Hello friend,
As you may have heard/read, I'm doing a DEEP study on marketing as I create my online course and membership program (launching in January and April, respectively) and refine my one-on-one coaching processes. This week, I attended a live conference (online, of course, but still LIVE---a strange but fun experience) for entrepreneurs. What I learned cannot be quantified, but I know it will earn my business and, more importantly, my clients, more money as I work even faster and more efficiently with my team to serve you. There were speakers and exercises on mindset, technical skills, social media, press kits, presenting, writing, and so much more. My favorite speaker was a woman named Tarzan. YES! That is her real name. She is delightful and direct. She taught us all about how to send emails. You'd think that's a simple process, but, whew, it is NOT. Within ten minutes, I identified mistakes I've made and how I intuitively got some things right. She also challenged us to write ourselves an email and then (this is crazy) send it to OUR clients. Yikes! Well, I promise myself I'd be "all in" to the process, so here you go. What's even MORE ironic is that Crippled Beagle Publishing client Doris Valentine can now share her beautiful book Why I Pray with the world. CONGRATULATIONS, DORIS! What an honor it is to represent you and share your gifts with the world.
All right, friends. To keep my commitment to Tarzan, I've copied my "email to myself" below.
EMAIL from Jody to Jody (and my new friend Tarzan) on 12.2.21
Your friends are right about you. You are a tiny bit crazy, absolutely funny, usually energetic, always creating something, and, well, bossy. What’s interesting, too, is that you do everything in life OUT LOUD. Your poor sons. Ha! You are bold. Why not be? As Jeff says when he detours from his diet during Christmas, "YOLO!" (You Only Live Once.) Thank goodness, right?
The end of the year is the time to reflect, but you should look back on the last several years, especially since you are making huge changes in your business. Whoa. Wow. Also, what the heck? Why would you ever doubt yourself? You are good at making BIG changes. Doubt comes with changes, and women, especially, say a lot of terrible things to themselves. Well, look at this list from just the last 10 years and, as Mama would say, "Change your tune, young lady."
Let’s see what you have endured in the last few years:
- Infertility heartache for several years followed by the gut-wrenching adoption process
- Significant disappointment in someone you love
- Tragic, ongoing illnesses in family
- Deaths of seven people in your life in just a matter of months
- Losing a corporate job
- Multiple, expensive automobile and house problems
- A freaking pandemic
- Financial strain from all the above
- A child going to college 9 hours away
In spite of all of that, you:
- Remained faithful to your Christian values
- Adopted a child
- Earned a teaching certificate in secondary education
- Earned a master's degree in curriculum and instruction
- Started a business from the ground up with no seed money
- Wrote and published several books
- Started practicing yoga
- Learned countless lessons, tools, techniques, technology, skills, processes, ....
- Succeeded and celebrated
- Earned a solid reputation in the publishing industry
- Helped hundreds of clients reach their writing and publishing goals
- Generally speaking, you rallied, recovered, and refined your approaches to everything.
You have taken incredible risks and have gained more confidence and freedom from every failure and success. You can do absolutely anything. So, here are your TOP BUSINESS GOALS FOR 2022.
- Stop worrying. Trust that God loves you and will help you, even when YOU are the problem.
- Continue to help writers of all ability levels tell their amazing stories with pride and excitement.
- Hire more help.
- Launch the online course so authors have an affordable and realistic way to learn all the tools they need to market their books.
- Launch the membership program so authors can learn how to market their books at a slow and steady pace on their schedules and budgets.
Jody
Okay, friend, there you have my letter from me to me. Look back on the last ten years. What have you overcome? I DARE you to make a list and then sit back, amazed at how wonderful you are! Do it! Meanwhile, know that I treasure you.
Jody
