Explore Your Enthusiasm, With Tara Swiger | Craft | Art | Business

Whether for planned or unplanned circumstances, it’s easy to feel like taking time away from your business is committing career suicide. Totally not true! In fact, taking leave from your business can provide an opportunity for valuable revitalization of your business trajectory and your life! In this episode, we’ll cover the basics of a plan for taking a leave from your business. So whether you’re adding a new member to your family, taking time out to care for a family member, have a medical emergency or are taking a well-earned sabbatical to dream big, this episode is for you. Basic timeline of a leave A typical leave can be characterized in three phases: a complete leave (where you don’t lay a finger on a business-related task), a ‘maintenance mode’ (where work for a very limited number of hours, focusing on only the most essential tasks) and a ‘rev up’ phase (where you slowly transition to ‘life as usual’). The more that you can plan in advance for an efficient maintenance mode, the more successful you’ll

Have you found that whenever you're really busy and you do NOT have the time to work on something, you get a MILLION ideas for it?! I know! Me too! So what do you do when you have too many ideas? How can keep from losing them? How can you keep creativity flowing? How can you be sure to choose the right one? When I asked the Starship what topics they most wanted me to cover on the podcast, this came up over and over: What do I do when I have too many ideas? First, know that you are not alone if you both have times of NO IDEAS AT ALL and ALL THE IDEAS, OMG! That's just a natural part of the cycle. Creativity and business is cyclical, you'll have times of planting, times of harvest, times of a totally fallow field (I grew up surrounded by cornfields in rural Ohio!). The important thing, the vital thing to keeping your creativity healthy and alive is to RESPECT the season you're in, don't try to push it. So when you have no ideas, just rest and get to work on the things you've already planned. When you have ALL t

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here. (The usual disclaimer applies.) What I read this month: Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham If you wanna know more about how to use your strengths in your business, check out the doTERRA resources (And if you're curious about how I work with my doTERRA biz partners, head here and fill out the form!) Recovery, by Russell Brand Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne The Power, by Naomi Alderman So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo You can hear more about Recovery and Simplicity parenting on my book + self-care podcast!  What I was reading in October in 2016, in 2015, in 2014!   Listen in and access to a whole library of transcripts at TaraSwiger.com/podcast227

I did not want to talk about this. I have been avoiding this topic for years, even though it's something my listeners and clients as ask all the time: WHY do I keep sabotaging myself? If you feel like you sabotage your own success, today’s episode is for you. So last week I put up 5 different podcast ideas for the Starship to vote on what they most wanted me to talk about...and you know what got the most votes? Self Sabotage! Even though I've been asked this a lot, I've avoided talking about it because...I think it's possible you are NOT sabotaging yourself. Sometimes the things that look like self-sabotage are actually just you taking care of yourself! For example, if you wake up with a headache, like I did last Friday, and you decide NOT to work on your To Do list, even though it's very big and you have a deadline...is that self-sabotage? Or self-care? Now, since we're talking about ME, I bet you'd say: Tara! You have a headache, take the day off, your business will be OK! But if we are talking about YOU, y

Are you ready to dive back into your business after a summer break? Did you take time off for the summer? Or did you just feel less productive because of the nice weather, the travel, the kids home from school? Whether you took a proper break or not, a lot of you asked me: How do I get back to work? Take a fresh look at your goals. It's possible your life shifted over the summer - maybe your kids entered school or maybe you entered a new relationship or maybe your had a great moment in your business (like a big show or wholesale account?) that's shifted how you think about your business. It's normal for what you wanted then to not be what you want NOW. So pull out your most recent goals (you do write them down each quarter in Map Your Business, right?) and ask yourself: Do I still want this? How do I want to go about moving towards it? Take a fresh look at your days. What worked before might not work now. When do you have time to work? When do you want to work? When are you most focused? When is the best

I dramatically simplified my business this summer. Today I'm going to share what I did and more importantly, how you can simplify your business in just a few questions (but a lot of heavy thinking). As you know if you’ve been listening for awhile, we’re getting ready to become foster parents and one way we’re preparing is by getting very clear about what our priorities are. Now, before you start worrying, my business is a big priority. Not only because it pays 100% of our bills, but because I LOVE IT. I love the podcast, I love helping you guys, and I love what I do. But, over the 8 years since I started creating my courses and books, my site has just kept expanding and expanding and I have kept added new stuff (something every 6 months or so!) without editing anything down and looking at it all in one go. So if you’ve been business in a while, your business might need a spring (or autumn) cleaning as well! I’ll share what I simplified my business into and will suggest some questions that can help you simpli

