I’m beyond excited to introduce you to two of the nicest and smartest businesswomen I know!  Laurel Bleadon-Maffei of Illuminating Souls and Jo Anna Rothman of The Receiving Project have partnered to create a successful brand in Big Sparkly Life, as well as the super fun Rock Your World Summit.  Check out this interview to learn how it all went down!

Share with us who you are and tell us a bit about your personal experience with entrepreneurship?

Jo Anna:  I am an intuitive coach, writer and Goddess of Giggles!  I began my entrepreneurial journey in earnest about a year and a half ago. Prior to that I had been working as a therapist in a group home . . . and was pretty miserable.  I thought it was the job, rather than the choice of careers, until I got another job.  They tried to triple my commute by moving the office and I complained.  Less than a month in,  I was fired.  BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED! SERIOUSLY!

In the next few months, I launched The Receiving Project.  It’s a free 32 day e-course designed to teach people how to receive.  To date, over 700 people have participated.  I began working with clients individually as a healer and coach.  And now there is Big Sparkly Life and the Rock Your World Summit!

It has been absolutely an amazing journey. . . I am so grateful.  I am also really excited to see what else there is!

Laurel:  I’m a Channel for the Angelic Realms and Spiritual Teacher & Coach. It’s the coolest job ever and I feel utterly blessed to be able to do this work. 

In 2006 I left my corporate job as a market analyst to launch my company, Illuminating Souls.  There’s a great quote by Rev. Margaret Shepard, “Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.” – and it truly describes how I launched this business.  I moved through fear, manifested miracles and co-created a beautiful career where I now do angel readings, spiritual life coaching, teaching, mentoring and so much more.  Every day I get to shine love upon the world.  It’s such a blessing!

Working as an entrepreneur stretches me beyond my comfort zone on a regular basis.  I’m very fond of stability and consistency, and this work is all about surrender.  There are some months when business seems slow and I say to my husband, “I don’t know what to do…” and he always replies, “Just show up…” and he’s always right.  Somehow through the ebb and flow of life, miracles blossom  and our business continues to flourish.  And this year I jumped into the adventure of Big Sparkly Life with Jo Anna & we co-created the Rock Your World Summit.  It just keeps getting better & better! 

How did the two of you meet and when and how did Big Sparkly Life come about? Tell us a bit about that partnership.

Jo Anna:  I met Laurel when I took a spiritually-based writer’s group she was facilitating in 2006. The group met in one form or another for several years.  Laurel became a mentor and a friend. I would not be doing the work I do know if it wasn’t for the love, wisdom and encouragement of Laurel.

Big Sparkly Life came about after Laurel invited me on her Blog Talk Radio show to discuss my experiences.  We had SO much fun together that we knew we needed to do more.  After some brainstorming, Big Sparkly Life was born! 

I think we work really well together. We really motivate and assist each other.  Laurel is a design and technical goddess! So she does a lot of the website stuff.  I write the copy (which she tweaks and makes magical).  I also blog most days on BSL. 

Laurel:  As Jo Anna shared, we met when she joined the writer’s group.  She’s pure magic and has the best giggle in the world.  Over the years she has become a dear friend and soul sister.  It’s such a joy to be working together!

When Big Sparkly Life came forward as a possibility, I had been working as a spiritual teacher & intuitive for a few years.  I love my work, but I realized I was craving more fun, laughter and creativity.  Jo Anna was a guest on my radio show and we laughed, did intuitive readings and had the BEST time together. Within in a few days we were inspired to create Big Sparkly Life.

When the opportunity came along to work with Jo Anna it just felt right.  We both hold a big space for others to connect with their dreams, we’re intuitive, and we love to laugh.  As Jo Anna says, we motivate each other.  What’s so cool is that we each have our own business and together we have Big Sparkly Life. It allows us to say “yes” to lots of magic & opportunities.  Jo Anna is simply amazing and I’m so happy for the opportunity to create together!

