#281 7 of My Fave Books for Holiday Downtime Reading Pleasure

10:52PM Dec 21, 2020

Speakers:

Tracy Matthews

Keywords:

book

business

creative

listening

podcast

money

marketing

called

happening

people

flourish

jewelry

dive

waitlist

world

online

vision

tracy matthews

creating

momentum

And I think the more awareness that we have, as consumers of content, as consumers of media or whatever. Whether or not you watch the news or not, I think, it's just important to like really understand like: where are you getting your news sources? What are like the their real stories and like, what are the facts behind it?

Welcome to Thrive by Design, the podcast for ambitious independent jewelry brands, looking to profit from their products. Get ready to make more and sell more doing what you love without spending every single waking minute doing it. Hey, and if you're a creative fashion or product based business, I want to welcome you to the show. I'll be dropping big tips on launching, growing and scaling your business. So you can spend more of your precious time using your creativity to make money. You ready? All right, let's do this.

Welcome to the Thrive by Design podcast, episode 281. Hey, there. It's Tracy Matthews, Chief Visionary Officer of Flourish and Thrive Academy. And I am thrilled to be here today. Today we're going to be talking about books and under reading and some of my favorite books to get suggestions for your holiday downtime. So hopefully you have a little break in between this Christmas and New Year's, I'm sure you've been working hard this year. And you might want to relax a little bit, hopefully, you can let your mind just rest and be nice as we kind of dive in to 2021. So anyway, we've got some hindsight from 2020. Right? We do know that designers who were preparing themselves and setting themselves up for success online, pre 2020, or pre COVID have had a lot of great success with selling their jewelry and creative products online this year.

In fact, many members of the community who really had this dialed in our up this year, anywhere from like 6% to 430%. So it's pretty phenomenal. What can happen when you prepare yourself for something like this and you lose all of your offline sales because everything shut down. Your art shows are canceled, wholesale stores closed, maybe even your retail store closed. And that was hard. And you need to pivot and figure out things. And so we've been creating a lot of tools and all those things to help people do that. And inside our community as well. And so, if you're someone who hadn't really figured it out, you know, I get it because it was probably painful year. But now we have such high insight and knowledge that it's time to really get your marketing tight and right in 2021.

I've made this strong commitment to help as many designers as possible in 2021, take their offline sales and transition those into online customers and online shoppers. And it's been working inside our Momentum Program and are Laying the Foundation program. Like I love it. I was hearing from a designer the other day who took Laying the Foundation, she just signed up for Momentum. And she said that she had doubled her sales in six months after taking LTF. And now she's ready for that next level to really scale. So I'm excited for this. And that's exactly why we are hosting a brand new challenge in January. And this challenge is designed to get you in and out super quickly. It's a three day challenge with a masterclass at the end, and a five day kind of like tie it all together situation going on. And I'm saying situation because we have a lot of secrets and sorry secrets like surprises, maybe it's a better way to put it in store for you. And I love these challenges.

We've done them. We've done different variations on them over the years. And it's super fun. And I'm excited for this one because people are busy, quite frankly. And it's hard to focus with kids at home. And if remote schooling still continues to happen. It's it's challenging. So we want to get you focused and moving into action in a very short period of time. And that's exactly what we're going to do. So we're hosting this marketing makeover challenge in January and I wanted to invite you to get on the waitlist. In order to do that, all you have to do is head on over to flourishthriveacademy.com/marketingmakeover, jump on the waitlist there. We're gonna get started in January. It officially starts January 18. So mark that date on your calendar. And we'll be leaning into this like nobody's business and getting your online marketing moving forward quickly. So I'm super excited about it. And yeah, definitely join us.

