Next – Coaching for mompreneurs who are ready to launch their business to the next level. For Real.
I’ll admit — I’m totally enthralled.
I first heard of Caroline Greene from a mutual friend of ours, Ellen. Recently, Ellen and I were talking about mompreneurs – Us. Mompreneurs = moms + entrepreneurs.
Many mompreneurs start their own business to build a career that will allow them to help support their families. Most moms usually initiate a business by doing something that they enjoy (or hope they will), while also having the flexibility that they need. Ellen and I also discussed what happens when mompreneurs need help – who do we go to when we need advice and guidance? Because whomever we seek help from has to get “it” (“it” meaning life as a mompreneur and all that goes along with trying to build something that most others don’t understand, nor do they want to). Life as a mompreneur can be especially difficult when you are attempting to forge unknown territory, while also saving the world from your suburban house with a six ft tall cedar fence and momvan. Maybe it’s black iron, but they aren’t all white picket anymore.
So, who do mompreneurs go to when we need help? A coach! A life and business coach who also understands busy moms! Caroline Greene is precisely that person – a coach for determined moms who are interested in starting their own business.
Fast forward to a little over a month ago, I learned that not only is Caroline a life coach for mompreneurs, but she also attends our church. Finally, I decided that I needed to do it. I needed to find someone to coach me, versus me coaching others. I needed advice, as well as a lot of guidance. And I needed it ASAP!
As I was thinking about the best approach to finding the right person to work with, I suddenly remembered, “Caroline! Ellen said Caroline. I need to call Caroline! She will understand. She will totally get what I do and want to do. And she’s a previous lawyer! Total bonus!”
Ellen was right – I was in need of some serious life-coaching at this point in my life, and she knew it. Right then, I started making my initial appointment through Caroline’s website and as I as about to finish, there were a few questions to answer.
Oh god! I.have.no.idea.what.to.say. Where do I start? I was not prepared for questions……
At that moment, I was a bit too overwhelmed concisely say why I needed help. Frustrated that I had gotten so close to finally reaching out for help, yet still so far away from what I desperately needed, I decided to send Caroline a private message. I thanked her and told her that as soon as I had more time and could think clearly, that I would make my initial appointment. Sometimes, life is so overwhelming and hard to describe; that moment was one of them.
Within a few days, Caroline posted on Facebook about needing people to join the launch team for her new book, Next. Next was about starting a successful business that is right for you and your family – a determined mom’s guide. There could not have been a more perfect, ready-to-be-published book, at that exact moment in time. Reading Next and being part of Caroline’s launch team was what I needed. Quickly, I sent Caroline another private message requesting to be on her launch team. Done and done!
Considering I published my book last year, I’ve been completely enthralled with all of Caroline’s launch activities for Next, not to mention intrigued by the place that she went to write her book – The Author’s Castle.
Next is relatable and well-written. Caroline breaks each chapter down with an entertaining combination of her personal experiences and exceptional, yet simple guidance, including action steps for moving onto the section. Next helps you think about the many aspects that go into starting a business. Caroline points out how we often make business decisions based on what we feel is best, or because of what someone else tells us to do, versus what we know is right for us to do. Similarly, she shares how simple it is to overlook important components of starting a business, because we dismiss their importance, or because we didn’t want to do “that.” One example from Next is when Caroline discusses her personal issue with selling and how she didn’t wish to sell as part of owning her own business. Because she initially underestimated the importance of marketing her coaching services to “her people” (AKA – her target audience & customers), Caroline missed an essential component to helping her business thrive. She explains how our target customers/clients (“our people“), or “Lifers” as Chalene Johnson refers to them, will not know what we have to offer and how we can help them unless we make ourselves and our services consistently available to them. And that means selling.
When you are consistently available with various options that will help serve “your people,” the message received is one of integrity, compassion, love and a genuine desire to assist those who are meant to be served most by your gift – your business. And it doesn’t come across as selling.
Similarly, Next helps the reader understand that even if the very thing that is holding your business back is something that you thought that you would never have to do, that doesn’t mean that you have to jump ship and ultimately give up. It also doesn’t mean that your business is destined to fail. What it does mean is that you need to face your discomfort honestly. You may also have to accept that much of your effort is spent on busy work, versus work that finds the very people you started your business to serve.
You don’t have to be new to starting a business to benefit from reading Next. You also don’t have to be a mom. Next is also for current mompreneurs (and entrepreneurs), who have previously been down the road of starting a business (or two). If you are a mompreneur who has “been there, done that” (like me!), Next will help you determine if that pull towards a new endeavor is right for you and your family. Anyone who is interested in starting their own business can benefit from reading Caroline’s book – determined moms, “been there, done that” mompreneurs, and even focused dads. Furthermore, Caroline also discusses that if you ever wanted to write your book, you don’t have to be the best writer. You also don’t have to be an editor or work in the publishing industry.