Do you have a formal partnership agreement or is it a more casual arrangement?

Jo Anna & Laurel:  We don’t have an official partnership agreement.  We are just very clear and open with each other about what we want.  We talk very plainly about the finances.  We both come from the same place of integrity and ethics…it makes working together much easier.

You produced the super-successful Rock Your World Summit which I had the absolute pleasure of being a part of!  Will you share with us what Rock Your World Summit was all about and what inspired you to co-create it?

Jo Anna:  I had the idea for it while taking this amazing marketing bootcamp.  It was an idea about how to really show up in a much bigger way. 

I came home and told Laurel . . . she envisioned it later in the summer.  I wanted to do it ASAP.  And God bless her, she totally went along with it!  Laurel dove in 150%!  She has done so much of what I just don’t know how (or don’t want to know how) to do . . . the design, the packaging and the technical aspects.  I am in such gratitude for her willingness to go along with my enthusiasm.

The summit was a way to really share who we are, what we love as well as the wisdom of others in our community that we love.  For me personally, it was an exercise in courage.  I was so hesitant to ask people to participate at first.  But than I just said, “Screw it.”  I asked everyone I wanted! The worst thing I could hear was no . . . and the few no’s I received were so sweet.  Most peeps said yes . . . and that was awesome!  On every level, the summit was a huge success.

Laurel:  Remember earlier when I said that doing this work stretches me beyond my comfort zone?  Well, God bless, Jo Anna.  She had the big vision for the summit and championed having us schedule it sooner rather than later.  I’m a planner.  I like to take my time and think, and probably over-think things.  But Jo Anna said, “We’re doing it at the beginning of June!” and I didn’t want to miss the party so I jumped on board and said yes!  Jo Anna was fearless in inviting teachers, coordinating the details and attuning to the vibe of the Summit.  As Jo Anna said, it was a great success.

Were there expenses associated with Rock Your World Summit? And if so, how did you manage the finances?

Jo Anna:  The costs came down to the URL, the tele-seminar service, advertising and things of that nature.  We also worked with an amazing woman to assist us in creating the some of the packaging. 

Laurel:  The costs were nominal – the biggest investment was our time and energy.  Since I’m a numbers geek, I take care of the bookkeeping (which before you get too impressed is an excel spreadsheet).  Jo Anna and I just seem to be able to intuitively work out who will pay for which expenses.  We keep a running tally in our heads and switch off paying for items so that we’re splitting the flow.

Did you do all of the work yourselves, or did you have a team or hire contractors to help with the event?

Jo Anna & Laurel:  We worked with Marissa Bracke who assisted us in creating an affiliate program and some other things.  She was amazing!  Other than that, we did most things ourselves!

Lastly, for any women entrepreneurs out there who are considering a collaborative venture, what useful advice can you give them based on your experience?

Jo Anna:  Be very clear within yourself about what you want from the partnership and communicate that clearly.  Be appreciative about what you do and what your partner does.  Have fun with it!

Laurel:  Just like going into a relationship, it’s important to enter into the partnership from a place of wholeness.  I think one of the things that makes Jo Anna and I work together so well is that we’re both really strong in who we are.  We’re both really balanced, generous of spirit and we’re both really big fans of each other.  We make space for each other, share the work and communicate clearly.  It’s important to know that you are joining with someone who enhances you and you do the same for them.  All too often I see people collaborating from a place of fear and lack – and that’s something I’d never recommend.  But if you’re clear in your gifts and abilities and there’s someone who inspires you and you sense you will work well together, talk it through and listen to your intuition.

VISIT:

Big Sparkly Life: http://bigsparklylife.com

Rock Your World Summit: Click here to view more details

Contact Laurel
Email: laurel@illuminatingsouls.com
http://illuminatingsouls.com

Contact Jo Anna
Email: JoAnna@receivingproject.com
http://thereceivingproject.com

The Rockin’ Partners Connection Service is a unique business solution for the marketing savvy, time-strapped, solo, service-based business owner looking for an affordable and efficient way to connect with strategic marketing partners. 

Watch this video for all of the details of this brand spankin’ new service. Or, if you’re more of a “reader” than a “watcher” visit the Rockin’ Partners Connection Service page.

This is the first time I’m opening this service to the public.  There are a limited number of spaces available and they are already starting to fill up due to private invitations! 

If you are interested, you can either contact me ASAP via email at jessica@jessicazsolutions.com OR conveniently schedule an appointment at http://www.tungle.me/jessicazambarano

Looking forward to the opportunity to be your partner for success!

Keep Rockin’,

What is “Legacy” and why is it important as small business owners to understand our own legacies?   Legacy is living your dream and loving what you’ll leave behind for future generations.  It starts with knowing who you are and what gifts you have to share with the world.  It manifests when you bridge your professional talents and your personal passions to create for yourself a fulfilling, sustainable, comfortable lifestyle that allows you space and opportunity to impact positive and lasting change. 

People ask me why it’s important to understand legacy.  I tell them it’s because understanding your legacy is empowering, motivating, fun, it gives us purpose and it allows us the opportunity to effect positive change.

Want to know more about legacy and how Partnership Marketing can help you Rock Your Legacy?   Be sure to check out this totally fun Podcast I recorded with rockin’ partners and Online Biz Insiders, Mary Motz (ProVirtual Solutions) and Carla Wilson (Wilson Virtual Assistants).  Thanks ladies for inviting me to be a guest! It was a complete pleasure!

When I ran the $297 Rock Your Partnerships Giveaway I had the pleasure of meeting Jo Anna Rothman of The Receiving Project who was one of the finalists in that contest.  Jo Anna and I immediately connected and I knew I couldn’t wait to work with her and support her in any way possible!

Jo Anna, and her business partner Laurel Bleadon-Maffei of Illuminating Souls, graciously invited me to be a part of Rock Your World Summit, a 6-day partner event with 24 amazing classes from inspiring teachers around the world designed to Rock Your Life, Rock Your Business and Rock Your Soul!

As a result of my participation in this partner event, I have:

• connected personally with 20+ small business owners who believe in partnership as a tool for growth.
• had the opportunity to teach my signature class Leverage the Power of Partnership to Rock Your Legacy.
• received 40+ new subscriptions to my e-newsletter Spark! , as well as some new Facebook “Likes” and new Twitter followers.
• connected with 5 business owners LIVE during the class who could be potential partners for myself and my clients.

If you missed it, you can get access to all 25 classes on all three tracks (Business, Life & Soul) for just $97: Click here to view more details

I also LOVED featuring Jo Anna & Laurel in the Rockin’ Partners Series! Read the interview to get a behind the scenes look at how they partnered to create Big Sparkly Life and the super-successful Rock Your World Summit.

(Psssst . . . check out what Jo Anna & Laurel said about my class on Twitter!)

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of connecting with Lynn Smith who invited me to be part of a FABULOUS partnership called the Inner Radiance for Prosperity gift sharing event. Lynn shared with me that this event was a phenomenal success last year and that she and her partners were looking to make it even bigger and better this time around!  Not only am I totally psyched to be a part of this event, but I ‘m absolutely thrilled to bring you this interview with Rockin’ Partners: Lynn Smith, Cindy Hudson and Marcy Stahl who have graciously shared with us some key details about how they went about creating this amazing partner event!

Share with us who you are and tell us a bit about your personal experience with entrepreneurship?

Lynn: I am Lynn Smith and my business is Health Coach Team. I am a weight loss coach. My entrepreneurial desire didn’t start until I was in my 40’s – I was a late bloomer! Since then it has become my passion to help women step into their power. The more time I spend as an entrepreneur and coach the more I’ve come to love it! Watching a woman shift the way she feels about herself and change her own limiting beliefs is so rewarding. Not to mention, I love the freedom of being an entrepreneur. In my journey I have come to realize how creative I really am. I had no idea! I continue to learn so much about myself and my abilities. It is very rewarding!

