product I created, but I must confess I'm not utterly sold on how it wraps up. It seems lame. I may go ahead and do some research into recommendations for ending a white paper in a way that makes it a truly effective sales tool.  The next item I plan to work on finishing up is the rewrite of my How to Write an eBook in 40 Days or less so that I can have it out and available for sale in time. I have it set for release on October 1st, but given all the changes that I'm making on my business model, I think I may just delay it a few more months and time it for release on December 12th, the 2nd anniversary of its first release.  That will put it square in the center of the Christmas buying season and give me plenty of time to market it.

It will also give me 90 days to build the writer's platform to support it, as recommended by the other book that I'm reading. I hate to push it back on its publication date yet again, but I do have a method to the madness and it's important that I get this done but done right. As the other book told me, it's important not to rush your book to market but to make sure it is the best it can be. I want time to test the contents on many victims (cough), I mean subjects, so that I can be sure it works and works well.

Day 10: Focusing on the Sales Cycle

Today, the book is having me focus on the sales cycle. What am I going to do to attract customers to me and to then get them to the point where they are ready to buy from me? The mistake we made with our last business was that we didn't do this. We didn't know we were supposed to do it. I cringe when I think about just how much we didn't know.

Stage 1: Drawing her to the website

Cammy's interest is in starting a work-from-home business. I want to attract her attention, then, by offering a free download of 10 ways that she can use her book to create a successful business online in exchange for her email address so that I can open up the lines of communication with her.

Stage 2: The special event invitation

Once Cammy has signed up for the free download, I'll send her a special offer to join a free webinar with other prospects that shares my own journey to entrepreneurship as an author and explores the realities of what it takes, what they need to do to make it happen, and the best tools to acquire to help them do it. 

Stage 3: The writer's group and the ebook offering

At the end of the webinar, I will give her an invitation to join a totally free online writer's group where they can share ideas, get feedback, and find help staying motivated. If she shows up to the writer's group, I will offer them a free pdf download of the workbook if she purchases The Write Time ebook as a way of helping her to find the time she needs to write at the end of that.

Stage 4: The free consultation

If she takes advantage of The Write Time ebook offer, I will offer her a free consultation.  The consultation allows me to assess her writing readiness - her commitment to writing a book, whether or not I am the right fit for her goals, and then I can either help her find an idea or clarify which idea she wishes to work on if there are multiple ideas.

Stage 5: The retreat/class/book offering

If she takes advantage of the free consultation, and I feel it is appropriate, I will offer her a chance to join a 5 day writer's retreat where we will finish the book over 40 hours. If that isn't an option, I will offer an online class that will take place over 40 days. If that isn't an option, I will direct them to the book on how to write a book in 40 days. 

Day 9: What Drives Your Client

Yesterday, I talked about my ideal client and who she is. Today, the instructions are to focus on what my ideal client wants.  Why is she interested in working with me? What leads her to reach out and respond to my books, videos, seminars, etc.?

What My Client Wants

Cammy wants to have more time to spend with her husband and children. She wants less stress about the bills and the money. She wants to feel that her life is meaningful and that she has made a positive contribution to the world around her. She wants to help make the world a better place by bringing the love of Christ to others because she knows what a difference it has made in her own life and she knows it can make that same difference in the lives of others. She wants to create a product, an income, and a legacy that her children can inherit.

Cammy wants a book that will teach her how to write a book in 40 days so that she can start her business sooner rather than later. She wants blog articles that will teach her how to transform that book into a business. She wants videos that will help her get past the trouble spots as she encounters them. She wants software that will automate some of the writing process so that it's less tedious. She wants private coaching that will guide her in finding her own personal message and targeting the audience that needs that message most. She wants to join a group of writers who will help her to stay motivated and provide her feedback on her writing when she needs it. She wants to attend writer's retreats that will give her a chance to step away from her family life for a short time to focus on the writing of her book and get it done on time.  She wants to attend conferences that will help her to network with other writers, publishers, agents, and editors. She wants classes that will help guide her through the writing process from beginning to ending.

Where do your clients find you?

