How I Got My Recent Book Deal #thewholestory

***HOW I GOT MY LATEST BOOK DEAL***

CHAPTER ONE:
When I started teaching the Get It Done Workshop in 2001, I had no intention of starting a business.
I just needed to make some extra money, and I thought that maybe I could help people.

So I borrowed a seldom-used room at my church and ended up getting 11 people to take my 6-week course.

I think I made $8250, which I thought was amazing.

I still think it’s amazing.

CHAPTER TWO:
In 2009, I got the idea that maybe I could teach Get It Done full time. I started teaching on InstantTeleseminar (remember that??) and started building my email list, because I could now teach people no matter where they lived.

I started to learn about small business and marketing and sales. It was like learning a new language – but I liked it.

Turns out “business” is just another word for “people.”

CHAPTER THREE:
In 2012 I got my first book deal with New World Library – with a very modest advance and a long publication timeline, since I was a complete unknown.

But thanks to my (then) over 10 years of experience teaching Get It Done, I could demonstrate that there was an audience for this work. Plus my email list had grown quite a bit, and publishers love that.

By now I was offering an array of courses, workshops and live events.
I adored it.
Still do.

CHAPTER FOUR:
In 2016, I wrote and published my second book with New World, “Start Right Where You Are: How Little Changes Can Make a Big Difference for Overwhelmed Procrastinators, Frustrated Overachievers and Recovering Perfectionists.”

More workshops, more courses, more live events – and I was starting to be asked to teach and speak and deliver keynotes at conferences all over.

CHAPTER FIVE:
In March, 2020 I had just returned from co-leading an amazing retreat workshop with my best friend in Belize when the world shut down.

I started filming courses with Madecraft, a production company in Santa Barbara, and they sold them to LinkedIn Learning and other online learning platforms.

CHAPTER SIX:
In the last two and a half years, I got kicked out of the apartment on the beach I’d been in for 10 years (the building got sold and turned into an AirBnB), my cat died, my best friend died, my father got a terminal diagnosis and died, and I got Long-Haul C0vid, making it almost impossible for me to work.

In any other business, this all would have spelt complete disaster.

THE HAPPY ENDING:
Thanks to all that is good, my business is based on workshops.

So I was able to keep teaching online, even while sick, plus my LinkedIn Courses keep gathering steam.

I now have almost a million “learners” worldwide on LinkedIn Learning.

Which helped me get my latest book deal.

We adopted two more kitties, and I was able to buy my first house – in Connecticut – with four bedrooms and private lake access. I am getting treatment from the Long-Haul Clinic at Yale, and am feeling better all the time.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
The ability to lead and teach workshops has not just built my business – it’s saved my life.

By “workshop” I mean everything from:
– simple 2-hour Saturday afternoon trainings
– six-week intensives
– 3-Day Live Events (with over 100 people coming from all over the world)
– high-end year-long trainings
– luxury week-long Retreat in Belize (and this year – Crete!)

And YOU CAN DO IT, TOO.
Yesterday I delivered a little training about how to Turn Your Wisdom Into (Online) Workshops) and you can see it here https://fb.watch/lkwLZQoRi6/

We’ve got a VERY SPECIAL SALE going on right now for my Turn Your Wisdom Into (Online) Workshops right now –

—-> Check out the offer here and get $100 OFF plus a $750 BONUS: https://therealsambennett.com/wiow

Leading workshops (online or in real life) is an amazing way to share your wealth of knowledge, make some extra cash and have a lot of fun.

Consider it, won’t you?

I can’t wait to hear what *****your workshop success story***** will be.

P.S. Can you think of a friend who might be interested in this special offer? Feel free to send them over to https://therealsambennett.com/wiow to see all the details. Thanks – S.

By The Way, You Look Really Great Today

Are you good at too many things?

Are you good at too many things?

My bio could easily read: “Sam Bennett is an accomplished teacher, bestselling author, career coach, producer, actor, businesswoman, meeting facilitator, improviser, sock-monkey maker, playwright, decoupage artist, popular LinkedIn Learner course creator, chronic over-thinker, amateur systems analyst and professional organizer, and she delights in cheerfully mentoring creatives and frustrate over-achievers on their way to great productivity and success.”

You see, who I am is not singular. The bio above is simply me turning my multiplicity of talents and skills into a statement that ***demonstrates*** that I am a multi-dimensional, Creativity and Productivity Specialist.

So here’s my #1 tip for multi-hyphenate people like you and me: Go with it.

You shine brightly in so many ways. So quit thinking that you need to “narrow down” and “just focus on one thing,” and start thinking about what the cumulative effect of your body of experience and your many skills and talents might mean for you then, please, share with us in the comments.

Dear Busy Person…

Dear Busy Person…

Dear Busy Person –

You don’t need my applause, nor my sympathy – but I want you to know that I see you.

I see how hard you work every.single.dip.dang.day.

You work hard at work.

Which, in a time in which up to 80% of employees report being “disengaged,” is really saying something. (So if it feels like you are one of just 20% of the people who are doing 80% of the work, well, that actually IS what is happening.)

And even when they are constantly moving the goalposts, you still manage to excel. You make sure your team feels appreciated, and I see you protecting them as much as you can.

There’s no such thing as an 8-hour workday anymore either, is there? You work from early to late, and “lunch” is a myth.

Luckily, when you get home, you really get to put your feet up and relax.

JK.

Because there is still the dinner and the laundry and kids and the spouse and the garden and the in-laws and the bills to be paid.

You didn’t know that having a family meant you were now CEO of a million-dollar business, did you?

But it’s true. You are.

Luckily, you get to reward yourself with perks like great vacations, time with friends, and plenty of afternoons devoted to long walks in the park and other soul-restoring activities.

JK.

