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Defeat Overwhelm. Focus ONLY on what matters.
There is so much you can work on for your business – social media, pricing, craft shows – how do you know what you should be working on, what will actually make a difference in your profitability and your happiness?
If you feel overwhelmed or scattered, you’re not alone.
If you try to do everything and follow all of the advice, you’ll wear yourself out, without seeing any real improvement. And you’re not alone: there are thousands of other creative business owners doing exactly this – running in circles, trying everything, getting nowhere.
The answer is to focus in on what matters.
- Your own definition of success
- Profitability
- A marketing plan you’ll stick with
- Effectively using your time
These are the four foundations of a thriving business. Without one of them, the others don’t matter. Everything you could be doing either fits into one of these, or you don’t need to worry about it.
In Lift Off, you won't just learn about these foundations, you'll build your own.
“I was completely scattered. I was being pulled into 50 million (or so it seemed) directions because everyone out there had a thing “I should be doing” . Lift off made me realize, through consistent well thought out weekly lessons, that it's OK to do what I want to be doing, and to start to form a plan to get my business to be what I want it to be and to do only the things that work for me. And it is working!”
-Karen Whooley
In Lift Off, you'll get clear on where you want to go (what are your bigger dreams and plans?).
Then, we’ll make it do-able by breaking it down to specific to-dos (and you’ll stay flexible by revisiting these plans regularly).
Finally, you’ll reinforce (or build) the very foundations of your business:
Pricing + Profitability (How does your business make money? How could it make even more, easily?)
Marketing (Who are you talking to and how can you reach them?)
Effectiveness (What do you need to get done and when will you do it?)
Lift Off is a guided tour of the foundations of pricing and marketing, for businesses owners who are ready to soar.
In this 6 month program, you will create the foundations that prepare your business for sustainability, longevity, and ease. You’ll do the math for your Right Price, discover your profitability points, learn how to talk about your work, create a marketing plan, and explore the systems that work best for the business you have.
Lift Off is currently closed. Sign up to be notified when Lift Off reopens
Lift Off is delivered via email, every week, for 26 weeks.
Each email will contain a new lesson that builds on the previous week, along with worksheets, audio or video lessons, and written transcripts – so that you don’t just learn, you apply it to YOUR business.
These lessons will guide you through the process of turning your shop into a thriving business. You will receive:
- Chart Your Stars – In this business-orienting, week-long course, you'll get oriented in where you are now, and where you wanna go. Get clear about your big vision for your business and the North Stars that will guide your adventure.
- Map Making – Set a goal for the next three months and then make a map to get you there. (You’ll do this twice!)
- Pricing 101 – In this 2-day course, do the math on your actual products and make sure your price is in alignment with what you need.
- Pay Yourself – In this 4-week course, get clear about the entire money picture of your business. Discover your own Break-Even Point, where you’re most profitable, and exactly what you’ll need to do to reach your own profit goals.
- Craft Your Marketing – You will get a signed, printed copy of my book, mailed right to your house. The accompanying email lessons will help you communicate:
- Your message
- Your people
- The tools you'll use to reach your people
- At the end of this course, you’ll create your own marketing plan, to start using right away.
- Wrangle Your Time – Learn when you work best, and develop your own system for being as productive (and creative) as you can be.
- Final Implementation – Take the lessons you've learned during Lift Off and apply them to any situation life (or business) throws at you.
At the end of every month, you’ll pause from new lessons for an Energize Week: you’ll review the last month in your business and reflect on the lessons you’ve learned. You’ll also pause at the halfway mark (April) to make another map that encompasses what you’ve learned, your new goals, and where you wanna go next. And you can ask me any of your questions during the 2 live group coaching calls (new for 2016!).
Get (free!) Defeat Overwhelm training + be notified when Lift Off reopens
I was so discouraged. I was crushed. I thought more than once about closing Yarn Love just so I wouldn’t have to deal with disappointing myself and my husband.
But I didn’t. I found you.
I dug your book off my shelf and got started. I gave myself 6 months to turn things around. Along the way I purchased your Map Making guide to help me with a tidy, executable plan, because I can work a plan like nobody’s business.
I’m 6 weeks into my first quarterly map.
I HAVE EXCEEDED MY INCOME GOAL!
In 6 weeks, I have made more than $5000 of profit. I have streamlined my business processes. I have spent half of every other day at the pool with my kids. (In other words, I’m rocking family life and having fun, too.)
So thank you, Tara. You were just what I needed. There aren’t enough words in the English language to express my gratitude for your help and insights.”
-Katie, of YarnLove
What, exactly, you’re getting:
- 26 weeks of emailed lessons, which will include written lessons, PDF worksheets, audio and video instruction. (Because several weeks have daily emails, you get over 59 individual emailed lessons.) This includes classes that aren’t available anywhere else.
- A signed, printed copy of my book, sent directly to your house.
- Access to 2 live Q+A calls, where you can ask me any of your questions. (You'll also get recordings of these calls)
- $50 off a Flight Plan (one-on-one) session.
- $100 off the Starship, if you choose to join after Lift Off.
Week 1: Lift Off! Begin the Chart Your Stars Guide, and over the next week work through learning from the last year in your business and preparing for the future.
Week 2: Map Making
Week 3: Pay Yourself Lesson 1
Week 4: Energize! With the Monthly Reassessment worksheet, look back at the previous month, take note of your numbers + lessons and get ready to move on!
Week 5: Pay Yourself Lesson 2
Week 6: Pay Yourself Lesson 3
Week 7: Pay Yourself Lesson 4
Week 8: Energize! With the Monthly Reassessment worksheet, look back at the previous month, take note of your numbers + lessons and get ready to move on!
Week 9: Pay Yourself Lesson 5 + 6
Week 10: Pricing 101 #1
Week 11: Pricing 101 #2
Week 12: Energize! With the Monthly Reassessment worksheet, look back at the previous month, take note of your numbers + lessons and get ready to move on!
Week 13: Craft Your Marketing: Your Sparkle
Week 14: Craft Your Marketing: Your People
Week 15: Craft Your Marketing: Tools
Week 16: Energize! With the Monthly Reassessment worksheet, look back at the previous month, take note of your numbers + lessons and get ready to move on!
Week 17: Map Making
Week 18: Craft Your Marketing:Your Marketing Plan
Week 19: Craft Your Marketing: Using email newsletters to soar.
Week 20: Energize!
Week 21: Wrangle Your Time: Lesson 1
Week 22: Wrangle Your Time: Lesson 2
Week 23: Wrangle Your Time: Lesson 3
Week 24: Energize!
Week 25: Wrangle Your Time: Final Lesson
Week 26: Final Implementation Lesson 1
Week 27: Final Implementation lesson 2
Week 28: Final Energize and wrap up.
“I was blown away– and kept very busy– by the amount of detail in the course, the nitty-gritty and the how, mixed in with the why and the why we resist this stuff. So not only do we feel great, but we've been able to improve and build upon our 15 years' experience to immediately reap the benefits of what we're learning.”
–Erica B,
Who this is for:
- You know what you sell, and you’ve opened your shop (or very nearly)…but you don’t know what to do next. How do you turn a collection of items into a real, thriving business?
- You’re not sure how to talk about your work, where you should share it, or what you should say. The whole “marketing” thing feels overwhelming.
- You’re not entirely sure this is all “going to work out”. You need to know some specifics about your money, your marketing, your path.
This is not for you if:
- You are still in the “planning” stage of business. There is a big difference between “thinking” and “doing” and these lessons are for business owners who are taking action, trying things, and learning from experience. (More on the difference here.) You won’t be able to fill in many of these worksheets if you haven’t determined what you sell, where you sell it, and what you charge for it.
- You want personalized help with your business. Join the Starship to get everything listed here + a weekly group chat with me + 2 one-on-one sessions with me per year. (If you just want the one-on-one help, as a Lift Off-er, you’ll save $50 on a session.)
Lift Off is currently closed. Sign up to be notified when Lift Off reopens
What happens next…
When you click the buy link, you'll see a pop-up where you enter your information. After you complete payment, you'll be whisked to a Thank You page with my gratitude. You'll also immediately receive a welcome email. Within a few days, you'll receive two pre-course emails with tips and strategies on making Lift Off work for you. YOU get to decide when Lift Off lessons begin – you'll just click a button in the second email to start your weekly lessons!
“When I found Tara, my business was about 6 years old. It was growing steadily, but slowly. I had an idea of what I thought I needed to do and I tried to do those things. But in my efforts to follow what I thought others in my creative area were doing, I didn't get very good results. I was starting to doubt my business, my skills and my vision.
Tara totally gets my business and me. By the end of class, I had a map of what I needed to do. No longer was I flailing about, trying to figure it all out on my own. Now I had steps and direction. It's been a couple of months since I've been working on my to-do list. My website and Etsy store are in sync with each other. My newsletters are more focused and my website traffic is busy every day!
Thank you, Tara, for helping me feel in control of my business and less overwhelmed about it!
I look forward to big things this year as I let my sparkle out to meet my customers.”
-Lisa Check, Flying Goat Farms
Because everyone deserves a strong foundation…
For every new member of Lift Off, I'm adding $5 to my monthly donation to Feeding America, an organization that provides food for hungry families. A single dollar feeds ten families, so your Lift Off Membership will feed 50 families, every MONTH. That's 300 families fed by you, during your six month program.
What if I change my mind?
Lift Off is a resource for those who are ready to work on their business. Before you buy, please read the above page carefully and thoroughly. If you have questions, email me. Don’t buy until you’re ready to commit.
I begin to invest in your business from the moment you board. My team and I are here to answer all of your questions. There will be no refunds. When you invest in yourself with Lift Off, your purchase is final. If life gets in the way of using the classes immediately, don't worry – you will have life-time access. By purchasing Lift Off, you take responsibility for your progress and results.
How long do I have to make a decision if I want to join Lift Off?
Lift Off only runs twice a year (Jan-June, July-December). The open enrollment period lasts for 10 days in June and December. The next enrollment period will be the first weeks of December 2015.
How will materials be delivered?
These courses are all delivered digitally. You'll receive an email each Monday with that week's lesson, which will include a link to a page with the full lesson, worksheets, audio and video lessons.
When does it start?
It's up to YOU! You'll receive a Welcome email (with Holiday Sanity) IMMEDIATELY, to the email address you put in when you purchased (if you don't, shoot us an email!). You'll recieve two pre-course emails to help you prepare. When you're ready for the lessons to begin, you MUST push the button in the second email to start the lessons. (We'll also be checking in on you, so you don't forget!)
How much time will this take?
It depends on you and how much you already know about your business! The earlier weeks will take more time (around 30 minutes per day), as you get clear about the direction you want your business to go. After Chart Your Stars and Map Making, most lessons will take about 1 hour per week.
I'm not a maker or designer, will Lift Off still work for me?
Absolutely! If you are building a business based on your own passion and skills (writer, maker, fine artist, yarn or comic book shop, farmer), Lift Off will help you define your goals, create a do-able plan, get profitable and share it (marketing!) in a way that fits with your life. If you sell services (coach or consultant), everything but Pay Yourself will still apply. (Pay Yourself is specifically written for finding the profitability of a product, even art!)
During the last round of Lift Off, students said:
