ENTERPRISE + INITIATIVE Page 9 of 21

Notes from the Arctic #1: When your worst nightmare comes true

Written by

IMG_7298

Greetings from inside the Arctic Circle! Mr K and I have been digital nomads working at minus 15 this week, as we have spent an incredible few days in northern Finland. I’ll be sharing some of our experiences over the next couple of weeks, but first wanted to share a major lesson we have learnt on this trip.

I nearly didn’t book the tickets because I was worried about taking our daughter with us when she is still just a toddler. What if she screamed on every flight? What if she hated the cold? Or even worse, what if she was ill? But then I reasoned that they have toddlers in Finland too, and as long as we were well prepared with thermals and skiwear she’d be fine. So I stocked up on warm clothes and Calpol, and hoped for the best.

And guess what? She was a great little traveller on the flights, waving at everyone as they got on the plane like an air hostess in training. She coped with the weather brilliantly, proud of her new snow boots, and fascinated by the white world around her.

IMG_7240-1

But then disaster struck and our worst case scenario came true – poor Sienna fell ill with chicken pox. Of all the places in the world to come out in a raging rash. We were a 100km round trip from the nearest hospital, and really worried about her.

(more…)

Great business idea or great flourishing business? (+ scholarship opportunity!)

Written by

Ent quote

At its very heart, ‘Do What You Love’ is all about helping people understand that their life path is their choice, that they have the power to change things that aren’t working, and that they find their own way to happiness. It sounds pretty huge when you say it like that, but it is our fundamental truth.

We believe that the world would be a better place if everyone was doing what they loved (no commuting hell, no whinging or complaining, no stress-related health issues and on and on…) And everything we create or support is intended to help people find their purpose and live it, in whatever way makes them happy. That goes for you too.

Building a business around what you know, love and are committed to is one brilliant way to do what you love. By creating your own financial freedom through your hard work, you make yourself master of your own time, and determine your future. Running your own business isn’t for everyone, but if you have an entrepreneurial spirit there is nothing like it.

But the thing is, the best business idea in the world won’t bring you that freedom if people aren’t aware of it, or if they aren’t buying what you are selling. The missing piece of the puzzle? Marketing. In a truly purposeful business you are serving your customers with what you offer, giving them something they need. In a well-marketed truly purposeful business you are serving many more customers, and helping many more people get what they need.

Getting marketing savvy gets you and your business where you want to be much faster, and opens many new doors for you along the way. That’s why we are honoured to be a partner of what we feel is the best online marketing programme in the world – Marie Forleo’s B-School – and encourage you to check it out if you want to do what you love in business faster, more effectively, and with outstanding results.

If you are interested to hear more, check out this video, where Marie chats with some B-School graduates who have had serious success since taking the programme. You can also find out how to win a FREE place on B-School, through an exciting scholarship opportunity (inside the video).

Great business idea or great flourishing business? (+ scholarship opportunity!) BS3

And if you are being held back from going for it by fear or overwhelm, be sure to watch because Marie responds brilliantly to these seven common barriers faced by would-be entrepreneurs (see, it’s not just you!)

1. Will my friends and family think I’ve gone insane for wanting to run my own business instead of getting a “real” job?

2. There are people a lot smarter than me doing what I do, how could I possibly have anything new to share?

3. I’m so busy. How in the world can I find the time to do this?

4. Not only do I not have enough time, I don’t have the money for fancy new equipment and my own office space. How can I start a business with no cash?

5. Sure, she can do it because she has a team. How can I do this all by myself? I can’t afford to hire someone to help.

6.  How can I figure out all the techy stuff that I have to know to have my own online business?

7. I don’t have an outgoing personality, so why would anyone be interested in following me online?

If you want to hear the answers (which will definitely make you rethink your concerns) go here to watch now.

(more…)

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

Written by

DWYL_BLOG_EXPERT_COLUMNISTS_LAPTOP_550X200PX_LR

Louise ArmstrongThis 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

Written by

WHATEVER-THE-MIND-CAN-CONCIEVE_550PX_LR

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…)

A changing future

Written by

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…)

10 Schools that are changing the way that we see education

Written by

DWYL_BLOG_EXPERT_COLUMNISTS_TYPEWRITER_550X200PX_LR

Ben profile NEW

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

My first experience of a ‘school for life’ was as a volunteer gap year student in 1999 at Glengarry — a spectacular outdoor campus set in the sumptuous Kangaroo Valley, Australia. Yes, there were a lot of kangaroos.

Since then I’ve followed and been involved with a number of innovative education projects. It is interesting how strong the sense of ‘mission’ the leaders of such projects are. I admire them hugely. So, here are my ten favourite ‘schools for life’.

(more…)

New Year, Richer You. Begin today.

Written by

3.DWYL_RICHER_550X300PX_LR

A lot of people tell us that they want to do what they love, but they can’t because of a lack of money. But when we dig down into it, money is rarely the problem. The issue is usually (1) a perception of how much it takes (too much) or how much they have (not enough), or (2) a fear of not knowing their financial reality if they take a leap from something they know, to something new.

