5 Reasons Why I Recommend B-School

For those who have been with me a while, you will know that a couple of years ago I took the plunge and joined Marie Forleo's B-school. At the time, the money was a stretch but it is, by far, one of the best investments I have EVER made. And this is why…

The Program

The materials are excellent, very professionally done, each module you get a video, audio and PDF - so no matter what your learning style is, there is something to suit! Like any program, you get out of it, what you put in. The timing was perfect for me when I started because Ebi-kun was just starting school so I could really throw myself in head first! 

It was a LOT of work, but like I said, you get out what you put in. I penciled in a couple of nights a week purely for b-school study time then during the day I was applying what I was learning as I build My Organized Chaos. For the length of the 8 week program I basically I spent every spare minute doing b-school, listening to the audios or working through the PDF worksheets.

The Community

What I hadn't expected when I joined B-school was the community that I would be joining, it rocks! I finally felt like I was with like minded people who saw the world like I do! The support is amazing, there is a forum on the program website but really Facebook is where all the action happens. It is a thriving nest of fabulous people, no matter what time of day, you pop in with a question and you get several replies or if you are having a tough day and they are there to help you up. There is the main group, which has 6000+ members right now and then loads of sub groups which are more specialized, of course you can join as many as you like.

The Friendships

The community as a whole is amazing but what is also amazing is the friendships that have come out of B-School, I have a mastermind group with 3 fabulous women who I know have my back, like I have theirs. I have an accountability partner who is just adorable and I feel like I have known her forever and then there are so many other friends I have made along the way, I can't wait to do a world tour and meet up with them all!

Marie Forleo

The founder (along with Laura Roeder), she is funny and smart, savvy and caring. Her philosophy is that if women had more money (and hence more power) the world would be a better place. Amen to that. She is straight talking and won't accept any bullshit excuses, if you want it bad enough, you will make it work.
She is not pushing a get rich quick scheme, she believes in setting up a sustainable business and doing it the honest way, no icky or slimy techniques needed.

The Fringe Benefits

I wasn't able to take full advantage of all these when I joined but you can definitely get a bigger bang for your buck! Marie runs an affiliate program, I am not in it this year but I have friends who are, so I wanted to give them a shout out. The deal is that if you sign up through one of their affiliate links you get some fab bonuses as a thank you! I am only highlighting these 3 because I am in their programs so I know it is good stuff that they are offering!

First Up is sweet Mayi from Life Is Messy Bootcamp, it was Mayi who introduced me to B-school and it was her who held my hand as I made the decision to join. Click HERE to checkout her website, her offer with the adorable April is HERE!

Next is the fabulous Denise from Lucky Bitch. Denise's course has taught me so much about myself and the money blocks that I never knew existed! Denise has teamed up with Laura Roeder (the other original founder of B-school) for her offer. Click HERE to read about it.

Last but not least is my geeky girl crush Nathalie from Nathalie Lussier Media, who is also a guest teacher in B-school. No longer do I have to suffer spotty nerd blokes when I am looking for a techie problem to be solved, Nathalie is my go to gal! You can check her offer HERE.

Even if you don't sign up for B-school, you should sign up for their newsletters because all of them share amazing stuff every week. If you are thinking of signing up for B-school and you have questions, pop them in the comments box, I am more than happy to answer them.

Inspiration Sunday with Nathalie Lussier

I am very excited about today's interview! Nathalie is one of the amazing women I have met through b-school, she has a great website with LOADS of helpful posts and videos for computer related stuff, from SEO to the latest helpful software, she rocks my inner geek! 

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.... 

I’m Nathalie Lussier, and I’m a digital strategist, writer, and mentor to women entrepreneurs. I live in Brooklyn, NY with my dog (silent business partner) and husband (not so silent business consultant). I love being an example for women everywhere to see that alternative career paths do exist, and you can create the life and business that makes you happiest.

