AKA How we know we're on the right path (especially when we're stuck)

The proverbial 'cheat sheet' for your consideration...

• Our clients speak in glowing terms about our work
• Our team speaks in glowing terms about being on our team. Our families speak in glowing terms about our work on the team.
• Successful small businesses are continually launched and grow as a result of their association with us.
• We actively attract new business through word of mouth by people whose values we align with.
• We deliver fresh ways of looking at traditional concepts regularly through written and spoken content.
• We test, systemetize and replicate our business processes which allows us to continue to be creative and pursue new things.
• We add value to everything we do, remove friction in businesses and relationships wherever possible and laugh every day.
• The team and the business are financially free and work because we want to, not because we have to.

Got comments or questions about this? Please post here at the blog.

Summer has brought with it an abundance of everything it seems, and accordingly my recent posts are extra full of delicious goodness, and the theme is 'BIG' ideas....

I suppose it's apropos that this feels like a veritable fireworks explosion - colorful and meaningful - because Mike and I have been celebrating something of our own this week. It's our 13-year wedding anniversary; my goodness how time flies when you're having fun!

Hopefully you'll find something useful, doable and enjoyable here...even better if you're inspired to seek out your next big project.

Thanks Mike, for the joy of being your wife, best friend and #1 fan. Here's to the next 13.

P.S. Thank you too, to all of you who wrote about my collaboration with Dave Buck. [Audio interview here]I hear you loud and clear: you want to know more about what happened after Thomas passed away and what led to the current detente.

Accordingly, will do, in an appropriately healing and forward-moving way for all of us, I hope. Do stay tuned... I'm busily chipping away at several new projects/ideas for the fall, and will have announcements forthcoming.

Coaching Tool of the Month #2

Website Grader is a free seo tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website. You plug in your URL and it gives you an analysis of how well your site is setup from an SEO and marketing perspective.
I really like what they cover in their report - along with ‘traditional’ SEO stuff such as meta tags, incoming links and such they also take a look at blogging, social bookmarking and conversion elements too.

With this information you can make some quick/simple changes (ie: add keywords to your meta tags if need be) while others may require some more work... but regardless this tool does give you a simple roadmap to use to improve your site for SEO.

If your score isn't as high as you would like it to be you are in good company, as per these stats from a report they have posted from October 2007 that says:

This report shows the SEO capabilities of the Top 20 Bloggers (from Technorati). Some interesting findings include that out of the top 20 bloggers, 40% are missing a 301 redirect, 65% are missing description metadata, and 80% are missing keywords metadata.

Put your website to the test and post to the blog to let me know your score!

(1) Leadership on the 'Edge' and (2) [No more] Hating Presentations

Speaking of superb big ideas, at long last...Bea Fields' much-anticipated new book, EDGE! A Leadership Story, is out. Bea is one of those very special individuals worth paying attention to, in my opinion.

Using a provocative approach, the book delivers a powerful message about authenticity, courage and human development through the engaging story of a modern day leader, Mitchell James, his team and his executive coach, Kate Nelson.

Those of you working in corporations AND interested in innovative ways to convey an intellectual message in an emotionally impactful way, click the cover to the right and have a look at the book more closely.

Or, click here to view the punchy video Bea's team has created in celebration of the book launch:

Congratulations to Bea for another great addition to the coaching compendium of tools.

Presentations continue to BIG problem for people in the workplace today. Translation: this comes up in coaching with clients quite a bit. Are you ready? For that matter, do YOU still dislike the making of a presentation?

I Hate Presentations is a new book by James Caplin that takes a radical approach to presentations. It makes preparing and doing them easy. The method in the book is easy to coach – your clients will love this!

Special Offer from Author James: From now until Wednesday August 13, 2008, purchase the book from Amazon by clicking the link above or the cover at right, and follow up by sending James an email with 'BOOK OFFER' in the subject line along with your purchase receipt.

Every 'Creating What Matters' reader that does this by Wednesday will be empowered by James to use a set of handouts on this topic to run your own workshops. This is a serious offer of the handouts James himself has used to earn thousands of dollars in his corporate workshops.

Want his email address so you can get your mitts on these? Thanks for the reminder. Here 'tis: james@jamescaplin.com. Thanks James...and congrats!

**TIMELY** Ideas, Ideas, Everywhere!

A Single Great Idea Can Earn You Literally Tens or Even Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars … But How Do You Figure Out Which Idea That Is?

Alas and alack, fall is soon approaching us here in the North American continent, and with it comes planning time for what we the conscious business owner will do next. If you've been resting and percolating some over the summer, DOUBTLESS you have a plethora of ideas now floating in your mindsphere.

If you're anything at all like Thomas Leonard, you may resonate with his poignant statement:

"Ideas find me with such velocity that I am rendered helpless."

The 'Discover and Create Your Killer Idea' program is just the thing for this type of creative genius. Before embarking on the investment of time, effort and heart, take advantage of this chance to work with Janet Goldstein, a high-level publishing and strategy consultant who has held positions as an editorial executive at, count them, THREE of the largest US publishers, and Suzanne Falter Barns, author of two bestselling self-help books and the mastermind behind dozens of successful other projects through her clients.

Both of these dynamic women have a track record of helping develop hits, as you'll see when you visit the site here: http://www.getknownnow.com/killeridea.html

For more audio delight as you consider if this may be for you, here is a 50 minute recording of Janet and Suzanne.

If it weren't for the fact that I've already personally paid to spend extended time with Janet, and am lucky enough to call Suzanne a friend, you can bet I'd be on this class, so I hope you take advantage.

***TIMELY*** The program begins soon, so take just a moment to visit now if you are pulled - note that there are two affordable options to join at the bottom. Just head for the big burgundy buttons:
http://www.getknownnow.com/killeridea.html

**TIMELY** Have you or one of your clients experienced a significant and measurable life transformation? [Note: Deadline is Monday]

Tipped off by Ben Dean of MentorCoach.com, I've learned that Charles Duhigg, an award-winning reporter with the New York Times is looking for interviews for a major project on the topic of transformation.

Have you changed your life deeply, either personally or professionally or both?

Perhaps you've transformed your career or found success after struggling for many years. Many the transformation in your life is more in the order of a lifestyle change.

Or, maybe the above points have brought to mind clients, friends or family for whom these are true.

Whatever the case may be, I strongly encourage you to visit the below link to find more details including a short audio link with the journalist himself, and submit your story if appropriate.

In the words of MentorCoach.com's Head Coach:

"What Charles is is doing here is an upbeat, positive reporting project designed, he hopes, to illuminate the change process. His work on this project could conceivably be published in the NYT in a series, and /or the NYT Sunday Magazine, on the website, and quite possibly as a book."

Intrigued? Click here for detailed instructions on how to become part of the project.
http://mentorcoach.com/duhigg/ <-----The deadline is August 10, so don't delay!

Coaching Tool of the Month

Though hacking is a word mostly used in the programming world, life hacking is a term that now refers to almost anything that solves an everyday problem in a clever or non-obvious way. As I chatted with Marc Sachnoff of SoundWiseOnline recently (SoundWise itself is an example of a great life hack), I realized there hasn't been enough talk about this not-so-little subculture and how it might apply within the coaching world.

What I enjoy most is how playful and curious life hackers are towards life and how to improve it. I've also found the lexicon of how to hack your life a very useful metaphor for coaching clients who are overwhelmed, or live in the duality of 'I can't have it all.'

So in addition to inviting you to learn more about it, here's a favorite actual hack that I personally use, particularly in highly creative seasons like the one I'm in. (Four new funnels of products and services to launch - say no more.) This simple online tool that supports the creation of new habits is called 'Don't Break the Chain' and was inspired by something Jerry Seinfeld said. Here is the short version of how it works:

1. Pick a goal. For example, 'Write every day.' 'Meditate for 5 minutes first thing in the morning.' Or 'Be sure to leave work no later than 30 minutes past 5pm.'
2. Mark off the days on which you achieved the goal.
3. Don't break the chain. Use the increasingly long chain of marked off days as a motivator to continue creating your new habit.

Go here to try it for yourself. Be forewarned that the software does have a cheeky tone - it (kindly) berates you when you haven't met your goal. "You've dropped the ball for 2 straight days." :-)

As no-fee tools go, I highly recommend it. Set it up as your home page, install it on your blog for added public accountability or even use the tool in a group e-learning environment for multiple participants. Who knows, you might start a chain that encourages you to try a new life hack every day for the next 2 weeks! Enjoy.

