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What I’m Reading: March 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 in the comments and find all the posts here.

What I read

The Magic of Thinking Big, by David Schwartz – Recommended a LOT on several podcasts. I enjoyed bits of it, but it's very 70s-self-help-business-y. That said, if you're not turned off by that style book, I loved it.
Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell – With all my travel, teaching and house-unpacking in February, I ended up mostly reading novels this month. My brain needed a break from all the strategic thinking it was doing. I particularly adore Rainbow Rowell and I loved both of hers that I read this month.
Attachments, by Rainbow Rowell
Fates and Furies, by Laura Groff

What I’m reading

Presence, by Amy Cuddy
The Introvert Entrepreneur, by Beth Buelow
Will it Fly, by Pat Flynn (free on Kindle Unlimited for now!)

What I read last March.
And in March 2014.

What are you reading?

The usual disclaimery disclaimer applies!

Yarn shop owner and Craft Wars survivor, Esther Hall

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

At Midwest Craft Con, I was delighted to meet Esther Hall, owner of Yarn It and Dash in Columbus. After about 5 minutes of talking to her, I blurted, “Oh my goodness, my listeners would loooove to meet you! Can I interview you for my podcast?”

After teaching all day, we snuck into the “trade show” space, set up my phone, turned on Periscope, and started recording.

We discussed:

What it was like to be on TLC's Craft Wars (with Tori Spelling! Ahh!)
How she researched and put together a business plan for her yarn shop (there is so much to learn here!)
How she chooses indie vendors to work with

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.

Interview podcasts don't come with transcripts, but you can sign up below to get the transcripts for all the regular podcasts!

Don’t be afraid to be a real person

This weekend I'm teaching about marketing, so I've been thinking about a lot (even more than usual, and I wrote a whole book on it…so it's a LOT).

As I say in my book: Marketing is simply communication with a purpose – the purpose is to help people who will love your thing understand that they will, in fact, love your thing.

The purpose of marketing is to help people who will love your thing understand that they'll love it.

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But speaking with that purpose, sharing with that with that purpose, can make us feel awkward and stilted. So we either skip it all together (and no one knows we sell anything! And no one buys it!) or we get weird and sound like a robot.

This week on the podcast, we dove deep into how to fix this, how to sound (and feel!) like a real person online. It's not easy. I know. It's easy to feel like you have to be formal, or fancy (“professional”), or that you're NOT being genuine if you're also trying to sell something.

But I've overcome this struggle myself and worked with hundreds of makers and artists as they've overcome it. It just takes practice (lots of practice) and intention (paying attention to what you're doing and why).

If this is something you struggle with, you can listen in to the full episode (and learn the 4 steps to sounding more like a person) or you can watch my live recording here. You can also find it on iTunes, Stitcher, or just search for “Explore Your Enthusiasm” in whatever app you use for podcasts!

How about you? Do you struggle to sound like yourself online? Or do you feel good about it?

Fit all of your marketing pieces together

$Blogs, newsletter, Twitter, Instagram… does your marketing work together, or is it random and fractured? In today's episode you'll learn: What most people are doing wrong with their marketing How to make your marketing both easier and more effective An example, from a real student, of fitting it together.$

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Blogs, newsletter, Twitter, Instagram… does your marketing work together, or is it random and fractured? In today's episode you'll learn:

What most people are doing wrong with their marketing
How to make your marketing both easier and more effective
An example, from a real student, of fitting it together.

Remember – we're going to be diving deep into this TODAY in the webinar. Register 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.

How to fit all of your marketing pieces together

Blog.
Twitter.
Facebook.
Instagram.
Pinterest.
Emails.

How are you spreading the word about your work? How are you connecting with possible customers? If you’re like nearly everyone I work with, you’re using quite a few tools, but you feel like you should be using EVEN MORE – like you can never do enough or be in enough places.

This week on the podcast I’m sharing the story of how I helped one of the Starship Captains fit her marketing puzzle together. While I was broadcasting it on Periscope (I record and broadcast these a whole week early – follow me there to catch it early!), I got comments saying: OMG, I need to do this for my own business! I need to piece it all together.

So I’m super happy to announce that I am teaching exactly this, tomorrow! In a webinar with TNNA (The National NeedleArts Association), we’ll cover your newsletter, blog and social media and come up with a plan for fitting them all together. (Webinar = online workshop, that you can attend wherever you are!)

If you're in the yarn world (you have a yarn shop, you make yarn, you design with yarn), this webinar is for you. We're going to address how to fit your blog, newsletter, and social media together into one EFFECTIVE puzzle, that brings customers to your door.

You can register here:

http://www.tnna.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=773927

Once you register, tweet me and tell me your questions – what do you hope we cover?

A live online workshop w/ @taraswiger + #tnna on fitting together your marketing puzzle! I’m in!

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4 steps to sound like a human, connect with your customers (and sell more stuff)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Do you feel nervous about sharing your work on social media or your blog? Do you worry about sounding too sales-y and end up sounding too much like a robot? You're not alone. Welcome to Explore Your Enthusiasm episode 94, with me – Tara Swiger.

In today's episode you'll learn:

Why it's important to sound like a human online
The two mistakes people usually make with social media
3 steps to sound like a human and connect with your customers (without getting too uncomfortably personal)

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.

Join me for Midwest Craft Con!

I'm so excited to be teaching at Midwest Craft Con this week! I'll be heading back to my home state of Ohio for a whole weekend of businessy goodness.

The Details:

The organizers of Midwest Craft Con are bringing in 20 craft business experts from all over the country to Columbus, Ohio, to talk about legal and financial considerations for creative businesses, share wisdom on publicity and marketing, and discuss life-work balance, goal-setting and community.

I'll be teaching two courses on Saturday: Make a Marketing Plan and Craft Your Customer Path. There's a fabulous lineup of instructors who will be filling in the rest of the workshop time over the weekend, so you don't want to miss this!

Midwest Craft Con takes place this weekend, February 19-21, 2016. Tickets are only on sale through TODAY – February 16, so click here to get yours now! You can purchase a full weekend pass or just pick one day to come – it's up to you!

Learn more about Midwest Craft Con…

Visit their website
Listen to my podcast interview with Grace Dobush, one of the event's organizers
Purchase your tickets here!

I'm so excited to see @TaraSwiger and so many other fantastic teachers at #MidwestCraftCon!

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Will I see you in Columbus this weekend? Leave me a comment if you're going to be there, and be sure to say Hi!

The Difference between Arrogance and Confidence

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

There's a difference between arrogance and confidence, and your confusion about the two might be hurting your business. Today, inspired by the participants of the Biz Confidence Challenge, we're going to talk about the difference between being arrogant and being confident in your business and your product and why it's important for you to be proud of your work.

You can join the totally free 6 week Biz Confidence Challenge at TaraSwiger.com/bizconfidence + you can participate in the community by using the hashtag #bizconfidencechallenge.

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: February 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 in the comments and find all the posts here.

What I read

Year of Yes, by Shonda Rhimes. This is one of those books I've been thinking about since I started it. I'll be revisiting it for sure. If you need to feel bolder to take big action in your life or biz, read this. Now.
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. Laugh out loud funny. Check out The Bloggess and if you find it hilarious, read this book.
So You've Been Publicly Shamed, by Jon Ronson. What happens to people who are the publicly shamed by Twitter, who become “trending topics” because of their stupidity or honest mistake? Ronson finds those people and talks to them. I kinda live in fear of the internet turning on me, so I found it strangely comforting.
Alias, by Brian Michael Bendis. If you liked the Netflix show Jessica Jones, you gotta read this. This comic is SO much more than the one storyline in Jessica Jones and is even better (and I really loved that show!) {Note: I read the Omnibus, from my library. But if you don't want to commit to that, start with Volume 1. Better yet, request it at your library!}
Searching for Sunday, by Rachel Held Evans. The story of a girl who was raised Evangelical (like me) and slowly realized she needed to find a new tradition.
Hunger Makes me a Modern Girl, by Carrie Brownstein. Oh man, I read this book because I loved Sleater-Kinney and this book delivers. Carrie is a beautiful writer. I was totally blown away by the first few chapters.
Wildflower, by Drew Barrymore. I just now realized this month was full of autobiography-ish type books. As much as I love Drew, this suffered from being read right after Brownstein's book. It wasn't as beautifully written, but did manage to dig a bit deeper into specific stories. I read it in a day, so it was definitely enjoyable!

What I’m reading

The Magic of Thinking Big, by David Schwartz
Presence, by Amy Cuddy
Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell

What I read last February.
And in February 2014.

What are you reading?

Inspiration isn’t enough.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Inspiration isn't enough. In fact, on its own, it can be dangerous.
Today we're talking about the power, magic, and challenge of Inspiration.

Inspiration is wonderful. It feel GREAT while you're feeling it, right?

But then: What?

What comes after Inspiration?

To join the (free) Biz Confidence Challenge, head 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.