Growing a successful online business as an entrepreneur can feel daunting and overwhelming. But if you follow these 5 tips you can grow an online business, with more ease and less stress. You can start and grow an online business without feeling so overwhelmed

The online world is inundated with people sharing tips on how to grow an online business. But a lot of times, those tips aren't applicable to everyone, they aren't accessible to everyone starting out, or, they are confusing and hard to do alone. By the way, no one is meant to grow a successful business alone. We all need someone to help us and guide us and hold us accountable for intentional action.

But, even before hiring a business coach, you can take steps to grow an online business without feeling like you are climbing a mountain with no lifeline.

Let's take a look at how my 5 C's of personal branding can be applied to help you grow an online business

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Click here to learn more about my Purpose to Results™ Method for building a strong foundation for long-term business success.

 

How can you fund your business as a new entrepreneur? There are resources available to you if you are willing to create a road map for your business upfront.

If you don't have money to start the business of your dreams, there are financial resources available to help you fund your business. One of the most common objections to hiring a business coach is money. People often say things like "I need more clients first", "I can't afford it yet", "I have to talk to my husband", and the list goes on. But oftentimes, it isn't a lack of money it is a lack of being resourceful. When people are resourceful and come up with the money it shows great trust in themselves and the process, and that they are ready and willing to do what it takes to build the business and respond to their calling.

The difference between men and women and how they tap into financial resources to fund their businesses

No one needs to take extraordinary measures as there are options that may be a little uncomfortable, but not dramatic. Men, in general, are bigger risk-takers. They are willing to have a half-baked idea and jump right in. On the other hand, women like to be prepared upfront. Completely set and know for sure that the business is going to work.

The question becomes, how much risk are you willing to take. A lot of the discomfort from the financial side is not having enough information. The information you need is the specific details of the products and services you will be offering. Conceptual details like how the product or service will be delivered, what the product or service looks like, what they feel like, how is the supplier, who is the target audience, etc.

Likewise, you need to develop financial projections. It doesn't matter if this is service-based with little upfront investment or something more complex. Without the financial projections, your idea seems even scarier. It is important to know how much it will take to launch your business. Similarly, you need to know how long it will take to generate revenue. And, it is important to have an expectation of what the early months in your business will look like in terms of money going out versus money coming in.

We don't know what we don't know when starting a business

When you are starting a business, the best thing you can do is take advantage of the knowledge that consultants and coaches offer. They can help you plan ahead and ensure you have all of your plans in place.

We don't know what we don't know. Having someone to guide you and help you build processes saves time and money throughout the course of your business.

Diane shared a quote from a documentary, The Biggest Little Farm, "There's never enough time to do it right, but there's always enough time to do it over." In the end, if you don't do it right the first time, you are going to have to spend the money anyway. It makes more sense to pay it upfront and do things right instead of losing precious time in your business.

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If you are interested in building a strong foundation for long-term success and would like to learn about my Purpose to Results™ Method, download my free eBook today.

Forgiveness can lead to the transformation of self and relationships. But the question is, how to forgive when life and people have been so challenging? How to forgive when you've been holding onto hurt for so long

Carrie realized that if she was going to help other women live their best lives she was going to have to figure out how to forgive the people in her life who had hurt her. Holding onto unforgiveness is like a brick in your life. It's like a brick weighing you down as you are thrown into the water and if you don't get the brick off, you will drown. Robyn shared how her anxiety always manifests in her stomach, similar to how Carrie said that the stress and unforgiveness were eating her up from the inside out.

When we have negative emotions, anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness, they harbor themselves physically because of the intricate connection between the brain and body.

How to forgive ourselves knowing that forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves

As Carrie began to study forgiveness, she realized that if she forgave, she would be giving her offenders a free ticket out and they would be able to hurt her again. She was thinking that forgiveness and reconciliation were one and the same, but they are not.

How to forgive when afraid of the past

The first thing Carrie did was to educate herself on what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. It doesn't mean that you have to reconcile the person or give them a free pass, they still have consequences. We do not have to accept consequences on ourselves or have these people in our lives. Carrie then found the Hawaiian forgiveness prayer, which includes saying thank you. It is also important to ask for forgiveness for harboring the anger for so many years. Saying I love to the person who hurt you is also important because you'll see that they helped you learn more about yourself.

Likewise, saying thank you to your offenders is a key part of being able to forgive. It helps you be aware of the people you hurt as well. Asking for forgiveness is also a huge part of this journey.

And, having gratitude for the person or the emotions you experience can help you grow and move through the pain. Things don't happen to you, they happen to you. When you see the opportunity of growth or the positive in the experience, which may be hard to do, you can feel gratitude and move closer to forgiveness.

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Perhaps the thought of forgiving someone is making you anxious? Start navigating your anxiety around the person you need to forgive by downloading my free eBook, Alleviating Anxiety by Developing Healthy Habits for a Healthy Mind. 

 

 

The entrepreneurial mindset can waiver a lot. Fear often influences whether the entrepreneurial mindset is positive or negative. But you can choose how you perceive the fear and whether or not you let it hold you back.

 

An Example of a Great Personal Brand Molly is a great example of what it is like to have a solid personal brand. She represents herself and her business in an authentic way. Molly doesn't try to fit into the box of social media norms but instead represents herself genuinely to differentiate herself. Before posting anything on social media, Molly thinks to herself, is this how I want people to remember me? It's a great way to keep your content consistent, valuable, and professional. Surrounding yourself with the right people for strength It is really important to surround yourself with the right people, those who are willing to tell you what you need to hear. This is especially true when we have to pivot as a result of circumstances and we find ourselves lost, overwhelmed, or unhappy. Likewise, we all need someone to help us move from a place of victim mentality and self-pity to take action on our strengths and passions. Others often see things In you that you don't see in yourself

When opportunities come to you that seem uncomfortable or impossible, it doesn't mean you can't do it. Molly shared her mindset shift, which is so empowering. Instead of looking at the impossible, that you don't know how to do something, reframe the mindset to, I don't know how to do it yet. That little three-letter word can make a world of difference in how you navigate opportunities in life and business. You can always learn new skill sets.

 

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Anything can happen when you are a business owner. And the last thing you want to do is leave money on the table. If people don't pay you, you have to collect the cash. Having processes in place will help but you need these 4 keys to collect the cash you've worked for. The 4 Keys to Collect the Cash in Your Business

1. Problem Solving
2. Customer Service
3. Relationship Building
4. Gratitude - thanking the people who help you solve the problem to collect the money

Problem-solving can help you get results more quickly. People and businesses change systems and invoices can be lost. If you aren't getting paid, problem solve.

When God Provides in the Midst of Disappointment and Chaos

Life-changing events can jar you, but God often uses these experiences to teach you something and bring you to a new place in your journey. For Dee, the loss of her job led her to create a business, write a book, be sensitive to entrepreneurs new to the journey and be able to help them set up their businesses.

Dee likes to say, the sale is not complete until the money is in the bank. It is important to bring clients into your business, but it is equally important to collect payment.

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Using creativity to rediscover yourself, get unstuck from mental blocks, heal from trauma or mental health disorders, or become more fulfilled, is powerful and life-changing.

 

How to use creativity to rediscover yourself

Whether you feel lost because you went through a divorce, your children have grown and moved out, or have experienced any other life-changing situation, you can use creativity to rediscover yourself. Creativity is a way to tap into the place you were when you were younger.

Alex believes everyone is creative. Either you are using it and are connected to it, or you are disconnected from it. You had creativity when you were young, but it has been pushed down as you aged or went through life. Creativity is part of the mental conversation because staying connected with it allows you to process things and you have the tools to deal with the. When you lose that, you lose the ability to deal with mental health.

Using creativity to get unstuck as an entrepreneur

When feeling stuck as an entrepreneur, you can tap into your creativity to get re-motivated to do the tasks you have to do. You can also be more authentic in your self-expression. When you use your creativity, you are full of light and your personality shines through and you attract the right people.

How do we lose our gift of creativity?

Creativity goes beyond art. It can be used in business and help you stay on the cutting edge. As kids, we have no reservations about sharing our creativity. Unfortunately, in the US, arts programs are often the first to be cut, this decreases resources for creative exploration. And in their teen years, people become more self-conscious about what others will think about them. Whereas when young, we are proud to show all that we create.

As a coach, Alex gives people permission to tap into creativity and create things again without the expectation to be perfect. Perfectionism stops so many things and prevents creative exploration.

Alex believes that if people are expressing themselves and tapping into creativity they will feel better. They will be more relaxed, more excited, and better at expressing themselves and what you need, which in turn helps with relationships. It also helps you with work, has a business, or wants to raise or charge for your services.

Steps to take to use creativity to get unstuck

The first step is to decide that you are open to trying it.

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Download Robyn's free book to start your daily writing process: A Guide for Alleviating Anxiety and Creating Healthy Habits for a Healthy Mind.

 

What is brand positioning? When it comes to personal branding, it starts with your bio. Are you sharing your story, your passions, and your journey to attract clients? Brand positioning

Let's dive into brand positioning and how you can use it to book yourself solid without getting so stressed and burnt out that you lose yourself.

Elizabeth suggested that as you get older, think of your personal brand as a pirouette instead of a pivot. If you have to make changes, do so gracefully and gradually versus a jarring shift.