Everybody knows it's too risky to have a business. Everybody is following their passion and making a million dollars doing it. Everybody knows you need to be on Instagram. Or have an email list. Everybody knows you can’t grow on Instagram on anymore. Which of these statements is true? It depends on your own personal "everybody". Today we're going to talk about who "everybody" is and how upgrading your "everybody" can improve your life. Today we're going to talk about how your concept of "everyone" is shaping your biz and life and happiness, and how you can trade it all in for a better "everyone". We'll get into the specifics in a minute, but before we do I want to remind you that the Starship, which is a brilliant way to improve your "everyone" is open now. You can find it at Taraswiger.com/Starshipbiz. It's a 90 day program that will help you uncover your mission, your profitability and your best marketing plan. I first came across this idea of a personal “everybody” in Martha Beck's Finding Your Own North S

Where should you spend in your business? What actually matters for a profitable, thriving business? And how in the world do you get there? Today we’re going to discuss the foundations of a healthy business. Today we’re going to talk about what really matters in your business. Now, these are the foundations, but this isn’t just for new business owners. In fact, if you’ve got your business together and you’re wondering how you can scale it, or make it more profitable, or make more sales, the answer is almost always in these foundations. But before we go into foundations, I want to remind you that Starship is open right now. The Starship was just overhauled and GOOD NEWS, when you join, you are walked through these foundations, in a series of classes that serve as deep dives into your business. Over the course of three months, you’ll be guided with weekly lessons in these foundations, plus you’ll get access to our community, where you can ask your questions 24/7, our weekly check-in to hold you accountable, and

How do you keep going when everything is GOOD? Or FINE? What if you met your goal, so you're not feeling super motivated? Or you've gotten excited about a new project? How do you keep your consistency on what's already going well? Today's question comes from a Starship Captain who asked, "How do you stay focused on the parts of your business that are already going well, when you've got a new project you're excited about?" I'm going to answer her question in a minute, but first I wanted to tell you that the Starship is what makes this podcast possible. I don't take advertisers and I don't spend a lot of time on this podcast selling my stuff because of the Starship. Also - the Starship gives me almost all of the topics I cover here - either the questions and conversations come up naturally, or I ask the Starship once a month: what do you want me to cover? If you want to ask your questions and get them answered, the Starship is going to open next week! It has changed up a bit, so if you’d like to be the first to

What's your brand? Is worrying about it going to increase your sales? What is translating marketing on Instagram into sales? Today we're going to talk about the difference between branding, marketing and sales, as it's related to your small business. A few weeks ago we talked about increasing sales through marketing on Instagram and then I was talking with a Captain about being sure they were spending their time on SALES, not just on Branding. It got me thinking, there's an important distinction between Branding and Marketing and Sales, and we don't talk about it a lot. In a big a business, these three things are clearly separate, there are different people in each department. But in your small business, you're doing it all. And in different businesses, they have different weights, .... Branding The vibe of your business. Your brand is the answer to the question: “How do people think about your business? How does your business makes people feel?" When they see it, they know it's yours, because it's your brand

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here. (The usual disclaimer applies.) What I read this month: Expecting Adam, by Martha Beck I mentioned this article about the shrinking population of the Downs Syndrome population. Not Always Happy, by Kari Wagner-Peck (Kari's articles in the NYT) Geek Parenting, by Stephen Segal and Valya Lupescu Stealing the Show: How Women are Revolutionizing Television, by Joy Press The Wicked and the Divine: Vol 5 + 6, by Kieron GIllan 212 and Never Tell, by Alafair Burke That Kind of Mother, by Rumaan Alam An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones Space Opera, by Catherynne Valente If you like this episode, you are sure to love my Book and Self-Care podcast with Joeli, Essential Enthusiasm. This week we're talking about This is Me by Chrissy Metz What I was reading in

How do you translate passion into sales? Today I’m answering a question from an Instagram friend! On Instagram, I asked for your questions and IMDCreates asks, “I am scared to ask but here goes I am a crocheter and I am proud of what I do but it doesn't seem to translate into sales how can I change this for my business?” Sales don’t just happen, sales are a result of clear communication. Sales happen because the person who wants what you sell, clearly understands (because you communicated it) what is special about your work and how it will serve her needs. Remember, there are a bunch of needs: need for self-expression, need for belonging. How do you clearly communicate? First, understand that this is a lifelong process. You are going to get better and better at each of these steps with time, the main thing is to start working at it now, and keep paying attention as you go. This takes time and thought the first time you do it, which is why I’ve put this in classes, so you can dedicate a few weeks to figuring t

Now that you've reviewed the year so far, you have probably recognized some things that did not turn out as planned. How do you feel?  Do you feel horrible about that? Crushed? How do you handle it when things don't turn out as planned? Disappointments. They happen. I've heard from a lot of you that you actually skip doing your monthly or quarterly review, because you know you didn't hit your goal and you don't wanna acknowledge it. But here's the thing: You have to acknowledge where you are in order to move forward. You have to come face to face with both disappointments and triumphs so that you can make an effective plan for what's next. I lead all new Starship Captains through Chart Your Stars before we make a plan or take classes because getting oriented in where you REALLY ARE is the most important step. Nothing can move forward until you know you're starting from. In the spirit of acknowledging those goals-that-don't come true, the disappointments and how hard it is, I'll share a story in my own life, t

You need a goal. And a system. What if you don't need a goal to do what you need to do? Let's talk about what a goal is good at, and not good at, and get you ready for the rest of the year! Welcome to the second half of 2018. This is the perfect time to look at the goals you set in January and be real with yourself. Are you truly working on them? Have you made progress? What do you need in order to work on them? Today we're going to talk about what to do AFTER you set a goal...and we're going talk about some advanced-level stuff - maybe you don't need a goal at all. A few weeks ago a Starship Captain said, “You know, I can't really think of a goal. I feel like my business is going in the right direction, if I just keep doing the work I know to do.” YES! That is what it's all about! See, a goal is not the POINT, a goal is just a tool to help you get what you want. A goal should: Inspire you to kickstart work you haven't done before (or get more consistent with the work) Clarify the direction you want to go, s

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here. (The usual disclaimer applies.) What I read this month: When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, by Patrisse Khan-Cullors Dietland, by Sarai Walker Howard's End by E.M. Forster Novels by Alifair Burke Angel's Tip If You Were Here The Ex The Wife Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 11 Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy by Anne Leckie I talked more about this series last month Girl, Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis I talked more about this in this episode about diversity in self-help, on Essential Enthusiasm The Lucky Few, by Heather Avis Want to know more about my favorite books that I SECRETLY read in the last few months? I share my favorite books on foster care and adoption in this episode of Essential Enthusiasm! What I was r

This week I answered questions from my Instagram followers! collekecreations How do you feel/like blogging as a business model? So writing blog posts and having a shop added to your site with your handmade products? Thanks Tara

This week I make a big announcement - we're becoming foster parents! In today's Very Special Episode I explain what that means, how it all works and where we are in the process. Plus I share a very sweet story about my Poppy. Listen in and get access to the library of podcast transcripts at TaraSwiger.com/podcast212

It's my birthday month, and that means it's time to review my year and share the lessons I learned from another year on the earth. Links I mentioned: Map Your Business EssentialEnthusiasm.com Past Birthday posts: 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 (I opened the Starship!) 28 (I launched this site!) 27 Listen in and get your free transcript at TaraSwiger.com/podcast211

Emails. Instagram. YouTube. Facebook. How can you possibly do all the marketing stuff you "should" do? And how can you be sure it's going to be worth your time? The key is to make it all work together - today I'm going to teach you how to think about your marketing so you can make it time effective and increase your sales. Links I mentioned Craft Your Marketing Listen in and get your free workbook at TaraSwiger.com/podcast210

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here. (The usual disclaimer applies.) What I’m reading How Reading Changed my Life, by Anna Quindlen Dear Farenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks, by Annie Spence Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, by Valerie Ann Worwood And Now We Have Everything, by Meaghan O'Connell Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie A Conspiracy in Belgravia, by Sherry Thomas  How Make Diseases Disappear, by Rangan Chatterjee This was the Essential Enthusiasm Book Club pick! Joeli and I will be talking more about this book in this Friday's episode, check it out at EssentialEnthusiasm.com. Vote on our next Book Club pick in the Take Care of Yourself Facebook group. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast209