Category: Work

I am feeling alllllll the love today. Like, my heart is so incredibly full, and I really needed a way to share it.

Every morning, when I wake up, I have to remind myself that this is my real, actual life. That I actually get to come into this amazing community full of incredible women and serve you.

It makes me so happy. 

I am SO full of love for you.

One of the things we did this year was launch the Free Mama Squad, and it’s given me SUCH joy to see how the women inside the Squad are just crushing their goals. 

They’re landing discovery calls, closing clients, raising their rates, smashing income goals, and more. 

The numbers don’t lie. The women who show up in the Squad, who tap into the accountability we offer, who follow the training we provide, are seeing results in the form of cold, hard cash. 

And I want that for you, mama.

I’m so very grateful for this community and for you, so I figured I’d sneak in here ahead of the whole Thanksgiving/Black Friday madness and make you an offer you can’t refuse. 

(Well. I mean, you can refuse it, but you really shouldn’t.)

I want to see you in the Squad. 

And maybe you heard that we recently combined the Squad with our old Group Coaching program, so that we can offer you even more coaching, training, strategy and swag.

Which meant that the secret doorway to the Squad only opened if you enrolled in the 12-Week Free Mama Movement. 

Well.

I’ve decided to change things up a bit. 

The Squad is SO good, and SO impactful, that I want it to be accessible to even more women. 

So, for the first time ever, for Black Friday, we’re opening the Squad doors to anyone who enrolls in the Quick Start Freelance Success Kit — and for the next 5 days you can snag the Quick Start for just $67.

That’s already a bargain (normally, the Quick Start is $247), but now it’s even better, because once you enroll in the Quick Start, you’ll have the option to join us inside the Squad. 

Here’s how it works. 

Head over here and sign up for the Free Mama Quick Start Freelance Success Kit for just $67. Be sure to add the Free Mama Squad Membership to your cart as well, and then check out!

If you’ve already purchased the Quick Start Freelance Success Kit in the past, you’ll find a link to join the Squad in your dashboard. 

I can’t wait to see you inside the Squad and celebrate your success!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lauren

P.S. From the Free Mama Family to yours, have a wonderful holiday weekend. I’ll catch you next week — and I hope to see you in the Squad!

If you’re wondering, “Do I need a website for my virtual assistant business?”, I have good news for you.

If you build it, they will come, right, mama?

Well, actually, no. 

If you build a website for your brand new freelance business, exactly no one will come to visit it. No one will even know it’s there, unless you get out and drive traffic to it.

I’ve seen so many women agonize over “launching” a new website, only to discover that putting it out there in the world doesn’t actually mean anything to anyone. 

This is actually good news, because it means you don’t have to spend weeks worrying about that launch. And it might even mean that you don’t need a website at all. 

Head on over to FreeMamaTV, and I’ll answer the question of “Do I need a website for my virtual assistant business?”, and what you should focus on in your own business.

Don’t get stuck in the trap of spending time or money on things that won’t make a real difference. 

Instead, tune into this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV to learn what really matters when you’re building your business, and how you can connect with clients even without a website.

P.S. Are you stuck on naming your business? Well, mama, you’re in luck because I went into the juicy scoop about your naming your business on last week’s episode — and you can tune in right here

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!

Sooo, mama, I don’t know if you heard, but a couple of weeks ago, we wrapped up Free Mama Live 2020.

And one of the things we did there was announce a very special offer: the Inner Circle for Life. 

Now, the thing is, even if you were at FML2020, you might not have heard about Inner Circle for Life, because it’s really not for everyone. In fact, we only invited a handful of mamas to hear about it, because it’s only a good fit if:

• You’re already earning [$x] and you want to scale to at least $10k/month
• You want a proven plan to sell out your niche services at a premium rate
• You’re driven and committed and ready to get out of your own way and take IMMEDIATE action
• You actually care about the results you deliver, and you love to help people win

That might not be you right now — and that’s perfectly okay. 

But if you just read all of that and feel your heart racing and you are ready to scale to $10k months (or more!), then I have some good news.

We’ll be opening applications for Inner Circle for Life in early January, and NOW is the time for you to get yourself ready.

Be aware that the program has exceptionally high requirements, and we accept fewer than 20% of applicants into the program. 

People who don’t do the work drag us down and change the energy of the whole group. People who can’t see how much is possible aren’t a good fit. And people who want to be spoon-fed step-by-step instructions aren’t going to be able to succeed. 

This isn’t a program where we rely on affirmations and The Power of Positive Thinking. 

Instead, we’re building you a highly profitable online business that sets you up for a lifetime of success. 

If you think that you might be ready for Inner Circle for Life and you want to scale to $10k months, make sure that you set some time aside for the application and interview process in January, and click here to fill out a preliminary application.

And if you’re not ready yet, don’t forget that The Free Mama is ALL ABOUT meeting you where you are and helping you move forward!

You can take a look at the Free Mama Guide to Freelancing, the Quick Start Freelance Success Kit, or the 12-Week Program. 

Whatever your 2021 goals are, we can help you get there! And if you’re feeling like things are still just out of control, this last blog post is for you!

P.S. Next week, there’s no Thursday email, but keep your eyes out for a little something on Black Friday!

I seriously need you NOT to do this!

I’m just going to come out and say it, mama.

It is NOT a good idea to name your business something cute.

I know that you spend 16 hours playing with the letters of your kids’ names to come up with the perfect combination. 

I know that you think the pun is SO ADORBS, and that it reminds you of your why every time you sit down to work. 

I know that you have an amazing idea for the logo that will go alongside your super-cute name. Virtual assistant business name ideas are probably one of the most posted-about topics in our Facebook group.

And I know that you don’t want to hear this, but…

You’re going about this naming thing all wrong.

I do have some good news for you, though. If you head over to FreeMamaTV, I’ll show you the right way to name your business — and it’s a LOT easier than you think. 

In fact, by the time you finish watching the episode, you’ll probably have the name you need all locked up.  You won’t need ANYMORE virtual assistant business name ideas!

Ready to name your business the right way and show the world how professional you are? Tune into this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV. 

P.S. The next step after naming your business is…ACTUALLY GOING OUT AND FINDING CLIENTS! If you want to learn how to network, THE RIGHT WAY, and what you need to stop doing, head over to last week’s episode of Free Mama TV right now!

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!

I’m COLD, mama.

A month ago, we were still running the AC for an hour or two each day in Houston, and now I’m in Kansas City and they’re talking about cold fronts and snow, and I’M COLD.

Before we got here, I thought I had mentally prepared myself for the move. 

I knew we were traveling with three kids, two cars, an RV, a cat, and 🎶 a partridge in a pear tree 🎵. How bad could it really be?

I wondered about how fast we could get the Wifi hooked up. More family time!

I figured we’d be sleeping on the floor until we could buy new beds. Good for your back, right?

I pictured the future: a turtle for Henry. A dog. Goats. Chickens! 

But you can never imagine ALL the things that are going to happen. 

It’s like when you made your plans for 2020. Maybe you thought about what it would be like to leave your 9-5 and be at home. 

Or, maybe you worried about finding the right daycare for your little one. 

You spent time thinking, worrying, planning, wondering — but you probably didn’t put a single second into thinking about a global pandemic. 

(And even if you had, let’s just be honest and admit that none of us could have imagined that this is where we’d be.)

I didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about the things that are out of my control, because… they’re out of my control.  Are you focusing on what you can’t control or what you can control?

I can’t change the fact that it took longer than expected  to get the Wifi installed. 

I can’t undo the road construction or RV troubles we hit on the road.

I can’t make it be warmer, and frankly, this weather makes my love of blankets and hoodies seem more normal. 

I can see the future ahead of us. 

I can see the turtle. And the dog. And the goats. 

I can see through winter to spring, and the chickens. 

Right where you’re standing, mama, there are a lot of unknowns. There is SO MUCH happening in your life.

And you might be worrying about the wrong things. 

You can’t control when someone will hire you. But you CAN control how many conversations you have in a day.

You can’t control how your husband will react when you spend time learning. But you CAN control what you decide to do.

The waiting is HARD. 

So here’s what I suggest. 

Wrap yourself up in a blanket, and think about spring. (Can you tell that I’m COLD?) Think about what is on the other side, waiting for you. Picture it. Speak it into existence.  Know what you can control.

Because it won’t be cold forever. 

The chickens will be here before you know it.

