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As creative entrepreneurs, we want to make our wisdom available to as many people as possible. A great way of do this is to take valuable material we have already created and, through repurposing, present it in different formats. We can be of greater service to others as well as making our own lives easier when we do this.

How can creative entrepreneurs and others benefit from repurposing?

Repurposing saves you time and energy because you don’t have to start from scratch. Instead of procrastinating, you’ll start realizing how much you have to offer, maybe things that you previously took for granted. Here’s an important mindset reminder for creative entrepreneurs – what you know has value.

Another benefit of repurposing is it gives your audience the ability to digest your message on their own terms, not just yours. People take in information in different ways. Some people love to read. Some people prefer to listen. They may be both types at different times. At different times, I’ll grab transcripts or have my CDs in my car. Sometimes I have my iPod and need my MP3 format. Sometimes I enjoy watching something. It really depends on the situation.

If you’re not putting your message out there more in multiple ways, formats and streams you’re not allowing yourself to help as many people as possible. Creative entrepreneurs want to be able to touch people in different ways and give them a sense of who you are. That’s the beauty of what you bring to your business when you embrace the repurposing concept.

So creative entrepreneurs won’t focus on what you DON’T have, but will focus on what you DO have. You might find that you can be repurposing something of real value and touch the lives of many more people. You can also really maximize your limited time and energy and yes, get a lot more done!

What example of repurposing content has worked for you?

So often it’s easy for creative entrepreneurs to get distracted by what others are doing. You start feeling a little envious about your colleague’s new website, info-product, etc. and you think I want that too! Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for creative entrepreneurs unless you start spinning in too many different directions at once… and end up going nowhere.

Sometimes it’s about taking a deep breath and saying what do I have right now at my disposal that I can work with, that’ll be easy? What resources do I have already that I can start repurposing and repackaging?

Repurposing is taking what you already have created in one form and putting it out there in a different way or a different format.

As creative entrepreneurs we have so many great ideas we want to use, but this can lead to entrepreneurial ADD – we’re always creating but we’re not really getting things done. Repurposing is the simple solution for creative entrepreneurs.

Here are some other examples of repurposing:

• If you’ve been blogging for awhile, see if you can create an ebook based on a series of tips from your blog.

• If you have a huge newsletter archive but haven’t started blogging yet you don’t have to start writing new content from scratch. Recycle some of your newsletter articles and use them in your blog.

• Here’s one of my personal favorites, repurposing my transcripts. Sometimes I don’t have time to write an article from scratch but I’ll remember having done a teleclass on the same subject. I pull it out and have my assistant make a few necessary edits and voila I have a new article.

• Read and record articles you’ve written in the past and you can quickly create a podcast for your blog.

When you start thinking along these lines, creative entrepreneurs will find a wealth of valuable material that, through repurposing, can be offered to others. Check out my upcoming blog to see why repurposing your content is so beneficial.

You may also want to check out the MP3, transcript and highlights of:  Leveraging Your Knowledge for Profit – How to Repurpose the Content that’s in your Head (or on your Hard Drive) into Powerful Multi-Media Marketing.

When I began my online entrepreneurial business I was not as sensitive as I am now to the HUGE  importance of growing your list (or in language I prefer to use – growing your community).

The fact is without a pipeline of new people learning about who you are and what you do, and how it can benefit them, your business will dry up. Your community are those that follow you, observe what you’re doing, share it with their friends (if they like you) and will ultimately be those that purchase from you.

I have 2 business girlfriends who I want to introduce you to who offer resources to support you to expand your list…

• First is Gina Bell. As the founder of the International Association of Women in Business Online, Gina is hosting a F*R*E*E event called List Attraction Week (starting March 8th) that is devoted to list attraction with a team of expert mentors who will walk you through this essential piece of creating success online. You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again… The money is in your list! But what does that REALLY mean?

