Kathy Mallary | Coaching Biz Tips

Success Circle Wins

We just passed the half-way mark for the current Success Circle, and the group is really rocking! Everybody is charging ahead full steam on their business development, while enjoying various trips, excursions and typical summer 'fun' time, too.

A few of us were able to get together a couple of weeks ago for drinks and dinner when one of the out-of-towners was here, and then last night a couple of the gals (Sandra and Melody) hosted a casual gathering for friends to update everybody on what they're working on in their business these days. It was a lovely summer evening by the beach, with great food and lots of laughter. We toasted marshmallows, had a group sing-along and even a guided meditation. What a fun time!

It was also a great way for Sandra and Melody to get the word out in their social network--everybody was excited to hear what they're doing with their businesses and asked some great questions (ever the inspired market-her, I made sure to write down the questions people were asking so that Sandra and Melody could include them in their marketing--great stuff for their FAQ pages!)

Melody had a terrific insight about her niche after our group call last week. Here's what she said after her niche 'clicked' into place:

This niche has really gone "ka-ching" in my heart. I'm bursting with passion, enthusiasm and ideas about where to go/what to do to start bringing it together!

Her clarity about her target market and what she wants to do with them came through loud and clear last night. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! When a coach's heart goes "ka-ching" for their niche, I know we're on the right track!

Can you tell I love my biz?

Does Googlebation lead to blindness?

Ok, I admit it, the title for this post was a shameless bid for a shocked giggle. You'll have to cut me some slack; I'm feeling a little punchy after doing a surprise marathon overhaul of my website this weekend.

(I really wasn't planning to spend the whole weekend doing that; it just sort of happened. One thing lead to another and before I could say "Holy extreme makeover, Batman," it was late Sunday night and I'd changed every single page on the site. You know how that goes...)

But back to the point of this post: I suspect it's true: If you spend too much time Googling yourself, you could in fact go blind, especially if you're staring at a laptop screen that's just a teeny bit too far away, like I am.

That's why I set up some Google Alerts on certain keywords and phrases, including 'Inspired Market-her'.

(Before you label me narcissistic, read why I advise my clients to set up Google Alerts on themselves.)

So now instead of squinting at the Google search page to look myself up, I spend quite a bit of time squinting at emails from Google, telling me who's linking to and/or talking about me on the World Wide Web.

Which is how I discovered that The Inspired Market-her's blog made it onto The Woman Entrepreneur's Toolbox: 100 Network Resources, Guides and Links.

And I have to say, this is very cool, to be included in this list. Aside from all the terrific resources and links, which I can't wait to go squint at, I'm in great company--some of my favorite blogs are also on the list, like Escape from Cubicle Nation,  StartUp Princess, and Passion Meets Purpose.

Big THANKS to Rich at Bootstrapper Blog for the mention! Now I'm off to squint at all the juicy resources...

Kite Flying

My dad loves to send me links to stuff he finds while he's surfing the Internet. Since retiring 20 years ago, he's become quite the surfer, and I never know WHAT he's going to send me next.

One time, he sent a link to a video about butter. That's exactly what it was, too. A video about butter.

So the other day when I got an email called, "Kite flying", I figured it would probably be a home movie about some guy flying a kite.

It was.

Only, it wasn't. Part way through, I forgot that it was kites, and I forgot that there was a guy pulling the strings. I was totally mesmerized.

What it actually is, is angels dancing in the heavens, captured on video and set to the most beautiful sound track. It's awesome.

Take a moment and watch it. And be sure to watch it all the way to the very amazing end.

Thanks, Dad!

The Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co.

This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. THE COOLEST.

Cool idea. Cool stuff in the store. Cool behind-the-scenes ulterior motive. Cool marketing.

It's exactly what it appears to be at first glance: an honest-to-goodness Space Travel Supply Company. Right here in Seattle.

