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Do you know anyone who gets exciting about networking, mama?

I know. But that’s because most people — probably including you —  are doing it ALL WRONG.

The good news is that after today, you’ll have a MUCH better understanding of networking — and you’ll know how to actually make it work for you!

APPETIZERS

Start with Something New and Exciting!

Yesterday, I covered week 3 of our weekly series on how to start making money from home and connecting the dots on how to connect what you are capable of offering with who needs what you have to offer!

I shared three things that will help you to connect the dots between the two!

Did you catch it live, or are you #teamreplay?

CHECK OUT THE REPLAY

Fan Favorites

Remember that time I started a YouTube channel? Well, I have a couple of lessons I want YOU to take away from that.

CHECK OUT THIS THROWBACK

MAIN DISHES

Chef’s Special
So, today on FreeMamaTV, I’m breaking down the dreaded elevator pitch, and showing you the much better power pitch. You’ll see EXACTLY how to create yours, and you’ll get a COMPLETELY different understanding of what networking is all about. It will change the way you interact with people completely.

Dish of the Day

This week on Free Mama Radio, I get the chance to talk to the amazing Dean Graziosi. If you heard me mention his challenge last week, you already know how highly I think of this guy, and this is your chance to hear it firsthand for yourself.

Dessert

Something Sweet

Is there anything sweeter than celebrating with fellow Free Mamas?

Something Savory

Join Me for Freedom Week:
ownit47.com

You have thought about a digital product or passive income using what you know to help others… but you have NO CLUE where to start.

Enter… FREEDOM WEEK!

(More on that in a sec…)

The truth is, freelancing absolutely changed my life and allowed me to quit my job and work from home with my little babies… it was my gateway to entrepreneurship!

But a few years later, it was my course that allowed me extra breathing room, another source of income, and a new way to make a big impact!

You have knowledge, interests and passions, and experience that other people are willing to pay for!

And in just 5 days, you will learn for FREE how to discover a new path for success…And I want YOU to be there!! (I’m going, too)

During the first-ever Own Your Future Challenge, 17 world leaders including Tony Robbins, Dean Graziosi, Jenna Kutcher and Russell Brunson are teaching nearly 1 million people about the industry that allowed them (and me!) to take back control of our lives, careers, time and decisions…

This event will change thousands of lives… and missing out on something like this can sting because it only happens once.

I really really really want you to get the maximum benefit if you sign up, so I’m calling the whole week of May 9 FREEDOM WEEK at the Free Mama.

Plus…. it’s the week you’ll learn how to dive head first into the self education space and I’m hosting a private pop up community so that I can hold your hand through the entire event!

Take back your future during Freedom Week, May 11-15! Click here to RSVP now:
ownit47.com

Got something awesome to share with us? Need help or support? Post in the Facebook group!

I hope today’s blog fills you up with all kinds of Free Mama goodness!

By doing this one thing can help your business get the best results, and maintain the stamina to keep your business going! Let me tell you how I learned this very lesson.

Did you ever just listen to someone speak and feel yourself changing as you heard their words? I mean, actually feel yourself go through a metamorphosis on the spot?

The year was 2019. The Before Times. 

I was at Funnel Hacking Live, in a room full of people. None of us wore masks. We hugged each other when we had JUST MET. 

And some guy I’d never heard of got up on stage to speak. I was listening, but I was also multitasking — until I wasn’t. Until the story grabbed me. 

He talked about a book he’d written that had sold — and I don’t remember the actual numbers, so let’s just say, it had sold 50,000 copies. 

Pretty good, by anyone’s definition. And his team told him that the book had run its course, and it was time to think about the next one.

“No,” he told them. “We’re not done with this one yet.”

The team pushed back: marketing costs were higher, the return on investment was lower. The book was done. The audience wanted something new.

“No,” he told them again. ”We need to do something different. We need to try something more strategic, or shift the way that we’re looking at it. We’re not done with this book yet.”

So, the team tweaked and worked and strategized, and they sold more books. Like, A LOT more books. 

And then they came back and said, “Okay, great! Next book, please!”

To which this guy said, “No. I’m not done with this book. We need to help more people with this book before we move on to something else.”

“The guy” was Dean Grasiozi. And if you’ve never heard of him, that’s okay. (Of course, now that you’ve read this, you can expect to see him ALL OVER your Facebook feed.)

Anyway, Dean talked about STAMINA. 

So many business owners do not have the stamina to market ONE thing, and to go back again and again and test and tweak and optimize that ONE thing to make the biggest impact. 

Instead, they keep jumping from one thing to the next. 

They’re working hard, but they’re working hard on the wrong things. 

Think about it. When you spend all your time jumping from one platform to another, going after this niche, then that one, then maybe you’ll do this other thing, and then what about the squirrel over here? When you do all that…

… do you make progress?