2. Where do you get your inspiration from? 

I feel like my audience and my imagination are enough to keep me going for years and years. I am always thinking up new ideas and strategies that can help people and I can’t imagine not getting those out to the world. I love that I get to lead by example too, and seeing more women starting successful business instead of following the traditional path is also very motivating for me.

3. Tell us about your business...

I run a digital strategy company, where I offer a range of do it yourself training products for entrepreneurs who want to take their businesses higher. I’m putting on my first live event here in New York City, called Off The Charts, where I’m going to be sharing lots of strategies and how-to’s with a group of amazing women entrepreneurs.

4. What led you to start your business.... 

I have been making web sites since I was 12 years old, and graduated with a degree in

Software Engineering and a job offer from Wall Street. In a gutsy move, I turned down this job to start my own business right out of college. I had held a few internships in Sillicon Valley and on Wall Street, and I felt like this work wasn’t my calling, so I decided to create a business around my passion for health and wellness. That business quickly took off, but soon people were asking me who made my website and how was I running this online business. Listening to what my audience was asking for led me to start Nathalie Lussier Media and that venture quickly turned into a six figure business.

5. What does an average day look like for you?

I wake up, have breakfast and walk my dog in the park. Then I usually get started with correspondence, whether it’s status updates with my team or email. I spend a lot of time writing and creating content, and try to keep all of my phone calls to the afternoon so I can have focused writing time in the mornings. I take a break for lunch, and another one to walk the dog in the afternoon... and most days I’ll do a little more work in the evenings just to make sure everything is running smoothly.

6. What is the one thing about your job that makes your heart sing? 

Seeing women kick butt in their businesses. I just love seeing people get results from my work, and knowing how it impacts them and their families, and the legacy that everyone is creating for themselves just amazes me.

7. Share a secret with us that has never been shared online before 

I’m pretty open with my secrets online, but I will say that I love reading romance novels in the bubble bath!

Find Nathalie....

Website : http://nathalielussier.com

Off The Charts: http://offthechartslive.com

Facebook : http://facebook.com/nathalielussierpage

Twitter : http://twitter.com/nathlussier

Pinterest : http://pinterest.com/nathlussier/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nathalielussier

Definitely check out my free Website Checkup Tool if you have your own blog or website, it’s free and takes 5 minutes to get a customized assessment and training to help you get more traffic, subscribers, and sales: http://GetAWebsiteCheckup.com

Out with the babes

The b-school babes that is. B-school kicked off again last week and so  I have been dipping in to module 1 again and redoing some of the exercises. Last year, when I joined I couldn't understand why people were going through the course a second or third time. Now I understand! Last time round, I was in a completely different place, I had the business idea but I hadn't built the website or written most of the content for the course. This time I have the business off the ground, I have a much clearer idea of the direction I am headed in.

The other thing about b-school is the community, we have one main facebook group but then there are loads of sub groups depending on occupation and location, last year we started the Japan group and I think there were 11 members this year we have had some more join. It is lovely having a small community of like minded people, in a similar situation to go through together with. We are in different businesses so everyone has something great to bring to the table.

One of the things I really enjoy is having a monthly, real life meetings. We meet up in Tokyo at a restaurant. I love being able to chat with other who know what I am talking about when I started on about webinairs or epublishing, the sort of things that most people give me a totally blank or confused look if I start talking about them. I suppose because I work alone, it is just nice to talk to other people that 'get' what I am talking about. Saturday was our meeting day, so we had a blissfully slow lunch at El Torito's and met one of the new members, then Paige and I went for a wander around the shops. In Takashimiya, they were having a kimono fashion show, it was funny because we both walked past these girls thinking they were mannequins.

It is lovely to have the day off occasionally as much as I love going out as a family, a day without them gives me a chance to re-charge. What do you like to do when you get a day off?

You asked - I answered! Inside b-school...

Looks like I started something with all this! If you missed the last post it is HERE, I talk about why I think b-school is the bees knees!