During List Attraction Week you will discover how to increase your list of relevant and responsive subscribers quickly and constantly so you can save time, get clients and make money! (And… how to do it with authenticity and ethics too!). And the promise of “The Money is in Your List” will finally make sense!

Gina has put together a panel of 12 experts (myself included) that includes Alexis Neely, Leesa Barnes, Wendy Y Bailey and MaryKay Morgan. Together you’ll learn information about…

…auto responders, double opt-ins, squeeze pages, ethical bribes/freebies/pink spoons, ezines, newsletters, virtual events, joint ventures, speaking, article marketing, blogging, social media, follow up strategies and much, much more.

Just one golden nugget of learning (if implemented) can make a huge difference in your list building efforts.

You can get all the details of List Attraction week and register here:  http://budurl.com/LAW10

• My second business girlfriend (and mentor) is Carrie Wilkerson. I first learned of Carrie’s skills around list building over a year ago. She grew her list by 24,000 people in one year with no paid traffic resources, and I wanted to see what she was doing.

I immediately purchased her 12-week Magnetic List Building course, which has suggestions (and valuable exercises) to grow your list.  Carrie has a gift of taking what can feel complicated to making it very manageable and easy to execute. I highly recommend checking her product. It’s very reasonably priced at just 3 payments of $27 and I promise that by executing some of her ideas, the investment will be worth it.

You can get all the details of Carrie’s Magnetic List Building course, visit my affiliate link:  http://budurl.com/maglist

 Community/list building in an ongoing process, and it requires commitment to develop essential skills in this area. There are so many list-building tools that I believe it’s important to just focus on 1-3 at a time so you can do it effectively and not be spread so thin.  Just one strategy that you can confidently implement with consistency can completely transform your results. With both Carrie’s Magnetic List Building course and Gina’s List Attraction Week event, you’ll get dozen of ideas that you can quickly put into work.

I’d love hear what’s working (or not) as you build your community.

Over the past year, you, the entrepreneur who wants to “get it done”, has joined me on my journey as I’ve shared the ups and downs and lessons learned. The last six months have been special because I’ve been doing a lot more coaching with visionary entrepreneurs with a special emphasis on how to get it done. So I’d like to share with you (and here’s Part 1 in case you missed it) some of the lessons learned from their perspective and mine.

 

 Entrepreneur, Get It Done Lessons for 2010 - Part 2 [Metromom Podcast] [6:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I love the change, fluidity and flexibility of entrepreneurship. There’s nothing quite like starting your own business to help you learn who you are and what’s important to you. The last six months have been special because I’ve been doing a lot more coaching with visionary entrepreneurs with a special emphasis on getting things done. So I’d like to share with you some of the lessons learned from their perspective and mine.  (also check out Part 2)

 

 Entrepreneur - Get It Done - Lessons - Part 1 [Metromom Podcast] [4:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Maybe you shouldn’t get it done. Maybe there’s a good reason why you’re procrastinating… Shocking words I know coming from me, the “Get It Done Girl”.

There will be times when you have to listen to your inner voice when everyone around you is telling you something completely different. At times like these it’s very tempting to forego your intuition in favor of “proven” strategies and techniques from “experts.”

Don’t get me wrong, I advocate listening and learning from business and marketing experts and I work hard to apply what I’ve learned. However, there are times when I’m reading a marketing book, or at a class, or speaking with my coach and I’ll hear great advice but it’s not the best advice for me. It doesn’t feel right, so guess what? I end up procrastinating about the project.

When this happens, I force myself to slow down and tune into my intuition. I listen for my Kim-wisdom (which is always there when I’m quiet). Then I choose to create a new path for how I do things. I take in a lot of information from various sources (people, information products, books etc.) digest it, and synthesize it in a “Kim” way so that all I do has my personal stamp on it.

Women entrepreneurs have an advantage in that we’re usually fairly comfortable relying on our intuition. But when it comes to BUSINESS sometimes we let doubts creep in. My advice – always trust your instincts, even if you’re new to business. If you don’t feel authentic about a business decision, don’t dismiss the feeling. Take the time to make sure you’re truly aligned with your values, beliefs and goals before moving forward.

