A Lifetime of Gathering

The hero’s journey is a lifetime of gathering stories. It’s an eon of experiencing life and learning to understand what part you play in the great big universe. And the telling or sharing is not the same when you’re at the dinner table or when you’re in front of client prospects.

Your story, the one you are telling your prospects and clients, needs to reflect the needs of those prospects and clients. In this instance, the story is not about you, it’s about them.

How can that be? you’re asking. Isn’t it my story?

Yes, it surely is you. But, the nuances and colors and whispers must fulfill a promise - that promise is the story of HOW and WHY you became the woman you are - the woman who has the solution to their problems. The woman with all the answers. The woman who saw a need, their need, and created a place to serve that need.

Nurturing Big Ideas came to be as a result of meeting and talking with women who wanted to make money selling products or services they created.

Simple and sweet.

The problem was - most of them didn’t know how to go about that. They were creating amazing product but they had never tried to actively, purposely sell their wares before. Their efforts, especially online, were admirable but not getting them the attention they craved.

I heard a lot of stories, over the months of meeting so many of these women. I was and am astonished at the level of talent these women showed me. They were magic, each and every one. Magical in mysterious ways, with design and color and flow and shapes and song and dance, and even with words.

One and all, these women were thrilled to have someone recognize their magic. What do we do with it? they said.

You sell it, I said.

Mind you, some of these women are looking only to supplement a monthly income. They’re on social security and they have time to take their talents in jewelry making, cake decorating, sewing, knitting, and a myriad of other crafts to the next level; selling to others.

Others are professionals or stay-at-home Moms whose kids are all in school now. These women want to develop a business that will showcase them, their expertise, their talent, and also add a few dollars to the monthly bank balance.

The difference is - the first set of women are not out to become moguls. Just successful in their local community.

The second set wants to build something lasting, something she can turn her attention to full-time, and then build into a true small business.

The Story of Me?

Each and every one of these women were asking for help getting over the rocks and stumbling blocks. Help figuring out a business plan, or a way forward. These are women who want to know more about selling online. Women who want to create their magic, and work with a mentor to get her to that next level. Because she knows she cannot get their by herself.

The story of me, then, becomes one of how I can mentor them. How my struggle and my set backs and my tears, of which there are many, led me to understand them and show them I’ve lived in their skin..

It’s a story of how I made a success of three businesses, and how within those three businesses I became someone worth listening to.

In the end, the story is not about me, or you, our my brand, your brand. It’s about how we brought our brands to life and how our products solve problems; how our solutions will make life better.

BTW, in the story of me, I sort of fell into my pet influencer business. It happened because I had put a good many ducks in a row, and one day I met someone who said, “let’s do this” and we did it.

Our hero’s journey, our BlogPaws journey, brought us to the world of amazing pet bloggers ; hundreds of women and not a few men, who wanted to learn how to build influence in their world of pets.

We saw them as the hero’s in our story.

We saw them as the mavens they were (and are).

We saw them as an opportunity to give back to the animals who were and are near and dear to our hearts.

The problem was: the pet bloggers wanted to meet brands, work with brands, and grow their pet businesses, their blogging businesses, but their efforts so far had failed. We decided to collaborate with them. To teach and support them.

We created BlogPaws and launched a national conference, almost overnight.

Our conferences brought in the right teachers (yes, we taught the bloggers, also, but I admit I don’t know everything; having conferences where experts came to give sessions was the best thing we could have done for the pet bloggers!). Our conference attracted all the major pet brands. Our conferences gave the pet bloggers a voice in the universe they had created out of a passion for their pets.

Our conferences taught them, and us, how bringing people together face-to-face was more powerful than any social media campaign created!

I don’t strive to fulfill a need for new shoes, or a new car, or a new house.

I strive to give back to women who are ready to change their world. Because when they do, they will change everyone’s world around them. Including mine. How do I know that? I lived it with BlogPaws.

Tell the story of how your big idea led you to become who you are, where you are. Talk about the people who guided you. Talk about the why and the what of the story: why are you doing it? What will it accomplish for your clients and your community? How will it make them FEEL? Oh, yeah, a feel good story wins every time!

And dare to win. Dare to take that big idea to its next level and win the golden ticket.

Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win.

~ Bernadette Devlin Irish civil rights leader

Here’s to winning.

Here’s to your hero’s journey and how someday you’ll be the topic of conversation when others want to share a really good story of women who turned a big idea into a business they love.

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