Denise Duffield-Thomas's Blog, page 36

Manifest Your Dreams and Move Forward With Your Life Using This One Affirmation!

Hey gorgeous,

Today, I want to talk about forgiveness.

You know that saying, “Holding onto resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”? You know how damaging it is spiritually to hold onto resentment, right?! 

Let’s face it – many of us have issues from our past that hold us back and cloud the enjoyment of our present. Whether it’s your “crappy childhood”, a terrible past relationship, a psycho ex-partner, painful memories of school-yard bullies or some other story, holding onto resentment affects you in countless ways.

Blocking Enjoyment of Life

It can kill your enjoyment of life, affect current relationships, or hold you back from experiencing love. It can even live in your body and cause illness.

Years ago, I was living in a constant state of blame and resentment. I was angry at my parents, I was still incredibly pissed off at an ex-boyfriend who “did me wrong”, I was embarrassed and ashamed of my past mistakes and I carried all of those emotions around with me.

I was consumed with how I had been wronged. I just couldn’t enjoy my life and I couldn’t forgive. I would lay awake at night recounting a conversation from over ten years before and feel just as aggrieved as if it was happening to me now.

I tried counselling, therapy, coaching, books, and personal development courses like the Landmark Forum. But I was still angry. All the time.

But, not anymore. The secret to releasing these thoughts is so simple and profound, and it’s hard to articulate how much it has changed my life.

This one affirmation can set you free – more than anything else.

I forgive you…
I’m sorry…
I love you…

This forgiveness exercise will clear about 80-90% of your “stuff”. Guaranteed. Don’t believe me? Give it a go! You’ve nothing to lose!

Benefits from Practicing Forgiveness

A feeling of calm and peace about past events
The ability to get along with family members without resentment
Self-love and self-acceptance
A feeling that the world is a safe place
Better sleep
Less irrational worry and obsession about the past

I’d say it’s worth giving it a shot! 

How to declutter your emotions

To be able to move forward with your life, consciously manifest dreams and create guilt-free success, you must have a strong foundation. Part of that is mentally and emotionally decluttering your life.

The beauty of this exercise is that you don’t have to physically connect with the person. You don’t have to call them and say “I forgive you”. This exercise is not for them – this is about releasing yourself.

I had to do a whole load of forgiveness work in order to manifest my dream home – read more here.

Here’s a common excuse:

But I just want them to acknowledge what they did to me was wrong

Forgiveness doesn’t mean you excuse or condone their behaviour. Chances are, you will never get the acknowledgement or apology you crave. The only thing you have control over is how you feel about the experience. You’re still drinking the poison – they have moved on with their life.

Some things are unforgivable. Even so, if you’ve been to therapy or counselling and you still can’t let it go, try and send forgiveness to the situation by doing this exercise.

I’ve heard incredible stories of victims forgiving people who raped or maimed them, family members forgiving drunk drivers who killed their children and other “unforgivable” crimes.  

The 3 Step Forgiveness Process

Ready to experience this transformation for yourself? Here’s how you do it:

Make a list

Get your journal and make a physical list of every single thing that has been done to you that you can’t forgive. Things that you are holding onto and incidents that have played on your mind for years.

It can be big or small, specific or general. Start with your parents – that’s always a fertile ground for material!

Think about your life chronologically and work your way through any traumatic events, childhood hurts, mistakes made by your family and embarrassments that still create a negative charge for you.

Just write down “When mum did this….” or “The time when…”. You don’t have to write an essay about each one.

Once you’ve written down everything obvious, think about:

Every relationship problem you’ve ever had
Mean bosses who criticised you, made you feel bad or made you cry
Friends who were nasty or bitchy to you
Strangers who made you feel bad by making a horrible comment
A teacher who embarrassed you

Write it all down.

Lastly, it’s time to make a list of things to forgive yourself for. This is a really important list because you’d be surprised how much you are beating yourself up for past mistakes. A really small and stupid error you made 5, 10 or even 20 years ago could be holding you back from going out of your comfort zone today.

Here are some examples to get you started:

You failed something really important
You mean-girled someone at school and it still haunts you
The time you dumped someone really nice in a really horrible way
Gossiping or bitching behind someone else’s back
When you made someone cry (unintentionally or not)
You accidentally hurt an animal
You stole something – no matter how small
You cheated on a test

Nobody is 100% perfect and even if you think you’re the only person who’s made these mistakes, you could be making it mean:

I’m not a worthy person
I don’t deserve nice things to happen to me
I’m a failure

Do you really want to hang onto that anymore?

Use the affirmation

Mentally affirm to that person or situation:

I forgive you
I’m sorry
And I love you

That’s it. You can spend a couple of seconds on each one and then move on. Don’t get caught up in the emotion. You are only saying the affirmation and releasing the memory. You may feel an overwhelming outpouring of sadness, but just continue the process.

I forgive you… evaporates the energy of resentment you hold towards them

I’m sorry… allows you to feel compassion for their side of the story

I love you… balances the energy, sends love to the situation and releases you from being the victim.

Allow emotions to bubble up and tears to flow but keep going until you’ve exhausted the list (and yourself). Afterwards, drink a lot of water and rest.

If you still need support with this, here’s some tips on dealing with old family stuff when it comes up, particularly around big occasions.

Check back in

Give it a few days and then revisit your list to see if there is any charge remaining. You’ll be surprised to find that you can’t even recall certain “stories” and if you do, there won’t be any trace of embarrassment or anger.

Watch what happens next.

Things will shift in your real world. You will feel happier and lighter. Don’t be surprised if you get a call out of the blue from someone you’ve forgiven. They will experience the benefits too – they might feel lighter or more loving towards you.

You won’t be seeing that person or situation through a distorted filter anymore. You’ll be free of the chains and open to new possibilities for your relationship. You may never even think of them again, which can be a blessing. You’ve also given yourself a great gift – freedom.

Take it Deeper: More Forgiveness Work to Shift Your Money Blocks

If you’re really on a roll and you get addicted to forgiveness you can continue this experience:

Forgive money for abandoning you
Forgive your bank for raising interest rates
Forgive your thighs and bum for holding onto fat
Forgive your car for breaking down
Forgive the Government for their failings
Forgive the cat for peeing on your bed

There’s no end to forgiveness and after you get the really traumatic events out of the way, it’s fun and so freeing!

I know this simple forgiveness exercise can transform your life. If you do nothing else, go away and try this exercise before you feel skeptical (I forgive you for your skepticism, etc). I assure you, it will work for you – you aren’t some freaky exception.

I forgive you, I’m sorry and I love you.

Denise xx

9 Money Mindset Tips to Break Through an Income Plateau

Hey gorgeous,

Our topic today is: What to do when you’ve hit an income plateau. 

You know the score – you were doing so well and then it just …. flat lined.

Don’t worry, I’ve got nine sweet strategies to help you break through this plateau and prevent your income from stalling in the future. 

You know I always start off by saying what you’re experiencing is completely normal.

Everybody has humps in business.

It’s super normal. I promise!

Don’t worry about it. Grab your pen and some paper and we’ll get straight into it.

 

Your income plateau represents your comfort zone.

That’s why it feels so uncomfortable when you want to break through the glass ceiling. And why we often sabotage ourselves.

    It doesn’t mean that you’re not meant to be successful in business.
    It doesn’t mean that that’s the most you’re ever going to be able to earn

It really is just representative of where your comfort level is at the moment, how much you believe you can earn and where your mindset is with money right now.

It’s always very telling to see WHERE you’ve hit that income plateau.

Trust me, you will continue to hit other income plateaus as well. I know that this one feels really real, but it really isn’t.

USING MONEY MINDSET TO BREAK THROUGH AN INCOME PLATEAU

Here are my 9 Money Mindset Steps to Increasing Your Income

    Get Real About Your Money Blocks
    Identify Your Fears About Money
    Make Friends with Tax
    Upgrade Your Mastermind
    Set a New Goal
    Acknowledge Your Success
    Take a Break
    Give Yourself Permission to Earn More
    Go To Work 

So let’s dig into each of these steps in more detail, starting with the most important – your money mindset work.

1. Have a really honest look at your money blocks.

This is a great opportunity to re-visit your money beliefs.

    What are your thoughts and feelings about money right now?
    What are you telling yourself about money?

Maybe you’ve slipped into old bad money habits or maybe you’ve forgotten that you need to work on your money mindset all the time.

You have to work on your money mindset on a regular basis.

By the way, I do too. Even though I’m a millionaire and I teach this stuff, I’m constantly working on my blocks.

If I start to think:

“I know everything there is to know about money. I don’t need to worry about this.”

Well, guess what? My income will plateau as well.

2. Identify your fears about money.

Get specific.

    What are you actually afraid of if you earned more money?
    What would happen, good and bad?

If you’re willing to look at it, it might give you some valuable information to clear it.

3. Make friends with tax.

Now, some entrepreneurs hold themselves back at particular income points because they’re afraid of paying more tax.

Or maybe you’re worried about other financial implications as well:

    Maybe you’ll lose particular benefits if you earn more;
    Maybe you’ll have to start paying different types of tax;
    Maybe you’ll have to start charging different taxes to your clients when you earn more.

Have a look at your fears and see if there’s anything symbolic about this income level for you.

4. Upgrade your mastermind.

Jim Rohn talks about how your income is the average of the people that you spend the most time with.

Look around at your mastermind and be really honest.

    Has everyone else’s income plateaued as well?
    Have you plateaued to the point where everyone’s income is the same?

If you want to go beyond that income plateau, it might be time for you to move into a mastermind where people are earning more money because then it will inspire you to increase that for yourself as well. Here’s how to create your Million Dollar mastermind.

5. Set a new goal.

Now, this is really funny. Often when entrepreneurs achieve an income goal, they haven’t yet conceptualised the next one.