So let's dive in to the topic today, which is all about some of my favorite books for holiday downtime. So my first book on the list, speaking of creating a vision, is called Vivid Vision and it's by a guy named Cameron Harold. Cameron is in a business group that I'm in called Baby Bathwater and I got to sit with him next to next to him actually one time at dinner. The guy is just brilliant. He's run a ton of huge companies and become the CEO there and now he has an organization called the CEO Alliance. And what he does is he helps visionaries, helps operators or CEOs, support visionaries in their vision and help making it happen. So he kind of comes from both sides because he is a visionarian in a certain sense, because he's an entrepreneur, but also, he has that operational side point. So the point of this book, and usually the reason why companies don't achieve their goals and why they're not getting buy in from the people around them, whether that be the people on their team, or the people that are potentially, you know, in their orbit and the outside world, is that they don't clearly paint a vision for, you know, where they're going. And they don't clearly communicate that with their teams. And so I was talking with my friend Tina, who's also in the same business group. And she was sharing with me how she had just, they had just written their vivid vision. And literally, like, three days before I was on another business group call, and someone on that call was sharing how he had just written a vivid vision.

I'm like, What is this vivid vision thing, I think I need it. So I bought the book, it's excellent, I highly recommend it. And the purpose of this is to help you paint a crystal clear picture, it's not a three sentence thing. This is like several pages in a PDF, so that you can really clarify what success looks like to you. And that is awesome. And it's awesome. So I highly recommend it, I think it's a great way to really launch into the new year, the book is short, and you can listen to it in your earbuds, it's only 100 and something pages long. I have the actual physical copy in front of me, it's about 163 pages. So super easy read, but also something great that you can really dive into as we approach this new year so that you're launching it on the right foot.

Now, the next book that I want to recommend is something that I think every creative or person who's trying to create abundance in their life and in their business can really benefit from and it's called Master Your Money Mind by Amber Lily Strong. Now I know Amber, this is gonna sound pathetic, just through social media, through mutual friends and stuff like that. But this is really about taking daily actions to kind of remove the things that kind of hold you back from reaching your true expression in your life of financial abundance and wealth. And some of this has to do with money but has to do with a lot of other things, too. It's really about transforming your mindset, and getting your daily habits in alignment, so that you're attracting the abundance that you want, you know, like the kind of the good kind of abundance, I guess I should say.

I actually am buying this book. So if you're in Momentum, and you're listening to this, before you get the book you're gonna be getting, that's because I'm buying this book for all of our momentum students as a Christmas gift, and you're gonna be able to like to use this book as a reference tool. And I love this, to use words that actually attract more money into your life, you know, I'm a big fan of affirmations and framing things in the right way. And anytime I'm ever in a negative mindset, I have to take a look at like, what I'm saying to myself, because you attract what you repeat. So if you say like, I don't want to be poor, you're gonna you're actually your mind actually cancels those negatives, the doubt, and it will think that you're saying I want to be poor. So if you reframe that saying, like, I want to have financial abundance, or get crystal clear on what that looks like to you, like maybe you want to have a six figure revenue stream in your jewelry business online this year, then the universe kind of picks that up and helps guide you along that process. So it makes sure that you're aligning your words, so that you're attracting more money, it also helps you get kind of crystal clear on what is blocking you from getting the kind of abundance that you want in your life. So you're gonna uncover a lot of stuff, especially stuff that has to do with your Money Memory Lane Timeline. So if you're someone who is told terrible stories by your parents, like, like, if you want to be an artist, you're never going to make money or don't be an artist because artists don't make money or anything like that. We're going to clear those things out with this book. So I am so intrigued that I am giving this book as a gift. And I'm very excited. And I'm probably gonna have Amber on the show at some point in the new year.

