The Soulful Business Show™ with Cailen Ascher

I want to let you in on a secret…

...a secret which has enabled me to create an abundant (6-figure!) income while working less than 20 hours a week -- often less than 15 hrs!

It's a strategy I share with all my one-on-one clients, and it's helped countless women in my community structure their business so that they can make lots of money working with amazing clients and still have time to grow their business all while working part-time hours.

You're going to want to read this carefully because I think it might just rock your entrepreneurial world :-)

My secret to full-time income and part-time hours is A/B weeks.

If you're wondering what exactly A/B weeks are, let me explain…

I run my business on a bi-weekly schedule. Meaning all my client calls are on my A weeks, and my B weeks are OPEN for content creation, big projects and forward motion.

The problem I often see is that when new business owners start taking on clients, their client work totally takes over and dominates their schedule. Clients are smattered all over the place, and there's little useful time between calls.

But, if from the get-go you set your business up with A/B weeks, you'll ensure that your weeks are organized, productive and that you still have plenty of time to continue to grow your business, instead of being caught up with day-to-day client maintenance.

In general you should be spending max 30-40% of your time on current business (i.e. your current clients) and the remainder on procuring future business. A/B weeks sets you up for this effortlessly instead trying to "find time" between sessions and making a little headway.

And, if you're wondering how my clients feel about bi-weekly sessions, they LOVE them! It gives them more time and space to implement what we worked on together, and many of them have adopted this idea with their own clients now -- and they love it, too!

If you're looking for a way off the hamster wheel -- this is it! A/B weeks carve out the time, space and energy you need to build a business, not just keep your head above water.

Try it, and let me know what you think!

P.S. If you're ready to structure your business to generate full-time income with part-time, flexible hours -- that's my jam! I'd love to explore how I can help you. Fill out this quick form to book a free call, and we'll see if we're a good match.

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If you've been listening to the 3-Day Workweek Podcast for awhile, you know I'm a fan of taking small, incremental actions that can have a huge impact on your life and business. It's something we've talked about with many guests on previous episodes of the podcast, and it's also the basis of the Design Your Life Challenge that I hosted earlier this year!

That's why I'm so excited for today's interview with Gemma Went, a Business Mentor & Digital Strategist working with one woman bands to global brands, helping them to get the results they crave online. Gemma shares her super simple (yet super effective) morning practice with us today, and gives some great tips on how you can begin to incorporate journaling into your own daily routine, or create a morning practice of your own!

During this interview with Gemma, we also break down:

• What the first year of her business looked like (and why it was 'scary as hell')
• How to find consistency in the first year and beyond
• Gemma's exact morning routine (that only takes 20 minutes!)
• How (and why) she is planning to scale her business

• Connect with Gemma Went on her website at https://gemmawent.co.uk/
• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!

I stumbled upon this great quote the other day, and I liked it so much that I posted it on Facebook -- and am going to share it with you now :-)

I think this quote really struck me because I spent 7 years trying to get my business off the ground.

During those years I was working looong full-time hours and was consumed with self-doubt. I was making less than a part-time income, and I had to supplement my earnings with bridge jobs and freelance gigs.

It wasn't "feast or famine"...it was just famine. And, I felt like a failure and a burden on my husband. It felt awful.

I kept trying to figure it out. Trying to do the right things. Trying to learn more. But deep down I knew that if I really wanted to play bigger, I had to do something different than I had been doing.

I had to go into unchartered territory and get out of my "comfort zone" (if you can call struggling in your business your "comfort zone"). But I guess scarier than struggling was trying and failing.

But then I realized something...failing is simply giving up. And I was not about to give up!

I was ready and willing to show up for myself, my family and the work I most wanted to bring to the world. And, upon making that realization a shift occurred, and I was ready for the next step.

The next step for me was clear.

I needed guidance from someone who had built what I was hoping to build, and I intuitively knew who that coach was for me. I had seen her work around, been inspired by her again and again and her vibe and energy really resonated with me. I knew she was my coach.

I signed up to work with her (with butterflies in my stomach as a I made the payment), but more than that with a deep knowledge that I was finally playing BIG. I was finally becoming who I was always meant to be. I was claiming my power and my voice by investing in myself.

Within 2 months of working with her -- following the plan we had mapped out -- I had my first 5-figure month. It was unreal!

Here's the "secret"...

Coaching isn't magic. But, it can bring out the magic within YOU.

