This one is for my superstars who value creativity.

Here in Stella’s Laboratory, we’ve long suspected that creativity gets lauded in the “gifted and talented” way, when sometimes the experience of being creative feels more like Special Ed.

Especially in business.

Because as a creative person, you not only need to keep your eyes on the regular stuff—time management, goals, attracting clients, avoiding burnout—you are also developmentally unlike Regular People.

You need to fuel your creative engine and do weird things to keep it from gumming up and seizing on you.

Not only that. There’s added peril for the creative … Read the rest >

If this is you, it may be helpful to start this conversation here: “That’s Not Writer’s Block”

In a nutshell, here’s why it’s worth figuring out how to get your newsletter out weekly:

1. You create the impression of having your act together
2. You build rapport and connection with your tribe
3. You create a platform to promote your latest program or product
4. You hone your “message” and find what’s juicy to you and exciting to your readers (read: testing ground and market research)

From there, you need a writing habit.

Option #1 – Your weekly article writing date
My preferred … Read the rest >

From the “How It Works in Real Life” Dept. —

I pull back the curtain on what it really takes to go from one-on-one work to a more “leveraged” business model. (“Leverage” = you step out of “trading dollars for hours” and start offering your services to groups, so you make more per hour for the same amount of work… and you work with people who don’t live in the same town as you!).

For the purposes of this article, let’s imagine you want to move from working with clients one-on-one, to rolling out a 4- or 5-week … Read the rest >

Alright, chickadees.

This one is about telling yourself the truth.

I have been speaking with many business owners across the country (and a few of you overseas!). And when I ask them “what’s your biggest challenge around writing and online marketing in your business?”… there’s one answer that’s coming up most often:

Writer’s Block.

And I’m calling bull honkey. Because here’s the thing: Writer’s Block isn’t a “thing”. It’s a state. And it is a state caused by any number of reasons. And when writing is part of the way you promote your business, you have a vested interest in … Read the rest >

Dear up-and-coming biz owner,

It’s back to basics time, dearface.

There’s another myth out there that’s on the rise, and your friendly neighborhood wordsmith is here to bust it.

Your house mailing list is your meal ticket.

But the problem is, if you are going from a “one-to-one” business model and working on leveraging it so you can offer successful group programs, chances are your list alone isn’t going to fill it for you.

Especially if you:

- don’t send your newsletter weekly
- don’t know how to ask for business in your writing
- don’t have a habit of … Read the rest >