No. The answer is NO, YOU DON’T. You’re working HARD. You’re putting in the HOURS. But you’re not getting the RESULTS you want, because you don’t have the STAMINA to market ONE THING. 

You don’t have the STAMINA to STICK WITH IT.

Well. I’ve got a little something that I’m working on to help you with that, and I’m pretty excited about it. Want a hint? Make sure you don’t miss the next episode of Free Mama Radio, coming on Monday.

It’s going to be BIG.

P.S. Are you subscribed to Free Mama Radio? Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on what’s coming up!

Well, hey there!

One of the questions I get asked daily is, “What’s the BEST niche to choose for my freelance business?”

Well, no one ever wants to hear this, but there really is no good way to answer that question. 

And it’s NOT because I’m mean or I just don’t want to. It’s because the BEST niche for you is the one that LIGHTS YOU UP. That’s different for each of us. You might be all about the spreadsheets, OR you might be into design OR you might love to work with words. ALL of these skills can lead to GREAT niches and highly profitable businesses. 

That said, I doooooo have a few things to say about the most in-demand freelance skills RIGHT NOW, so keep reading. 

APPETIZERS

Start with something new and exciting!

Did you know that I go live every single Monday inside our Facebook group? It’s true, and yesterday was no exception. Yesterday I continued with part two of our tangible tips series on how to make money with your own experiences, and I let the cat out of the bag about that challenge happening during Freedom Week in TFMM. You can watch it right here.

Fan Favorites

If you only have ten minutes today, might I suggest that you check out this video where I rant about my pet peeve — and spill the tea on a SURE way to lose clients. Watch it here!

MAIN DISHES

Chef’s special

It’s true that there’s no one BEST niche to choose as a freelancer. You can build a business around just about anything. AND ALSO, right now, there are some skills that clients go gaga for. I’ve got the details for you in this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV, so if you’re curious, head on over and check it out.
This week’s episode of FreeMamaTV.

Dish of the day

You all know how I love goals — and tools. And today on Free Mama Radio, I’m bringing those two things together to show you the ONE tool you need by your side in order to set — and slay — your business goals for this year. Give it a listen!

DESSERT

Something sweet

Say goodbye to the 9-5! #FreeMamaWin!

Something savory

When you get to a certain point in your business, you have to let go of some of your first clients. Check out the advice our Free Mamas have!

Got something awesome to share with us? Need help or support? Post in the Facebook group!

I hope today’s email fills you up with all kinds of Free Mama goodness!

Okay, so I finally took my own advice! Can you guess what happened next? Follow along and I will tell you.

I’ve been writing things with my hands lately. I haven’t done this since high school. 

I’m so Type A, I can’t cope with journaling and meditation. My brain just can’t comprehend how it could be beneficial. 

But I got to a point where my thoughts were running  a million miles a minute and I needed something to let me catch up.

On a call with my coach Jillian, we talked about how you can be driven and you can also be something else as well. It’s not an either/or situation. 

The irony is, I literally talk about this in my book. So I’m like, yes. I get it. 

I started to think, what’s a really good day for me? The common threads were: 

Celebrate. Taking the time to acknowledge what I’ve achieved. Or having fun. Jillian is big on having fun intentionally. 

Meditate. Sitting still and being quiet is wicked painful for me, so meditation looks more like stretching or doing yoga, or taking my time in the shower while listening to an audiobook (the acoustics in our bathroom are perfect for this!). Yes, Audrey still walks in half the time. But that’s the joy of being a mom, right? You have to carve out time for yourself. 

Educate. This could be listening to a podcast or an audiobook, meeting with a coach or mentor, watching a YouTube video, or consuming course content. As long as it pours knowledge into my brain, I’m good with it.

Communicate. I’m a raging extrovert, so connection is super important to me. It could be getting on a call with a team member, doing a Facebook Live, leading a coaching call, or doing a podcast interview. COVID has definitely shown me how vital it is for me to touch base every day with the outside world.

Activate. This is about my physical health. Did I move my body? If I didn’t get to the gym, could I have a dance party in the living room? What was my nutrition like today? Did I eat vegetables? (For the record, I have the worst sweet tooth ever and eat waaaaay too many treats.) But did I balance it with good things? Did I drink enough water?

When I do these things, I feel good. I yell at my kids less, I’m less stressed out about money, and what’s going on in the world. I can breathe. 

This is my version of journaling. Every day, I track these five areas. I check in with myself. Did I do these things? How do I feel? If I don’t feel good, is there a reason? Is something getting in the way of taking care of myself?

A few weeks ago, I had a bad night. I got up at 2:30 am to let the dog out. Then Henry woke up. Then Audrey woke up. Then the dog had to come back in. Then Audrey came to our bed, so I went to hers to try to get some sleep — and failed.

The next day, I hated everyone. 

So I asked myself, ”What’s my trigger?” I didn’t get enough sleep. “What am I going to do about it?” Well, I know I’m a light sleeper, I complain about it all the time. But what have I actually done about it? Not a ton. And so I bought an amazing sleep mask, and it’s been super helpful.

For someone who’s never been into journaling and meditation, this approach is really working for me. 

I guess I’m finally listening to my own advice. 

I felt like meditation wouldn’t work for me, but I wanted the stillness. I wanted that outcome. So I found another way to get it. 

What if the thing you don’t want to do is the thing that would help you the most? 

Mama, it’s time to try. 

P.S. Need a good read? Might I recommend that you check out my book?

Would you like to know what I wish I knew before I started my virtual assistant business? Keep reading and I will tell you!

Have you ever had a tough teacher?

I have. Her name is Experience, and she is… REALLY tough.

She gives tests BEFORE she teaches the lesson. “Learn by doing,” she says.

The upside? You get to learn from my time in that classroom. Today, I’ll be sharing a whole bunch of things I wish I’d known back when I started my freelancing business.  

But first…

APPETIZERS

Start with something new and exciting!

Yesterday, I kicked off a 3 part ULA series where I will be giving you tangible tips to help you start making some money! I also reminded everyone that the deadline to apply for The Free Mama Scholarship ends this Friday, don’t miss out on your chance to work with Team Mama and gain access to the program! Here’s the replay, don’t miss it!

Fan Favorites

It’s funny — when you’re in the middle of stuff, it takes all your energy, but when you look back, at times you can hardly remember being there. This video is a pep talk I recorded on being BUSY v. being PRODUCTIVE. I filmed it right after my kids and I were down for the count with the flu. I KNOW that flu was a big deal at the time, but clearly, we survived.  

MAIN DISHES

Chef’s special

So, there are some lessons you almost HAVE to learn by doing. UNLESS someone ELSE can learn those lessons FOR you. Well, that’s what I’ve done in this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV. I’m sharing the things I WISH I’d known back when I started my business. Basically, I learned these things the hard way so that you can watch a video and NOT have to learn them. So, here is what I wish I knew before I started my virtual assistant business

Enjoy!

Dish of the day

A few weeks ago, we invited Amy McCready into the Facebook group to talk about her Positive Parenting Solutions. Well, you all loved her SO MUCH that we decided to invite her back to the podcast. You can listen to her soothing voice and SOLID parenting advice on today’s episode of Free Mama Radio. 

DESSERT

Something sweet

Free Mamas loving on Free Mamas! ALL THE LOVE!

Something savory

Struggling to name your business? Check out this thread!

Got a question? Need to shout out about another awesome Free Mama? Have a win? Post in the Facebook group!

I hope this fills you up with all kinds of Free Mama goodness!

Hey there,
Do you have a hard time taking a compliment and getting a referral or testimonial? Keep reading and I will tell you how you can master both, at the same time.

You look fantastic!

What’s your immediate response when someone says that to you?

Do you brush it off? Oh, thanks, I’m exhausted.

Do you turn it around? Wow, YOU look amazing! Did you lose weight?

Maybe you’ve mastered accepting that kind of compliment — or maybe you still have some work to do.

But what if a client says to you, Oh my GOSH, you’re INCREDIBLE. This is FABULOUS. I can’t believe what an incredible job you’ve done here!

What’s your reply?

Do you brush that off? Oh, well, you gave me such great material to work with.

Or just keep things “professional” with a Thanks!

Have you ever stopped to think that when your clients tell you You’re amazing, that’s the best opportunity to ask for a referral or a testimonial?

It’s true. At that moment, you have SOLID PROOF that they’re happy, and an extremely natural follow up is to AT MINIMUM ask if you can quote them on that. 

Literally, just say, “Thank you so much! Can I use that as a testimonial?”

Unless you have really weird clients, they’re probably going to say yes. 

And then, you can ALSO follow up and say, “I really love [delivering this outcome] for you. In fact, I’m actually looking to fill another slot in my schedule, so if you know anyone who also needs [the service you provide], I’d absolutely love an introduction.”

Now, if you just read that, and you’re like, “Yeah, Lauren, I’m not doing that,” then we need to have some words. 

Because if you’re reluctant to take a complement and get a referral or testimonial, you’re probably ALSO having some difficulty accepting your wins. 

Truly, nothing makes me crazier than when I see Free Mamas do this:

Oh my gosh, I just got my first client! I mean, it’s like a really super small one-off project. It’s, like, not that big of a deal.

WHAT IS THAT?

You’re not actually celebrating your wins. You’re actually hurting yourself. Because in the same breath of air as you acknowledged your accomplishments, you actually deflated them. And that’s what your brain is left with. That’s the part you remember. 

It was good. But it wasn’t good enough.

JUST NO.

Unacceptable. 

TAKE THE WIN. 

Celebrate the win. 

And learn to take a compliment, because you’re awesome!