Passionately on Purpose with Cara Lumen, Your Idea Optimizer

What My Search for a Bissell Sweeper Taught Me about Marketing

January 8, 2012 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

This is really a story about targeted persistence.

I wanted to replace my small hand-run Bissell sweeper that I keep handy for light sweeping between major vacuuming. So I went on line to Amazon and looked around. I put a couple of models in my cart but did not make a purchase.

For Amazon that could have been the end of the story because I ultimately found what I wanted locally. But Amazon doesn’t give up; it kept sending me options – sweepers on sale or sweepers like the ones I was interested in.

They kept trying to fill my need!!!!!

That is so brilliant and so basic. Our products and services must fill the needs and wants of our target community.

Sometimes we have to educate our target community

Perhaps we need to help our target community understand what our product or service can do for them. We can help them see how they will benefit from using it and what it will help them accomplish. We can talk about the change they will experience. I’d never heard of a lightweight electric Bissell. How long did it run between charging? How good was its suction? I read the promotional material and I made a decision that was different than the one I started out with.

Sometimes we need to show why we are unique

When I found what I wanted in a local store I had two choices with a little different price range. What made one better or more appropriate for my use than the other? What makes you unique? What about your work is different from others and won’t be duplicated anyplace else. We need to let them know about that. Our personal uniqueness and how we express it will ultimately provide the final attraction. They will identify more with us than with someone else.

Sometimes we need to build trust

I trust Amazon. They have earned it over time. I trust the Bissell brand because it’s been around for years. What are you doing in your business to help people trust you, to know that you will over deliver and the quality will be outstanding?

Be persistent, not annoying

Since I bought my sweeper elsewhere there will be a point where I don’t want Amazon to send me any more suggestions on sweepers and I bet you they know when to quit. But what if I still wanted a sweeper? What if I hadn’t found what I wanted? What if I felt better about spending the money on it a few weeks later? There are many factors that influence a purchase. Time and the degree of desire are primary. A little persistence can go a long way. But know when to quit.

How do you put this lesson into action?

Look for and understand the needs of your community. You can find that in the comments on your blog, the questions from your clients, the ideas expressed in the blogs you follow. Then you need to adjust your approach to include what you find.

Keep showing up

I’m a business coach and everyone who has joined my community knows it. However, in a recent newsletter when I wrote a gentle observation on what I can do for others in my coaching capacity it inspired several people to step forward to work with me. They had been considering it and were finally ready. My nudge was low-key and gentle. And I had been consistently showing up in the form of my emagazine.

I don’t remember the statistics and they may have changed but at one point I was told that a contact has to be made nine times before a sale is made. That’s a lot of gentle persistence. What are you doing to continue to deepen your relationship with your target community?

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: build community, build trust, Marketing

This Day is Mine

December 12, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

I opened the door

And the day tumbled in,

Clear, joyous, full of Life.

Puffy white clouds

Float peacefully above.

Yellow, pink, purple and salmon glowers

Wave "Good Morning" from my patio garden.

Peace comes to my heart.

This day is mine,

Every nook and cranny of it,

To sense, to savor, to hold.

I listen to Spirit for Guidance,

I open myself to signals and signs,

I hold my vision in my heart,

And step forth into life.

Cara Lumen

March 27, 1997

Spring Equinox

Filed Under: Cara's Poetry Tagged With: inspiration, Personal Development

How to Free the Logjam of Your Ideas

December 2, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

Sometimes the need to make only one decision creates a log jam that holds you firmly in place. Once that necessary decision is identified and you make your choice, it will free up all the other ideas you have blocked up behind it and you’ll be on your way.

The logjam decision for me was around pricing

I finished my latest ebook several weeks before I offered it because I had to decide on a price. It’s really hard after months of work to not see your completed project as having great value. I know the benefits they will receive from using my ideas. I know how valuable my work is, but do others? I knew the ball park figure I just had to make a choice. Then I could set up my landing page and send the book on its way. With that one decision made and I was good to go.

The log jam was slow to unfold

I had been procrastinating so long over making that one pricing decision that it took me a few days to overcome the next minor log jam, the technical steps I needed to take to put the book online. It’s not hard to put a new ebook up on my web site and blogs; it just takes time and concentration. I had already been sitting on my new book for days trying to make the pricing decision and then I was faced with the technical steps of interconnecting all the parts of the delivery and promotion of the book. Between the time I finished the book and finally faced up to taking the technical steps I took a put-it-off detour. I wrote the outline for my next book and had a great idea for a brand new book totally off my regular topic. Creating something new was so much more exciting than the mundane task of putting a completed project out the door. However, in the end the satisfaction of finally making that book available to others overcame my putting off tactics. Give your logjam time to unfold.