If what I've shared with you in this email has resonated, and you think that I could possibly help you as your coach at this time, I would love to explore working together. I work best with women who are ready to take action and want a plan to generate full-time income working part-time hours.

P.S. If you're interested in laying out a customized, step-by-step plan to bring a steady stream of clients into your business, I'd love to map that out with you so you can start enjoying full-time income and part-time hours. I'm accepting a few new clients for Summer 2018. Read more about that, and apply here.

• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!

Ok, so I have a little confession to make...I have NO IDEA how I got my first client!

A lot of women ask me, "How can I find my first client?" but the more interesting question to ask is "How are successful people bringing in consistent clients?"

In the early days, I remember trying a thousand different things hoping that just one would work, and in the end, I don't even remember how I landed that first high-end client. (Even though I remember her well!)

Getting a first client is all trial and error. Hopes and prayers.

Getting a steady stream of clients is about systems, processes and consistency. And luckily, these things are replicable!

In the beginning getting clients felt random, unclear and uncertain. Now, I'm building a well-oiled business machine that will deliver a steady stream of amazing high-end clients and will also enable me to serve those clients better than ever before!

(Psst...want to discuss how to create your very own well-oiled business machine that brings you full-time income with part-time hours? I'm accepting applications now for a handful of 1x1 coaching spots for Summer 2018. Apply here.)

So, I may not be able to tell you how I got my first client, but I can tell you exactly how I'm getting my clients now — 3 years in to my business and generating 6-figures. That's a much more interesting conversation to have, right?

That's the process I want to share with you today to eliminate the guesswork that stalls out many new entrepreneurs.

And that process hinges on one thing and one thing alone…

Having conversations.

In the early days of your business, your single aim should be to have conversations about the work you do as often as possible. (It's that simple. But not necessarily easy!)

Tell your friend. Your mom. Your friend's mom. Your yoga teacher. The checkout girl. Your mailman. The guy that cuts your hair. Your kid's teacher. Gush about the amazing work you do and your awesome business to anybody and everybody. Not in a braggy way, but in the genuinely excited way you truly feel about it.

Beyond that, you should be consistently inviting as many potential clients as you possibly can to have Connection Calls with you.

Invite the people on your email list, invite friends/family/acquaintances/neighbors, invite people in your Facebook Group and other people's Facebook Groups (if allowed!), invite FB friends, invite your followers on Instagram, invite your LinkedIn connections and your Twitter and Pinterest followers.

Create an open, standing invitation for those who are interested in exploring working with you to talk to you personally!

I'm going to be super honest here, in the beginning you're going to have a lot of conversations that (appear to) lead nowhere. But, this is about practice, not perfection. It's about seed planting and playing the looong game. You've got this!

The more you talk about your business, the more confident you'll become in your ability to clearly communicate what you do, and before you know it your conversion rate will start to increase, and these conversations will lead to clients more and more often.

The trickle will turn into a steady stream!

Hear this please. If you're new, one-on-one is the BEST PLACE to start. If you're established, one-on-one is the best place to double down to rapidly increase profits before you scale.

And 99% of the time, one-on-one work starts with a friendly conversation.

P.S. If you're interested in laying out a customized, step-by-step plan to bring a steady stream of clients into your business, I'd love to map that out with you so you can start enjoying full-time income and part-time hours. I'm accepting a few new clients for Summer 2018. Read more about that, and apply here.

• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!

Every time I open enrollment for Design Your Life School, I receive questions about what students can expect, the type of content that will be featured each month, and why students should join now. Today I hosted a Facebook Live to answer all of your burning questions about Design Your Life School and why now is the perfect time to join. Click below to listen to the replay!

• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!

I know from personal experience that one of the biggest frustrations as an entrepreneur is figuring out how to hold steadfast to your dream and take clear, consistent action when major doubt and resistance creep in.

You start wondering, "do I really have what it takes?" and "will it always be like this?"

I struggled for years to get my business off the ground, and it wasn't until I embraced this ONE THING that everything shifted for me. I started making consistent $4K, 5K even 6K months, I had my first 5-figure launch, and my business forever turned a corner..

The funny thing is NO ONE is sharing this invaluable piece of information with new entrepreneurs, so I'm putting an end to that during tomorrow's webinar.

During this brand new webinar, I'll be covering…

• 3 Fundamental Truths that you must recognize in order to stop feeling stuck + start making money
• The Phases of Business that you need to understand so you can know which one you're in now and how to move on to the next
• My story of how, as a mom of 2, I went from making no money in my business and totally questioning myself to crossing the 6-figure mark while working just 3 days a week
• Case studies of women who have used what I'll be sharing to intentionally design their dream lives and how you can too!