And it's much, much more. It's the store front and cash flow engine for a totally awesome non-profit called 826 Seattle:

826 Seattle is a nonprofit writing and tutoring center dedicated to helping youth, ages six to 18, improve their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

826 Seattle is one of six 826 National chapters. The original, 826 Valencia, is located in San Francisco’s Mission District (826valencia.org). The others are in Ann Arbor (826michigan.org); Brooklyn (826NYC.org); Chicago (826chi.org); and Los Angeles (826la.org).

Each of the chapters has a funky and fun "front". Only it's not just a front -- you can actually find the stuff advertised:

…the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. is the kind of novelty shop that sells imagination. . . .But what makes this beautifully realized shop work is its unflinching devotion to theme. As far as I’m concerned, this truly is a space-travel supply store, my first stop for rocket fuel, stun guns and do-it-yourself intergalactic treaties.”

— Convergence Zone, NWsource web blog, November 29, 2005

PLUS you can also find the stuff that the kids are writing.

Read more about 826 and other mojo magic over at Magic Boxes, Canned Chaos and Creative Totems, by Josh Clark of Global Moxie.

I wonder what kind of mileage a gal could get with a Star Trek shuttlecraft...

Are you looking for a supportive coaching community?

I just stumbled upon a really neat online coaching community called New Coach Connection, which was started by Candye Hinton. There's also a blog, called Making Coach Connections.

Here's a link back to a recent blog post on Coaching Tools.

If you've been searching for a supportive professional coaching forum, you'll definitely want to check these folks out. It's set up on a Yahoo Group, so you have some control over how much email ends up in your box.

I really like the way they've organized things, too:

We urge you to participate actively. Let other members know who you are. Share about your coaching practice. If you have a coaching problem, issue, or concern, ask it here. If you feel that you can contribute to someone else, please do.

In addition to encouraging you to ask questions any time, we have themed days for our group that serve as discussion starters.

• Monday Madness (life balance issues)
• Ask Anything Tuesday (skill building, ask anything)
• Reach Out Wednesday (business and community and network building)
• Techie Thursday (Technical and administrative issues, questions and solutions)
• Free Friday (shamelessly market your services and products to our community, courage building)

We host the "NCC Monthly Call" each month and sometimes schedule special calls. These are free to NCC members and guests. Watch for announcements and invite your friends and colleagues.

They currently have around 550 members, and their goal for 2007 is to expand to 1500. Let's help them reach their goal!

Hope to *see* you at NCC soon --

P.S. I forgot to mention that it's FREE!

Some of my favorite e-zines

It’s that time of year when I get the urge to do a little virtual housecleaning, and right now I’m re-evaluating my ezine subscriptions. As I was going through my email folders to see which ezines I want to keep and which ones I want to unsubscribe from, I got curious about what others are reading.

Here’s my list of “keepers” for 2007:

Marketing:

• Robert Middleton – www.actionplan.com 
• Alexandria K. Brown – www.ezinequeen.com
• Marcia Yudkin - http://www.yudkin.com/marketing.htm
• Lorrie Morgan-Ferraro – www.red-hot-copy.com

Business Development:

• Mark Silver – www.heartofbusiness.com
• Molly Gordon – www.authenticpromotion.com
• Solo-e – www.solo-e.com
• The Wag – www.rightreality.com

Coaching & Facilitation:

• ICF Coaching World – www.coachfederation.com
• CTI’s Inquiry – www.thecoaches.com
• Facilitiator U – www.facilitatoru.com
• Coaching Business Rocket Launcher – www.coachingbusinessrocketlauncher.com

 Inspiration:

• Mona Grayson – www.questionthemind.com
• Rebecca Fine – www.scienceofgettingrich.net

Just too good to give up:

• Charity Focus – www.charityfocus.org
• Totally Unique Thoughts – www.TUT.com

What are some of YOUR favorites? Add a comment and let me know!

The Science of Simple

Did you know that there's a science to keeping things simple?

Check out Mark Joyner's www.Simpleology.com to see what I mean.

I found this site quite by accident -- but the opt-in offer was attractive, so I thought, "What the heck? It's free!" and signed up. And almost immediately, said, 'WOW."