Clients usually find me through social groups both on and offline and through personal connections. They have usually followed my work for a while before they decide to hop on board and become clients. They are confident of my work, confident I know what I am doing, and that I can help them do what they need to do. What is important is that my clients need to feel like they know me and can trust me before they are ready to buy from me. They have to be sure that I can deliver.

When do they look for you?

My clients look for me when they are serious about taking action on making a change. Sometimes they are absolutely sick of their job and need an exit strategy in place first. Sometimes they have a business but it isn't working the way they want it to work. Sometimes they have a book they've finished but they feel like its missing something. Sometimes they have a book they've worked on but they're stalled out and don't know where to take it next. Sometimes they are tired of having their dream but never doing anything about it.

The tipping point is always different. Maybe it is a mid-life crisis moment where they realize that time is short and life will not last forever, so the time to act is now. Maybe it comes from a layoff that compels them to find a better and more stable financial model. Maybe it comes when their boss has passed them over for a promotion one too many times in favor of people who are less competent and less capable.  Maybe it is a child's need that drives them to seek out the extra income.

Why does my client choose me?

I have proven experience getting a book written. I am likeable, personable, and nurturing. I am patient with the questions that she has, and good at explaining things to her. Being around me makes her feel more confident in her abilities and secure that she can accomplish her goals. I respond quickly to her needs and am thorough in the help that I provide.  When she tells me things in confidence, she knows that she can trust me not to share it with the world. 

She knows that I won't steal her work or her ideas. She knows that I will put her needs ahead of my own and go out of my way to support her in the work that she is trying to accomplish. She also knows that if I recommend something to her or suggest that she buy something, it's not because I am looking to make a quick buck but because it will really help her. I have used it myself and I know that it works. She knows that she will not only get something out of it, but will get far more out of it than she pays to receive it.

How do I want my client to connect with me?

I prefer that she contact me first for a consultation on her book or book idea so that I can get a feel for where she is at in the process and how committed she is to her dreams. I know that, until they are ready to commit, most people who visit a website will not reach out for human interaction. If she reaches out and asks for it, it is because I have won her over and earned a place as a trusted advisor. This will make it easier for me to guide her through the journey up ahead of her because she's willing to listen to what I have to say.

Day 8: Describing my target client

Name: Camille (Cammy) Lawrence
Age: 36
Marital Status: Married with children
Number and ages of children: 9, 6, and 3
Religion: Catholic
Goal: To work from home
Motivation: To spend more time with her children and family
Conflict: She doesn't have a huge amount of money to invest
Epiphany: She has the talent for writing, and writing a book is a way to start a business with minimal investment
Story: Cammy discovers that she is expecting baby number 4, and suddenly her dream of working from home becomes a lot more urgent. She doesn't want to miss out on this baby's milestones the way she had to with the other three. However, the family needs her income so she can't afford to abandon her job without replacing the money.  She does some research on home based businesses, and decides that dusting off her minor in English literature and combining that with her major in Business Administration is probably the best way to go. She decides to write a book as her first product in a business she can run out of her home. She contacts me for her free consultation, we brainstorm ideas together, and she signs up for my class.  40 Days later she has the rough draft of her book in hand and we then work together to polish, edit, proof-read, put a cover on it, and publish it.

Cammy has been married for 12 years. She and her husband live in the suburbs. They own a 3 bedroom home and have 2 cats, a dog, and a hamster.  Cammy's faith is a huge part of her life, but it wasn't always. She'd like to be more active in her church, but her job demands curtail that possibility. She wants to help share the beauty of the Catholic faith with others. A tall, green-eyed brunette, she is friendly, outgoing, and usually has a big smile on her face. She tends to encourage the people around her and is the first to offer help to those she sees in need.

She is motivated and knows what she wants, but she's open to suggestions when she sees the merit of them. She lives an active life, is involved in her community, and is always reading, learning, and growing.  She is passionate about life and is a very vibrant, uplifting person to be around.  She's playful and fun-loving but intense in the pursuit of her passions.

