In April, I ran another session of my Power Teaching class. Another extremely smart and enthusiastic group joined in intensive study of effective training design and development, and worked on real, live classes that they are launching this Spring. I love teaching this class for three reasons:

• It is exceptionally energizing to share my passion for teaching with completely open and eager participants
• They really worked their hearts out to apply great design to their classes, ensuring a superior learning experience for their students
• They were extremely generous with each other, sharing ideas and feedback the entire two months we worked together

An important part of the course design was working on REAL classes launched to REAL people.

Out of the 85 participants, around 35 were ready to go live today. Others may showcase their classes in my end of year round up post on December 31.

Here is the amazing variety of classes they created. I would appreciate it so much if you take the time to see what they have developed, and if you feel drawn to learn from these amazing teachers, sign up for their classes!

If you want to put your name on the waiting list for a future Power Teaching class, sign up here.

Go Power Teachers!

(Note: When you click on the links, it will not open a new window, it will go directly to the site. If you want to get back to this post, just hit the “Back” arrow on your browser)

ART & SPIRITUALITY

Untangling the Threads of Awakening: An introduction to Tibetan Buddhist Textile Art

Presented by Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo

Inspired but mystified by the art hanging on dharma center walls? Bought a thangka while traveling in Nepal but don’t know what it means? One of the only westerners trained in the ancient art of silk appliqué thangka, Leslie will give you an accessible introduction to Tibetan Buddhist art and its textile incarnation.

BUSINESS

Build Your Business (In a Weekend!)

Presented by Maia Williams 

Build Your Business (In a Weekend!), is specifically designed for business and nonprofit executives, owners, and decision-makers. This accelerated online program delivers a simple (and confidential) way for you to initiate, test and increase revenue by articulating a compelling story, leveraging your strengths and tapping marketing opportunities that work in the new economy.

Business Idea Bootcamp

Presented by Temi Adew 

Why haven’t you started your business yet? If you’ve ever said, “I’d like to start a business, but I have no idea what I’d do,” this course is for you. Learn how to find a business idea that works for you.

Presenting your film to sponsors (Apresentando seu filme ao patrocinador)

Presented by Adriana Mota

For those interested in film production in Brazil, a course on how to put together proposals for sponsors may be what you have been waiting for. If you have a script or an idea for a production but do not know how to present this in an effective manner for possible investors and partners you are the ideal student for this course. “Apresentando seu filme ao patrocinador” is about teaching filmmakers how to write a project to finance a production.

Secrets of a Serial Retailer

Presented by Denise Keller

Do you have retail dreams? Are you hoping to open your own small store, but you’re not sure where to start?  This fast-paced ALTERETAIL workshop will give you tools and tips that will save you thousands of dollars and help you launch a profitable small retail business.

Visibility Va Va Boom Bootcamp  

Presented by Gina Bell  

Have you ever felt invisible in business and despite the blood, sweat and tears you continue to pour in, it seems like nobody hears, sees or even cares? In this bootcamp I’m going to share a simple 4-step formula that you can use to inspire your ideal clients to declare “I see you everywhere!” and “I want to work with you!”. Ready to create your Visibility Boom? We start May 28.

Will Your Business Sizzle or Fizzle?

Presented by Terri Temme, MBA

You want to have your own business, or you have already started your business and you want to know – WHEN WILL I MAKE MONEY?  Teri will walk you through how to do a break-even analysis and help you find out exactly when you will start making money.

BUSINESS, CREATIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY

An Inbox You Can Be Proud Of (hint: you don’t need inbox zero, you need inbox processed)

Presented by Natasha Vorompiova  

Did you ever cringe looking at your unorganized Inbox?  Did you ever miss an important message, because it was lost without a trace in your Inbox?  Did you ever spend more time looking for an e-mail than actually using it?With the amount of e-mails we receive on a daily basis there is no limit on how much of time and attention your Inbox will ask of you.  Learn smart and effective strategies on how to powerfully manage your Inbox and turn it into An Inbox You Are Proud Of.   Turn your Inbox into a tool that supports your activities, NOT weighs as a burden on you.

Mind Mapping for Small Businesses

Presented by Shelley West  

Are you a small business owner or solopreneur who has an idea you know could be big if you could figure out how to bring it to life? A goal you can’t get a handle on, or a project so big you’re not sure where to start? Mind Mapping for Small Businesses is a two part course – Mind Mapping 101: Visually Filter Your Ideas And Make Them a Reality and Mind Mapping 102: Creating Innovation and Fostering Collaboration, will show you how to use mind maps and mapping software to improve creative thinking, drive innovation, and turn good ideas into effective action.

BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY

 After the Code is Done: Operations for Developers

Presented by Matt Williams

You’ve written the code and have a great product; now what?  Ops4Devs are, simply, principles, practices, and techniques of Operations for Developers. Learn how to improve stability, repeatability, and profits, all while getting a good night’s sleep!

CAREER

Fall in Love with Your Work: A 30-Day Adventure

Presented by Maia Duerr

Whether you’re looking to fall in love with a new career or you want to re-kindle the passion for the work you already do, “Fall in Love with Your Work” will help you gain clarity and empowerment. This month-long online course, supplemented by videos and live support calls, is designed to support you to take the first steps toward creating a sustainable livelihood with meaning and purpose. Created by Maia Duerr of The Liberated Life Project.

CREATIVITY

Writers Write!

Presented by Beverly Army Williams

A creative writing workshop for novice creative writers breaks down the building block of stories while helping writers to discover time to write.  By the end of the four-week interactive workshop, scheduled to begin on July 13, writers will have learned strategies for writing effective scenes and how to carve out writing time in their busy lives.

CREATIVITY/MUSIC

“Arrange Yourself” 

Presented by Deborah Henson-Conant

“Arrange Yourself” is a 4-Week online course by Deborah Henson-Conant that’s especially for harp players and teaches you, the passionate musician, to create fun, inventive solo arrangements – no matter what your skill level is.  You’ll learn to EXPAND simple tunes, SIMPLIFY complex ones, and then use techniques like variation, improvisation, introductions and codas to create your own arrangements – so you can stop worrying about the notes on the page, and start playing WITH the music you love!  (Non-harpists interested in the course can email instructor from the info page)

DIVORCE

Options for Divorce & How to Find the Right Lawyer for You

Presented by Kimberly Graham  

Are you, or someone you care about, contemplating divorce? The journey is less stressful and more peaceful if you choose the right path and have the right guide.  Learn about your options and how to find the best lawyer or mediator for you, by clicking here.

FOOD EDUCATION

Season’s Eatings: Get Cooking With Your Kids in the Kitchen

Presented by Leah Cherry

In Leah Cherry’s online class for young chefs and their parents you’ll get tools & inspiration to create fun, joy & connection around food and family dinnertime.  This 4-week online class, Season’s Eatings: Get Cooking With Your Kids in the Kitchen!, shares classroom-tested recipes kids can cook along with fun activities and games for little chefs!

HEALTH

Beyond Hope – Thriving with TMJ Disorder

Presented by Stacy Stone  

Struggling with chronic jaw pain can often be isolating and frustrating. Beyond Hope – Thriving with TMJ Disorder is a 5 week interactive experience that will give you the tools and support you need to start getting your life back. At the end of the experience, you will have a concrete, step-by-step plan for how to optimize your life so that thriving with TMJ disorder is no longer out of reach. Learn More About Beyond Hope – Thriving with TMJ Disorder 

LIFE PLANNING

 The Passion Test…And Beyond: How to Design and Live a Passionate Life in 4 Easy Lessons

Presented by Julie Blum, Life Coach

HOW TO DESIGN AND LIVE A PASSIONATE LIFE IN 4 EASY LESSONS. For more information click on Julie Blum, Life Coach and Passion Test Facilitator.

LIFESTYLE DESIGN

 Launch Your Reinvention!

Presented by Sally Anne Giedrys 

A free 4-part e-class designed to help you launch your personal and professional reinvention. It’s time to stop talking about what you want and start getting it. You’ll choose a place to begin and create one powerful change in a month – through a fun, interactive process you can use over and over again. Sign up now. E-course begins June 4.

 MARKETING/PR

Media Moxie

Presented by Brigitte Lyons 

Brigitte Lyons knows first-hand from 10 years working in PR how traumatic promoting yourself can be — but it doesn’t have to be that way. She left her agency career with a single-minded purpose: to empower you to take charge of your own publicity. Join her for Media Moxie to learn how to connect with the media and gain the confidence to get the coverage you need to break on through.

NETWORKING

 “Grow Your Business While Still Working a 9 to 5: How to Leverage The Power Of Conference Networking to Save Time, Money, Energy and Make Relevant Connections.”

Presented by Mike Ambassador Bruny

“Granted 9 to 5 is how you survive; I ain’t trying to survive, I’m trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot.” ~Jay-Z. Ever wonder where you’re going to find the time, money, connections or energy to grow your side hustle while working a 9 to 5?  Conferences are the answer.  In the 4 week interactive course, “Grow Your Business While Still Working a 9 to 5: How to Leverage The Power Of Conference Networking to Save Time, Money, Energy and Make Relevant Connections,” networking veteran Mike Ambassador Bruny will show you how.

PARENTING

Eating Together – Establishing a Family Dinner Ritual 

Presented by Jennifer McClanahan-Flint

Join me starting June 18 for Eating Together: Establishing a Family Dinner Ritual, a four week online program designed to help you reclaim family dinners in your home. You will learn how to find the time you need to focus on family meals. Eating dinner with your family isn’t just about a meal plan and running to the grocery store. Regularly planning, preparing and sharing family meals is a mindset that helps you tackle the mental and logistical challenges of making and serving healthy dinners every night.  In just four-weeks, you can create a ritual in your home.

Mindful Parenting

Presented by June Bayha

This 31-day course, taught by Teresa Zucchet and June Bayha, shows with great simplicity and practicality how parents can enrich their lives and the lives of their children through mindful parenting – the bringing of moment-to-moment, non-judging awareness into every aspect of life and parenting. Each moment can be an opportunity for us to see our children and their needs more clearly and thereby grow ourselves in wisdom and compassion as we nourish and care for them. Even the smallest degree of mindfulness can have profound effects on our children, no matter how old they are, and on the quality of our relationships with them.

Your Child’s Multicultural Hair: Basic Care and Styling

Presented by LaToya Carbonell

As the parent of a child with multicultural hair, you may be struggling with selecting the products and styling tools that work best.  Learn to confidently care for your child’s curls from a loving parent just like you!

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Finding Your Way Back to the Positive Side:  Emotional Search & Rescue for those who have lost their way in the Storms of Life

Presented by Catherine Allen

This 4 week course is a Search and Rescue project. My intention is to find you, whether you are lost at sea or trapped in the debris of your destroyed life, and to assist you in surviving, navigating and recovering from the emotional storms of life

Speak up!

Presented by Kristen Carter  

Learn to keep your cool and say what you feel, even in difficult conversations. Do you find it hard to stay calm and on-topic when you’re with certain people or in particular situations? Join the club! Then join this class. Kristen Carter, certified career and life coach and long-time business communications consultant, will help you learn to stay cool and focused in even the most difficult conversations. Currently taught live in Johannesburg, South Africa, but an online course is coming soon – click here for more information.

UNITE & IGNITE GOAL SETTING Tele-Bootcamp 

THE WOMEN’S REVOLUTION w/Kimberly Delcoco

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Are you tried of trying to balance it all alone?Are you ready to stop being ruled by fear and step into your purpose and experience a life of FREEDOM? Ready to identify limiting/negative beliefs and replace with empowering and action igniting beliefs.  We have the program and process for you….you will grow personally and professionally!

PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT

How to Break Free: Harnessing Your Super Power

Presented by Brandi Holmes and Theresa Campbell 

Yo GenYus, quarter-life crisis got you down? We’ve got the cure for what ails you. In this FREE course we will help you find an answer to the question: if what you are currently doing (career, school, etc.) is only temporary, what do you really want to do? At the end of this course you will have a plan in hand ready to be executed to lead you along the path of designing your extraordinary life.

TEACHING

Course-storming: 16 exercises to discovering your first course

Presented by Abe Crystal  

We’ve observed that many people who aspire to create their own courses never get past that first step of ‘dreaming.’ We’re determined to help you do more. We’re going to help you brainstorm, combine, evaluate, and eliminate course ideas until you have a core set of 3-5 ideas that you’re excited to teach.

WELLNESS

Grateful Living - A Makeover For The Body You Deserve.

Presented by Yaromil Fong-Olivares and Hans Hageman

Grateful Living is a 10-session health makeover for women.  The program will put women back in charge of their bodies so that they can become Strong, Sexy, and Serene. Please click on “Grateful Living” for more information.

Naming and Claiming Your Hero’s Journey to Overcome Obstacles and Move Forward with Grace and Ease  

Presented by Pauline Laurent

Your Hero’s Journey is a map of your inner journey—the journey to explore meaning, purpose, and destiny. Seeing the content of your life and your challenges through the lens of the Hero’s Journey is a very empowering process. Wouldn’t you like to find your own inner hero? Failure is not a dirty word; it is part of your heroic journey. Claiming your Heroic Journey will develop self confidence, inner strength, compassion for self and others, self knowledge and set you on the path of juicy soul work.

Practical Dreaming: How to Set Goals and Make Your Dreams Come True

Presented by Catherine Saar

Catherine Saar, founder of The Project Coach helps burned out, stressed-out artists and professionals get back on track, get unstuck and create a life that they love.  In Practical Dreaming, a four-week teleseminar, you will learn how to turn dreams into achievable goals that put you on the path to wellness and success.

Reclaim Your Joy in 28 days!

Presented by Kristin Peoples 

4 Weeks to Fire Your Passions, Develop Your Creativity, And Explore Your Calling!What would you do if you could explore your passion without worrying about what people were thinking? This course is for you if you would like to be happier, more creative & passionate in your life. Are ready to love life and your challenges with confidence and walk into your own personal power?JOIN US for this 4 week course designed to inspire and challenge.

Stop Struggling with Sugar and Carbs: Finally understand and transform your cravings chemistry

Presented by Liz Eastwood Lehman, CNC  

If you’ve tried to eat healthy, but those cravings for sweets and carbs keep getting in the way, Liz Eastwood Lehman, CNC, with Teresa Brown CNC have created something for you. Discover body-wise, biology-based holistic methods for reversing your sugar & carb cravings at their core. Interested? Signup here to learn more about our course Stop Struggling with Sugar and Carbs: Finally understand and transform your cravings chemistry.

The Road Back From Burnout

Presented by Diane MacKinnon, MD

The medical professionals I work with tell me they have become cynical, are worn out and overwhelmed. I created this class to offer medical professionals a way back from burnout using the most practical tools and techniques that my clients have benefited from over the years. In a weekly 1-hour teleclass we will focus on gaining the skills needed to recover the joy and passion that we all felt when we started out in our medical careers.

WRITING

Write Your Irresistible Book Proposal

Presented by Debbie Reber

Do you have an idea for a nonfiction book you want to traditionally publish? Write Your Irresistible Book Proposal is a unique, small-group telecourse—part lecture and Q&A, part one-on-one coaching and feedback, part accountability and community support—that guides you through the process of writing a nonfiction book proposal. At the end of the 6-month course, you’ll have a polished proposal you can confidently pitch to agents and publishers.

Isn’t it wonderful to get to a place in your business or career where you don’t have to work very hard to make a happy, healthy living?

Jim Collins calls it the “sweet spot” and Martha Beck calls it “The Promise Land” in her four-square model of change.

Before you get to this spot, you long for it. You work hard to make it happen.

And then when you reach it, and hang out there for awhile, a funny thing happens: you get itchy to get to a new place.

You start to yearn to grow, and to leverage the success you have had to date in new and interesting areas.

My friend Michele Woodward has a definition of growth that I like better than “get outside of your comfort zone” – “expand your comfort zone.”

If you are a small business owner, are you ready to stretch yourself a bit, and expand your market base or business model?

How do you know when you are ready to expand your market base?

• You look at the content you have created, and realize that many more people could use it than the market you are currently serving
• You are a bit fatigued at putting all your energy into the “build it and they will come” model of content marketing and are ready for some bigger moves
• You have built significant visibility and trust in your market
• You have your basic business operations and systems in place, and have a clean and efficient way of serving your current customers well

Questions to ask yourself to help find new markets (assuming they are aligned with your core values):

• Is there a larger company that serves my market and has something that would truly help my customers grow and develop?
• Is there something I have to offer a larger company that serves their market and could offer a significant value to their customers?
• Are there opportunities in government contracts that I could take advantage of because of interest, affiliation or business designation (woman, veteran, minority owned, etc – detailed information here: http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/contracting/contracting-opportunities )
• Is there a non-profit organization or cause that is aligned with my core business that I could serve with my skills or contacts, and which could expose me to new peers or partners?
• If I work primarily in online business, are their local businesses or organizations that could use my expertise or services, perhaps in a live configuration instead of an online one?
• Would I consider selling my business? If so, what should I begin to prepare?

What to expect people will ask for when you start to grow markets

When you start to reach out into new markets, particularly with larger partners, you need to frame the story of your business in a new way. You need to prepare:

• Statistics that demonstrate your market reach (Twitter followers, blog readers, newsletter subscribers, Facebook fans, total number of customers served, annual sales, etc.)
• A succinct vision of your business that describes what you are about and what makes you unique, how you have grown your business to this stage, where you plan to go in the next 12-24 months, whom you want to partner with and why.
• A powerful story that gets partners excited about the business vision. Why are you passionate about growing your business, beyond making money? Lauryn Ballesteros, who has worked to secure large partnerships for Seth Godin’s Domino Project and Squidoo, told me that a passionate, compelling story is a huge part of successful sponsor sales.
• A path of trust and credibility. Who can vouch for you? What do your customers say about you? What do peers and mentors think about your work? What does Google pull up with your name in the search box? Now is a great time to galvanize your community behind you, so that your growth benefits everyone in your ecosystem, not just your own business.

Personally, I am really excited to begin to grow in some new directions. I feel some of the newbie startup energy that I felt sixteen years ago when I began my consulting practice. I am reaching out to sponsors for my Power Boost Live event, I am looking for companies to partner with to share the huge amount of content I have created over the last seven years, and I am looking forward to creating some truly unique partnerships in support of the release of my new book next year.

It is uncomfortable sometimes. I don’t have the well-developed answers to every question like I do for my coaching practice. I have to challenge my thinking when creating a new business vision, and base new ideas on business models that have not been created yet. I have to be very careful to make sure that every decision is tightly aligned with my personal business ethics and company values.

But it is so worth it.

When we don’t stretch, we don’t grow. When we don’t grow, we get bored, complacent and lose enthusiasm.

I am happy to say that I have enjoyed just about every day of work for the last sixteen years. And I intend to keep it that way.

What are ways you are thinking of growing yourself and your business in the next year?

Once upon a time, I was sitting in my home office in Mesa, Arizona with a tiny baby boy in my arms, and a big idea in my head.

“What if I could help all those people I met in my years consulting in large corporations who wanted to start a business?”

It felt like crazy talk.

I imagined disguising myself and going into the cafeterias of Silicon Valley companies and handing out flyers.

I had no idea where to begin.

Thankfully, through Andrea Lee, I met Suzanne Falter-Barns. Her course about building an online presence had an assignment to start a thing called a blog. I didn’t know what it was, but I loved the idea.

When I wrote my very first post, I had no idea what I was in for.

I didn’t imagine it would lead me to spend the night on an aircraft carrier with a bunch of famous bloggers.

Or meet Gloria Steinem.

Or write an Op/Ed piece for the New York Times.

Or become friends with the software developer in Pakistan who would break the Osama Bin Laden story on Twitter.

Or get a book deal.

Because of my blog, I have a place to share things that I don’t want to be forgotten.

I have a gigantic love magnet that brings amazing people into my life. Tens of thousands of them. That astounds me every day.

And I have a vehicle that has made magic happen in many people’s lives. Not magic because of what I say, but magic because of what happens when people have a place to connect and share ideas with each other, and provide encouragement. Like Jon the Ballplayer.

I have a place where prospective clients can come get to know me from a place of total freedom. They can read my thoughts. Check out the comments of people in my community. Pay close attention to what I say and how I say it. All with total anonymity. If my message doesn’t resonate, they can leave with not one cent charged on a credit card. That creates freedom for them.

And when I do have something for sale, like a book or a class or a live event, I can talk about it openly. Without a fuss, pressure or shame. This has allowed me to build a thriving business that takes care of the family I love so much.

It is home for ideas. A place of abundance. A place to celebrate.

I remember talking with Penelope Trunk once about negative blog comments. She gets thousands.

“Hmm,” I said. “I think I can remember two.”

Controversy is not what lights my fire. Discussion does. Compassion for each other and for ideas. That may have slowed readership or incoming links over the years, but that is OK.

Because those of you here are family. You are just right. You are that invisible force that gets me all misty-eyed when I stop and look at what this whole experience has meant to me.

You, through this blog, changed my life.

#FreedomIsBlogging.

Thank you.

—

My big blogging brother Hugh MacLeod released Freedom is Blogging in Your Underwear yesterday. This post is in honor of that book, and of the inspiration I got from reading Hugh’s posts when I first started blogging.

Becky McCray and Barry Moltz have just released their new book Small Town Rules: How Big Brands and Small Businesses Can Prosper in a Connected Economy. It is a fascinating resource with genuinely new insights for everyone in business.

In my 20-minute interview with Becky McCray, we discuss:

• Common misconceptions people have about small, local businesses
• What large corporations can learn about branding from small business
• The formula for instant social media success (I am only sort of kidding – the way that Becky explained it made so much sense!)

Download the podcast here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/escapefromcubiclenation/smalltownrules.mp3

Or listen right here:

I am extremely passionate about this topic, and will engage more of my own local business community in the coming year to learn how to make my own business more effective and more enduring. When we connect all size businesses, we ALL win.

You can find the book at all fine retailers, and at http://www.smalltownrules.com

Becky is @beckymccray on Twitter and is at http://www.beckymccray.com

Barry is @barrymoltz on Twitter and is at http://barrymoltz.com

—

Is this the first time you heard I had a podcast? Really? I have had it for six years! I have tons of great interviews with really smart people. Subscribe on iTunes here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/escape-from-cubicle-nation/id196347105

Dine’ (Navajo) Chief Manuelito

In the seven years that I have been parenting, I have had a few less than proud moments.

Like the potato chip for dinner situation.

And the losing the birthday invitation that my 4-year old had been looking forward to all week, resulting in a missed party.

And, well, I don’t want to make this too long of a blog post. You get the idea.

But sometimes I have what could be construed as a not-so-proud moment with one of my kids that turns into something that is actually quite profound.

The potty mouth badass recognizing moment

The other day, I was driving Josh home from a play date, and he told me he was sad and frustrated at school sometimes.

“I walk up and introduce myself to kids  and they look at me like I am creepy. They say things like ‘only girls have long hair.’ I am browner than they are, and sometimes that makes me feel really different.”

As I listened to my baby boy say these words, I felt rage rise in my chest.

“Son,” I said, “You are a beautiful and precious young man. If you ever hear someone say something that is clearly not true, you need to straighten your chin, look them in the eye and say directly: “I am Joshua Slim. I am Native American and proud. ASSHOLE!”

<Insert sound of screeching tires>.

I couldn’t believe that I had actually vocalized that last word in my head.

Josh started laughing hysterically. “MOM! You said ASSHOLE!”

I bowed my head in shame. “I know son, I did. The reason I said it is because I was feeling lots of anger. That is not an appropriate thing to say to anyone, but especially not to someone on the playground.”

<As I silently prayed I would not be receiving a call from the school principal next week>.

But then I had to laugh too. Hard. Josh and I had tears rolling down our faces.

I noticed that Josh’s entire energy about the situation had changed. Not because he was suddenly going to become a profanity-using bully on the playground (I hope), but because he had tapped into his inner badass.

Get your boot off my neck

Sometimes, you face real, intense, hostile energy.

When you get older, you realize that this actually has nothing to do with you, it is just the other person projecting their own stuff on you. (Don Miguel Ruiz breaks this down brilliantly in The Four Agreements).

When you feel yourself shrinking, call up a person or phrase to help shift the energy and claim your authority.

Samuel Jackson comes to mind.

Or Mae West.

Or Geronimo.

“Get your boot off my neck!” is handy.

Or, said with great righteous indignation, “Do you know who I AM?”

My martial art and coach friends who are Jedi Knight Masters when it comes to working with energy will tell you that when you learn how to project the right energy, words aren’t even necessary.

The point is when you temporarily forget who you are, sometimes a little bit of inappropriate badass thinking is just what you need.

That is a lesson I am proud to share with my son.

Let’s just get this out of the way: Nancy Duarte is my hero. She is a member of my High Council of Jedi Knights because she models integrity, creativity, leadership and innovation in every day and every way. I adore her and drool over her work.

She is also the author of two best-selling  books about presentations: Slideology and Resonate.

Resonate teaches “how to transform any presentation into an engaging journey, by leveraging techniques normally reserved for cinema and literature. You will discover how to understand your audience, create persuasive content, and elicit a groundswell response.”

Today, Resonate is released as the first business book built using Apple’s iBook Author.

When I saw a sneak peek  version two days ago, the hair stood on the back of my neck and my heart started beating quickly.

I saw books in a whole new way — vibrant and alive on the screen, not just one-dimensional on a page. Any author knows the frustration of bringing ideas to life using only words. If you want to truly help and teach with your ideas, bringing audio, video and interactivity to books blasts things to a totally new dimension.

Like going from silent movies to talkies.

Or black and white television to color.

Or Pat Boone to John Legend.

Check out the video overview of Resonate on iPad here:

(Direct link to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrGmATLb6UE)

Read Nancy’s story about moving Resonate from paper book to iBook here: Resonate is Hot Off the iBook Presses!

Buy it. Study it. Model it.

Book publishing will never be the same.

Amplify Your Expert Status – Pam Slim Keynote at Infusioncon from Pamela Slim on Vimeo.

Earlier this month, I was honored to present a keynote at Infusioncon, the user conference for Infusionsoft.

Infusionsoft is a local Gilbert, Arizona business that provides marketing automation software for small businesses. It is a great product, that I use in my own company.

During the conference, participants were learning all kinds of great ways to plan and organize their marketing so that they could extend their reach and multiply their profits. As business owners, we live and die from cash flow, so maximizing efficiency in our marketing processes is essential.

But sometimes we forget that maximizing profits and doing nifty tricks to capture emails and convert customers is only the tip of the iceberg.

If real, useful, credible products and services are not delivered to your customers, you will never build a great reputation and brand.

In my talk, I share the core principles that I have used to build a thriving community, healthy business and well-know national brand.

Perhaps my favorite suggestion is to create an Octagon for Information Products. I pray that at least three of my readers are MMA fans and will get my joke.

Please watch the video and let me know what you think! Thoughts, reactions, suggestions and ideas are welcome!

Thanks again Infusionsoft for putting on a truly useful and engaging event. It is so wonderful to see a company that gets both corporate culture and customer culture so right.

Some weeks, I imagine what would happen if I had a hidden camera in my office. You would all be appalled to watch me move from one distraction to the next, carefully avoiding the one thing that I really need to get done.

“Jeez,” you would say, “Why can’t she just stop distracting herself and DO THE TASK?”

I would agree with you. Then, if I were smart, I would ask you for help.

I have learned that I get in a specific pattern of resistance when it comes to starting a new piece of work. Once I have an outline, then it is easier to come in and flesh out the details.

But if I allow myself to get down the path of Resistance (to quote a term used by Steven Pressfield in his masterpiece The War of Art), tiny discomfort turns into a roaring fire of creative agony.

This happens because I get stubborn, and forget to ask for help. I like to think of myself as a strong and independent woman. I should be able to create masterpieces by myself, right?

Wrong.

Asking for help is a core attribute of successful entrepreneurs.

If you have staff, like I am proud that I do now (Sheila Sanders, my full-time assistant, started at my office three weeks ago), it becomes imperative to ask for help and delegate as much as possible. I am used to having a meeting with peers, and saying things like:

“I will take a first crack at an outline, then get back to you.”

“I need to think about what the proper steps are to this process, then we can work on it.”

Now I am training myself to say:

“Why don’t you take a crack at an outline, then get back to me.”

“Why don’t you brainstorm the proper steps to this process, then we can work on it together.”

And perhaps most importantly, if I am starting a new project and begin to feel Resistance rise in my throat, I say:

“Help! I am really stuck and frustrated. I don’t know what to do. I am drowning. Can you help me?”

Typical Excuses

Sometimes people say “But I don’t have anyone on my team, how can I ask for help?”

I think that is a cop-out.

You have friends and colleagues who would probably help you in a heartbeat. In fact, you probably help people all the time, and they are just waiting for a chance to pay you back for your kindness.

Or

“I have asked people for help before, and they were either too busy, or their advice didn’t help.”

Fine. Ask someone else. Sooner or later, you will find the right people in your circle.

I offer a free coaching call the first Wednesday of the month, and have for years. Those who show up and ask for help, get help. Those who don’t, don’t.

Like Ze Frank said in his video last week,

“Let me not be so vain to think that I am the sole author of my victories, and a victim of my defeats.”

If your dreams have meaning, if they are significant and challenging and worth it, chances are, you can’t accomplish them alone.

Ask for help.

I had a couple of compelling questions and thoughts these past few days that inspired this video.

The main questions are:  who holds you accountable for doing great things and why do you create?

See directly on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVgi1RLuelk

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Find Lemonade Detroit here and Erik Proulx here.

I have spent the last seven years helping people start things, usually businesses. There are so many fears and doubts that get in the way of beginning something new, but when people overcome them, there is nothing quite like it.

Starting something is hard. But starting again, after success, is even harder.

Ze Frank just made an amazing video that gets to the heart of this phenomenon.

My love affair with ZeFrank’s brain has a long and sordid history, much like my obsession with John Legend.

He popped on the scene with a funny little video teaching people how to dance properly. And then he became an “Internet Sensation” and even spoke at TED, twice.

He was big, very big. And his Internet show was enormously popular.

Then he stopped his show, chilled out from the main stage for awhile, and worked on a variety of creative projects.

I met him twice in person, and basically acted like a young schoolgirl meeting Justin Bieber. I am not sure, but I may have screamed.

The reason I love him so much is because he mixes his true creative genius with enormous heart and honesty. That is pretty rare.

Beginning again, after success and recognition, is pretty hard. Maybe that is why I have been challenged with finishing my new book proposal.

Not anymore, thanks to Ze. “I don’t want to start, but I will.”

(Here is the direct link to the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYlCVwxoL_g )

This has some Not Safe For Work language, so beware if you are blasting this in your cube.

It is so worth it!

Thanks Ze. I love you.

And thanks Jeff Moriarty for sharing this video with me.