Ever wish you could sit down with a super-accomplished person and ask, “What does it take to break into your industry? What’s it like to be you? And when you’re looking to hire someone, what does it take to impress you?”

With Pick My Brain, that’s exactly what we do. Enjoy this week’s installment featuring life coach and web series creator Susan Hyatt.

Question:

You’re a professional life coach, trained by Oprah’s personal coach, Dr. Martha Beck. You also recently launched your own web series, Life Is Delicious TV (which is now being syndicated on MariaShriver.com. Congrats!) Do you have any advice for someone who’s dreaming about creating an online TV series? What’s the very first move?

Creating an online TV show is crazy-fun and very rewarding. But I ain’t gonna lie — it’s a lot of work.

People are often surprised to find out how much time, effort and money goes into creating an itty-bitty fifteen-minute episode. Writing the script, finding the perfect guest, locking down sponsors, booking filming locations, rehearsing my talking points, and of course, the actual filming and editing… there’s a lot going on behind the scenes!

The end result is totally worth it. But you’ve got to really, really want it.

If you want to create your own online TV show, I’d recommend asking yourself:

: What’s my highest intention for the viewer?

Your answer to this question will shape everything.

Through your show, do you want to help solve a particular problem (like helping people lose weight)? Do you want to teach people something new (like how to cook vegan food)? Or maybe you just want to be entertaining and make people smile!

Get clear about your highest intention — the effect that you want to have on every viewer. This will give you a focus for the show.

: Who is my ideal viewer?

Let’s pretend that we’ve gathered a group of your ideal viewers around the table for a cup of coffee (or a shot of wheatgrass or vodka!).

What do your ideal viewers want? What are they struggling with? What scares them? What makes them happy? Where do they hang out? What do they read, watch, eat, and do for fun?

Get clear about who your ideal viewers are. This will shape your content (what you do + say, during your show) as well as your marketing.

: Why TV?

Let’s face it: there are plenty of wayyyyy easier and cheaper ways to reach an audience than through an online TV show!

You could blog (free!), start a podcast (also free!), hold workshops in your hometown, start up an advice column like Ms. Ellen did… there are so many options.

What is it that appeals to you about TV, specifically?

Does being on camera make you feel like the best version of yourself? Are there certain things you want to do — like creating instructional videos, or doing hilarious comedy skits — that could only be accomplished through the medium of video?

Get clear about why it’s gotta be TV. Then, commit to that vision, completely.

You don’t necessarily need a big budget or a team of stylists to make it happen.

You can start with a simple webcam, set up in your living room.

But whatever you choose to do, make sure that your focus is always on serving your viewers — inspiring, motivating, entertaining and striving to make a positive impact on every single person who’s watching.

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Images: Susan Hyatt.

Ever wish you could sit down with a super-accomplished person and ask, “What does it take to break into your industry? What’s it like to be you? And when you’re looking to hire someone, what does it take to impress you?”

With Pick My Brain, that’s exactly what we do. Enjoy this week’s installment featuring author, e-course creator and workshop leader Andrea Scher.

Question:

You create highly-successful online courses (called “e-courses”) on topics like goal-setting, creativity and living courageously.

If I want to create an online course, what’s the very first thing I should do?

Answer:

First, hooray for you!

E-courses are a great way to take what you know about a particular topic (say, photography, writing poetry, or how to cook healthy meals on a college-student budget) and package all of that knowledge into a class that you can sell + teach online, at an affordable price.

With an e-book, people just read your ideas on a digital page. But with an e-course, you get to be a “teacher” and play a more dynamic role in your students’ learning experience.

You can create a forum where fellow students can meet one another, chime in to offer feedback, give congratulations, issue challenges … even dole out prizes!

It’s a beautiful way to distill your teachings into something really vibrant and alive.

First thing to do? This is a big question. When my clients ask me this question, we usually begin with the “helicopter perspective” of the e-course.

We start with questions like:

What is the journey you want to take people on?

What do you want them to come away with?

What will they be learning?

Once we understand what the big picture looks like, we can focus on the “how.”

How will you take them there?

Knowing “how” will help you create your table of contents, or “curriculum” — the exact steps that you want people to take as they move through the e-course.

And once you’ve done that?

I’m also a big fan of beta-testing your e-course before you release it to the world. Start by inviting a small group of friends or colleagues to take your e-course, first.

A few weeks in, you can check in and ask them questions like this:

What have you learned so far?

Is the pace too fast? Too slow? Or just right?

Do you have any requests for me?

They’ll give you valuable feedback that will help make your e-course even better!

Remember this: The beauty of online courses is that nothing is set in stone — or print. You can change things up right in the middle of class! You can take sections out, add new material, or decide to throw an in-person party for fellow students to meet, face-to-face … just for the heck of it.

Everyone has something to teach — whether you’re 10 years old or 100.