What I like most about working with Cammy is that she and I can talk about the deeper things of life. We may not always agree on them, but we value each other's point of view. She understands that there is a benefit to collaborating with others on a project. She values my input and experience, but she's not interested in having me do the work for her. She's also not the kind of person to quit on a dream just because things get tough, or to make excuses for why she can't.  She'll ask for help when she really needs it, but she approaches her work with a "how can I" rather than "I don't think I can" attitude. Cammy's as much a friend as she is a client. We respect one another's gifts and talents and time.

Day 7: Cost Analysis and Visions of the Future

The first chapter from How to Build a Powerful Writer's Platform in 90 Days instructs you to do several things: first, figure out how much the book has actually cost you to produce by calculating the amount of time and money you've invested into it and the value of those things; second, calculate how many books you must sell in order to recoup that money by dividing your cost of production by the amount of profits per book you will make; third, to calculate - based on a 2-3% response rate - how large a following you must have in order to make that many sales; and fourth, to envision what a day as a successful author with a large fan following will be like for you.

There are three books that I'm working on producing right now. I'll use my How to Write book as an example. It took me 8 weeks to produce the rough draft. It will likely take me another 8 weeks to produce the second draft. Six more weeks after that for editing and proof reading.  I produced my own book cover, so I don't have to pay someone to do that for me, but it's a value of $200 worth of work. I'll likely want to pay someone this time around to have it edited, so add in another $500.  The total production hours are 320 at 40 an hour which means $12,800 worth of work. Add the $200 for the cover that brings it to $13,000 and then the $500 for editing and $500 for marketing, for a total of $14,000 to produce.

I intend to charge $20 per book. It will cost me $5 per book to print, so my profit is $15. That means I need to sell a minimum of 935 copies. For every 1000 people on my mailing list, I can expect 20 of those to take action and buy the book. That means I need 47,000 people on my mailing list in order to hit the break even point, and 50,000 to actually turn a profit. That's not impossible to do, but it will require a lot of work on my part. I could charge more, but I run the risk of alienating the audience and making them skeptical of its value.

Here is how I will spend my day as a successful author who is "helping writers get from chapter one to done so you can write the world a better place". I spend the morning checking fan mail, logging it and the subject matter along with my notes for following up. I will follow up with fan mail in one of three ways: video, blog post, or personal thank you.

Blog posts come if several people are asking the same question. Video responses will be for questions or letters that are somehow unique and interesting.  I will then spend the next couple of hours checking and responding to social media outlets such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. After that, it's time to work on my next book, inspired by the needs expressed by my fans. Finally, it's time to craft and post the next blog post. Once a week I will do a book signing, once a week I will give a free seminar either online or in person, and twice a week I will host writing classes.

Day 6: The Book List Revealed

It is much to my chagrin that I did not have far to look for the books that I needed to put on this list. The vast majority of them were already on my Kindle - books purchased long ago but, as with many of the books on it, not thoroughly enough digested. Rushed and hurried, like too many of my projects.

Book Marketing:
1) How to Build a Powerful Writer's Platform in 90 Days by Austin Briggs

• How to build a genuine online platform and cultivate an audience;
• How to generate buzz around your book; 
• How to launch a book successfully using only social media; 
• How to make sure your book lives up to the hype you're about to build;
• 90-day calendar where I show you what you need to do every day to succeed.

2) Author Publicity Pack by Shelly Hitz and Heather Heart

• 41 Places to Promote Your Book For Free
• 600+ Places for Authors to Get Exposure for Their Books Through Guest Blogging
• 8 Free Press Releases Submission Sites
• 8 Places to Get Book Reviews
• 20 Book Awards for Which You Can Submit Your Book
• 5 Media Sources for Authors
• 43 Paid Advertising Resources
• 5 Virtual Bookshelves and Forums
• 34 Facebook Groups for Book Promotion
• And More!

3) 61 Ways to Sell More Non-Fiction Kindle Books by Steve Scott

• 10 Pillars of a Rock-Solid Kindle Business (Strategies #1 to #10)
• 4 Rules of Internal Book Marketing (Strategies #11 to #14)
• Maximize Your Amazon Book Listing (Strategies #15 to #21)
• Using the Author Page to Sell More Books (Strategies #22 to #27)
• Increase Book Sales with Free KDP Select Promotions (Strategies #28 to #32)
• How Pricing Affects Your Total Books Sales (Strategies #33 to #37)
• How to Build a Loyal Audience with an Author Platform (Strategies #38 to #41)
• Why an Email List is the Ultimate Author Platform (Strategies #42 to #46)
• Advanced Book Sales Techniques (Strategies #47 to #52)
• Follow "White-Hat" Kindle Practices (Strategies #53 to #58)
• The Mindset of a Best-Selling Kindle Author (Strategies #59 to #61)

4) Secrets to EBook Publishing Success by Mark Coker

• 30 secrets of the bestselling self-published ebook authors.

