Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

Instagram stories, choosing the right idea, + more of your questions answered

Today I’m answering questions from my Instagram followers. To get your question answered, be sure you’re following me. We cover: How to decide between ideas for new products How to use social media without wasting too much time How to use Instagram Stories for your handmade business. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast138/

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Today I’m answering questions from my Instagram followers. To get your question answered, be sure you’re following me. We cover:

  • How to decide between ideas for new products
  • How to use social media without wasting too much time
  • How to use Instagram Stories for your handmade business

Resources:

Check out these awesome handmade businesses:

If you want to get your questions answered on the podcast, consider becoming a Patron! Patrons at the $2+ levels get to tell me what to podcast on next, attend live recordings (online!) and ask their questions while I’m recording and have me reply! I’m going to be using patronage to buy a new lighting set-up so I can do more videos throughout the dark winter months. If you want to help with that, support it here. Thanks!

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

The one resolution you should make (and how to do it)

What is the ONE thing you should focus on in the New Year, if you want to grow your business, improve your marketing, and make more money? Today we’re going to look at what your #1 resolution in the new year should be and 5 steps to actually DO it. Listen to this episode at TaraSwiger.com/podcast137 and get a FREE worksheet to help you resolve to be more consistent!

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What is the ONE thing you should focus on in the New Year, if you want to grow your business, improve your marketing, and make more money? Today we’re going to look at what your #1 resolution in the new year should be and 5 steps to actually DO it.

Links Mentioned

Wanna get more consistent in the New Year? Enter your e-mail address in the box below this post to get a FREE worksheet to help you do it!

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

The importance of planning for the New Year (and how I do it)

Did your 2016 go as planned? Are you feeling discouraged or sidetracked or thrilled? No matter how your 2016 has gone, you can create a better 2017. Today we’ll hear from a non-planner about how planning projects has made his life better, and I’ll share what I do in my own New Year planning session. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast136/

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Did your 2016 go as planned? Are you feeling discouraged or sidetracked or thrilled? No matter how your 2016 has gone, you can create a better 2017. Today we’ll hear from a non-planner about how planning projects has made his life better, and I’ll share what I do in my own New Year planning session.

Links Mentioned:

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

How to get back to work after a break

Now, I’m just back from time offline, and I’m following it up with family visits and the holidays, and it’s hard to get back to work, you know? I’ve found it’s very easy to slip back into just doing the daily grind, doing exactly what I was doing before… but motivation is a bit harder to replace. So how do you get back to work after taking time off? Listen to my tips at TaraSwiger.com/podcast135/

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The Starship, my online community for makers and artists who want to become their own business expert, is open right now. It has access to all of my classes, a 24/7 forum where you can ask your questions, a weekly live chat where we hold you gently accountable and give you immediate feedback, and an Accountability Partner Program, where you can be matched up with an accountability partner. Check it out here: https://taraswiger.com/starshipbiz

Now, I’m just back from time offline, and I’m following it up with family visits and the holidays, and it’s hard to get back to work, you know?

I’ve found it’s very easy to slip back into just doing the daily grind, doing exactly what I was doing before… but motivation is a bit harder to replace.

So how do you get back to work after taking time off?

Links mentioned in this episode:

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

What I’m Reading: December 2016

I follow my enthusiasm by reading…a lot. And once a month, I share (some of) the books I read last month and the books I intend to read this month. You can join the informal book club by sharing your own list with me on Facebook and find all the posts here.

(The usual disclaimer applies.)

What I'm reading this month

I have a complex process for deciding what to read on a trip. It has to be light enough (in tone) that I can jump into and out of it easily, but gripping enough that it will keep my attention through turbulence and noisy neighbors. And it must be a book I own and don't mind leaving behind, or on the Kindle (I have carted library books around the country, and there's nothing as annoying as losing precious luggage space to a book you finished a week ago.)

What I read

  • Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman (not the whole thing, but bits of it, and all of Song of Myself)
  • The last three Harry Potter books! Ahhhhh! Free on Kindle Unlimited, so they were the perfect thing to keep me busy on trains and planes, without having to cart around the books. But then I left my Kindle on the plane, and so I bought the 5th and 6th (and just left them behind).
  • Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware – I got it as part of my Book of the Month club membership and brought it along on my trip. (And left it in the airport for someone else to find!) Totally kept me on the edge of my seat, but not as satisfying as Girl on the Train or Dark Matter (both recent BOTM choices that I loved).
  • The Royal We, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan – a fun, modern romantic comedy. My entire reason for reading it is that I was going to England and I know nothing about the royal family and it looked like fun.

What I’m reading

I need some more recommendations! Tell me on Twitter or Facebook!

  Here’s to another great month of reading!

What I read last December.

And in December 2014. And in December 2013!

The Adventures – November 2016

Here’s a round-up of what I saw, did, and read this month! Follow my Instagram Stories for in-the-moment photos + videos. You can find years of Adventures here.

The News:

  • I just started a kind of biz-focused Advent series on Instagram. Be sure you're following me to get #24daysofbizjoy!
  • The Starship opens next week! Sign up here to learn more and get first access to the spots!
  • I'm teaching some big classes at the TNNA Winter Show, including one before the show (perfect for vendors). Find it all here. 
  • I left some books with Joeli + she's shipping them for me! If you're in the UK and you want my book, shipping has never been more affordable! Grab it here! 

