Onward Creatives

Failure!  It will happen to all of us!  The question isn't "will I fail?"  the question is "What do I do when I fail?" The issue with failure is that it can rob us of what we ultimately want: to feel respected, valued and appreciated.  When we fail at something or one of our ideas fails it can sting deeply and if not dealt with correctly can actually derail us.     Here are five ways to get through the failures: 1.  Know yourself.  Do I have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? 2. Map out what went wrong.  What contributed to the failure? 3. Reflect and pivot.  How adjustments can I make going forward? 4. Fill in the gaps.  What skills or knowledge do I need to acquire? 5. Get back up and go again.   Are you ready to make your failure work for you?  Let's talk!  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the Onward Creatives podcast. A weekly podcast bridging the gap between creativity and business. This podcast is for the creative entrepreneur, the one's who dare, dream and do. Each week I help you

"How do I build my Instagram following?"  I hear this question (and ask it) every day.  Over 1 Billion of us are on Instagram and we all recognize that it's at the heart of content and marketing.....but we also recognize that it's a beast to build on. So how do we stand out from the other billion users?  The best strategy is to avoid the gimmicks and short cuts and take a human centric approach. 1.  Focus on your audience: Why are they on Instagram? Do they want to be entertained or educated? What is the problem they have? How do you solve it? Once you know these answers then you tell a story each and every day. Even on short form channels such as IG stories matter….and ultimately the story is about the audience. 2. Define your identity: We all desire consistency and consistency breeds trust. What is the look and feel of your feed? People will browse your feed and quickly determine whether they should take a deeper look. So the goal is a look that is consistent but also invites curiosity. 3. Tell a story: Thi

Marketing, one of life's biggest mysteries!  Everyone has questions and everyone also seemingly has an answer.  Regardless of the space you're in I see one glaring mistake across the board....not creating content.  Content creation is the key in the new value economy.   Interruptions are out....value is in.  So many of us are still operating like it was 2005 of 2006 when all you had to do was show up and the world came knocking.  Those days are gone and internet requires more than you showing up....it requires resources.  You either sacrifice money or time.  Time and value are the keys as it engages beyond an interruption.  So how do you create content? 1. Identify your audience 2. Define THEIR problem 3. Determine your preferred channel 4. Be there, be consistent and be social 5. Create sawdust   Are you ready to solve your marketing problem?  Let's talk!  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the onward creatives podcast. A weekly podcast bridging the gap between creativity and business. This

Compare and despair, most of us have felt the bitter sting.  We're confronted in real time with the delta between our success and the success of others.  We may not see their bank account but we see their likes, comments, features, endless vacations and it leaves us with the horrible sting of compare and despair.  What do we do with it? 1. Embrace it and let it propel us 2.Celebrate the success of others 3.Learn from their successes 4. Always dig into the reality 5. Be patient.  Nothing happens overnight!   Make sure to check out my friend Cait's floral business: https://www.instagram.com/wildblomst/   Are you ready to discover, launch or grow your big idea? I'd love to help!  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the onward creatives podcast. A weekly podcast bridging the gap between creativity and business. This podcast is for the creative entrepreneur, the one's who dare, dream and do. Each week I help you find clarity and take action so you can make a living doing what you love. The journey

 Entrepreneurs and creatives have more in common than they think.  Both have ideas they want to see come to life and both have to develop their skills to make it happen.  So if the overall goal is the same, to see an idea come to life, then the skills required are also the same. Here are the Ten Things Entrepreneurs can Learn from Creatives: 1. You need self awareness 2. Vision is required 3. Resilience is a must 4. Be ready to pivot 5. You need a healthy dose of narcissism 6. Develop the discipline of practice 7. Courage is required 8. Always be teachable 9. See life as a show 10. Live with optimism   If you need some help with content creation, let's talk!  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the onward creatives podcast. A weekly podcast bridging the gap between creativity and business. This podcast is for the creative entrepreneur, the one's who dare, dream and do. Each week I help you find clarity and take action so you can make a living doing what you love. The journey onward starts here