5) Email Marketing Blueprint by Steve Scott

• Five Pillars of Successful List Building
• Why "Free" Is the Best Way to Build an Email List
• Three Long-Term Email Marketing Strategies
• How to Perfectly Blend Autoresponders with Broadcast Messages
• 12 Types of Email Marketing Messages (and When to Use Each)
• How ONE Page Can Build Your Email List
• Six List-Building WordPress Tools
• How to Create Compelling, "Click-Worthy" Subject Lines
• How to Time the Delivery of Email Messages
• Nine Crucial List-Building Guidelines
• How to Drive Traffic to an Email List

Finding books on formatting the interior of books was much more difficult than I expected it to be. Apparently it isn't a topic given much thought. However, here are some blog pages I found which give guidelines on the expectations of professional book formatting:

http://1106design.com/services/interior-layout-ebook/

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2011/04/book-design-to-sell-5-book-interior-page-layout-mistakes-to-avoid/

The book designer also provides a free downloadable book on formatting your self-published book. 

The book I located on the subject is out of my price range at the moment, but is at the top of my list of items to purchase in the future:

Book formatting for Self-Publishers, a Comprehensive How-to Guide by Jennette Green

By the time I've finished reading the other books, I should be ready to buy this book and put it into action.

My reading action plan:

1) Read chapter one of the four books on marketing that I've got each day and compile the results.  It's a lot of reading, but it will be worth it if I can gain in the knowledge I need to succeed. I'll post what I learn from those books after each reading.

Day 5: Putting it together

Today's lesson for Book Yourself Solid involves taking all the pieces I've already worked to create and putting them together into a solid presentation.

1.4.1
Part I: Summarize your target market in one sentence
I help writers.

Part II: Identify and summarize their three biggest challenges
a) Lack of confidence
b) Lack of clarity
c) Lack of inspiration

Part III: List how you solve these problems and present clients with investable opportunities
a) I help them overcome their obstacles so they can achieve success.
b) I help them identify their personal message.
c) I help them find ideas that work for their personal message.

Part IV: Demonstrate the number one most relevant result you help your clients achieve
I help them finish their book.

Part V: Reveal the deeper core benefits your clients experience
My clients experience
a) The Financial benefit of a saleable product (their book)
b) The Emotional benefit of a tremendous boost to their self-confidence and a physical proof that they can finish a project even if they've failed a thousand times before
c) The Spiritual benefit of knowing that their work makes a positive difference in the lives of others
d) The Physical Benefits of stress relief with the additional income source you've provided

2.5.1 Answer the following:
a) In what areas are you currently an expert?
 - I am an expert in helping beginning writers get their first book finished.
 - I am an expert in finding time to write when you have a busy schedule

b) In what areas do you need to develop your expertise?
 - I need to develop my expertise in rewriting the fiction book
 - I need to develop my expertise in marketing books
 - I need to develop my expertise in formatting self-published books

c) What promises can you make and deliver to your target market that will position you as an expert?
 - I can promise that I can show writers how to find more time to write
 - I can promise that I can help writers finish their first book

d) What promises would you like to make and deliver to your target market but don't yet feel comfortable with?
 - I would like to promise them that I can teach them to format their books beautifully
 - I would like to promise them that I can teach them how to make their book a best seller

e) What do you need to do to become comfortable at making and delivering those promises?
 - I need to learn best practices for formatting books
 - I need to learn best practices for book marketing

2.5.2 If there was one thing you could be known for within your target market, what would it be?
- The developing writer's success counselor

2.5.3. What do you need to learn to become a category authority in the area you'd like to be known for?
 - Book formatting, book marketing, fiction rewriting

2.5.4. List the ways in which you could learn the things you identified in the preceding written exercise?
 - Book formatting: books, online tutorials
 - Book marketing: books, online tutorials, classes, mentoring programs
 - Fiction rewriting: mentoring or training programs, books, other fiction writers

2.5.5. Research and list 5 books that meet the preceding criteria
Actually, I think I'll save this for tomorrow.  I'll do the research and post the results in tomorrow's blog.