They’re like, “I don’t know why I’m not earning more.”

It’s like the universe is saying, “You haven’t told us what that next income goal is. What would you like to earn?”

You’re like, “I don’t know. Just more money.”

What does ‘more money’ look like to you?

Make sure that you’re very, very clear on what that next income goal is so then you can actually know when you’ve hit it and you’ve got something to reach for beyond that income plateau.

6. Express Gratitude; Acknowledge How Far You’ve Come

So many of us just go for the next goal, next goal, next goal, and next goal without anything in between. No wonder our successes feel a little bit empty because we’re not acknowledging them.

We’re just like, “That’s not good enough. What’s the next one? That’s not good enough. What’s the next one?”

Sometimes you do need to take stock when you’ve hit an income plateau to go, “You know what? Look how far I’ve come. This is amazing.”

Take a little breather and then you can regroup for the next goal.

7. Have creativity breaks.

What is going to help you go to that next level? Fresh ideas. New products, services and offerings.

Creativity requires getting out of your current environment.

Go somewhere new, spend some time meditating, go to the beach or do something fun so you can refresh your creativity.

You’ll need to revamp your ideas. You’ll need new ones to get you to the next level.

It will take new ideas, new creativity and new brainpower.

Then…

8. Give yourself permission to earn more.

Actually give yourself permission.

 

It’s safe for me to make more money.
It’s safe for me to go to the next level.
It’s safe for me to out-earn other people. 

Give yourself permission to break past this income plateau. I think that is probably more important than anything else: giving yourself permission to earn more.

It might sound really silly because you’re like, “Of course I want to earn more, Denise.” But you need to know that it’s okay for you at a cellular level.

It’s okay for you to make more money. Remind yourself constantly.

9. Time to work

What got you to where you are now? Keep the stuff that works and ditch the stuff that doesn’t. Getting to the next income level is worth the work and process of optimising how you run your business. 

I know for myself, every time I’ve been at an income plateau, I’m like, “This one’s really real."

Oh, my God. You start to make up stories about it. “No, this one is really actually real now. The other ones I could get through but this one’s real.”

They’re not.

It’s going to take some new strategies to get to the next level, but don’t forget that consistency is always a great strategy and it will be something that will continue on with your journey.

It’s your time and you’re ready for the next step,

Denise xx

What to do When Your Goals Aren’t Manifesting Fast Enough

Hey gorgeous,                      

You know how frustrating it can be when you’ve set a big goal but you’re in that annoying gap before you actually manifest it?

How do you deal with that wait period? I’ve got lots of juicy tips for you, today!

I want to help you through that stage when you’re super impatient and seemingly READY for the next step but nothing is happening.

Now, your goal might be something like your dream house or a soulmate.

Maybe you’ve made a call out to the universe for your ultimate lover to appear. 

Maybe you’re waiting on new clients, or asking the Universe for a new business idea. And you’re like…

“Universe, HELP ME OUT HERE.”

Maybe you want to go traveling, or you’re waiting to become pregnant. It can feel so frustrating when the pieces haven’t come into place yet and it feels out of your control.

Especially if it’s something that has a knock on effect like becoming pregnant, for example. You’re like,

“When will this baby come so I can start planning my year?” (or maybe that’s just me, being Virgo)

“When is this house coming so I know when things are all going to unfold?” You know, so you can pack and organize your mortgage.

It’s super frustrating. I totally get it and I understand what it feels like. I’ve got some tips for you on how you can feel better about this limbo place that you’re in right now.

 

YOUR SIX STEPS TO MONEY MANIFESTING SUCCESS

Here are six steps to success 

1)    Believe in Divine Timing
2)    Use the Extra Time to Prepare
3)    Embrace Small Shifts
4)    Get Clearer on What You Want
5)    Practice Patience
6)    Fill in the Manifesting Gaps

Let’s look at each of these money manifesting success steps in more depth.

1. Believe in divine timing.

You have to believe that there’s a bigger reason why your goal hasn’t manifested exactly on your time-frame.

 Why could this be delayed?

Well, maybe, it’s because of timing.

The universe is like, “You’re just not quite ready and if you get it right now, it’s going to cause some upset and drama in your life.”

It could be a big financial drama that you just don’t need right now, like accidentally falling in love with a money pit house. Maybe your health is not quite ready for that goal to manifest yet.

You probably don’t have your ducks lined up as much as you should. If you’re really honest about it, is the goal 100% in your best interest right now?

If the universe pushes through and gets you to the front of the line, it could cause some yucky stuff that you really don’t intend to happen.

Sometimes you just have to believe, “The universe has got my back. It’s going to happen at the right time and for my highest good“

It might not happen in the time-frame that you necessarily want it to happen in, but there could be a VERY good reason for that.

Hopefully that gives you some reassurance, but also a feeling of, “No matter what happens, I’m going to be taken care of here.”

Believe in divine timing.  

2. Use the extra time to prepare.

You can spend this limbo time preparing for when your goals suddenly manifest. For example, say you’re incredibly impatient about getting pregnant. Well, while you’re “waiting” for it to manifest, get prepared, as if the baby is coming soon.

You might think, “I really need to make some changes in the way that I work so my business won’t implode.”

Spend this time looking at what you could delegate if you get pregnant in the next year and you had less time in your business. Get really clear on how to babyproof your business here.

Now, I spend about 15 hours a week on my business because I’ve got kids. But I started working on changing my business the minute I thought about getting pregnant, and it really helped me while I was impatiently waiting for that positive pee stick.

Prepare now to make your life easier later.

When you are giving the universe GO signals and taking obstacles out of the way, things might manifest much quicker than you think.

Whenever we’ve wanted to move house, we start packing. We start decluttering things. We get ready.

We start cleaning up our life to make it easy for the universe to say, “All right. She’s ready. Let’s go!”

How can you prepare to manifest your goals quicker?

  Declutter: make energetic room for something new to emerge. Clearing your calendar, getting rid of physical stuff.
  Get practical: Lining up things that need to happen, like financing or contracts.
  Release: Let go of anything that is in the way – fears, beliefs, etc

3. Embrace the small shifts.

You might be asking for a big life change. But actually a small shift would be better right now. 

For example, if you want to buy a house, but you know that the timing isn't right, you could renovate or make some improvements in your current house so you feel good about where you are right now.

If you want to lose weight and feel more confident, go shopping for the body you have right now.

Basically, feel good with what you have right now, whether it’s a house, your business, your body, etc.

This serves two purposes.

One, you feel good. When you feel good, things manifest much quicker.
Two, you’ll manifest from a place of gratitude of lack. You might realize that making a few shifts is enough. But it’s easier to manifest from a place of abundance.

Plus, it feels really good.

Either way, you still get the result you want, which is kind of cool.

4. Get clearer on what you want.

The limbo place is a great opportunity to refine your goals.

You might get on Pinterest and go to open homes for inspections if you’re looking for your dream house. It’s so powerful to practice in the real world. Actually go out and sit on your dream couch. You might realize, “Actually, this is not that comfortable. I want something else.” Test drive your dream car.

The practice runs help you get clearer on what you really want.

Maybe the universe hasn’t given it to you because you’re just really unclear and you’re just like, “Just send me what you think I’d like,” and the universe is like:

“No. We need you to specify!”

Get really clear on what you want by rehearsing your dream life.

Try it out and see.

5. Practice patience…

Get out of the mindset that everything has to happen at once. Life is going to unfold for your highest good.

There’s a right time for everything.

There’s time for you to write more books and there’s time for you to go traveling.

You don’t have to jam every experience of life into a short period of time.

This is the hardest one for me because I’m impatient, I’m like “But I want it now!”

Sometimes the message from the Universe is,

“You CAN do it all, but you don’t have to do everything at once.

There’s time for things to unfold.”

6. Fill in the manifesting gaps

Sometimes you’re missing really obvious manifesting steps. You’re trying to achieve your goals, but you got too focused on the decluttering part. You could be sending mixed signals to the Universe.

Follow my five steps for manifesting any big dream or goal you have right now.

I do this every time I have something big that I’m trying to manifest. I go through the steps again because it’s really easy to miss a few out and then be like, “Dude… where’s my stuff?”

The universe is like, “Uh… we don’t know what you want. You’ve missed some steps out there.”

When you have clarity, the universe moves very quickly.

If you want more manifesting help, check out my free manifesting workshop here. 

It’s your time and you’re ready for the next step,

Denise xx

Decluttering Can Change Your Life and Income! Shift Your Stuff and Create More Success in Your Life and Business

Hey gorgeous,

I love decluttering! I’m a big fan of Marie Kondo. So, can a good declutter really change your life? 

Yes it can! When you get rid of everything in your life that’s not working for you, you’re free to completely shift your life from the inside out.

I recently watched an entire season of Hoarders on a plane and came home and cleaned my desk. It had snowballed from a bit of mess into a full on clutter f*ck!

But today, I’m not just talking about cleaning up your house (although that’s the first step and a really important one). We’re going to be doing some physical, emotional and mental decluttering as well. Yeah, baby!

This is especially important if you want to make big shifts over the next 12 months. Although you can’t change who you fundamentally are, you can change your habits and remove distractions with these easy actions.

 

1)   Declutter your house – especially the crappy stuff

If you’re anything like me, there’s clutter in your life that lives on the surface and it’s in your face every day. Living with physical clutter can cause you to feel overwhelmed. Having trash around blocks abundance from the Universe (in case, you know, it gets lost under 7 tons of garbage).

Obviously, don’t let your clutter build to hoarder type proportions. I think a safe rule of thumb is – if you can’t see the floor, time to get in a cleaner. If you have a family of racoons living under a giant pile of take-out containers, call in the professionals right now.

Here’s the most obvious stuff to start with….

Clean out your kitchen of anything mouldy or out of date
Discard clothes that are stained, ripped or don’t fit any more
Remove piles of crap or rubbish that can be recycled or chucked out
Actually take the stuff to the charity shop, don’t just put the bag in a cupboard (I see you!)
Chuck anything in your house that’s broken, dirty or just plain annoys you

Decluttering the obvious stuff sets you up for quick wins and will release the energy you need to move onto the harder stuff.

I had to have a big shift and sort out in order to manifest my rose farm - read all about it here. 

2)  Declutter stuff that’s not First Class

In Money Bootcamp, members create their version of a First Class life. That means getting rid of everything that’s Economy class. Anything in your life where you’ve compromised, kept yourself small, or sacrificed what you really want, for the cheaper version.

Declutter stuff that doesn’t make you feel like a million bucks. Start using your best things everyday and it will immediately upgrade the quality of your life. You’ll feel good about donating these items – after all, there’s often nothing wrong with them – it’s just that you’re moving on. Someone else will be thrilled with your economy class items.

Go through and declutter…

B-grade sheets and towels
Underwear that’s seen better days
Anything you constantly look at with regret
Anything you bought in the wrong colour or size
Presents you received but don’t really like (you don’t have to keep them)

Declutter it even before you can afford a replacement. Why? Because you’re creating physical space. 

3) Declutter random stuff in your life

Now it’s time to tackle the stuff that sits there and takes up mental space, even when you don’t realise it. It’s like having a computer that’s got running a lot of old and useless programs. You’d be surprised how good you’ll feel when you free up the energy.

Get random and…

Unsubscribe from newsletters you don’t read
Clean out your Kindle of books you didn’t like
Change your passwords to represent your new goals
Delete that unfinished novel you have NO enthusiasm for anymore
Back up and clean out your computer to make room for your new one
Clean up your Facebook news feed (hide people who are constantly negative)
Clear off your “to read” list of books if you didn’t get past the first chapter. (You have permission to not finish them)

4) Declutter anything that’s not a HELL YES anymore

Many of my business buddies have stopped selling their best-selling courses in recent years. Why would they do that? Because it doesn’t feel right anymore.

You don’t have to compromise and it’s okay to eliminate things you don’t LOVE 100%.

I’ve deleted books I was selling through Kindle and deleted old blogs and businesses that were still up and running. They were making money and building my newsletter list but they just weren’t aligned to my brand and my big goals for the next 12 months.

Yes, I could have allowed them to hang around, no problem, but I wanted to make a big symbolic action to the Universe – I’m ready for BIGGER and BETTER.

Say hell NO and…

Delete old websites, even if they get some traffic
Unpublish books you don’t want your name on anymore
Have a close out sale of old stock or anything you don’t want to sell anymore
Recycle, trash or delete old marketing materials (especially for old businesses)
Decommission services you don’t want to offer any more, even if you’re really good at it
Kill your biggest selling program if you can’t stand running it anymore (or turn it into a different format, eg, live course into home study program)

This is starting to feel so good, right? It’s almost like you have total permission to create your life exactly the way you want it! To dive even deeper into creating your dream life, check out these two simple visualisations that literally plug you into your ultimate life experience! 

5)  Declutter til it hurts

It’s not always going to feel good to declutter. You might feel like you’re giving up something (money, being liked, being helpful) but you’ll be able to gain so much more and free up mental and energetic space to RECEIVE like a mofo.

When you hold on to obligations, you’re perpetuating the story that life happens to you, rather than that you create your ideal life. You’re continuing the story that other people’s goals are more important than yours. It might feel bad temporarily but once you give up the guilt, you’ll also free up a lot of time and energy.

Time to let go of…

Clients you don’t want to work with anymore
Facebook groups that add nothing to your day
Suppliers who don’t offer 100% First Class service
Networking groups that have become an obligation
Volunteer positions or groups you no longer want to serve
A business arrangement or joint venture that doesn’t work anymore
Hobbies you want to give up (no time, outgrown the group, don’t enjoy it anymore)
A specific emotion you want to give up (anger towards an ex, resentment at a friend
An invitation from people you’ve outgrown (a party, wedding, holiday, etc)

It’s okay to say NO even if you’ve already made the commitment. It might require a temporary awkward conversation. You might disappoint others but they’ll get over it. You’re one step closer to manifesting your amazing life so take it one step further…

6) Declutter like you’re on the cusp of something amazing (because you totally are)

Don’t wait until you see that Amazing Thing before you get ready. Get ready now. Imagine what could happen if you lived your life as if opportunities are around every corner?

Sometimes the Universe sends you an enforced upgrade, like it literally makes things fall apart so you notice them and forces you to replace them. Ever notice how your computer starts breaking down when you’re thinking of getting a new one? Notice how you never do until it falls apart?

Act as if your goal is literally just waiting for you to sort out the logistics. If you get ready now, the Universe will send it to you much quicker.

Be brave and take action now...

Go try on wedding dresses
Book the test drive for your dream car
Ring your bank to ask for your debt payback amount
Renew your passport before the money for the trip has shown up
Reserve the hotel for the conference (just takes a credit card number)
Start packing up the house you’re meaning to sell (you’re totally moving right?)
Basically do anything you need to get ready for your amazing life to take off right NOW

I’ve noticed from working with thousands of entrepreneurs around the world, the first step to manifesting is to declutter as much as you can – you literally can’t overdose on decluttering.

It’s your time and you’re ready for the next step,

Denise xx

Increase Your Wealth With These Three Easy Steps to Better Money Management

Hey gorgeous,

I want to get into something really important today – we’re talking about how to manage your money.

Hey don’t run away. Don’t start scrolling through your social feed!

It’s often a really sticky area – money management. I understand. I’ve had my head in the sand too!

So, making money is one thing, but how do you actually take care of it, so you can manifest more? I’ve seen many entrepreneurs fail at looking after their money. They sabotage themselves, fall into unhealthy habits, and have to quit their businesses altogether, which is tragic. 

But that doesn’t have to be you.

I promise there are just a few simple steps to becoming a better steward of your money, so that the universe can send you more. 

 

Here are the three simple steps to take to manage your money better.

Let’s get into it.

1) Hire a professional

The first thing I want you to do is to hire someone to help you with money. While you might be used to hiring people in your business, it’s possible you’re neglecting the money part. Early on in your business you need a bookkeeper. Maybe, you’re at the stage where you need to upgrade your accountant, or find a coach to help you grow your wealth.

When it comes to tasks like bookkeeping, you might be of the mindset, “No, I really should do this myself.” Believe me, I hear this a lot. 

However, if this is not in your zone of genius, you really don’t need to do it yourself. 

When I started out I remember procrastinating, “A bookkeeper seems so grownup and fancy.” I had piles of receipts everywhere; my accounts were a total mess. I called a bookkeeper and said, “Look, I really want to hire you, but let me deal with the six month’s worth first.”

I’m sure she heard this from people all the time. “Let me get my shit sorted, first!” Of course, months went by and I did nothing. Finally I called the bookkeeper and said, “Can I just send you all these receipts?” 

This was a real turning point in my business. Up until then I was trying to do something I wasn’t good at, and really beating myself up over it. But I was being a crap steward of my money. Having a bookkeeper is a symbolic way of showing the universe that you are going to take care of your money.

When I finally hired my bookkeeper, it really felt like I went pro as a business owner. Plus, it can help you avoid problems down the track with your taxes, if you’re just totally on it from the start.

2)             Create simple money systems

Money systems are so important. And they don’t have to be complicated. For example, I love the process of tracking my money every day. In fact, I’d say this is one action that can increase your worth exponentially – read how here. I look at my PayPal account and my business bank account multiple times a day. Not only to see what’s going on expense wise, but also to remind me that I’m in business to make money.

I actually write these numbers down every single day. I remember in my first couple of years in business, writing down a zero on my spreadsheet really motivated me into action. The numbers (or lack of them!) pushed me to chase clients, send invoices, and focus on income producing activities.

Your systems do not have to be super fancy. I’ve seen a lot of entrepreneurs get in trouble because they actually don’t know what’s coming in, and they don’t know what’s going out. Just make sure you look at that stuff, and track it, baby!

3)             Identify your money blocks

The third and probably the biggest shift I made, was carving out time to work on my money blocks. This was another huge turning point in my business. Back in the early days I realised I was spending a ton of money on things like courses and events that actually weren’t giving me the mindset boost that I needed.

I had my fundamental belief that money was really hard to get, that I had to work really hard to make money, and that stuff was going to sabotage me, no matter how many amazing strategies I was using. Check out my recurring money block and how it surfaces at every level of my business (and how I crush it!) here.

I’ve seen this so much recently with entrepreneurs; they’re making money, but struggling to keep it, because they don’t realize they have these underlying sabotaging patterns around money.

Wealth itself will not cure your money blocks; it actually amplifies them.

When rich and famous people totally screw up their money situation, I think it’s because they haven’t dealt with that underlying stuff. Once you know your particular money blocks and sabotages, you’ll be clearer and free-er! You’re less likely to overspend, or block money from coming to you in the first place. You won’t sabotage it when things get good.

Working on your money blocks is an ongoing process, but one that will absolutely change your life for the better. 

You might be wondering how to identify your money block in the first place.

Well, I can help you. I have a ton of resources on this, and I have helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs with this already. I’m a real expert in helping you figure out what your money block is.

Go to DeniseDT.com/Blocks, and I’ll help you find the exact problem that you’re dealing with right now. And tell you the steps you can take to overcome it. I’ve got tons of personalized information for your particular situation, and lots of tips on different industries as well.

Trust me, I’ve seen it all.

Once you know your block, you can clear it.

