Addressing Fear

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“What we fear doing most, is what we most need to do.”

— Timothy Ferriss

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by what you need to accomplish? Is there something in particular that you've been putting off, because you're afraid? I know when I'm particularly scared of doing something, or am afraid that I don't know how, I will often start to procrastinate. What was once a small task on the "need to do" list is a big scary thing that I try not to think about, except for in occasional bouts of panic. Tim Ferriss, author of the 4Hr Work Week, writes that the things we are most afraid of are what we need to address the most - and I know that when I start to feel that dread creeping in about a particular task, I must put that task on the top of my To Do list. We often spend far more time worrying about doing something than actually doing it! 

If you're generally scared to take a step forward in your career or for your business, write down exactly what is scaring you. Then follow up by writing down the very worst case scenario of what could happen. Lastly, write down all the ways that you would recover and get back to feeling ok if the worst case scenario happened. What you'll start to learn is just how resilient and resourceful you are. This can be a truly great exercise both professionally and personally. What scares you the most in building your practice? 

How To Start or Grow your Private Practice

I was thrilled to present my two hour course on how to Start or Grow your Private Practice at the Swedish Institute in NYC. I addressed a room of about 50 entrepreneurs, who were massage therapists, acupuncturists, personal trainers, yoga teachers, pilates instructors, and nutritional counselors. We talked about finding ideal clients, understanding the needs of your target market, building a brand that celebrates your core values and uniqueness, valuing your services appropriately, speaking about what you offer, building solid referrals, SEO and social media, the importance of consistency, staying organized, using marketing materials, and SO much more!

As this was my first attempt at teaching a course, I was quite nervous, but what I didn't anticipate is how much I enjoyed speaking with people! The class was so involved and asking great questions, and I saw a lot of people nodding and taking tons of notes. I really loved my experience, and hope that I made a difference and inspired a few people. I've been getting some fabulous feedback and can't wait to do it again!

Required Reading: The Ultimate Business Book List

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Over the years I have refined a list of business books that have been extraordinarily helpful to me and many others. My required reading list is as follows:

The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss. I LOVE this book because it helped me to streamline and automate many processes, as well as delegate tasks so that I would be able to scale my business up. This book also helps me to hold myself accountable for what I want in life, what I'm afraid of, and how to go after what I'm looking for.

Book Yourself Solid, by Michael Port. This is a must read for anyone in the service profession who feels uncomfortable with traditional marketing. Port is a genius at explaining how to position yourself and brand your services appropriately.

The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber. This book explores why most small businesses fail within the first year, and what you can do about it.

Get Content, Get Customers, by Joe Pulizzi. A helpful and extremely convincing book on the importance of generating original content within your business.

The Personal MBA, by Josh Kaufman. As someone who didn't go to business school and felt that I was missing out, I was thrilled to see this book which breaks down a lot of the basic concepts that you learn in business school. Its an excellent reference and resource of a lot of the books you'd need to read if you attended a business school.

Re-work, by Jason Fried and David Hansson. This book talks a lot about recovering from something that's no longer serving you, getting back up and pivoting into what is.

The Power of Eye Contact, by Michael Ellsberg. This book is a wild card, as its not a traditional business book, and yet the power of eye contact is extremely important when making connections with people - whether with business or in your personal life. A fascinating and fun read.

What are some of your favorite business books? I'd love to hear from you!

Inspiring Client Meeting: Massage Student

I had a fantastic meeting this morning with a very enthusiastic Swedish Institute student, studying massage therapy. She was desperately excited to learn how to start a private practice. I love working with students and recent graduates, because at the start of their career, they have so much excitement and enthusiasm, and it's infectious and inspiring to be around that sort of energy. Over the course of our conversation, we got further into what really excites her, and worked together to identify who her ideal clients are. She's super stoked to work with dancers, in particular, but doesn't know where to begin. We started to brainstorm together about where her ideal clients are, and I pointed her in the direction of SCHOOLS. What's wonderful about being a student and soon-to-be graduate, is that she's immersed in students. I encouraged her towards looking for dance students - especially schools like Juilliard, Fordham, and LaGuardia. If she can identify, reach out in a friendly way, and connect with even one dance student, it get's her foot in the door to start working on others via referrals. I suggest with anyone getting excited to start a business, especially while just out of school, to offer your services for free or at a discount, in the beginning. Think of it as good practice, which you need, as well as an investment in that person and their potential referrals. Also, if you're currently a student, this is the best time to start working on your social media presence and start putting it out there via Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media, which is essentially free advertising, and an opportunity to interact with and connect with others.