Day 4: Personal Branding Part 2

Why do we write? What is it that a writer hopes to gain out of writing? It certainly isn't the money. That's not likely to come soon, if it ever comes at all.  It certainly isn't the fame. The reality is that most of us will have our books read by maybe 100 people at the most over the course of our lifetime. It certainly isn't encouragement.  We meet so many people who tear us down, tell us we can't, face us with the facts and data that seem to suggest our failure. Yet, in spite of all this, we plug along and we continue to write.  Why?  What is the compelling force that drives us to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and write in spite of the evidence against us?

I have yet to meet anyone who was good at writing for whom this next statement was not true: books changed our lives. They were our safe place, our refuge, our teachers and guides in an often confusing world. They changed our lives in fundamental ways.  I think this urge to write comes from this belief that if books changed our lives, maybe by writing our own book we, too, can make a difference. We can change things for the better in our world. We can add our voices to the dialogue and make ourselves heard above the noise.

Why do I want to help other writers? What about that appeals to me? I think we all have gifts, things that we were born in this life to do. I know I was born to teach people how much God loves them. Writing is one of the ways that I do that, but more importantly by reaching out to the writers around me I can influence the influencers as they say in marketing. I can multiply the potential for impact by impacting those who are going to make a difference. I have a gift for teaching, and a gift for writing, and by helping other writers I combine those two gifts. This is why I want to do what I do - to help writers change the world by changing the hearts of the people who live in it.

I think when you are feeling down and discouraged as a writer and you're facing writer's block that seems like it might as well be Mount Everest for all your hopes of getting past it, or you've struggled and struggled to put into words the idea for a book that you know you have inside of you to no avail, you can start to forget why you write. You can lose sight of the fact that your writing has the power to make a positive difference in the world, and you may not realize that the world really does need you to make that difference.  It's a difference that only you can make, too.  Nobody else has your words, nobody else has your message. Nobody else has lived the experiences that you have lived.

That's why writers need someone like me. Not to put words in their mouth or tell them things they already know, but to help remind them of their message and how important it is that they share it. If they don't know their message, I can help them find it. If they know it and are having trouble putting it into words, I can help them figure out how to say what needs to be said because that's what I'm good at doing. That's what I was born to do.

Here's a summary of who I help and what I do: I help writers change the world for the better by changing lives. I'm the one to call when you're ready to write the world a better place. There it is. That's my tagline: Call me when you're ready to write the world a better place.

Day 3: Personal Branding

Today with Book Yourself Solid I'm working on Chapter 3: Personal Branding. It starts out by exploring personal failures - moments when you've sold out or compromised your integrity or settled for less.

1.3.1 Ways in which you've sold out, settled for less, or compromised your integrity
 - Ghost blogging. I liked getting paid for writing, but I got no credit for doing it and it wasn't something I did because I wanted to do it but because I was desperate for the money.
 - Painting the "who cut one" tree scape. It made me sad to do it.
- Installing wordpress templates on a site when you know your site design is better but they want to look like everyone else. Makes me feel drained by the effort and totally useless.

1.3.2. Times when you've felt alive and vibrant - fully self-expressed
 - Designing the covers for the writers I have helped
 - Discussing book concepts and seeing them help the writers I know
 - Coming up with book ideas
 - Writing my own books

I don't want to ghost write. If I am going to help, I want them to develop their ideas themselves. I don't mind collaborating on a work, but I don't want to have a portfolio of work I can't show anyone else.

1.3.6. Write down one of your most important intentions as it relates to your business
 - I intend to book myself solid (hey, I'm borrowing from the author, but it's true for me)

1.3.7. Potential conflicting Intentions for the Intention you Identified
 - If I book myself solid, when will I have time to write my own books?
 - If I book myself solid, will I be able to live up to the promises I've made?

1.3.8. Answer the following questions: How are you unique? What three things make you memorable? What are special talents you have been good at since you were a kid? What do people always complement you on? What do you love or never grow tired of talking about in your personal life? What do you want to say that you would never grow tired of talking about when asked about your work?
 - How am I unique? In the words of a friend of mine - "uniquely creative" - I literally just bust at the seams with creativity on all fronts
 - What makes me memorable? Strong convictions, willingness to help, fun-loving nature
 - What are my special talents? Inventing good stories, teaching, analyzing, singing
 - Things people always compliment me on? People are always complementing me on my singing, on my ability to write and to tell stories
 - What do I love and never grow tired of talking about in my personal life? I never get tired of talking about love (God is love!) and about human relationships.
 - When asked about my work, I never get tired of talking about how what I do impacts lives for the better by helping people understand and find important truths about relationships

Okay, so what I do is that I help writers find and share their unique message with the world. I do it because I want to make the world a better place, and I believe that writing does just that.  Refining it. I do this work because I want to teach people how much God loves them. I'm making the world a better place by helping people find their unique love messages and sharing those with the world.

Love messages. Love letters. The knowledge that inside of you is a unique love letter from God to the world, and it is your job to deliver that message because you, as a writer, were born to do just that.
Making the world a better place by helping writers find and deliver their unique love letters to the world. I help writers find and deliver their unique love letters to the world because the world can always use more love. Mmmm...going to have to spend some time thinking about the tagline. That'll probably be a post for tomorrow.

Day 2: Choosing a Direction

Day 1 felt good. It told me who I do want to work with and who isn't on that list. I don't know that I'm much closer to having a solid business plan, but I'm a step closer.  Today's topic in the Book Yourself Solid playbook is choosing a target market. This is the group of people where your ideal clients are most likely to be found. Your target market must be specific enough and it must be the right one for you.

I have decided that I want to help writers, and not just any writers but writers at that crucial beginning stage of the process when they are still developing their ideas. My friends who are writers have told me I'm kind of a "book muse" - I am good at helping them to develop concepts and brainstorm ideas. I'm especially good at helping fiction writers, although I'm good with non-fiction writers, too. Concept development assistance for writers is too wordy, but it's the service I provide.  I am a book muse and I provide concept development assistance for writers. I could see introducing myself that way. The Book Muse: Providing concept development assistance for writers.

Question is - would anyone pay me for that service and how much should I charge? Is there a way to automate such a service?

1.2.4 What are five of your clients' urgent needs?
- To find an idea for a direction to head with a story
- To finish their book on time
- To come up with an idea for a story
- To overcome writer's block
- To clarify their ideas and select the one that works best

After looking over this list, I wonder if perhaps there are editors who would appreciate having someone they can call to help inspire authors that are struggling. I think it would be a valuable service to book companies and might well be a way to earn income while getting to work with the very people I enjoy working with most.  Oh, and agents. That's another possibility.

1.2.5 What are five of your clients' compelling desires
 - To support their families with their writing
 - To achieve success
 - To keep their fan base happy and growing
 - To get their message out there
 - To be able to write full-time

1.2.6 What is the biggest result I provide?
- Get your book finished! (for authors)
- Your client's book finished (for agents)
- The book finished on time (for editors)

The Financial, Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual Rewards.  These must be evident before clients will purchase and the minimum they should receive in terms of return on investment is 20 times what you are asking them to pay.  People aren't buying what you do, they are buying the solutions you provide.

1.2.7. What are the deep-rooted benefits clients will experience as a result of your services?
 - Relief from the stress of worrying about finishing your book
 - Confidence in the direction your book is heading
 - Pleasing fans without selling out
 - Connect more powerfully with the message that you want to share and the people who need it most
 - Have more time doing the writing you love and less time worrying about moving past writer's block

Day 1: Rebooting the Business

I've struggled to put together a successful business for as long as I can remember. My first "business" was picking weeds for neighbors at age 4. My first "business plan" I came up with at age 5. It was simple, elegant, inventive, and imaginative. My plan was to pick blackberries, because they grew for free, smoosh them up, allow the juices to dry out, scrape up the residue and package it as my own kool-aid packets for 10 cents per packet. Naturally, this plan did not work. I had failed to calculate the cost of labor and the sheer volume of berries required to produce much money.

