CREATIVITY + INNOVATION Page 13 of 38

Joining B-School? Get our $2000 Complete Online Business Builder for free!

Posted on 2015-02-18 at 5:39 pm.

Registration for B-School is now OPEN here! This programme comes round just once a year, and is the single best and fastest way to learn what’s at the cutting edge of online marketing, and how selling yourself better can help you serve your customers better.

If you are thinking of joining B-School (and you should if you are serious about growing your audience and boosting your sales significantly), then be sure that you check out the various affiliate partner bonus offers available around the web. B-School has a small number of official partners, of which we are one, and each partner offers a tailor-made package of bonus goodies if you take B-School through them. This is a fantastic opportunity to get a ton of extra value alongside the full B-School experience, so we’d encourage you to do your research and go with the partner whose offer best suits what you need right now.

Of course we’d love you to join B-School through us if our offer is right for you. If you are looking to build your online business rapidly this year, particularly if you have skills, knowledge and experience that you want to package into an online course and sell worldwide, then our offer is probably perfect for you (and it’s worth nearly $2000).

Exclusively for B-Schoolers joining through us, we have created The Complete Online Business Builder, a one year programme which includes a host of classes, resources and support. You can find out more about it in our offer brochure here:

Download the brochure here: High res / Low res (recommended for mobile)

Feel right for you? Then join B-School here and secure your Complete Online Business Builder package worth nearly $2000 for FREE!

I deeply believe that we are seeing a paradigm shift in the way we live, learn and earn, and now is the time to grab that opportunity before the rest of the world gets in on the act. In the grand scheme of things, digital business and online marketing have only been around in a big way for a very short time – just a decade or so – but the developments in platforms, software and opportunities have moved forward light years in that time. It has never been easier or cheaper to start an online business and make it thrive, and we want to help you do that.

We hope you will join B-School through us* and commit to making your business fly this year.

Beth and team

About our partnership with B-School

Over the next couple of weeks you will probably hear a lot about B-School. That’s not surprising – as the top online marketing course out there, they know a lot about getting the word out. But I wanted to take a moment to explain why we are a partner of B-School.

In the early days of Do What You Love I bit the bullet and joined the course as a participant. It was at a time when I was really new to the online world of websites and digital marketing. It is no exaggeration to say that B-School was like manna from heaven. It told me exactly what I needed to know and do, how to do it, and how to get really excited about the potential of my business along the way. Within two years I had been nominated as a finalist in the Digital Entrepreneur of the Year awards. That’s what I call a result. The community is an incredible source of knowledge and support, and the material (all new for 2015) is top notch.

We are an official partner of very few programmes that we are not involved in producing, but we have proudly made an exception for B-School because it really works. We have put together an incredible package of year-long support to accompany the B-School programme for anyone who books the course through us – find out more and book here. It is ideal for you if you want to start or grow your business online as the B-School / Do What You Love combination will be rocket fuel for you.

*As a partner of the programme we may receive a referral fee if you decide to take B-School through us.

Eat. Pray. Wi-fi.

Posted on 2015-02-17 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by Ben Keene. You can find out more about Ben here.

Has moving to Bali for winter with our family worked out?

I’d only been at Bali’s first co-working space, Hubud (a bamboo beehive of digital nomadic activity at the heart of the island’s ‘eat, pray, love’ capital, Ubud) for an hour when Steve Munroe (a ‘post-UN-cubicle survivor’), uttered his mantra. Perhaps even more interesting than what Steve was saying was the fact that he was speaking to a group of Harvard students who had come to Bali to study ‘remote working’ and sustainable business.

(more…)

Five signs you’re suffering from digital distraction (with tips for finding balance)

Posted on 2015-02-13 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by one of the UK’s leading experts in digital distraction and digital detox and author of The Distraction Trap: How to Focus in a Digital World, Frances Booth. Find out more about Frances here.

How digitally distracted are you? Often we don’t realise how attached we’ve become to our smartphones, social media or email. But being distracted by a digital device all the time can have an impact on our productivity, wellbeing and relationships.

The first step to achieving balance in the digital world is to increase your awareness of your behaviour around digital devices. Here are five signs of digital distraction, along with five strategies you can use to increase your balance, productivity and wellbeing in the digital world.

