When we become creator entrepreneurs, there is a magic formula salesperson behind every bush with a steep price tag and even steeper promise.
I have purchased many of those (so you don't have to). I desperately wanted there to be a quick-start program, and not just for myself. I know that I have a message that can change the world, and I wanted to get there as soon as possible. My sense of urgency was fueled by the mental health crisis coming out of the pandemic.
Unfortunately, there is no formula. Maybe if you want to just make a quick buck, but the reality of creating a heart-centered, aligned brand is that nobody knows how to support its success, because it is a new thing that has never existed in the world before today. The magic of you is as unique as your DNA, and so should your “business plan”.
In lieu of a formula, I created a framework for supporting the conscious creator to use their unique magic. It includes scooping up all the fragmented pieces of their identity, even the bits that feel unpleasant now, and adding them to the magical potion that is your unique brand. The framework is not a formula, it’s just a gentle container for ensuring that we are following a structure that is aligned with our values, needs, and desires.
In software, we have a concept called minimum viable product. We build a product end-to-end rapidly and iterate based on feedback.
Here's what I’ve discovered from all my testing, and what informs the Monetize Your Unique Magic program:
Building an aligned program is a series of tiny experiments. In software, we have a concept called minimum viable product. We build a product end-to-end rapidly and iterate based on feedback. This concept also applies to building a heart-centered brand. It's a co-creative endeavor with the universe, yourself, and your dream clients.
Who you are is constantly evolving. I used to kick myself for how often my messaging and point of view were pivoting until I realized that was by design. I have had at least 20 versions of my media bio, and I will have thousands of other versions in the future. My business is rapidly iterating and evolving as a result of my tiny experiments, and that is a feature, not a bug.
The visibility game is a long one. In fact, many of the strategies that are sold in the courses we bought hoping for a quick fix are long-term visibility plans. In order to make sure your business gets to the long-term, you need to be thinking about what you are investing in the short-term, long-term, and medium-term buckets so that your business is sustainable until the long-term strategy gets momentum.
Your brand is your business. It includes all of who you are. Many of us feel as if we are failing if we are getting money from other pieces of our experience and expertise early in our business. We believe getting media attention for other pieces of our life are invalid credibility. Be open to all income streams and all visibility opportunities. Tunnel vision prevents us from seeing opportunities that are available.
We overcomplicate things. We often set unnecessary barriers in our path to production, which means we have to put in a lot of hours before we test our tiny experiments in the market. Instead, I encourage you to embrace the energy of the shitty first draft to allow your creative vision to unfold as the alchemy of where your vision intersects with the needs of others, and make money doing it. The framework helps us creatively make our tiny experiments lean so we can process the result earlier and not waste extra time and energy early on.
This is not about hustling more. This is about applying intentionality to whatever level of hustle feels like you are riding your creative wave. I love working in my business, and delight in a very long day from time to time. But I also deeply value rest, play, and creativity and prioritize scheduling intentionally.
What is the framework?
The magic happens when we first alchemize all the parts of our story, even the parts that seem horrible, we are ashamed of, or see as insignificant, and create one heart-centered brand that is as unique as our DNA.
Next, We niche down our market based on values but get clear on the one person we are writing our marketing copy for. Then we design a nurture funnel that is composed of love letters directly written for an audience of one, and our dream clients will feel like we have been snooping in their diary.
Third, we start intentionally allocating energy into short, medium, and long-term visibility and income strategies to build a sustainable strategy. We put down the tunnel vision and become willing to get wildly creative and receive money from wherever the universe wants to gift it to us.
Tiny Experiments: True alignment requires failing fast and often
With these strategies in mind, we begin a life of tiny experiments.
We are all well-versed in the scientific method from science courses, although maybe I am just the only science nerd who ate that stuff in elementary school. The process is question → background → hypothesis → test → analyze the result. Although this is not really all that different, our version subs in fun stuff in that beginning part.
The truth is we will be doing a lot of research and questioning and hypothesizing, a critical piece of this framework is curiosity, creativity, and play in the front end. That is by design and scientifically backed. Many of us enter a dysregulated nervous system state when we think about our business and security issues related to money. Play bypasses that response and puts us into a state of social engagement, which is the only nervous system state that allows free access to higher-order thinking, creativity, possibility, and the present moment.
But if you don’t care about all that sciencey stuff, just know that your heart-centered business needs you to be able to access your creativity. It’s an imperative.
The biggest challenge young businesses have is short-term cash flow as they build their business.
Most of the programs offer advice on methods that create long-term results packaged as short-term strategies so they can sell programs with a sense of urgency and hope. Unfortunately, many of us jump from one of these lily pads to the next, hoping to find the one that is the magic bullet.
The other thing that I am noticing is that, because we have prematurely defined our brand, we decide what is “valid business income“ and what isn’t. Here’s what is valid business income for the heart-centered brand that is the magic of you: everything people will pay you money for that is aligned with your values.
So, let’s take down the tunnel vision, stop putting limits that don’t need to be there, and let our unique magic start working for us.
Book a strategy session today.
You will come out with an action plan with at least one tiny experiment planned for each bucket. More than likely, at least one of them will be something you’ve never thought of before. We will outline the minimum viable product for each tiny experiment.
If you aren’t convinced, I would love to gift you a 30-minute stress-free clarity call so we can chat about your unique situation and see if I can support you.