 It's the question so many of us struggle with.  How do I get more attention?  Traditionally the path has been ads but those days have changed.  Content creation is the new ad and unlike an ad can actually solve a problem.  The key to content gaining attention is the vertical approach.  Vertical is where you create content around a subject applicable to multiple industries or groups. Here's how to do it... 1. It's about skill not occupation.  If you're a video producer you could focus on your skills as a story teller.  You could articles for multiple different publications, blogs, podcasts or Youtube videos instructing on how to tell a good story.   2. Determine the horizontals you want to interact with.  What spaces do you think could benefit from your skill AND occupation.  These spaces are great places to start.  Never forget that a CEO is also a dad, so never underestimate different content spaces. 3. Know the platforms.  The big question is your platform or theirs.  Each bring their advantages and disadv

 The battle is for attention.  It sounds new but the fact is the battle has always been for attention.  Madison Avenue and the Mad Men have been the gladiators in this battle for years, their tools were TV ads, radio spots and print pieces.  So what has changed?  The internet and mobile phone have changed everything.  We now have access to the same audience they do and the playing field has been leveled. In spite of how accessible this space is we still struggle with how to get attention. So how do you fight in this new arena and get the limited resource of attention?  Content Creation.   There are three key spaces to create content if you want to gain attention. 1. Vertical:Topic Focused Content which Solves a Problem 2. Horizontal: Interest Focused Content with Resources the Life 3. Spherical: Lifestyle Focused Content which Shares the Worldview   Are you ready to gain more attention?  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the onward creatives podcast. A weekly podcast bridging the gap between

The difference between an idle business and a growing one is a growth strategy.  Most startups don't survive more than a few years and many side hustles quickly plateau and never reach their full potential.  How do we increase our odds of success?  A growth strategy. Regardless of whether the growth is revenue, influence, social following or internally, growth doesn't happen randomly.  Long term growth requires a deliberate strategy that focuses everything we do on seeing growth.  Here are five key steps to developing a growth strategy: 1. Clarity: You have to know what you want 2. Focus: It's all about growth 3.Strategy: Nothing happens randomly 4. Metrics: How to measure progress 5. Invest, Invest, Invest: There's no slot machine for growth.   Ready to develop a growth strategy?  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the onward creatives podcast. A weekly podcast bridging the gap between creativity and business. This podcast is for the creative entrepreneur, the one's who dare, dream and do. E

The very thing you need to grow your business is the thing most of us hate....marketing.  64% of us see marketing as annoying and intrusive . We hate it so much we'll pay extra for something to avoid the marketing.  So how do we stand out in the marketplace if people tune out the noise. Value Added Marketing is the key.  Disney, Starbucks, Amazon, Toms and Barkbox are just a few brands who have built brands that Add Value to people....and we can't stop loving them. How do you build Value Added Marketing? 1. Know your customer!  It all starts with them. 2. Discover the customer's problem. 3. Sell the solution, not the product. 4. Create a memorable customer experience. Without Value Added Marketing, your brand is just another to ignore! Want to discover how value added marketing can help you stand out?  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the onward creatives podcast. A weekly podcast bridging the gap between creativity and business. This podcast is for the creative entrepreneur, the one's who

The world is quickly shifting to the freelance era.  Over 35% of people in the US have some type of side hustle.  There are more of us than ever before working on a side business.  The big issue that we all face is how to balance it.  If we push too hard we could jeopardize both jobs and if we move too slow we risk never gaining momentum. Here are seven ways to keep the side hustle moving, in balance: 1.Determine Priorities 2. Set goals and timelines 3. Time Block 4. Space Block 5. Be ready to sacrifice 6. Hire or automate 7. Learn to live with the tension   Are you ready to make a living doing what you love?  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the Onward Creatives podcast.  A weekly podcast for the creative dreamers and doers.  Whether you’re just getting started on your creative journey or your well on your way this is the place for you. Each week I help you discover your identity and develop a life and career in alignment with who you are.  The journey onward starts here.  Join us for Mond