And thanks to all of the new technology out there, everyone (with Internet access!) can teach online, reaching dozens … hundreds … or potentially thousands of students.

What a world, right?

 

Excited to create your first e-course? Check out these neat resources: CourseCraft, Ruzuku and this article on how to make money with an e-course. And don’t miss this post on how to market + promote your new e-course.

Happy teaching!

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Images: In Her Image Photography

Ever wish you could sit down with a super-accomplished person and ask, “What does it take to break into your industry? What’s it like to be you? And when you’re looking to hire someone, what does it take to impress you?” With Pick My Brain, that’s exactly what we do. Enjoy this week’s installment featuring author, columnist and workshop leader Alexandra Franzen.

Question:

I want to get a book published, but I don’t have a “fan-base” or a “following” yet. Will publishers be interested in me and my book, if nobody knows who I am?

Answer:

Yes and no … but mostly, yes. Publishers LOVE when they receive a proposal from an aspiring author who already has a built-in fan-base, because that often translates into more book sales! But at the end of the day, publishers are looking for a book that is likely to sell, period. If you can prove that you’ve got a book concept that people are hungry for … or if your book is covering a topic that’s timely, topical and trendy … or if your novel is so page-turningly-delicious that nobody will be able to put it down … then you’re likely to catch a publisher’s attention. A good book is a good book, regardless of whether the author is “already famous” or not. Plus, certain publishers like to discover fresh talent — so that they can be the first to debut a breakout star!

Bottom line: if you already have thousands of fans who adore everything you write + will buy anything you sell, terrific. But if you don’t, don’t let that stop you from pursuing your dreams of having a published book on the shelves. You can do it.  (Of course, self-publishing is always an option, too! But that’s a whole ‘nother Pick My Brain. 🙂 )

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Images: Leslie Plesser and Thea Coughlin.

Ever wish you could sit down with a super-accomplished person and ask, “What does it take to break into your industry? What’s it like to be you? And when you’re looking to hire someone, what does it take to impress you?”

With Pick My Brain, that’s exactly what we do. Enjoy this week’s installment featuring Shauna Haider— a professional blogger.

 

Question: Being a “professional blogger” is a huge dream, for so many twenty­ and thirty­-somethings. It seems almost too good to be true! What’s the best thing about it … and the worst?

I’m Shauna, a creative director, graphic designer and blogger residing in Portland, Oregon. Blogging has been a huge passion of mine since 2001. On my lifestyle blog, Nubby Twiglet, I curate and share insights on living a well-designed existence.

But before I dig into the best and worst parts of blogging, let’s set the record straight: you really have to do it for the love. I know that can sound a little cliché but blogging is hard work and chances are that you won’t see big payoffs for your efforts for quite awhile. You truly have to be passionate about it because that passion is what will pull you through the ups and downs.

The best thing about blogging

The best thing about blogging are the connections I’ve made. Nearly all of my friendships have been made through my blog because I wasn’t afraid to put myself out there and share my views and personal stories. It can be a little scary at first but if you’re open, others will relate.

I’ve also made a lot of professional connections. I run a design studio full-time and nearly every client I’ve worked with over the last five years first found me through my personal blog, liked what I had to share and clicked through to hire me for their projects.

Blogging has been the foundation of my business and best of all, it’s been a low cost way to get the word out about what I do.

The worst thing about blogging

The worst thing about blogging can be the negativity. That first negative comment you ever get can really sting but it’s important to remember that it happens to everyone. You’re never alone. By being open and sharing the great things happening in your life, it can create an unexpected sense of competition and jealousy from others but you have to push through it.

The best way I’ve combatted trolls is by developing a support system of other bloggers who know what it’s like to be vulnerable and put yourself out there. It’s important to have those people around you who “get it” because everyone else will probably just tell you to get over it.

Blogging is just like anything else, there will be some bad lumped in with the good. But I can tell you from personal experience that the good will always outweigh the bad and if you have a purpose for your blog and stick with it, wonderful things can happen.

The unexpected thing about blogging

I blogged for very little direct income for a solid decade because I loved it. Sure, I made a good living from my design services by way of my blog but I blogged regularly because it was an important creative outlet for me.

Then, in 2011, I met up with two full-time blogger friends in Las Vegas and over the course of a week, we hatched the idea of teaching a strategy-based workshop geared towards women bloggers and small business owners called The Blogcademy. Since then, The Blogcademy has given me the opportunity to earn a solid income, travel the world with my two best friends and teach women the power of using their voices for good.

When you start a blog, you might not have a crystal clear vision of where it will lead at first but that’s okay — the point is to get started and follow through because with each post, your voice will get stronger and your vision will become more clear. If it wasn’t for starting my first blog in 2001 and getting over my fear of putting myself out there, The Blogcademy would have never happened a decade later.

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Images: Made U Look Photography.