Your favorites!

As we all look back on the past year, together we have celebrated some great success, faced challenges and fears,  hopefully overcoming them.

The other day I repaired my oven It decided to die on Christmas.   The prospect of fiddling with a gas and electrical appliance was pretty scary to me. but the prospect of buying a new stove on Christmas weekend was something I was even MORE reluctant to do. 
I had never repaired a major appliance, and was really scared about doing it.  After some google searching I watched a couple youtube videos and marched off to the parts store to buy and replace a  glow bar ignitor.  Not rocket science, but I felt really good that I saved our home a major cash expenditure by simply doing something that scared me. For me It’s a stepping stone for a successful week ahead. 

Challenge yourself to do something that scares you everyday, It will help you and  your creative business become stronger.

As we end 2011 I wanted to  take a quick  look back at your favorite posts,

and start the new year by saving you $25!

First take a glance back to your most read posts:

 View inside your fishtank:

The ABC’s of performance coaching:

The business of being a Artist:

Do you want to succeed? Make mistakes:

Now are you ready to look ahead and save $25?  
If you complete my 10 question survey  (by Jan 1 2012) Your feedback helps me provide you with high value reading & service offerings.

As my way of saying thanks for your time, I will give you $25 off your initial consultation! (limited time offer, so let's get started). Before saying goodbye to 2011,
 I want to share a New Year tradition that was shared with us.
Write down something you want to leave behind in 2011 on a small piece of paper, and fold it in half, ( you may choose to write down  a behavior,  a relationship, a obsticle to you).  Just before the  clock strikes 12:00 midnight toss the written  thing you wish to leave behind in a fireplace or burn it with a candle, removing it from your life  to make room for something good.


Thank you for taking the time to read, and the opportunity to help you continue to grow your business and have a balanced healthy life that you imagine.

Let us know how you faced and overcame something scary in the comment section below!


Happy and a very safe New Year to everyone.  If your imbibing- drop the keys and have a designated driver! 

How Can I help you

BLOG 100  Dec 2011

http://guitartam.blogspot.com

This is a milestone for me. My 100^th blog posting!

This year I had committed to:

1)    Improve the writing quality of my Blog.  

I realized over 100 posts that  my aim has been true, and my grammar has been comical on more than one occasion!

2)    Commit to posting content weekly  I was surprised some times how challenging this is while juggling other work priorities.

3)    Provide content to help readers grow their “creative business”

I  want to thank you for taking the time to read my postings, and share your thoughts on topics and ideas important to you!

This is a really great opportunity to check in with you my readers, and see what I can do to better serve you in 2012?

To that end, I have  put together a short survey (10 questions) to find out “How can I help you?”

• Are there any particular topics or projects that are going to be important to you in the New Year ? 
• Do you need to bring a professional onboard to help you  managing a upcoming project?
• Establish your priorities?
• Produce a upcoming CD /video/installation?
• Prepare for an upcoming tour
• Help you with some simple business planning  

Or are you interested in different types of content?

 I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the survey 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J8SDNML

To say Thank You for taking the time to complete the survey, You are automatically  gifted 30% off your initial consultation- purchase a gift certificate by Dec 25^th. 

survey rate: $50 gift certificates- 1 hr initial consultation.

(your gift certificate is redeemable until 12/31/2012).


Sending  you blessings of Peace and health, 


=Tamra=

3 Free gifts for your holiday!

Mid December- We are all working like mad to STOP and spend time with our loved ones.

As you look at the calendar we are just a couple of weeks from 2012!!! 
  I am always surprised by this very small window from Thanksgiving to the year end holidays, a flurry of people, food, and  family. It’s stressful!!! 


 ESPECIALLY when you have to stretch your dollars even further than before.

What can you do to prepare for the holidays without spending much or ANY money at all?  

1)    Grab your calendar or smart phone and a note book (or your computer)

Start going backward month by month and begin listing the big projects you worked on. 

You are pulling together your list of accomplishments, which you can then compare to your list of goals.  Each big projects and achievements should be either achieving a goal or a  stepping stone toward accomplishing a big goal.

2)    In a separate column list the names of new people you met in relation to your creative business each month.  I don’t mean the 100s of facebook “friends” who you don’t really know, , I mean the people that have referred work to you,  Hired you for a project, or introduce you to important people that have helped you this year.

3)    Drop the people on this list a email or call  Just connect to say thanks for working with me! Or let’s have coffee and talk about what you have been up to...  *Have these individuals already been invited to join your email or newsletter? (you can just include a sign up link in your signature line, and leave them the option to join).

PLAN + GROW + NETWORK = MOVE FORWARD 

Measuring your success and growing your network of  contacts are two important tasks for all  business owners.  Do you need help with a upcoming project? or need help getting organized, focused and moving forward?  

Tamra Engle is a independent  business strategist based in the S.F. bay area she is available for private consultations to help you develop your creative project or business. You can read more about her and join her mailing list at www.tamraengle.com  guitartam@gmail.com   *Save 33% now! email mail me at guitartam@gmail.com  to order your  Holiday Gift Certificates  thru December 31st!

5 ways to Fund your creative business

There are a variety of funding sources available to creative business owners  regardless of your passion- Musical Artist-Film Maker- Painter- Sculptor- Clothing designer-Writer- Photographer- or a fortune cookie writer.

 Financing is essential to sustaining and growing a successful creative business.  You know you can’t do it all by yourself, You want to focus on your creative endeavors, do need help growing your business?  and wonder how you pay for it?     

Beyond taking out a loan from the bank or borrowing against your 401K I have listed 5 funding sources you can immediately utilize to grow your creative business-

1)    Host a class or workshop:  What better way to connect with your fans than to host a class or workshop? You are able to use your skill to teach others, you grow your network of fans who purchase goods or services from you! Check out the internet for local community centers, and schools for places you can host your event.  Make sure you can accept credit /debit card orders and And you have created a additional revenue stream to your independent creative business.

2)    Keep the change-  When I quit smoking years ago, I set aside the $1 a day I spent on cigarettes, and at the end of the day, that dollar bill, and the the left over change from coffee  or lunch that day also went into the jar. The jar filled several times to a goal I set of  $5,000! Which helped me make the down payment on my very first condo! It felt GREAT!! *back in the dark ages $5,000 went a lot farther than it does today!

3)   Small Business Administration- The SBA offers loans and grants  for small business owners, You benefit from digging around this site, see the funding requirements, and see how you can tap into help.

 Trades and  Barters The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that 25 percent of the world’s trade is still done this way. Many albums and art installations have been helped along by trading and bartering services with friends. From designers and illustrators, to do posters, cards,  to Haircuts,  makeup, staging, etc..

4)    Credit Cards- I don’t encourage running up or maxing out lines of credit, I recommend you keep some credit available in case of emergencies.   HOWEVER, if you know that you will earmark the re-cooped money to quickly pay off the  debt , then make the investment in growing your business.

5)    Fan Funding sites: There are a variety of sites dedicated to you setting up a project funding site, with a  tiered reward menu  for investors to participate in your creative project.   Marillion - is a UK band recognized within the music industry as the first established band to fully utilize the power of the internet, they have funded four albums through pre-sales to fans and totally re-vitalized their career in the process.

I have listed some of the more popular fan funding sites, Look at each site, since fee's and audiences vary. Make note of the most successful funded programs, and their  video promo’s and funding rewards.  Keep in mind crowd/fan funding is a very emotional, your success is based in the appeal of your idea! Work it!!

 Kickstarter: Projects must obtain 100% of their funding goal for donors to pay and creative projects to obtain financing.

ArtistShare:  Started in 2000 the 1^st crowd/fan funded site / label

PledgeMusic- Launched in August 2009.  Enables fan project funding through unique incentives and opportunities for fans, with an percentage of the projects proceeds donated to a charity of the artists choice.

Sellaband: -  Fan Funding website in Europe launched in 2006 that as of mid 2009 had helped 33 artists raise $50,000 euros.

Have you used these or other creative ways to  finance your business? Let us know in the comment section below!

If you or a loved one  have questions about how to  manage a creative business?

Are you ready to launch a new project? or start planning for 2012?
  Affordable customized monthly programs are available.  

 Purchase   a  Gift Certificate  for my consulting services-(email / phone / skype consultations available, to help artists in other time zones)!  Gifts Purchased before Dec 25th will be given a $25.00 discount on their initial consultation.

Customized packages and special rates to make your gift giving easy this year. 

Tamra Engle is a independent business strategist based in the S.F. bay area she is available for private consultations to help you develop your independent creative business, You can read more about her at www.TamraEngle.com  you can email her at guitartam@gmail.com  

Who Sends out holiday cards?

Do you keep track of the accomplishments and projects you have worked on during the past year? I realized as I wrote out the title to this blog that I am a few posts away from my 100^th blog!  *more about that soon!

It’s nice to look back each month at all you have  gotten done, to get here. It really helps put things into perspective and show you what progress you have made. 

What new people did you meet?

What booking manager, took a chance and gave you a show? or really did you a favor and gave you a Friday or Saturday night spot? 

What act added you to the bill of their show when you were driving through and needed a Wed night gig on your tour? 

What stranger decided to host a house concert or lend out a exhibit space for a you,  or another artist?

  I bet you can think of at least 20 people as you look back over your year.

Now is the perfect time to fill out a holiday card, to just say THANKS.  That person made it possible for you to earn a living doing what you love. Think about what a awesome gift that is!     

In your card don’t ask for anything, just thank them and wish them a happy holiday! A $0.44 thank you is a really nice way to remind them of you, and help keep you in their mind as a “nice person” to do business with in the New Year. And holiday cards come in a box of 20?  How handy!




Is their someone special who made a difference to your creative business  this past year? Give their business a shout out in the comment section below!


Need help creating a marketing plan or simply have questions on managing your creative business strategy?  Tamra Engle is a independent business strategist based in the S.F. bay area she is available for private consultations to help you develop your independent creative business, You can read more about her at www.TamraEngle.com  you can email her at guitartam@gmail.com