Then the next time it comes up, you’ll be able to recognize it. And then you can start to create the first class life and business that you’ve been dreaming of.

So let’s recap. Here are the three steps you need to take to become a better custodian of your money.

THE 3 STEPS TO BETTER MONEY MANAGEMENT

1)    Help someone to help you manage your money

2)    Create simple systems – start by tracking your money every single day.

3)    Identify and work on your money blocks – remember, this is an ongoing process! 

These actions all work together to create a healthy relationship with money. Having an awesome money mindset will help you find the team that will help you manage your wealth and create those simple systems that will help you keep the money.

It’s your time, and you’re ready for the next step,

Denise xx

One Simple Daily Action That’ll Change Your Relationship With Money Forever!

Hey gorgeous,

I’ve got some BIG, soul-searching kinda questions for you today.

Do you feel like you never have enough money?

Do you have no idea how much you make (or spend)?

At the end of the month do you wonder why you’ve not hit your financial goals, again?

Answering these can feel pretty bleak, but fear not, I’ve actually got some great news for you!

There’s a very simple (not scary) daily habit that has completely changed my relationship with money. Not just mine, but loads of entrepreneurs in my Money Bootcamp community. Almost every day, a post pops up in our Facebook group that says, “Denise, I didn’t believe you, but I did it and HOLY CRAP, you’re right!”

I usually answer, “YES, I’m a VIRGO. We’re ALWAYS RIGHT”. 

So (drumroll) what’s the one daily habit?

Are you ready?

The life changing habit is….

Tracking your money – and I literally mean EVERY PENNY that comes into your life.

Wait – where are you going? Don’t switch off…. don’t walk away!

I can hear you saying…

Oh crap, THAT? I tried it and it didn’t work for me.

Tracking is BORINGGGGGGGGG! 

I hate accounting! 

I have people who do that for me Denise!

Wait – HOLD UP.

This isn’t about doing more accounting. You should totally outsource that stuff so you can focus on making money. You don’t want to be organizing it. That’s for someone else to sort out.

Daily Tracking is an altogether different process. It’s about MINDFULLY tracking what comes into your life. Accounting is based on facts, while money tracking, in the manifesting sense, is focused on gratitude, awareness and increased abundance.

Even if you’ve tried it before – try it again. Try it every day for a month and then let me know. I’ll get my smug face ready!

How does tracking your money change your abundance mindset?

Humans are great at making up BS stories. We tend to make up stories about our ability, and most of all, our deservedness, to earn more money.

You might be telling yourself money stories like:

I’m broke. There’s literally NO money coming in. 

Nobody is buying my stuff. I guess I’m not cut out for being in business.

The Universe doesn’t like me. I’m not lucky like Denise… 

Tracking your money every day keeps you mindful of what’s actually going on in your life, helps you appreciate the abundance around you, and sometimes gets your butt into gear to make more money.

Best of all – it stops you feeling bad about money, and making up stories about your ability to earn money.

How to Track Your Money to Boost Your Money Mindset

When you track your income (using the tried and tested formula that I practice every single day), you will notice increased awareness around your finances and more positive behavior. Plus, the way I do it enhances one of the most powerful emotions for manifesting – GRATITUDE.

And when you feel good about your money, you generally start attracting MORE of it. Have you noticed that it often works in reverse too? When you feel shitty about your money, you sometimes manifest “unexpected” bills, fines and debts.

In my experience, you start tracking and then suddenly you’re finding money EVERYWHERE.

How? Why? Is it magic?

No – it’s like anything; when you train your brain to look for it, there it is. Like when you fall in love with a particular car and then you see them everywhere. It’s selection bias – a well-researched phenomenon. Make it work in your favor by training your brain to look for opportunities to find and make money!

How do I track money?

There are some subtleties in my approach that you might not have used before. In my Money Bootcamp and in my books, I talk about tracking two different things (don’t worry, I have some resources for you at the end of this post to make it super easy).

1) Track cash – ALL OF IT

In your normal accounting processes, you would track your business and personal income separately. However, when it comes to tracking money for manifesting purposes, you combine them.

Why?

Many entrepreneurs have actually already hit their financial goals without even realizing it. Yes, it might have come from different sources than you wanted it to, but money is still money. You’re getting pissed at the Universe for not helping you and the Universe is going, “Dude – you’ve done it”. The Universe doesn’t care about the source.

You might be miscalculating your true abundance by compartmentalizing your money.

Have you ever thought any of the following?

 

It only counts if it’s earned from something I like doing


My job income doesn’t count because I really want to be an entrepreneur


Mine is only a hobby business; my partner earns the “real” money


I didn’t hit my goal so what’s the point?


Yeah, I had a good month, but it was a total fluke!


That project/client/payment was too easy. I didn’t really “earn” it 


If a client gives me cash, it’s not real business income


My business income doesn’t count because it’s only a small amount – barely worth counting


Paypal money isn’t “real” money


But my parents gave me that money – it doesn’t really belong to me!

 

If you’re just counting money from only one source, it’s not a true picture of your full abundance.

I want you to track all income - cash and money. Every coin you find in the street. Every source of job income. Every monetary gift. Interest. Free money. Easy money. Cash money. Paypal money.

Money is money.

You don’t have to be super 100% accurate, this is NOT an accounting exercise. Remember, you won’t be using this for tax purposes. This is for manifesting purposes and I promise, this practice will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

How often should you track your money?

Do it DAILY. Because it’s easy to get out of the habit and forget.

I actually do mine multiple times a day on my money tracking app or Google doc (I’ll share mine with you at the bottom of this article). It keeps me focused on money making and each time I record my income, I feel excited and grateful.

BTW – I practice the “cash accounting” method where I only track it when I actually receive it in one of my bank accounts (and yes, Paypal is a bank account) or I actually have it in my possession. That way I don’t end up tracking it twice.

What if NO MONEY is coming in?

Well – don’t think that this exercise doesn’t apply to you. First of all – it might be coming in and you’re just not counting it. Or second, you’re feeling broke, instead of focusing on abundance and gratitude.

And we know from the Law of Attraction that you get MORE of what you already have. If you feel broke, it’s hard to get out of that mindset. All of your “reality” tells you the same thing. You might stay in denial, stop opening your bills or feel powerless about your financial situation.

So you act in ways that don’t serve you. You don’t have the forward motion to create positive action.

That doesn’t mean becoming a Pollyanna, but you DO have to do something about your mindset. Because how else are you going to have the energy, motivation and self-belief to manifest more money?

When you go days without tracking ANY money, then you can use it as a wake up call to get into action. Look for easy actions to take: send out invoices, create a sale, send an email to a prospective client, sell something or apply for some part time work, for example.

And remember, tracking your money and working on your mindset is free, so what have you got to lose

This brings me to the second form of tracking, and this is a super fun one.

2) Track anything of “value”

Every time you get something free, track it on your value column. If you can value it, add it.

For example – your friend buys you a coffee. Add the cost of that into your value column. You got an unexpected discount on something you were already buying – add into your value column. You get something for free. Add it to your value column.

Why is tracking “value” so important?

I’ve noticed that a lot of our Bootcamp members are insanely good at manifesting. In fact, lots of entrepreneurs are. They are brilliant at attracting what they need when they need it, usually by the very skin of their teeth, or at the very last minute.

Unfortunately for a lot of entrepreneurs, they don’t manifest actual MONEY.

It’s like a massive block, where the Universe takes care of them, but without the need for money to go through their hands at all.

Now – I used to be exactly like this! I once won half a million dollars worth of free stuff in one year, but I earned hardly any actual money. Read all about my insanely lucky year here. 

When you track your value as well as cash, it serves two purposes:

Gratitude

When you’re feeling broke about not having actual cash, you can feel gratitude for the fact that you still are able to create abundance. It makes you feel lucky and taken care of.

Reality check

If you’re regularly attracting more value than money, then it’s a huge reality check to shift the focus on your manifesting. Are you spending more time on trying to win competitions or get free stuff, rather than focusing on making actual money in your business?

The reality check was a HUGE one for me. Once I realized that I was a total super star at manifesting, but I didn’t have any actual cash in my bank account, I had to take a good, long, hard look at my actions.

 Are you ready for ACTUAL money?

I used to be the Queen of Free. I’d write restaurants complaint letters so they’d give me free meals. I applied for competitions all the time (and regularly won them!) but I procrastinated on taking actual income-producing action in my business.

I even did a ritual where I said to the Universe, “Dude, I’m a big girl now. Thanks for taking care of me, but I’m ready to make some actual CASH now”.

That was a game-changer for me.

So yeah – I’m not saying don’t take free shit anymore -who doesn’t like free food? I’m just saying that intention and focus is incredibly important.

Plus, I noticed that when I was getting free stuff, I just took what was given, regardless of my own personal preference. After all, it was free and nobody wants to be ungrateful.

“Get what you’re given” was definitely drummed into me at a young age. You?

You know what’s better than free stuff? Having the money to buy the EXACT thing you want.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

I want to answer all the questions I get asked on the topic of Daily Money Tracking.

Does interest / dividends count?

If you have received the money then yes, money is money

Does money I find on the street count?

Yes, money is money

Does my partner’s income count?

If your intention is to make more money of your own, then no. If you’re doing this experiment as a couple and you don’t care who is manifesting the money, then count everything you bring in together.

Do loans count as cash?

Only if it’s a gift, not if you have to pay it back.

Do I track expenses as well?

You should totally keep up to date with your expenses, preferably with an online system like Xero or (best of all) get your Bookkeeper to do it. Remember, this isn’t to replace your accounting or bookkeeping process. The purpose of this exercise is for you to increase your awareness of money that comes into your life.

Does bartering count as “value received”?

