03 17

Why Not Wednesdays :: Try “failing”

Posted Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 09:52am | No comments

Here at Red Dress Studios, we are all about taking risks (so that you can build bodacious confidence muscles!). That is why every Wednesday I ask readers, “Why not?” do something daring, creative, and unconventional.

Ever Tried Ever Failed print by Etsy shop Limeyts

To quiet anxiety or trepidation you feel about the prospect of not being successful in a new challenge, intentionally try doing something small that is not your strong suit.

Expect to “fail.”

Welcome it.

Practice enjoying the process and releasing the outcome.

In the words of Daniel Pink:

Failing is OK. Not failing is not OK. If you don’t flop every so often, you’re not trying hard enough.

Share what you will be “failing” at this week in the comments.

03 15

Welcome to the 19th edition of Red Dress Conversations: Musings on Entrepreneurship, Feminism, and Inspired Living.

direct download (mp3) :: Cooktivism: Feeding Your Soul

You may subscribe to the podcast RSS feed via ITunes or another podcatcher - You’ll automatically get the latest podcast as soon as it becomes available. Red Dress Conversations is published bi-weekly on Mondays.

~~~

This week’s podcast is an interview with Nina Davidson and Jackie Cornell-Bechelli of Cooktivism.

Nina is an educator and has  taught English at community colleges in her area. She is now a New Bohemian and exploring other opportunities. She aspires to be a High school English teacher. She is passionate about education and literature as well as cooking. She is gluten free and almost vegan. She’s a self proclaimed dirty-hippie and has reclaimed the term “fat kid.” Nina is a cooktivist because she understands the power of food. Food can heal, nourish and, if you aren’t careful, it can destroy. She seeks to heal her body with food. She cooks because she can’t eat like “normal” people. Being diagnosed as gluten intolerant has completely changed the way she thinks about food. She now researches food because she can’t eat anything without knowing exactly what’s in it. Her recipes are all gluten-free. They are also laced with anecdotes about her personal life and her experience teaching. The personal is, after all, political. Nina can’t promise you will always agree with what she has to say, but she can guarantee her posts will make you think or just really, really hungry.

Jackie loves food. She loves cooking it, eating it, shopping for it, reading about it, growing it, watching people make it, talking about it.  Aside from great sex, there is nothing as pure and blissful as the first bite of something delicious.  She is not a trained chef and she is not elitist – Jackie has been known to enjoy everything from Jersey diner sandwiches to five-star culinary magic. But there is more to her and her love for food than trading cookie recipes and comparing pancake-flipping techniques.  The cycle of what we eat – from where it comes from to how it makes our bodies feel – is complex and tied directly to our personal experiences and society. Other loves outside the kitchen?  Her husband; Fun-A-Day project; crafting; Scrabble; progressive politics; reproductive rights; travelling.  She has nerdie-smarty pants-crushes on Melissa Harris Lacewell, Cornel West, and Gloria Anzaldua.  She has the (musical and Biblical) hots for Ani DiFranco and all the boys in Coldplay.

You can reach them on their blog or via email at cooktivism (at) gmail (dot) com.

~~~

Red Dress Challenge:

How can you re-connect to your food this week? Spend some time examining your food biography, and think about any changes you’d like to make to your current eating habits and patterns.

03 12

As promised, to celebrate the launch of Red Dress Studios, I’ve got something special for you.

I asked some of my favorite female entrepreneurs to respond to this question:

What advice would you give to women business owners that want to build their confidence muscles (and generally rock at what they do)?

I’ve created an e-book with their responses…complimentary, of course. You can get your hands on it by clicking on the link below (no email required).

(Of course, if you’d like to join my blog and newsletter subscribers, the sign-up boxes in the sidebar are just for you.)

Advice on Building Your Confidence Muscles, edited with lots of love by Ana Ottman of Red Dress Studios

Enjoy!

xo,
Ana

03 12

Advice on building your confidence muscles

Posted Friday, March 12, 2010 at 02:59pm | 3 comments

To celebrate the launch of Red Dress Studios, I asked some of my favorite female entrepreneurs to respond to this question:

What advice would you give to women business owners

that want to build their confidence muscles

(and generally rock at what they do)?

Here are their responses…

Christine Mason Miller with Swirly Girl :: I will give the advice that I am now following as I begin my own new venture – talk about your project, your dreams, and your visions.  You won’t believe how things will start to come together as you start letting people know what you are passionate about, what you want to create, what you are going to build.