It's go time! You've set some goals for this year to help you make a living doing what you love, and it's time to act on it.  I work with a lot of launches and there are always three things launches do. 1. They have to set a launch day.  When are you going to start moving towards the big goal.  Set a date and make it official. 2. Market.  In this case the target is yourself.  There are so many competitive voices fighting for your attention, make sure to keep your goals and ideas at the front of your mind. 3. Be patient and Hustle.  More often than not things start gradually.  Don't be disappointed if the results come in slowly....they usually do.  While it builds...keep hustling.  Startups require constant energy and usually go through multiple pivots and tweaks.  Your big idea or goal is the same, keep at it and put in the time. Let's make this Your Best Year Ever!   This is Day Seven of "Your Best Year Ever". A seven day podcast series on Onward Creatives. Want more information on coaching or the Mastermind

Business is all about investment and ROI.  As you look at 2019 there are three things that I guarantee will give you a significant return on your investment. 1.Invest in yourself.  Use your time wisely and learn: podcasts, Youtube videos, books. 2.Network.  Not the boring "hand out business card" type of networking but real networking....the kind that builds referrals. 3.Get into community.  The impact of this is profound.  Your chances of success increase when you have people investing and resourcing you....and holding you accountable. You can't be better and be the same.  If you want 2019 to be different than 2018 than do things differently.     This is Day Six of "Your Best Year Ever". A seven day podcast series on Onward Creatives. Want more information on coaching or the Mastermind Groups?  Sign up here for a free consultation.    Welcome to the Onward Creatives podcast.  A weekly podcast for the creative dreamers and doers.  Whether you’re just getting started on your creative journey or your well on yo

Regardless of what you want this year I can promise you this, you will face resistance!  The world doesn't like change and does everything it can to keep you just like you are. You will face three primary types of resistance: Yourself--this is the number #1 de-railer to most ideas and goals. Others--some people will fight change of any type and instead of cheering you on will do their best to hold you back.  Sometimes their friends, co-workers even family. Lack of resources--it could be skills, networks, financial knowledge or time.   This is Day Five of "Your Best Year Ever". A seven day podcast series on Onward Creatives.   Ready for weekly inspiration?  Join our email list to receive a curated article each Friday.  Click on this link, to sign up.   Ready to start the business plan? Click on this link, give us your email and download the plan.  This episode of the podcast walks you through exactly what you need to know for each part of the plan.  If you take the time to work this through you will build a

What if I could give you a better way to set goals?  A way to set them would increase your likelihood of achieving them?  The better way to set goals is to focus on the "how" instead of the "what". So often we set a goal on the what, which is the result.  Results are vague and can often be accomplished multiple different ways.  We need the opposite of this if we want to increase our chances of accomplishing our goals.  We need specifics and a process....these are found when we define "how" we get the results.     This is Day Four of "Your Best Year Ever". A seven day podcast series on Onward Creatives.   Ready for weekly inspiration?  Join our email list to receive a curated article each Friday.  Click on this link, to sign up.   Ready to start the business plan? Click on this link, give us your email and download the plan.  This episode of the podcast walks you through exactly what you need to know for each part of the plan.  If you take the time to work this through you will build a strong foundation for yo

What does the ideal future look like?  One of the key steps to living your best year ever is defining what success looks like.  Define every part of it, what is feels like, what the results are.  Now define your current reality. Look at what you're doing, what it feels like, what you're not happy with.   Between these two is the gap or delta, and this gap is where our work begins. The real work of building a successful business and life is found in closing the gap.  If you're confused by what to do this year, you need to discover the gap because the gap brings clarity. The gap may be huge and substantial but here's the good news...anything you do to close the gap brings you closer to success.   Let's get started!   This is Day Three of "Your Best Year Ever". A seven day podcast series on Onward Creatives.   Ready for weekly inspiration?  Join our email list to receive a curated article each Friday.  Click on this link, to sign up.   Ready to start the business plan? Click on this link, give us your email and