Marcy: I threw away my pantyhose in 1997, when I left a defense think tank and co-founded a government contracting firm. I co-managed that firm for 8 years as we grew to over $1M in revenues. When I left the government contracting company, I wanted to help other smart women build their businesses, so I started as a business coach. Now I help women solopreneurs and women in direct sales with practical business-building skills and with the inner emotional game of entrepreneurship.

Cindy: My name is Cindy Hudson and I have had my own business for 16 years. In 2008 I began full time as a coach after 13 years of interior design. This was a big switch for me from hands on private client work, to primarily online and client work on the phone. My passion and mission has propelled me to continue to learn and move forward to reach women. Being an entrepreneur has been quite a challenge and it has taught me so much about myself and my own growth. Growing personally is essential in order to help others grow and I am forever learning something. I love what I do and I’m thankful for the opportunity to share my heart and purpose with my ideal client!

What is the Inner Radiance for Prosperity gift sharing event and why did you choose to partner on this collaborative venture?

Marcy: This is the fourth event our core group of partners has collaborated on. Our first two events were telesummits, which were much more time-consuming to organize and run. Our third event (Inner Radiance) was a gift giveaway, which was much easier to set up and run, and all of our participants grew their lists. Plus, everyone in our communities had access to a ton of amazing gifts!

Lynn: Inner Radiance for Prosperity is the next step for us after Inner Radiance. Each project we do becomes bigger than the previous one, which is a lot of fun! We have all grown as a result, too. I remember our first project. I had never done a telesummit. Some had never done a teleclass before. Some had never been in a joint venture. Each project has become more professional. We have all come so far as entrepreneurs. Our businesses have grown. I know how much of an impact these projects have had on me!

Cindy: The heart of the Inner Radiance for Prosperity gift sharing event is to bring together carefully chosen heart-centered entrepreneurs to share their secrets, tips, and guidance collectively and offer them as gifts to thousands of people. The belief of the core team is that abundance is to be shared and that is what this is all about. This is our 2^nd gift giveaway event and we felt strongly about increasing abundance and prosperity by making these gifts available for FREE!

Which came first . . . the partners? Or the idea?

Lynn: The partners came first. On our first project we brainstormed an umbrella theme that would cover what each of us did. That was the Small Shifts, Big Changes tele-summit.

Marcy: The partners! Our core group of women entrepreneurs all participated in the same business coaching program. In June 2009, Lynn asked whether any of us would like to participate in a joint venture – details to be determined. I enthusiastically jumped in! After we solidified who was in the group, we created the first of four joint ventures.

Cindy: The partners! All of the IR core team met through our business coach and decided to partner primarily to share our messages and build our lists. With each of our events we have learned, perfected, shifted, and refined our site, our intentions, and our expertise. Each event grew and our specific subject for each event was decided among us, partly fueled by what we felt was important in our messages, plus what we believed at that particular time was being shown to each of us as an important lesson we wanted share with others.

Tell us a little bit about how you knew you were a good fit to work together.

Cindy: Since all of us were all being coached with the same energetic method we were all heading in the same direction with the same intention: To grow and build our business and lives from our hearts and change the lives of others with our message.

Marcy: We all worked with the same coach and thus had similar training and similar philosophy. Our planning is very collaborative, so everyone needs to contribute.

Lynn: We already knew each other to a limited degree so becoming joint venture partners was just a natural extension of that. It became apparent early on that we were good collaborators. We’d have phone calls in which we’d brainstorm and it never took us very long to come up with solid, marketable ideas. Once we finished the first project I put the idea out to do it again. It just made sense! We work well together and have always shared the workload. So why stop with one project!

Do you have any kind of partnership agreement? Why or why not? And if so, why was that important to each of you?