One of the things I teach in my program, the Get It Done Challenge, is that there are multiple paths to the same destination. Keep focused on your long-term vision and if one path isn’t working, try another one that feels right. By doing business on your own terms, you’ll be amazed at how the right people, places and opportunities appear – sometimes out of nowhere.

Here we are 10 days into the New Year and I keep hearing that many are already stuck on what they’re going to get done. This morning I was interviewed by Chris Velardi at WTNH (New Channel 8 – CT) speaking about 3 different roadblocks that many confront as they start the new year.

As I put programs together for 2010, I want to make sure I’m providing you with the content that’ll make the most different to you. Please let me know what’s getting in your way to get the things done that you want to get done.

Over the past year, you, the entrepreneur who wants to “get it done”, has joined me on my journey as I’ve shared the ups and downs and lessons learned. The last six months have been special because I’ve been doing a lot more coaching with visionary entrepreneurs with a special emphasis on how to get it done. So I’d like to share with you (and here’s Part 1 in case you missed it) some of the lessons learned from their perspective and mine.

Let Go of the Outcome and Enjoy the Journey

So much of what you do as an entrepreneur is to make it up as you go along. Most of us don’t have a degree in entrepreneurship! It’s very easy when you are in that place of starting out your business to think, “Because I’ve not done it, I can’t do it.”

But if you have a passion for what you do, you keep trying until you figure out a way to get it done. A fear of failure can get in your way. If you’re overly concerned about the outcome, you don’t enjoy the journey. Just remind yourself that it’s part of the process – that there will be things that will go awry when you are an entrepreneur, and you will learn along the way to get it done. That really is okay.

You Don’t Need to be Experienced, Just Resourceful

I wholeheartedly believe that if you know what needs to get done, you can always get help on how to “get it done”. I’ve seen it time and time again. It’s because of that that I’m such a believer in being a connector. This is where connecting and reaching out to other people can be so invaluable.

Just because you haven’t done it before, has nothing to do with the fact of whether you can or can’t do it. It just means that you need to reach out to others who have that experience. It is okay to be the one entrepreneur with the questions and not the answers because there are other people around us we can get those answers from.

Develop Good Boundaries

As a mom entrepreneur who works from home, the temptation is to work all the time. You finally have the kids to bed so you naturally want to get some work done. That’s fine sometimes but boundaries are critical.

Schedule a few nights each week when work is truly turned off (this means turning off your Blackberry or iPhone) so you can connect as a couple or have some quiet time for yourself. Because you can’t “get it done” if you burned out and exhausted!

Don’t Let Go of Your Purpose

Maybe you’re business isn’t where you want it and some mornings you wake up worrying about bills. I wanted to share with you the truth – not the glossy version either. I deal with these same worries.

Funny thing is my business is on track and doing better than ever before! BUT, my husband just went back to work after a year off and we’re still digging out. I’ve got lots of “business investment” on my credit cards and I’ve utilized my home equity line to keep my business going. That’s a scary place to be. The stress is palpable.

I share this because I’m not a quitter and I will continue to do what it takes to do what I’m meant to do. (I always describe myself as a Weeble – they wobble but they don’t fall down.) You have to keep moving forward. You have to keep focused on your purpose – what your were meant to do – and then you have to keep reaching for it and “get it done”.

Sometimes You’ve Just Got to Take a Pass

I’m a big believer in teaching my kids to take responsibility for their actions. But I also know the importance of being able to bend the rules. I recently decided to give my 10 year old son a pass when he forgot his backpack. Normally I would have sent him to school without it but I felt like he deserved a break so I helped him out. (Checkout the whole story here.)

