045: Creating Content with Shannon Crow
Shannon is going solo today to share with you something that she is incredibly passionate about- content creation. Content creation includes Facebook and Instagram posts, newsletters and websites and even books. It allows your ideal client to get to know you and the services you offer.
As an entrepreneur, Shannon has learned much about content creation through trial and error. She understands how difficult to know where to start. As a yoga business consultant, she has worked with many yoga teachers looking to grow their businesses and has learned much about what has held them back. Shannon has found that many get stuck in the process of creating and/or sharing their content so if this sounds like you, just know you are not alone.
Having worked with Shannon I can attest to her love of content creation and her knowledge of many social media platforms. Her intense curiosity keeps her informed of any emerging content platforms as well which lends itself to another passion of hers- sharing her knowledge with others. This episode is packed with information and inspiration to help you get started on creating your own content.
6:05 Content creation didn’t always come easily for Shannon- was often scrambling
6:55 Content creation became a Monday Morning Task
What is content? It’s anything you are creating such as text, audio, or video or even a combination of the three. 2 examples of content: 1) A post on your Facebook page, perhaps you add an image 2) A book is an example of content created over a long period of time, even years.
8:25 When you feel stuck
Some of the common reasons you feel blocked:
- Not feeling like enough of an expert
- Everything has been done before
- New technology needed to share like a mic for creating a video
- Time for creating content- feeling like your schedule is packed planning classes, other part-time or full-time jobs and family
- New to this (teaching and/or marketing) and not sure where to begin
- Wanting things to be better or perfect before sharing - a lot of fear around creating videos and sharing images
- No defined niche- harder to create posts without a strong point-of-view, they may feel like they don’t reflect your work
- Afraid to put your opinions / photos / video / writing out there - a fear that what you share will be picked apart
- Not sure which platform is best - at a standstill with indecision, or attempting to post on as many as you can when starting with one and doing it well
- Looking for an immediate reaction from a post- posting an article you have been working on and barely anyone likes it or looks at it can be discouraging
14:55 Five Keys of Content Creation:
15:05 1. Consistency
Some examples of consistent content are a weekly podcast, Facebook posts that you can schedule, monthly or weekly newsletters. People count on it and are reminded of you and your offering. Make space for content creation- perhaps Monday Morning
16:40 2. What is the goal of your content?
Increase your email list? Get students to attend your class? Why are you sharing content? This key is often skipped, but it is the one that will give your content focus.
18:55 3. Quality content -- what content do you gravitate towards? I love useful information and actionable steps
21:20 Shawn’s 5 Content Tips
- Come up with a plan
- Don’t get stuck on one type of content
- Focus on quality over quantity
- Work with your interests and skills
- Add some randomness to your content
23:20 4a. Create Content
Writer’s block? Write down your ideas in one place - mind map, scribble, draw it out - you will be surprised when you are working paper to pen how the brain will come up with different ideas. Ask where and when you write best.
24:20 Ideas for Content
- Your offerings
- Your calendar / schedule
- Resources e.g. books, music, props, quotes, any content that you are taking in
- Holidays & themes e.g. candlelight winter solstice yoga
- Write authentically your experience as a student
- Your experience as a yoga teacher or your personal story, written or video form for example
- Self-care share
- Your space where you teach or practice
- Yoga e.g. poses, pranayama, meditation, mantra, mudra through video, audio, photos or info
- Recipes e.g. yogi tea
- Curate content that has resonated with you e.g. books, articles written by others
31:10 4b. Call to Action
Are you asking people to do something? If so is it all the time? Aim for 20% of the time
80 / 20 rule -Amanda Bond talked to us about this on TCYT 031: Facebook Marketing for Teachers. For every 5 posts on social media have 1 call to action so you’re not asking people to sign up for your class on every post and providing great content gives them a chance to get to know you
33:35 5. Schedule, Share and Repurpose Your Content
On your own platform or take an article on website and share on an online publication, make sure to check rules but can often share articles from other sites. Build up a bank- have the option of re-posting depending on the platform.
36:40 5 Keys to Content Creation re-cap
37:20 5 Day Content Creation Challenge
38:15 An actionable step you can take today to begin creating content
Write down 5 ideas for content creation and share one
Links
The Connected Yoga Facebook Group Thread: "To those who are not full-time yoga instructors, what is your other job?"
The Connected Yoga Teacher 5-Day Content Creation Challenge
Define Your Yoga Niche: An Online Workshop for Yoga Teachers
The Connected Teacher Facebook Group
Follow The Connected Teacher on Youtube
Book a Consultation Call with Shannon
Mama Nurture Teacher Training (RPYT)
Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity
Accounting for Yoga Teachers with Hannah Smolinski
In part 4 of our 4-part Money Mini-series, we get accounting advice from Hannah Smolinski. Hannah and Shannon discuss accounting software, the difference between a bookkeeper, accountant and CFO, which expenses are deductible and much more to help you feel confident about the money side of your business.
Hannah has had an entrepreneurial spirit since grade school when she set up her first business making friendship bracelets. She loved counting her money, coming up with business strategies and even considering supply and demand.
So, it was no surprise she ended up working with numbers. Hannah studied accounting in her undergraduate studies and moved on to receive her Masters in Accounting at the University of Washington, followed by her CPA licence. After working in her field as an auditor and a chief financial officer of a small business, she felt the need to help people build their businesses up. Hannah decided to start her own business; BrightenUp Financial, a company that specializes in small business accounting and finance management.
As a takeaway from the Money Mini-Series, we hope tackling your money-related issues seems less overwhelming. When broken down into small steps financial mastery is within your grasp.
7:00 Hannah's journey into accounting and small business financial consulting
11:10 Accounting software recommendations
14:00 Difference between accountant, bookkeeper and a CPA
15:30 When to hire a bookkeeper
17:45 Having a business bank account is a must
20:30 What expenses are tax deductible?
36:35 What statement gives us a good idea of how our business is doing? Look your profit and loss statement and the difference between profit and revenue.
38:55 You can increase your profit in 2 ways- increase revenue or decrease your expenses
39:55 Keeping track of taxes you owe- ask for help from bookkeeper or accountant, or use an Estimated Tax form so you don’t end up having to pay more taxes than you can afford at the end of the year
43:00 Monthly check-in for your business
44:20 Cost of goods sold
48:40 How to work with Hannah
49:25 Shannon’s closing thoughts
Expenses you can usually write-off on your taxes :
- Yoga teacher training and other courses related to your business
- books
- music
- props
- marketing
- software
- office supplies
- custom labour (cleaner, accountant) - if specific to business
- meals & entertainment
- insurance
- rent
Check with your tax professional about:
- home studio
- utilities
- mileage & fuel
- auto expense
- cell phone
- computer - listed as a business asset
- gifts - check limit
Links
Accounting Software:
For the US: IRS Estimated Tax for Individual
Hannah's Website: BrightenUp Financial
Brighten Up Financial on Facebook
Resources from Brighten Up Financial -e-book, articles, links to helpful tools
Other Money Mini-Series Episodes:
041: Generating Profit with Natalie Eckdahl
042: Money Mindset with Geraldine Carter
043: Minimum Viable Income with Steph Crowder
The Connected Teacher Facebook Group
Follow The Connected Teacher on Youtube
Book a Consultation Call with Shannon
Mama Nurture Teacher Training (RPYT)
Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity
Have you thought about teaching yoga full-time but fear making ends meet? Steph Crowder, the Head of Member Success at Fizzle.co has created actionable steps to make possible what may seem like an impossible goal.
Fizzle is a community for creatives, makers and entrepreneurs. Steph began as a member and loved the platform so much she envisioned a role for herself within the company. She applied for a small job and worked her way up to her full-time position.
Steph also hosts the Courage and Clarity Podcast and co-hosts The Fizzle Show which allows her to share her passion for helping entrepreneurs reach their potential in an otherwise often solitary pursuit.
Steph shares with us the importance of calculating your Minimal Viable Income (or MVI) which is the minimum you need to make, per month, to make ends meet. If while building your business you can earn this number there’s a good chance you can transition from your primary job to teaching yoga full-time.
When Steph isn’t helping people pursue their business goals, she’s hanging out with her husband and one-year-old-daughter, sipping wine and decorating her new home in Louisville, Kentucky.