Most of our resolutions and goals fail for one big reason....they are "what's" and "what's" don't inspire us.  Our goals of dropping 20 lbs., starting a new business, launching a new social media platform or adding followers are all "what's" Simon Sinek says "There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you and inspire it."  The way to inspire your own behavior is to discover the why behind the what.   What's don't get you out of bed in the morning and they don't keep you awake at night.  They don't keep you focused and determined.... they're short lived and mechanical.  A why, it motivates you to later behavior, make sacrifices and put in the hard work required to find true success. If you want to live your best year ever, start with why!   This is Day Two of "Your Best Year Ever". A seven day podcast series on Onward Creatives.   Ready for weekly inspiration?  Join our email list to receive a curated article each Friday.  Click on this link, to sign up.   Ready to start the

It's 2019, let's build your best year ever!  Sometimes the path forward requires a brief look backwards.  Before we can stretch out into 2019 goals we need to take a moment and learn from 2018. Let's look at three aspects of 2018: Successes: What did we do in business and life that worked well?  Why? Failures: What did we try in business and life that didn't work out?   Why? Nothings:  What didn't we try?  Why didn't we try? You can't be better by being the same, so let's learn from the past so we can being to build the foundation for our best year ever! This is Day One in our 7 Day Series "Building the Best Year Ever."   Ready for weekly inspiration?  Join our email list to receive a curated article each Friday.  Click on this link, to sign up.   Ready to start the business plan? Click on this link, give us your email and download the plan.  This episode of the podcast walks you through exactly what you need to know for each part of the plan.  If you take the time to work this through you will build a strong

How do you develop social authority in your niche? 1. Know your audience 2. Choose the right channels 3. Know the terminology and major players 4. Be consistent 5. Use real life, current examples 6. Find and speak with your voice       Ready for weekly inspiration?  Join our email list to receive a curated article each Friday.  Click on this link, to sign up.   Ready to start the business plan? Click on this link, give us your email and download the plan.  This episode of the podcast walks you through exactly what you need to know for each part of the plan.  If you take the time to work this through you will build a strong foundation for your creative business. Download it here!   Welcome to the Onward Creatives podcast.  A weekly podcast for the creative dreamers and doers.  Whether you’re just getting started on your creative journey or your well on your way this is the place for you. Each week I help you discover your identity and develop a life and career in alignment with who you are.  The journey onward

Content creation is like flossing.  We all know that we should do it, but most of us don't. Half of business is persuading people that you have a solution to their problem. (the other half is actually solving their problem). You can either run around with a Keynote deck to meetings all day long or you can create content that works for you even you're at the ballpark or coffee shop. If you're job hunting....create content. I can assure you most of your other hunters are not. Get to the heart of what your ideal role is and create content daily around that subject. This is a great way to sell yourself as the solution to a company's problems. If you offer a service to others to purchase....create content. Everyone has a website....so how do you stand out? You add value. If a company reads your article or listens to your podcast consistently they're less likely to venture somewhere else for a solution. If you're a leader at a company....create content. People respond differently to your ideas being presented in th

When we think of branding and marketing we usually think of logos, website, social media and messaging.  The key to all of it being successful is one word: Empathy. Empathy based marketing has three benefits: 1. It helps us understand our audience. 2.  It gives us clarity of message. 3. It helps us stand out from the competition.   How do we stand out with empathy based marketing? 1. Discover and develop customer personas. 2. Chart out the customer journey. 3. Overlay the emotional highs and low along the journey 4.Build your processes and marketing around your customers and their journey.   Ready for weekly inspiration?  Join our email list to receive a curated article each Friday.  Click on this link, to sign up.   Ready to start the business plan? Click on this link, give us your email and download the plan.  This episode of the podcast walks you through exactly what you need to know for each part of the plan.  If you take the time to work this through you will build a strong foundation for your creative b