P.S. Did you catch Ryann Dowdy’s AMAAAAAZING training in the Facebook group the other day? It’s still there — and you still have time to take advantage of her INCREDIBLE offer for the Free Mama family!

P.S. Feeling like you need more boundaries in your life with your clients? Don’t miss this blog post that I did!

Please do not make this mistake, mama.

There’s no easy way to say this, mama, but I need you to STOP trying to find clients.

I know, that sounds a little bit crazy. I get it if you’re like, “Um, Lauren, is that a typo? Have you lost your marbles?” 

All my marbles are right here, thanks. 

But, in this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV, I’m going to give you the details on how to network effectively so that you actually get clients. Which is the opposite of what I see most people doing on the Internet, the opposite of how to network effectively online.

Basically, I’m seeing A LOT of desperation marketing, where people post one of those awful “value posts” or the equally awful “let’s network” posts, and the subtext is there, plain as day for all of to read: I NEED A CLIENT PLEASE HIRE ME.

That’s gotta stop — so I’m going to show you how to network the right way. And the best part is that it will make your life easier and better — and get you more clients while you learn how to network effectively online.

Check out this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV for the scoop!

P.S. If this episode leaves you feeling all “I don’t know if I can do this!”, you’re going to want to tune into last week’s episode on overcoming imposter syndrome ASAP!

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!

I’m bringing my sales coach in to share her secrets.

Ready for a true story, mama?

A million years ago, way before The Free Mama was even the germ of an idea in my brain, I worked in the marketing department at the Kansas City Star.

I had a lovely little cubicle where I spent the vast majority of my waking hours in exchange for very little money. 

Every day, I’d side-eye the sales team. They had a whole bunch of cubicles. They were always heading out for fancy lunches. They laughed a lot. And they were making a lot more money than I was. 

I didn’t understand the value of their role, but I did feel pretty darn jealous. And, truth be told, more than a little bit entitled. 

Oh, young Lauren. You had so much to learn. 

Anyway, one day, a new member of the sales team came on board. We didn’t hang out — marketing was never invited to those fancy sales lunches — but we were certainly friendly to each other. 

I was always aware of this woman, and how she ran her team. I saw the money she brought into the Star. I knew there was something special about her. 

Fast forward a decade. 

The Free Mama was being built. I’d hired the amazing Liz Benny as my coach, and I’d given her basically all of the money I had, plus a bunch I didn’t have, which meant I was kind of obligated to listen to her. 

And she told me that I needed to coach someone. 

I needed to prove that I could take someone across that bridge BEFORE I sold my course.

Well, this idea DID NOT THRILL ME. 

In fact, what I said to Liz was, “Hard pass.”

Liz reminded me that I had HIRED HER (see above, re: ALL MY MONEY) to tell me things, and that it was really in my best interest to DO THE THINGS.

So, I posted on my Facebook page that I was ready (ha!) to coach one or two amazing women who wanted to pivot into an online business.

And the next thing I knew, Ryann Dowdy, my old colleague from the Kansas City Star, was in my DMs. 

Somehow, I convinced her to pay me money, and she was my very first coaching student. 

Fast forward to today, and Ryann is the person I trust THE MOST when it comes to teaching sales. In fact, I hired her as a sales coach to teach my own students how to make more money online. You’ve seen her around this space. Loads of you are in her Facebook group, and she spoke at Free Mama Live.

She’s AMAZING. And so we’re bringing her into the Free Mama Movement Facebook group to talk about what you need to know to sell effectively, which is how to make more money online! Because if you’re avoiding sales conversations, then you have a hobby, not a business.

So, if you want to learn how to make more money online, you don’t want to miss Ryann’s free training next week.  It’s right in the Facebook group on Tuesday, November 10 at 2pm CST (3pm EST, 1pm MST, 12pm PST). And if you RSVP for the event, Facebook will even remind you when it’s time.

See you there!

P.S. Feeling like you need more boundaries in your life with your clients? Don’t miss this blog post that I did!

P.P.S. Need even more Free Mama goodness? Check out Free Mama TV!

Want to know what you, Oprah, and Beyonce have in common? Read on…

What if I’m not good enough? Is this a question you’ve ever asked yourself, mama?

Well, if so, then I have exactly ONE thing to say to you!