If it’s a straight swap, then no. But if you received more value than you gave out, add the difference into your value column. By the way, not bartering anymore will CHANGE your life. Trust me on this.

How do I track? Spreadsheet, notebook, app?

There are three different ways that I’ve done my money tracking. Your method is completely up to you and your personal preferences.

Seriously, none of them have to be fancy.

Paper tracking

You can literally just use a piece of paper with 31 lines on it, one for each day of the month.

You can use a pen or pencil to put in your totals at the end of the day. This is super easy, although it’s a little harder if you attract a lot of different types of money each day. This was my very first method of tracking, and I found it easy and motivating.

Spreadsheet tracking

I like using an online Google Doc that I can access from all my devices. I probably update it several times a day, and just keep adding the figures into the cell, so it adds up the total automatically. I also love being able to see at a glance where I’m at with my daily, monthly and yearly goals.

Resource: Download my money tracking spreadsheet here.  

iPhone app tracking

There are already some awesome expenses apps, like You Need a Budget but they don’t really fit the purpose of tracking for manifesting purposes.

Luckily, I’ve created one for you, where you can track income AND value each day, rate how you feel about money and take notes. It also lets you set monthly goals and track how you’re meeting them.

Resource: Download the Lucky B Money Tracker App from the App Store

Use your gut

You really can’t screw this up. Just be consistent. If this was an accounting exercise, there would be an exact process. But it’s not. The intention is more important than doing it perfectly.

If you procrastinate because you’re worried about screwing it up, you’re missing an amazing opportunity to change the way you think, feel and take action on your money.

I can’t wait to see what changes for you!

It’s your time and you’re so ready for the next step,

Denise xx

PS: Come and flex your manifesting muscle alongside a brilliant community in my Money Bootcamp. Seriously, you’ll learn so many cool tools to help you create financial freedom for yourself and your family. Come and join us!

Even Millionaires Have Money Blocks – Here’s How to Deal With Them

Hey gorgeous,

Because I teach money blocks, people assume I have a perfect relationship with money. Nope, not at all.

In my experience, talking to entrepreneurs, at all levels, about their success, money blocks are an inevitable part of being in business. Not even millionaires and multi-millionaires are immune to the occasional freak out about money, and if they are growing rapidly, they will hit their own self-imposed limits regularly.

That’s good and bad news, right?

The good news is that you’re entirely NORMAL. 

And the bad news is that you’ll never fully be clear of money blocks completely!

Dealing with Money Blocks

The even BETTER news is that it doesn’t really matter that much. You can learn to recognise them, dance with them and move on – all while increasing your income to new levels. How do you know if you have money blocks? Check out my blog post here to find out.

Here’s an example of how my old personal money block crops up for me. BTW: I love sharing my failings with you, it’s SO important to hear the real deal of business – warts and all. (If you want someone perfect to learn from, I’m not your gal!)

My recurring money block is…

“Making money can’t be easy. It has to be hard work”.

Way back when, this money block came up for me when I started charging my first clients. I had given away a bunch of sessions in return for testimonials, but I knew that I had to start making actual MONEY if I wanted to make my business survive, and my husband was starting to make noises about me getting “a backup job…. just in case this doesn’t work out”.

So, I pulled up my big girl panties and charged a package of six sessions for $45 each. Nothing groundbreaking but it felt comfortable for me.

Immediately, I had this feeling of,

“Can I really just help people with their problems and they’ll pay me? That seems too easy.”

It felt icky. Uncomfortable. Unseemly.

Clearing My Money Blocks

I come from a family where people WORK for a living. You know – they clean things, build things, make stuff, organise people or you know …. other “real jobs”.

This didn’t seem like a real job. It felt too easy and the fact is I get a lot of pleasure out of helping people. After my first session with a client, I had this amazing feeling of “THIS is what I’m meant to be doing!”. 

But anyway – I did some money clearing work on it – and soon was loving my client load (and the money I earned). YAHOO! I increased my prices quite rapidly over the next year without too much drama and honestly, I thought my income would just keep going up forever.

Money Blocks at Every Level in My Business

Then it came up again. I hit a new plateau and NOTHING would shift it.

Are you serious Universe – I thought we cleared this sh-t!

This time it was when I created my first ever group program. Instead of working with people 1:1, I decided to teach everything I knew in a six-week online course.

Instead of teaching individual sessions, I cut my workload drastically, but still made great money by grouping clients together. The members LOVED it and it was cheaper for them than working with me 1:1.

It felt like cheating. I felt terrible about it.

It was the same old shizzle. My old block that money couldn’t be easy, it had to be HAAAARD. But again, using the tools, which I talk about in Get Rich, Lucky Bitch and you can learn in Money Bootcamp, I worked on those feelings and my income started rising again.

Until the next time.

My Personal Money Sabotage

The first time I ran my Money Bootcamp, it was a big old stress. I pulled all-nighters getting the sales page together, I was still creating handouts minutes before I sent them out and I got VERY little sleep during the sales period. I’m sure you’ve been there!

But because it was so much work, I felt like I really “earned” the money. After all, I lost sleep over it! I sweated over it almost like a “real job”!

 

So – when I turned the course into a home study version, suddenly, it wasn’t that much work. Everything was already created so it felt like cheating again to make money out of something that didn’t require a lot of blood, sweat and tears. I knew the material was great and the results were still phenomenal… but it felt too easy for me.

Every time someone bought the Bootcamp, I felt like screaming, “Wait!! Let me come over to your house, and I’ll help you open it and do the exercises. Let me “earn” your sale”.

It was my old friend – my own personal money sabotage.

Let me tell you, it’s not that big a deal to start clearing this stuff – especially when you have the support of a mastermind, but it always feels rough to begin with.

The same old feelings…

– This is too easy
– How can I make money when it’s not hard?

You might get these feelings when you make your first ebook sale or when you’re working on your sales page (with the dream of passive income dancing in your head). It’s probably why you procrastinate and sabotage your success EVEN THOUGH you’re getting what you’ve always wanted.

Humans are so weird!

You Have to Keep Working on Money Blocks

PERFECTION IS NOT THE GOAL. You’re not working towards a complete absence of money blocks. You have to learn to move through them regardless and KEEP moving forward.

Your personal blend of sabotage will pop his head up regularly. New Level, Old Devil, as I like to say.

Mine comes around every six months or so; every time I hit a new income plateau. Even though I teach money blocks, I still don’t have a perfect relationship with money. Even though I have a multiple seven-figure business, I’m still not immune to money crap. I’m sure that I’ll freak out when I get close to a billion dollar business because that ole’ Devil will tell me it’s too easy.

The difference now, of course, is that I can get out of it much quicker. I don’t have to wallow in misery and spiral out of control.

If you’re just starting out – you might think I’m crazy. You might be thinking that once you get to seven figures, your life will be perfect. YOU will be perfect. Nope. You’ll still be YOU – just with a bit more money! 

Interesting huh?

So, have a think about YOUR recurring money blocks and what they might mean. In my experience of working with thousands of entrepreneurs over the years, there are seven common ones – find yours here!

FOUR WAYS TO BUST THROUGH YOUR MONEY BLOCKS

Here are four ways to shift your money mindset and work on your money blocks

Write down your biggest money blocks and then go through the list, taking time with each one and asking yourself, ‘Is this really true?’ Most likely you’ll discover a lot of self-sabotage hiding out in that list!
Book out regular time each week to look at your money blocks and assessing whether they are really true or not. Focusing on this regularly will help you get to the next level more quickly and easily.
Hunt down any sabotaging behaviors. Notice where you’re hiding away or feeling guilty. Look for a tendency to procrastinate launching or otherwise sabotage your success. 
Add a mindset expert into your team, including working with someone like me to release your money blocks. It's totally okay to pay for that kind of help. In fact, I think it's super important. 

And to help you crush this Old Devil and get to the Next Level in your Business, here’s a free audio class, so you can get started today, clearing your money blocks. You’ll get a step-by-step guide to recognizing – and then dealing with – the seven most common entrepreneurial money blocks.

Get your copy today from denisedt.com/blocks

When blocks come up, don’t let yourself get into a “I’m not meant to be rich” death spiral. Just laugh and say “there you are again you old Devil!”

You can totally handle it!

Denise xx

PS Want to uplevel with epic community support and plenty of tools and techniques to make it easy? Join my Money Bootcamp course today – you’ll learn how to spot a money block at a hundred paces, and exactly what to do to work through it.

How to Run a Million Dollar Challenge: Real Stats and Lessons

Hey gorgeous,

I’m so excited to share today. You’re gonna get all the juicy behind-the-scenes info on how to run a super successful (I’m talking one million dollar successful!) challenge. 

Last week we wrapped up a 5-Day Money Manifesting Challenge, which culminated in a launch for my money mindset course, Money Bootcamp. We want to share with you the real stats from the promotion as well as lift the lid on some of our best tactics and biggest lessons. 

The last time we ran a 5-day challenge was five years ago. This latest one was kind of an impromptu promotion - it certainly wasn’t on our agenda at the last quarterly planning meeting and it wasn’t on our calendar for the year. But sometimes we love to do things a bit maverick and be spontaneous!

We had a dream and a big goal; we needed to cover the renovations at the Rose Farm, so we did a launch to pay for it. Launches have been brilliant for my business. We bought our dream plot of land by the beach and built our family home and also bought the Rose Farm in the first place, all through the exciting launches we’ve run!  When you have a big goal and a clear plan, there’s almost no better way to spike momentum and income in your business than with a launch. 

So first of all we want to give you the nine essentials to launching a successful challenge and then give you a peek behind the curtain at our figures from our most recent launch. It’s pretty inspiring! Keep reading for a breakdown of our real stats. 