1. Smartphone separation anxiety

You take your smartphone with you everywhere you go – often actually carrying it in your hand. As soon as your phone beeps, you leap. This is not prioritising. This is phone-in-hand syndrome. Your phone accompanies you everywhere, including to the dinner table and to bed. It muscles in on any conversation you have. It interrupts your thoughts, keeping you constantly ‘on call’.

The solution: Be realistic. It won’t be easy to suddenly go without your phone. You might find that as soon as your phone isn’t there, you need something to do with your hands. You might feel like something is missing (I see this in one-to-one sessions I run). It’s like giving up smoking, in a sense. Be aware of this. Try putting your phone in another room for just 15 minutes. Make sure you have something to do, like read a magazine. Hold something like a pen when you’re talking to someone. Next level: Go to the corner shop without your phone.

2. Journeys pass you by

What do you see on journeys? The light falling just so? Interesting happenings through the window? Or is your field of vision restricted to your smartphone screen? Journeys by bus or train provide a great opportunity for thinking time, or a short rest. They can be a chance to catch up mentally on the day so far, or to dream and plan. But all too often, we miss this chance. We begin our journey, and immediately stare down at a screen, processing yet more digital information. We arrive feeling rushed, and we’ve no idea what happened out of the window.

The solution: Become an observer

Try this exercise: Count ‘em. Next time you are on a train or bus, instead of staring at your phone or tablet, put it away. Start to observe other people. How many digitally distracted people can you spot? What do you notice about their behaviour? How do they look? Stressed? Absorbed? Can you spot pairs of people together who are both staring down at their phones? Sometimes it’s easier to observe behaviour in other people rather than ourselves. See what you can learn by doing this on just one journey.

3. Memory lapse

You blame your bad memory a lot these days. Or perhaps it’s not you, but other people you know who are using the excuse of their bad memory. Ask yourself whether this is really a memory issue, or whether you (or they) could be distracted. If you’re trying to pay attention to more than one thing at once, you might forget to reply to messages, and even forget the contents of the messages you’ve read. This is because you are not storing memories. I look at this in more depth in my book, The Distraction Trap: How to Focus in a Digital World.

The solution: Do one thing at once. It sounds simple, but we often don’t do this. Try it and see what a difference it makes to your memory, and to your productivity.

4. You can’t walk in a straight line

Do you use your smartphone when you walk along the street? Do you veer around the pavement as you look down at your phone? Do you stop and start, and even cross roads without looking up? Have you seen other people doing this? Digital distraction is extremely dangerous for pedestrians and drivers. Take this seriously. Put your phone away when you’re anywhere near a road. Never use your phone while driving.

The solution: This is an issue we really need to raise awareness of. Not only should you do this yourself, but you should tell other people to do the same too.

5. No time to think

A thought pops in to your head. This could be it … the answer to that thorny business problem you’ve been struggling with. Then – pling!!! – your phone demands your attention or an email pulls you off track. All too often, when we leap to answer to digital demands, we neglect time for deep thinking. Somehow, answering our email seems more urgent than just having a think. But if you (or your team) are short on good ideas right now, then the chances are, this could be why.

Think Do digital distractions mean you have no time left to think? (Photo: J Devaun)

The solution: Leave time for thinking. A simple way to take a first step here is by switching off digital devices when you are doing simple daily and weekly tasks round the house. Allow yourself to use this time for thinking.

Five top tips for surviving (and thriving!) in the future

Posted on 2015-02-10 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by Louise Armstrong. Read more about Louise here.

In my first blog I talked about how quickly the world is changing and why we need to adapt and evolve in terms of how we live, work and connect in order to overcome the challenges the future holds.

As Albert Einstein recognised: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Of course, while we can never be sure of what lies ahead we can all adopt some simple techniques to help us navigate our way into the future. And the great news is that they don’t cost a penny!

These techniques are designed to unlock innate capabilities within each of us. All you’ll need to do is be brave, be willing to try new things, be ready to embrace new experiences and be disciplined enough to do them all regularly.

You can start today! Here are my five top tips for a flourishing future…

(more…)

Why doing what you love is the key to success in business

Posted on 2015-02-09 at 4:15 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

We seem to be getting more and more questions lately about how to create and run an online business, as people are increasingly seeing it as a fantastic way to do what you love on your own terms. We have learnt a huge amount over the past five years, always trying to push the boundaries and stay ahead of the game, and are happy to share that if it inspires even more of you to go for it.