How many times are best-selling books published by authors who do not write and publish books for a living? Countess!
People often write non-fiction books because they have a story to tell. Usually, when people have a story to tell, they also have a memorable message that creates a movement, as Angela Laurie states. However, to succeed at writing a book (non-fiction, fiction or other), you need to learn about the self-publishing book business. We live in a world that is filled mostly with self-published books. However, publishing your book is more involved than solely uploading it to Create Space for Amazon.com, or even editing it yourself. Millions of people write books daily, but very few do it well and even less learn how to do right. Most published books only reach a fraction of their target audience.
Why am I sharing a review of a book tailored to suburban moms who want to start their own businesses, especially on a website devoted to living well with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)?
I’m sharing this book review because I wouldn’t have started my own business if it were not for being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome 10 years ago. I also wouldn’t be here, posting on this website. And there’s no way I would have developed a passion so fierce, that I happily attempt to stay afloat while running one business, developing and re-launching a second, dissolving a third and incorporating a fourth. To me, this is important because when I was diagnosed with EDS ten years ago, I was determined to find a way that I could work and opted to decline social security disability. Twenty-seven years old felt too young to be disabled – for me personally. I sincerely believed that I could find a job that would provide me the option and ability to care for myself while also helping to support my family. There’s nothing wrong with having to apply and accept social security disability. Social Security is an incredible, life-saving government program and I’m so thankful that we have it available to us if needed. On the other hand, most people do not realize how many options there are to either work from home or work for yourself, if you are physically able.
Sometimes, it’s about recognizing a need and filling it, in order to provide solutions to a community that you have a gift to serve.
Our community tends to focus on raising awareness, which is crucial and entirely necessary. However, if you are going to put your hard work into something that you have a passion for (i.e. raising awareness), it will not come without sacrifices. You may not need a lot to get started, but you will eventually need additional financial resources. If you do not have a way to off-set your new costs, or you cannot afford the ability to delegate and find help for the things that you now do not have the time to do, even the smallest expenses will slowly add up. Non-profit or for-profit, each corporation has to make money to sustain itself, or it will end up operating in the red. Consequently, when a non-profit organization states that “all proceeds go to _______,” people often forget that “all proceeds” usually refers to the net funds after paying business expenses. Operating differently, will not allow either the individual in charge or the non-profit as a whole, to sustain itself in the long-run; thus, not fulfilling the mission of the organization.
Here’s my advice to anyone who is interested in starting their own business or has always wanted to write a book – do it.
Life is too short not to take chances. And at the very least, why not try? Not only attempt something new but commit to doing something that you’ve always wanted to do. And if you do try something different, aim to finish in some way, whatever way that is and no matter the result — finishing can be an incredible sense of accomplishment.
What is the worst that can happen? You fail?
How can failure be wrong, especially when attempting something that you have always wanted to do, or if you finished something that you wouldn’t have completed unless you tried? Real success is when someone tries something new or accomplishes something that they otherwise would not have — no matter the outcome.
Failure brings you another step closer towards discovering the person that you never knew you could be.
To learn more about Caroline Greene’s Coaching services for busy moms, go to – www.carolinegreenecoaching.com
To read Caroline’s 1st book, go to – Matter: How to find meaningful work that is right for you and your family
To read Caroline’s 2nd book, go to – Next: How to Start a Successful Business That’s Right for You and Your Family
You can also find Caroline on her Facebook page – Caroline Greene Coaching
Caroline Greene’s new book Next and 18 other newly published, best-selling books are available on Amazon.com. To read about all 19 titles, go to – 19 recently published, best-selling books by The Author Incubator
To read my post about having a career while living with a chronic illness, go to – 15 Essentials For A Career With A Chronic Illness
The Author’s Castle’s owner Dr. Angela Lauria – The Author Incubator. Angela Lauria has helped hundreds of 1st-time authors write best-selling books, and she recently added 19 more! Two of Angela’s best-selling books are – The Difference: 10 Steps To Writing A Book That Matters and The Incubated Author: 10 Steps to Start a Movement with Your Message.
To learn more about Dr. Angela Lauria and her program to help author’s start a movement with their message, go to – http://www.theauthorincubator.com
You can also email Dr. Lauria, by clicking: Angela@TheAuthorIncubator.com
Listen To Our Podcast: ^Page UP^ Podcast on iTunes
Hear From Our Authors: Book Journeys on Blog Talk Radio
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“What I wish for you is that you choose to live at the end of your comfort zone, where true life really begins.” – Caroline Greene’s, Next: How to Start a Successful Business That’s Right for You and Your Family