9 LESSONS FROM A MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE 

Invest in a team
Make Things Easier - Use Templates
Share Great Content
Set up a Group for the Challenge
Bring in a Messenger Bot!
Nail the Follow Up
Give Away Cash Prizes
Don’t Underestimate the Launch Echo
Work on Your Mindset and Anchor the Goal

 Nine Essential Lessons for a Million Dollar Launch

Let’s dive into the big lessons we took away from this Challenge. These are our top tips if you’re thinking about running something similar in your business.

1. Invest in a team

Halfway through this year we realized that Mark, as head of marketing and sales, was a bottleneck in the company. It was limiting our growth in both areas. Every time I came up with a new idea or suggestion, he’d say no because he was drowning under his current workload. We decided to hire some new team members to bring back the creativity, joy and FREEDOM!

So our new team freed up Mark’s workload, which was great. He’s been able to get a better overview of the business, and bring back some balance into our family life (more trips to the beach!). We also had the space and capacity to try something new.

This launch was only made possible because we hired additional support and outsourced some tasks months before.  

Our additional copywriting, ads management, marketing and community engagement support not only meant we could better run a large promotion like this, but it meant the planning and preparation went smoother and the Challenge itself was far less stressful. You don’t need to have a big business to hire in support and free up more time for you to focus on creative and highly profitable high impact activities. 

ACTION: What could you outsource or hire a part time team member to do? This will help right now in the short term for your sanity and energy levels but also in the future when you want to work on your next launch. 

(You can start small… some of our new hires only work 5 hours a week.) 

Remember, gorgeous, you don’t have to do all of the work yourself!

 2. Make Things Easier - Use Templates 

You also don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are a lot of moving parts and options with launches and it can be easy to overcomplicate them. We’ve definitely done that in the past with too many deadlines, price options, bonuses and emails. So getting the process and framework right from the start was crucial. We learnt how to launch from Jeff Walker and his Product Launch Formula and use the principles Jeff teaches in every launch we run. 

(You can learn these principles in Jeff’s Live Launch Masterclass which he’s running in the next few days. Register here for free access here)

In addition to launch training, for this Challenge we found templates and courses to help us nail the 5-Day Challenge format. We bought a great course called “The 5-Day Challenge Toolkit” from my friend, Zach Spruckler. It’s got everything in it: recommended schedules, email swipe files, ad ideas and everything we needed to set up the basics of the Challenge. We also found 5-Day challenge journal templates on Canva which we adapted for our Challenge workbooks and daily activities. We even used the AI copywriting app, Jarvis, to help wordsmith some of our emails and ads. There’s no shame in this - if you can get a better result, quicker and easier, why wouldn’t you? 

These templates have been tested and are for sales off the shelf, ready for you to use - you can totally make things easier for yourself by being open to hacks like this. 

 3. Create Great Content 

Once we had the framework in place, we knew we had to provide awesome content to ensure everyone GOT THE RESULTS during the challenge! 

Each of the workbooks and daily tasks were super practical and goal orientated. It was all about helping people to manifest more money. Many of them chose to come and invest it in Money Bootcamp. Yay! 

We were in lockdown in the prep stages for this launch so we had to shoot the videos at home. Without our normal pro team and set up. It  was super frustrating but then everyone loved the new videos. The workbooks came out great.  And the engagement in the Facebook group went through the roof! I was literally watching it climb by the thousands every day!

  4. Set up a Group for the Challenge

You gotta get visible, baby! The key to a successful launch is the number of people who see your content and offer. We had between 1,500 and 1,900 people live on each of the daily Facebook lives and 1,300 people on the 90 minute Masterclass at the end of the Challenge. Some of the lives got over 10,000 comments. This was much higher engagement than when we’ve launched before without a Facebook Group.

We increased the hours our community team members were working so they could jump in whenever needed and provide the support. They spent more time responding to comments and answering questions to really encourage that feeling of community. 

We set up the group so that only admins could post, so all of the participants' comments were focused on 2-3 posts per day. Our audience comments were limited to the daily video, a daily wins post and the daily live broadcast. 

 5. Bring in a Messenger Bot! 

This launch we decided to set up an automated Messenger Bot. It was like having another super-efficient member of our team that sent participants reminders about the daily videos and lives. 

We have dabbled with Messenger Bots and ManyChat before and had problems with some of Facebook’s changing messenger rules so I was nervous about setting up the bot linked to our main business FB page and ads account.

We decided to create a new “Team DDT” Facebook page and built the message sequence and reminders linked to that. We were very deliberate and careful to follow Facebook rules about what messages we could send to who and when. 

Over 7,000 people registered to get daily reminders. We found that the bot worked very well for the first two days of the Challenge - it really helped more people remember to join the live calls and stay engaged. But then we started to encounter problems - the Team DDT page and a replacement page we created were temporarily banned and we couldn’t send messages. 

Frustratingly, this sometimes happens with Facebook - a computer reviews the messages that are sent and flags anything that could violate a rule. Luckily both pages were given the ok after appeal. They were reviewed by a person and were turned back on. But this meant we were not able to send some messages and reminders during the outage. 

The lesson we learned with the bot was that it’s very cool technology that can work really well and is inexpensive to set up, but is something that Facebook monitors closely. You will need to be really on it with all the rules. We recommend setting up an additional page so your main FB page is not restricted during a launch. 

 6. Nail the Follow-up 

As they say, the fortune is in the follow-up. A 5-day Challenge can generate a big spike in interest and leads, but it takes work to convert this into sales and a good conversion rate. 

We followed up our Challenge and Masterclass with a 5 day email campaign and outreach via messenger. I ran Q&A and bonus Facebook lives in the Group and my team spent a lot of time in the comments and our inboxes answering questions about Money Bootcamp and how it can help. 

A new tactic I decided to implement this year was certainly high-touch and took some effort but with each sale being worth almost $3,000, I wanted to play full-out. 

I recorded over 500 personalised video messages like this one, which were sent to potential customers via email or messenger. People loved getting the personalised messages and it was really effective in starting sales conversations and getting responses. 

We targeted the most common names in our list of 16,000 leads - starting at names like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Michelle (all which had over 100 participants) and then working down to more obscure names. 

In the end, any name with more than 10 people got a video and we sent thousands of people a personal invite to work with me and join our course. 

The work doesn’t end when you make the offer. Your sales results are not at the whim of some mythical launch god during the open cart period - you can take inspired action and meet the Universe halfway to make your launch goals happen. 

ACTION: How can you take your follow-up to the next level in your next launch? What simple thing can you do to connect with and surprise your audience to start more sales conversations? 

7. Give Away Cash Prizes 

Another strategy that worked well to keep people engaged and excited was giving away cash prizes - go figure! 

On each live call we gave away cash prizes by picking a lucky winner from the live participants. The prizes increased from $200 to $1,000 over the five days plus we gave away a few prizes for sharing the Challenge on social media. All in the total prize pool was less than $3,000.

I love how it helped teach some key lessons about manifesting and how deserving people are of abundance. Plus it kept up attendance and excitement on the daily calls. The amount doesn’t really matter, you can give away less or more, but it worked well in this Challenge.

An additional unexpected bonus was that 4 of the 5 winners selected during the Challenge went on to join Money Bootcamp with their prize money! 

 ACTION: How can you reward and incentivize participants to take the next step? 

8. Don’t Underestimate The Launch Echo

Jeff Walker talks about the long term benefits of a launch being called a “launch echo” - the upside that you will feel and the momentum built by launching. We have seen this many times in our business over the years, but a quick look at our sales figures for the month of October 2021 shows how this launch will contribute to future growth and help us go big for our next launch in January 2022. 

Check out our October Key Metrics:

Total List Size +7.7%
Social Media Followers +4%
Unique Website Visitors +28%
Pinterest Reach +58%
YouTube Views +8%
Podcast Downloads +5.9%

Launches are the best way to build momentum in your business - they help you build your revenue AND audience quickly by focusing on giving away great value free content. Do not underestimate what a launch or challenge could do for your business whether you’re established or just getting started. 

9. Work on Your Mindset and Anchor the Goal 

Any article from me about how to achieve anything in business wouldn't be complete without mentioning your mindset, right?! 

I know that doing a launch or Challenge is going to bring up your fears and blocks. We’ve all got them - those limiting beliefs about whether you can do this, are you good enough? Will people like this? Argh, they all start rearing their head when you’re getting this visible!

It’s so important to look at these blocks before your launch. Clear the way before you so you can be successful in your execution. Work on clearing and upleveling your thinking about what’s possible for you and your business months (or weeks) beforehand. My book Get Rich, Lucky Bitch is a good place to start if you’re new to this work. 

And remember, during the launch things can (and will) go wrong - tech, engagement, emails, links, or slow sales. A strong mindset will help you stay resilient so you can keep going. I’ve seen so many people get frustrated, scared or thrown off course during a launch and just throw the towel in. Running a successful launch takes persistence and belief. 

Read my article here about my launch preparation tips that nobody is talking about - things that will help reduce your stress levels and the chance of getting thrown off course. 

As I said at the beginning, mindset is so important in a launch, so I recommend you tie the launch to a big goal or dream - and not just a monetary target. What are you playing for? What will this launch help you and your family achieve and how will you celebrate? 

You’ve got this, gorgeous! Get a big goal, get determined and take action. 

The Real-Life Stats from a Million Dollar Challenge 

Now it’s time to take a look at the real life, actual stats from our most recent campaign. We’ll show you exactly how we structured the content and the outcome of each stage of the process. Use it as a cheatsheet for your own million dollar challenge!