After yesterdays post I got quite a few questions, so here is a video answering questions and letting you know what to expect...

A quick word about the button, this button will take you to the sign up page and if you click 'pay now' and pay immediately, I will make some commission, obviously I would be very happy if you did! If you click through and then go clicking around the site before paying, it doesn't work, so if you are ready to join and you would like me to make some commission (thank you very much!) then click here then buy now and no happy clicking anywhere else! If you do sign up, email me the receipt and I will happily do some free coaching with you either during or after b-school.

If you have come over from somewhere else and you prefer the commission to go to somebody else, fair enough, just be sure to do the same, click on their link and then then pay now. That is how it works.

 

Click the button, scroll down, hit 'Pay Now'

My take on b-school...

This is slightly off topic and only applies to those of you who have or are starting your own business.

Last year, as you may know, I joined Marie Forleo's b-school and it was the best investment I have ever made, I don't say that lightly. The course materials are absolutely top-notch and current - no out of date text books here! She pulls in leading experts in their field for bonus materials which are also amazing and the community is just outstanding.

There is always someone out to help you, it is a positively charged group of amazing people, I have had 1:1 help from several experts, joined numerous free courses and webinairs, all of which have helped me one way or the other.

I made this very short video to tell you a bit more...

Full disclosure, this is an affiliate link, but I would still be promoting the course, even if it wasn't! If you have any questions, fire away. It took me quite some time to decide to do it, and I also had 'someone of the inside' to ask. If you sign up from this link (hint, click the button below!) The system goes on the last click, so you must click here then click 'buy now', no other clicking around in-between!
Then email me the receipt and I will give you a  free coaching sessions (worth $500), you can take it when you like, so if you want to wait until the 8 weeks of b-school is over and we can work on anything you are struggling with, that is fine.

*UPDATE* I have just posted a second video answering the questions that have come up, you can watch it HERE

How Marie Forleo changed my life...

A couple of weeks ago, I shared about joining Mayi's bootcamp and how that got the ball rolling for me, in so many ways.

It was Mayi who introduced Marie Forleo to me. Chances are you are going to say who? I did! I signed up for the free video training to see what it was that Mayi was raving about, that was it, I was hooked.

I have never enjoyed marketing or the sales side of business but of course, to run a successful business you have to do it. Marie makes it seem like fun, she breaks it down into manageable chunks and talks in real (American) English, not business mumbo jumbo.

She is funny and smart and a world leader in the area on online business development. She has worked with Richard Branson, been on Opera and often interviews or is being interviewed by of significant entrepreneurs.

So, what did Marie do for me?

I very nervously signed up for b-school last April, for me it was a LOT of money to invest but Ebi-kun was starting school and I really needed to get my business to bring in an income. The previous year I had been hit bad with the earthquake happening and I had seriously started to think about what I needed to do to make it work.

The March 11th disaster was a game changer for me. Knowing that our families income could have been wiped out that day, the one source of income that we depend on made me re-evaluate what I was doing and what I was trying to achieve. 

Up until then jojoebi-designs was making pocket money, I could buy books whenever I felt like it, it paid for presents for others and occasionally treats for the family, it wasn't bringing in a salary. I wasn't that bothered about that at the time because I wanted something to fit around Ebi-Kun's schedule, he comes first. I don't regret though early years because I learned a lot. But come April, Ebi-kun would be at school full time and I needed to step up to the next level.

I suppose much of it was the stars aligning, finding out about b-school happened just at the right time for me, I knew in my gut that it was the right thing to do, it didn't stop me from wanting to throw up after hitting the pay now button!

What did I get out of it? Where do I start? I decided to set up My Organized Chaos, I learnt so much about websites, opt-ins, squeeze pages, tele seminars, newsletters, copy writing.... the list goes on. All presented in a fun way and not once did I feel like the class div because I didn't know something. Marie's teaching style really suits me, I love the way she presents what you need to do, her no bullshit attitude and silliness that comes through.