The View

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I am so grateful for…

  • An AMAZING trip to the UK.
  • The supportive, honest community in the Starship. It's become a place we can talk about anxiety, depression, and massive biz growth.
  • Twinkly lights!
  • My Holiday Sanity playlist

The Finds:

I’m reading:

I'm listening to: 

I'm eating: 

  • This peanut curry is in heavy rotation when we don't have a lot of time.
  • And Daiya Mac 
  • I shared my entire Thanksgiving menu (with links!), with my Patrons. You can join them (and get a holiday card!) right here.
  • I discovered mincemeat pies in England and ate a million of them. DO tell me (on Twitter or Facebook!) if you know where I can get them here in the States?

What did you read, listen to and eat last month? Come tell me on Facebook!

Apps + Tools for the International Business Lady

Here are apps and tools I used to be offline for two weeks and still keep my business going. We'll talk about my business-specific tools (how I post consistently to social media, without opening my computer) and the travel-specific apps that helped me keep track of a handful of flights, train tickets, and find the cheapest place to live next Ediburgh castle!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today I'm sharing what apps and tools I used to be offline for two weeks and still keep my business going. We'll talk about my business-specific tools (how I post consistently to social media, without opening my computer) and the travel-specific apps that helped me keep track of a handful of flights, train tickets, and find the cheapest place to live next Edinburgh castle!

Here are the links to everything I mention:

Note: When available I used affiliate links – which means I may make a tiny percentage of the sale or save money on my own account if you purchase through my link (on Later you get 10 free posts!). I am only linking to  tools I use every day, whether they have affiliate links or not!

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

A conversation with Yarn in the City co-founders Allison and Rachel

I am sneaking into hotel dining rooms and recording the podcast guerrilla-style this week! I had the opportunity to talk to Rachel and Allison of Yarn in the City, while we were at Geeky Puffin Knitpalooza in Farnham, England. We discussed how they manage all their many hats and what they're enthusiastic about. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast133/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I am sneaking into hotel dining rooms and recording the podcast guerrilla-style this week! I had the opportunity to talk to Rachel and Allison of Yarn in the City, while we were at Geeky Puffin Knitpalooza in Farnham, England. We discussed how they manage all their many hats and what they're enthusiastic about.

You can find links to everything we discuss: 

And if YOU are in the UK, I currently have a handful of signed books, shipping locally! I've reduced the shipping cost for the UK to reflect the…reduced shipping cost! There are just a few, so grab it here.  

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

 

When you need to take a break from your business

You’re going to need a break in your business. It’s unavoidable. It’s part of being a human being, in a fallible body. You’ll need to step back or scale down when you’re sick, when your family is sick, or worse. But when you need to take a break, when something important happens in your life that needs all your focus, it’s easy to take the short term view, instead of looking at the long view of your life and career. The short view is: This thing came up, I need to deal with it- I'll put everything in my biz on hold.And look, I get it. When something sideswipes you, you go into short-term problem solving. And that makes sense for extracurricular activities. Maybe you quit book club or you stop teaching Sunday school. Maybe you cut back on expenses like stash enhancement or kit clubs or eating out. But if you're serious about your biz- then it is not an expense to cut or an extracurricular. It's a part of your income and your mental health. It's the thing that brings you joy or peace or a sense of self-reliance. It probably challenges you & pushes you, but if you want to have it in the future, you gotta take the long view. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast132/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You’re going to need a break in your business. It’s unavoidable. It’s part of being a human being, in a fallible body. You’ll need to step back or scale down when you’re sick, when your family is sick, or worse.

But when you need to take a break, when something important happens in your life that needs all your focus, it’s easy to take the short term view, instead of looking at the long view of your life and career.

The short view is: This thing came up, I need to deal with it- I'll put everything in my biz on hold.And look, I get it. When something sideswipes you, you go into short-term problem solving. And that makes sense for extracurricular activities. Maybe you quit book club or you stop teaching Sunday school. Maybe you cut back on expenses like stash enhancement or kit clubs or eating out.

But if you're serious about your biz- then it is not an expense to cut or an extracurricular. It's a part of your income and your mental health. It's the thing that brings you joy or peace or a sense of self-reliance. It probably challenges you & pushes you, but if you want to have it in the future, you gotta take the long view.

Links Mentioned:

Are you serious about YOUR biz? Click here to learn about the workbook I've put together with Stacey Trock of FreshStitches, to help you plan to take a break in your biz!

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

 

How to take action (without waiting around for more confidence)

You have to take action, even when you don’t feel ready. Today we’re going to talk about what’s stopping you from taking the action you need to take… and how to do it anyhow. Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast131/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You have to take action, even when you don’t feel ready.

Today we’re going to talk about what’s stopping you from taking the action you need to take… and how to do it anyhow.

But before we do, I want to let you know that tomorrow, on a free webinar, I’m going to be sharing my experience with taking a leave in my business – how I took 4 weeks mostly offline this summer as I dealt with a new medication and how I’m going to be mostly offline for 14 days during my upcoming trip to the UK. If you’re seeing this when this episode is released, you can sign up for that and to hear allll about how I did it at taraswiger.com/webinar. If you’re listening later you can find that webinar as part of my new class with Stacey Trock of FreshStitches: How to take a break (without breaking your biz). It’s got a workbook that guides you through everything you need to do to be ready for taking your own leave and an interactive Q+A with Stacey and me where we’ll help you develop your own leave – you can find it all at taraswiger.com/leave.

How to listen

  • You can subscribe to it on iTunes (If you do, leave a review!)
  • You can listen to it using the player above or download it.
  • Subscribe or listen via Stitcher (or subscribe in whatever you use for podcasts – just search “Explore Your Enthusiasm” and it should pop up!).

Find all the podcast episodes here.

 

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