In case you weren’t playing along, here’s an overview of how we structured the campaign:

The Structure of our Million Dollar Challenge

1-10 October - Promoting the 5-Day Challenge
Lead generation and having people join the pop-up Facebook group. Marketing channels used: social media, email and ads (FB, IG, LinkedIn and, Pinterest) 

8 October - Open Facebook Group
We decided to keep the group closed until 3 days before the official start of the Challenge to maximise engagement. When we did open the group there was a huge spike of people joining, introducing themselves and engaging with the warm-up content that ensured the Challenge was at the top of participants' social media feeds. 

11-16 October - 5-Day Challenge
I produced daily training videos, workbooks and Facebook Lives in the Challenge group, all focused on the five steps of my money manifesting process. 

16-18 October - Promoting Masterclass
Lead generation and reminders for participants to join a live money manifesting masterclass to bring together all of the learning from the Challenge. This is where I pitched the opportunity to continue working with me via joining Money Bootcamp. 

18 October - Masterclass 
Extended live training and sales webinar with an offer to join Money Bootcamp. Also included a prize draw and special bonuses for fast action takers. 

18-24 October - Open Cart
Promotion of the Money Bootcamp special offer with sales emails, ads, social posts and sales by email and messenger. 

This campaign was the main focus of our marketing and entire team for October as well as most of September, when we were planning content and promotions. 

The Results of our Million Dollar Challenge Launch

 The headline results from this Challenge exceeded our expectations and hit the majority of our targets. Here’s a breakdown:

* Australian Dollars 

Leads

We had three main sources of leads for this Challenge; our existing warm audience and list, paid ads and participants sharing the Challenge/inviting friends. While ten thousand of the leads were from our existing list, one of the huge positives from running this challenge is that we got 6,500 new leads. Some of these people joined Money Bootcamp right away, but the majority will go on to read our newsletter, read one of my books and hopefully join Bootcamp in the future.  

Conversion Rate

We average between 2% and 3.5% conversion of overall leads when we run a large promotion like this for Money Bootcamp. So for every 100 people who opt-in to take part in the launch and receive our sales emails, 2-3 people join. This might sound low, but it’s important to know that these numbers are actually pretty good. Standard is 1-2% conversion.

The other important stat we look at is the number of people who saw the sales page during the launch and the conversion rate of this group. We had about 6,000 unique visitors to the sales page so a conversion rate of over 6% which is high. This really is the beauty of doing a launch and having special bonuses and a deadline, because our normal sales page conversion rate outside of a launch is much closer to the industry standard of 1-2%. For future launches we will work harder to get a higher percentage of the overall 16,000 leads to see the sales page which would drive up numbers further down the funnel. 

Cash & Costs

We had more people pay in full this launch than previous promotions so we received a higher percentage of the total revenue upfront (nice!). The launch cost us about $100,000 excluding the charitable donations we do after each launch / from each sale. This was about $70k in ad spend and $30k in team and production costs. Refund requests are inevitable and we’re relaxed and never triggered by them. We have a 14-day refund period and would expect around 15-20 refunds from this launch (around 5%). 

Thinking of running a 5-Day Challenge or Launch?

Challenge launches are really effective due to the high engagement, focused timeline and “shareability” of the content/group. 

The sales and lead generation from these 3 week will have a long term impact on our business (and our rose farm!). 

If you’re thinking of adding a launch or a Challenge to your business we recommend checking out Zach Sprickler’s Toolkit and to go deeper with launch training.

Plus make sure you register for Jeff Walker’s Launch Masterclass which is coming up from 5-8 November - click here to reserve your spot now. 

This article might sound like a lot, especially if you’re just starting out, but we hope that us lifting the lid has helped you. 

Here’s to making your next launch better!

Denise & Mark xx

 

Affiliate Disclaimer: I’m proud to be an affiliate partner of Jeff Walker. If you invest in Product Launch Formula in the future, I may receive a commission but at no extra cost to you.

 

 

 

Three Things You Need to Know to Make Money Online

Hey gorgeous,

Today I’m going to share my top 3 tips for making money online in a way that works for you and how to avoid the big stumbling blocks that trip up a lot of entrepreneurs like you. 

Years ago I was working in a job and I desperately wanted to work for myself, I was always searching for ideas on x

    how to make money online,
    how to make money in business,
    how to make money quickly

To be honest, I fell into some kind of dodgy things.

I found a lot of things that didn’t really work with me. They didn’t really resonate with me and in fact, didn’t make any money at all.

And I had a sort of desperate energy. The problem with that desperation kind of feeling - I must make money online – is that it can mean you pass up some great opportunities and miss what might really make you successful in business.

Three Things You Need to Know to Make Money Online

In my experience, here are the three things that you need to know in order to bring home the bacon. 

 1)    Do Something That Resonates with You

2)     Make Sure Your Idea Has Marketable Value

3)     Get Clear on Your Niche

 Let’s dig into each one in a bit more depth.

 1)   Do Something That Resonates with You

In order to start making money from my online businesses, I had to choose to do something that really resonated with who I was as a person. No more dating advice or raw food courses!

Years ago, when I was just trying to make money for money’s sake I would come up with all of these business ideas. I’d come up with so many different things and think to myself, I can do that. I might give it a try.

But those things really weren’t in line with who I was. And therefore, it was difficult to inspire or motivate people from that place energetically. 

So, to start, consider what would really make an amazing business for you? What are you brilliant at? What abilities do you receive the most compliments for? What are you doing when you’re working in your zone of genius?

Don’t start with the money side of it.

Start with what you want to do, what you’re really good at, and what you’re passionate about, and you’re going to have a much better chance of making money from that than anything else.

2)   Make Sure Your Idea Has Marketable Value

I know this sounds really like, “Oh, duh?” But there are some things that you can do to make money more easily than others so I really want you to think of what products and services are you going to offer.

It can be really easy to start a blog and think, “Oh, well I’ll just build an audience. I’ll blog a lot and I’ll have a lot of people reading my blog and I’ll make money somehow.”

Trust me, that's a really hard business model.

Choosing a business model where you have to work really, really hard to grow your audience is giving yourself challenges you don’t need.

You want a product or a service that you can offer pretty much straight away.

3)    Get Clear on Your Niche

Take time to write down all the things that you’re really good at and write down all the things that you think people would pay you for. Your first product or service is going to be one of those things that match up on both lists. You can be really good at one thing but nobody will pay you for it.

The next tip is to find your niche. Something that comes really naturally to you, but might not to others.

An example: One of my mentors, Fabianne Fredrickson, started out as a health coach, but to earn a little extra money, she’d run cooking classes on the side. She literally taught people how to roast a chicken. She was like, “Everyone knows how to make roasted chicken.” But her clients responded in droves, “”We want your methods explained to us.”

Find your niche, gorgeous – your special place in the market.

Say for example, you got a large family and you’ve really mastered the art of feeding four kids for under $100 a week and you do it in a really efficient way. That might come easy to you but for your audience that is a revelation. They’re like, “Tell me how you do that. Tell me what to do first and then tell me what to do next. And hey, do you have a spreadsheet for that? Can you make my life really, really easy?”

Maybe you found a really great way to discipline your dog or organize your home or whatever it is.

Find those things that you’re really, really good at and find a way that you could package your expertise and show people how to do it.

The more specific you can get the better. You literally want to do it like you’re showing an alien how to do that thing that you do.

For some inspiration, read about my first year in business here - you get to go behind the curtains and see exactly how much I made!

It’s your time and you’re ready for the next step,

Denise x

P.S. When you’re ready to work on your money mindset and want my support here are four ways I can help you…

Follow me and let me know what blocks are coming up that I can help you shift – Click Here
Subscribe and listen to the Chill & Prosper podcast all about business, marketing and mindset - Click Here
Grab a copy of my book, "Get Rich, Lucky Bitch" (paperback, Kindle or audio) to work on mindset tweaks you can make in your business – Click Here
Work with me in my money mindset coaching program and mastermind community.  Message me  with the word "Money" and let’s chat about how Bootcamp can help you reprogram your money mindset and revolutionize your business.

Launch Preparation Tips Nobody Talks About

A marketing launch is an exciting and nerve-wracking time for any business. Exciting because you're doing it - you're planting a seed that can become a huge success. 

But holy moly - there are so many things to think about; creating the actual product in the first place, getting all the tech set up, and all the million and one things to tick off. It's an exhausting and exhilarating time.

And guess what? I'm gonna give you even MORE things to think about. But these are strategies that can make your launch a lot less stressful, I promise. 

Obviously, as a money mindset mentor, I have lots of thoughts about all the money blocks you'll experience as you launch, "am I good enough?", "will I get heaps of refunds?" and the classic "will anyone even pay for this?". Launch resistance is real, and the closer you get to launching, the more you'll feel your money blocks.

But, as a practical Virgo, mother of 3 young kids (and two dogs), and a 40+ woman who needs a ton of self-care these days, I want to share with you some of my hard-won lessons about what it takes to launch without losing your sanity.

First up - my online launch credentials. My first ever ebook launch was in 2004 (Internet Dating Tips for Men), and my first course launch was in 2009 (Raw Brides Transformation Plan). Since those "practice businesses," I've had dozens of online course, book, and affiliate launches and have made over USD $15m (AUD $20m) in online launch revenue. 

I've launched my flagship course Money Bootcamp in every way possible; live video content launches, evergreen, webinar, 5-day challenge, quiz-style, half-assed, and full out. It's been quite a journey with over 7400 students through that course and 8000+ on my manifesting course.

This year, I've discovered a crucial lesson; just how much self-care, practical child support, and home help I need to really thrive during launch campaigns. I've never seen this covered in typical launch courses, but it can cause the most considerable stress, especially for women.

Here we go:

Childcare (and Backup Childcare)

This tip is CRUCIAL for parents, but really anyone who has caring responsibilities. 

Even though I love outsourcing, the truth is that you can probably do most things in the launch yourself, but NOT if you're wrangling kids simultaneously. It's so stressful. SO stressful. Especially if you have young kids that don't sleep well or kids who need extra care.