Now another book, and... I'm actually probably talked about this book on the podcast before. It's called Real Artists Don't Starve and this book is by Jeff Goins. The thing that I love about this book is that there is, you know, for people who think that who believe or dive into that starving artist syndrome, and all those things, and they believe that you really can't make money as an artist. Jeff Goins basically debunks that thing left and right. So he gives you real examples of super creative types who come into this world and leverage their creativity and use it as their biggest benefit and bonus in business. He uses, you know, examples from Dr. Dre, Michael Angelo, like people all through history. Let's see CS Lewis, Jim Henson and so many more who have, like, basically like got on these creative endeavors and built massive, amazing businesses and wealth for themselves. And if you can see the theme, this is all really about creating your vision. Kind of removing roadblocks and really stepping into who you're meant to be as an artist, and a creative and using that creativity to make more money. So this is like a huge mission of mine. And like, really the direction I'm going with everything that I teach here at Flourish and Thrive and my other company Creatives Rule the World, so I'm excited about it. And I can't wait for my signature talk to really be hitting the stage soon.

Now, this fourth book might be, it's a little bit off topic from the rest of the things that I've spoken about. But I got into this place this year, where I got super frustrated with the media. And I was like, Why are there not any old school media outlets that literally just give you the facts so that you can frame your own, frame your own opinion about what's going on in the world. And to me, like the slant that's happening on all the different news stations, whether it's liberal or conservative, is so obvious that it makes it really hard for you to get information and like, understand what the truth of any situation is. And so a friend of mine, you know, she she was in the same place. And she's a mom, and has a lot of times she's also an author, and has a lot of times she spends most of her days like researching and reading. And so she came across this journalist a few years ago, called Sheryl Atkinsons. And I loved... I love this book. It's called Slanted. How the news media taught us to love censorship and hate journalism. And I started listening to some of her videos first, and then I noticed that she had had this book out, and she has several other books, so you can look her up. And it was hard to listen to in the beginning because a lot of the things that I thought were the truth actually are uncovered as like false information. And so it really kind of gets down to like what's happening in the news media today. And I think the more awareness that we have, as consumers of content, as consumers of media or whatever, whether or not you watch the news or not, I think it's, it's just important to like really understand, like, where are you getting your news sources? What are like the the real stories and like, what are the facts behind it? Because, I swear, I joke around with some of my friends, I'm like, I want to have a podcast someday, where we can debate topics and get people from all sides of the spectrum, all colors of the rainbow, on that podcast to talk about different issues that are happening in the world and get different perspectives because it used to be that people would decipher information, and then they make their own opinion. And now, the information is given to you with a slant. And so it becomes really hard. And what I think's happening is it's creating a lot of polarization in the world when I don't think it has to be that way. So anyway, if you're brave, I highly recommend reading this book. It might change your viewpoints or maybe it won't validate some of the viewpoints you already have. Hopefully, that's the case about the world. And I really encourage you that even if it's if you decide to go this route, and you decide to listen to it, that you listen to the whole thing, because it's eye opening. Even if things are like hard for you to listen to or triggering because it's a it's a great book. And I would prefer to know, like the reality of what's happening in the world, then, to be told something that's that's not really true.

So, that's for me. And that's, I really wanted to throw that one in there just because, and yeah, so this other book, it's called Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller. You may have heard me talk about Donald Miller on this podcast before, I love his philosophy about building a Story Brand. And the philosophy all about building a Story Brand is centered around making your customers the hero of your journey, not making your business about you making it about them. And this is like literally the core of everything that we teach over at Flourish and Thrive Academy. So the Marketing Made Simple book actually is a great reference tool in a way. It's a very short, easy to read book about creating copy on your website that puts the customer or whoever your Dream Client is in the center of your brand. And we even have a Momentum Coach named Karen Martin who works in the Story Brand philosophy. And she has helped many of the designers in our community rewrite their websites. So it's aligned with what their story is all about but also putting the customer at the center of the journey. So definitely pick this book up. Super short read.

