30 Day Blogging Bootcamp – Now Available!

Blogging is a great way to grow your reach and engagement with your target audience. It’s also fun and easy to do and frankly, it can be quite profitable if you do it right. I invite you to join me for 30 days, inside the TVS Workshop for my Blogging Bootcamp. I’ll have a fresh new post for you each day that will help you accomplish two things:

1. Give You Plenty of Ideas for New Content to Help You Become a More Consistent Blogger

My first goal with this challenge is to give you plenty of ideas for things to blog about. Sometimes it is hard to come up with something fresh and unique to write about. So, when you’re stuck with writer’s block or just feeling a little uninspired, look no further than these quick and easy content posts.

Use them right away, or file them away for those days when you’re struggling to post consistently.

2. Tips, Strategies, and How-To Info to Help You Become a Better Blogger

My second goal is to help you and challenge you to become a better blogger. We all have things we can improve and strive to do better. Every other day I’ll have a new tip, idea, or strategy for you. Try them as we work through the Bootcamp and start incorporating as many of them as possible in your blogging.

The reward will be more engagement, more traffic, and more subscribers and hopefully, at the end of the day, more cash in your pocket – results will vary of course, but I promise to share my best stuff with you.

30 Day Blogging Bootcamp

How This Will Work

Once you sign up, each day for the next 30 days I will send you an email and share either a content or strategy tip with you. If you haven’t already, become a member of New Entrepreneurs Workshop in to find inspiration and discuss each day’s content with others that have signed up.

So don’t wait and start building your blog and your confidence online. Learn how to provide consistency, easily keep your commitment and find clarity.

I think you’ll love getting into the habit of blogging consistently and you’ll be amazed at how much your audience and your traffic will grow in those 30 days.

As an added bonus – be sure to bookmark 52 Blog Ideas for your business, to help you with some great content ideas for your blog!

Blog consistently with confidence by signing up for the bootcamp.

Stop Compromising Your Happiness

Stop Compromising Your Happiness
Did you know you could be compromising your own happiness without even realizing it?
If you constantly find yourself feeling unhappy and dissatisfied with your life, it’s worth looking within yourself.

Discover 4 things that could be compromising your happiness right now.

That Inner Critic

We all have an inner critic and sometimes it can be pretty hard to ignore. It’s constantly there judging you and making you doubt your own abilities.

It’s true, we’re often our own worst enemies and listening to your inner critic is only going to crush your happiness. So, how can you stop yourself from listening to this negative inner voice?

When you notice that inner voice telling you negative things, contradict it. Think something positive to counteract that negative thought or judgment. Replacing negativity with positivity will help you to start fighting back against your inner critic.

Playing it Safe

Do you avoid taking new opportunities out of fear? Playing it safe may feel like the best course of action, but it could be really jeopardizing your happiness.

It’s often the fear of failure which stops us from going after the things we want. However, if you start seeing failure as a positive learning experience, you’ll start taking more opportunities. You’ll never know what you can achieve if you don’t even try.

So, stop playing it safe. Take those opportunities. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Focusing on the Past or Future

While it’s normal and healthy to look back in the past or towards the future, it’s important not to lose sight of the present. The trouble is, if you’re too focused on the past or the future, you’re not going to be able to enjoy right now.

The past cannot be changed, and the future cannot be controlled. However, right now at this very moment, you can choose to be happy. So, stop beating yourself up over the past and stop worrying about what’s to come. Live in the moment and see just how much happier you feel.

Over-Dramatizing Things

In life, things do go wrong. It’s impossible to be happy 100% of the time. However, some of us have a habit of over-dramatizing the negative experiences in our life.

Do you find that when the smallest things don’t go your way, you think to yourself “that’s it, everything is falling apart”? Blow the littlest things out of proportion and convince yourself it’s worse than it really is. It’s a big drain on your happiness and all you’re doing is worrying too much over nothing. (I’ve been there, and live every day making the conscious decision to keep the over-dramatization of things under control.)

These are just 4 things that could be compromising your happiness. What you need to remember is that you control your happiness. So, make the decision to stop making these mistakes and learn to let things go if you truly want to be happier.

Have some more tips on how to not compromise happiness? Join us inside the Studio Workshop Facebook Group and please share! We’d love to hear from you!

Stop Compromising Your Happiness

For more great articles and resources – check out my resource page!

Do you have a Vision Board?

Do you have a Vision Board

Do you have specific goals? If so, do you have a Vision Board?
If not, think about what you want simply by asking yourself some questions:

• Where do you want to be with your business in the next year? In 5 years? In 10 years?
• How much money do you want to make in these same time frames?
• Do you want to hire employees or a virtual team?
• What services or products do you want to offer your clients?
• Where do you want to live?
• What’s on that bucket list?