Make a choice, any choice

There are all sorts of variations on a decision and the “rightness” of each one depends on where you are at the moment. I picked a price. That was the major log jam. I can always change it. I can always bundle that book with others. After I broke up that log jam I was free to take my next steps. The desire to reach the end promised such great fulfillment that I set about putting the book up on my sites. Make a choice, any choice. It will free up that log jam and get you going.

Making a decision is freeing

It takes but a heartbeat to make a decision. It doesn’t take much longer than that to put it into play. What decisions are you putting off? Why are you putting them off? You can’t possibly know the long term repercussions of your decision; all you can know is what you need to do right now in order to move forward. When I write a new ebook I make the decisions surrounding it based on what I know at the moment and what my target community needs from me at the moment. Those same choices may not hold true a year from now but by then I’ll have written and published my book.

One decision will eliminate idea clutter

Every time we make a decision that idea clutter falls away and we are left with a clearer picture of what we want to create. I’m writing a series of 12 ebooks in my How to Craft series. I also am interested in creating a new telecourse. For a while I considered doing both. It would mean a lot of work. It would mean a delay in the completion of the series. I had to make a choice. I had to observe the difference between my personal priority and my business priority. Since having fun and enjoying what I do is a high priority, I chose to let the teleclass show up when I’m ready to focus on it and I will continue to work on completing the ebook series. It was a relief to let go of that second idea for awhile. I’m still going to do it I just don’t have a date. I will keep collecting ideas and resources, of course, and put them in a file so that when I am ready for that project I’ll have a great head start. But meanwhile I’ll focus on the choice at hand. Choose the project size that works for here and now and make it happen.

Where is your logjam? What decision do you need to make that will release those stuck ideas that will set you free to send those ideas off to market?

Is Your Motor Running on Idle?

October 31, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

I have just played hooky from my regular routine and didn’t understand my unwillingness to do most of the things I could/should be doing. Then I realized I was running my motor on idle and that was actually a good thing.

You idle before you change gears

Now that I’ve had my mental and physical break from working my business I see that backing off from your routine gives you a new perspective. Taking time to focus on another aspect of your life like entertainment or physical activity or friendship brings the value of those pursuits back into focus and gives you the space to make some more conscious choices. Idling is about preparing for change. It’s not about making decisions; it’s about backing off so you can look ahead with a new perspective.

Those darn “should’s”

If you’re like me there are a zillion things you should do to make your business bigger, better, and more lucrative. There are so many choices that even the contemplation of those choices can make you weary. As I come out of my idle time I can take a better look at what I think I should be doing in the first place. Do I really need or want to write that many blog posts – is that becoming a chore rather than a joy? How many coaching clients do I really want? Do I want my days swamped in service or do I need some balance? Look carefully at what you decided someplace along the line that you should do and see if that still holds true. Make some new choices. Release what no longer brings you pleasure and makes room for more nourishing activities.

Those exciting could’s

Here’s where a lot of us really get into trouble, we see a lot of exciting possibilities and want to try for most of them. Coming out of idle I realize I would like to live with less pressure. Since I’m the one making up the deadlines I choose for myself I’m also the one that can change them. There is a course I want to teach but if I decide on a specific deadline some of the joy of creation will be taken away as I have to push myself to get it ready by a certain time. My coming out of idle decision is that I want more time to focus on fitness and play so my choice is that that course will be written whenever it gets written and offered whenever it gets offered. The whole point of doing our business is to have a great time doing it. How will the could’s you are considering affect your daily life experience?

Choose your priorities

What are your priorities at this particular point in your life? How in balance or out of balance is your current schedule? I used to work my business pretty much all the time. I love to create so I was always working a new project with a deadline as well as maintaining my coaching clients. There was no time for much else. Now I want to take time to watch a sunset, or walk in the sunshine, or read a good novel. I choose more simplicity in my life and more serenity. I want to write more philosophical posts. I want time to take myself gently into this next phase of my life. I want time for me.

Slow down

My five days on idle revolved around doing jigsaw puzzles. Your mind is active but you know the outcome. I didn’t have to plan or meet a deadline or work on my next book. I just sorted our little pieces of cardboard – for days. It obviously met a need or I wouldn’t have been so reluctant to return to work. I played hooky. I changed my rhythm. I stopped the pressure. I zoned out. I backed off. I put my motor on idle while I allowed my subconscious to rearrange my priorities and help me realize the new choices I want to make. There will now be regular yoga, consistent and ever-lengthening walks. There will be much gazing out the window at the sunsets. There will be writing my “How to Craft series” but at whatever speed those books unfold that gives me pleasure in doing them. I want my life to be active but I want to eliminate as many self inflicted deadlines as possible. I want to take pleasure in what I do; I want to savor the joy of crafting an article or completing another ebook or helping a client take a giant step. I want to savor my life. That’s what I learned when my motor went on idle.

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: Business Development, change, choice

What a Jigsaw Puzzle Can Teach You about Project Management

October 1, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

Working jigsaw puzzles is an organizer’s dream. Every step is about sorting in smaller and more connected elements while keeping the end result in mind. Just like project management.

Choose a project that appeals to you

It’s no fun to work on an ugly puzzle or even one that is too easy or too hard. You have to pick the best project for you at this point in time. If you are not enthusiastic about the end result you will achieve, if you will not be proud of your end product after you have completed it, choose a different project. You don’t want to spend a lot of time working on something that is not fun, satisfying, stimulating, rewarding and has a great end result. There are thousands of potential projects from which to choose. Choose one you can get excited about.

Handle the logistics

When I started working jigsaw puzzles in my living room I had three problems, a cat that would inevitably end up on top of it, the fact that it took up a good portion of the room for as long as I chose to work on it and I had no real way to put it away for another time. Once I started it I lived with it until it was completed. I solved the cat problem by doing the puzzle on the cardboard back of a poster whose frame broke. I work on the cardboard and put the plastic “glass” on top when I stop work to protect it from my cat. I could solve the putting away part by investing in a jigsaw carrying case. Before you begin a project solve some of the logistics. Can you fit this work into your schedule? Will you rely on others for part of the work and how booked are they? What equipment, knowledge, and reference material do you need before you begin? Beginning a project is like preparing to take a long trip; you need to take your car in for a complete check up to be sure it can make the trip. Plan ahead for all the elements and working environment you will need for your project.

Sort the pieces

My improvised jigsaw puzzle system includes 12 clear plastic plates that I sort the different colors into. I can use these plates to work on one color scheme at a time. It allows me to focus only on that particular aspect. Look at your project and divide it up into segments. Put a time line on each segment so you know how far ahead of the deadline you have to begin working on it in order to complete it in time. What is your launch date? How far ahead do you need to start marketing? Put that on your schedule along with time to write your marketing material a few weeks before that. Do you need to schedule a completion date for each module? Chunk your project up into three to five projects. For instance if you are creating a web presence you can break that down into 1) clarify what you offer and who you offer it to, 2) define your services and your content by writing your landing page, 3) make the technical decisions on your theme and back end support hire someone to set it up and 4) write your opt in offer and Cornerstone Content that helps convert readers into community members. Each one of those steps is filled with important decision making and by doing them in order and addressing each step as a separate project piece you will avoid the overwhelm that could easily appear. Allow one action step to build on the other

Work one section at a time

In my jigsaw project I began by working with the pieces that I could easily identify. In my folk art puzzle I recognized parts of horses and buggy wheels and the specific color of each building. When I began to assemble each section I had to look at the picture and see where it fit into the overall picture. Then I could place it in the right place. I had to work with the end result in mind.

Here’s a major difference between jigsaw puzzling and a project: you know what the puzzle will look like, you know that eventually all the pieces will fit and there will be no extra ones left over. That is not true of a project. You have to pick and choose the parts and pieces you will include. You have an overall picture in mind but you design and adjust as you go. How many weeks in your teleclass? What do you need to leave out in order to teach what you really want to teach in that length of time? Do you need a follow up, second level telecourse? I developed my Magnetic Content Development System to help you manage those very decisions but this article is about sorting what you have chosen.

Sort by similarity

In my puzzle I sorted by edge pieces, trees, sky, building colors and people. One way of organizing your project is to sort by similarity of the action needed – planning, crafting, editing. On your time line allow a week for outlining your table of contents, another few days for developing your stories and interactive elements. You could work on the video for a week and could set aside time to develop the handouts and bonuses. Brain work, the decision-making process requires great uninterrupted concentration. Editing a second draft or strengthening your subheads can be done in smaller time segments.

Approach your project organization from different angles

It was easy to put together the puzzle pieces that had a pattern. It was another matter to work on the pieces that were all one color like the sky or ocean. Then I had to look at the shape of each piece, I had to try to put pieces together by looking at the parts of the piece that were sticking out and the parts of the piece that were ready to have another piece fit into them. And that’s what got me excited to write this article – as I worked I saw myself use different reasoning techniques. I wanted to explore how can apply my jigsaw organizing technique to the sorting of my ideas for a project? When you move deeply into the fine points of your project you need to examine the pieces from different angles. Does that idea belong here or is it more effective if presented over there? Change your perspective. One minute you are trying to fit the protruding pieces into the puzzle and the next you are looking at the shape of the indent in each piece to find a matching piece. As you look where to place closely aligned elements into your project come at them from different angles before you decide where to put them.

Keep looking at the whole

Every time you begin a new segment look to see how that section fits in with the whole. When you examine your project as a whole you will feel a sense of accomplishment as see how much you have accomplished. You can begin to get a feeling of the overall shape and the learning steps you use to take your participant on their journey. You can identify the elements that need more work or more time. As you work on a project periodically go back to your original outline and the landing page you wrote in the beginning to clarify your objectives and see if you are still on track. Keep referring to your original who and do what statement – the purpose of that particular project.

Keep your end result in mind, sort by the major points, work in sections keeping an eye on their place in the whole and take time to look at each piece from different angles. That’s what working a jigsaw puzzle taught me about project management.

Filed Under: Product Development Tagged With: choice, Planning, Product Development

Why Is What You Do Important?

September 15, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

We all want to feel useful. We all want to feel that what we do has meaning. How do we take what we love to do and put it in service where it can really make a difference?

Why do you do what you do?

We do what we do because we love to do it. We do what we do because we are good at it. I love to write. I love to teach. That has turned my life work into coaching and teaching and writing. Those activities fill my heart. They get me excited as I help people in person or through something I’ve written. I have this huge collection of ebooks and teleclasses and radio shows I’ve created and each one of them taught me something. I do what I do so I can learn and grow and be creative.

When I was a young housewife with four children I decided to find out why each of the men in our collection of friends did what they did for a living. One was in the same job he had gotten right out of school. Another was in his father-in-laws business. When I asked one of them what he would do differently he said he would work outside more. Too often we are unconscious about why we do what we do. But you’re in business, you’ve made a choice. Why did you make that choice?

What elements of what you do excite you? Are you interactive with people? Do you work by yourself to create something new that didn’t exist before? Do you love to use your organizational and management skills to turn around companies? Look at your passion – those things you have loved doing all your life – and be certain what you do today still contains that passion. Your passion contains your purpose.Why do you do what you do?

Why is what you do important to the people you serve?

Here’s the rub. If you love to do something and no one needs what you create you’re in a bit of a bind. Sure, you can create and keep what you do to yourself but that’s not what our life’s work is about. Our life’s work is about making a difference in the lives of someone else. That can be one person or it can be a country full of people. Whatever we do needs to be useful to others.

I’m suddenly attracting more people to sign up for my two blogs and I’m not certain why. I’m looking to see what has changed in me and what has changed in what I’m doing that is drawing more people to me. The answer is going to be in the topics I am writing about on my blogs and the fact that I am posting regularly in one article submission site. Those are the two obvious physical changes I have made – exposure and content. What is less tangible are the inner changes within me that have altered the topics I explore and how I express myself. My business focus has moved into helping people build their business from their inside out. My articles are self-examining and they are hopeful. That is important to the people who are fining me. And it is attracting new people e to my community.

Focus on the difference you can make in the lives of others. What do your services do for your community? My business is about helping people teach what they know. When you make a difference in people’s lives you make a difference in your life. Why is what you do important to the people you serve?

Why does the existence of your work matter?

We came into this world to give our gifts – those unique combinations of talent, skills, beliefs, personality and passion that make us individual. That we offer those gifts can make a difference in the lives of those around us. What is really special is when you put something out there and it makes a difference in the life of someone you don’t know. What I wrote recently touched new people and caused many of them to join my community. They wanted more from me. I have no idea what chord I touched but I do know that what I wrote came from my heart and the topics were about our inner work. My goal has always been to help those who set about to help others. My work helps them do their work better and they in turn can touch more lives. My purpose will never be about being the head of something, or running a huge organization. My purpose is about changing the world one powerful life at a time. And that is going to make a very big difference in the world. That’s why the existence of my work matters.

You never know when you will have an effect. In a telecourse I gave several years ago there was one five-minute section on forgiveness. One small section in the entire 90 minutes. At the next class one of the students shared that she had really heard that section and made moves to reconnect with her father whom she hadn’t seen for years. You just never know how your heart and your sharing will change a life.

Follow your passion

If you are passionate and excited about what you are doing you are working close to your purpose. The journey to find your purpose can be an adventure. You may explore many paths. When you find it you will sigh and settle into an inner serenity that you know will carry you forward one authentic step at a time.

When you identify your purpose and start focusing on it, others will get excited about it because you’re excited. Your enthusiasm will shine through everything you do and become contagious. When you have a purpose it helps you easily make decisions because if an idea or action doesn’t support your purpose you simply don’t do it.

Here’s your assignment, should you choose to accept it. In a quiet place center yourself and one at a time search for the answers to these three questions.

Why do you do what you do?
Why is what you do important to the people you serve?
Why does the existence of your work matter?

Out of that inner inquiry you will begin to find your true purpose. You will see why your work is important. Or you may identify the small changes you need to make in order to place yourself more deeply into service. This is your calling and it is worthy of giving it everything you have.

Filed Under: Business Development, Personal Development Tagged With: Business Development, self-awareness, vision

Are You Making the Best Use of Inner Time?

September 10, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

Have you ever looked back at your week and wondered where the time has gone? Have you thought that you wasted it, or were not as focused as you should be? Have you stared at your to do list and wonder why it looks the same? Some days we are more aware of what we are doing than others. But do you realize there are two kinds of time and both are needed for success?

Recognize the difference between inner and outer time

Inner time is what makes things happen. Outer time is simply the doing. So guess which is most important – the inner time, of course. Sometimes tapping into our inner wisdom looks like we are doing nothing – just sitting there in the sunshine watching the flowers grow. But when you allow your intuition and your inner guidance time to speak to you, the messages are awesome and tap into your deepest wisdom.

You’ll find answers in the silence

You have to be still in order to hear your inner guidance. You cannot fill your mind with plans and lists and worries. You have to let go and allow your inner wisdom to give you new insights, new ideas, and new possibilities. So where in your busy day do you schedule in silence? Or do you?

How to tap your inner well

Be a sheet of paper with nothing on it.

Be a spot of ground where nothing is growing,

Where something might be planted,

A seed, possibly, from the absolute.

— Rumi

You have to be still in order to hear. Create a daily Ritual of Renewal for yourself in which you give gratitude for what you have and open yourself to guidance for the coming day. You might create a Ritual of Completion either at the end of your work day or the end of your completed day. During those times listen, journal if you like, write in your gratitude list – whatever renews and replenishes you.

In the silence become aware of what you need to release in order to move forward. Explore your passion around certain ideas you have. See what nudges you get for possible next steps. But most of all trust what you hear in the silence.

How to capture your ideas without going off track

As entrepreneurs we have tons of ideas, each one seemingly better than the last one. However, those ideas can pull us way off track. Create an idea list and when an idea comes up, write it down, then go back to what you were doing. You have captured the concept, it is there waiting for you, and you can stay focused on the task at hand. Some of my best ideas come just as I wake up. I immediately capture them on my idea list. Sometimes they come in the middle of the night and also make it to paper. I often come out of my morning meditation and have to start capturing and developing an idea. Simply write it down on your Major Idea list and keep doing what you were doing.

Chose your most receptive time to create

When I begin my work day I tune into my current energy – what do I feel like doing first? My most creative time is morning so I often choose to write but I let my intuition choose the project rather than mechanically following my To Do list. I write before I open email. It is a time for moving my ideas from the inner plane to the outer.

The idea for this article came from Mike Dooly who writes the Tut sayings. He said “Nothing is ever lost. Not time; for what seems to have passed, lives on in the wisdom of future decisions.” I liked the idea that during those times of silence, those moments of seemingly unfocused activivity that inner work is being done that adds to the wisdom of my future decisions.

Live deliberately

Henry Thoreau had the right idea when he said, “I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rest all that was not life. And not, when I came to die, discover I had not lived.” Are you living deliberately? Are you living in conscious awareness?

I like to take conscious pauses during my day – to relax my shoulders, look out the window, change the rhythm of my thinking. It is in those times of stillness that clarity comes, new resolve returns, and an adventurous step can be taken. Schedule time for your inner work and watch what wonders manifest!

Filed Under: Personal Development

How Your Niche Is Just Like you

September 3, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

Like attracts like. We are most drawn to people who share our interests, our values and our experiences. You may be drawn to the idea of helping people move from a situation you have overcome and you want to support them on their similar journey. You may have a personal passion you want to fulfill or explore and would like to share that passion with others. Your niche is about working in an area that is meaningful to you with people that engage your passion and respect. When you are in the right niche it will draw to you like minded people. Whatever niche you choose you’ll find that you know more than you think you do about the way that community thinks and what they want simply because the people in your niche are a lot like you.

Take a look at where you once were

Your personal journey may define your niche.

Perhaps you were overweight and found great ways to lose the pounds. That is a whole journey to help people through. That may be the niche you serve.

A professional golfer may be passionate about helping develop young champions

A single mom might want to help other single moms. A person whose family is multi-lingual may want to help families learn English.

Part of my journey was as a spiritual counselor and that still infuses my work. People that are drawn to me are consciously aware of their spiritual service in the world.

Take a look at your personal journey and what you have accomplished to see if you have something you want to teach. To settle into the perfect niche follow your passion.

Look for groups you want to help have a better opportunity

You may be drawn to helping a specific group. It could be animals, the planet, preteens, pre-schoolers, at-risk teen agers, working moms, women up against the glass ceiling or seniors. Your passion will help you identify this group. What need speaks to you? Look for ways you can be of service to those people.

Look for people who need your expertise

Your talents help determine your niche. Are you good with people? Are you a teacher? Are you a thinker and philosopher? You will be drawn to serve people who will benefit from what you know how to do. When I figured out that I love to help people identify their vision and sort out their ideas to bring that vision into existence I applied that talent to helping people build their single-owner businesses. And because I am a writer and natural teacher I also help them organize their ideas into compelling information products. What is your area of expertise and how can you help people?

Look for ways you can use your own interests

Sometimes we choose a niche to work in because we want to learn more about the topic for ourselves. I often give teleclasses or write ebooks about areas I want to explore more deeply. When you teach you learn. What do you want to learn?

As you learn more and mature in your experience your interests may change. For instance, my work has always had a philosophic bent but it got very practical for awhile. Now I want to return to more of the personal growth exploration so my work and my offerings have begun to reflect that. Watch for those subtle shifts in interests as you grown both personally and professionally.

Fulfill your own vision

You may want to build an organization that helps you bring your vision to life. You may want to give courses to large groups of people. You may want to coach individuals to greatness. I have always known that I wanted to help people who were already making a difference in the lives of others. My work helps them touch the lives of even more people. How do you see yourself in service? What is your own vision for helping others?

Let the niche choose you

Who is already coming to you for help? What are they asking you for? What part of what you do for them do you find the most rewarding? What are the needs and desires of the people you are drawn too? What are qualities you want in the people you are to serve? Answering these questions will help identify how you can serve.

Choose your ideal client

One of my clients is a weight loss coach who initially attracted two age groups, 30-somthings and seniors. It didn’t take her long to realize that she did not want to work with older people who had to balance medications and were in a more cautious physical condition because it was not in her own experience. She chose to focus on the 30 year olds. It didn’t take a pro golfer client long to figure out he wants to work with young people who are on the championship track. He also knows they have to be committed to being the best they can be. What are the qualities of the person you want to work with?

I am blessed to continue attracting coaching clients who are passionate about their calling and are eager to do the work I ask them to do. They are all enthusiastic about how they can be in service. That makes it fun and rewarding for all of us. Choose only those clients who excite your passion. Don’t accept everyone who comes to you. The poorly matched client will make it difficult for you to do your best work. Take care of yourself. You are in this to fulfill your passion. Keep accepting and serving your ideal client.

Your niche community has similar problems and desires to yours

Because you closely identify with your niche community you will easily recognize their problems and desires. I only work with single business owners because that’s what I am and what I love to do. Although I know the principles for other types of business, I will be more in tune with a service professional like me.

Who you choose to serve will determine what you offer, how you offer it and the words you use to let them know what you do. The young athlete who wants to earn a golf scholarship has a different motivation than the weekend golfer who wants to improve his casual game. The younger weight loss client will be interested in learning how to be in a relationship given her new self image while the older weight loss person will be primarily looking to improve her health. Can you write about the benefits of your work and reach most of your target community? If not, it’s a sure sign your niche is too broad. Narrow it.

Not everyone who reads my blog wants to craft information products so I add personal development posts. Not everyone in my niche wants to write a teleclass so I write about other ways to earn passive income. You may be interested in serving two niches but for the purpose of establishing yourself initially pick one and learn how to serve that niche. If you want to serve another niche start another branch of your business.

Look for the overview

When I use the tag line “I help you build your business from your inside out” it ties together both personal development and practical business information. I get to write about both and people won’t be confused because that one line ties them both together. Look for that over-arching place of service that ties the elements of your business together.