We are working on some fantastic new business resources which we will share over the coming weeks and months, along with links to some of our favourite business websites, blogs, magazines and books. We will also be sharing a number of our most valuable lessons through this newsletter and dedicating the whole month of April to online business – the pros and cons, ups and downs, opportunities and how-tos – so if you are interested in finding your freedom through being your own boss, stay tuned! And even if you have never even contemplated running your own business, try to have an open mind and consider all the possibilities. You never know what might spring to mind…

One of the keys to our rapid growth over the past few years has been our commitment to collaborations. We have built some really strong partnerships with leaders in their field, which have enabled us to grow together, and make more of an impact than we could have made alone. We are grateful to be in the position where we turn down many more partnership opportunities than we take up, but when we do take a new partner on board, it is always from a place of real belief in their work, their approach, their expertise, and the relevance of their teaching for our audience.

And that is why we have chosen to partner with Marie Forleo in the promotion of her upcoming (awesome) online marketing course B-School. You may have heard a fair bit about B-School lately. That’ll be because Marie and her team are the best at what they do. But we have chosen to be a partner because the essence of what they teach – how to get your products and services in front of a huge audience of people who NEED them – is absolutely key to doing what you love in business.

Think about it for a minute – if you get clear on what doing what you love means to you, and you find a way to make that into a business, you have overcome the first hurdle. But if you don’t find the customers who want and need what you are offering, you have no business – certainly no long term sustainable business. And that will just leave you frustrated and sad. Great online marketing is a non-negotiable in this digital age, if you really want to carve out a place for yourself running a business doing what you love. You can have the best product or service in the world, but if no-one knows about it, your dream isn’t going to last.

If you want to find out more, here are two really useful free training videos from Marie, which explain a bit more about why this is so crucial to your long term success:

(more…)

Shared Story: Renee Scheer

Posted on 2015-01-29 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

After working in the land of corporate America for over 25 years, Renee Scheer knew something had to change. Her passion for creativity and desire to help people realize their dreams had come full force and she decided to risk it all to fly solo. Last year Renee found the courage to wave goodbye to the office cubicle that was slowly suffocating her, and swap her high heels and smart suits for the barefoot boho lifestyle she’d always dreamed of.

Now, as an artist, guide and facilitator of authenticity, Renee uses her own personal and business life experiences to help others find what they need to live passionately and joyfully. Renee is a certified life and spiritual coach and she has received several accolades for inclusiveness, leadership and creativity. Today she shares the truth about her journey towards doing what she loves…

Renee Scheer

(more…)

The art of getting started…

Posted on 2015-01-21 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Whether it’s perfectionism, procrastination, or plain old fear that’s holding you back, there’s help and inspiration at hand!

Are you struggling to make your creative dreams happen? Do you have a great idea but don’t know where to start? Or do you have so many ideas that you end up doing nothing? Illustrator and self-professed procrastinator Lee Crutchley admits that he knows the ‘first blank page’ all too well. He says: “Turning ideas into real things is NOT the easy part. It takes work, and delaying the work does one thing – it delays the work.” In his book, The Art of Getting Started, Lee shares some of the fun tasks, challenges and prompts he uses to kickstart his left-brain and get his creative juices flowing. Be prepared to write, draw, cook, explore, and be impulsive as you immerse yourself in creativity in its purest form and take the first step towards becoming unstuck.

A changing future

Posted on 2015-01-20 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

DWYL_BLOG_EXPERT_COLUMNISTS_LAPTOP_550X200PX_LR

Louise Armstrong

This is a guest post by Louise Armstrong. Read more about Louise here.

With an eye to the future the only thing we can be sure of is change. We are living in a world of flux and often, without us even realising, this alters the way we lead our lives.

I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, but at times it feels like everything I once knew and expected, and the assumptions I had about how my life would play out, are gradually being erased.

(more…)

The power and danger of labels

Posted on 2015-01-05 at 9:11 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Happy New Year! 2015 has dawned crisp and clear, with possibility of adventure and an outlook of hope. We wish you much happiness this year and challenge you to make it your best year yet!

This week we wrapped up our Winter Writing Workshop with the question ‘How does it feel to call yourself a writer?’ Sometimes giving yourself a label – even if it doesn’t quite fit yet – can be a really powerful way of helping you believe in yourself, whether that means calling yourself a writer, an artist, an athlete or whatever.

Passion labels can be motivating and confidence-inspiring. But career labels can be dangerous. Here’s why.

(more…)