7:40 How Steph got started on her entrepreneurial journey
11:55 What is Minimal Viable Income?
14:15 Your MVI is highly individualized and is dictated by numerous variables
18:50 When can I teach yoga full time?
20:00 The power of having a number for your Minimal Viable Income
20:35 Actionable steps to determine your Minimal Viable Income:
1 Fixed and Variable Expenses- determining the difference between your fixed expenses like rent, mortgage, car insurance, etc. and variable expenses that are based on habits like entertainment, clothes, groceries
23:00 2 Trimming the Fat- looking at the numbers and where you can reduce, challenging yourself on the expenses
25:35 3 Getting Creative- go further and ask yourself the question like: do you need 2 cars, can you change your living situation, etc. - means to an end, changes aren’t forever
29:15 4 Do the Math
- Do you have a cushion of savings
- Business archetypes -different ways you can bring in income
- Making a game plan to get the work you need to reach your MVI
34:15 4 strategies to consider if you need to hit your MVI quickly:
- Consider 1:1 work
- Hit your networks hard
- Always ask for referrals
- Consider a second source of income
40:30 Does the MVI apply to those working full-time teaching yoga and feel like they’re not making ends meet?
43:20 How to contact Steph
44:30 Shannon’s closing thoughts
Links
Steph’s email: steph@fizzle.co
Steph's Website: Courage and Clarity- Fizzle to sign up for 5-week free trial
Free PDF from Steph: How to Afford an Entrepreneurial Lifestyle: A Comprehensive Guide to Minimum Viable Income
Courage and Clarity on Facebook
The Connected Teacher Facebook Group
Follow The Connected Teacher on Youtube
Book a Consultation Call with Shannon
Mama Nurture Teacher Training (RPYT)
Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity
042: Money Mindset with Geraldine Carter
Money Mini-Series Part 2 of 4
On part 2 of our 4-part Money Mindset Mini-series, Business Coach Geraldine Carter, founder of Focused Business Coaching, asks you to reflect to uncover your “money story”. Your money story comprises of messages you were given about money growing up, the emotions that arise when working through your finances, your comfort level around setting rates and much more.
Your story can manifest itself as money hang-ups such as avoiding financial matters, being paralyzed by anxiety when making business decisions, or believing that you’re unworthy of being paid for your services.
Geraldine Carter thrives on supporting entrepreneurs who are driven to make a positive change in the world while making a living. Geraldine has had first-hand experience as the co-founder of Climate Ride a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that organizes life-changing charitable events to raise awareness and support sustainability, active transportation, and environmental causes.
After travelling extensively and noticing the effect climate change has had on so many beautiful places around the world, Geraldine and her friend decided to create cycling events that bring awareness to climate change while raising money for charitable organizations. Climate Ride has grown to support 15 events around the world and is set to donate $750,000 to environmental and sustainable non-profits.
Geraldine breaks down the most important steps and tools needed to create a viable business. She emphasizes that it can be done simply so you are spending less time doing the books and more time doing what you love.
6:10 Geraldine’s relationship to yoga
8:30 Where do we begin addressing our money mindset hangups?
9:00 Notice your behaviours (often avoidance techniques) around money to find your “money story”
11:10 When it’s a good idea to hire someone to take care of your business finances
12:05 What should we be tracking when it comes to our bookkeeping? E.g. income, expenses, rates as they go up, how much it costs to put together workshops, etc.
12:55 Keep track of your time and energy- track how much energy you expend on various activities per hour- like creating workshops, teaching classes (including planning and travel time) to discover which activities have the highest value
15:45 Anxiety bubble around money is very common, it’s temporary and will decrease as you learn and use money management tools
16:20 How can you make your business more profitable? -start keeping track, being in service and being profitable- not either or. “You can be in service AND profitable. In fact, the more profitable you are the more you can be of service.”
18:00 How often should we be tracking our transactions?
19:20 Shannon shares her money mindset hangup and how she’s working on it
21:25 Almost everyone Geraldine has helped move through their anxiety around money has found that avoidance was much more painful than tackling the issue.
22:10 What keeps people from working dealing with their finances and how it interferes with your business growth
24:00 Setting your rates as a yoga teacher
25:50 Being conscious of giving free classes or lesser rates- is it a good idea?