I am very happy to be able to participate in Linda Dessau’s blog book tour for the launch of her book, The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write: Look Smarter, Write Faster and Get Better Results from Your Writing.

I wanted to share with my readers the conversation I had with Linda to find out more about the book and her gift for writing.

Linda, how did you get started in the writing business yourself?

I was doing a lot of writing to promote my own coaching business. With the help of my brilliant coach (Wink! I was working with Andrea at the time), I came to realize that: (a) I was enjoying the writing more than the coaching, (b) I was really good at the writing and (c) there were other coaches who weren't good at writing, who could use my help.

Was there a particular struggle or obstacle you had to overcome in order to embrace writing as a stream of revenue for you? What was it that made you take the plunge?

Absolutely, I resisted it, kicking and screaming all the way! I didn't want to be a writer (even though that was actually a childhood dream of mine); I wanted to be a coach. I had to open my mind and be willing to try something new and trust someone who knew better than me and could see a bigger picture than I was seeing.

Does the income potential for a coach really increase when they finally embrace their inner writer? Can you give some examples of earning potential from your clients or yourself?

I'm one of my own best success stories, having built my ghostwriting and editing business to the point of having a waiting list. Plus, my earnings have more than tripled. And I've achieved that almost 100% through online marketing (which is, essentially, writing). While I think of my core marketing activity as relationship building, my business relationships all start, grow and deepen through writing; writing my website copy, writing articles, reports, books and e-books, and corresponding with clients, prospective clients and colleagues.

I love your quote, Andrea, "a confused mind always says no." Coaches cannot earn if they're confusing their readers, because their readers won't say yes to their offer, whether that's to purchase a product or service or simply to opt-in to a mailing list.

What is your opinion when it comes to speed and writing? I'm a believer of focusing on completion not perfection, but there is always the other side of the coin. Your comments?

Great question! Sandra De Freitas and I actually discussed this on our From Ideas to Income tele-class series last year, because we'd both heard you share about that. I make a conscious effort to let go of perfectionism when it shows up for me, and I wouldn't want anyone to think their writing needs to be perfect before it goes out into the world to do its work. But I also see how writing mistakes can have a detrimental impact on a coach's credibility. I want coaches to realize that their writing is making an impression – and they get to choose what kind of impression that is.

Your Style Guide for Coaches is such a great example of writing on a topic that lends you authority and credibility. You could have written any book on the topic of writing, what was the process you went through to decide on a style guide and what are the benefits you foresee as a result of your choice? What can other coaches learn about the possibility that they follow your footsteps and become the leading authority on a topic within their field of expertise?

My decision was a sneaky one, Andrea. My underlying motive was to get coaches writing, because the more coaches are writing, the more editing I will get to do! Over the last three years of editing for coaches, I was noticing the same mistakes coming up over and over again, and some of them were things I had to continually look up myself, to make sure I was handling them consistently. For me, just having this book at my desk has already been a hugely helpful resource for doing my work. So if someone wanted to follow in my footsteps with this type of book, I would say to find a problem you feel passionate about solving, and then do the research. Don't feel you have to know everything about the topic before you start. I learned a LOT about writing while I was researching and writing this book. So start where you are, claim your expertise and grow your learning from there.

I hope you are enjoying Linda’s book blog tour.
If you missed yesterday destination…the blog tour stopped at Teresa Morrow’s blog at http://www.keybusinesspartners.com/for-coaches-who-write-blog-tour
And tomorrow, August 10th the tour will continue at Katherine Reschke’s blog at http://passionsthatpay.com

Either I've become much more likeable in the last 30 days or...we've moved to a home that everyone wants to visit, almost every weekend! I like to think it's a little of both...

Just a like a plant that gets a new pot, I feel refreshed and expansive, and I was glad to share the energy with my parents this past weekend. Here we are at the Kingfisher Resort indulging in a little seafood buffet.

If you haven't given yourself the gift of a repotting lately, could there be a better time than now? Sometimes it can be fearsome to 'not know' what you'd do if you were to think differently or bigger.

So if I can convey something to you it's this:

Whatever you do, you can't get it wrong. (with thanks to Abraham)