Jason SurfrApp's Blog, page 2
October 5, 2023
Why Proactive Rest is The Key To Avoiding Burnout as a Business Owner
Are you teetering on the edge of burnout? We have some hard-earned wisdom to help you steer clear of burnout!
It’s highly likely you’ve experienced burnout as a business owner. When burnout hits, you feel exhausted, demotivated, and probably want to set your computer on fire. In this article, and accompanying video, we want to help you break the burnout cycle just as we’ve (FINALLY) done!
Why the heck is burnout so prevalent?Burnout is, sadly, an all too familiar experience for entrepreneurs, and its symptoms include sheer exhaustion and a complete lack of motivation.
If you think you’re alone in feeling burned out, you’re absolutely not! A survey by Quickbooks found that 29% of small business owners admit to feeling constantly stressed, and a staggering 41% of entrepreneurs report heightened anxiety levels, often linked to burnout. Another survey by ZipDo uncovered that 80% of entrepreneurs consider their workload to be overwhelming and stress-inducing.
Unfortunately, we live in a society that puts high praise upon hard work, “hustling,” and putting in long hours to try to achieve some arbitrary financial milestone — one that probably isn’t even necessary for living a great life.
3 Ways to Avoid Burnout With Proactive RestWe realized that waiting for burnout to strike wasn’t a viable strategy any longer (after the umpteenth time of experiencing burnout).
We decided, instead of letting burnout creep its way into our lives yet again, we would prioritize proactive rest early in our business cycles.
Proactive rest has been fully integrated into many facets of our lives, including:
Daily routinesProject planningEntire months we take off of work
(shocking idea, WE KNOW!)
Starting small with proactive rest: The importance of scaling back
While our proactive rest practices have been transformative, we also learned the importance of scaling back at the earliest signs of overwhelm.
We’ve developed strategies to ensure that we never reach the point of burnout. By building in buffer time, regularly assessing deadlines, and avoiding the perfectionism trap, we maintain a healthy work-life balance.
This is the old way we would go through a project cycle, always finding ourselves in the Land of Burnout at the end of the project:
This is the NEW WAY we go through projects, proactively PLANNING in rest periods throughout the entire project lifecycle, even small ones!
Set clear restful boundaries to avoid burnout
To effectively implement proactive rest, you must set clear boundaries and expectations with your audience and team. Things like:
Setting email autoresponders (GASP, shocking!)Informing your email list/social following you’re taking a break (HOW COULD YOU!?)Planning for other people to cover you while you’re away (IMPOSSIBLE…. isn’t it??)We can attest that setting restful boundaries IS possible and that you’re business will NOT completely crumble to pieces while you take a break.
Our proactive rest journey began with our first-ever month-long break in December of 2015. Then, the next summer we took another month off with our first summer sabbatical. Since that time, we’ve continued to take off the entire month of December and as many as 3 months off in the summer! In that time, our businesses have continued to thrive and grow 
.
Defining your own rest routineTaking proactive rest isn’t just month-long breaks, it’s also the small, daily and weekly choices you make to carve out time to recharge your batteries.
Creating a proactive rest routine involves deciding when, how, and what activities to undertake. You can start small with daily rest periods, gradually extending to full weeks or even month-long sabbaticals.
The key is to select activities that genuinely recharge you, like taking walks, reading fiction books, spontaneous mid-day movies, etc. You want to define and plan for activities that remove you from your business tasks and give your brain a much-needed break.
Don’t forget that a good rest routine works when you pre-plan for how your business will continue to operateWhether it’s through delegation, automation, or having a team member or two cover your tasks, if you don’t ever pass the work-torch to another person (or robot), you’ll always be stuck working.
Proactive Rest and Burnout Avoidance Wrap-Up!Avoid burnout by embracing proactive rest as a fundamental part of your entrepreneurial journey. Don’t wait until you’re a floppy panda (if you watched the video 
) or ready to set your laptop on fire.
Start incorporating rest into your daily life and projects. With the right approach to proactive rest and a commitment to scaling back when needed, you can maintain a balanced, healthy, and thriving business.
Remember, a truly calm business values your physical and mental well-being above all else. What’s all the work for if you’re constantly feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and on the verge of burnout?
October 4, 2023
How to Overcome Perfectionism as a Creative Entrepreneur
Are you constantly striving for perfection, only to find yourself stuck in the dangerous clutches of perfectionism?
We want you to avoid the 
DANGER ZONES of online biz and help you discover and embrace your 
“GOOD ENOUGH” space – that sweet spot where your work meets the expectations of your audience without being hindered by the pursuit of perfection.
Whether you’re creating videos, art, or launching an online course, finding your good enough space can be transformative for your creative process.
The Quality Spectrum of WorkAll creative work exists on a quality spectrum, ranging from super low quality to super high quality. The crucial question is, where does your work land on this spectrum?
There are two DANGER ZONES to avoid on the quality spectrum of work Danger Zone #1: Low-quality work that drives away your audience
Danzer Zone #2: Perfectionism which stifles your creativity and keeps you from publishing
As mentioned, the ideal place to exist is right in the middle at the GOOD ENOUGH space.
Your good enough space is not static; it can shift depending on where you are in your business journey.
Recognizing this is essential, as the importance of quality and quantity evolves as you progress through three stages.
Getting Started (Stage 1)At this initial stage, your primary focus is getting comfortable with creating. Quantity takes precedence over quality at Stage 1. That doesn’t mean you pump out crappy content, it just means that you shouldn’t obsess over quality and should, instead, use quantity to help you move forward.
Your goal is to establish a base level of quality that is achievable within a set time frame. For example, if you’re creating YouTube videos, aim to publish one video per week within a maximum of 15 hours.
Once you feel like you’re ready to move out of the “Get Started” phase, it’s time for Stage 2.
Refining Your Voice (Stage 2)
As you gain experience, it’s time to shift into refining your voice and skill set.
In this second stage of creation, the emphasis is on both creating AND raising the quality bar. While the quantity may decrease, you are honing specific skills and applying them to your work.
For instance, if you’re creating YouTube videos, you might decrease the amount of videos your product and publish but start learning 3D motion graphics and applying them to your videos.
Optimizing and Scaling (Stage 3)
In this advanced stage in your creation journey, the goal is to balance quality and quantity while optimizing your workflow.
Your quality standard is determined by YOUR priorities and your ability to maintain a sustainable pace. It’s imperative you avoid getting stuck in the trappings of perfectionism, but embracing a higher quality standard is important at this stage.
For our ongoing YouTube creator example, you might focus on improving motion graphics AND storytelling while aiming to only produce one video per week (or month).
Defining Your Good Enough With Content CreationTo successfully navigate these stages, you need to define what “good enough” means for you in each one:
Stage 1 (Quantity):Your good enough quality is set by your quantity constraint and available time. Your focus is on establishing consistency and a foundation for your work. Whatever number of things you can create on a schedule YOU can stick to is all that matters.
Stage 2 (Improving Skills):Your good enough quality is set by the specific skills you aim to improve. Here, quality improvements may lead to a reduction in output and that’s okay! You want to get better at your craft, but you don’t want to fully disappear from the act of publishing.
Stage 3 (Optimize):Your good enough quality is determined by your priorities and the cadence that suits your sustainability. Quality may fluctuate for aspects other than your top priorities.
Quality Standards Wrap-Up!Perfectionism can be a stifling force in your creative journey. By understanding that your quality standard can evolve across stages in your business journey and by identifying your good enough space, you can maintain the delicate balance between delivering quality work and avoiding the pitfalls of perfectionism.
Embrace your creative process, meet your audience’s expectations, and increase your skills by defining your quality standards at each stage of your calm business journey.
October 2, 2023
3 Unconventional Productivity Hacks for Sensitive People
Productivity advice is not in short supply but what if you’re a sensitive person and “normal” productivity tips don’t work for you?
This article (and accompanying video) comes from our personal experience.
Caroline 
is a highly sensitive person and has dealt with anxiety as well as a unique eye condition (Binocular Vision Dysfunction).
The reason we’re sharing those things is because all the typical productivity advice doesn’t work for her and how her mind/body operates – maybe you can relate?
If you’re a sensitive person, someone who experiences mood-driven fluctuations in their energy and motivation levels and standard productivity tips aren’t working for you, we have 3 strategies for you to try!
Three Unique Productivity Strategies for Sensitive PeopleFirst and most important, it’s crucial to remember that your productivity doesn’t define your worth.
We reject hustle culture around these parts and, instead, embrace that we all work differently and have individual circumstances to navigate.
The three productivity strategies we’re about to share were created by a sensitive person and have been proven to work in OUR specific situation. There’s no “silver bullet” offered here, just some helpful tactics you can experiment with!
Productivity Strategy #1 for Sensitive People: Energy Match and BatchTraditional productivity advice often revolves around the concept of batching tasks on specific days, such as designating one day for planning, another for filming, and so on.
While this approach works for some, it may not be suitable for sensitive individuals who experience varying energy levels throughout the week.
Here’s how to adapt the Energy Match and Batch strategy to your unique needs:
Monthly Energy RhythmsIf you have a hormone cycle, acknowledge the natural patterns it brings. On days when your energy is at its lowest, plan less demanding tasks or schedule extra breaks.
Daily Energy PatternsRecognize your daily energy pattern. If you’re most energetic in the morning, tackle your most challenging tasks during this time, reserving easier ones for the afternoon.
Event-Specific Energy RhythmsTailor your schedule around events that require different types of energy. If you have a high-energy coffee meeting, schedule a low-energy task immediately afterward to allow for recovery.
The key takeaway is flexibility. Give yourself the ability to shift your schedule daily based on your mood and energy levels.
Productivity Strategy #2: The Throttle Method
Okay, okay, the name might need a little work 
but the concept is effective! The Throttle Method allows you to be flexible and compassionate with yourself while still accomplishing tasks.
The Throttle Method operates on a scale from -2 to +2, with your baseline energy level as 0:
-2: Set the bar as low as possible, considering minimal effort an achievement.-1: Lower your expectations, be lenient with yourself, and incorporate extra breaks.0 (Baseline): Stick to your schedule and meet expectations.+1: Tighten your schedule and minimize breaks to maximize productivity.+2: Push yourself beyond your usual limits, taking full advantage of your surplus energy.The reason this method works is you adjust your expectations AND your effort according to your daily capacity. Instead of letting a pre-planned day of tasks overwhelm you, you can throttle up or down your effort to meet that day’s energy level.
Here’s what the Throttle Method looks like when applied to choosing focus tools (starting with +2 at the top and -2 at the bottom):
Productivity Strategy #2: Emotional Portals
No, unfortunately, we haven’t figured out some quantum space/time trick 
. Emotional portals lean into the idea of harnessing the power of emotions to boost your productivity.
The concept here is very simple and it’s likely you’ve done some version of it: You want to create a list of items that transport you into specific emotional states, such as songs, videos, poems, or activities.
Now, the real trick with Emotional Portals is to LINK your emotional state items TO a specific situation that requires some form of productivity.
Here are the four productivity types and emotional portals that work for us:
Focus: Use a particular genre of music or playlist that enhances concentration when you need it most. We like to queue up a Synthwave Playlist on Spotify for this.
Extroversion: When it’s time to step out of our introverted turtle shells, nothing beats a great pump-up song. Our go-to is Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Brainstorming: If creative thinking is on the docket, this is when we have two options. We either opt for a Lofi/Chillhop Mix or if we’re working together it’s Pop Punk Radio #90sbabies.
Decision Making: We like to go with calming or introspective music when we have tasks that require us to tap into our intuition. Any Coffeehouse Playlist works here!
Take a minute to identify what your emotional portals would be for Focus, Extroversion, Brainstorming, and Decision Making. Then, next week, try to have them on tap as you go through your workdays.
By leveraging these emotional portals, you can seamlessly transition into the right mindset for various tasks, regardless of your current mood.
Productivity Tips for Sensitive People Wrap-Up!We believe sensitive individuals possess a unique superpower – the ability to work with their emotions and moods rather than against them.
Give the three unconventional productivity strategies tailored to mood-driven people a try: Energy Match and Batch, the Throttle Method, and Emotional Portals.
Remember, productivity should adapt to you, not the other way around!
6 Keys to an Irresistible Digital Product Offer
If you find yourself struggling to identify the perfect digital product offer our K.I.S.S.E.S. framework is here to help you!
We believe there are six keys to crafting an irresistible offer. When it comes to building a thriving business, a few puzzle pieces are as vital as creating an offer that’s positioned perfectly to sell.
First, let’s clarify what an “offer” is: Simply put, an offer is an exchange of value for money.
Someone has something valuable (that’s you!), and someone else has the money to obtain that valuable thing (these are strangers on the Internet). Your offer comprises three essential components: the solution, the price, and the audience. To have what we call a Chef’s Kiss Offer 
, these three elements must be in perfect alignment.
Creating a Chef’s Kiss Digital Product Offer Using K.I.S.S.E.S.As we just mentioned, you need three aspects of your offer to be in direct alignment. When those digital (offer) stars align, you end up with a Chef’s Kiss Offer . It’s that moment when everything comes together and your business is cookin’!
We’re going to help you achieve the Chef’s Kiss Offer, but first, we need to identify why you may not have alignment right now.
Why isn’t your digital product offer working at this moment?We’ve helped 1,000s of entrepreneurs fix their offer alignment and it all starts with getting on the same page about a few things:
Solution and Price: The return on investment (ROI) and the perceived value of what you sell (your “solution”) needs to match the price you’re charging.Price and Audience: The price you set should align with what your audience can and will pay.Audience and Solution: Your audience needs to recognize that they require your solution.
When you read those three things, do you have any ah-ha moments where you think your current offer might not be in perfect alignment? Is the thing you sell not delivering enough value for the price? Is the price wrong for the audience you’ve built? Or, are you trying to sell something people don’t even know they want/need?
Here are a few examples of what NOT to do when creating a Chef’s Kiss OfferSolution 
Price: Selling a hobby course on making clay earrings for $2,000. Customers who invest in their hobbies, especially ones around low-cost materials, are not going to pay premium offer prices.
Price Audience: Offering a $20,000 website package to early-stage non-profits. You have to sell to customers who are in the right phase of their business to afford your offer.
Audience Solution: Attempting to do advanced site speed audits for brick-and-mortar hardware stores. It’s likely hardware store owners wouldn’t even know why site speed matters IF they even have a functioning website 
.
It’s always helpful to learn what NOT to do, but let’s shift our focus to what you should do next! We have a 6-step process to ensure the thing you sell becomes a Chef’s Kiss Offer and is repeatable, scalable, and simple.
Now, let’s break down the six elements of a “chef’s kiss” offer using the acronym KISSES:
Known Problem: Does your target audience recognize the problem they have? Is it top of mind for them?Interesting: Do you enjoy working on this solution, and does it energize you?Scalable: Can this offer be scaled up efficiently and profitably?Social Proof: Do you have evidence that your solution works for others? Testimonials and case studies can be valuable here.Economical: Does the perceived value of your solution outweigh the price you’re charging?Singular: Is your offer distinct from others in the market? Does it stand out in some way?
Let’s take a moment to talk about pricing your digital product offer
The key question is whether your customers believe the value of your solution exceeds the price they’re paying for it. You can achieve this by either increasing the perceived value OR adjusting the price.
Ways to increase perceived value include:
Shortening the time to achieve resultsMaking the transformation more compellingIncreasing the probability of successOffering case studies and success storiesMaking the experience enjoyableReducing the effort required to get resultsEnhancing the overall qualityBuilding an emotional connection to your brandPricing IS incredibly subjective, but it’s also objective when you understand the value you’re offering AND the audience you’re selling to!
Nail your digital product offer messaging with social proof and being singular
Your customers will be more likely to buy from you if they see others have purchased (social proof) and they believe your specific solution (singular) stands out from everyone else.
Social proof is fairly obvious and can be reinforced with testimonials, case studies, or any evidence that your solution works.
Being Singular involves highlighting what makes your offer unique compared to others in the market. What is different about what you sell? What outcomes do you deliver that other people cannot?
Still not sure what digital product offer to choose? Use our Offer Score Card!
It’s one thing to brainstorm offer ideas, it’s another to know WHICH offer idea is the best one to move forward with.
We’ve created an Offer Scorecard (shown below) to score your offers based on the six K.I.S.S.E.S. elements. The idea with the highest total score is the Chef’s Kiss Offer you should pursue.
Digital Product Offer Wrap-Up!Crafting the perfect Chef’s Kiss Offer begins by understanding your audience and their journey. Start by identifying where your audience is currently (point A) and where they want to be (point B). What transformation are they seeking, and what pain points do they experience at point A? Your offer should bridge the gap between these two points.
As we say with all aspects of business, finding an irresistible digital product offer also requires experimentation. You will have trial and error when it comes to identifying the right solution, price, and audience for what you sell.
The K.I.S.S.E.S. framework can guide you to design a winning offer, but remember that your sales message also plays a pivotal role in connecting these elements for your audience.
September 30, 2023
How to Define Your Non-Negotiables for Thriving in Business and Life
Do you often find yourself teetering on the brink of burnout or overwhelmed by the relentless demands of work? If so, it’s time to define your non-negotiables!
Simply put, non-negotiables revolve around this crucial question: What will you safeguard above everything else to preserve your well-being? And how will you protect these treasures?
We love the way Elizabeth Gilbert talks about boundaries:
“A boundary is a golden circle that you draw around the things that matter to you, and you say everything inside this circle is sacred.”
What Aspects of Your Life and Business Are NOT Up For Debate?We’re about to explore the power of setting life and business non-negotiables, the things in your life that are sacred and must-haves. Non-negotiables go in two directions too, they are things you ALWAYS do and things you NEVER do. We’ll share examples in a moment!
You may already have existing non-negotiables…
Your morning coffee ritual, your sleep routine, daily time for creativity…. or… maybe you don’t have any of those things right now and you’re desperate to prioritize them?
Your Most Important Non-Negotiables (Energy, Time, and Business)We’ve done the hard work of thinking through three main buckets of non-negotiables. They are your energy, your time, and your business.
1. Energy Non-Negotiables
To establish your energy non-negotiables, we want you to reflect on what is sacred to your vitality.
For instance, you might be a person who needs 8 hours of sleep every night 
. We want you to consider what you’ll always do to protect that sleep schedule (having a consistent bedtime) and what you’ll never do (work past 7 p.m. or watch Netflix too late into the night). That’s just one example of how you craft your energy non-negotiables.
As an exercise, write out your own version of the table below with some energy non-negotiables and the associated ALWAYS do and NEVER do items for each one:
2. Time Non-Negotiables
Time non-negotiables shield your schedule and help you focus on what truly matters.
Start by identifying what’s sacred for you—as an example maybe that’s date nights with your partner. Create rules like always planning date nights every other week and never inviting others to intrude on your sacred time.
Just like the energy non-negotiables, we have a pre-filled-out table below with time non-negotiable examples for you to use as inspiration for your life!
3. Business Non-Negotiables
For business non-negotiables, first, pinpoint what’s truly sacred in your business. Is it communication, team happiness, or customer connection? Next, establish rules to protect those things.
For example when it comes to having great communication, always have weekly team meetings but never kick off a meeting without involving the entire team.
These rules are the guardians of your business values and culture. Here’s another example table to help you write out your own business non-negotiables…
Examples of Our Energy, Time, and Business Non-NegotiablesWhenever we’re reading an article like this one, we LOVE seeing real examples from other people to help get our brain juices 
flowing (was that gross… weird? Maybe).
Our ENERGY non-negotiable examplesFamily Recharge Time: To protect our energy, we prioritize recharge days during family gatherings, allowing us to bring our best selves to events.
Social Connections: We now engage in social activities based on wants, not shoulds, cultivating deeper and lasting friendships.
8 Hours of Sleep: The data is there, we need quality sleep to live healthy and happy lives. We prioritize good bedtime routines and sleep environments.
Our TIME non-negotiable examplesSaturday Movie Nights: A cherished non-negotiable for our relationship and overall happiness. Every Saturday night we sit on the couch and watch two movies together (Speed and Anna and the Apocolypse are two favorites 
).
Daily Movement: We’ve set a low-bar non-negotiable of 10 minutes of daily exercise, ensuring the habit remains alive even on off days.
Teachery Fridays: This year, we finally carved off a set time every Friday to work on our second business Teachery. While it’s not a ton of time, we’ve been able to make great strides in this business due to a non-negotiable block of time on our calendar.
Our BUSINESS non-negotiable examplesTeach From Experience: We’re never going to be business coaches who teach something we haven’t done. We will always teach from a place of our own experiments and business adventures.
Fun as a Priority: Embracing fun as a core business value and ensuring that our projects are enjoyable helps us keep our work life as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.
Committing to the Season: Whether we’re in a “season” of heads-down work and saying no to all external obligations, or we’re in a “season” of putting ourselves out there with more content and in-person events, we love committing to chunks of time with specific focus.
Non-Negotiables Wrap-Up!We want you to remember that non-negotiables aren’t about imposing rigid rules but creating clear boundaries to protect what’s sacred.
The more you can set aside a small chunk of time to define what truly matters to you, the better you’ll be at managing your own energy, time, and focus.
Don’t forget, your non-negotiables are your personal treasures, guard them well and reap the benefits they provide!
September 29, 2023
4 Essential Mindset Tips for Creative Entrepreneurs
Have you ever felt like your mindset is the missing piece of the puzzle holding you back from achieving your business growth goals? Well, you’re not alone!
We’re going to delve into the world of mindset and share with you the four pivotal pillars that have played a crucial role in helping us build a calm, profitable, and peaceful business.
After all, your business can only be as relaxed as the mindset behind it, especially if you’re a solopreneur or running a small business where it all begins with you.
The Four Mindset Tips That Build A Calm BusinessLet’s start by unpacking what contributes to reaching your business goals. There are several factors at play, including your:
SkillsBeliefsMindsetHabitsCircumstances**While circumstances often feel beyond our control and somewhat fixed, it’s the elements you can control that we call the “four pillars of you” that make all the difference.
Let’s not dwell on what we can’t control, let’s focus on the things that we can actively impact, change, and evolve!
Mindset Tip #1: Experimentation
The Experimenter’s MindsetImagine approaching your business endeavors with the spirit of a curious experimenter. You’re like a chemist, working away in your business lab, concocting potions and elixirs, always open to testing your whacky hypotheses. Okay, you kind of sound more like a wizard 
than a scientist 
, but we think you get the metaphor we’re going for here!
One of the MOST important parts of using experimentation to test all of your assumptions without attaching your self-worth to the outcomes.
We want you to think about embracing the idea that your business experiments can fail!Did you try running your own podcast for 6 months and it never took off? That’s okay! You learned a lot of new skills in that process and you can tick podcasting off your marketing plan.
Maybe you hopped on the TikTok train and posted every day for a month. Didn’t see any movement in your business at all? Alrighty, you now know that TikTok isn’t right for you and your biz goals.
The key to experimentation is being open and willing to try new things while understanding NOT all of them will succeed. That is what running a business is in a nutshell!
Recognize the transformative power of experimentation, embrace trying and failing, and watch as you continue to accrue new skills and experiences that will help you for years to come.
Mindset Tip #2: Essentialism
The Art of FocusWe read Greg McKweon’s book Essentialism (aff link) and it was truly transformative for us. The book is loaded with value, so we’d definitely recommend reading it, but the concept of essentialism can be boiled down into this:
Essentialism is the disciplined pursuit of less. It’s about focusing on the vital few rather than the trivial many.
It’s imperative that you zero in on the most impactful parts of your business and filter out all the other noise and chaos. As the person who runs your business, it’s your main job to acknowledge you only have so much time, effort, and willpower, and all of that needs to be pointed in the right direction.
Since reading McKweon’s book, we’ve found that we come back to a simple question, “Is this really essential to our goals?” time and time again. Highly recommend grabbing the book to fully learn the concept and embrace it!
Mindset #3 Patience
The Slow and Steady ApproachImpatience often clouds our judgment when it comes to business growth. Embracing patience means recognizing that slow growth is still growth, ensuring sustainable progress.
One of the best things we’ve ever done with any of our businesses was to ignore what other people were doing and embrace our own long game. It’s easy to get caught up in the “quick tips” and “immediate growth hacks” but almost all of those things only work for the person who is pitching them to you.
Instead, we like to zoom the lens out and prioritize a longer game plan, which almost always is less stressful, less anxiety-inducing, and is actually ENJOYABLE. Imagine that, running your business being something that’s fun??
Your business is YOUR business. Your goals are YOUR goals. Your timeline is YOUR timeline. We can lose sight of these things as we spend time on social media or subscribed to other people in our industry. Take a moment today to take a deep breath and review the plans for your business for the next 1-2 years as opposed to the next 1-2 months.
Mindset Tip #4 – Evolution
Growing with Your BusinessAs your business evolves, so should your strategies and mindset. This means:
Letting go of what no longer works and embracing the natural evolution of your business.
Avoiding the dreaded “business dungeon,” where you’re stuck doing things you no longer enjoy.
Prioritizing your happiness by aligning your business with your evolving needs.
Recognizing that both you and your business will evolve and change over time, and that’s perfectly normal.
Mindset Wrap-Up and Bonus Tips for Skills, Beliefs, and HabitsBefore we close things article out, we wanted to leave you with some individual tips for the other “pillars of you” besides just your mindset:
Skills – If you worry about money, invest in your skills. The value of your skills will compound over time.
Beliefs – Challenge limiting beliefs that may be holding you back from reaching your full potential. Your beliefs can and should change with new information (and skills!)
Habits – Design daily systems that align with your long-term goals for sustainable success. Your outcomes are directly related to your daily actions.
We strongly believe you can unlock the full potential of your business by adopting the four key mindsets we shared. Remember, we only get one life to live, take control of what you can and embrace that life and business will always be evolving!
September 28, 2023
4 Tips For Creating Effective Lead Magnets That Increase Website Conversions
There are four crucial criteria for creating lead magnets that not only capture your website visitors’ attention but also convert them into valuable email subscribers.
You already understand the significance of lead magnets in your marketing strategy, but how do you ensure they truly resonate with your audience?
Before diving into the criteria, let’s do a super-quick recap on what lead magnets are and why they matter: A lead magnet is a valuable resource you offer on your website, such as a downloadable guide, a quiz, a free trial, or templates. A lead magnet’s primary purpose is to filter your website traffic, build brand trust, and, most importantly, capture email addresses—a vital step in your marketing funnel.
Getting someone’s email address isn’t what it used to beEmail addresses were once handed out like candy on Halloween, but times have changed! People are now more discerning about sharing their email addresses.
To convince (in a non-sleazy way) someone to give you their email address, you MUST ensure that you A) have a lead magnet 
and B) your lead magnet delivers significant value in return.
When in doubt, experiment it out!
Lead magnets come in various forms and shapes, from checklists to quizzes, free trials to templates, and more. The possibilities are virtually endless, which can be overwhelming. So, what makes a lead magnet effective? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all, but the key is experimentation.
Experimentation is your ally when it comes to finding a high-converting lead magnet.
Start with a lead magnet concept, create it, measure its conversion rate from website traffic to email subscribers, and then test another lead magnet. We like to run 30-day tests on lead magnets to gather enough data to keep the ones that perform best.
The lead magnets that have worked the best for our Wandering Aimfully website:
A quizA video and workbookA checklistThere are TONS of lead magnets to try and if you’re trying to figure out how to find the RIGHT lead magnet we have just the info to help…
The U.S.E.R. Criteria for Creating Effective Lead MagnetsWhile the perfect lead magnet varies for every audience and business, some fundamental principles can improve your conversion rates. We’ve distilled these principles into the acronym U.S.E.R.
U: UsefulYour lead magnet should offer a solution that addresses a problem comprehensively. Avoid vague, unhelpful content that leaves your audience questioning its value.
One of the biggest MISTAKES we see with lead magnets is their lack of value for the subscriber.Over-deliver on value, and consider giving away around 90 percent of what you usually offer behind a paywall in your lead magnet.
When it comes to making your lead magnet more useful, think more about the problem your lead magnet will solve instead of just a random concept or idea.
S: Specific
You must ensure that your lead magnet tackles a narrow, specific problem that aligns with a particular point in your customer’s journey.
Specificity makes your offer more appealing and relevant. Experiment with both broad and specific lead magnets based on your audience and goals.
E: Efficient
Your lead magnet should provide a solution without requiring a significant time investment from your website visitors.
Offer consolidated information that allows people to gain value quickly and conveniently. The more your lead magnet can immediately deliver on the value and promise it offers, the more excited someone will be to sign up for it.
We DO recommend over-delivering with your lead magnet, but it’s also wise to keep things concise and offer quick wins for optimal conversion!
R: Related
This one should be obvious, but it’s shocking to us how often we see lead magnets that have nothing to do with the paid offer a business is selling.
Your lead magnet should VERY CLOSELY relate to your paid offer.Consider the “Income Iceberg” concept we talk about often: Your paid offer solves a significant (big) problem, while your lead magnet addresses a related (smaller) problem that directly precedes the larger problem.
Lead Magnet Wrap-Up!Crafting effective lead magnets is a user-centered endeavor. A great lead magnet involves delivering solutions that are Useful, Specific, Efficient, and Related to your paid offer.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all silver bullet to lead magnets, experimentation will help you find the perfect fit for your audience.
Remember, your lead magnet is your first impression—make it a remarkable one!
Track These KPI’s for Better Work-Life Balance as a Solopreneur
It’s absolutely true that Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”) are important for your business, but we believe that finding balance requires Key Calm Indicators (“KCIs”) too!
But first, what the heck are KPIs again??
KPIs are the metrics we use to gauge the health of our business and assess whether we’re meeting our goals. They encompass tangible, quantifiable data points such as revenue, profit, website traffic, email conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs. These metrics are vital for tracking business growth and performance.
Balancing Act: The Problem with KPIs AloneWhile KPIs are crucial for monitoring business success, relying solely on these metrics can lead to a skewed perspective.
Imagine witnessing a surge in sales, subscribers, and followers—all signs of business growth. However, what if this success comes at the cost of your personal life? You feel super-stressed out, you aren’t sleeping well, you aren’t exercising, etc. If your life has to suffer at the expense of your business, something has to change.
To Create Actual Work-Life Balance You Need Key Calm Indicators (KCIs)KCIs, or Key Calm Indicators, represent the aspects of life that are not easily quantifiable but are essential for a well-rounded, fulfilling life.
These calm indicators help you evaluate whether you’re compromising your personal well-being for the sake of your business.
The KCIs that we like to keep track of on a weekly basis are as follows:
Mental HealthPhysical HealthPersonal CareMarriageFriends & FamilyCommunityRest & JoyCreativityLearning & GrowthTravelFinancesHome
Tracking KCIs: Finding the Balance
On Sundays, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation that includes both KPIs and KCIs. We rate our satisfaction in various life areas on a scale of one to ten. This assessment highlights areas that require improvement!
Each week, we select three focus life areas to enhance, maintain several others, and intentionally deprioritize a few. This intentional deprioritization empowers us to make conscious choices about what to neglect while maintaining balance.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance with KCIsTo measure these KCIs (focus life areas), we set specific goals that align with our well-being.
For example:
If we want more Rest & Joy we have to Reduce Work HoursIf we want better Mental Health we need to Prioritize Daily MeditationIf we want improved Family Time we will Increase Communication EffortsThese indicators might not be straightforward to measure, but assigning satisfaction scores keeps us honest and attentive to neglected aspects of our lives.
When it comes to the importance of measurement, Peter Drucker is quoted with saying:
“What gets measured gets managed.”
This quote not only applies to business metrics (KPIs) but also to keeping track of and making improvements in our personal lives (KCIs)!
Alignment, Not BalanceThe concept of work-life balance implies an ongoing equilibrium between the two things. However, the reality is that work AND life are dynamic and ever-changing.
Instead of chasing an elusive equilibrium, we focus on aligning our work with our work-related needs and our life with our life-related needs.
The goal is to create a fluid, adaptable balance that serves the current demands of our lives. When things feel out of alignment all we have to do is take a hard look at what we’re prioritizing now and what we need to change moving forward to have better alignment!
KCIs Wrap-Up for Better Work-Life BalanceTo run a calm business and have a calm life, we believe that both KPIs and KCIs are important to track. Work-life balance is not a destination you one day arrive at, it’s a constant pursuit you’re always fighting to feel.
In our experience, work-life balance can exist when our life metrics are as closely tracked and monitored as our business metrics are.
By regularly assessing our key performance AND key calm indicators, we can ensure that our time aligns with our priorities and that we lead fulfilling, well-rounded lives.
September 25, 2023
Build Your Audience and Boost Sales With Our Marketing Bridge Framework
Are you struggling to generate customer leads and sales? Not sure how to remedy it? Let’s work on your customer journey in this article!
“Marketing” is often perceived as a nebulous and intricate concept. It can be challenging to navigate, and it often feels like a mysterious forest. We aimed to simplify marketing by envisioning it as a journey.
We’re about to introduce you to a straightforward framework for crafting a marketing plan – welcome to the Customer Journey Marketing Plan.
In this scenario, the journey is a transformation from a stranger to a customer who chooses to buy from you. Along this journey, there are distinct touchpoints, and that’s essentially what marketing is all about.
The Marketing Bridge Framework: A Simplified View of Your Customer Journey
Imagine your business as an island in the middle of an ocean. On this island stands your castle, representing your signature offer – what people pay you for.
However, on the distant mainland reside your potential customers, oblivious to the existence of your island (aka your business).
Marketing, in essence, is the process of constructing a bridge that connects strangers to your offer.
The Marketing Bridge Framework encompasses four key stages:
1⃣ Find: Locate your ideal customers on the mainland.
2⃣ Nurture: Build connections, foster trust, and provide value.
3⃣ Propose: Present your offer.
4⃣ Sell: Welcome customers as they enter your castle, making purchases and engaging with your offerings.
Let’s look at an example Marketing Plan based on the 4-stage framework
Suppose we aim to sell an online course teaching European Portuguese 
. We’ll conduct live cohorts of this course and want to plan our marketing strategy accordingly. Here’s how we’d use the Marketing Bridge Framework:
This example demonstrates how you can use the framework to devise a simple marketing plan. If you’re seeking more ideas, especially for the “find” and “nurture” stages, check out our Content Salad Strategy article.
Advanced Strategies: Supercharging Your Marketing Bridge
Once you’ve mastered the fundamental four Customer Journey Marketing Plan stages, you can enhance your marketing by adding guideposts between them.
Here are the four strategies and how they fit within the Marketing Bridge Framework:
Attract: Draw potential customers to your nurture channels.
Excite: Generate anticipation and excitement for your offer.
Assure: Convince customers that your solution solves their problems.
Reassure: After purchase, ensure customers are delighted, turning them into advocates.
With those four guideposts in mind, answer these questions for each guidepost to supercharge your marketing efforts:
Attract: Where and how will you attract strangers to your nurture channels?
Excite: Where and how will you generate excitement about your offer promotion?
Assure: Where and how will you convince your audience that your offer is their solution?
Reassure: Where and how will you reassure customers that they made the right choice?
And finally, here are examples of each guidepost:
Attract: Create a compelling lead magnet that will get potential customers on your email list.
Excite: Send a 2-4 week pre-launch marketing series via email, your podcast, etc to build excitement.
Assure: During your sales launch, provide FAQs, testimonials, and case studies.
Reassure: Have a post-purchase onboarding email sequence ready to highlight the value of the purchase!
Customer Journey Wrap-Up
The Marketing Bridge Framework provides a simplified, step-by-step approach to constructing a marketing plan.
If, like us, you once viewed marketing as nebulous and complex, this framework can transform your perspective. It’s designed around the customer’s journey, making it an invaluable tool.
If you’re not achieving the desired number of customers, consider where your bridge may be breaking down. Evaluate your marketing plan using this framework – it’s an excellent way to identify areas for improvement!
Remember, marketing is merely the art of connecting your offer with the right person at the right time during their journey. It doesn’t need to be overly complex or mysterious – it’s all about crafting a bridge to guide customers to your castle.
Making Millions Won’t Matter If You Don’t Trust Your Inner Compass
What could possibly make someone walk away from a 7-figure business? Have you ever felt like giving up on your business?
Recently, we stumbled across THIS blog post from a popular online business content creator and it reminded us of THIS blog post and also another email newsletter we received from a successful coach canceling her latest launch and offering refunds.
It got us thinking… 
And what can YOU learn from these stories about the importance of authenticity, pivoting, and allowing your own inner compass to steer you towards a business that is flexible enough to evolve as you do?
Have YOU ever felt like totally walking away from everything you’ve built?
Shutting down your programs/services or drastically pivoting or maybe even walking away entirely?
We’ve been there! Thankfully, we’ve learned four things that can help you not only recognize when you’re starting to veer off-course and run a business you no longer love but also what to DO when you start to feel that way so you can use your inner compass to find your way back to something that feels aligned and right for you.
The four things we’ll cover in the rest of this article:
Developing your own “lane-assist” warning.Why “playtime” mattersHow to “break the frame” and resist the business mandates that drain youAnd lastly, how to make “choosing the hard thing” easier, which will ultimately keep you on a path that feels right instead of chasing someone else’s dream
Just to get it out of the way, we’re going to assume you aren’t trying to build a $100,000,000 business. You’re more focused on building a calm business, one that generates enough revenue, and a business that allows you to work with a schedule that creates a great life and doesn’t burn you out.
It’s likely you’re reading this article and not at the calm business finish line. Instead, you’re at one of those pivotal moments, trying to figure out what to do next?
If you’re in this spot right now and you KNOW you need to course-correct, wegotchu!
Trust Your Inner Compass by Developing Your Own Lane-Assist Warning
You know those sensors in cars that yell at you when you’re even a little bit drifting into another lane?
All the sudden you hear beep beep beep, and you’re thinking, “hey man, I was just trying to steer around that big semi truck because my wife has driving anxiety and she yells at me when we get too close to trucks around the turn!”