28:20 Healthier ways to help those in need such as fundraising for karma passes, one-off scholarships, payment plans
30:15 Geraldine’s favourite tracking programs depending on volume: Excel (good for businesses starting out), Freshbooks, Quickbooks
32:15 Geraldine uses Apple Pages in PDF for invoicing “The simpler the better” Other options: Wave, Harvest, Quickbooks and many tracking programs also have an invoicing feature
33:00 MVP (Minimum Viable Product)- keep the bookkeeping and administration as simple as possible, you want to spend the least amount of time on this aspect, your service is what’s most important
35:00 Best way to help people with money mindset- programs (group or one-on-one) to help you stick with the process and breakthrough
36:00 Geraldine’s online and in-person course- next session in February 2018
36:25 How Geraldine got into this line of work
37:20 Geraldine’s work with Climate Ride was mentioned in Seth Godin’s Ted Talk
41:30 Shannon’s closing thoughts
Links
Geraldine's Web page- Focused Business Coaching
Course: Ditch Your Money Hang-ups with Geraldine Carter
Focused Business Coaching on Facebook
YouTube Video: Ted Talk: The Tribes We Lead- Seth Godin
The Connected Teacher Facebook Group
Follow The Connected Teacher on Youtube
Book a Consultation Call with Shannon
Mama Nurture Teacher Training (RPYT)
Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity
Natalie Eckdahl, MBA, has been a guide, supporter and cheerleader for Shannon on her journey to create The Connected Yoga Teacher podcast. Shannon hired Natalie for her services as a business coach, feeling she could use some expert advice along with an accountability partner. This helped Shannon immensely when taking on her vision to build a platform for yoga teachers.
Natalie is a business coach, professional facilitator, keynote speaker and host of the Biz Chix Podcast which iTunes featured as a top New Business Podcast in March 2014. She has over 20 years of business experience and works with female entrepreneurs to build their businesses through money mindset and social media strategies, all while recognizing her clients’ family and individual goals.
This year Natalie successfully created and ran a Biz Chix Live Event, a 3-day Leadership Training for Women Entrepreneurs and has another set to run next November 2018.
If you struggle with charging for your services as a yoga teacher you are not alone. On this episode Natalie and Shannon discuss the importance of finding your niche, defining your services a charity, hobby or business and charging clients for your services accordingly with confidence. Also covered is the concept of “passive” and “active” income along with the pros and cons of both business styles and many more nuggets of wisdom.
06:10 Is your business a charity, a hobby or a business- all are valid but intention should be clear
10:05 Feeling conflicted about charging yoga students for a spiritual, healing practice
11:10 Offerings you don’t have to charge for (articles, podcasts, etc.) are great but don’t need to do that in order to justify charging clients- your competence justifies charging for your services
12:10 Take a moment to revisit childhood messages about money, confront them, do you still agree with messages? Maybe agreeing with them without conscious thought and it may be shaping your business
13:40 Challenging the idea of “passive income” (online videos, books, etc.) as a gold mine versus what Natalie calls “active income” (consultation work, teaching yoga classes, etc.)
21:05 The fear around finding your yoga niche and the benefits of doing so
23:50 Shannon’s niching down process
24:45 Creating a niche isn’t about excluding others
25:45 Natalie’s niching down process
28:50 Adjusting your brand to your newfound niche- Natalie calls our worry around this “The Spotlight Effect”
33:00 It’s okay not to serve everyone, specializing helps attract clients
35:30 Naming and marketing your classes to attract the clients you are seeking to serve
39:15 Niching down allows your network (friends and family, business associates, etc.) know who they can refer to you
39:55 Natalie’s top money mindset advice for small business owners- open a business bank account, get a bookkeeper, and more to build confidence as a business owner
45:05 How to get connect with Natalie
46:50 Shannon’s closing thoughts
Links
Podcast: Biz Chix 216: Small Business Reality- Is this a Business, Hobby or Charity?
Podcast: The Connected Yoga Teacher 005: Setting and Achieving Big Goals with Natalie Eckdahl
The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook Group
Follow The Connected Teacher on Youtube
Book a Consultation Call with Shannon