People often think of a personal brand as needing to be on a stage speaking, writing books, famous, vocal on LinkedIn, but that is not necessarily the case. Who you are and how the world perceives you should always align. It is important to build your personal brand on who you are, not what you do. Our career is really a blip of our life and isn't what defines us. Time goes by very quickly, therefore it is important to know what brings you joy and makes you happy and to align your personal brand with your purpose. But, keep in mind this is always going to change based on circumstances and people around you.

When you are doing what you love, you make more money and it doesn't feel so hard.

Joy comes naturally when you are following your purpose because you are aligned with your values and passions. When you are in a positive flow, you will be more open to abundance.

Two additional episodes mentioned by Robyn:

Episode 150 - Living with purpose with Tayna Dalton

Episode 130 - Become a limitless entrepreneur with Nicole Laino

Your brand position begins with your bio

Your bio is how people find out about you, it describes who you are, therefore, change the first paragraph to share something you are passionate about. The first intro of who you are should feel authentic to you. Find things that you have a very strong opinion about but are grounded in something you love.

Unless you are an expert on certain topics, don't talk about them. Don't jump on the bandwagon because others are doing it or talking about it, You have to be genuine and stay aligned with your values, visions, and passions. Also, think about how your hobbies are helping you learn to be a better leader or help define your personal brand. Elizabeth gave the examples of coaching your child's baseball team or learning to make sourdough bread. There are ways that you can take everyday things that are interesting to you and make them relate to your personal brand.

When you are talking about something that is truly authentic to you, you have no fear of saying the wrong thing.

When you have something that is relatable, there is so much fear around sharing it, but there is also community and support when you share it. People will be grateful that you shared your story, no matter how small it seems, because they will connect with you if they've experienced it too.

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Why would someone consider living an alcohol-free life? There are many benefits of living alcohol-free, both mentally and physically. But is living alcohol-free right for you? Why Karolina became alcohol-free

Alcohol is an awkward subject in our society. Most people don't speak of or address alcohol until there is a significant problem with it. Karolina, however, has worked with so many women who have been drinking very normally with the society around them. This was the same for Karolina, drinking a lot in college and into her twenties. As she got older, she was very healthy from Monday to Thursday, and then on the weekends, alcohol came into play and she always overdrank. By Monday she felt emotionally drained and didn't have the stamina to face the week. She would make healthy progress and then bulldoze it over the weekend. She lived this pattern for years. Until she heard of dry January. Dry January was the permission she needed to try life without alcohol without fear of judgment from her peers. This gave her the freedom to do and try other things. By the time February arrived, she was enjoying this new lifestyle, but she drank a few times and learned that she didn't like how she felt when she drank.

She noticed a significant difference in her physical and emotional health when she was not putting alcohol into her body. And this led her to address self-limiting beliefs and do things she'd always dreamt of doing such as writing a book and starting a business.

The science behind how alcohol affects the human body

Karolina originally thought that the way alcohol made her feel was specific to her and not to other people. But as she began talking about her experience with being alcohol-free, she discovered other people experienced the symptoms too. Symptoms like sleepless nights, night sweats, feeling groggy, etc. are simply how alcohol affects the human body.

Sleep

Alcohol reduces REM sleep. We typically have 5 to 6 cycles of REM sleep per night. Even one glass of wine per night decreases the number of REM cycles down to 1 or 2. Even if sleeping 8 hours, you aren't getting the emotional nourishment you need because of the decrease in REM sleep.

With more than one glass of wine, the body has a counteractive system, alcohol slows everything down, and numbs everything. There is a counterbalance in the body and it releases stress hormones; cortisol, adrenaline, and dynorphin which make you feel dull and glum. This release of adrenalin will cause you to have restless fragmented sleep and you'll be less rested and maybe glummer or a little more anxious the next day.

The effect of alcohol on hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain

The body detoxes from alcohol in approximately 1 to 2 days, depending on how much you drink. But the stress hormones can remain for a week or two. When drinking every week, you don't get to experience the natural state of the body, and how it feels without alcohol.

When you take a break from alcohol, you can rebalance these chemicals in your body, the stress hormones go down, but the happiness neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and GABA go up. Over time, alcohol lowers these neurotransmitters. Initially, alcohol will cause a spike in dopamine in the pleasure center of your brain, but after that 20-minute buzz, it crashes and goes even lower than it was before. It also desensitizes you from naturally occurring joy.

When Karolina took a break from alcohol and her body rebalanced, she was happier and giddier than ever in her life. She felt awe, gratitude, and appreciation and was laughing more.  This is why she calls her business euphoric.

Alcohol and mental health

Karolina emphasized that it increases stress hormones and reduces naturally occurring joy. She also felt apathetic, restless, and bored. One thing she didn't recognize was the sense of boredom. When you become alcohol-free, you start to realize the uncomfortable feelings that you were masking with alcohol. Our feelings are the barometers in our lives. What Karoline wasn't able to feel was how unfulfilled she was with her week and how she was using the weekends to make up for that. Drinking was the biggest highlight of her life. Once she went alcohol-free, she was able to recognize that she wasn't following her dreams. Being alcohol-free allower her to deal with the deeper feeling of boredom, which is actually a beautiful thing.

Boredom is the secret to all innovation, it is the secret to creativity and inventiveness. Experiencing boredom allowed Karolina to try new things and new hobbies.

Alcohol affects our pleasure center in a different way than all of the other experiences available to induce natural joy and pleasure. The effect on pleasure from alcohol is temporary.

Living alcohol-free allowed Karolina to defy the limitations she'd always put on herself and she began to feel a bigger sense of purpose.

Health benefits of living alcohol-free

There are also physical benefits of living alcohol-free, which include:

lowering blood pressure

lowering blood cholesterol

growing your gray matter

healing liver fat

reducing cancer markers

All with just one month of living alcohol-free.

Read the full show notes and access all links. 

If you are struggling with anxiety and have been using alcohol to try to decrease it, download my free eBook: Alleviate anxiety by developing healthy habits for a healthy mind. Developing healthy habits can be life-changing and very beneficial.

Living with bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses can seem isolating and miserable because of fear of judgment. But Paris Prynkiewicz is working to shatter the stigma so that people can share their diagnoses and live with gratitude and joy while building healthy lifestyles.

While living with bipolar disorder has been more than challenging, Paris Prynkiewicz has found gratitude and courage to share her journey to help shatter the stigma around mental illness and help others navigate it.

Why do things happen

Robyn emphasized her belief that everything we go through happens for a reason, for us to then help others navigate similar circumstances.

The Stigma Around Mental Health

Mental health is a disease state like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes are disease states. When people are diagnosed with any of the latter others tend to be compassionate and feel bad for them. But when people are diagnosed with mental health challenges, there are often stereotypes, they are weird, strange, or crazy. As a result people often have to navigate their diagnosis alone. Robyn mentioned that she is an advocate for the homeless population and so many of them are homeless as a result of mental illness.

Shattering the stigma around mental illness is why Paris started her show and wrote her book. Paris discovered that if we are willing to be vulnerable, we will become more comfortable talking about mental health. Accepting vulnerability allows you to share your stories and connect with others, which will help you heal. Often people who have a mental health diagnosis are afraid to share the diagnosis because they don't want to be judged. Therefore, they live behind a mask, a facade. Paris did this, and the result is a crash and burn because of neglect of emotions. Many times the root of this is trauma.

Recognizing the need for help

It is important to recognize the triggers. Without a diagnosis, people are often confused about why they are feeling this way, and because of fear of stigma and they don't get help.

You need to be your own advocate for healthcare. Because mental health benefits are always less than other health benefits, there is a more significant risk of not getting the help needed.  The lack of benefits lends to more stigmatization because people don't see it as important.

Robyn emphasized that there is nothing to be ashamed of when you have a diagnosis of a mental health disorder. But it is important to be your own advocate and get the help needed to navigate it.

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Navigating mental health doesn't have to be isolating and miserable. We are here for you. To start developing healthy habits for a healthy mind, download this free eBook today here. 

Does manifesting work? Is it scientifically proven? What if you are a Christian, should you be using manifestation as a tool?

I answer these questions and more as I dive into my recent findings on manifesting for life and business success.

What does manifesting mean?

In a nutshell, manifesting is turning an idea into reality.

However, you can choose to work on your thoughts and when you have more positive thoughts you have more positive emotions. When you have more positive emotions, more good things happen, and you see more results because you take action to make them happen.

This is why it is so important to do mindset work and ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of negative thoughts, especially recurring negative beliefs that are making you feel less than desirable, incapable, or unaccomplished.

For example, if you want to be a successful business owner, you have to have the belief that you have the skills and talents to do so. If you doubt this and don't believe you are worthy or capable you will feel bad and won't take the action necessary to accomplish tasks that will move you forward toward your goals.

Positive thoughts and beliefs bring positive results.

We know that happier people have more success. Success doesn't make people happy, they had happiness within them, positive thoughts and emotions which led to them to taking action, more joyfully, to accomplish their goals and dreams.

Philippians 4:6-8 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think of such things."

For centuries, we've been guided to think positive thoughts yet we let all of the worldly influences bring us down, stimulate doubt, lead us into comparison, and imposter syndrome. Perhaps it's time to go back to basics, to the first "good" book, and follow the example of Jesus. He never doubted. Instead, He believed and trusted, and had a grateful heart.

Is there scientific proof that manifesting works to bring forth results or items you want?

No, there is no scientific data to prove that manifesting works. In fact, in an article published by Psychology Today, it is documented that most psychological scientists consider manifestation to be pseudoscience. Authors of the books, The Law of Attraction and The Secret claim that they are based on scientific data, but there is no scientific evidence.

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