No one gets to the point of living the life of their dreams alone. When I talk with other successful business owners, one common theme is support systems.

 

What does support mean? I’m not talking family and friends here, I mean focused business support that keeps you and your business on track, beyond accountability and into the juicy realms of vision and intention.

 

• Have you ever lost focus in your business?

• Do everyday tasks dominate your work flow to the point you lose track of the big picture?

• Have you wondered how some entrepreneurs seem to know about everything, always trying something new?

• Are there fellow biz owners from whom you would love to learn?

 

The reality of being an entrepreneur (and really, of just being a person), is that you need support. This can mean so many different things, from a paid coach or class to a casual chat with a friend.

 

Masterminds have become a bit of a trend in the entrepreneurial world. Yahoo! I’m wholly in favor of any support system that helps biz owners do more of what they (we!) do best.

 

In episode 11 of Authentic Success, I have a quick chat with fellow biz owner Stacey Marolf with StudioOfDance.com. We clicked at World Domination Summit this year and started a mastermind group with 2 other women.

 

Stacey and I have each been in other masterminds. We share our perspectives on them and also discuss other forms of support that keep our big picture intentions in sight and our businesses moving in the right direction.

The scene: Burningman, the radical self expression festival that converges in an empty expanse of Nevada each year. In this episode of the Authentic Success podcast, I share 3 guiding principles + real world experience of putting them into action.

 

I spell out the concrete takeaways so you can:

 

• feel more momentum in your life and biz,

• appreciate sparks of inspiration when they arise,

• structure your day for accomplishment,

• understand your work/life needs so you are happy with results, and

• eliminate doubts that stall your progress.

 

When everything your life is centered around is absent, how will you respond? When there is absolutely nothing on your ToDo List, what will you do?

 

You really get to see the effects of this kind of experiment when all “everyday” routines, habits, structures, and tech toys are absent--left behind in the “default world.”

 

The main goal (for me, for you, for any Natural Professional) was to organize my energy around being happy, healthy, and whole. This kind of mindful awareness takes practice, and really, just remembering to come back to it once a day can be a success!

 

Guess what? In the 6 years I’ve been going to Burningman, this was one of the best years ever thanks to keeping these simple personal energy management principles in mind.

 

It was powerful to see the impact of these strategies outside of my regular life where sometimes it’s hard to discern the specific effect of these principles from all the other influences.

You don’t have to trek to the Nevada desert to try a new way of living and being. I hope these 3 takeaways inspire you to make some change in your life so it’s easier, more fluid, and even—in the spirit of Burningman—a little more magical.

Shea Smith, owner and founder of HAALo, a successful herb shop and alternative healing hub in Nevada City, California, didn’t start out wanting to be a business owner.

She identified a need in the community, and through conversations, networking, and guiding intuition, HAALo began to unfold. HAALo is a true grass roots, community effort that started with no initial seed money, no loans—and it has remained debt-free while continually growing.

In her conversation with Authentic Success podcast host Shawn Tuttle, Shea shares how deep spiritual learning and growth can happen anywhere, even at 30,000 feet delivering drinks and pillows as she did for more than two decades as an airline stewardess. Their conversation also includes:

• creating a culture of service in your life and business
• the power of story for learning and teaching
• building a business and making decisions guided by intuition
• having mentors and establishing yourself as a resource by being a mentor
• cultivating fertile growth for your own business while helping others do the same (Shea’s Win-Win M.O.)

Shea’s stories of creative problem solving as she stepped into her own power of business ownership are truly “think outside the box” examples. She’s had meetings in fields with farmers, pruning shears in hand to help harvest, and rented out part of a shop for housing.

Listen in for more inspiring examples that will turn “I can’t” thinking into a powerful entrepreneurial brainstorming session so you can bring your gifts to the world and do what you do best.

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Show note links for HAALo:

• Website and blog: HAALo
• Youtube channel: HAALo Herb Shoppe
• Facebook Follow: HAALo Nevada City

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Music credits:

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

• café connection by morgantj
• Reverie (small theme) by _ghost
• Ave by Alex
• Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba
• Like A Sycamore by snowflake

Dan Portnoy is a marketing “fixer.” Mostly, though not exclusively, applying his skills to the non-profit world, he’s the one you turn to when your plane’s going down—meaning your ad campaign is failing or a launch fell flat.

He’s an expert in translating a compelling message into multiple channels of communication—not an easy feat. Over the last decade, he’s honed his skills to become a successful:

• Media and Campaign Strategist
• Speaker
• Trainer and Coach
• Author
• Award Winning Director and Producer

Success for Dan as a creative entrepreneur is rooted in knowing himself, owning and honoring his natural talents, and continuing to expand his repertoire of skills. And having coffee in the house.

 

In this episode of the Authentic Success podcast, host Shawn Tuttle talks with Dan about the cyclical nature of creativity and:

• How asking What’s next? impacts your marketing messages and can change your personal energy if you’re in a lull.
• How learning is critical for inspiration and forward movement.
• How the power of story can turn negative to positive.
• How to survive the lows in the cyclical nature of creativity.
• How he plays to his own strengths and protects his creative time fiercely.

He also shares how he was able to write his first book quickly after several tortured months trying to mimic Ernest Hemingway’s M.O. and virtually chaining himself to a desk.

Oh, and don’t forget the coffee.

Enjoy this high-energy conversation that took place during the World Domination Summit 2014.

Have you checked a lot of things off your ToDo list, but your guilt and frustration levels are in the red zone because you’re not getting around to your Creative Work? In this episode of the Authentic Success podcast, it’s just me and you, my friends. I introduce the idea of Energy Management and explain […]

Maxima Kahn is an accomplished Creative and “Ambassador of play.” Inviting wonder, curiosity, imagination, and cooperation, Max encourages us to venture beyond the ego to open channels of creativity. In this episode, Maxima Kahn reveals her 3 P’s which are the key to inspiration and getting in the flow–inviting more moments of deep engagement where […]

Are the desires to be a successful entrepreneur at odds with yogic principles? Or are there ways to redefine success and run business in a new way? Mandy Lucchese founded KinFolk Yoga in Grass Valley, California as a hub for health and happiness. Whether running the studio or teaching a yoga class, Mandy consistently shows […]

Award-winning Molly Fisk has a unique insight into the journey as a creative entrepreneur. Her own entrepreneurial spirit has led her from sweater designer to banker, poet, teacher, radio commentator and now Skills for Change Life Coach. Listen in as she and host Shawn Tuttle talk about: marketing authenticity, building an online community, and setting […]