In this short training, Ellen Violette, explains how the gift of creativity can work against you when running a business and what creative visionaries and changemakers need to do so they can continue to be creative, stay motivated, and engaged while running a business so that they don’t burn out or quit.

Resources Mentioned

Books Open Doors Questionnaire
support@booksopendoors.com

3 Key Points

Creativity thrives on new challenges while business demands many repetitive tasks that are antithetical to creativity.

If you get in a rut ask yourself “What would I do if I didn’t do this? And “Do I want to do something else?”
and then if you still want to do it, create a list of tasks in your business and decide which you enjoy and figure out how to get rid of the rest.

Shift your focus if you are in a rut and/or feeling burned out or change your business model if you still want to do be in your business.

Transcript

Hi I’m Ellen Violette and I want to welcome you to Training #8.

:08 I want to start by asking you a question. Have you ever see the movie Ground Hog’s Day?

In it, Bill Murray, on awakening the day after Ground Hog’s Day, discovers it’s Ground Hogs Day again and again and again, and he’s in a rut. This is something I know a lot about and it led me to come to the realization that  Being creative is a gift, but it can also be a curse when you own a business.

:38 Because if you’re creative, you thrive on creativity, new challenges, new adventures,  new information and that can be a disaster for your business if you don’t understand the dichotomy between creativity and business, and how to use creativity the right way in your business.

:56 It’s great to come up with new ideas for books, product, programs, and services, and also new titles and names for your offerings.

[1:06] And actually, that’s one of the reasons I love being an author, because every book is new; every book is different, so it keeps me interested and engaged and I love that because it fulfills me while I’m also providing value for my community.

[1:23] And learning new ways to market can be fun too  once you get the hang of it! Plus, being creative in these areas will help separate your from others in your niche and attract the right people to you.

1: 36 But running a business is a different matter, So, it takes consistency. And it also takes doing the same tasks over and over. And sometimes, it can really be a grind.

[1:50] And when that happens it’s easy to want to escape into social media, shiny objects and other distractions and abandon projects when the grind starts to set in and you just don’t want to do it anymore and I know cause I’ve been there. But, in the long run, that’s not going to work in your business. There are just certain tasks that have to be done.

[2:10] So, what do you do?

The first thing is that you have to identify what your passions are. So if you don’t love what you’re doing, it’s going to be extremely difficult to sustain over time. But you can’t just have passion. You also have to love what you do on a daily basis, and the lifestyle you’re creating, and the business model you’re using to get there.

[2:34] And a lot of authors don’t necessarily. But the truth is that you can have passion for what you do and hate the way you’re doing it when it becomes a rut. And so, what you have to do when you feel like you’re in a rut is ask yourself, “What would I do if I didn’t do this? Or, “Do I want to do something else?” And if the answer is that you’d rather be doing something else, I say go do that something else.

[3:00]  But, if your answer is, “There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing” then you have to  ask yourself, “How can I change the way I’m doing this?” And that’s the first step.

[3:10] The next step is to make a list of all  tasks you do in your business and figure out which ones you want to continue to do and which ones you hate and don’t want to do, and then the ones you don’t need to do, especially if you find that you are being squeezed for time that’s taking you away from the things you do that you love to do.

[3:27] Another tactic is to change what you are focusing on in your business. For instance, when I started out, I was teaching my 3 Days to eBook Cash Workshop exclusively. I taught it consistently two to three times a year for eleven years so thirty times. But I also started doing #1 bestseller launches so they overlapped. So I did the workshop until 2015 and I started the launches in 2013.

But then I became well known for doing bestseller launches that that’s all I was doing and after a while and then that started feeling like a rut.

[4:04] So, I had to figure out how I could attract clients who wanted the whole package and how I could add packages and also MORE value. And I also learned more and better ways to monetize books after the launch, so I could have more variety in the work I do while continuing to serve my clients at a higher level and make them more money.

[4:24] So, you need to change what you are doing on a daily basis, or maybe you need to have a different business model, or expand your business model (like I did) or have different courses, or maybe you want to speak more. Whatever it is, I really want to encourage you to do it!

[4:40] And know that you may have to change direction and not once, but multiple times over the lifetime of your business because as a creative, you’ve got to keep yourself interested, and  motivated and moving forward, while as a business owner, you’ve got to stay consistent in your lead generation, your sales, and the delivery of your products, programs and services.

[5:05] And it’s always a delicate balance between creativity and business. Now, of course, the best scenario is to outsource as much as you can, and automate as much as you can, get everything off of your plate that you don’t want to do.

[5:18] But regardless of how you decide to do it, you need to find ways to keep yourself motivated, loving your business, and enjoying your life!

[5:29]. So, that’s really what I wanted to say today.

[5:33] Before we go, I’d like to share with you how  you can learn more how we can work together to get you more clients , make a bigger impact, open doors to more opportunities  and make more money.

[5:45] And, to  take the next step, I’d like to invite you to send an email to support@booksopendoors.com and we’ll send you my Books Open Doors Questionnaire  to fill out to see if we’re a good fit, and if we are, then we’ll get on a call, so I can learn more about your business and challenges, and share the best strategies that will work for your particular situation, and share how we can work together if it makes sense.

So, I’ve been doing this since 2004. I have a lot of experience combining being an author and a business owner, creating programs, and joint venturing and if that’s something you’d like to do, then I look forward to speaking with you.

[6:27] So, that’s it for today.

Till next time, Bye-Bye