Plus, there will be a very special opportunity available on the webinar which will enable you to apply the live teachings specifically to your life and business. Simply put, you'll be able to get yourself unstuck so you can start making (more!) money right now!!

• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!

I was super fortunate to be raised by parents who taught me from a young age that I was the creator of my life, and as such I could do or be anything I wanted. (Yes. I have pretty awesome parents! Thanks, Mom and Dad!!)

But, despite being told that ever since childhood, I've found that it wasn't until the last few years that I've really come to understand on a deep level what that means and what it really looks like.

I remember watching The Secret for the first time years ago after Oprah introduced it to the world and thinking it all seemed so magical. You simply think about what you want and POOF! there it is!

My understanding of what it truly means to Design Your Life has since matured, and my current take on it is not so much magical as it is practical.

And, that's what I love teaching to YOU. A practical, step-by-step approach to designing a life and business you love.

I'm going to be 100% real with you....designing your dream life doesn't happen overnight, but if you consistently move in the direction of what you most desire, your dream life will unfold before you.

When I first started on my entrepreneurial journey back in 2008, I had a vision for what my life and business could be, despite the fact that at the time I was making practically no money and was completely naive to what it really takes to create success on your terms.

But, day by day, month by month, and year by year I held steadfast to my dream -- a life of ease and abundance (3-day workweeks and 6-figure years!), serving a growing community that I love, plenty of time for family, friends, travel and self-care, living in a beautiful place that I adore, raising happy, healthy children and enjoying lots of date nights with my husband <3

And now, that's my reality.

Turning my dream into my reality wasn't magic, and there were a lot of (hard) lessons, "failures" and self-doubt along the way. But now, after taking a look backwards at where I started 10 years ago, it's pretty darn remarkable. (I encourage you to take a quick look back, and celebrate exactly where you are now on your journey, too!)

As a girl who loves planning, systems and organization, I decided to reverse engineer exactly what I did to get here, and now I want to share that with you. So…

I've put together a brand new (totally FREE!) Design Your Life Challenge that will take you step-by-step through the process I use to continually uplevel my life and business, and we're starting on Monday. Please join us!

Sign up using the form below to join the Design Your Life Challenge for 5 days of clear action steps to design and live your dream life!

P.S. The brand new Design Your Life Challenge is starting on Monday!!! If you're ready for 5 days of clear action steps to create wealth, health and happiness in life and business. Click HERE to let me know you're in!

• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!

Today on the show we have an amazing repeat guest -- Christine McAlister! Christine is a business coach who helps high-achievers all over the world to quit and stay out of their 9-5s, by building businesses out of their passions.

She's also the founder of Life With Passion, and the author of The Income Replacement Formula: Seven Simple Steps To Doing What You Love And Making Six Figures From Anywhere. In this book, she distills the complicated process of building a business that generates a six-figure income down into seven simple steps, using proven strategies that have helped this wife, mother, business owner, and author accomplish so much while only working about 25 hours a week.

Christine is a dear friend of mine, and shares so much wisdom in this episode, including:

• Her entrepreneurial path (including "settling" for a full-time job out of college)
• How she moved into 2018 with two main focuses in mind
• The personal self-care practices she always makes time for
• A sneak peek at some of the foundations of her Income Replacement Formula
• The super simple process for finding your niche!

• Grab Christine's new book using this limited-time offer and receive four extra bonuses!
• Connect with Christine at LifeWithPassion.com
• Listen to Christine's previous podcast episode here.
• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!

One of the things I love most about my husband is that he is always ready to talk about our dreams, desires, goals, visions and BIG aspirations. In fact, the bigger the better!

Even when we were newly dating in our early 20s, we would talk about the plans we had for our lives without any embarrassment or reservations! And, to this day, we regularly talk about our future plans as a "sure thing" -- whether it be the gorgeous house we design and build, the multi-million dollar business I'm running, the 2 (or 3!) vacation homes we love and enjoy with our daughters, family and friends or my NY Times Bestselling book(s)! Nothing is off limits!!! And we talk about all those things as if they already exist :-)

I truly believe I would not be where I am today -- working 3 days a week, bringing in 6-figures a year, and growing an amazing community of women (we're over 7,100 women strong!!!) who I fall more in love with every day! -- without the ability to voice my dreams in a safe space where they are appreciated, nurtured and encouraged, never judged.