Danielle LaPorte with White Hot Truth :: Tummy trembles. Brain fuzz. That discombobulating feeling that you’re not quite sure what you should be doing but you should be something to keep your act together. Think of it this way, beneath the butterflies in your stomach, behind the clouds in your mind … is your greater truth, and it’s trying to break on through. Whatever you want to call it, positive thinking, re-framing, self-encouragement, ra-ra-rah, this is where you need to step up to the plate, look at your fear head on and confront it with your truth. The truth being, that you manage to get through everyday whether with grace or grit; that fear will not kill you; that your God, or your friends, or your grandma in heaven will have your back; that you have risen above before, and that you will rise above again; that, it’s only life after all.

Denise Andrade with Boho Photography :: Within my own personal evolution as a professional photographer, what helped build my confidence muscles was discovering, nurturing and claiming my own voice in this industry.  This was a process for me and I allowed myself to be patient as it all unfolded in time.  I wanted to be unique and set myself apart from the millions of fine art photographers.  I found my niche, which was photographing artists, and I claimed that is what I was:  a Photographer of Artists.  It was then that I realized what I was doing was hearing and being guided by my own voice…and not the voice of the masses.  So, my advice would be to spend time figuring out what your own voice is and how yours is unique and what that could bring to setting you apart as a business owner.  If you are deeply connected to your work and believe in yourself, confidence happens organically.

Jennifer Hofmann with Inspired Home Office :: Deeply explore who you are and who you are becoming. Find ways to express your essence in your work. Instead of trying to do and be what everyone things you should, practice being yourself – authenticity is the most compelling marketing of all.

Jennifer Lee with Artizen Coaching :: While it may seem scary at first, you’ll actually build more confidence the more you try new things and put yourself out there. You’ll learn about what works and what doesn’t. Plus, you’ll experience what lights you and your perfect customers up. Knowing that you’re resonating with the right people in a way that is authentic and fun for you is a fabulous confidence booster.

Jess Gonacha Swift with Jess Gonacha Swift Designs :: I would encourage women business owners to not resist what they are afraid of but instead embrace the fear, let the fear be OK, and move forward anyway. It’s the resisting that keeps us in procrastination, but if we can say, “OK, so I’m afraid, and that’s OK. Even though I’m afraid, I’m going to act anyway,” it’s much more empowering, and we can move forward through the fear instead of being stifled by it. Also, it takes practice! I would also advise women entrepreneurs to understand that building confidence is a learning process and to not expect to be perfect right from the start. That’s a lot of pressure! Mistakes are ok, and that’s how we learn.

Jezzika Lee Perez with Intelligent Accounting :: Introduce yourself to and give your business card to 10 new people a day for 2 weeks!  You will be amazed at what you learn about yourself.

Kelly Parkinson with Copylicious :: I used to think “confidence” was just a feeling. It didn’t change the truth about whether I was good enough. Before I quit my job, I’d look for reasons my writing was terrible and none of this would ever work. I wanted to be “realistic.” For me, joining a success team helped SO much. It was having this group of people who believed in me. And then believing in them right back. I borrowed their confidence in me until I had enough of it myself.

Kelly Watson with One Woman Marketing :: I think the best way to build your confidence is to surround yourself with lots of supportive friends and colleagues. When I first started my business, I was a homebody who rarely ventured away from my computer. But in the past year I’ve been attending a lot more networking meetings, Tweet-ups and Meetup groups. I’ve not only met a bunch of cool creative types, but I’ve found new customers too. The most important part for me, though, has been getting other people’s insights into my own situation and being reminded that I’m not the only small business owner who runs into challenges — far from it!

Kimberly Wilson with Tranquil Space :: Read everything you can about the industry. Do informational interviews. Get involved in the community. Engage in social media. Dip your toes in slowly and explore what feels right to you. Push your edges, but hold your boundaries. Surround yourself with like-minded people.

Leah Piken Kolidas with Blue Tree Studios :: To build your confidence muscles, I recommend taking baby steps forward. Forward progress always helps me feel more confident. And making the steps small and manageable helps make it less scary. I also highly recommend having a support team. Having a small group of fellow women entrepreneurs to check-in with can be enormously helpful in building confidence. A group of like-minded women can help support you through the tough times, celebrate your successes, and hold you accountable through those baby steps.

Michelle Ward with When I Grow Up Coach :: Keep a Warm Fuzzies book – y’know, one that holds all the thank you notes that you’ve received, both online & off. Any time you get a compliment – & I mean any time – put it in your Warm Fuzzies book. When you’re feeling less than confident (hint: you find yourself berating yourself with, “What the frig was I thinking?” & “I stink up this place!”) get out your Warm Fuzzies book & read it with an open mind & heart. If there aren’t enough Warm Fuzzies (yet!) to float your boat, then write down what you offer your clients. What value do you add to their lives? Make a list, put that into your book & smoke it.

Pace and Kyeli with Freak Revolution :: Do something stupid.  (No, don’t go away, we’re serious here!) Completely switch businesses a few months after a big launch that you made a big hullaballoo over.  Create and launch a product and have it completely flop, with zero buyers.  Promise something in two weeks and deliver it in eight months.    Forget to claim $8,000 of income on your taxes.  Do the exact opposite of what every business or marketing expert tells you to do.  We’ve done EVERY SINGLE ONE of these things, and you know what?  Nothing bad happened.  Our business didn’t fail. Our people didn’t rise up against us with torches and pitchforks.  But we’ll tell you what did happen: we became a lot less afraid of making mistakes.  So do something stupid, and confidence will be your reward.

Sarah Bray with S. Joy Studios :: Teach what you know. Even if you don’t think you know much, you have a different set of knowledge and experience than anyone else. The more you teach and help others, the more you’ll discover how vast that knowledge is. And your confidence-biceps will grow so big, your arms will be bulging out of your t-shirts. :)

Ronna Detrick with Renegade Conversations :: Be brave and bold! All the doubts, the internal editing, the censor that sits on your shoulder need to be pushed to the side (or totally destroyed) so that you can hear the truest, deepest, most amazing voice inside of you. That voice will tell you what you most want, what you most desire, who you most profoundly are! When you hear that voice – and then act – you’ll be stunned at your own strength, your own creativity, your most powerful, renegade-self! Be her! You can’t go wrong!

Tara Joyce with Elastic Mind

Don’t take it all so seriously. It doesn’t have to happen today. Never take things personal. Don’t assume. Ask questions. Take time to do nothing.

Wendy McAllister with CRAVE DC :: ‘The mind is a powerful thing.’ My advice is to do some mental boot camp and train your mind to build your confidence muscles by doing affirmations, visualizations and positive self-talk consistently every day. It’s so important to believe in yourself and be confident in who you are. Think about a time or situation when you were at your most confident and recall that feeling when you need a boost in self-confidence. Think of it like personal training for your mind (not your body). Just work at it and over time you’ll make strides every day. Be mindful of your thoughts and words about and to yourself. Instead of beating yourself up, build yourself up with confidence boosters every day.

Wow. I don’t know about you, but I am totally inspired by this advice.

Do you have thoughts on building your confidence muscles? Be sure to leave your advice in the comments.

p.s. A special free download on this topic will be debuting later today. Stay tuned!

03 11

The value of getting help

Posted Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 03:00pm | No comments

Last week we talked about getting over yourself long enough to realize the abundance of wisdom the people in your life have to offer for your business. And you started to make a list. (If you’re new here, I highly suggest you start with the first post of the series before this one.)

So, you have this list of people in your life that you could ask for help. And you think that you might be ready to welcome their contribution to your business. But you’re still not sure how it will, well….help anything.

I’m all about encouraging you to take risks, however small, because it builds your confidence in your ability to care for your business. I want you to expand your boundaries and your sense of what is possible.

When you ask for help, you’re acknowledging that you don’t have to do everything (days off, anyone?).

You’re including the people around you in your life, which eases your isolation.

You’re saying to the Universe that you welcome outside influences, increasing the possibility that you will be blessed with unexpected gifts.

You feel open instead of closed. Closed means scarcity and desperation—both qualities that your clients can feel. Open means abundance and confidence—your clients can sense that too.

Since asking for help is a sign of strength, you have to be strong and sure of yourself to ask.

Remember that list of people you wrote down from last week? Step 2 is to make another column on your paper that says, “Ways to help.” For every person on your list, come up with at least one way they could contribute to your business. For some of the people on the list, there will be more than one contribution.

Think big. Keeping your business healthy and running-as-normal also requires that you are taking time off, unplugging, and practicing self-care. In what ways can the people on your list help with ensuring your personal life is rich and rewarding?

Make sure you include skill sets that people have, but may not be using in their day jobs or current situation. So, your college friend that studied graphic design and now works in retail?–Tap into her design know-how to get a fresh perspective on your products.

You’ll be hooked once you start recognizing all the gifts people in your life have to offer you (and you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this earlier).

Check back next week for the last installment in the Just Ask series, where I’ll reveal the art of asking for help.

Admin Note: If you subscribed by email or reader to Creatuitive Coaching, and want to continue to receive posts from Red Dress Studios, you must update your subscription. xo

03 10

Why Not Wednesdays :: Research Your Own Birth

Posted Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 09:51am | No comments

Here at Red Dress Studios, we are all about taking risks (so that you can build bodacious confidence muscles!). That is why every Wednesday I ask readers, “Why not?” do something daring, creative, and unconventional.

Celebrate Motherhood print from Etsy shop Lisa Ferrante

If you’ve never asked your mom about the day you came into the world, see what she remembers.

Ask your grandmother what it was like when she had her babies.

Find baby photos of yourself.

[Special love note for adopted women: You might have already gone through this. You have a unique perspective that you'll bring to this "dare." Be gentle with yourself in unearthing your loved ones' memories.]

Promise that little baby in the photos to always honor her best self and her dreams.

Have you done research on how you came into the world? Share your discoveries in the comments.

Admin Note: If you subscribed by email or reader to Creatuitive Coaching, and want to continue to receive posts from Red Dress Studios, you must update your subscription. xo

03 08

Giveaways! Giveaways!

Posted Monday, March 08, 2010 at 03:44pm | No comments

For the Red Dress Studios *virtual* launch party this Friday, March 12th (have you RSVP’d yet?), I have some pretty sweet giveaways to offer.

From the grand prize (a signature Red Dress session) to business essentials (graphic designer and virtual assistant, anyone?) to lifestyle loves (jewelry and tea and art, oh my!), the giveaways were handpicked (and donated) with love.

The best part? When you RSVP for the virtual launch party, you’re automatically entered to win one of these items (and you can even indicate your top choices).


Grand Prize

Red Dress Session with Red Dress Studios ($250 value)

Maybe your new business has done well by you, but you’re feeling that now’s the time to soar. Or maybe you’ve got this crazy dream that won’t leave you alone, your day job is not fulfilling, and you’re thinking it’s time to switch tracks. You’ve got passion. And drive. But you don’t want to make a bunch of mistakes, and you’re not one hundred percent certain what that next step looks like. That’s when you need the Red Dress Session. You tell me your ideas, your concerns, your goals. I help you explore options, identify answers and forge your path. Together we get you up and moving on that path, lickety-split.


Business Essentials

Three hours of virtual assistance with Virtual Assistance Reimagined ($105 value)

Creative, bold, visionary women know the value of self-care, and their businesses thrive when they regularly invest in their most valuable business asset: themselves. This 3-hour package of VA services from Jess Larsen will move tasks off your plate and free you up to invest in your own self-care. Package includes a complementary 20-minute call to discuss your most pressing to-dos: whether you need an extra set of hands to cover urgent administrative tasks, take care of social media, research or implement new systems to make your life easier, or just get on top of communications with your clients.

Right-Brain Business Plan ($20 value)

A visual, out-of-the-box approach for Creative Entrepreneurs. The Right-Brain Business Plan e-book guides you through the creative process of envisioning your business and crafting your unique and personal business plan. It’s like having your own creative cohort alongside you for inspiration and motivation! Takes you all the way from the vision through the action plan.

One hour of consulting with Intelligent Accounting & Tax Solutions ($150 value)

Intelligent Accounting is an accounting, tax services, and consulting firm that provides financial solutions for small businesses, non-profits and individuals. Woman-owned and client-centered, this consulting session will be an opportunity for you to ask your burning accounting and bookkeeping questions from an expert.

Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play ($15 value)

From successful entrepreneur Kimberly Wilson comes a guide for a new era of hope and change. Taking spirituality as its foundation, the book offers an entrepreneurial approach to everything from homemaking to brand building. Enjoy step-by-step projects and to-do’s as Kimberly helps the reader realize—and revel in—her unique potential to make a splash and make a difference.

Office Spa Day from The Inspired Home Office ($40 value)

A two-hour teleclass that massages away overwhelm, sheds unwanted clutter, and exfoliates the dust. The Office Spa Day is two-hour, hands-on work session that creates visible progress in your workspace. It brings you relief from overwhelm to create a work environment that nurtures you.

One hour of graphic design work with Jess Gonacha Swift ($50 value)

If you need a designer who is also an artist, who listens, who is versatile and energetic, and who wants to make your world gorgeous…Jess is your gal. (She did the Red Dress Studios logo.) Items she often designs for people are business cards, promotional postcards, brochures, posters, and logos, and she’s open to working with you in whatever design/illustration capacity you need. She is the queen of versatility, so Jess can create the look of your dreams, even if you don’t know what that dream is yet!

Lifestyle and Inspiration

Josephine Baker Lipstick earrings from The Hand of Fatima Designs ($25 value)

A gorgeous pair of earrings: red fleur de lys appliqués adorned with big vintage faux pearls and vintage brass fleur de lys atop, with a bit of gothic accent. Named after one of the owner’s muses.

Loose tea from Tea Guys ($12 value)

Enjoy a 4.5 oz package of Peace-of-Mind tea from the Tea Guys. Made with organic ingredients, the tea is a relaxing herbal blend with an orange-chamomile taste. Includes citrus, rosehips, lemongrass, mint, and hibiscus. Sure to put you at peace wherever you may be. Caffeine free.

OPI French Bordeaux nail polish ($18 value)

A rich, full-bodied red shade of polish for daring females. Wear it to stand out, make a statement, or just to revel in being feminine.

Framed print from Pixel Pusher Studio ($75 value)

A set of 3 prints from photographer Eric Jukelevics. The group of prints is called Red Food, and they are individually framed in black wood frames.

2010 Goddess Guidebook from Goddess Leonie ($10 value)

The 2010: Creating My Goddess Year workbook & planner guides you on the journey of setting your goals & intentions for your new year, and how to fulfill them. It’s handwritten & illustrated… perfect for you to print out, soak up the rainbow colors of, and make 2010 your gorgeous goddess year. A PDF that you can print, fill out and keep referencing throughout your amazing year, you’ll get 40 full color pages of questions, guidance, tools & inspiration to help you dream, plan & grow your amazing new year.

I’m trying to convince my virtual assistant to let me enter to win some of these prizes :) Seriously though, to get your hands on these very cool items and services, you can RSVP to the launch party today.

03 08

Administrative note

Posted Monday, March 08, 2010 at 02:40pm | No comments

I promise that I normally hate clogging up your feeds + emails with something as uninspiring as “administrative updates” but I don’t want you to miss out on content.

If you read this blog via blog reader or email message, you must sign up for the new Red Dress Studios feed if you want to continue to be able to indulge in my musings. (Translation: The Creatuitive Coaching feed will be going away at the end of this week.)

New site, new brand=new feed.

03 08

you’re invited (rsvp, s’il vous plait)

Posted Monday, March 08, 2010 at 01:31am | No comments

03 05

Get over yourself (on asking for help)

Posted Friday, March 05, 2010 at 04:46pm | 1 comment

This is part 1 in a series on asking for help. It’s all about building the confidence to ask for help with your business. Sound useful? Read on.

Chances are that as a business owner, you’ve fallen into this trap before.

I call it the “My Way or the Highway” or the “Shoot Myself in the Foot” trap.

I’m talking about believing that you are the only person that can do [insert business task here]. Or that you are the only person that can solve [insert business problem here].

I’m here to tell you that that just isn’t true.

I’m reminded of Michael Gerber’s E-Myth books. His main thesis is that if you haven’t created systems in your business that allow other people to do the work necessary—you haven’t created a business, you’ve created a job.

And I know you’re not building your business just so that you can be beholden to another job.

One of the simplest ways to build your confidence muscles is to ask for help.

“Wait,” you’re saying, “Isn’t asking for help a sign of weakness and then everyone will know that I really have no idea what the hell I’m doing?”

No. Asking for help is a sign of strength. And for god’s sakes, get over yourself.

Get over yourself long enough to open your eyes to all the beautiful wisdom you have around you (wisdom=awesome, savvy people in your life).

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to start making a list of all the people in your life that you could turn to for help.

Step 1, write down all the people in your life that you trust and care about down the left side of a sheet of paper. Write them all down. If you’re scared of asking certain people, the good news is that you don’t have to ask them today. The bad news is that you’ll still want to include them on your list.

For now, start thinking about the people on this fabulous list and what they could offer you. Think broadly. One person can offer you a glass of wine in her living room, and another can provide an introduction to that woman you’ve been dreaming of asking to be your mentor.

Check back next week for the second post of the Just Ask series, where I talk about the value for your business of getting help (and Step 2 will be magically revealed).

Admin Note: If you subscribed by email or reader to Creatuitive Coaching, and want to continue to receive posts from Red Dress Studios, you must update your subscription. xo