Look for what sets you apart

My golf pro client is going to help young people play championship golf but because of who he is and what his passion is his program will be filled with personal growth lessons, inner work, personal strength awareness. Those choices influence the types of programs he creates, the words he uses to let people know what he does and it will set him apart in his field.

My weight loss coach realized from her own journey that the most difficult step was learning to be in relationships when your self image has so radically changed through large weight losses. Her programs will focus on that need.

How does your approach set you apart? What is it about you that makes what you offer stand out? That awareness will influence your niche.

Choose your niche

What is coming up for you? Do you have a better idea of who your niche should be? Write down your values. Those are the values you want in your clients. Write down the problems you have solved or want to solve. Those are the problems of your potential target community. What are your desires and visions? Those are the desires and visions of your target community.

Try it on for size

Begin to work with your niche. See how it feels. Do some research to see if what you want to offer is needed. How is it unique? Do you need to tweak your approach? Outline a series of topics you could write posts about or teach classes on that will inspire and motivate your target community. You will continue to adjust your niche as you build your services and respond to the people who are attracted to you. When your ideal client shows up clone her!!! Let your niche find you and don’t be surprised if it’s a bit like looking in a mirror.

Filed Under: Business Development Tagged With: Business Development, decision making, find your niche, Planning

Do You Know What Your Heart Needs and How to Get It?

August 18, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

Sometimes there are vacancies within us that we don’t know how to fix. We can’t fix them because we don’t know what causes them. In a recent radio show on Chopra Radio I learned that there were four things your heart needs and as I listened to what they were I realized that I wanted to bring them more deeply into my life. The four things the heart needs are attention, affection, appreciation and acceptance.

Attention

It’s not that have to be a star it’s that we want to be seen. We want to know that our life counts. We want to feel that we are here for a necessary purpose and that our being who we are has value. In order to have that experience we need to be noticed by others.

Affection

We need to be touched – not necessarily physically, but a smile, a warm tone of voice, some sign that we are cared about.

Appreciation

We all want to believe we are making a contribution, that our presence and our participation makes a difference. Being appreciated allows us to stay motivated. Appreciation helps us stay in a relationship. Where there is no acknowledgement there are no feelings of satisfaction.

Acceptance

We want to be considered a part of whatever it is we are looking for. We want to be seen as a purposeful being that is needed and valued.

How did you do? Did you discover what is missing in your life? Or do you have it all? How are you giving these needs of the heart to the people around you?

With this awareness I can do two things, find out what I need and look for ways that I can give the people I care about these four things that they need for their heart.

Giving and Getting Attention

How to give attention to yourself: Are you really paying attention to yourself? Are you noticing your conscious choices, your unconscious choices, your words, your feelings? By paying attention to your life experience and giving thought to your emotions and intuition, you can make choices that make a difference in your life experience.

How to give attention to others: When you walk into a room do you take time to acknowledge those present? Sometimes we are self conscious and don’t take time to make eye contact or greet everyone we should. We could make certain we pay attention to those who are shy, or silent in the group. In order to give more generously of your attention take time to simply be with the people you talk with.

Giving and Getting Affection

How to give affection to yourself: If you are living alone you probably don’t get hugged very often. But you could give yourself a big hug along with some kind words on a regular basis. Write down the supportive things people have said to you during the day. If you are looking for them you will hear them. Treat yourself with kindness because you are worth it.

How to give affection to others: You can show affection to others by making steady eye contact and taking time to give them a genuine smile. You can make certain your voice is warm and affectionate when you speak with them. If it is natural for you to pat an arm or a shoulder do it. And when you are moved to hug, go for it. Look for ways you can show your genuine affection for those around you.

Giving and Getting Appreciation

How to give appreciation to yourself: Appreciating yourself is not about noticing your skills and talents, although you can certainly do that, appreciation is about noticing where you make a difference. How did you make a difference today? It may be something you did or something you said or even something you plan to do. If you look for those moments of contribution you will see them.

How to give appreciation to others: Showing your appreciation for others is probably the easiest step you can take. I have thanked surgeons for their skills, something they possibly are not specifically thanked for. I have thanked managers for their kind and loving care of a senior community. I have acknowledged a job well done, or a thoughtful gesture given or just appreciation for having a particular person in my life. Just look for the many gifts others give and acknowledge them.

Giving and Getting Acceptance

How to give acceptance to yourself: This is huge. Do you accept yourself just as you are? Do you see yourself as a meaningful human being? Acceptance is not about not changing, it is about being patient with yourself and loving yourself throughout your journey, however rocky and off course it seems to get.

