George Kao's Blog, page 32
April 30, 2019
How I overcame decades of writer's block
You might not believe it, but I have had writer’s block for most of my life, up until 2015.
In school many of us are traumatized by writing. We have to write on topics we don't really care about. We have to produce on a deadline, and the quality of our writing is judged as compared to our peers. It's a terrible way to learn to love a skill.
I suffered through 17 years of such schooling, earning a college degree in English literature (where I had to write paper after paper!) By the way, English...
In school many of us are traumatized by writing. We have to write on topics we don't really care about. We have to produce on a deadline, and the quality of our writing is judged as compared to our peers. It's a terrible way to learn to love a skill.
I suffered through 17 years of such schooling, earning a college degree in English literature (where I had to write paper after paper!) By the way, English...
April 26, 2019
10 Month Update on my Spiritual Side Business
I have to get real with myself (and with you) -- it’s
not
really a business until it starts to make money.
For now, it’s a hobby, and a potential business.
A few months ago, I made an initial offer to my new (spiritual side project) audience: Would they be interested in hiring me as a spiritual counselor, even for just $35 an hour? This is far lower than my business coaching fees, but I wanted to experiment, knowing I can eventually raise it up to a rate that is sustainable.
No one took me up...
For now, it’s a hobby, and a potential business.
A few months ago, I made an initial offer to my new (spiritual side project) audience: Would they be interested in hiring me as a spiritual counselor, even for just $35 an hour? This is far lower than my business coaching fees, but I wanted to experiment, knowing I can eventually raise it up to a rate that is sustainable.
No one took me up...
April 23, 2019
The fear of judgment that keeps you from publishing content
One of the biggest hindrances to creating content consistently? The fear of judgment. Can you relate?
What if I get one (or more!) of the facts wrong? What if there are typos or grammatical errors? What if later I realize that my ideas were wrong? What if people think I’m uninformed or stupid? What if I unknowingly say something offensive?
These are judgments inside your own head. You probably know this as well as I do: our own self-judgments are usually much harsher than our audience’s.
You ar...
What if I get one (or more!) of the facts wrong? What if there are typos or grammatical errors? What if later I realize that my ideas were wrong? What if people think I’m uninformed or stupid? What if I unknowingly say something offensive?
These are judgments inside your own head. You probably know this as well as I do: our own self-judgments are usually much harsher than our audience’s.
You ar...
April 19, 2019
The Authentic Marketing Framework
Here’s an attempt to simply explain my whole marketing strategy….
There are 3 stages for every authentic business:
1. Audience
2. Offers
3. Expansion
At each stage:
The Goal: Quantity of Quality
The Method: Rhythm of Testing
The Values: Authenticity of Caring
Let’s get into the details.... Write down your questions as you read through this article. Then, add them as separate comments on this Facebook post.
Stage 1: Audience
Before you can make sustainable money with your authentic business, you nee...
There are 3 stages for every authentic business:
1. Audience
2. Offers
3. Expansion
At each stage:
The Goal: Quantity of Quality
The Method: Rhythm of Testing
The Values: Authenticity of Caring
Let’s get into the details.... Write down your questions as you read through this article. Then, add them as separate comments on this Facebook post.
Stage 1: Audience
Before you can make sustainable money with your authentic business, you nee...
April 12, 2019
Why do you want to make lots of money?
Why do you want to make lots of money?
(First of all, if you’re not wanting to explore this question, and would rather just learn how, read this instead: How to make lots of money authentically?)
When you start learning marketing, and hanging around others who are building a business, it’s easy to get swept up in the dream to make lots of money.
It's important to reflect on the question of Why, because without continual clarity about this, you might be heading in the wrong direction...It’s like...
(First of all, if you’re not wanting to explore this question, and would rather just learn how, read this instead: How to make lots of money authentically?)
When you start learning marketing, and hanging around others who are building a business, it’s easy to get swept up in the dream to make lots of money.
It's important to reflect on the question of Why, because without continual clarity about this, you might be heading in the wrong direction...It’s like...
April 9, 2019
Your True Fans -- focus on them instead of getting "more traffic"
Some marketing experts are always trying to get you loads of “traffic” or want you focus on “list-building.”
Their language suggests that they may be seeing people as a means to an end —bigger list, sales, profit —rather than caring directly for the people.
What if we focus on serving the right "people" instead of always getting more “traffic”? This shift in language helps us to focus on real human beings.
A focus on traffic and list-building makes us do things that feel inauthentic. Instead, wh...
Their language suggests that they may be seeing people as a means to an end —bigger list, sales, profit —rather than caring directly for the people.
What if we focus on serving the right "people" instead of always getting more “traffic”? This shift in language helps us to focus on real human beings.
A focus on traffic and list-building makes us do things that feel inauthentic. Instead, wh...
April 8, 2019
Your True Fans -- focus on them instead of getting "more traffic"
Some marketing experts want you to focus on “list-building” or getting lots of “traffic”.
It can make us start to do things that are inauthentic. For example, using “lead magnets” to grow an email list, or making popular posts on social media that aren’t true to our business or authenticity.
What if instead we focus on serving the just right "people", instead of always getting more “traffic”? The shift seems subtle, but it’s important: a more relational language continually trains us ...
April 5, 2019
Is it possible to make lots of money... authentically?
Is it possible to make lots of money... in an authentic way? That’s what a client asked, and I thought it was a wonderful question.
My short answer is: Yes, if we pay attention along the way to our motivations.
The numbers can be simple: Create a well-loved online course that’s $100 per sale. Make 1,000 sales per month, and you’ll be making $1.2 million per year.
(1,000 sales per month is definitely doable if you have a course that’s in demand, and you have a small team of people helping with c...
My short answer is: Yes, if we pay attention along the way to our motivations.
The numbers can be simple: Create a well-loved online course that’s $100 per sale. Make 1,000 sales per month, and you’ll be making $1.2 million per year.
(1,000 sales per month is definitely doable if you have a course that’s in demand, and you have a small team of people helping with c...
April 4, 2019
3 Principles of Authentic Moneymaking
“Is it possible to make lots of money... authentically?”“Is it possible to make lots of money... authentically?” … a client asked. My short answer is: Yes, if we pay attention, along the way, to our motivations...
Posted by George Kao, Authentic Business Coach on Friday, June 2, 2023
“Is it possible to make lots of money… authentically?” –a client asked.
My short answer is: Yes, if we pay attention, along the way, to our motivations.
First, the numbers can be simple: Create a wel...
April 2, 2019
Frequent Creative Rest
Did you know that your brain is almost as active when you’re asleep as when you’re awake?
It’s also true when you’re “only” relaxing. Your brain is just as active. When you're not "focused" your brain is in what’s called diffuse mode. It’s still thinking for you, solving the problem you were focused on before, except in the background of consciousness.
If you’re only in “focused” mode all the time, you’re not effectively tapping the hugely creative power of your subconscious mind.
This is why I ...
It’s also true when you’re “only” relaxing. Your brain is just as active. When you're not "focused" your brain is in what’s called diffuse mode. It’s still thinking for you, solving the problem you were focused on before, except in the background of consciousness.
If you’re only in “focused” mode all the time, you’re not effectively tapping the hugely creative power of your subconscious mind.
This is why I ...