Congratulations! Yes, really!

Feeling like you’re not good enough — like an imposter — is a sign that you’re doing new things. You’re growing. You’re pushing yourself past your comfort zone and venturing out into uncharted territory.

So it’s actually a very good thing. And it means you’re on your way to learning how to overcome imposter syndrome.

But I definitely understand that when you’re struggling with imposter syndrome, you might find yourself too scared to keep going. 

So, today on FreeMamaTV, we’ll dig into imposter syndrome, how to overcome imposter syndrome, and show you exactly how you can overcome it.

You don’t have to let imposter syndrome control your life. 

Head over to the YouTubes and check out this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV so that you can embrace your imperfection and turn it into a real strength.

Be sure & to subscribe to FreeMamaTV so you can be the first to know when a new episode airs!

P.S. If you ever feel like your past experiences were a waste of time (like that college degree you’re not using!), you’ll definitely want to check out this week’s episode of Free Mama Radio!!

If you’re looking for even more mindset shifts, check out last week’s episode all about overcoming self doubt!

It’s super hard to write a blog post when you’re crying.

I am feeling the feels right now, mama.

The house is packed up. The rooms all have that echo. I think about getting a glass of water wine, and then I walk in the kitchen and remember that the glasses are all in boxes.

We leave next week, and it’s not going to be easy to say farewell, Houston.

When we came here in 2016, it felt like we were trying to run away from everything in our life. We were tired. We were sick of being poor and in debt. We were exhausted in the way parents of toddlers are perpetually bleary eyed. We were tired of each other, but avoided having hard conversations. 

We were stuck. We couldn’t find any good options, and Houston felt like the only way out of the mess we had somehow made of our lives. 

And when we got here, things got worse before they got better. 

Our new house broke. 

We needed new tires. 

It rained. It poured. (Literally. Rain in Houston is insane.)

But we started doing the work.

We worked on our marriage together, and Justin and I each worked on ourselves. 

Audrey, our rainbow baby, was born.

The Free Mama was built within these walls. 

It’s like… we had to come here, to become this version of ourselves.

And now…

We leave soon, and it’s not going to be easy to go back to Kansas City.

Yes, there are so many wonderful things about this move. I am over the moon excited to be near my family again. 

But. 

In Kansas City, people know a different version of me. They know Lauren who worked at a regular job, Lauren who was tired and run down and afraid. 

They don’t know me the way you know me, and I gotta say, it’s a little intimidating to move back to a place where people have expectations. 

Moving back doesn’t mean moving backwards. 

I’m not going to unbecome The Free Mama — that’s who I am now. I get to take all of these wonderful, difficult, amazing moments and transformations with me. 

I’m not running away.

I’m running towards something even better. 

There’s still plenty of work to do, and I’m energized. I’m excited to wake up and start every day.

And I’m looking forward to making more amazing memories in Kansas City — and with you.

Farewell, Houston.

P.S. If you feel like you lack boundaries with your time, be sure to check out my latest blog post here

P.P.S. Have you subscribed to Free Mama Radio yet?

Get ready to learn the secret to taming the gremlins that hold you back and how to overcome self doubt:

You’ve heard those voices in your head, right, mama?

You know: 

You’re not smart enough to do this.

You don’t have the right experience. 

Who do you think you are, anyway?

Well, I have good news for you: you can wave buh-bye to that inner mean girl who keeps trying to talk you out of the success you deserve. Head on over to YouTube and check out the latest episode of FreeMamaTV, where I’m breaking down my proven strategy for clearing out the noise, getting to the heart of what’s holding you back, and how to overcome self doubt.

Once you learn this framework, you’ll be able to use it anytime you’re feeling a little bit insecure. And the more you use it, the more effective it becomes. Think of this as your own secret superpower — because it’s going to make you practically invincible!

Ready to leave those limiting beliefs behind and step into the spotlight? Tune into this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV and learn how to overcome self-doubt. See you there!

Be sure & to subscribe to FreeMamaTV so you can be the first to know when a new episode airs!

P.S. Did you happen to hear the latest episode of Free Mama Radio? It’s a good one – on showing up imperfectly!!

Also, if you feel like you’re always setting goals but never actually hitting them, check out this episode of Free Mama TV – and get ready to SMASH YOUR GOALS!