Well, we need to develop that annoying alarm system for our own brains and bodies.
It starts by figuring out what YOUR unique indicators are that tell you you’re sort of going off-course.For Caroline (the person writing this article to you): It’s usually a particular brand of anxiety, this feeling in the pit of my stomach like, ohhh that’s actually NOT what I want to be doing. That doesn’t feel true to who I am.
For Jason (Caroline’s husband and biz partner): For me it’s not anxiety but it’s this sense of boredom or dullness with what I’m doing. If I can tell I’m not embracing my weird and doing things differently, those beep beep beeps come screaming at me.
This is the important part of developing your own lane-assist warning. You need to take note of when things feel out of alignment and pay closer attention to that in the future.
As time goes on and you get more in-tuned with your business triggers, you can start to hear the metaphorical beep beep beep and know you need to change something.
Avoid Hating Your Business by Practicing Playtime
Running a business rarely feels “fun” to most people. It’s mostly to-do items, customer support, getting frustrated with technology, wrestling with changing algorithms, etc, etc. BUT, it doesn’t all have to be dark clouds and feelings of wanting to flip the table over and give up!
Three ways we add fun to our businessPlaytime Business Tip #1: No Bad Ideas BrainstormingBusiness requires a lot of brainstorming and it can often be seen as a chore or something laborious. We’ve flipped the script on this by always starting a brainstorming session with NO bad ideas.
Any idea is fair game for 10-15 minutesIt’s best done with 2 people to go back and forthSeriously, any idea is on the table!After 10-15 minutes of silly, nonsense ideas, we start to think of good/better ideas and then the real brainstorming startsFor nearly 10 years, we’ve been doing No Bad Ideas Brainstorming and it’s made verbal whiteboarding a fun activity for us.
Bonus silly tip: If you’re ever stuck and in need of an idea, use our go-to silly filler idea — Selling pickles in New York City. Why that idea? No clue, but it’s been around for a long time as a way to move meetings forward.
Playtime Business Tip #2: The phrase “Donkey Kong Country”Please raise your hand if you’re a child of the 90s and you remember playing this Nintendo 64 gem of a game, Donkey Kong Country??
Even if you never played the game, the gist is very simple: When you’re ABOUT TO BE in the heat of a business discussion, decision, task, or diving into an intense task, think about Donkey Kong Country.
It’s a video game where two gorillas collect bananas and balloons, dodge wooden barrels, and fight an enemy called a Croctopus. There’s nothing serious about that and that’s why it works!
By uttering the phrase “Donkey Kong Country” before getting into a task or to-do that is going to raise your blood pressure, you add a bit of fun and levity. You think about those cute characters and you reduce the stress of the moment. And of course, feel free to replace DKC with whatever game makes you happy, just be sure to pick a silly one!
Playtime Business Tip #3: Change the location!This one seems simple, but it’s wonderfully helpful, especially if the location you move to evokes a feeling of fun or enjoyment.
For us, this typically means going to a favorite coffee shop. Or, a walk down to the beach where we can breathe in the salt air.
We’d wager you can immediately think of a happy place near you that brings you joy. This is the place you should go whenever you need a break, a reset, or just have to change your mood. Identify this location and use it whenever you need to change things up!
Break The Frame and Question All AssumptionsBreak the frame means looking at whatever assumptions you have or constraints you’ve put on your business and questioning all of them.
So often we start hating our business because we start doing things that we think we SHOULD be doing instead of what we want to be doing. In our businesses, we question every single “frame” and as an exercise, we try to BREAK it in a way that better aligns with who we are.
“What would it look like if I didn’t have to..”This guiding question has been a game-changer for our inner compasses.
A perfect example of this question in action was back in 2021 when was asked, “what would it look like if we didn’t have to use social media at all to promote our WAIM Unlimited coaching program?”
The frame or the modern business convention dictates that you HAVE to be on social media these days to market your business. But we wanted to challenge this assumption and see if it was actually true. What would being off social media look like? How would we think about marketing and promotion? Would our revenue and audience growth plummet??
The answer for us? Our revenue (and overall happiness) has INCREASED since we stopped using social media for business.Now, we’re not saying you can quit using social media today (although maybe you can??), we’re just saying to take a hard look at every single frame of your business and challenge the shoulds.
How To Make Choosing The Hard Thing EasierFinally, sometimes you’re going to find yourself in a place where you’ve changed and you have to make some hard decisions to ensure your business evolves with you as a person.
You might be like one of the authors we mentioned at the beginning of this article who wrote about taking a long sabbatical from work or stepping back completely and quitting a big project. This might be the only way to course correct back to a business you love and that feels calm. But… HOW do you do that?
You remind yourself that hard NOW is always better than harder LATER.When you make the hard choice now, you are doing something really important: you’re choosing your own happiness.
It can absolutely be scary, but the pain of a big pivot is temporary. What’s MORE painful is years of running a business that feels misaligned where you’re compromising who you are at your core. When you ignore your inner compass for years, that’s when drastic decisions happen.
When we read blog posts or stories about people quitting, stopping, or taking breaks from their business, we cheer for those people!
It takes a lot of courage to choose yourself and follow your own inner compass to a business that is authentic and sustainable.
Most often, people around you won’t understand why you need to take a break. But, just because people don’t understand why you’re making a decision doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.
The next time you find yourself feeling stuck and like something isn’t quite right, we hope this article and the four strategies in it can help you move forward in whatever direction feels right to you.
And, we hope these tips help you BEFORE you have to completely blow up your business.
