• Breaking through barriers
    Attitude,  Challenges,  Clients & Customers,  Coaching,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing

    Chipping Away Your Barriers to Success

    This Week’s Highlights: Core Article: Chipping Away Your Barriers to Success   Cool Stuff: How does the world’s largest cruise ship feed 10k people? AI Info & Resources: What the Media Gets Wrong About AI Chipping Away Your Barriers to Success   What if you were taking a class I offered and were going to get a grade after you completed it? When I started the class, I announced that everyone started with A.  All you needed to do was complete the exercise and what was on the syllabus, and you’d get an A. What possibilities would it open up for you, knowing you got an A before you even started the…

  • Soulful marketing
    AI - ChatGPT,  Clients & Customers,  Communication,  copywriting,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing

    In a world of algorithms, hashtags, and followers…

    So many things have been swirling through my head since I got back from our trip to Jackson, WY.  Being away and realizing my age (as referenced after our snowmobile tour when I was so tired afterward that Alice and I barely made it through my birthday dinner!) has stirred a lot up from my past and things I’d forgotten…  After I got home, I spent the holiday weekend going through some of my old writing and photos in hopes of inspiring me to organize. What I found interesting was how many quotes I had collected over the years. And this was before personal computers, so I either wrote them…

  • Shannon McCaffery
    Attitude,  Challenges,  Clients & Customers,  Entrepreneurs,  Goals,  Mindset,  Motivation

    Aligning Your Work & Life with Your Deepest Values

    Let me tell you a quick story – (Adapted from Melody Beattie’s More Language of Letting Go.) Two monks were walking along the sidewalk during a heavy rainstorm. They came across a nicely dressed young woman stranded because she couldn’t cross the street without getting soaked.  One monk, without hesitation, picked her up and carried her over the puddles to the other side of the street. The other monk was furious that he did that. They have a vow of celibacy and not having contact with women. The monk who carried the woman replied: “I left that girl back on the corner. Are you still carrying her?”  At the heart…

  • Soulful Marketing
    Attitude,  Clients & Customers,  Coaching,  Communication,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing

    Authentic Curiosity & The Beginner’s Mind: Embracing A Soulful Marketing Approach

    I want to share with you something that’s more than just a concept. It’s a transformative approach in the marketing world – it’s about embracing authentic curiosity and the beginner’s mind, especially when it comes to Soulful Marketing.  This is about diving into what makes your marketing genuinely resonate and connect with your dream clients on a deeper level. Have you ever attended a workshop or event, and the speaker got up there and started talking about a topic, and your mind immediately shut down and didn’t pay attention to the rest of the presentation? This used to happen to me. The more experience I accrued in marketing, my mind…

  • conneting with clients on a deeper level
    Attitude,  Clients & Customers,  Communication,  copywriting,  Marketing

    Connecting with your dream clients on a deeper level…

    Early on in my career, I had no clue about writing direct response copy. I pretty much just winged it. (Yeah, I know… And I was a journalism major, so I did have some writing experience. 🙂 Then, later on, writing better, more impactful copy became one of my core goals, and I invested in several writing courses and mastermind groups over the years. I wanted to get really good at communicating and reaching my dream clients. If you do nothing else in your business except this, it will be time and money well spent. The main reason is that some core markets are becoming incredibly crowded with competition – you…

  • Attitude,  Clients & Customers,  Entrepreneurs,  Mindset,  Motivation

    Why did you start your business? (Or why are you working where you do?)

    When I first started my business back in 2006, it wasn’t because I wanted to go out on my own. I was incredibly scared and a bit freaked out. I spent all my life in corporate America. In fact, I had been laid off unexpectedly 2 years earlier and failed miserably as an entrepreneur. So I went back to corporate, and honestly, it was ok. Yet, I felt it in my bones, I was definitely not living my life purpose. There came a point when I was just kind of done with being an employee. So, when they laid me off in 2006, I knew I had to make a choice.…

  • Clients & Customers,  Marketing

    How picking the best strawberries could boost your business :-)

    Have you ever been shopping for fresh berries at the grocery store? The other day, while picking out some strawberries in the huge fruit section at Costco, I noticed the fascinating decision-making process of fellow berry enthusiasts. As I stood there, engrossed in the fruity frenzy, I couldn’t help but notice the thoughtful deliberation each person displayed. No one simply grabbed the first container they saw. It was like witnessing a secret ritual of strawberry selection. My Curiosity was piqued, and I began to think, “What criteria do these people use to determine which container is the perfect one that will go home with them?” After all, there’s more to it than just…

  • Clients & Customers,  Implementation,  Marketing

    Case Study – REI – How they use Soulful Marketing Principles

    I’m excited to dive into a more extensive case study with you. We’re going to explore some core principles of Soulful Marketing, and how it has created immense success into some well known niche brands. My hope is that it will spark some creative ideas on how you can weave these principles into your own business. Let’s take a look at one of my favorite stores/brands – REI. Alice and I have been to most of them in Northern CA and Oregon! We plan on camping later this year and had to stock up on some stuff. That’s why I decided they’d be a terrific case study. Before I share…

  • Clients & Customers

    Got A Question? Need Some Guidance?

    What I’ve learned over the many years in business working with clients is that they always come to me with something specific that they need help with. It’s usually something like – All of these issues above have one thing in common – They all need guidance on one project or one tactic. In my experience, I’ve found something very interesting when an entrepreneur comes to me for help with one thing — nine times out of ten; it’s not just the one thing they need help with. Or the one thing will entail lots of other things that need to be done… That’s why I always ask more questions on our…

  • Marketing Lessons I Learned from Nike
    Attitude,  Challenges,  Clients & Customers,  Communication,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing,  Prospects,  Questions

    Is your business like Nike? Lessons from an athletic shoe company

    Last week, I shared about how your business changes over the years and how that change will impact your dream clients/customers. My core message was to ensure you connect with your power dream clients/customers and interview or give them a survey so you can take into account their needs before you implement your changes. This week, I promised to share some interesting insights from Nike (and the athletic shoe industry) – focusing on sales from a unique perspective. And how these insights can help your business. My spouse, during her college years, supported herself by working part-time at Athlete’s Foot. She was one of their top salespeople. She knows running and athletic…

  • change is inevitable
    Challenges,  Clients & Customers,  Dog Marketing,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing,  Product Creation,  Product Launches,  Questions

    Change is Inevitable

    When I worked in Corporate America in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I had an amazing executive coach who I worked with for ten years. One of the things we focused on was how to deal with change, cuz at that point, I was dealing with at least two layoffs in three years. I often joked that I’d become a professional interviewer. The one quote that always stuck in my head about that time frame was, “Change is inevitable.” This is true, not just for your personal life. This is also true for your business. I guarantee over the course of your business. It will morph and change as you…

  • Soulful Marketing Concepts
    Challenges,  Clients & Customers,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing,  Questions

    Marketing lessons from a popular weigh loss app

    I love looking at popular brands and then breaking down their online dream client experience to see how it works. Yeah, I’m kind of geeky like that. The fascination is not just about the how. It’s also about the who, the what, and the why too. My recent experience is with a brand you may know of – Noom. In this blog post, I want to share with you some of my discoveries about their dream client experience and how it can help you in your business. I’ve had many friends and colleagues who have raved about Noom for losing weight. I remember checking it out a while back and getting…

  • Clients & Customers,  Communication,  copywriting,  Marketing,  Website

    Your Words Matter – How to easily attract your dream clients

    That’s why it’s more important than ever that what you write, and share emits your personality, vision, and values and ultimately connects with your dream clients. It’s about creating a powerful connection with your dream clients based on you being you - your most authentic and transparent self. Love this quote by Oscar Wilde that definitely rings true - “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

  • Challenges,  Clients & Customers,  Communication,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing

    The psychology behind getting you to buy stuff…

    I’m constantly curious about what tactics companies use to get me to buy their stuff. And believe me; there are some that do some very interesting manipulative maneuvers… So what exactly is the “Psychology behind getting you to buy stuff?” As you may know – people buy on emotion, then they rationalize their purchase afterward. Or they feel remorse and may end up returning it. Either way, there is a process that’s baked in psychology that fuels the sale. It’s about companies using hype language, browbeating you with fear, deadlines, discount popups, and flashing buy now buttons on their sites, or you will lose out on the deal of a lifetime.…

  • Challenges,  Clients & Customers,  Entrepreneurs,  Marketing,  Outcome,  Product Launches

    The launch that simply wasn’t

    Have you ever launched a course, product, or service and felt like you worked your tail off, and then the big day came……and it was crickets? A few trickles of sales came in, yet overall, it was a bit of a disappointment. Well, this happens way more than you think. The reality is there are SO MANY VARIABLES you have to get right to create a significant amount of sales for a launch. Most experts don’t tell you that you’re more than likely to bomb on your first and even second launch. This is why, as a soulful marketer, I always want to be honest and give the truth about what…