For the last three years, I had a business that wasn't successful but it was supporting us. That collapsed in on itself in July and my husband and I have been scrambling to figure out an alternative.  I decided to do two things: Take a class in evaluating entrepreneurial ideas from Coursera and read through the entirety of Michael Port's Book Yourself Solid and blog the results of the exercises.

I have a lot of skills and talents, just haven't really been able to put together a solid plan to market those and attract clients. I'm hoping that between the two classes, I can figure it out. It at least may give me an idea for a direction to head and an honest assessment of what I need to do to make things work more long-term this time.

One of the first things he says that I really, really like is this, "When I began my business, I would work with anyone who had a pulse and a checkbook. Then I began to consider what it would mean to choose my clients. What it would mean to work only with clients that were ideal for me."

When we were running Creative Technology Services, that's where we were. We would accept whatever work came our way out of desperation, fearing that nothing else would. As a result, we often wound up working on projects that didn't really fit us and our abilities very well.  We didn't enjoy the work and we weren't doing our best work because of it.  That's one thing I want to change this time. I want to work with people who motivate and inspire me to want to work with them.  I want to know that helping them means making a positive difference in the world around me.

Exercise 1.1.1. Name the characteristics or behaviors you refuse to tolerate because they shut you down or turn you off?

I can't stand working with clients who are bullies, who think that they need to harass or badger people to get things done faster. I don't want to work with clients who look down on me or think I'm just another servant at their command. I won't work with clients who want me to do everything for them. I can't read minds, so I don't want clients who expect me to do that. I hate working with clients who don't take themselves or my time seriously. I don't want to work with clients who aren't sure where they are going or who change directions constantly.  I can't work with clients who won't listen or take advice.  I need to be sure that the clients I work with know how to communicate their ideas and expectations clearly.

Exercise 1.1.2. Of your past/current clients who should not have gotten past the red velvet rope protecting you and your business?

Looking at the past, most of the clients we took on should not have gotten past the red velvet rope. Of course, we didn't really have a rope. We had an open gate, and that was part of the problem.

Exercise 1.1.3. Dump the dud clients

This one isn't hard to do. It's pretty much happened on its own, which is why our business isn't functioning right now. Lesson learned from this experience: Dumping them before you get involved preserves your sanity and the reputation of your business.  As he says in the book, "You owe it to these clients to refer them to someone who can, and will, do their best work with them."

Exercise 1.1.4 Define Your Ideal Client

My ideal client has a specific goal they want to achieve and they have a plan in place to achieve that goal.  They know what they want, but are open to suggestions and input. They recognize that working with me will be a collaborative effort and they are prepared to provide feedback on what they like and don't like in a constructive manner. They are pleasant, even-tempered, and ask questions rather than make assumptions. They understand that I have bills to pay just as they do and are as prompt as possible in payment when the terms of service are met.  They believe in themselves and are generally optimistic.

Exercise 1.1.5 Who Among Your Current Clients Fits This?

Since I am reinventing my business and may not be doing the same things I have been doing in the past, I think I will approach this from an "I don't have clients yet" standpoint.  I know I have absolutely loved working with my developing writers in writer's group, and I seem to have a special gift for helping them to find and develop ideas for their writing.

Exercise 1.1.6 Why Do You Enjoy Working with Them?

I enjoy seeing them go from having this seed of a dream to fulfilling it for the first time. I love being part of that process for them, of watching them come alive as they realize for the first time - maybe in their whole lives - that they can write and that what they write is worth something. That's what gets me going about the whole process of working with writers.

Exercise 1.1.7. What Would Your Ideal Clients Absolutely Need to Possess in order to work for them?

I need them to be committed to writing, to have a strong message they want to share, a recognition that they don't have all the answers, and an ability to take constructive criticism. They need to be people of strong faith, and people who hold themselves accountable for the results rather than blaming others. They also need to be willing and able to pay, because I have to pay my bills in order to be available to help them.