Lynn: We have a verbal arrangement. Personally, since we have a history together, I feel comfortable with that. Marcy, Cindy and I were together in a mastermind program last year and Marcy and I are in one together this year, too. I feel they are my friends. I know I can pick up the phone any time I need anything and they will be there for me.

Marcy: I never even thought of an agreement. Because we’re not sharing any money, it doesn’t seem necessary.

Cindy: Actually, no. We have never considered this as each one of us is responsible for our own submissions, equally contributing to the needs of the project and working as a team to partner with the creation of the project.

How do you handle financial and administrative matters associated with the partnership? Who pays for expenses? Do you have a team or hire contractors to help with the event?

Marcy: For all our joint ventures, our only expenses have been a virtual assistant, plus web site hosting costs. For our first two joint ventures, each partner paid an equal share of the costs. For the gift giveaways, we ask our contributors to pay a small amount.

Lynn: When we started the first Inner Radiance project Cindy stepped up and took over the administrative role. We each have played different roles in each project. She is great at the helm and, truthfully, when it comes to covering any expenses, I send her whatever amount she asks for. Being as she handles that aspect, I will let her explain how she handles the financial matters.

Cindy: The core team splits the creation of our copy, emails, promotional information, and participant invitations. We create as much as we can ourselves and then turn the rest over to our VA giving her instructions and a time frame for everything involved.

Our VA helps us with the creation of our site, including posting all relevant info such as each gift, instructions, and promo info. She keeps in touch with our participants for us with emails that we create and send to her. She collects the gift fees and stays on top of the schedule we give her to make it all run smoothly. At the end of the event we use the monies we have collected to pay for her services and if there is any leftover we split it among the core members. Our main objective is to build our lists, not to make money.

Because our VA is excellent this has proven to work beautifully. The core leader of each event stays in close contact with the VA making sure that she has everything she needs. The core team meets once a week on a conference call to go over what we need to be doing and the leader takes the info and sends it on to the VA. This has proven to work really well.

Lastly, for any women entrepreneurs out there who are considering a collaborative venture, what useful advice can you give them based on your experience?

Lynn: My best advice would be to just jump in and take the initiative. When I first put the idea out on the forum in that group program back in 2009 I never imagined it would have evolved to the level it has become. It’s just amazing what we have been able to do together!

Marcy: Partnering is a great idea! It will expand your reach, by connecting you with new audiences. It’s also hugely fun to collaborate with colleagues. It’s important to choose your partners carefully: is their philosophy similar to yours and are they a person of integrity? It takes a village to build a successful business. Joint ventures are a big part of that for me.

Cindy: Leadership and a desire to cooperate as a group is extremely important plus a willingness to be available to do your share of the work through the entire process. Be sure to have a leader who is accountable to keep everything organized and the group on track. Find a competent, responsible VA or team to support you. Create a schedule for the event and stick to it. Have consistent meetings with the core group to discuss the progress and the needs as they arise. Be open to new ideas and further collaboration. Set a specific intention for the event, (ie. list building, making money, etc.) and have a mindset of openness and creativity to reach that intention. Have an expectation of excellence and abundance at all times to make your event a success.

CONTACT INFO:

Mark your calendars: The Inner Radiance for Prosperity gift sharing event takes place 6/2 – 6/23.  Please be sure to visit Inner Radiance and download all the FREE gifts you like from this amazing and generous group of small business owners! http://www.innerradiancegifts.com/prosperity

How can someone be part of the next Inner Radiance event?
Please send an email to cindy@redhotliving.com to be considered for the next Inner Radiance event. We will let you know when the next round will be and get you all the info you need to be a part of it.

Connect with Lynn:
Lynn Smith, Weight Loss Coach – Health Coach Team, http://heathcoachteam.com

Connect with Marcy:
Marcy Stahl, Mindset and Marketing Mentor – MarcyStahl.com, http://www.marcystahl.com

Connect with Cindy:
Cindy Hudson, Healer & Mindset Shift Coach – Red Hot Living, http://www.redhotliving.com