When I reflected on the importance of my giving my children a pass now and then, the message I’m giving is that I believe in them and it’s okay not to be perfect. I then thought about that same message for myself. I need to give myself a pass sometimes. I’m a far cry from the perfect mom. I do my best to connect meaningfully with my kids and instill the values I believe in but sometimes we eat crappy food, stay up too late and forget our backpacks, and it’s okay. We need permission to give ourselves a pass.

I hoped you enjoyed these lessons. I think there is a lot of value to sharing with each other our triumphs and our fallbacks. Are you an entrepreneur trying to “get it done”? I’d love to hear about your lessons learned.

What would you like to get done this year? Are you weighing your options? Maybe redoing your website, setting-up a blog, launching a coaching program, finishing your book or doing whatever it takes to find new clients…

The problem is you may not be sure what will create the best results. What will propel your business in the right direction?

As entrepreneurs, most of us don’t have a lot of extra time (and we tend to be kind of impatient) so when we think about taking on additional projects we want RESULTS.

I feel the same way. I’m a busy entrepreneur and mother of three. I don’t have time to waste either. Thankfully I’ve already outlined my short-term and long-term goals for the year (hint – a brand new “get it done” website for entrepreneurs is in the works)!

Anyway, when I’m trying to prioritize the hundreds of projects floating around in my head I use a SIMPLE FORMULA to help me determine which project will create results fast. Since we’re just starting the New Year I figured it’s the perfect time to share this with you.

I’m pulling back the curtain and showing you EXACTLY how I use my simple formula to get it done in my F*REE teleclass on Thursday January 7th at 1 PM EST (10 AM PST) -  How to Choose the Right Projects for 2010 – To Build Your List, Gain Credibility, Expand Your Platform and Make More Money. http://metromom.com/vision

You’ll discover how to:

- Figure out whether or not your project really meets your objective (and what objectives are most important for you)

- Create a clear vision for your project that meshes with your overall business vision

- Determine if your project is big enough for you (a little extra motivation to just go for it!)

- Help you let go of the bright shiny object syndrome (the things that sound fun, but won’t really benefit your business)

Here’s that link again to reserve your spot in this complimentary teleclass.
http://metromom.com/vision

This call will give you clarity on what steps to take…whether you want to build your list, gain credibility, expand your platform or make more money! Let’s get it done in 2010!  I look forward to seeing you on this call.

I feel like it’s time to get past the hype and talk about what’s REALLY going on this year. I think we were all hoping things would be better by now…

Maybe you’re business isn’t where you want it. Maybe 2009 wasn’t what you planned for. Instead of enjoying the season of gift giving, you’re experiencing fear of spending… You wake up worrying about bills.

I wanted to share with you the truth – not the glossy version either. I deal with these same worries.

I’ve had a tightness in my chest this whole holiday season. My family just celebrated Hanukkah and honestly I had a hard time reveling in the joy of the season. I couldn’t really get in the gift-giving mood.

Funny thing is my business is on track and doing better than ever before! BUT, my husband just went back to work after a year off and we’re still digging out. I’ve got lots of “business investment” on my credit cards and I’ve utilized my home equity line to keep my business going. That’s a scary place to be. The stress is palpable.

I share this because I’m not a quitter and I will continue to do what it takes to do what I’m meant to do. (I always describe myself as a Weeble – they wobble but they don’t fall down.)

I’ve seen people shopping and I’ve seen the nervousness around spending. I’ve received emails from some wanting to invest in the future of their business but are afraid of putting one more thing on their credit card. I feel it too!

But you have to keep moving forward. You have to identify what’s really going to make a difference in 2010 and then you have to just go for it!

If you’re not sure what 2010 should look like (or you know but you can’t figure out how to get there) then I want to invite you do join me at my upcoming Get It Done Challenge. My job is to help you come up with a strategy so you know EXACTLY where to invest your time, energy and money – where can you get expect the very best return.

We’re getting started in January and I have some special pricing that won’t last long so visit www.getitdonechallenge.com now for the details.