During the last few years, when schools and daycares have been closed at a moment's notice, how can you ensure you're not dealing with the juggle on your close cart day?

How can you and your partner share childcare during the launch, for example, after school activities and school pick up. 
Organize before or after-school care 
Ask a family member to  take them out for an adventure all weekend

Honestly - this is worthy of allocating launch funds to get extra help and back up childcare. I'm talking about a private nanny, babysitters, or vacation care. It's SO WORTH IT. 

Our nanny was sick, and my mum came and helped during our last launch (the schools and daycares were closed). So, we had to work late into the night to catch up. We took turns getting up early with the kids. Teamwork! 

Co-parents / single parents

If you have a shared parenting arrangement, try to schedule your launch for your off-week. 
If you have a good relationship with your ex-partner, can they take the kids extra days? 
Can your kids have a sleepover at their grandma's or cousin's house? TAKE ALL THE HELP.
Swap childcare with an entrepreneurial friend.  

If your house is noisy with homeschooling activities, find somewhere quiet like a co-working space. But let's face it, even a busy cafe is probably more relaxing than trying to organize your launch with Peppa Pig in the background. 

Get your kids involved in the launch! My 7-year old stuffs envelopes for our Money Bootcamp welcome cards for 20c a card! My friend's 15-year-old does her social media.  

I know it's hard when you don't have a big budget, but your launch can bring so much abundance for you and your family, so it's such a worthwhile investment to give yourself some time. 

Let's be honest - if asking family members stresses you out (or they're unreliable), budget to pay for someone who will turn up and do the job. I can't stress enough how much of a difference this makes. It's so hard to juggle it all, and it's worth it.

Tip: get honest about what childcare you need and get backups

Pet care

Ditto, it's not fun to do your launch webinar with your furry loved ones barking in the background or doing a massive poop on your rug during a Livestream.

Our dogs Albie and Daisy go to doggy daycare twice a week, but we totally forgot to coordinate it with our close-cart day. So we added extra days with a local dog-walker, so we didn't have to stress.

Because have you noticed that your pets get extra needy when they know you're distracted? And during launch time, it would be nice to go out and get fresh air, but sometimes the thought of a walk is just another thing on your plate! 

Stock up on treats, too - if nothing else, you might get an extra hour of quiet with a frozen peanut butter chew toy.

Tip: book ahead for extra daycare days and sort out your backup too.

Beauty and self-care

You don't have to be a model to launch but to be honest, I sometimes need that little bit of extra self-confidence to feel good on camera. 

I'm not going to lie and say I'm a natural beauty; I get a teeny bit of Botox and lip filler, dye my hair blonde every 5 weeks, and have a mustache that needs regular waxing. I also get my very fair eyebrows micro-bladed, and I have very sparse non-existent eyelashes.

Plan it out accordingly if you want to get anything done, so it doesn't clash with launch times. Most cosmetic treatments take time to settle. For example, fresh microblading can look really harsh, some filler can look too puffy for a week or two, and facial treatments can cause redness. Spray tans need a day to settle too.

Throughout the lockdown, my hair salon was closed, and I recorded my launch videos with long dark roots. Of course, you gotta do what you gotta do, but I'm already looking at my calendar for next time to make sure I get my hair dyed in plenty of time. I've had plenty of launches where I had to panic trim my mo because I forgot to organize waxing.

I always get a fresh blow-dry during launch week, so I feel extra confident getting on camera. Maybe a fresh manicure will feel good! I always film barefoot, so I get a cute blue pedicure too.

If you're doing pre-launch video content, consider getting a make-up artist, especially if you're going to repurpose the videos later. It's so worth it!

Don't leave it all to the last minute and get stressed out. 

Tip: Book in your beauty treatments ahead of time and not too close to launch!

 

Fill Your Prescriptions

I was officially diagnosed this year with ADHD. Leading up to a launch, I sometimes forget to refill my prescription, or it just goes on the back burner until it's too late. During the pandemic, I also took an anti-depressant to cope with anxiety and help me sleep.

My husband Mark has skin medication that prevents breakouts. My kids take supplements to help with sleep and calm. My dogs need regular flea and tick treatments. 

You don't want to run out of everyone's essential meds during a stressful time!

What meds do you need to thrive? To sleep well and protect your mental health? To deal with your hormones or allergies? 

Ditto with planning out things like vaccines and flu shots. Plan a buffer just in case you need downtime afterward.

Also, do you need to order your contacts or glasses ahead of time? During my last book deadline, my eyes were SO SORE. I needed to increase the font size on all my devices and wear my reading glasses for computer work. 

I also stock up on vitamins, eyedrops, throat lozenges, painkillers, and essential oil calming spray while I'm picking up my meds. 

Tip: plan ahead, so you have all the meds you need during that stressful time

Surgery and medical stuff

Okay, it sounds obvious, but maybe I'm just a slow learner. I've scheduled wisdom teeth removal just before a photo shoot (hello puffy face), planned webinars when I was 9 months pregnant (I went into labor a few hours before), got fitted for braces before a launch (that gave me a noticeable lisp). I committed to a JV webinar for the afternoon after I got out of hospital for an operation (I was still wearing my medical bracelet), and I was probably still a little high on painkillers. 

My best one was getting veneers the week before a big photo shoot and eating turmeric that stained my temporary teeth fluro yellow. My dentist had to overnight a 3D printed tooth (don't you love technology?)!

Do you really want to launch the same week as your mammogram, pap smear, or colonoscopy?

Health comes first, and life happens, so check any scheduled surgery dates before putting the launch on your calendar. 

Tip: Double-check your calendar before you set launch dates.

Know your cycle

If you get regular periods, then know your best time to launch. For example, do you want to be on camera during "shark week"? Do you get massive cramps that make you want to lie in bed all day? 

My friend Stasha Washburn is the founder of The Period Coaching School. She's a great resource to figure out how to make your cycle work for you.

And stock up on all your extra supplies. It's not fun to run out of tampons or painkillers during launch week.

Tip: where in your cycle do you want to launch?

Food!

Cooking is the last thing I'd want to do during a launch. But what are you going to eat when you're busy and stressed; peanut butter out of the jar? 

Budget so you can order in meals every night during launch week
Make some pre-prepared meals you can quickly heat up
Can someone make food for you and the family
Consider ordering special juices or salads

I sometimes skip breakfast during launch times because my webinars are all in the morning, but I'm hangry and hyper by mid-morning. I have some snacks in my office and take lots of water with me because it's easy to sit at your computer and forget.

Stock up on coffee, your favorite tea, your preferred milk option, and all the snacks, so you don't survive on Tiny Teddies and Pizza Pockets (unless you thrive on that - go ahead!)

Tip: How can you make food super convenient for yourself and your family?

Home help

Let your house get super dirty during launch week or outsource as much as possible. Can you get in some help to tidy and clean, so you don't have to? Can you get someone to iron or steam your clothes for filming?

Also, if you have regular maintenance work, schedule them away from launch week. There is nothing worse than a leaf blower when you're trying to film videos or the doorbell ringing every few minutes to let in a handyman. 

By the way - a sign on the door to not ring the doorbell might be handy too!

I often hire an Airbnb to film videos, so I'm away from home and can concentrate on batching them without getting distracted by all the home stuff. 

Tip: outsource any home stuff that stresses you out the most

Boundaries

I say no to as many things as possible around launch time, including visits from family, drop-ins with friends, or requests to help.

I had to say no a lot this year with writing deadlines, and it's funny how much people respect "I have a book due" rather than a launch because it feels REAL. I said no to interviews, writing blurbs for people, and "can I pick your brain" requests because I didn't have the bandwidth.

Launching takes up a lot of mental, physical, and emotional energy, so it's okay to just say NO to extra requests for your time. 

Look at your calendar now; can anything be moved, rescheduled, or canceled? Make sure people can't book in if you have an online scheduling system. 

Tip: block out your calendar now

Post-launch self-care

We often forget about this, but the actual delivery begins as soon as the launch is over! Also, there's often "launch clean up" like customer service or admin. 

Don't underestimate how much energy it takes. So many people get a "launch hangover" and feel really deflated and demotivated after a launch - even a successful one.

I always book a massage, a non-movable date with a friend (to something easy like a movie), and a vitamin infusion to cope with the post-launch exhaustion.

I also clear my calendar because I need lots of alone time playing games on my phone or watching bad TV. 

I used to feel bad about missing time with my family and would schedule some big outings after my close-cart day, but now I need a few days to decompress. 

And before you plan your next one, give yourself some space to reflect on what worked and what you need next time. We have learned the hard way that we need to have three months between launches so we don't overstretch ourselves.

Oh, and don't forget to celebrate! Even if you don't feel like it. 

Tip: book in post-launch care NOW.

Lastly - learn from our mistakes!

There are so many, often unspoken, things to consider when planning your next launch beyond the technical parts. Stay tuned; I'm working on a post about all the woo-woo manifesting rituals and money mindset tools I use during my launches too!

You don't have to reinvent the wheel or overcomplicate it. Instead, follow a process, get training from an expert and take it step-by-step! Otherwise, it's too easy to miss things and end up thinking you've had a "bad launch" or get so stressed you never do it again!

Launching can be fun! My launch mentor Jeff Walker created the Product Launch Formula for precisely this reason, and it's the process I follow in every one of my launches. 

Next week Jeff is running his free Live Launch Masterclass, and I highly recommend you invest some time in watching it and learning Jeff's system, so you don't need to wing it or make up your next launch on the fly (super stressful). 

You can get on my notification list to get access to the training as soon as Jeff opens registration here - http://www.denisedt.com/plf 

Look after yourself, follow a system and make it happen - you've got this!