The fact is, security as we know it has all but evaporated in the past few years. Jobs for life don’t exist any more. People are being made redundant left, right and centre from ‘professional careers’. Pension pots are shrinking, and the future is more uncertain than ever.

What if it was actually more secure to do your own thing? To take control of your time, of the way you earn money, of the people you spend time with, in where you live, and how you work?

(more…)

Why next year has to be different

Written by

Rain walk
My little family – well again after a month of sickness telling us we need to slow down

In many ways this has been the most precious year of my life. In others it has been one of the hardest. With the birth of our baby girl on Christmas Day 2013 came a world of new priorities, warped time, new responsibility and so many distractions. At the same time our business grew exponentially, and a lot of exciting opportunities came our way, which we kept saying yes to.

The result? Burnout. For the entire month of October our whole family was sick (hence the unusual lack of newsletters from me!). We experienced every parent’s nightmare of hospital visits and paramedics, were exhausted but couldn’t sleep, needed nutrition but were too tired to cook proper food. It was really hard. And I think it was a massive lesson to us. Looking back now everyone is well again and all our big deadlines have passed, it seems like the universe was literally shouting at us to slow down.

I’ll admit – and not at all proudly – that this is something of a pattern for me. I work and work until I can work no more, take a break, refill the well and get re-inspired, then go 100 miles an hour putting all my new ideas into action. But this last month has told us that even if it sort of worked before, it is not sustainable with a new baby.

And so we have decided to take December off – no classes, no deadlines, no stress. A delicious month to slow down, enjoy the Christmas festivities and recharge for 2015 (which is already shaping up to be an exciting year). Our team will be running a few short programmes, including a free winter writing workshop (details coming next week!). But generally we will mostly be having a merry time with family and friends, hopefully laughing and sleeping a lot.

I have given myself the gift of saying no this December, because it’s OK not to do everything, all the time. And I really hope you will do the same, if that’s what you need.

This time of year is a good time to step away from the day-to-day and reflect on the year gone by, and make plans about you want from the year ahead. I am going to be using our New Year’s Revolution 2015 toolkit to help me do this and I’d like to offer it to you as a gift to do the same.

This completely free toolkit will help you work out what you really want from the year ahead, and then plan how you are going to get it.

We have updated and expanded this resource based on feedback from some of the thousands of people who downloaded it last year. (If you were one of those who gave us feedback, thank you. The feedback givewaway winner was DEBBIE BERNA)

Download your free New Year’s Revolution Toolkit here and start planning to make things different next year.

I know I need to take this really seriously and put things in place to be less frantic and less overworked, to create space for more adventure, more opportunities, and more fun. I hope you will too!

Beth

(more…)

Why you should never give up…

Written by

“If you really believe in what you’re doing, work hard, take nothing personally and if something blocks one route, find another. Never give up.” – Laurie Notaro

We’re constantly inspired by stories of successful people who struggle for years to make it. People who endure failure after failure and knock-back after knock-back, but who keep moving forward because they believe in themselves and they know what they want to do with their life. People like Sylvester Stallone.

Image source This is a Book by Demetri MartinImage from This is a book by Demitri Martin

In this inspiring video Anthony Robbins explains how, after years as a dead broke unsuccessful actor facing put downs and rejection, Stallone finally scored the lead role in his own blockbusting movie franchise, Rocky, and went on to become a Hollywood legend. If ever you needed a reminder about why you should follow your dreams, this is it!

In Michael Pollock’s article, The Science of Perseverance: How Your Mindset Can Strengthen Your Motivation he explains that ‘according to decades of research, there are two fundamental mindsets that determine how people respond to struggle, setbacks and failure. In one mindset, you’re likely to get discouraged and give up on your goal. In the other, you tend to embrace the struggle, learn from the setbacks and keep moving forward – you persevere.’

Which mindset are you in?

 

Be an entrepreneur. Change the world.

Written by

theme_loveenterprise

Remember when you were a kid and thought you could do anything? Well you still can!

Here are our 5 top tips for building a business and creating more passion, more profit and a positive impact in the world…

1. Do what you love. Choose a product or idea that you’re interested in and passionate about. Not sure what you love or if it’s worth pursuing? Enrol on our 5-week Do What You Love e-course, which begins on October 13. It promises to open up a whole new world for you.

2. Dare to be different… Try something no one’s ever done; create a new product; or shake up an existing market by improving a service or delivery model. Think outside the box!

3. Do your research. Make the most of free online resources to help, support, inspire and motivate you.

4. Get a mentor. Team up with a successful entrepreneur or business leader. This person can help build your confidence and help you understand the risks and challenges of business while listening to your ideas, offering advice and even helping you find investors for your business.

5. Organise yourself. Running a business while studying, working another job or taking care of a family can be a challenge. Know what is required of you in your separate roles and use an online time/project management system to plan your time. Keeping your affairs in order from the start will prevent you getting in a muddle later.

Don’t be afraid to step back once in a while and take time out. Do something that you enjoy to relax and remind yourself that you’re not competing against anyone but yourself. Do whatever you can do today, and be proud of yourself and your achievements.

What did you dream about doing when you were little? What’s your business idea? What steps can you take to make it a reality?