You spend your vacation time visiting family, which is – and hear me when I say this – NOT A VACATION.

And your time with friends is a quick chat from the car while you are on the way back from dropping the kids off somewhere.

And soul-restoring activities….well, that’s just going to have to be put off, isn’t it?

WAIT.
NOPE.
ABSOLUTELY NOT.

I know you are a crazy-busy, and most of the stuff on your platter cannot be delegated or changed –

but you MUST start making time for yourself.

Even just 15 minutes a day.

You must take time each day to fill your tank, otherwise, you will burn out completely.

(You know this is true.)

Productivity is not about doing more.
Productivity is about doing what matters.

And when you spend even just 15 minutes a day on whatever it is that matters to you, well – the other twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes go a lot more smoothly.

So this is my invitation – my plea –

You matter.
What matters to you matters.

Find 15 minutes today when you can quit putting everyone else’s needs ahead of your own and do something that you know will make a difference for YOU.

Because, darling – you are the hero of this story.

And so perhaps I misspoke when I started this – you may not need my applause, but you are definitely getting it.

(insert slow clap that builds to crowds roaring in gratitude and appreciation)

Thank you, our hero.

Dear Busy Person…

3 Signs You Are Ready to Create Your Own Online Workshop, Class or Program

1. You would love to reach people all over the world.

Why limit your work to the people who are available to show up at your selected date, time and location? 

When you teach online, you get to work with to a whole world full of wonderful people who are eager to learn what you have to offer. I’ve had students from all over the US, plus Peru, Israel, Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Chile and all over the UK. 

PRO TIP: If you schedule your classes for 12noon PT / 3pm ET/ 8pm GMT / 7am+1day AEDT, that covers most of the English-speaking world. Remember to check for daylight savings time, and use https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/ to double check time zones.

2. You would like to sell the recordings of your classes.

Now we all know that there isn’t really any such thing as totally “passive” income. Everything requires some work to set up and maintain. Everything. (And anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.)

But on-demand courses are more popular than ever. A recent report from Renub Research suggests that the online education industry will reach $350 billion, worldwide, by 2025. That’s some tall cake.

Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up in the morning and see a notification that someone has bought your course and started watching it? Particularly for your “foundational” courses, a moderately-priced on-demand course can be a terrific income stream, and a great first step on your customer’s journey.

Plus it feels great to know that your work is getting out there and really helping people.

PRO TIP: You’ll need to spend some money on some kind of automated system to process payments and deliver the recordings. Fortunately, there are a lot of them out there. The space is changing so rapidly and there are new systems coming out all the time – so ask some other online trainers you trust and then see which system works best for you and your budget.

3. You’ve been thinking about it for long enough, ammiright?

When an idea takes up permanent residence in your mind, that’s a good sign. In fact, for most of us, it’s the only sign.

You don’t have to be an “expert” – you just have to be willing to authentically share what you know with the people who need it. Think about reaching back to folks who are 10 steps behind you. You don’t need to know everything, you just need to be able to get them from where they are to where you are. Make sense?

So quit waiting for the perfect time, and start taking some inspired right action right now.

PRO TIP: Here’s a great first step – check out my free online, on-demand training, 24 Painful Mistakes to Avoid When Creating A Workshop Online (That I Learned the Hard Way) 

[Podcast] 10 Unusual Characteristics of the Highly Creative Person

[Podcast] 10 Unusual Characteristics of the Highly Creative Person

In this inaugural episode, Sam Bennett shares ten qualities and characteristics of highly creative people. So, if you think you are one, this episode may answer some of the questions about why you act the way you do.

Everyone has at least one zone of creative genius. But, some people have multiple zones of genius. These people are known as highly creative people. If you have a grillon ideas all the time and zig when everyone else zags, you might be a highly creative person. 

The Signature Summit is Live Now

I am so tired of flashy, high-pressure, low-content online summits.

I’m craving real wisdom, from women of substance, delivered at a human pace.

The Signature Summit is my antidote to information overload.

Just click here to register for free.

The Signature Summit starts Wed. Sept. 18th, and features these fascinating talks:

– What to Think About When You Think About Writing a Book: Secrets from a Publishing Insider with Judy Gitenstein

– Becoming Magnetic: How to Stop Blocking Yourself & Step Into the Life You Love with Shanna Mora

– Making Friends with Your Body: It’s Not All Lavender and Frock Coats, But it’s Easier Than You Imagine with Jeffifer Sue Shoemaker

– You’re in Love. You’re Engaged. Now What?: The Secret Ingredient to a Meaningful Wedding with Tulis McCall

– You Can’t Wait for the World to Discover You: How to Increase Your Confidence, Your Visibility and Your Income with Janet Barnett

– Rub Your Belly: A Smart Person’s Guide To Healthy Eating with Chef Nicole Monier

– Joy Is Your Superpower: The Mysterious Relationship Between the Bionic Woman and a Life of Joy with Shannon Horn

– How to Spot a Bumblebee on the Moon: Make Pretty Much Whatever You Want and Get it In Front of People with Veronica Guzzardi

– How to Get Good at Anything (even that thing you think you can’t do) with Keiko O’Leary

– Finding Your Power in the Midst of Difficult Change with Karen Gartside

– Managing Your Mind for Limitless Potential with Corin Baldé

– 7 Lessons from the Signature Summit: What Teaching Taught Me About Courage, Creativity and Getting Out of Your Own Way with ME : )

Don’t those sound AMAZING? And DIFFERENT, right? So good.

There’s nothing to buy. No pitch. No upsell.

Just truly great information from some very kind, insightful people.

And some lovely free gifts, if you want.

I could not be more proud of the bravery, willingness, wisdom and humor of the women in this exclusive group, and I know you’re going to fall in love with them, too.

Click here to Register for Free