Once again, this is another book that I listened to but it also got the hardcopy. And I just have spent a couple of days rewriting the homepage of the Flourish and Thrive website which will be released on January 1. So I'm excited about that because you get to see the new unveil that how we put the customers at the center of the journey because we realized we get a lot of traffic on that homepage and it wasn't connecting in the way that we wanted to. So I'm excited about that. Now, this next book, I read it a while back. Maybe like nine months ago, maybe a year ago. I can't remember exactly. I think it came out in 2019. But it's called Creative Calling by Chase Jarvis. Chase Jarvis is the founder of Creative Live. I had a guest appearance on someone else's show on Creative Live back in the day. But Chase, you know, is really an innovator on, you know, live streaming educational content. And this book is all about finding fulfillment and success. It's also about, it's not just about finding, it's about creating it. So let me rephrase. And then he got kind of dives into different models of like your mode of or how to kind of get into that creative zone of genius because creativity is something that everyone has, this is something I truly believe in. And when I finally launched my creative archetypes down the road with creatives around the world, you'll see what I mean. But I think this is like a really awesome way for you to kind of paint the picture regardless of your skill set. I know that most of the people listening to this podcast consider themselves creatives, unless you're just listening to this for the marketing tactics. But this book is, it was a great book, I really enjoyed listening to it. It's an easy light read that will get your creative juices flowing, very nice.

And then the final book, book number seven. Now this is an interesting one for me to share, because it's actually a book from a competitor of ours. And her name is Laryssa Wirstiuk. I was on her podcast in the summer, and I really enjoyed it. But this book is all about, oh, her podcast, I should probably mention it is Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing. And I mean, I actually have her on the show, probably in the new year, maybe February or March. So anyway, Laryssa says awesome. She wrote some really great content in this book, I feel like in a way, like I feel like because I mentioned like, this is something that I almost could have written because it's a lot of the things that we teach here at Flourish and Thrive Academy. And it's done really well in a high level overview and gives you an overview of all the things that you need to be thinking about to build a jewelry business, offline and online. So definitely pick that up if you want another reference tool for doing a little bit more in depth jewelry marketing, which we all need, and we should all be launching into in 2021.

So that's it. So head on over to the show notes to grab all the links in the details. You can head on over to flourishthriveacademy.com/281. Definitely listen to next week's episode, my man, Jason Ayers is going to be on the show with me. And we talk about really painting that vision and aligning everything that you're doing in your business with your vision, or your Northstar, the direction you're going. And also meet up with me next Monday virtually at Our Paths to a Six Figure Workshop. It's a 90 minute workshop, we're going to be really diving deep into some of your goals, why you want it, we're going to be talking a little bit more about what it really takes to build a multiple, six figure jewelry business, selling online specifically and transferring some of those revenue streams that you were doing offline in the past into solid online revenue streams.

So if you've really struggled with figuring out how to do it, this workshop is for you. Definitely don't miss it. You can head on over to flourishthriveacademy.com/pathtosix to register for free today. And even if you don't think you could make it live, definitely go grab it because if we send out follow up emails and stuff like that, you might want to get some of the little brilliant nuggets that come from that as well. All right, this is Tracy Matthews, signing off. I wish you a very happy holiday season and some beautiful downtime in the coming weeks for sure.

Thank you so much for listening to the episode today. This is Tracy Matthews, signing off until next time. I really sincerely wish you a peaceful restful holiday season. I hope that you basically like pull the rest of this year off like gangbusters and you're going crazy. I want to remind you that we are doing this amazing marketing makeover challenge in January. You definitely want to get on the waitlist for that. You're going to get some special perks plus the Essential Guide to Marketing online in 2021 and so many other things when you get on that waitlist. So head on over to flourishthriveacademy.com/marketingmakeover, get on the waitlist and get your business. Basically like propelled forward into 2021 and join us for this challenge. Alright, that's it for now. Have a Happy New Year and I'll see you next week.

Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. It's my mission to help 1000s of creative businesses inside and outside the jewelry space use their creativity to make money. Make sure that you're subscribed to Thrive by Design on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever podcasts are played. And we'd love to hear what you think. Please rate and review the show. And if you're inspired, please share this with your friends. Cheers to seeing you flourish and thrive.