How to give acceptance to others: Acceptance is about honoring our differences without judgment. That’s a certain road to world peace. The acceptance the heart needs is to feel included, to feel a part of what we value. We all want to feel like we are recognized as a purposeful being. Who can you include in your next group activity? Who do you need to recognize for their unique contribution that makes them a necessary part of the team? How can you make someone feel they belong?

These are huge values to consider: attention, affection, appreciation and acceptance. Be conscious of the four things the heart needs and address them all. Actively give those experiences to yourself and pro-actively give them to others. Then see how much better the world seems to be.

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: choice, Personal Development, self-awareness

Are You Reading the Signs?

August 1, 2011 By Cara Lumen Leave a Comment

The Universe has an interesting way to offer us guidance. It sends signs. Sometimes those signs are about bumping into someone on the street that creates an opportunity you hadn’t considered before. Sometimes it is a phone call or an email suggesting collaboration. It may be a surge of interest in a particular product or service you offer. And it may be an idea that simple floats in out of nowhere. These signs indicate an interest from somewhere directed at you and what you offer. They are worth considering.

Signs that say change direction

I’ve been moving steadily in one direction for about eight years. Before that I was going in another direction. What’s currently showing up are people interested in that original niche – those initial products and services that I still offer on my website. And I’m wondering and watching. Part of me feels that if I moved back to that old niche it would be about going backwards. Another part says maybe I’ve learned all I can from the niche I am in and have something more to contribute to my original niche. Since learning new things is more important to me than just about anything in the world I need to find the place where I can keep learning and be in service while I do. So the question becomes how can I approach this former niche and make a new type of product and service around it.

Signs that inspire new work

I began my online presence as a spiritual counselor. Then I decided to take that metaphysical approach out into the world as I helped people develop their online business. I became a business coach, curriculum developer and an educator. The spiritual part has always been in my work. But the current signs are about increasing the spiritual work. And I’m observing and thinking and considering.

I feel that a lot of my earlier work was about teaching what I had learned from others in my own unique interpretation – which is pretty much what we all do. But I have now developed what feels like a relatively original idea and would love to find more of those. However my unique viewpoint has changed because I am more knowledgeable and experienced so if I went “back” to offering more spiritually oriented products they would be different than what I produced ten years ago. That’s a good thing.

I learn when I teach and since I’m going through an introspective period in my own life I plan to write a new teleclass that will give people tools for self-exploration. That’s quite different from the practical courses I’ve been teaching. My target community is certainly going to be surprised!

What ideas are coming to you that seem a little off the beaten path that you would be interested in exploring?

Signs that a change is in the air

My Passionately on Purpose blog has always been a mix of practical and philosophical – like me. In the past year I have written more personal development posts than practical ones. That was a conscious decision as well as an organic one. So the Universe has been laying the groundwork for this possible change. Look at what you’ve been doing the past six months. What has changed? Is there a new direction being suggested?

Signs that suggest new relationships

Some of the signs are coming to me in the form of the people that are showing up to be coached and the products that they are buying – the older spiritual ones. As I examine the world around me I see major, major changes and as I look carefully at what people want it seems like hope would be at the top of their list. Hope, spiritual awareness and a way to get control of their lives at least internally since the physical plane seem skewed at the moment. I could do that.

New people are also showing up who would like to collaborate. People are showing up for coaching who not only want practical guidance but help in defining their values and their passion and their deepest place of service. The people who are seeking me out are coming because they feel a spiritual connection. That’s always been that way it works but these people are expressing it in those terms. Who is showing up in your life that you are immediately drawn to, or who seek you out with collaboration in mind?

Signs that you should take the leap

I haven’t made this leap yet. I’m just reading signs. And I also realize it doesn’t have to be a complete leap, it doesn’t have to be an abandonment of what I do now. It can just be an addition to what already exists. I have to look at what I want right now. What do I want to learn? What do I want to write about? What do I want to teach? Who do I want to coach? And what do I want to help them to accomplish? I can offer a personal development class alongside a business class. It would be a stronger position if I stuck with one or the other but I’m just going to let it unfold. It may also mean that this is the beginning of a gradual transition. Are you being nudged to change directions? How does that feel?

Are you noticing the signs?

What signs are showing up for you? What are people asking you to do for them? What new need do you see out in the world that you would like to meet? How does your present focus need to expand or change in order to continue to be relevant and necessary? Read the signs and see if it’s time for change.

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: change, choice, Personal Development, self-awareness

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