I also realize that not everyone has an outlet like what I've described, so I thought it would be helpful and fun to create Design Your Life Conversation Starters for you to enjoy with your partner, friends, family, kids or other members of our Facebook Group so that you, too, can benefit from having e x p a n s i v e conversations on the regular.

Grab your Design Your Life Conversation Starters below, and then get talking!

And, if you don't feel you have anyone in your life who would be open to talking -- you're wrong! I am!!! Join me and the other outstanding ladies in our private Facebook Group, and we'll happily talk about your biggest dreams with you :-)

P.S. The brand new Design Your Life Challenge is coming!!! If you're ready for 5 days of inspired action steps to uplevel your wealth, health and relationships. Click HERE to let me know you're in!

• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!

Tis the season for spring cleaning!

I've been feeling the itch for weeks now to clean out the pantry, the junk drawers, the girls' play area (yikes!), my closet and my business to get myself more streamlined and organized.

Because, let's face it, organization feels oh-so-good.

With that in mind, I thought it might be helpful if I gave you a look at how I organize the back-end of my business in order to consistently create new offers, projects, blog posts, podcasts, you name it, while working just 3 days a week.

When it comes to organization in my biz, I have two words for you…

Google Drive.

My entire business (and life!) are housed on it, and I am the queen of folders with sub-folders with sub-folders. Seriously, it's like a hall of mirrors in there!

In fact, the start of just about any new idea -- whether it be the inception of Design Your Life School or my daughter's 1st birthday party -- begins with a fresh Google Doc.

Here's exactly how it goes down…

1. Brain Dump -- I write down anything and everything that's been swimming in my head related to the new idea. I get it all down. The great ideas, the wacky ones, the ones that will later be scratched. They're all there in one Google Doc. (Usually then I decide a single Google Doc doesn't feel "important enough" for said idea, so I then create a Folder for that new idea in which the Doc I just created can safely live.)
2. Let It Marinate -- That might be all I do for a few days or weeks (sometimes even months) until I feel the time is ready and ripe for the next phase. And, that next phase is…
3. Create a To-Do List -- In that very same folder I create a 2nd Doc -- the to-do list. I write down all the action steps I can imagine related to the new idea. Let's say I'm dreaming up a new 5-day challenge for my community, on the "To-Do" Doc, I'll list every single action step I can think of from creating an outline of the challenge to writing promo emails to contacting my Facebook ads manager to run ads to composing the daily challenge emails to recording the challenge audios or videos… (you get the idea!)
4. Design Your Timeline -- Next, that "To-Do" Doc is then morphed into a timeline. You can do this in the same Google Doc by adding due dates or create a new Doc depending on how your brain works. In order to figure out the right timeline, it's best to consult your calendar. Look ahead at when you'd like to deliver that idea and work backwards. Be sure to take into account holidays, travel and over-ambition. Give yourself enough time and space to get it all done while also not dragging it out too long and killing momentum. Intuitively you'll know the sweet spot. Then, add due dates next to each and every action item on the "To-Do" list -- and the more specific the task the better. "Write all promo emails" is not as clear and effective as "Write promo emails 1 + 2" with a due date next to it and so on.
5. Get Started! -- Now that you have your clear To-Do List and Timeline, you're ready to get started. Too many of try to start here (at step 5) with immediately getting started only to wonder why we lose focus, burn out, feel overwhelmed or run out of steam. If you instead pre-plan for success, you're setting yourself and your idea up to win!

I sincerely hope this deep-dive into my compulsive organization was helpful and not scary! And please don't think this is the ONLY way to do this. But if what I shared, or even a small piece of it, is useful to you, my mission is complete. Now, I can cross that off my to-do list :-)

(Oh, and in case you're wondering -- yes, this email copy is being written on a Google Doc housed inside a sub-folder of a sub-folder!)

P.S. Next month I'm going to be running a brand new Design Your Life Challenge. It's in the works now, but if you're ready for 5 days of inspired action steps to uplevel your wealth, health and relationships, click HERE to let me know you're in!

P.P.S. When all is said and done. This is what it looks like...

• Share your insights and comments about this episode in 3-Day Workweek: Work Less, Make More, Live Better, my private community of over 1500+ female entrepreneurs
• Want more tips, strategies, and resources for creating your own 3-Day Workweek? Subscribe, rate, and review The 3-Day Workweek Podcast
• Join the #3DayWorkweekMovement by grabbing your FREE 3-Day Workweek Guide by completing the form below!