One friend of mine who is in sales told me he likes to have two vacations booked a year with his family because he needs something fun to look forward to and the single summer vacation wasn’t enough anymore. Another friend in direct sales recently told me that she stopped dreaming big a long time ago because she got depressed when she couldn’t make those dreams a reality. Now she’s found great success with her company and has started dreaming big again.

I’ve also seen some gurus online say they are motivated to earn more because then they are able to give more to their favourite charities and causes that are close to their hearts. Again, there are no wrong answers when defining your goals. It’s more important to have them defined so you know when you reach those goals so you can find something new to achieve.

Create a Vision Board for Daily Motivation

Jack Canfield, the New York Times Bestselling Author of the “Chicken Soup For The Soul” book series, is a big believer in the power of vision boards.

Canfield said “Creating a vision board is probably one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you.” The Law of Attraction is a powerful thing. Our thoughts can lead to amazing things.

Simply put, the Law of Attraction is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. The Law of Attraction which uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materialize them into reality. In basic terms, all thoughts turn into things eventually. If you focus on negative doom and gloom you will remain under that cloud. If you focus on positive thoughts and have goals that you aim to achieve you will find a way to achieve them with massive action.

This is why the universe is such an infinitely beautiful place!

I adore creating vision boards because they are visual reminders of what you want to achieve. They also serve as a daily reminder of what makes you happy and they are meant to give you motivation when you just don’t feel like working that day.

Take those answers to the goals questions above and find visual representation for each one. In today’s digital age, most of us use Pinterest and create a vision board there. Some still love to use photos and magazine images onto poster board or even to paste images into a Word document. Do what works for you – what will motivate you. What you will see every single day.

When creating your board, take notice of photos that catch your eye, even if it doesn’t specifically answer a goal question. There’s something that attracted your subconscious to the photo so it’s worth posting on your vision board. Post your vision board prominently in your office or as your computer wallpaper so you can see it every day. And remember that action is mandatory in order to reach those goals.

[Tweet ““Creating a vision board is probably one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you.” Jack Canfield”]

P.S. It is also a great idea to check out this blog post about goal setting and happiness!

https://www.thevirtualstudio.ca/how-goal-setting-can-help-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness/

Do you have a Vision Board

Do you have a Captivating Vision Board

How Your Circle Affects Your Happiness

Did you know your circle of friends can play a powerful role in your happiness? I like to say we are a reflection of who we surround ourselves with. So, if you’re looking to live a positive, happy life, you’ll want to surround yourself with positive people.

Our Friends Influence Us More than We Realize

Studies have shown that our friends can influence us more than our family. This controversial finding shows just how important friendship can be. However, how they influence you will depend on what type of friends you have.

If, for example, you find that your circle of friends leaves you feeling stressed or like you’re not good enough, you may need to change them! Negative friendships can be really damaging to your health and happiness. Positive friendships, on the other hand, can motivate you, make you happier and even potentially help you live longer according to some studies. Living longer with great friends equals more girl talk and wine – who doesn’t want that?

The Benefits of Spending Time with Like-Minded Friends

When you spend time with like-minded people, it can have numerous benefits on your health and wellbeing.

They can make you happier than money can, truly. This means, even if you struggle financially, you’ll have your friends to help pick you up. Which is great for your mental health in the long term. Spending time with positive friends helps to ease anxiety and reduce depression.

They will even help you to improve yourself as a person. Positive friends build you up and give you the motivation to become a better person.

Is it Time to Change Your Circle?

Easier said than done, I know, but now you know how your friendships can impact your happiness. Could it be time to change your circle? If you find yourself feeling drained, stressed or unhappy after spending time with your friends then the answer is definitely yes.

You need to surround yourself with positive, happy friends. You should never feel guilty for cutting people out of your life who don’t make you happy. You only get one life to live, so why waste it with friends who make you unhappy? There are so many ways to meet new friends these days – so start by searching for those who share the same interests.

Overall, your circle of friends definitely does have an impact on your happiness. So, if yours aren’t helping you to be a happier, more confident person, now’s the time to find those who will.

Join us in our Facebook group, The Virtual Studio Workshop, and introduce yourself! Meet new, like-minded women, create new friendships and surround yourself with positivity and support!

How Your Circle Affects Your Happiness

Inspiring Greatness: Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez – Another amazing woman changing our world I am excited to add to the Inspiring Greatness: Women who are changing the world! collection.

Selena Gomez is the first person to reach 100 million followers on Instagram! She was the most followed Instagram user in the WORLD, until October 2018.

Below read a snippet on how she speaks on strength and vulnerability in Time Magazine’s FIRSTS Women Who Are Changing The World.

I think it’s really hard to be a kid now, especially with social media. I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up with that. It’s already difficult to get up every day and just feel good about yourself without seeing the highlights of everyone else’s life. That’s why I like being vulnerable with my fans on social media. I like that they’ve seen my mistakes. I try to use that as a way to connect with them. That’s all I can do. I hope that they know that strength doesn’t mean that you have to put on a facade. Strength is being vulnerable.

Selena Gomez, American singer, actress, and producer.

Just because I love her music – take a listen to one of my favourite Selena songs: Bad Liar

Tell me, who inspires you? Share below in the comment section or join the conversation in the TVS Workshop Facebook group.

Selena GomezSelena Gomez

Questions to Ask Before Launching Your Business

Questions to Ask Before Launching Your Business
If you have decided to launch a business, you have made a very courageous choice. There are many things you need to know before launching a new business. There is inventory to take into consideration, initial start-up cost and upkeep, hiring employees, sales, marketing…the list goes on extensively.

But first-things-first; answer these three critical questions before jumping in.

Are you doing this for the right reasons?

Sometimes an individual or a group of individuals will launch a business because they think it is expected of them or because it is a family tradition to do so. Other reasons are merely for monetary benefits. With high hopes and goals of only making tons of money, sometimes a new entrepreneur may lose sight of his or her customer.

Once you examine your motives behind starting up, go on to the next important question. Once you know what type of business you want to begin, ask yourself who your target audience is. Knowing that you want to create a business and knowing what that business is will simply not be enough. You need to know who your target audience is and who your ideal customer is.

Honing in on a target audience is something that you can delve into even deeper by creating a specific niche and then going on to create a sub-niche. In this manner, you will be certain that you have focused on a specific need for an even more specific customer.

Have you thoroughly researched your action plan?

Setting goals and measuring them is essential when launching a new business. Put a plan into motion, but allow yourself the flexibility to expand on that original plan. Ask yourself if your business plan is too narrow-minded or if it will achieve the desired outcome you seek and go beyond even that.

Make sure you research if there is enough demand for the product or service you are offering or if you will be just another company offering the same old thing. Ask yourself if you can put a new innovative twist onto something tried and true.

Do you have the time? If not, will you make time?

Ask yourself how much time you are willing to dedicate to this business. What if this business is something that you will find success with right away? Are you willing and able to put the time and trouble in if it does become successful right away?

Also, think about whether or not this is a part-time business or a full-time endeavour. Do you have enough funds to last for six months to a year until your business becomes steady enough to stand on its own two feet?

Once you can answer these critical questions, you can be well on your way to having a successful business endeavour.

Get started on your business with these free resources from inside The Virtual Studio.

Be sure to join us inside the TVS Workshop and share your expertise!

Questions to Ask Before Launching Your Business

Inspiring Greatness: Cindy Sherman.

Cindy Sherman is the first woman to break $1 million in a photography sale. She studied painting before she became a photographer and is known for her conceptual and chameleon-like self-portraits.

Below read a snippet on how she speaks on her budding career as a female artist in Time Magazine’s FIRSTS Women Who Are Changing The World.

I never felt pigeonholed as a child in terms of my potential. But I did feel that I’d probably be expected to settle down and get married and have kids at some point. I definitely remember from all the old movies and TV shows from the time, like The Donna Reed Show and Leave It to Beaver, all these women that were portrayed as these perfect moms. I never really saw myself as that. I never imagined myself getting married, I never imagined myself in a bridal gown, and I really never imagined myself having kids – and I never did.

In an issue of LIFE magazine, I saw Lynda Benglis as a young artist throwing paint on her floor. I don’t know how old she was then. I was probably in high school, but it was the first time it dawned on me that a woman could be an artist.

When my career got started in the ’70s, I did feel like I was being taken seriously. I didn’t really notice any kind of difference between men and women artists until I would say the early ’80s, when specific men started to become very successful. Even though I was critically successful, it was definitely a big distinction between what their work sold for and what my work sold for.

As I evolved in the ’70s, I think I took for granted what the first wave of feminist artists had to go through. I never felt like an activist because I didn’t experience that kind of fighting., It’s not like I would say I’m not a feminist, I just couldn’t quite identify with those women. Of course we’re all feminists, right? We all want women to be seen as equals. I am shy and not a person who can debate and take on critical political talk. But at the same issues definitely piss me off and show up in my work, and I definitely have always used my work as a forum to address a lot of things that I can’t say, that I can’t articulate.

Cindy Sherman, American photographer and film director.

Tell me, who inspires you? Share below in the comment section or join the conversation in the Facebook group.

9 Principles for Successful Women

No List? No Problem! How to Build an Audience with Paid Ads

We’ve been told (and told and told) for years that “the money is in the list” and that “your mailing list is your biggest business asset.” But if your list numbers are hovering in the low four-figures—or fewer—with no sign of growth on the horizon, such advice can seem a bit unhelpful.

The fact is, building a list is a catch 22: You can’t get signups without traffic and it’s difficult to find traffic when you have no list. What’s a busy entrepreneur to do?

Paid Ads Make List-Building Easy

By strategically placing ads in front of your target audience, you can drive tons of traffic to your opt-in offers and enjoy conversion rates of two or three percent or more. Even better, with some tweaking and split testing of your offers, you can carefully refine your ads and copy so that you’re attracting your exact ideal client and filling your list with buyers who are ready to take action, rather than freebie seekers.

All you need to run paid ads to your opt-in pages is:

A compelling offer, such as a video training series or live webinar
Copy to grab the attention of your target audience

Best Ad Placements

Once you have your components in place, the only question remaining is where to run your ads. You have dozens of choices, from Twitter to Google to YouTube to solo email spots.

The key is to first determine where your market is most likely to be hanging out. If they’re on LinkedIn, then running ads on Twitter will be a waste of time. Keep in mind the cost as well. Ads on Facebook are generally less expensive and less competitive than a Google Adwords placement.

Start Small, Then Refine

Once you’ve decided where to place your ads, it’s time to set your budget and begin running a small set of ads. Consider setting a small daily budget, such as $10 or $20 at the beginning, so you can get a feel for how your ads will perform. Watch the traffic, track your conversions, and create split tests of your landing page and ad sets to determine which performs the best. You can also refine the audience you’re targeting based on the stats you receive. For example, if you find that men between the ages of 20 and 30 are clicking but not opting in, you might want to remove them from your audience.

At least at first, it’s best to avoid running ads for paid products. Conversions for a free offer will far outshine those to a paid product—especially if your program is expensive. After all, those who are clicking on an ad most likely do not know you at all, so it takes a much bigger leap of faith to offer up a credit card number than it will to provide an email address.

Ad Copy Blunders to Avoid

Have you ever clicked on an ad because you saw an adorable pair of sandals that you just had to have, only to land on a page full of sneakers, with not a sandal in sight? It’s frustrating, to say the least, and that kind of ad to landing page mismatch will kill your conversions.

Your ad copy is making a promise to the reader. If your landing page doesn’t fulfill that promise, your readers will click away, and you’ll have wasted the money you spent to get them there. Before running any ads, be sure your ad headline, image, and copy all match the message on the landing page.

Paid advertising was once a tool used only by big companies or marketers with a lot of money to spare, but today they’re more cost-effective than ever, and the technology makes them easy to create and monitor. If you haven’t yet tried your hand at this useful traffic generation method, it’s time to do some experimenting. You might just find your list numbers—and sales—growing.

“You are responsible for your life.” Oprah Winfrey – TRANSFERED

Have you ever thought that you just lived the same year twice? Noticing that you are in the same place today as you were last year or the year before? You are responsible for your life
I have, I had repeated the same problems, my challenges hadn’t changed, my thought process was the same. Total deja-vu, everything was-the-same… I had been working like crazy, putting in a crazy amount of hours but nothing was different than it was the year before. There was no growth and nothing had improved.

When I realized this, in that pivotal moment, I realized that it wasn’t that I was not working hard enough but because I had not been taking 100% responsibility for my life.

It’s a powerful lesson that Oprah says she learned at an early age. If you want to move forward in life, only you can make it happen by taking responsibility. Watch below as Oprah shares her story.

[Tweet “”Only you have the power to take the responsibility to move your life forward. The sooner you get that, the sooner your life gets into gear.” Oprah Winfrey”]

TVS has launched the Inspired Action Mastermind!

A premium mastermind for mission-driven, service-based women entrepreneurs who are ready and willing to put in the work it takes to reach the next level!

Inside the Inspired Action Mastermind, we are an intimate group of entrepreneurs, all of which are committed to the success of one another’s businesses. It is a mastermind that provides the support and guidance you need to help you move your business forward. Because, when you’re in the right mastermind group, you can start to see your business and yourself through someone else’s eyes as you support one another and leverage each other’s experiences.

If you are ready and willing to shift your mindset and tackle all the hard questions to accomplish your dreams, then join us.

Learn about the Inspired Action Mastermind

You are responsible for your life