SDH181: Following your Heart when the Pressure is On with Alisha Byrd

What is causing you to not believe in your creative dreams? Is it practicality? Is it the fear of taking an entrepreneurial leap? Alisha Byrd specializes in helping the creative woman dissect these questions and come up with a sound business plan to make their hobby or idea into a profitable business. To her, there is nothing that a savvy person can't make money from, and works with clients from authors to dog lovers in monetizing their loves. With her website and blog The Alisha Nicole, she guides clients thoughts so they can gain clarity on their business venture, and acts as a support system so they can overcome their fears as new business owners. She knows the hectic road all too well, through her experience with her first business five years ago. Coming from a job that pushed her to the point of an anxiety attack, she needed to express herself in a way that brought her joy. At the time it was creating jewelry, and it was a relaxing hobby that she knew she was good at.  Unfortunatley, she was soon confronted with the reality that she didn't know how to run a business. With no one to look to on how to save her struggling line, her business failed because she didn't know how to effectively market and brand her product. She found herself on the floor of her living room overwhelmed by the lack of traffic of her business, and accumulating bills. Determined to see her business through, she went on intense Google searches, read as many business books as she could,  and tried to learn from trial and error. She also began a blog as a place to vent about her life as a clueless business owner. To her surprise, her blog began to attract a substantial following. She started receiving emails on how to turn an abstract idea into a business, and her blog content began to switch into a guidance platform. Feeling a shift in her priorities, she said she could no longer sit on the floor and create jewelry anymore. She knew she had to follow this path that was being laid before her, and do what her heart loved which was being mentor to other struggling entrepreneurs like herself. Her first step was finding an appointment model for her coaching sessions and a price point. Initially charging $35 for hour long sessions, she realized she wasn't making enough money to reinvest in her business. She slowly started raising her prices and figuring out how to match the quality of her service to those price points. As she raised her price points, she was also able to access a market that was serious and dedicated to working with her and starting their business. To manage her clientele she played with a few models, but has recently begun open enrollment time frames for block sessions, like her popular e-course 90-Day Blue Print. By allotting sessions in this manner, she is able to focus on herself, evolve the business further, and be more accessible and useful to clients. Hear more about Alisha's story of letting go and starting new! In this episode you will... Find out how to take your idea or hobby as a creative person and turn it into a profitable business Know how to match the quality of your services to a price point Learn how to find a dedicated and enthusiastic clientele Figure out how to manage your clientele volume Identify the best ways to connect with you clients Know when to let a failing business venture go and transition to your new calling INSIGHTS "I really love helping creative women ditch that fear around starting a business, and then helping them also to gain clarity to what they really want to do. And once they have that clarity, I help them to monetize that...but doing that from something that they truly love, and are truly passionate about." -Alisha Byrd "I really think it'simportant to have someone...that just provides you with that guidance of figuring out the people you want to target, and the purpose behind why you want to target them." -Alisha Byrd "I knew when I needed to transition into focusing on the blog and in coaching when honestly I wasn't as thrilled to sit down and make jewelry anymore...and I kinda walked towards what my heart was pulling me towards. And that was really just creating incredible content and working with people who started out just like me." -Alisha Byrd RESOURCES The Alisha Nicole Website The Alisha Nicole Facebook The Alisha Nicole Instagram The Alisha Nicole Twitter The Alisha Nicole Youtube The Alisha Nicole Pinterest Acuity Asana You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer