Package Your Genius Personal Branding Podcast

PYG 148: What would happen if you gave yourself more credit?

For high achievers, it's common for us to become immune to our accomplishments. Before the triumph of a win has settled in, we're on to the next.
After jumping a major hurdle, we've already mentally raised the bar again before our feet even touch the ground.
The danger is that doing this creates a diminished and completely false self-image. We're BOSSES in the world, yet when we diminish our accomplishments we begin to mentally see ourselves as ordinary people who have yet to do big things. But in actuality, we've done a lot more than we give ourselves credit for.
What would happen if you gave yourself more credit?
How would things be different?
How might you see yourself?
What might you have the courage to do?
Who might you have the confidence to approach?
What rooms would you be willing to walk into?
What clients would you have the gall to pitch?
It's taken me years to learn this life-changing lesson: Just because an accomplishment has become your norm, doesn't make it normal.
Just because you've crossed a hurdle multiple times doesn't make it less of a hurdle to cross. It still counts.
So stop to acknowledge what it took for you to get here. You have my permission to brag. And let's leave downplaying our accomplishments in 2019.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
I'm hosting a free virtual brand planning party on Sunday, December 29 at 7 pm ET. To join me, register now on Crowdcast.
The Brand with Purpose 12-Month Personal Branding Planner is now available as a  print book or a digital download! Use this full-color planner as your thought partner to help you think through your speaking engagements, media outreach, podcast episodes, social media content and revenue generation on a monthly and quarterly basis.  Order your planner
I'm hosting another session of the Brand with Purpose Planning Intensive over a few evenings in January. If you're interested in working with me and a small group of high achievers to make some decisions, i.e. what you'll create, what topics you'll pitch, and what you'll promote to sell and at which price point next year, e-mail us at hello (at) packageyourgeniusacademy (dot) com to learn more and request the invitation. 

PYG 147: Perfectionism is costing you the gift of PRACTICE

I don't know about you, but I've never gotten really good at something without a ton of practice.
And yet, when we get caught up in our perfectionism, we rob ourselves of the valuable practice that would make whatever we're contemplating, well, perfect.
When we don't put ourselves out there, we miss out on the practice of
sharing our ideas clearly
having sales conversations
powerfully articulating our value
improving our timing and presence
understanding what our audience wants
getting comfortable doing uncomfortable things.
Best-selling books don't magically appear. They take weeks, months, and sometimes even years of writing, refining and marketing before they reach that status.
World-class speakers all typically have a speaking horror story or two in their back pocket.
Even when you look at the best podcasters and Youtubers who garner millions of downloads and views, most started with bad lighting, unprofessional audio. But they were up to the task of practicing to become the best version of themselves.
Don't let your perfectionism rob you of the gift of practice.
When you show up, and keep showing up, you give yourself the opportunity to refine what you have. 
And if you're truly a perfectionist, you already know - practice makes perfect.

PYG 146: The case for IMPERFECT ACTION

You don't need a perfect blueprint to lay the first stone.
And yet, as high achievers, many of us would rather wait until we have the most failproof plans before taking the smallest action.
But action, no matter how imperfect, will refine even our best plans.
I learned this (again) recently when I decided to make a pivot. I went from hosting a one-day virtual event to hosting a one-month evening intensive after thinking through the needs of my academy alumni.
But in this mindful pivot, I uncovered how I could feed two birds with one seed and my new book - The Brand with Purpose Planner - was born!
So in this case, taking imperfect action not only led me to a BETTER course of action, but it also created the residual effect of giving me the impetus to produce a book product that has been on my brand vision board list for years!
Talk about a serious ROI on taking imperfect action.
What have you been smothering with the expectations of perfection? 
What ideas have you let simmer and go cold on the back burner for too long because you're waiting for the most perfect conditions?
Here's a thought - doing the thing, even imperfectly, may create a pathway for a result that you're not even conscious of.
Acting always creates momentum. And you can always pivot, edit, or update your first draft.
But you need a first draft.
So start.
 
***
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Brand with Purpose 12-Month Personal Branding Planner is now available on Amazon! Use this full-color planner as your thought partner to help you think through your speaking engagements, media outreach, podcast episodes, social media content and revenue generation on a monthly and quarterly basis.  Order your planner
I'm hosting another session of the Brand with Purpose Planning Intensive over a few evenings in January. If you're interested in working with me and a small group of high achievers to make some decisions, i.e. what you'll create, what topics you'll pitch, and what you'll promote to sell and at which price point next year, e-mail us at info (at) amandamillerlittlejohn (dot) com to learn more and request the invitation. 

PYG 145: Are you being obedient to the call of your path?

If you're anything like me, you've probably had a zillion ideas that somehow 'magically' dropped into your spirit - things you somehow knew you were supposed to be doing, or chances you new you were supposed to be taking, but you couldn't explain how you knew exactly what you knew.
You may call it intuition, your inner knowing, God or the Holy Spirit. Whatever you call it, you know when you've gotten a direct download.
But acting on those downloads is another thing all together. 
I've received clear downloads for years, but I haven't always been obedient about taking them and acting on them.
But last year when I decided to be obedient to one specific download, I realized that all along, my obedience had been the key to unlock a level I didn't even know was there! My obedience produced the missing puzzle piece to a specific goal that had eluded me for years.
To experiment with this concept, ask yourself:
Have you ever acted on a big goal even though you were terrified, and been surprised by the results?
What are you currently procrastinating on doing? 
What is a goal you've wanted to reach for years but just can't seem to unlock?
Could the object of your procrastination potentially unlock the goal you've been able to reach? Could the two possibly be related? 
 
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If you missed Brand with Purpose - my free 5 day challenge to help you plan a brand with intention for the coming year, you can listen to all 5 episodes of the challenge and download the challenge workbook here. The whole series clocks in at right under 60 minutes, and I assure you, it will be the best hour you'll spend all week!  Listen to the challenge episodes >> Brand with Purpose
 

PYG 144: Putting your brand on the calendar

It's The Fifth and Final Day of the Brand with Purpose Challenge!
You can find Day One of the challenge, here and Day Two of the challenge here, and Day Three of the challenge here and Day Four of the challenge here.
Today, we're going to take everything we brainstormed and wrote down in the challenge workbook and use it to map out the month by month calendar for next year.
I've asked you what you will make it a priority to create next year. If you've decided to write your book or launch your conference, now ask yourself when. When is your launch date? When will the event be?
I've asked you what type of visibility you'll go after - from media and podcast interviews to speaking. When will you go after it?
I've asked you what program or service it's time for you to launch. When will you launch that new program or double down on the old?
The key word of today is WHEN.
It's one thing to brainstorm something new to create or launch, but when we don't take the time to decide when exactly it will happen, it's hard to see the things we brainstorm take shape.
But when we start with target dates in mind, we can work backwards from our publication date or event date or launch date, and have a better chance of success.
So when you look at the three main categories we covered during this five-day challenge, what months of the year will you make time for each of those activities?
Put each on the calendar.
 
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Important: If you haven't already, download the challenge workbook and follow the prompts for this day of the challenge.  Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.
 
If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge
 
Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with someone who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

PYG 143: What can you LAUNCH and SELL to generate more revenue next year

It's Day Four of the Brand with Purpose Challenge!
You can find Day One of the challenge, here and Day Two of the challenge here, and Day Three of the challenge here.
Today we're going to think through what we need to launch in the coming year to increase our revenue.
What program or service is it time for you to launch?
What is your existing audience begging you to bring forth?
What have people asked for your help with this year? Does it make sense to create a course or strategy session around it so you can offer it to your wider audience?
If you know you want to make an income leap next year, you can definitely wing it and still earn more, but you probably won't hit your goal revenue or income number if you don't plan.
What $$$ number do you want to reach? What's your plan to reach it?
Whether you're full-time in your business or still report to a 9-5, there are ways to create a revenue stream based on your expertise. You just have to find one that fits your style and schedule. 
But when you think about your goal revenue or income number, does your upcoming program/course/product support that?
For example, if you have a goal to make $10k extra each month next year, and you work full-time, whatever you're selling should probably be in the $2k-$10K range so you can sell and deliver a couple each month while you stay focused on your full-time obligations.
But if you already have an incredible marketing backend set up, or have a product that responds to seasonal promotions and you know you can move hundreds of units each month with little effort, you could offer something cheaper, granted you have the backend marketing system to support it.
It's all about understanding your available time, skills and what your audience needs that you can deliver right now. What makes the most sense for your brand?
When will you launch your next revenue generator?
***
 
Important: If you haven't already, download the challenge workbook and follow the prompts for this day of the challenge.  Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.
 
If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge
 
Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with someone who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

PYG 142: What's your plan to increase your visibility?

It's Day Three of the Brand with Purpose  Challenge!
You can find Day One of the challenge, here and Day Two of the challenge here.
Today we're going to focus on what we need to promote in the coming year to increase our visibility.
What vehicles are you using to promote yourself next year?
What times of the year will you be reaching out to media?
What conferences and events will you apply to speak?
As you've heard me say before, your expertise is likely more relevant at some parts of the year than others. For people in the coaching and transformation space, the New Year is one of the very best times of year to make a splash in the media, or to get people excited about our content.
But for those in the financial space, April around tax time in the U.S. is a strong time to have one's expertise considered for potential speaking engagements and media segments.
It's all about understanding your audience and when they'll be most interested hearing from you. When will they most need the ideas and strategies you have to share? That's when you should plan your visibility outreach.
When will you go after massive visibility?
***
 
Important: If you haven't already, download the challenge workbook and follow the prompts for this day of the challenge.  Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.
 
If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge
 
Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with someone who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

PYG 141: What assets do you need to create to optimize your brand?

It's Day Two of the Brand with Purpose challenge!
If you missed Day One of the challenge, listen to that episode here.
Today we're going to focus on what we need to create in the coming year to optimize our personal brand platforms.
What you are going to add to your platform?
What can you evolve? 
To give you some examples from my own brand platform, in 2016 I launched the first iteration of Package Your Genius Academy group program, and it has become an anchor program in my business.
But in 2014, I launched an information product called The Branding Box that paved the way for Package Your Genius Academy and formed the basis of the curriculum I would eventually teach.
More recently, in 2018 I published the book Package Your Genius: 5 Steps to Build Your Most Powerful Personal Brand. The book has also become a pivotal piece of my brand platform as it has helped me reach new students for the academy, and attracted new paid speaking invitations.
The point is, you don't want to create for creation's sake: you want to create the brand asset that will make the most sense for your brand right now.
What asset will help you compound the revenue of another program/service, or unlock even more opportunities?
 
***
Important: Download the challenge workbook so you think through this on paper. Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.
 
If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge
 
Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with someone who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

PYG 140: Your brand needs an intentional plan for 2020

I’ve done some fun daily challenges on my podcast this year - in June and October I podcasted every day of the month.  
As we approach a new year and decade, I wanted to do another daily challenge, but I wanted to do it with you. 
For this podcast challenge, I’ve carved out time for us to work together over 5 days to accomplish one big goal: map out our plan for 2020.
Welcome to the 5 day Brand With Purpose Challenge!
Eek! 
I’m so excited!
The mission of Brand with Purpose is simple: it’s a chance to be intentional about how we approach our platform, visibility and revenue in 2020. 
No more winging it and hoping for the best.  
Here’s a little preview of what’s in store over the next five days:
Day One: We're kicking off the challenge by looking back. Where have you been winning in 2019? Where can you build on that momentum in the coming year?
Day Two: Next, we’ll put a heightened focus on what you are going to do to add to or evolve your brand platform. Is it time to launch a program or write your book? We’ll explore!
Day Three: Then we’ll do some intentional visibility brainstorming to figure out how you are going to be spreading the word about your platform
Day Four: We’ll follow that up with some tactical planning around growing your revenue
Day Five: Last, we’ll take all we’ve uncovered and I will show you how to put together your basic plan for 2020.
Important: Download the challenge workbook so you can fill out the sheet that corresponds to each day of the challenge. Let’s put this into action, together.
 
Download Your Challenge Workbook HERE.
 
If you follow the challenge online, tag me on social media using #BWPChallenge
 
 
Don’t keep it all to yourself, share this challenge with a friend who needs some intentional personal branding - it’s more fun with friends! 

PYG 139: The #1 question you need to answer if you want to convert more sales

There is a simple mistake I see often with my personal branding clients, and those who are setting out to package their genius. I've even made this mistake myself.
When it's time to finally get paid from our genius, we often start with the question "what can I sell?" instead of thinking in terms of what our potential customers need from us.
While so many people start the brainstorming process here, there's a far more customer-centric way to begin brainstorming products and services that will sell easily.
This simple shift is an easy fix, let me know if you're asking this question when you begin to brainstorm your next program.