Now, although the course was amazing, Marie was great the BIGGEST thing that I got from joining b-school was the community. There is a b-school private facebook group with 2000+ members of amazing women (and a few men), they are supportive, positive, helpful and just rock. No matter how trivial or silly you think a question is, there is always someone there to help you out. Having that environment available to you 24/7 is, well amazing.

So, not only do you get all Marie's great advice, in the community there are people who are experts in specific areas, there are always free seminars and Internet calls going on, people to team up with and work on projects together, accountability partners and mastermind groups - like the one we have with the Tokyo babes.

Because of b-school I was able to go home last Christmas for a month, the first time back in two years, I was able to buy myself a Macbook Air and that was all out of profits from the last quarter of 2012, better than pocket money!

Now, I could go on all day raving about the b-school babes and Marie Forleo, it has made an enormous change to my business, my way of thinking and my life. If you are thinking of investing in your company, do go and watch the free training HERE. 

If you have any questions or concerns about joining up, ask in the comments section or email me, I would love to help you, drop me a line!

New Friends and Partnerships..

A few weeks back I signed up for an online business course, now Ebi-kun is at school I feel it is the time to make a proper commitment and really push my little business to the next level. I also had a killer business idea but knew I would need help implementing it. The course is run by Marie Forleo, she is amazing and inspiring and takes no crap, just the kind of person I needed to help me make this work. What I didn't realize when I signed up, was that I would be connecting and making friends with loads of cool new people and what was even more surprising was that there are about 10 of us in Japan.

So, us Japan babes started our own little group and on Sunday we had our first meet up. We went to The Brown Rice cafe in Harajuku, the front of the shop sells essential oils and the such like and the cafe is at the back.

Now I have somewhere to take veggie friends when they come to visit, being a vegetarian in Japan is not easy! The food was really tasty, although I wasn't fussed on the matcha jelly stuff that was for desert.

Sadly, two of the Tokyo members couldn't make it but I am sure we will get together next time and we had 'special guests' Natasha and her husband who were over here visiting. Natasha went through the program last year so all us newbies had someone to fire lots of questions at!

We spent most of the time talking about our businesses and how the course has helped so far, swapping stories, ideas and resources. It was really good to connect with others struggling with the same things and encouraging each other on how to get through it.

After lunch a few of us headed up to the farmers market, I was surprised how many organic and health shops there were at that Aoyama end of Omotesando. We chatted some more then everyone headed off in different directions, I went to check out Crayon House, next time I have Ebi-kun with me and we are in the area we will be going back there for sure. Then I just headed back home. I can't manage to go through Harajuku without taking a random picture or two...

I got back and dinner was cooked, Ebi-kun has decided he wanted to make macaroni cheese (from scratch) with daddy, I'm not sure daddy was happy about it and Ebi-kun was complaining that "Daddy doesn't listen to me" lol. However they got on, the dinner was lovely, I might have to do this more often!

the plunge....

I think if you have been reading this blog for any length of time you will know that I am far more comfortable behind the camera than I am in front of it. You will also know that I decided that now Ebi-kun is in school it was time for me to step up my little business and put some serious time and effort into it. Which, is why I signed up for Mayi's Life Is Messy Bootcamp. One of the things I have taken from bootcamp is that I really need to step out of my comfort zone, which I have been doing with baby steps but yesterday I took a really big breath and just did it. Yep, I got in front of the video came, I edited and put it up on youtube.

Now, why on earth would I do that? Well Mayi sent me over to Marie Forleo's B-School and I was super inspired by her video's, her take on life and her program, now I see why Mayi was raving about her. If you are a woman and looking to grow your business, watch my video then get over there! Marie is offering up a scholarship for a place on her next course, I would LOVE to join, so I bit the bullet and here is the evidence...

and no snickering at my dodgy northern accent OK!